Fenil and Bollywood

Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; June 27, 2018)

After the resounding success of Raazi, director Meghna Gulzar is all set to tell the story of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, who led the Indian Army during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 as Chief of the Army Staff. He was the first Indian Army officer to be promoted to the rank of Field Marshal.

Speaking about what prompted her to tell his story, Meghna told BT, “We have a severe paucity of heroes today. We don’t have any and definitely not from the real world. He was one such real-life hero. Even the slightest mention of him is held in high regard by generations who have known him. Hence, I think that subsequent generations need to know about his life. He was widely felicitated as he was one of the most decorated officers of our country, but it's important for people to know about him today and not let a hero like him fade away in the pages of history.”

The acclaimed director adds, “What appealed to me the most about him is that he was somebody who would neither take himself or his huge accomplishments, or whatever difficulties he faced in his life seriously. He was someone who could face any situation with a smile. Even if a war was brewing, he wouldn’t snap or get frazzled. He was in complete control of the situation and a hands-on leader, who was aware of ground reality — whether it was about the logistical difficulties his most junior officers faced, concern for the jawans, their health issues or their pension. He was aware of the grass root reality, people’s strength and weaknesses. That’s what made him a great leader.”

The director also explained why the film isn’t a ‘biopic’ per se. She clarified, “I don’t even look at Raazi as a biopic, because we are not tracing the story of her life from her birth to death, in chronological order. You are looking at an event in her life. Similarly, Sam Manekshaw’s life is so vast and full that there is no way you can make a chronological biopic on him in two hours. What we are trying to do is tell the story of this man with utmost honesty, without making it sound like a historical document.”

Talking about the casting for this ambitious project, Meghna who is collaborating with Ronnie Screwvala on the film revealed, “I want to get done with the writing before I go down that road, or else I will get stuck with a name or a face and I don't want that to influence the script.”

MAJA DARUWALA, DAUGHTER OF SAM MANEKSHAW, SPEAKS ABOUT THE FILM BEING MADE ON HER FATHER

‘As a family, we are excited about Ronnie, Meghna and team taking on the important task of reintroducing Sam’s legacy to generations, who never had the chance to know him. His values were values that we all should carry forward. This film will play a great role in ensuring that.’

Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 27, 2018)

Hrithik Roshan has been busy wrapping up the final portions of Super 30, the biopic on maths wiz Anand Kumar, at Sambhar in Rajasthan.

Now, Mirror has learnt that Amit Sadh recently shot for the film as its narrator, wrapping up his part quickly before he goes on the road with Reema Kagti’s sports drama, Gold.

A source from the Vikas Bahl directorial reveals that most of his scenes were with Hrithik. “Dressed in a kurta-pyjama, he will take the story forward, informing the audience of the developments in Anand Kumar’s life,” adds the source.

Pankaj Tripathi is also a part of the film. He’s the antagonist while TV actor Nandish Sandhu plays Anand’s brother Pranav Kumar. This is Nandish’s big Bollywood debut. He was earlier seen in a song with Salman Khan and Sonakshi Sinha in Dabbang 2 in 2012. The team kicked off shoot of the film in Varanasi in February.

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 27, 2018)

Writer-director Shashanka Ghosh, is penning a biopic on Indian yogi and bestselling author Jaggi Vasudev, better known as Sadhguru. The yet-untitled biopic will mark Shashanka’s third collaboration with producer Rhea Kapoor, after the 2014 romcom Khoobsurat and the recent super-hit, Veere Di Wedding. Shashanka will submit the final draft of script to the Isha Foundation in the next three-four months. The NGO started by Sadhguru offers yoga programmes around the world and is involved in social outreach, education and environmental initiatives.

“I love the concept of a biopic because there is a huge degree of truth already existing through historical events. The story of a human being becomes a biopic when they have done something worthy of sharing, something people have been inspired by,” reasons the director, revealing that Sameer Gupta who had produced his debut feature, Waisa Bhi Hota Hai Part II, had wanted him to work on a biopic on Kishore Kumar 12 years ago but that film never took off.

Sadhguru was conferred the Padma Vibhushan last April. His foundation works with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. In 2012, he was voted among the 100 most powerful Indians and was a part of the 2006 documentary, One: The Movie. The 60-year-old also hosts a series, In Conversations with the Mystic.

Speaking about his association with Rhea, Shashanka asserts that the duo is always in sync with each other. “If a sequel to Veere Di Wedding ever happens, I know Rhea will certainly consider me for the director’s chair. I have watched Rhea grow as a creative producer, she is a gutsy woman,” he says.

Actor reunites with Kangana Ranaut to play theatre director
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 27, 2018)

After working together in Aanand L Rai’s Tanu Weds Manu, its 2015 sequel, as also Abhinay Deo’s 2011 action thriller Game, Kangana Ranaut and Jimmy Sheirgill reunited for their fourth film, Prakash Kovelamudi’s Hindi directorial debut, Mental Hai Kya. Jimmy who began shooting in London earlier this week, plays a theatre director.

All praise for his co-star, he describes Kangana as “one of the finest actresses we have today”, and having collaborated on three films, points out that they have developed a comfort level.

“We understand each other’s space as actors and get nostalgic sometimes,” he chuckles, adding he has a breezy, interesting role.

Jimmy’s also grown extremely fond of the director in just a few days. “Prakash is a really nice guy and fun to be around. We even partied together recently while celebrating the birthday of a crew member,” says Jimmy from London.

