Sanju is a highly entertaining ride that keeps viewers hooked from start to finish. Rajkumar Hirani and Abhijat Joshi’s scripts are quite engrossing as they never leave a dull moment in their films. As a result, there’s no boring or dragging moment ever and the film nicely flows from one scene to another. However, Sanju is not an ideal biopic and that somewhere affects the film, particularly in the finale. The ending could have been more powerful. Few scenes of the second half also didn’t make the desired impact. All these mar the impact to an extent. The first half however is marvelous and the intermission point is quite a shocker. Performance-wise, Ranbir Kapoor is outstanding! He looks and behaves like Baba but at the same time, one just doesn’t see Sanju on screen but also Ranbir Kapoor the actor and star performer. That’s a feat! Paresh Rawal is brilliant and is bound to move viewers. Vicky Kaushal is the surprise of the film. He dominates some of the crucial scenes of the first half and contributes to the laughter and emotional quotient of the film. Manisha Koirala is lovely and gives the overall content a lot of weightage. Anushka Sharma leaves a huge mark in a small scene. Jim Sarbh gives a memorable performance. Sonam Kapoor is decent while Boman Irani is very funny. Dia Mirza sadly gets no scope. Karishma Tanna has quite an interesting and funny part. Do watch Sanju for something different, something entertaining but don’t expect it to be as legendary as previous Hirani films!

My rating - *** ½ out of 5!

Dulquer Salmaan on the thrill of real-life road trips, the process of selecting films, fatherhood and why his OK Kanmani was more suited for the South audience
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 29, 2018) 

Dulquer Salmaan made an unconventional debut in 2012 as a gangster in Srinath Rajendran’s Malayalam action-crime film Second Show, bagging the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. Now, Mammootty’s son and a star in his own right, Dulquer is gearing up for his Bollywood debut. The Akarsh Khurana-directed Karwaan, which also features Irrfan Khan, opens on August 3.

Dulquer plays Avinash who’s forced to take a trip from Bangalore to Kochi to claim his father’s body. “During the narration, the story and character resonated with me. It’s a slice-of-life film and I gravitate towards such projects as that’s what I’d want to watch too. I don’t follow any strategy, for me the script is the real hero irrespective of the language,” the actor tells Mirror.

Dulquer, who is currently shooting in the US for a new film, admits he was shocked when he learnt that his costar, Irrfan, was diagnosed with Neuro Endocrine tumour. Though they have not been in touch since wrapping up the film, he’s optimistic that Irrfan will recuperate well and do a lot more work. “I’m a huge fan and he was amazing to work with. Whenever I’ve collaborated with seniors, including Mani sir (director Mani Ratnam), I’ve noticed that they are always on the lookout for the next magical script. Ditto Irrfan sir. He was curious about Malayalam cinema and filmmakers down South,” the younger actor reminisces.

His other co-star in the film is internet sensation Mithila Palkar, whom he fondly calls ‘Jukebox’ as she was always humming on the set. “She’d start with a ’90s song, then randomly shift to the ’70s. Mithila can sing anything!” Dulquer applauds.

His first Bollywood outing, produced by Ronnie Screwvala and Priti Rathi Gupta, is a road movie and Dulquer is a car buff reportedly with an enviable collection of vintage wheels. “I’m a big road trip guy. My first trip was in college. The excitement of going to a new place with a bunch of people is unparalleled. In our busy lives, it’s important to have a hobby and cars charge me up while long drives are rejuvenating,” he asserts.

Despite being from the South, Dulquer is fluent in Hindi and familiar with Mumbai as some of his closest friends from college were from the Maximum City. “I love its warm and welcoming vibe. Mumbai is a melting pot of cultures and everyone’s doing their own thing. There’s so much to explore and experience. I’ve enjoyed the nightlife and the food. I came down for a three-month course at Barry John’s acting school and stayed on for six,” he says at the memory.

Dulquer’s 2015 Mani Ratnam-directed Tamil romantic drama, OK Kanmani, was remade in Hindi as OK Jaanu with Shraddha Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur as leads. Prod him on his thoughts on the Shaad Ali directorial and he says he has only seen the film in parts. “It was a good attempt but the concept of living-in was newer in the South as compared to Mumbai,” says the 31-year-old actor, adding that there were attempts to remake his Ustad Hotel and Bangalore Days in Hindi too. The former, his second film, bagged the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. “I was very lucky to get that film so early on in my career,” he avers.

His second Bollywood film is Abhishek Sharma’s movie adaptation of Anuja Chauhan’s novel The Zoya Factor, opposite Sonam Kapoor. Dulquer plays Nikhil Khoda, the captain of the Indian cricket team. The actor admits he’s only read the book in parts and stopped after the makers told him not to read it further. “The script’s amazing. Sonam and I have a few common friends and have met briefly, though I’m not sure if she remembers that. But she’s great fun and I really like the work that she is doing,” he asserts.

How does he plan to balance his career in Bollywood and down South? “I don’t do multiple films simultaneously so Karwaan didn’t come in the way of anything else. The Zoya Factor too will largely be shot in one schedule so I don’t see any problem,” he says, admitting he recently took a longish break from Malayalam cinema to work in other languages but it will remain his first priority. “Stardom is not the focus, good cinema is. By the end of my career, I want to have a portfolio of good and interesting films.”

Dulquer became a father last year and dotes on his little angel, Maryam. “I’ve always been good with kids. My sister Surumi has two boys whom I love dearly, but nothing can prepare you for your own child. When Maryam was born, I took time off from work to be with her and it was wonderful!” says daddy. We can swear he was smiling as the our cross-continental telephonic trip finally wound to an end.

Bollywood’s most enduring writer-director jodis reveal what makes them tick as a team
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 29, 2018)

DIRECTOR: MEGHNA GULZAR
WRITER: BHAVANI IYER

Meghna Gulzar admits that the industry needs more writers like Bhavani Iyer, who agreed to collaborate on the story and screenplay of Raazi even before they had a producer on-board. The duo came together in May 2016 but were writing another script then — one based on Gulzar’s short stories. “I did not know if Raazi would happen at the time, but still asked Bhavani if she’d write the film with me. We wrote a 30-page story culled from the novel, Calling Sehmat, which went on to become the screenplay. While we were mid-way through that, Junglee Pictures and Dharma Productions came aboard and the rest is history,” Meghna says.

Bhavani has also co-written Meghna’s next, a biopic on Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw. “Our collaborations are a joyride because we feed off each other’s energies seamlessly. It’s like a conversation, the sequences are written in a breeze and the comfort level we share makes the journey enjoyable. It makes me feel so good as it’s so productive,” Meghna says.


DIRECTOR: ASHWINY IYER TIWARI
WRITER: NITESH TIWARI

Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and her filmmaker-writer-husband Nitesh Tiwari have been working closely since the last 15 years building brands and collaborating on some of the country’s best ad campaigns, including Kaun Banega Crorepati and Indian Idol. The duo has also won the Cannes Lions Awards as Art Director and Copywriter. “We are team players with no egos and that’s what works best for us. We know each other’s strengths and work collectively for the good of the film and not our own interests,” reasons Ashwiny, whose Nil Battey Sannata and Bareilly Ki Barfi have been co-written by Nitesh, as also her upcoming drama with Alia Bhatt.

“It’s important to share a comfort level and respect that,” she asserts. Nitesh, who directed the Aamir Khan wrestling drama Dangal, believes it is equally important that they share the same vision despite having different points of view. “Sometimes, there are healthy arguments and sometimes the writing translates into a different visual, but the soul of the story remains intact,” Ashwiny asserts.