Earlier this year, the actor was seen in a negative role in Anurag Kashyap’s boxing drama, Mukkabaaz, and in Ashu Trikha’s rom-com, Veerey Ki Wedding. Prod him on his choice of films and he says that he doesn’t care if the films are big or small. “I take my chances, I’m not super choosy as people think, the film just has to interest me in some way. Main mazdoor aadmi hoon, I work everyday,” laughs Jimmy, who’s a huge star in Punjab and his last release, Daana Paani, did really well.

He will next be seen in Mudassar Aziz’s sequel to his 2016 rom-com Happy Bhag Jayegi, reprising the part of Daman Singh Bagga, and in the third instalment of the Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster franchise. “Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi is a crazy, on-the-run film and it was great working with Sanju Baba again, only this time he wasn’t Munna Bhai but the gangster. Like the Tanu sequels, they were great fun to make. I’d just land up on the set, not thinking too much about the role as I have lived many such characters over the years,” Jimmy signs off.

The 22-year-old actress has bagged her second film after the Student of the Year sequel, a Hindi remake of the 2017 Telugu superhit Arjun Reddy
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 27, 2018)

Even before her Bollywood debut, Karan Johar’s Student of the Year 2, hits the screens on November 23, Tara Sutaria has bagged her second big-budget feature. The 22-year-old singer-actress will play Shahid Kapoor’s love interest in the yet-untitled Hindi remake of the 2017 Telugu superhit Arjun Reddy. While Shahid is stepping into the shoes of Vijay Deverakonda, who bagged the Filmfare Award for Best Actor earlier this month, Tara will play Shalini Pandey’s role from the original.

“The remake will be tailored for a more North Indian audience. The leading lady is an innocent and vulnerable character so the makers were keen to have a relatively new face. The casting has been underway since the last six months,” a source close to the development informs Mirror, adding that Sara Ali Khan and Janhvi Kapoor were also considered, but the team zeroed in on Tara in March.

Sandeep Vanga, who directed the original, will make his Bollywood debut with the remake. Producers Ashwin Varde and Murad Khetani have reportedly paid a whopping sum for the remake rights to what has become a cult film in Telangana. “The recce is nearing completion and the film is expected to roll in August,” the source adds.

Shahid, who is presently wrapping up Shree Narayan Singh’s Batti Gul Meter Chalu will go through a physical transformation for his journey from a college student to a grown man. He’ll be beefing up and will grow an untamed, facial fuzz.

An unconventional love story, the film follows Arjun, an alcoholic surgeon, who hits the selfdestruct button after his college sweetheart, Preethi, marries someone else. The film is also being remade in Tamil as Varma by Bala and actor Vikram’s son Dhruv making his debut.

DNA (June 27, 2018)

Swara Bhasker didn’t allow herself to be bogged down by a slipped disc and tried hard to brave through the pain and fulfill her professional commitments without much ado. That seems to have slowed down her recovery and got her mother worried. So, her mother has flown down to take care of her actress daughter as she shoots night and day for her web series. Swara, who couldn’t be more glad to have her mother around, says, “It’s a boon to have my mother by my side. It’s wonderful to be able to spend time with her as both of us are quite busy. This is the reason why I believe parents are always amazing as they put themselves before their children.”

The actress, who is feeling better since her mum arrived, says, “My current status is a lot better because there was a point when I couldn’t get out of bed. I’m shooting every day and doing physiotherapy. I’m also doing some acupressure and acupuncture and other alternative therapies to heal my back. Once my shooting finishes, I’ll get on to a more disciplined fitness regime. But right now, I’m managing it along with the shoot.”

Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; June 27, 2018)

An overweight girl in Dum Laga Ke Haisha (DLKH), a villager in Toilet - Ek Prem Katha (TEPK), a small-town girl in Shubh Mangal Saavdhan (SMS) and now a grimy-looking domestic help in the anthology Lust Stories, Bhumi Pednekar has been unorthodox in her choices in a career spanning three-and-a-half years so far. Shortly after her latest release, we caught up with the actress, who is dressed simply in a pretty salwar kameez, to speak about the risky subject and her risque role in Zoya Akhtar’s short. Bhumi talks about the challenges that she faced while portraying Sudha and why her career choices would never be similar to that of any other Bollywood heroine. Over to her...

What led you to play Sudha, given you barely had any dialogues in the film?
When Zoya got in touch with me, it seemed like a great project because it was Bombay Talkies 2 then. But when I read the script, I was like, ‘How am I going to do this?’ When you have dialogues, it tells you a lot about the character and the world he or she comes from. If I’m just quiet, it will confuse people. I had to play a house help and feel the whole class divide. The film had so many layers. I shot it a while ago when none of my work had released, except DLKH. I had just wrapped up TEPK and was shooting for SMS. It was such a big compliment that a filmmaker like Zoya wanted to do a film with me when she had only seen my debut movie.

How did you structure the role?
It was all thanks to my endless conversations with Zoya. Right from the shots to the transitions and edits, she had a clear vision about what she wanted. The purpose of her making this film was to make a comment on the class divide, and about being a girl in such a situation. For two weeks, I was maaroing pochha at home and doing all these household chores, which I have done for my other projects, too, but that was as an owner. Here, I was just the help and I couldn’t have that kind of comfort.

Being a feature film actor, weren’t you advised against taking up a project on an OTT platform?
It’s not the most conventional route to take and a lot of people asked me if I was sure about doing this film. I didn’t know it was going to release on an OTT platform only when I had shot the film. It’s still a feature release, but just on a different medium, as opposed to what I have done.