She points out that her favourite collaboration with Nitesh is her last release, Bareilly Ki Barfi, since it was a very different world for them. “Nitesh and I were looking at the story from a female and a male gaze. The film ended up having both.”


DIRECTOR: AANAND L RAI
WRITER: HIMANSHU SHARMA

Having collaborated on five films — Strangers, Raanjhanaa, Tanu Weds Manu, Tanu Weds Manu Returns and the upcoming Shah Rukh Khan-starrer, Zero — Aanand L Rai reveals that his award-winning writer Himanshu Sharma is “the laziest writer in the world and given a choice, Himanshu would stop writing and take up dreaming as a full-time job”. “If I don’t give him a timeline, he will never give me a script. And while we are filming one movie, he’s already discussing another idea,” laughs Aanand.

The filmmaker recalls that while they were filming Raanjhanaa, his writer was more interested in another idea which developed into Tanu Weds Manu. “We both talk too much and he’s always trying to distract me. Even now, during Zero, we’ve been discussing many new ideas.”

Aanand says that ‘berozgaari’ (unemployment) brought the duo together for the first time in 2003, but he’s now found a younger brother for life. “Himanshu sketches out a basic plot for me and within a week we’ve made up our minds to turn it into a film. That’s the way we do it! I always give Himanshu a sense of freedom,” Aanand says.


DIRECTOR: ZOYA AKHTAR
WRITER: REEMA KAGTI

This duo’s professional history stands out in the sense that it is more symbiotic than their contemporaries. Reema, who is a filmmaker herself, has co-written Zoya’s Dil Dhadakne Do, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and the upcoming, Ranveer Singh-starrer Gully Boy, while Zoya has penned the screenplay and story of Reema’s last directorial, Talaash. “I met Zoya while working on Kaizad Gustad’s cult comedy, Bombay Boys, 20 years ago. We were both assistant directors on the film and our collaborations have been solid ever since,” Reema recalls. “I prefer to write with her because we work well together. Brainstorming involves throwing up ideas till something clicks and our individual strong points work great together,” the writer-filmmaker explains, describing the process as “fun and fruitful”.

Before the release of Talaash, Zoya had pointed out, “Our politics is the same. Our values are the same. Both of us find the same thing vulgar. We do have different styles of filmmaking and we realise that to end up with a good idea, you need to power through 20 bad ones. There’s no epiphany waiting around the corner. The only way to do this is by talking about it incessantly, till we know we’ve got it right.” The duo joke that their producers would be happier if they didn’t work together as they often fail to meet deadlines.

What’s the way forward then? “Our partnership has grown organically but the day we ‘have to’ work together, we won’t. ‘Have to’ is quite a problem. The ‘want-to-do’ phase is pretty good,” Reema reasons.


DIRECTOR: SHOOJIT SIRCAR
WRITER: JUHI CHATURVEDI

Juhi Chaturvedi who has written Shoojit Sircar’s Vicky Donor, Madras Cafe, Piku and October, confides that no matter how “crazy” she sounds sometimes, her filmmaker friend is always able to see her thoughts in context. “I guess our IQ levels are equal so I don’t have to explain myself too much and that’s comforting,” Juhi had revealed in an earlier interview.

Shoojit who never starts a film without a bound script sticks to 95 per cent of what is written leaving scope for few improvisations. “It takes a very secure director to make an October and Shoojit always knows how much the writer has contributed to his film,” Juhi pointed out. Meanwhile, Shoojit explains that working with Juhi is an organic process and their recent collaboration was “brought to life by the beauty and fluidity of Juhi’s writing”.

When he was filming Madras Cafe and Juhi was scripting Piku, they began discussing an idea without thinking of turning it into a film. “We’re both from Delhi and try to think of ways of portraying our city differently. In Piku it was humour, in Pink it was dark and in October it was a poetic Delhi,” Shoojit smiles.


DIRECTOR: RAKEYSH OMPRAKASH MEHRA
WRITER: RENSIL D’SILVA

Rakeysh believes that similar ideologies bring a writer and director together. “Rensil (who has also written Rakeysh’s upcoming father-son drama about the present generation) and I go way back to our advertising days. Whenever we discussed movies, we would do it in the global context. That’s how Aks happened. It was a breakthrough film, people called it ahead of its time but essentially it was a story of good and evil co-existing within us,” says the director.

Kamlesh Pandey has been their co-writer through the journey. “Before Rang De Basanti (RDB), Kamlesh ji and I were shooting a documentary in a Gujarat village and there was little to do in the evenings, so we would discuss poetry and Sahir Ludhianvi. Moreover, we had a lot of angst against certain systems and identified with the same movements,” Rakeysh says, recalling that after the duo wrote a couple of drafts of what would eventually become RDB they brought Rensil on-board to write the dialogue and screenplay.

Rensil started re-writing the whole story. He and Rakeysh connected with their ambitious outlook and found a common goal while cowriting the film. “Rensil asked me why we had such laboured, flamboyant dialogues since normal people don’t talk like that. I told him to write it the way he saw fit. It turned out fabulous,” Rakeysh says.

Around the same time, Kamlesh and he were working on a different draft called Young Guns of India on the resistance during the British Raj. “But that film wasn’t going anywhere, and I thought why not turn it into a modern-day story. Then, magic happened. Rensil made all the characters believable,” he adds.

Rakeysh also reveals that he and Rensil believe in the concept of a writing room, where people sit, and bounce ideas off each other. “The director’s vision has to be clear to steer the process efficiently,” he asserts. He makes it a point to work on the final draft himself and spends three hours writing each morning, starting 4am. “That’s how Delhi 6 happened. Kamlesh ji wrote the first draft and Rensil wrote an English draft, adding the twists and turns. Then Prasoon Joshi joined the gang. Every film gives you a lot, but it also leaves you feeling unfulfilled about an expression. So, with my writers — the heroes of my films — we are all trying to complete ourselves,” the filmmaker says.



DIRECTOR: VIPUL SHAH
WRITER: RITESH SHAH

The Shahs have collaborated on franchises like Namastey London and its upcoming instalment, Namaste England, Force and Force 2, as well as Commando and Commando 2. And even though Ritesh has found individual acclaim with Pink, Airlift and Raid, the writer admits that he is addicted to working with Vipul. “He watches films I have worked on outside of his production house on the first day and tells me if he feels that I have sold myself short. He has always been appreciative of my work but also wants me to focus on the numbers,” Ritesh reveals.

Given their long association, Ritesh likens their comfort level to two people in a relationship. “As a writer and a director, you spend so much time together. I’m not even asked if I will work on something, it’s assumed I’ll do it. There is comfort in compatibility. Besides, finding a new person to strike a new equation with, is so much more effort,” Ritesh echoes Reema’s sentiment.

There are creative discussions from time to time. While finalising the script of Namastey London, Vipul told Ritesh “not to be too intellectual” and leave Akshay Kumar’s monologue intact to elicit claps in theatres. Otherwise, Vipul leaves everything to his trusted aide, Ritesh insists. “He rarely changes stuff from the script if he is confident about it. He is not a dictator,” Ritesh says. Vipul remembers a spark in a young Ritesh when he approached him 12 years ago. The filmmaker was basking in the success of Waqt and Aankhein, both written by Aatish Kapadia, and was looking to experiment. “Ritesh understands the importance of strong dialogues and a powerful story. He doesn’t just want to make a film commercial, he keeps the emotions intact,” Vipul asserts.

Speculation is rife that Salman Khan will feature in the fourth instalment of the Dhoom franchise
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; June 28, 2018)

Salman Khan has three big films — Ali Abbas Zafar's Bharat, Arbaaz Khan's Dabangg 3 and Sohail Khan's Sher Khan — in his kitty. Speculation is rife that the superstar will also feature in the fourth instalment of the Dhoom franchise, produced by Aditya Chopra.

A trade source tells mid-day, "While Salman and Aditya have been discussing Dhoom 4 for over a year, the deal was finally locked last week post the release of Race 3. Adi plans to release Dhoom 4 in 2020. Victor [Vijay Krishna Acharya], who is busy with Thugs Of Hindostan, will direct the movie. Buzz is that Ranveer Singh will also star in the film."

The source adds that the shoot will commence early next year and is likely to go on for 130 days. Major parts of the film will be shot in Dubai, and the locations have been finalised by the makers.

"A reference poster has also been made. Salman Khan's character is likely to have long hair and a scar on his face. He won't play a negative character. His part will be like Aamir Khan and Hrithik Roshan's characters in the previous instalments."

A Yash Raj Films' spokesperson denied the news, saying, "Work on Dhoom 4 hasn't started yet. There is no truth to these rumours."

The trade source adds that the production house is denying the news because "Adi plans to make the announcement once the paperwork is done."

Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; June 29, 2018)

It has been 22 years since director Joy Augustine’s Tere Mere Sapne launched Arshad Warsi and Chandrachud Singh into Bollywood. Arshad’s spunky dance moves in the song Aankh Maare is still part of public memory. Reportedly, this song is being recreated for Rohit Shetty’s Simmba, and Ranveer Singh will step into Arshad’s shoes for the hit track.

When we spoke to Arshad about his hit song being revisited after so many years, he said, “I can’t believe it has been more than 20 years since I first faced the camera for that song. Ranveer has so much energy as an actor, I am sure he will do a fantastic job with such an entertaining number. I’m waiting to watch the new version with Ranveer. Also, it’s being recreated for Rohit Shetty’s film. The man is really special for me and I am sure he will give it a fantastic twist.”

Recalling the shoot of the song 22 years ago, Arshad insists that the experience is still fresh in his memory. “I wasn’t used to the Bollywood dance drill. I was this professional dancer who knew jazz and hip-hop. It was like a culture shock to go on the set and be told to do some crazy Bollywood jhatkas. But we had a lot of fun putting that film and that song together,” says the actor.

Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; June 29, 2018)

Ranveer Singh, who has wrapped up Zoya Akhtar’s Gully Boy, is now shooting for Simmba, which releases in December.

After the Rohit Shetty film, he has Kabir Khan’s biopic on Kapil Dev, titled ’83 and a film with Maneesh Sharma lined up. A source informs us, “This is Ranveer and Maneesh’s third film together, after Band Baaja Baaraat and Ladies vs Ricky Bahl. It’s a love story, but also a musical drama. The music will play a pivotal part in the narrative like it does in Hollywood musicals such as La La Land.” Ranveer will play a musician in the movie. Our source further adds, “The film is expected to go on floors next June.”

Ranbir Kapoor on how he met mimicry artist Sanket Bhosale, but chose not to go the route for his role in biopic
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; June 29, 2018)

While Ranbir Kapoor is receiving appreciation from all and sundry for slipping into the role of Sanjay Dutt for Sanju, the actor says the transformation was not easy. He reveals that as part of his prep, he met stand-up comic Dr Sanket Bhosale, who is known to mimic Dutt effortlessly.

Though all praise for Bhosale's mimicry skills, Kapoor points out that the Rajkumar Hirani-directed film required a different approach. "I met Sanket to understand what he thinks of Dutt, but in that very meeting, I realised this is not the path I want to take. He does a comic version of a drunk Sanjay Dutt, but I am not essaying that. I am playing him all the way from when he was 20 till today. We have explored his human side in the film. I also realised that I had to discover my own way of expressing the character," says the actor.

The biggest challenge that Kapoor faced was walking the fine line between "mimicking someone and trying to become the person". "A lot of people copy Sanjay sir and his style. So, my job became even harder because I didn't want to look like a caricature."

A self-confessed Dutt fan, it took Kapoor some time to gather confidence to slip into the former's shoes. The actor did "extensive homework" before facing the camera, which included getting Dutt's insights on the various chapters of his life. "It was my job as an actor to understand how this guy walks, how he talks. I would call Sanjay sir in the middle of the night, before the shoot, and ask him what he went through during a particular incident in his life. I would give my own interpretation to the script, but to hear it from the man himself is different."

Meena Iyer (DNA; June 29, 2018)

Rajkumar Hirani’s biopic on Sanjay Dutt, Sanju, opens today. And, the filmmaker, who is known as one of the brightest talents in Hindi cinema, says he has butterflies in his stomach, but shows no visible signs of his nervousness. He laughs when I ask him if he is aware that the film is tracking extraordinarily well. “Who conducts these surveys? Where do these tracking figures come from?” Raju (as he’s popularly known) questions, smiling beatifically. Then, he goes on to explain meticulously how Ranbir Kapoor tackled the challenge of playing the Munna Bhai actor. Excerpts...

Have you realised that we’ve never seen a biopic of an actor in his lifetime. In that sense, you are about to make history.
Yes, actually, there is no such biopic. Whenever I tried asking an actor, everyone backed off. Many of them wondered, ‘Why would we share our story?’ Sanjay is different. He had no qualms about trusting me with his life story. You know, he hadn’t even seen the film till two days ago. I was like, how can this guy be so cool? But that is Sanjay for you. I remember calling him earlier and asking him to watch it and he said, ‘Abhi baahar hoon, aa ke dekhta hoon.’ Another actor would have been curious. They would be dying to know, ‘Kya ho raha hai, kya bana raha hai?’ But Sanjay is a superstar, he is too cool.

There are amazing reactions to Ranbir’s portrayal of Sanjay from people who caught the film at previews.
I doff my hat to Ranbir. He never forces his thoughts on you. If he wanted to convince me about something, he would do it so tactfully. I remember when we decided to work together, the first thing he told me was, ‘Sir, thoda time rakhna. Let’s start work on the looks, do-teen mahine lagenge.’ He said it so softly, but I knew he couldn’t be rushed. I know in those months he had already started preparing. But he was not willing to make a go of it, till he was fully convinced. Ranbir has said that it was a daunting task. I agree.

My team and I supported his (Ranbir’s) thought process. He had the patience to keep trying out the various looks. Sometimes, after five to six hours of make-up, he would say it wasn’t working. He took just 30 seconds to shake his head and say ‘No’. Then we’d sit for hours to discuss how we could make it work. Later, we went to London to get it done. The most important thing was the patience on his part.

The look was just one aspect, the other aspect was how he would play Sanju. Thoda zyada karta, then it would look like mimicry or caricaturish. You never know the depth of an actor. Humko laga ki yeh kar raha hai, aise hi karna hai. I noticed it when we shot a song at the end of the film where he was himself. It felt as if I was shooting with another actor because, for the rest of the film, he had toned himself down so much. Usually, Ranbir is an expressive guy who uses his hands and face to capture what he is saying. But once he had transformed into Sanjay’s character, he had fully borrowed his mannerisms.

You have worked with Sanju on the Munna Bhai franchise and with Ranbir now. Is there any similarity between them when it comes to approaching their roles?
Not at all. Sanjay has a fabulous memory. If you give him two pages of dialogue to memorise, he will do it in a real way. Arshad Warsi, who was also in the Munna Bhai franchise, and I noticed that Sanju was not saying the lines given on the page. He would mix his own lines with what we had written; woh apna banaake bolta tha. I panicked because he wasn’t saying what was originally written. I asked Sanju to stick to his lines. And when he said them the way they were, his performance dropped. Then I realised that his strength is to take the gist of the dialogue, and say it in the way it’s spoken. When we speak, we fumble and repeat words as we are thinking and he made it natural by doing all of that. So I let him do what he was doing. I have to be a hawk to ensure that whatever I’m trying to say is not missed and there is something in taking it beyond.