What about the physical transformation?
I have gone four shades darker, my face and hands were pigmented. This is the most amount of time I’ve taken to get ready for a film. Zoya has dirtied me right to my nails being chipped. I did gain weight for Dum Laga Ke... and I was nervous even then. This time, there was also the whole sex scene that unnerved me but Zoya is empowered, so she gave me the confidence to go ahead and do this. It was liberating working with her. She’s a boss lady.

Aren’t you scared of getting typecast because of doing only unconventional roles?
Initially, there was an apprehension because I actually didn’t know if people would see me differently. But now, I don’t fear getting typecast anymore. I have a strong personality — I know who I’m outside my work and I’m nothing like the characters I portray. Then the audiences have also matured. My intention has always been to just do good work. I have realised what my pitch is and I’m in this industry for the pure reason that I love acting. I also love the frills that come with it — the clothes, red carpet appearances and having an impact on people. But I also love waking up and telling different stories and exploring different emotions.

In a profession where looks are important, don’t deglamourised roles seem like a risk?
Hundred per cent. But Dum Laga Ke.. gave me a lot of confidence. I realised that if you are doing a film to act, nobody’s going to point fingers at you. But if you’re doing a film to just look good and you’re not a good actor, then people will. I get trolled, too, but I don’t read any of those remarks. I belong to a family where even when though my sister and I were gawky-looking as teenagers, our mother made us feel like the prettiest girls in town. So, I don’t shy away from going grimy with my looks. If my character is of the most beautiful woman, I’d do that, too. An actor is supposed to be a chameleon.

Commemorating the 35th anniversary of our first cricket World Cup win, the filmmaker speaks to BT about his prep for the film that retells Team India’s journey
Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; June 27, 2018)

It has been a few months since the film revolving around India’s first cricket World Cup win in 1983 was announced. Yesterday was the 35th anniversary of the win, which probably no cricket fan back in the day had expected — India beat West Indies at the Lords cricket ground in England.

Director Kabir Khan, who is working on the script of the film, says that he has been approaching the project like a journalist, tracking down people from all over the world who have stories or anecdotes to share. “People have narrated some very interesting behind-the scenes episodes and incidents. I have even been to Lord’s and discovered many old manuscripts. I’ve seen original handwritten score cards of the World Cup. I’ve also traced a bhangra group that used to attend all the matches that India played. They are all about 60 years old now and brimming with stories. They told me about the clashes they hand with the English fans when India defeated England in the semi-finals,” says Kabir.

While Kabir prepares to retell the story of 1983, India’s consequent World Cup win in 2011 was touched upon in MS Dhoni’s biopic two years ago. Bring this up and Kabir, a known sports enthusiast, says, “I don’t think anything compares to the first victory. In 2011, we were hot favourites. What is really fascinating about 1983 is that we went in as the lowest-rated ODI side in the world. There were newspaper articles in London, questioning why India was even part of the tournament. So, India winning the cricket World Cup in 1983 was unexpected. The feeling would be similar if Afghanistan were to win it in 2019. They were a bunch of young men, travelling with a man who was the coach, manager and butler rolled into one. They were given 15 pounds a day to eat and make calls at home. This will be new for the young generation, because today, when we say cricketers, they imagine men driving fancy cars. We pretty much know what happened on the field, the real story lies off it.”

On Tuesday, Ranveer Singh, who plays Kapil Dev in the film, took to social media, reminding the world about the 1983 win. When asked about how involved he is with the film at this point, Kabir admits that he keeps his hero abreast with everything he gets to know about the 1983 tournament so that he is ready to face the camera towards the end of the year. “It’s the kind of project that needs a long prep. Initially, we will shoot portions in India, which don’t need Ranveer or the other actors,” says the director, adding that he is still working out details of whether the asli khiladis of the 1983 squad can be a part of the film’s cast. “As of now, they are involved with the scripting, because the film is based on their anecdotes. Some of them will also be involved in coaching the actors who will play cricketers, because these are living legends whose mannerisms and body language are still vivid in public memory,” Kabir sums up.

The American singer-songwriter is in India to bond with the actress’ family before an engagement around July-August
MUMBAI MIRROR (June 27, 2018)

They may have known each other for little over a year, but Nick Jonas seems to have quickly become an integral part of Priyanka Chopra’s life. Amidst rumours that the 25-year-old-American singer-actor was going to ask the 35-year-old actress-producer to move in with him, the couple sprung a surprise, supposedly even taken her mother, Madhu Chopra, unawares going by her reaction to our query to the rumours, arriving in Mumbai together at 2 am on Friday. However, the hide-and-seek with the paparazzi ended quickly with PeeCee openly flaunting her beau, taking him out to dinner at a city restaurant. Her mother who was with them, claimed there were too many people around for her to get to know her daughter’s friend well.

The following day, PeeCee hosted a party for a select few that included producer-friend Shrishti Behl, VJ Anusha and Alia Bhatt among others at her Juhu bungalow. Nick, who was staying with her, shared a video of his girl giggling and running barefoot on the terrace, capturing the moment in all its gay abandon.

The following day, the winsome twosome left for Goa with PeeCee’s brother Siddharth and her cousin Parineeti. There were more videos with PeeCee and Pari crooning, “Tip Tip Barsa Paani, Paani Ne Aag Lagayi.” Nick did not join them but the oblique reference to ‘aag’ left many wondering.