Aamir (Khan) loves to rehearse. I like it when actors do that. It makes work easy. Aamir is very expressive. Look at  Secret Superstar, he has a great understanding of the script, overall understanding of the medium and he brings in a lot of that to his performance. Ranbir also rehearses a lot. I realised he makes his performances real. He doesn’t overexpress. I understand kiski kya strength hai. I try and get what I want using the strengths that the actors have.

Censor Board directs makers of Sanjay Dutt biopic to eliminate overflowing prison toilet scene citing aesthetic reasons
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; June 28, 2018)

Rajkumar Hirani's Sanju was shown to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) last week and the movie has been cleared with just one cut. The makers of the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer have been asked to remove the scene with an overflowing prison toilet for aesthetic reasons. A source from the Censor Board says, "The scene wasn't adding value to the narrative besides displaying the helpless situation of the protagonist. It was a judgment call taken from an artistic point of view which the filmmakers agreed to."

Activist Prithvi Maske, who wrote a letter to the CBFC condemning the scene, is content with the Board's decision. "I was constantly taking legal advice on the matter. It is not favourable that something that shows the country and its administration in the wrong light, be passed. I was in touch with the CBFC and they assured me that my objection would be taken up with the makers of Sanju and addressed. The reason why the scene was cut is confidential information and will be given to me in a response, officially signed by CBFC chairperson Prasoon Joshi," says Maske.

In an interview to mid-day, Rajkumar Hirani had claimed authenticity of the scene, saying, "The scene is from Sanju's earlier stint in jail. It happened in 1993, during the monsoon. On that particular day, the drain in his cell overflowed due to heavy rains."

We messaged Hirani, but he didn't respond till the time of filing the report.

Complaint filed against Ranbir, Anushka
Yesterday, activist Gaurav Gulati filed a complaint against Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma at the National Commission for Women (NCW), for making derogatory remarks against sex workers in the trailer of Sanju. The complaint (mid-day has a copy) claims that a few dialogues in the trailer are anti-women. Citing an instance, the activist refers to the scene where Sharma asks Kapoor, "Apni biwi ke alawa kitni auraton ke saath soye ho?" To which he replies, "Prostitutes ko ginun ya unko alag..." The complaint also includes Vicky Kaushal's dialogue, "Ghee che toh ghapa ghap che..." Gulati says that such statements in a big film undo the work done towards the upliftment of sex workers and calls for the inclusion of a disclaimer in the film’s credits.

One of Bollywood's most sensational talents, Rani Mukerji meticulously deconstructs her life before and after films
Mayank Shekhar (MID-DAY; June 28, 2018)

Firstly, we've got to thank you and your filmmaker husband Aditya Chopra as well for coming over. He's an invisible man, surely he's sitting in the room, is he?
Yes, he is. You've got to find him. You had to see Mr India through a red tint. Now I can't decode which colour makes him appear!

No, seriously, does he actually exist?
Of course. And the proof is in the pudding — my daughter. She didn't get baked and come out of the oven (laughs).

I was coming up the lift, and everybody knew you were coming over, one of them said, she's married. The other went, to some Chopra, god knows who! Of course, you've known Aditya for years. Do you remember the first time you guys met?
It's quite historic in my head, actually. He had called me for a film called Dulhan. That movie never got made. But I became his 'dulhan' (bride), eventually, in life.

Was he producing the film?
He was actually directing it. And I had signed up for Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. So he'd asked me a bunch of professional questions that he does with everyone. And this was much before the first film I did for Yash Raj, which was Mujhse Dosti Karoge (2002). And, of course, Saathiya (2002), although that was more of a Bobby Bedi production, with Yash Raj presenting it. Shaad had come to me and said he was remaking Mani Ratnam's film. I was like, "Why are you remaking a great film that Mani Ratnam's already made?" Yash [Chopra] uncle was involved with the film. So was Adi. They were actually shocked to hear that I had said no.

You said no, simply because it was a remake?
Sometimes we actors think we know it all, although actually we don't know anything. And we have to have people guide us to do the right things. Obviously I wasn't guided properly, and in my enthusiasm of youth, I said no. That's when Adi called me for a meeting, asked, "What's the reason for you not doing this film?" I didn't have a good enough answer, so I said, "Because the girl doesn't have a good role." He just burst out laughing!

True, the film's all about the girl.
Yes, that's when Adi realised that I'm a clueless person in the industry. If I can say that the girl's role in Saathiya has no meat, then I must be really cracked!



What's he like as a person?
I think the best way to describe Adi is that he's a great leader. He's got great leadership qualities. After so many years in the industry, it's really difficult for me to respect someone — we tend to know people, in, and out. Adi is somebody I can genuinely respect as a human being, and this has been the case from even before I became his wife and life-partner.

You mean he has paternal qualities; or is a natural mentor?
I wouldn't say paternal. He's essentially a no-nonsense person. He tells you in your face, the way it is. I think that's great, because a lot of people in films need that reality check. You are surrounded by people who constantly tell you that you're the best. He's a really good bubble-buster in that sense. You need someone to say "You're good, but not the best!" Also, whenever someone goes to him for advice, he puts the other person's interest first, before his own. I think that's a rare quality to have, not only in business, in life as well.

What surprises me most about him is when someone told me the poster on the wall behind his desk is that of Fernando Meirelles' gritty-gangster film City Of God (2002), essentially Brazil's Satya (1998). Now that's the last film I'd associate with Aditya Chopra. Does he still have the poster?
Yes, it's still there! My education of foreign language films, or the films I know at all, is thanks to Adi. There's so much to learn. I think it's important for every actor to not only see the big, entertaining blockbusters, but watch films, where the performances are so real, it's hard to tell it's a performance.

You obviously come from a space where you simply didn't want to be an actor, and was forced into it, by your mom, right?
Not forced. I just thank God I was really a good, obedient daughter! In 1993, I got offered a film called Aa Gale Lag Jaa, which I didn't do. Growing up in Juhu, being from a film family was not really looked upon as cool, as it is now. Back then, being from a film family was like, "Oh, you're from films?" That word 'filmy' was treated as an abuse.

Bollywood was basically uncool.
Yes, Bollywood wasn't seen as a place you could make a career out of. I was in my 10th standard, when I got offered Aa Gale Lag Jaa by Salim uncle (Salim Akhtar), and I had the most bizarre reaction: I started crying! I was like, "How can you offer me a movie?" My mom and dad cajoled me, "You don't have to cry. He's only offered you a film." Eventually Urmila (Matondkar) did that film. Two years later, Salim uncle came back to me because Mamta Kulkarni had said no to Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat (1997). My mom asked me if I wanted to just give it a try, and if I didn't like it, I could always go back to college. I thought she was being practical. At my screen test, they made me wear Mamta Kulkarni's clothes that she had worn in Salim uncle's previous film. And I was like, what are these clothes? They put glycerine in my eyes. It was crazy for me.



And this was just the screen test.
And it was a disaster. My mom saw it and realised I wasn't cut out for this. But Salim uncle said I was really photogenic and the cameramen were really happy with me. He asked me if I wanted to join an acting class. I joined Roshan Taneja's school. The first thing he (Roshan) told my father and that remains stuck in my head is that acting is not something that can be learnt. It's not mechanical. You have to feel it. It's a process, being another human being, for a particular amount of time. In my class, there were Jimmy Sheirgill and Chandachur Singh, prepping for their film with ABCL (Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited).

Tere Mere Sapne, which had Arshad Warsi in it as well?
Yes, Tere Mere Sapne (1996). And Jimmy was preparing for Maachis (1996), if I'm not mistaken. The whole group was in awe of Chandrachur Singh, because he was the next 'Amitabh Bachchan', had a deep voice, had been cast as lead in an ABCL production. I would diligently go for the morning and evening classes. I just didn't want people to laugh at me (when the film came out). The day I gave my first short for the film, it just came to me. They said, "Cut." I was like, "Shit I actually did it." It wasn't difficult for me. From that day onwards, I've never looked back as an actor.

It just happens when the camera rolls?
I think I just need the camera to come alive.

Also you're from a hardcore showbiz home. Most people don't know how the Mukerjis were once the biggest family in Bollywood — owning, running Filmalaya, Filmistan… Can you take us through these titans, and how's everyone related?
My father would have made this more entertaining. So it goes this way. S (Sashadhar) Mukerji was the producer of films like Naagin, Anarkali, and several others. He was the producer for Filmistan. Someone else owned the studio — Jalaram, if I'm getting his name right. S Mukerji was the only one who branched out of our family in Jhansi, ran away from home, to make movies. My grandfather, who was a judge, and S Mukerji, were brothers. So, S Mukerji joined Bombay Talkies. His wife was Kishore and Ashok Kumar's sister.

Okay, so that's how those two families are related.
Yes, it starts from there. And then my dad, who passed out from Allahabad University, came to Mumbai to be with his uncle, S Mukerji and his brothers Subodh, and Prabodh, who had also joined him to make films like Junglee and others. Are you getting it?

Trying.
So at that time they were these four. My dad started off as a camera person and then became a director. It was a family thing. So they made a lot of films for Filmistan, and once they became sought-after, they went ahead and bought Filmalaya. That's when the onset of Filmalaya happened. Kajol's grandfather is S Mukerji.

So Kajol's grandfather is your grandfather's brother.
Correct.

How is filmmaker Ayan Mukerji related?
Kajol's father [Shomu Mukerji], and Ayan's father, Dev Mukerji, are brothers. So, if you've seen Ek Bar Mooskura Do (1972) — that song (hums it), Tu hamari thi, jaan se pyari thi — that actor, Debu Mukerji, is Ayan's dad. His older brother is Joy Mukerji. So it's Joy, Debu, and Shomu — Shomu is Kajol's dad. Because my father was so intimately involved, everybody feels my dad was Debu kaka and Shomu kaka's brother. Actually they are cousins. So, Kajol and Ayan are first cousins, and I'm the second cousin — to make things clear. From my mother's end, her youngest sister was an actress in Bengal. So for her, acting didn't seem like a far-fetched idea. But my dad was like, "Why would my daughter be an actress?"

You did work in your dad's film though.
Yes. Again to make things clear, Biyer Phool [in Bengali, directed by Ram Mukerji] is not my first film. Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat is. They both released on the same day. But I shot for Raja Ki… first.Then Ghulam (1998) happened, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai followed.

Ghulam with Aamir, KKHH with SRK, which was your first film with Salman?
Hello Brother (1999). I'm sure you must not have given it a good review

Loved it.
Don't say that. Not good for your reputation! I had a lot of fun shooting for Hello Brother, and working with the Khan family, so full of love, is one of the greatest memories. And everyone was shocked that the film didn't do well. The conclusion that everybody draws, after 24 years, is probably that they shouldn't have killed Salman (in the film), they should have killed Arbaaz instead.

That's really mean.
No, I think Arbaaz will also agree. I hope so. Coming back to working with the Khans, what I actually observed working with, especially Aamir and Shah Rukh, because they were the first people I interacted with after my first film, is that they were so on top of everything, their dedication, sincerity, always on time on the set, working on the takes, ensuring every shot is perfect. I had no idea what a successful person/actor was supposed to be like. And that kind of made me choose a working path where I also believe that every film you do should seem like it is your last. This learning process, for me, started with Shah Rukh, Aamir.

Your school, as it were, since you didn't even have the time to finish your acting course before your first film?
I actually just observe people. It gets embarrassing sometimes when a person catches me staring at them! And that's my job. My husband finds it irritating when we go out.

So you can place a person for all the memorable roles you've done, for instance the girl in (Mani Ratnam's) Yuva (2004)?
Of course. There were so many of my house-helps, who I observed. They would chat with my mother about their alcoholic husbands beating them up. I'd noticed their body language, the way they talked, their conversations.

That train scene in Yuva is iconic, seemed like a lived experience.
That's what happens with me, certain things just get stuck in my head, and when prepping for a character, they just come back to me. For me body language is truly important. It differentiates your character from previous ones — the way I walk, talk, I try to change that in every film. I don't know how many people notice it. But Javed uncle [Javed Akhtar] always tells me I am the only actor he knows, who can really make good use of hands. Often, actors don't know what to do with their hands.



And you are quite different in each of your films. Apparently the role that changed your approach to performance was Kamal Hasan's Hey Ram?
I went to Chennai to shoot for Hey Ram. At the time, I was doing glamorous roles in films in Mumbai. It was expected out of me to look good all the time, put make-up; wear five-inch heels, because you can't have a short heroine. My first day of shoot for Hey Ram was the closest I came to a Hollywood kind of set-up — make-up room had pictures of hair-continuity. A bell would ring at 6 am to start shoot. We were to report at 5 am. There was a call-sheet given, which was unheard of back then, with every minute slotted. So I get ready the way I thought I am supposed to. I walk in to the set, find Kamal ji and cinematographer K V Anand standing. Kamal ji looks at me, says, "What have you done to your face?" I'm like, "What? Is there something on my face?" He asked me why had I put make-up on and told me to go wash my face. I was shocked first, and then thought he was joking; ragging me on the first day. I also had a flight back in the evening to shoot Kaali Nagin song for Mann. I just dabbed my make-up, reduced my lip-stick, came back. He was like, "No, I told you to wash your face!" This time I washed my face completely, and he went, "I can see my Aparna [her character] now." Then he called the make-up artist to put on a bindi, he himself put some kajal, and he said, "Leave the rest to the cameraman, he will do his job." When I mentioned I wasn't tall, he said, "I'm not tall either. You have to be tall with your achievements," and insisted on me wearing flat chappals. Then, of course, I carried on that tradition in films that I could. In Saathiya. In Black, I remember Sanjay [Leela Bhansali] told me, "You are playing a blind person, I need your eyes to be dead. We have to give you black lenses so your eyes don't emote at all." I remember just wearing those lenses, scrubbing my face with tomatoes in the morning, because it gives you that freshness.

Does it?
Yes, chalo tamatar kharido sab log [Laughs]. But, like I said, I was confident about not wearing any make-up. Thank god Mani sir didn't have to tell me to wash my face! I already knew it.

Since you brought up Black, Ranbir Kapoor asked us to check with you if you remember the first time you faced the camera with him.
Yes! He was assistant director on that film. We were in Shimla. We didn't have Mr Bachchan's [Amitabh Bachchan] dates, so we started without him. We were shooting the film's first scene, where Nandana (Sen) and I are driving home. I open the car door. I can sense Mr Bachchan by the fountain, and I take him in. Since we didn't have him, we had the great Ranbir Kapoor wearing the cap, and his costume, sitting near the fountain. After that, I just jumped on him, threw him off the fountain, he was on the ground [Laughs]. When you see the making of Black, you'll only see me dancing, or making Sanjay laugh all the way until he says, "Action." He was also having fun.

You'd be chilling on set, and when the camera rolled, you'd become that person? It was an intense role.
But I always leave the intensity for the camera. With me it has always been all about spontaneity.