There were more clicks of the couple enjoying a meal at a Calangute seafood restaurant, with Pari, PeeCee friend Tamannah Dutt and Siddharth’s girlfriend Kanika Mathur. Pari returned to the Bay on Monday and Nick and PeeCee have been off the social media since. But rumours are strong of an imminent engagement after the couple was spotted wearing identical purity rings. PeeCee even had a string of beads around her wrist which many believed looked like a mangalsutra. Buzz is, Nick popped the question before his cousin’s wedding in New York last month. His entire family was present at the do and his brother, Kevin described PeeCee as “super awesome”. They apparently jetted down to India, ahead of her Bharat schedule, to seek the blessings of her mom.

The duo was first spotted at the 2017 Met Gala together, when they walked the red carpet for Ralph Lauren as friends. Tongues started wagging when they followed it up by walking into the Beauty and the Beast Live concert at the Hollywood Bowl last May. A few days later, they were clicked cuddling on a yacht over Memorial Day weekend. Since then, they have been leaving flirty comments on each other’s pictures online and making sure the world knows that they are with each other.

DNA (June 27, 2018)

Filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani recently hinted that he was considering making a sequel to his 2009 blockbuster 3 Idiots. The star cast of the sequel is not known. But when we were interacting with Ranbir Kapoor during his recent publicity stint for Sanju, the biopic on Sanjay Dutt, we learnt that the star son had first met Raju when the filmmaker was casting for 3 Idiots.

“Raju sir met me when he was writing 3 Idiots and was thinking of casting new or relatively newer actors,” said RK. He added, “I always wanted to work with him. He is India’s greatest filmmaker and working with him has only justified what the world thinks of him. He’s hardworking, meticulous and a simple man whose desire is to entertain the audience. He doesn’t want to make films for awards or critics or his friend circle. All he tries to do is connect with a larger audience.”

Junglee Pictures and the Udta Punjab director — who also co-wrote Omkara — step into the world of web series with a show, which explores a social order that allows gruesome crimes to become commonplace
Abhimanyu Mathur (BOMBAY TIMES; June 28, 2018)

Having enjoyed success in the world of cinema with back-to-back hits in Talvar, Bareilly Ki Barfi and Raazi, Junglee Pictures is now entering the exciting new world of web series with their first offering, Dus Assi, a crime thriller. The series will be directed by Abhishek Chaubey, who has earned critical acclaim with films like Udta Punjab and Ishqiya. A web series is new territory for the filmmaker, but he says what attracted him to this format was the freedom it gives creatively. He tells us, “Indian audiences have now developed a taste for streaming platforms and they are enjoying a different kind of entertainment from them. What attracts me as a filmmaker is that it gives me the opportunity to tell stories in the long format. We are restricted by a two or two-and-a-half hour length in cinema, because of which we structure our story in a certain way. Whereas in this format, I have much more time to explore characters, plots, themes, and all the narratives. It’s very interesting purely from a craft perspective for me.”

But the change of medium does not mean that the director will change his tone. From Ishqiya to Udta Punjab, his films have been earthy and rooted, set in non-metro locales, which will be a mainstay of Dus Assi, too. Abhishek elaborates, “This is a story that’s set in western UP. I have been to western UP before. I wrote Omkara, which was set there. But this is a different world from Omkara. It is more in the urban areas of western UP, in towns like Meerut, Muzaffarnagar and Moradabad. It is not set in the rural areas, but it’s definitely rooted.” Abhishek adds that in order to capture the rustic essence of the region, the team is planning to shoot the series in real locations in UP. “There is no question about the fact that we have to shoot it where it is set,” he says, adding, “Very soon, we would like to go there (west UP) and check out locations to shoot there. I don’t think there is an alternative to shooting in real locations.”

Dus Assi deals with a real-life incident that took place in western UP and dabbles in crime and criminals from the state. But Abhishek is clear that the story does not aim to glamourise crime. “I have a big issue with it in the sense that glamourising criminals is something we do very often,” he says, adding, “We need to be very sensitive about it. When we talk about a crime story — the kind of crime story that this one hopes to be — we don’t want to talk about a particular crime or even a set of crimes. What we want to talk about is what is happening to our social order. What is afflicting the society so much that gruesome crimes have become so commonplace? The story needs to explore that in a very frank and honest manner and yet be gripping and riveting while doing that. It does not have to glorify and glamourise crime to be appealing.”

Indian web series, with only a few exceptions, have been set in urban India. By setting a series in the backwaters of western UP, the Dus Assi team will certainly be bucking a trend. But the director feels the audience will like this change. “There was a time when we were setting all our films in Switzerland, New York, London, and all of that. In no time, the stories changed from there to the interiors of Delhi and UP. What people really look for is a compelling story and if we manage to pull that through, we will be quite all right. It’s a story about real people, our own people, and the audience would want that,” he says.

The Udta Punjab director says that even he used to be sceptical about the future of web series in India when the trend first began, but the willingness of production houses like Junglee Pictures to produce shows on this medium shows that there is an audience for it in India. He says, “When this trend started a few years ago, I was very sceptical about it. I thought, just because web series are so big in the West, it doesn’t mean that India is going to catch on to it. But over the years, I have seen that the most reputed production companies and studios are interested in this medium. This means that there is an audience for it. Production companies are going out on a limb and producing content which is new and different. It doesn’t matter whether we like the shows or not, but one thing we have to admit is that it is not ordinary content. It’s very different from what we are seeing in films. It’s much bolder and much more frank. I think that’s great.”