You basically trust your instincts.
Yes, and I also do my homework well. Like I work mentally on a role, or a script. Everything is in my head. For Hichki, for the first time I was playing a character with tourette syndrome. So, of course, Siddharth Malhotra [director], Maneesh Sharma [producer] and my husband were all worried.

It can go either way, right?
Not that they doubted me, but we didn't have a point of reference. If you are playing a cop, we have seen hundreds of them, so you know things you will not do, otherwise it'll look like a copy, or do it similarly but better. With Hichki, no actor had ever performed it earlier, apart from Johnny bhai [Johnny Lever] in Chori Chori Chupke Chupke. That's how I remember someone having a tick on screen. So they asked me if I could show how I would tick, but I said no. Because that's my process. I do it when I shoot.

Why would you not show it to them?
Because it would not come to me. When the camera rolls, I suddenly become that character. I can't explain in words but that's who I am as an actor. Also, for me, clothes play a really important role. I need to wear the clothes to become the character. It gives me an incentive to become that part. All the designers get fed up with me by the end of a film, because I need to get even a simple salwar kameez, jeans or T-shirt right.

Did you meet people with Tourette syndrome?
The parents of the kids who have this syndrome aren't really open to sending them for such things. For them their child's comfort is rightly of utmost importance. So it was difficult to get somebody to come forward. We did manage with a boy, who came with his parents, but apparently he was a huge fan of mine, so for the two hours he sat with me, he didn't tick even once. He wanted to be at his best. And then I spoke to Brad Cohen [author of Front Of The Class], and it kind of opened my mind to how a person, who has lived with this syndrome, is from childhood onwards. I also got emotional content for my character from him, because the film was inspired by his life.

Did you go through a similar process while you were doing four films a year back in the day?
No, because the films I was doing then didn't really require my character to get into such details. But thanks to Hey Ram, Yuva, and Saathiya, I got a chance to explore how you can give a character a distinct voice, and individuality. At the same time, me in Hum Tum will be different from Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna. Though I am wearing clothes from abroad, I'm still dressed differently, it's not the same. There are tiny differences in all characters.

What have you taken back from your characters?
From Black, I learnt the most — about how to be self-reliant, independent, and not take life for granted. It also taught me how to be humble and be thankful for everything we have in terms of our vision, or that we can hear, talk. The other problems in life are really small.

What about your character in KANK?
Never marry for any other reason, but love. And that really helped me as a single person. That was the time when I would obviously get married, and think of a family, and that was a strong message that came out from the film.

To you personally?
Karan [Johar] kept talking about it. He said this is why so many divorces happen, because people are marrying for wrong reasons — to have children, as their biological clock is ticking, or for companionship at old age. But you should marry only for love, when the excitement of everything moves away, what will actually keep the couple together, is love.

From the guy's perspective, it was really hard to understand Abhishek Bachchan's character. What was wrong with him, he seemed perfectly fine.
We asked Karan the same thing. And Abhishek and I had just delivered Bunty Aur Babli. The audience really loved our pairing. A lot of them who saw KANK questioned why I was leaving him in the film, and going for Shah Rukh. Karan's explanation was the dynamics Maya (my character) shared with Rishi [Abhishek's character] was maternal; in a way she was his mother. He is a bit childish. She is not really in love with him. She loves him, but there is a difference. My character actually gets married because she was brought up by Mr Bachchan's character in the film, she is indebted to him, and can't say no. At that point in time, she feels that this is love, because she is best friends with Rishi, and he loves her to death. She has an OCD issue over cleanliness. After she falls in love with Shah Rukh, her house is pretty shabby, because somewhere she's found her comfort. We always hear about couples getting divorced but think they were so good together, why did they separate? They may be great people individually, but aren't meant for each other.

You got back on a film set for Hichki after a gap of two and years. Apparently you were crying on your way to work?
That also had a lot to do with my daughter.

You were missing her already?
There are certain fears that a first-time mother goes through, so many different emotions attack you, which you aren't even aware of. I don't know if it's a hormonal jump-up in the system, or the fact there's someone completely dependent on you for everything. Or so we think. As parents, we over-think, as if we are the only people who have given birth. On that particular day, I was just thinking if I have taken the right decision, with coming back to films so soon. Not that I was doubting my call, just wondering if it was too early for me. Adira was just 14 months old.

Does Adira mean anything in particular? It's obviously a combination of Aditya, and Rani.
It also means noble, powerful, strong, star. So there are lot of meanings in different languages. I got lucky actually, because I wasn't really looking at combining the two names. But then I checked, and wow, it was a bonus [laughs].

You know there is a stereotype for Bengali moms, right?
It's not a sterotype. It's a fact. Let's not waste time analysing the situation. Bengali mothers are Bengali mothers, that's all I can say [Laughs]. They are like tigresses. For them everything is about protecting their cub. It's never about cub ko chhod do jungle mein. They would be like, nahin, hum saath jayege. We will be there at every single step. My brother is around 45 now, but my mother treats him like he was just born yesterday, so you can imagine. But I think that is our speciality. And I'll always be around Adira.

Feel sorry for her already. Poor girl has no idea what's going to happen to her!
[Laughs] She in for a shocker. I can see a lot of my husband in her though. For her, no means no, and yes means yes.

Does she have a distinctive voice like yours?
No, she has a sweet voice.

The reason I ask you about voice is because filmmakers used to dub over your voice initially?
Not initial films. For Raja Ki Ayegi Baraat, I dubbed myself. In Ghulam, Aamir, Mukesh Bhatt and Vikram Bhatt felt that probably I didn't have the shrill, nice and beautiful voice that heroines used to in those days. Aamir had a conversation with me, he said, "You are a fan of Sridevi, and her voice was dubbed for so many of her films, so it's okay. We should do anything for the betterment of the film." For him it is all about the team. Nobody is bigger than the film. At the time, I thought he made sense, and I agreed. Being a newcomer I didn't have a choice, but it was gracious of them to inform me. Ghulam and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai were being shot simultaneously. We were shooting the KKHH teaser. I was to start dubbing for it, and Karan asked, "I believe your voice is being dubbed (by someone else) in Ghulam, why?" I told him that they thought my voice was not good. He asked me whether I had dubbed for my first film. He asked me if I had any issues with dubbing at all. He told me to dub for KKHH. Karan took that decision, and that sort of changed everything for me. KKHH was such a popular film. Everyone saw it. There was acceptance for my voice.

And they appreciated the fact that your voice was different in a very nice way.
Yes, I guess. I remember Aamir calling me after watching KKHH, saying, "Babes I think we made a huge mistake by dubbing your voice. And your voice is really good." For me that was a really amazing moment, since I respect him so much. The fact that he called and said that they had made a mistake was a big thing for me as a newcomer.

We're going to round off this conversation with the beginning of your life. I hear you had been misplaced right after birth!
Can you imagine someone took me away? I was so cute.

How did that happen?
It was really dramatic. Ayan's dad was also there. My mum had delivered me and she was in the room in the hospital. Ayan's father, Debu kaka, was visiting my mom. The nurse got the baby, and kept her next to my mother for feeding. She was talking to my uncle, looked at the child and said, "This is not my baby." My uncle told her she had gone mad. She said her child had light eyes. They called the nurse, who insisted that the baby she had brought in was the correct one. They checked the tag, and it was wrong. Then mom started howling, shouting, "Mera bachcha kaha hai?" And the whole melodrama began. My mom and uncle went to all the rooms to look for me. I was found in the last room, which had a Sardar family. That person actually had eight girls. I was the ninth one over there. My mom went, "Woh mera baccha hai." And they said, "Nahi aap aise kaise bol rahe ho. Yeh humara baccha hai." They checked out the tag, records and everything, and finally I was returned to my mother.

Otherwise you would be in a Dil Bole Hadippa family [which by the way is one of the most loved films in Germany].
Yes, I would have been Diljeet Kaur, or someone [laughs]. But I finally got married to a Punjabi. So it was destiny, I guess.

Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; June 29, 2018)

Rumours have been rife about Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone’s impending wedding and according to industry insiders, preparations for the DDay are on in full swing. Reportedly, Deepika has often been spotted shaadi shopping with her mother Ujjala Padukone in Mumbai and Bengaluru, while Ranveer has been burning the midnight oil to complete his pending professional commitments. According to rumours, the dates for the big day are between November 10 and 20, and the functions are likely to be held in Bengaluru and also at a European location — either Switzerland or Italy.

We now hear that if everything goes as planned, Ranveer will take off with his close buddies to an undisclosed location for his bachelors’ trip at the end of July. The tentative dates are July 27-28. The actor has been planning this for a few months now and has sounded off his friends, including those he has been close to from his school and college days. “They’ve been asked to keep themselves available at the end of July and the beginning of August. At the moment, it’s expected to be a week-long sojourn for Ranveer and his bunch of boys,” says an acquaintance of the actor.

While the actor remained unavailable for a comment, his spokesperson responded, saying, “We have been getting such queries, but we have no information about this trip.” On the work front, Ranveer has completed the shoot of Zoya Akhtar’s Gully Boy and is busy with Simmba, Rohit Shetty’s next.

MUMBAI MIRROR (June 29, 2018)

Akash Ambani and Shloka Mehta, who are reportedly set to tie the knot in December this year, got engaged in a traditional ceremony on Thursday at the former’s Altamount Road residence. The do kicked off at 5 pm and the couple exchanged rings at 6.

Vidhu Vinod and Anupama Chopra, Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan, and Brahmastra duo Ayan Mukerji and Ranbir Kapoor were among the early birds. Their leading lady Alia Bhatt, who arrived later, opted for a pink Manish Malhotra sari, while her mentor, filmmaker Karan Johar wore a red outfit by the designer. Sachin and Anjali Tendulkar were also in attendance. Musician Shankar Mahadevan arrived with son Siddharth.

Shloka, and Akash’s sister Isha Ambani, who got enagaged to beau Anand Piramal in March this year and is likely to get married in December as well, chose lehengas from Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla’s bespoke bridal line.

Priyanka Chopra, who was accompanied to Akash and Shloka’s mehendi ceremony the previous day by mother Madhu Chopra and rumoured beau Nick Jonas, was among the last guests to arrive. The 36-year-old actress who posed for pictures with the 25-year-old American singer-actor before entering the venue, opted for an Abu-Sandeep sari for the do.

According to a source close to the family, the ring ceremony was followed by a sit-down dinner that lasted over three hours. A multi-tier cake was also cut to mark the occasion. Mukesh and Nita Ambani are scheduled to host over 100 guests on Saturday to celebrate Akash and Shloka’s engagement

The actor plays her love interest in Isabelle Kaif’s B’wood debut
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 30, 2018)

Saqib Saleem has landed two big-ticket projects. While the actor will join the cast of Dabbang 3, which goes on the floors in September, he recently started shooting for Stanley D’Costa’s Time to Dance opposite Waluscha De Sousa in London. The film marks Katrina Kaif’s sister Isabelle’s Bollywood debut opposite Sooraj Pancholi.

A source reveals, “Saqib joined the shoot this week. He plays Waluscha’s love interest. While the model actress, Isabelle and Sooraj play dancers, Saqib will be seen as a lawyer who is besotted by Waluscha. He goes all out to woo her, but she plays hard to get.” The film, which kicked off in early June with a start-to-finish schedule, is expected to wrap up by July-end. It is produced by Bhushan Kumar and Remo D’souza.

Time to Dance director D’costa, when contacted, confirmed the news of Saqib joining the team. Speaking about the ongoing shoot, he said, “Seeing their performances I can safely say that my cast is going to be a surprise package. The other actors should watch out for Isabelle, she is splendid. We are on a 50-day schedule and have been shooting in Central London as well as in and around the city. So far it’s been a blast.”

Mirror had earlier reported (April 30) that Isabelle and Waluscha play sisters in the film who are competitive ballroom and Latin dancers.

Actress-turned-filmmaker Pragya Kapoor, who turned 28 on Friday, discusses welcoming her second child with husband Abhishek Kapoor in September, taking charge of his home banner and feeding off his creativity, and plans to produce comedic content
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 30, 2018)

Actress-turned-filmmaker Pragya Kapoor, who turned 28 on Friday, discusses welcoming her second child with husband Abhishek Kapoor in September, taking charge of his home banner and feeding off his creativity, and plans to produce comedic content

Filmmaker Abhishek Kapoor and his wife Pragya are looking forward to welcoming their second child in September. The mom-to-be, who celebrated her 28th birthday on Friday with an intimate family lunch and their two-and-a-half-year-old son, Isana, cutting the cake for her, says that she plans to have more babies soon. “I want to make more films and babies,” she laughs. “Abhishek and I have been together for eight years now and he surprised me with a beautiful pair of solitaire earrings for my birthday,” she adds. Having grown up in the small Swedish town of Karlskrona, Pragya arrived in Mumbai to trace her roots.

But an event management job brought her modelling offers and she soon found herself dating writer-director Gattu who at the time, was to begin working on his second directorial, the 2013 film Kai Po Che. Meanwhile, she went on to land a role in Amole Gupte’s Hawa Hawaai. “I didn’t want to become an actress. I was curious about my culture, so I packed my bags and moved to Mumbai. I didn’t know anyone here,” she says. “I had known Abhishek for a year when we met at a concert. He asked me out and I knew from the beginning that he was the one... He needed a little more time,” she reminisces.

The couple tied the knot on May 4, 2015 and welcomed their baby boy six months later. According to the model-actress, her parents had no reservations about her marrying a Bollywood filmmaker who was 18 years her senior. “They are incredible parents who’ve always let me do what I want,” she says.

With Kedarnath, Pragya is turning producer, working round-the-clock to facilitate a smooth release for the film that has been in the pipeline for the last two years. “Once we are done with Kedarnath, we will go on a holiday. I think it’s well-deserved,” she says, alluding to a “tough year” she and Abhishek have had. “We put everything else aside because we knew that we were fighting for the right thing. Producing Kedarnath has definitely been hard but it has made us stronger. The film is almost complete now and our fight has yielded good results,” she asserts. She is all praise for debutante Sara Ali Khan, who was rumoured to have given her dates to Rohit Shetty’s Simmba — her second Bollywood film — right in the middle of the Kedarnath schedule. “Sara is very sincere. I’m sure she will go a long way,” Pragya says.

She also reveals that she is in charge of her husband’s home banner, Guy In The Sky Pictures. “I try not to get into Abhishek’s way creatively because he is the Captain of the ship but I make sure that he gets what he wants. He discusses everything with me and I learn from him a lot. I am overseeing the edits and working closely with him. Production is a tough job, there are a lot of business decisions to make. But Abhishek’s creativity is contagious. I am looking forward to a large slate of films that we will be working on next,” she reveals.

As a film buff, Pragya has her favourites — Rajkummar Rao, Vicky Kaushal, Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt figure at the top of her list. “In terms of genre, I have keen interest in producing comedies and dramas,” she adds.

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 30, 2018)

On Thursday, the cast and crew of Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3 celebrated the film’s wrap with a grand party, with Randeep Hooda, who played the gangster in the first film of the franchise, joining in with a celebratory cake.