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 28, 2018)

Sumeet Vyas hit the bulls-eye with his first big feature film, Veere Di Wedding, in which he played Kareena Kapoor’s fiancée Rishabh Malhotra. The film on female bonding, directed by Shashanka Ghosh and also featuring Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania, has made Sumeet hot property in B-town.

Now, Mirror has learnt that the 34-year-old actor has been approached to play a significant part in Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s yet-untitled next, which features Kangana Ranaut as the leading lady. The sports-drama is reportedly based on an annual national-level kabbadi championship. Kangana who plays a kabaddi player, will undergo a gruelling 15-day workshop to learn specific holds and moves for the film which kicks off in October.

“Sumeet has had two meetings with the makers but is yet to sign on the dotted line. He is a Kangana fan, the two have appreciated each other’s work in the past. Sumeet is keen to come on board,” a source close to the development told Mirror.

Meanwhile, Sumeet’s ensemble horror-comedy, Aapkey Kamrey Mein Koi Rehta Hai, directed by Gaurav S Sinha, is expected to release soon. The film reunites him with his Tripling co-star Amol Parashar.

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 28, 2018)

Taapsee Pannu is currently in Glasgow, filming Sujoy Ghosh’s Badla with Amitabh Bachchan. Speaking to Mirror from Scotland, the excited actress reveals that she’s playing an entrepreneur, a strong woman. “It will be unfair to both Sujoy and me if the film didn’t have such a character. I’ve been shooting films back-to-back over the last couple of months but most of them have been desi girls. Now suddenly, I’m in Scotland playing a sharp, powerful business woman based here, it’s a drastic jump. This woman is also not your conventional Sujoy heroine, as you will realise,” she says.

The film is an official remake of the Spanish film, The Invisible Guest, and Taapsee, who was the first to come on board, had seen the original over a year ago. She asserts that a lot has changed in the Indianised adaptation. “Sujoy didn’t want to do a copy–paste job. My memories of the original are hazy now and I deliberately didn’t refresh them because I wanted to approach the film with a fresh perspective. It’s a character I’ve been waiting for,” she maintains.

Quiz her on reuniting with Big B and she says that like she did during Pink, she has switched off the button that tells her he is ‘The Amitabh Bachchan’, or else she would be so intimidated that she wouldn’t be able to perform. “He treats me like his buddy. That’s the vibe we’ve shared since Pink and he has carried it forward here too. I hope we can continue working together as we make a good team,” she states confidently.

She goes on to inform that Sujoy and she have been trying to work together for almost three years. She met him after Baby’s release and since then they have been discussing short films, tele films and feature films but something or the other just didn’t fall in place till Badla came along. “He is the goofiest person on the set and because his energy is so positive, all of us enjoy ourselves. Whenever I’m stressed or exhausted, I go and have a chat with Sujoy, the madcap, and am instantly rejuvenated,” she shares.

Another favourite director is Anurag Kashyap with whom she has just wrapped up a love story, Manmarziyan, also featuring Abhishek Bachchan and Vicky Kaushal. She is quick to admit that she’s the “crazier” of the two. “Both Anurag and Sujoy are real, honest people I connect with and I’m sure I’ll go on to work with them again. Anurag and I even used to work out together during the shoot while Sujoy only contemplates working out. Every day, he comes on the set wishing for six packs and goes to the production manager asking for his gym membership but never goes to the gym,” she says.

On being asked about what else is on the cards, she admits that she is in discussion for a Phantom production titled Womaniya but will wait to reveal more until the formalities are done. “It is a great story,” she says, adding that there’s another project under discussion but that too is in the nascent stage.

But it’s not just all work and no play for this Jill. She recently went on a holiday to Rome and now wants to visit Australia or New Zealand but is waiting for warmer days as she doesn’t like the chill. “Meanwhile, I have a couple of days off coming my way and can explore Glasgow,” she rings off on a happy note.

MUMBAI MIRROR (June 28, 2018)

Priyanka Chopra, who returned to the Bay from an “exhausting” vacation in Goa with new beau Nick Jonas, is decidedly in elite company. Here’s looking at the seven lovely ladies the 25-yearold American actor-singer has dated in the past…

Selena Gomez
After collaborating on “Burnin’ Up” in 2008, the singers broke up the following year but briefly rekindled their romance in 2010.

Miley Cyrus
Nick and his first love got together at 13 and broke up in 2007. In her memoir, Miley called him ‘Prince Charming’. In 2013, Nick admitted that “Wedding Bells” was about her.

Georgia Fowler
Last year, they walked into the engagement party of Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner admitting they were “casually dating”.

Lily Collins
Nick was in a non-exclusive relationship with the Brit actress in the summer of 2016.

Olivia Culpo
Nick and the US model dated for two years. He wrote “Jealous” after seeing a guy stare at Olivia for too long at a party.

Kate Hudson
According to US Weekly, actress Kate, 14 years older, and Nick hooked up in September 2015. He described her as “incredible”, gushed about their unbelievable, beautiful connection but out of respect for her privacy, refused to say if they’d had sex.

Delta Goodrem
The Australian singer, who was 27 when she began dating 18-year-old-Nick, called it quits in February 2012 after a 10-month relationship. The duo reunited in 2017 for a night-out with friends and an Instagram photo. And that was it.

Frank Gatson Jr, choreographer to Beyonce, Rihanna and Jennifer Lopez, on working with the actress on his first Hindi film and the culture of ‘Yes Men’ around celebrities
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 28, 2018)

Frank Gatson Jr, who has worked with music icon Beyonce for 15 years and directed videos of her biggest hits, “Single Ladies”, “Run The World” and “Crazy In Love”, believes two qualities define a superstar. “You have to be a warm person, and you have to work very hard. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse,” he tells Mirror on his maiden India visit.