“Chitrangda Singh was delighted as she has been calling this her big comeback and is excited to be a part of the franchise,” producer Rahul Mittra tells Mirror, adding that the 41-year-old actress was writer-director Tigmanshu Dhulia’s first choice for the role. “She plays a woman in love, everything she does in the film is for love and you will see her in a special song sequence as well for which she has rehearsed extensively. It has a very Pakeezah-like feel to it,” he adds.

Meanwhile, Chitrangda claims that the third instalment ups the ante with its narrative. “The game was never this vicious,” she winks, adding, “With Sanjay (Dutt) in the film, the audience is set to witness the wrath of a kingpin. Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3 has three times the intensity and rivalry of the previous films,” she asserts.

The third instalment features Dutt as the gangster and Kabir Bedi and Nafisa Ali as his parents. Deepak Tijori also features in a prominent role, with franchise regulars Jimmy Shergill and Mahie Gill reprising their roles as Saheb and Biwi respectively. “The film will double up as a perfect birthday girl for Sanju, who turns 59 on July 29, exactly two days after the film’s release,” Rahul informs.

Harshada Rege (DNA; June 30, 2018)

Anil Kapoor has had a busy year. His schedule will ease up a bit after Fanne Khan releases on August 3. That’s when the Race 3 actor will head to Los Angeles after a gap of two long years. For those who came in late, Anil was among the first actors to get noticed on the international cinema circuit post the big splash that was Slumdog Millionaire. He then went on to star in Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol, a special appearance in the American series 24 starring Kiefer Sutherland, and even had a stint in Family Guy.

Work Talk
At one point, the National Award winner, who has an agent in the US, made regular visits to LA for acting assignments as well as production commitments. The last two years, however, have bound him to desi shores because of his packed schedule. A source says, “He has been busy shooting for films like Dil Dhadakne Do, Mubarakan, Welcome Back, Race 3, and his dream project — the Indian version of 24. After those, he signed Fanne Khan, Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga and Total Dhamaal. That’s not all, he is also committed to doing the Abhinav Bindra biopic where he will share screen space with son Harshvardhan Kapoor, who will play the Olympic gold medal winner.” The 61-year-old stepped on Indian television with 24. After two successful seasons, he will look into its third season when he reaches LA.

Break Toh Banta Hai
On the personal front, too, a lot has happened this year. The actor and his family faced Sridevi’s untimely death earlier this year. A few months later, he and wife Sunita pulled off a dream wedding for daughter Sonam, who tied the knot with Anand S Ahuja. The source says, “Anil has been shooting non-stop and wants to take around 10 days off in September and October to travel to some places in Europe. This will be a good break for him. His wife Sunita will join him for the trip, too.”

After producer claims distribution rights of Kedarnath rest with him, Abhishek Kapoor and Ronnie Screwvala decide to take him to court
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; June 30, 2018)

The ongoing tussle between team Kedarnath - director Abhishek Kapoor and producer Ronnie Screwvala —and Vashu Bhagnani over the film's rights refuses to end. In the light of Bhagnani's latest interview with a newspaper claiming that the all-India distribution rights of Kedarnath rest with him, Kapoor's production house, Guy In The Sky, and Screwvala's production house, RSVP, have sent a legal notice to Bhagnani and Prernaa Arora's KriArj Entertainment.

"The rights of Kedarnath are owned by Abhishek's Guy In The Sky and Ronnie's RSVP. In fact, the matter was also settled a few days ago, but Vashu's casual statement in the press has irked the makers," says a source.

Lawyer Hitesh Jain, who represents Kapoor and Screwvala, says, "Vashu Bhagnani and Pooja Entertainment have no agreement to claim any rights on Kedarnath. If he is claiming rights on the basis of an alleged understanding with KriArj, he should claim his money from them. As far as Kedarnath is concerned, Bhagnani has nothing to do with the film."

When contacted, Bhagnani said that he was in London when the notice was sent to him. "The first letter arrived on June 20, and my team missed it. I received the second letter on Thursday [June 28]. We have already submitted all documents in court because there is nothing to hide."

Arora remained unavailable for comment.

Gearing up for the release of Sacred Games, Saif Ali Khan on how digital platform could well be the way ahead
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; June 30, 2018)

Like wife Kareena Kapoor Khan who flew down to Mumbai from London for a day to honour a professional commitment last week, Saif Ali Khan too made a quick trip to the Bay. The Nawab of Pataudi arrived in the city on Wednesday to promote his upcoming web series, Sacred Games, India's first original series on Netflix. Last night, he headed back to the Queen's city to join Kapoor and son Taimur on their family vacation. "I prefer it this way — I would like to be in Mumbai when I am working, otherwise, I'm happy to be on a holiday," said Khan.

The actor was filmmaker-duo Vikramaditya Motwane and Anurag Kashyap's first choice to play cop Sartaj Singh in the adaptation of Vikram Chandra's famed novel by the same name. If collaborating with indie filmmakers such as Kashyap and Motwane is a first, the gritty drama - that sees him teaming up with co-actors Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Radhika Apte - also marks his debut on the digital platform. "I don't mind doing a web show every year. I did Sacred Games because it was interesting."

One of the first leading Bollywood actors to venture into the medium, Khan says his decision to jump on the bandwagon was prompted by the "phenomenal reach" of the platform. "I watch a lot of Netflix shows. It's premium stuff with great production values, and its reach is phenomenal. With more and more people having access to the Internet, one can well imagine how many people can watch shows on the digital platform. This could be the biggest thing ever, this could be just the beginning."

Though he had a hectic line-up of promotional activities during his whirlwind trip to India, the actor said publicity events don't tire him, as long as the conversations are about his work. "I end up being asked more about Bebo and Taimur. I have no energy for such questions. I know a lot is written about Taimur. I too enjoy it sometimes, but I do not like making gods out of children."

Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 30, 2018)

Disha Patani, who plays a trapeze artist in the Salman Khan and Priyanka Chopra starrer Bharat, recently kicked off training with local circus artistes from Mumbai for her turn. Meanwhile, director Ali Abbas Zafar is in the process of getting an international trapeze crew to fly down to work with the actress around July 14-15. The 26-year-old actress will train with them for two weeks in six-hour sessions every day.

A source close to the development tells Mirror, “Even though the film spans across decades and ends in the 2000s, Disha’s character won’t age as she is portraying the younger turn of the lot which is set in the 1960s, unlike Salman and Priyanka who will sport five different looks. Bharat goes on the floors around 20 July and usually the stunts she is required to perform in the film take years to master but she is to complete training in less than a month.”

In the film, she will perform some daredevil stunts including sequences that see her play with fire. The 2019 Eid release is an official adaptation of the 2014 South Korean drama, Ode To My Father, which depicted modern Korean history from the 1950s to present-day.

DNA (June 30, 2018)

After kickstarting Student Of The Year 2 (SOTY 2) with the shoot in Dehradun and completing the second schedule in Pune, we hear the makers of this Tiger Shroff, Ananya Panday and Tara Sutaria-starrer are yet to finalise the location for the third schedule. Expected to begin by mid July, the third spell is said to be crucial as director Punit Malhotra and team will be shooting the climax of this campus flick.

What’s more, the students of filmmaker Karan Johar’s first batch — Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt and Sidharth Malhotra — will also get together to shoot a special song for the sequel of their debut film. According to our source, “The film’s makers want to shoot the song, which will feature the trio in the opening credits, on a large canvas. They are yet to take a call on whether they should shoot in Delhi, Pune or Mumbai. It will be shot either in a stadium or on a lavish set. This song will mark the beginning of the sequel and will see SOTY’s lead actors, Varun, Alia and Sid, passing the baton to the new batch of students.” While Tiger will feature in the song, we hear the makers are yet to take a call on Ananya and Tara being a part of it too.