The choreographer, who started in 1986 as a back-up dancer in Michael Jackson’s music video of “Smooth Criminal”, has been staying at a service apartment in Bandra for the last 15 days, to where he retires after working till 2 am at Film City with Fanney Khan actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on a lavishly mounted song. Atul Manjrekar’s directorial debut is produced by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and Bhushan Kumar.

“I was to visit India from Dubai in April but couldn’t despite having an entire day to spare as there were visa and paperwork issues. So, Atul flew to Dubai for three hours to watch me work and hang out. It was clear that the film was important to him and I decided to give it my all,” Frank recalls.

The makers wanted him to come up with something that wasn’t “very Bollywood”. “That was a challenge because music is supposed to tell you what to do but this song’s beats were essentially Indian, and I wanted to stay true to the culture. However, it’s turned out to be an international number,” says Frank.

He makes a note of the heterogenous nature of the dancers’ community in India. “During auditions, I came across many dancers who aren’t from India but work in Bollywood. It’s like someone coming into my all-black neighbourhood and hiring white dancers. I didn’t like it, but luckily, I was able to find some fantastic dancers. Initially, it was supposed to be Ash with only female dancers but then I came across this incredible guy, hard-working and respectful, and added him in,” he informs.

An Indian song with a strong international vibe posed another challenge. Frank, who has worked with some of the world’s best, including Rihanna and Jennifer Lopez in his 36-year career, argues that age-appropriate choreography trumps everything that is current and cool. “You cannot give Ash dance steps that look too young. She is not 19, she’s a woman and a mother. I had to make it likeable,” he explains and believes he got it spot-on because after a long night of rehearsals, Ash wanted to do another take at 3 am. “She was so happy with the way the sequence shaped up, she hugged me and introduced me to her family,” he says, all praise for the “hard-working and professional”dancers he has worked with in India.

But he feels there’s room for improvement when it comes to rehearsals. “The dancers mark your moves but recreate them only halfway till it’s time for the final shot. Two of the greatest performers I’ve worked with, Michael Jackson and Beyonce, went all-out with each rehearsal,” he argues. “I wish I could turn everyone’s volume up.”

He has a strong opinion on celebrity culture as well. “I have a theory. Divas aren’t talented, they just got lucky. I refuse to collaborate with artistes who don’t want to work hard. I’d rather work with talented performers who don’t settle for mediocrity,” he asserts.

Frank also points out that the culture of ‘Yes Men’ around celebs is a worldwide phenomenon and the biggest threat to talent. “Once, Beyonce asked her entire team how she was doing at a rehearsal and they were like 'this is nice… you are cool,' and she started looking for me. She realises the importance of honesty. She is great, but there’s always scope for improvement. The problem with a lot of big stars everywhere is that they don’t get told the truth enough,” he avers.

Speaking of the evolution of the music business, Frank states that it is very visual today. He explains, “You don’t hear Beyonce anymore, you see her, you experience her. Artistes must sing, dance, be nice for the cameras. That’s the new world.”

His tryst with Bollywood aside, he admits to being quite clued into the industry. “The West sees Bollywood as a big deal, we talk about Indian movies all the time. I loved working on Fanney Khan, it was like working on a version of (the Catherine Zeta Jones and Renee Zellweger-starrer Oscar-winning musical) Chicago,” he says.

(Clockwise from top left) Arjun Kapoor, Boney Kapoor, Anshula Kapoor, Janhvi and Khushi Kapoor

DNA (June 28, 2018)

Arjun Kapoor has had a busy year. And looks like, 2018-2019 is going to be his biggest year with four back-to-back releases. Says a source, “It has been an insanely busy time for Arjun. He has wrapped up the shoot of Namaste England and Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar (SAPF).”

NO RESPITE
The second half of the year will continue to be packed for him. The source adds, “Apart from the next six months, the whole of 2019 will be hectic for him. He starts Raj Kumar Gupta’s India’s Most Wanted in August, and will then promote his two releases (Namaste England and SAPF). Post that, he dives headlong into Ashutosh Gowariker’s Panipat.” That’s the reason the actor chose to spend some quiet time on his birthday with his family and few close buddies. The source avers, “He had lunch with his father, Boney Kapoor and sisters, Anshula, Janhvi and Khushi. A few friends came over in the evening. Having spent so much time away from home this year, Arjun was looking forward to just relaxing in the company of his family.”

ENDORSEMENT DUTIES
Work apart, Kapoor Junior also has endorsement duties chalked out for him. “He recently performed at an awards ceremony and will promote the Spanish Football League LaLiga along with a brand of luggage,” points out the source. But the actor sure has no complaints. In a recent interview, he said that this is an exciting and opportune time in his career where he is getting to play mature characters.

Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 28, 2018)

On Sunday, Shah Rukh Khan revealed that the following day would be exactly half a lifetime of being ‘others’. “Of expressing love, happiness, sadness, dancing, falling and flying...” The tweet ended with the hope that he had touched small bits of our hearts and would continue to do so through his lifetime, rhapsodising, “Roshni meri bahot door tak jayegi, par shart yeh hai ki saleeke se jalao mujhko.” His first mainstream film, Deewana, opened on June 25, 1992 and kickstarted his star trek. But producer Guddu Dhanoa reveals that SRK stepped in to play Raja, who woos and weds a widowed Kaajal (Divya Bharti) with her mother-in-law’s blessings only after Armaan Kohli’s exit. “Armaan had differences with Shabnam Kapoor on another film, Insaaf Ki Devi. Shabnam’s husband Sweety (Lalit Kapoor) and Raju Kothari were co-producing Deewana with me and his dad, Rajkumar Kohli, called to say Armaan would either do both films or neither,” Guddu reminisces.

The maker was simultaneously working on the prep of Bobby Deol’s debut and Dharmendra, his first cousin, had deputed him to coordinate with Champion’s scriptwriter Javed Akhtar and director Shekhar Kapur. En route to Chennai to see the special effects of Mani Ratnam’s Anjali, Guddu confided to Shekhar that he’d lost his ‘hero’, who instantly recommended Shah Rukh Khan who’d impressed in his TV shows, Fauji and Circus. “I couldn’t recollect his face till he entered a restaurant at Connaught Place and then, knew instantly that he was my Raja,” narrates Guddu.

SRK, juggling five films — Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, King Uncle, Chamatkar, Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa and Dil Aashna Hai — had no dates but agreed to a narration at his home the next day. After a barren first half, when Raja is nowhere in the picture, he suggested they break for lunch. “When we resumed, the story grabbed his interest and at the end of the narration, he told me, ‘Guddu, I’m doing your film. But I can shoot only if another maker cancels his dates. I paid him a signing amount of Rs 11,000 and returned,” says Guddu.

After a month, he got a call from the actor whose Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman schedule had got cancelled. He had 20 days off. ‘When can you shoot?” he asked and Guddu replied, “Tomorrow.” They started a day later, and the film he had no dates for, was the first to release.

“God up there writes our screenplays, we are just actors playing out roles,” philosophises Guddu, remembering how they’d take the ferry to Madh Island for the shoot at Poonawala bungalow. “One day, I told him some industry people were saying Shah Rukh was a good actor but didn’t look good in songs. He shot back, saying, ‘Meri filmein chalin toh main rahunga, else I’ll return home to Delhi.’ After a beat, he added, ‘Par main chaloonga.’ I liked his confidence,” Guddu smiles at the memory.

He himself was confident of Deewana working after the music, released a month before the film, topped the charts. “Aisi Deewangi” was playing in cabs and hotels while we were shooting in Shimla. It was the first song to be recorded. “Payaliya”, “Teri Umeed Tera Intezaar”, “Sochenge Tumhe Pyaar” and “Koi Na Koi Chahiye” were equally popular. Sameer bagged the Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist (“Teri Umeed”), Best Male Playback went to Kumar Sanu for “Sochenge Tumhe” and Nadeem–Shravan were Best Music Directors.

“I came across Nadeem– Shravan when scouting for a heroine for Bobby in Champion. I’d picked up a reel of Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin so we could take a look at Pooja Bhatt. Everyone ended up loving the title track and Nadeem-Shravan were signed. It’s another thing that Champion never got made and their compositions were used in Barsaat with which Bobby eventually made a beginning. While ferrying them for music sittings at Sunny Super Sound, I told them about my film, and they agreed to score for it too,” he says.

After the film was complete, Guddu had some sleepless nights following rumours that SRK wouldn’t dub for Deewana as the makers of his solo release wanted to come out first. But he assured them the film that was done wouldn’t be stopped and kept his word. “Manmohan Desai who’d taken the Delhi–UP territories for distribution had a problem with Kaajal staying with Raja at the end and insisted she returns to her first husband, Ravi. Since he was an experienced maker while we were newcomers, many suggested we listen to him. But we refused and listened to our hearts and our love story had a happy ending,” says Guddu who ended a two-year dry spell with the film.

Priyanka Chopra and (right) Ali Abbas Zafar

Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; June 28, 2018)

Priyanka Chopra was last seen in Prakash Jha’s Jai Gangaajal. She has had no Hindi release in the last two years. The actress, who has been busy with her international projects, recently signed Salman Khan-starrer Bharat in which she plays his romantic interest. The Ali Abbas Zafar directorial is an adaptation of the 2014 Korean film Ode To My Father. Ali says, “Bharat’s story starts in 1947 and ends in 2010. It will show Salman and Priyanka’s characters age through the years.”

FIVE AVATARS
After Hrs was the first to report that Salman’s Maine Pyar Kiya look will be recreated for this movie. Now we have learnt that Priyanka, too, will be seen in a younger avatar. Ali says, “Like Salman, PC will also sport five different looks. She will age from 28 to 60 years, while he will age from 25 to 65 years in the film.” Though Sallu’s youthful appearance will be created using the age-reduction technique that was seen in the 2008 Brad Pitt-starrer The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, PC might not need the same. “We will use a mix of prosthetics, make-up, and VFX,” he adds.

MODELLED ON YESTERYEAR HEROINES
Ali states that the team is doing a lot of research to study each era. He elaborates, “Each of PC’s avatars will be modelled on actresses like Zeenat Aman, Parveen Babi, Sharmila Tagore and Shabana Azmi. It will encompass the styles of each of these heroines from the ’60s to 2010.” The film goes on floors next month and plans are afoot to wrap it up within six months.

Race 3 Box Office Collection Day 12: 'रेस-3'ने तोड़ा दम, दूसरे हफ्ते औंधे मुंह गिरी सलमान खान की फिल्म

Box Office India Trade Network

RACE 3 is doing ordinary business in the second week as it collected 2.25 crore nett on its second Tuesday. The total of the film is now 161 crore nett and it has become the second highest grosser of the year as it edged past BAAGHI 2 but it should really have done this in the first week alone.

The second week business is going to close at around 25 crore nett which would mean a second week in the range of RAAZI released earlier this year. There will be four films with higher second week collections for sure (PADMAAVAT, RAAZI, BAAGHI 2 and SONU KE TITU KI SWEETY) and possibly even RAID could be higher by a few lakhs.

The collections of RACE3 till date are as follows.
Week One - 1,39,97,00,000 apprx
Friday - 3,75,00,000 apprx
Saturday - 5,50,00,000 apprx
Sunday - 7,00,00,000 apprx
Monday - 2,50,00,000 apprx
Tuesday - 2,25,00,000 apprx
Second Week - 21,00,00,000 (Five Days) apprx
TOTAL - 1,61,02,00,000 apprx

TREMENDOUS EXCITEMENT FOR SANJU; WILL IT BE RAJKUMAR HIRANI’S 5TH CONSECUTIVE SUCCESS?

Bollywood is quite star-driven. Most of the people remember the film’s actors vividly even after years. But there are very few films wherein they can recall the name of the director as well. At present, there are only five directors who are universally known and have a fan following among the general public – Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Sooraj Barjatya, Karan Johar, Rohit Shetty and Rajkumar Hirani. These directors are so famous that they alone can generate a considerable excitement for a film.

Out of these directors, the trust and credibility of Rajkumar Hirani is on another level. All his four directorial ventures – Munna Bhai MBBS, Lage Raho Munna Bhai, 3 Idiots and PK – are not only commercial super-hits and blockbusters but are in the list of all-time favourite films of most moviegoers. All the 4 films are family-friendly, thoroughly entertaining and deliver a nice message. As a result, even though his next flick Sanju, scheduled to release tomorrow, seems a bit of a risk, the trade is still excited and hopeful. Even the audiences seem to be upbeat.

Sanju is the biopic of actor Sanjay Dutt and promises to give a true account of the actor and the various controversies faced by him. Lead actor Ranbir Kapoor plays the lead and he quite looks like Sanjay Dutt. Paresh Rawal, Manisha Koirala, Sonam Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Jim Sarbh and Vicky Kaushal also feature in this flick. The teaser was brilliant and it gave an impression that the movie will be a typical Rajkumar Hirani film despite touching upon the dark episodes of the actor’s life. However, the trailer made it clear that the film is indeed a bit offbeat. Also, few scenes like the toilet overflowing, Sanjay Dutt bragging about having 350 girlfriends, consuming drugs etc makes it evident that Sanju might not be the ideal family entertainer. And this can be quite detrimental for a film that’s mounted on a huge cost and needs to attract as many moviegoers as possible to achieve the ‘Hit’ status. If the family audience keeps away, no biggie can ever succeed at the ticket window.

Moreover, the film’s release has been delayed in UAE by a day. Normally, films release on a Thursday in the Middle Eastern country. But Sanju will see a release there only on Friday. In recent times, films like Race 3, Jab Harry Met Sejal etc had a late evening Thursday release in UAE probably so that the bad response would spread slow. Are Sanju makers also not confident about their film and hence the delayed release? But on second thoughts, Rajkumar Hirani’s last film PK also released there on Friday, to keep the surprise element intact. Here’s hoping that Sanju has some surprises in store too!

Looking at the advance, one thing is clear – the opening day is all set to be huge, in the Rs 30 crore range. The opening weekend can easily be more than Rs 100 crore. Once that’s done, the content will do the talking. If response is sadly negative or if the film is not that family friendly, the collections would surely be affected in the weekdays and Week 2.

Rajkumar Hirani is a terrific director and here’s hoping his association with success (critical and commercial) continues smoothly with Sanju!

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE SANJU AND WHY? DO LET ME KNOW!

We have a severe paucity of heroes today. Sam Manekshaw was one such real life hero-Meghna Gulzar

Amit Sadh is the sutradhar in Hrithik Roshan-starrer Super 30

Veere Di Wedding makers Rhea Kapoor, Shashanka Ghosh join hands for Sadhguru biopic

Jimmy Sheirgill joins Kangana Ranaut in Mental Hai Kya

Tara Sutaria bags Hindi remake of Arjun Reddy with Shahid Kapoor?

Swara Bhasker chooses alternative treatment for slipped disc

Zoya Akhtar gave me the confidence to go ahead for the sex scene-Bhumi Pednekar

I don’t think anything compares to India’s first cricket World Cup victory-Kabir Khan

Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas to get engaged in July-August?

Was Ranbir Kapoor the first choice for 3 Idiots?

Junglee Pictures and Abhishek Chaubey join hands for a real-life crime web series set in west UP

Sumeet Vyas in talks to join Kangana Ranaut's kabaddi drama?

Taapsee Pannu to play a sharp entrepreneur in Sujoy Ghosh's Badla

A look at Nick Jonas's dating history before Priyanka Chopra

You can’t give Aishwarya Rai Bachchan steps that look too young-Frank Gatson Jr

Here's why Arjun Kapoor chose to spend some quiet time with friends and family on his birthday?

I couldn’t recollect Shah Rukh Khan's face till he entered a restaurant at Connaught Place-Guddu Dhanoa

Priyanka Chopra to have 5 different looks in Salman Khan-starrer Bharat

Race 3 collects 161.02 cr in 12 days

Fenil's Bollywood Talk # 523