SEXY TARGET! Bipasha Basu on breakdowns and matters of the heart
Candid paparazzi moments with Imran Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Sonakshi Sinha
A STAR IS BORN
WITH BIG BANNERS TUCKED UNDER HIS BELT, ARJUN KAPOOR IS THE NEW STAR IN TINSEL TOWN
October 10, 2012 ` 50 www.filmfare.com
EXCLUSIVE! Jaya Bachchan Ja and Abhishek reveal the private side of Amitabh Bachchan
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FIRST LOOK SNEAK PREVIEW of Son Of Sardaar 26 Exclusive pics of Son 28 A peek into Chittagong 30 Hot stills from Ajab Gazabb Love of Aiyya 32 On the sets of Aiyya HOTTIE 38 Bhavna Ruparel and Rishi Bhutani are our hotties
INTERVIEWS Bipasha Basu says she’s all set to reign in the future 76 Ekta Kapoor’s gung ho about marching to a different beat. 80 Jackky Bhagnani’s a poor little rich boy... and proud of it 88 Kamal Haasan’s ready to blow you away once more 84 Nidhi Subbaiah’s all set to sail the B-town waves 96 Nikhil Dwivedi says he isn’t afraid of comebacks 100 Director Vasan Bala peddles his craft 72
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GLAMFARE 103
The lowdown on star fashion
YO Y OUR FILMFARE YOU R L ET TE RS 114 11 4 Bouquets and brickbats, from you, dear reader
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On the eve of his Birthday, Filmfare offers you a bouquet of articles on India’s favourite superstar, Amitabh Bachchan Dilip Kumar on Amitabh Bachchan Jaya Bachchan gives an insider track on her legendary husband Abhishek Bachchan on what it means to have a celebrity father. AB tak tak 70... 70... reasons why we love the phenomenon
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YOU R RE VIE WS 116 11 6 You play the reviewer
EDITOR’S BLOC
AB SP SPECIAL 40
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR 02 The ed looks with affection on Amitabh Bachchan LAST WORD 120 It’s the year of newbie actors, says the editor
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pg 118 SAWAAL JAWAAB
Shatrughan Sinha’s racy rejoinders
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PAPARAZZI
FASHION KA JALWA Exclusive pictures and candid moments from B-town’s most happening fashion event for Shabana Azmi’s NGO, Mijwan Welfare Society in association with Manish Malhotra
To know more turn to page
09 Karan Johar and Priyanka Chopra
The latest from the gossip racks and the shutterbugs’ lenses Pg21
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Read all about Shah Rukh Khan’s stay in Kashmir
Rani Mukerji’s weighty issues
Turn to see what shocks Ranbir Kapoor
PHOTOGRAPHS: VIRAL BHAYANI, YOGEN SHAH & PRADEEP BANDEKAR
Log on to flmare.com or latest updates
Paparazzi: Spotted
S I V E E X C L U
FUNNY MAN While Punit Malhotra and Imran Khan chatted up and reminisced old times, Arjun Kapoor was in a rather naughty mood. The newcomer was seen bullying all his colleagues – in a fun way, obviously!
Punit Malhotra and Imran Khan
Arjun Kapoor
Paparazzi: Spotted
Priyanka Chopra
GIRL UNINTERRUPTED Priyanka Chopra was her usual bubbly sel at the ashion show. Laughing and giggling away with Karan Johar and Manish Malhotra, she was in her element throughout the evening. Rumours o her supposed allout with Karan be damned – this babe was defnitely having the time o her lie.
Karan Johar, Priyanka Chopra and Manish Malhotra
Paparazzi: Spotted
Sonakshi Sinha and Mary Kom
SPORTSTAR STRUCK Sonakshi Sinha might have been one of the showstoppers at the Mijwan show but the real star was Mary Kom. When Sonakshi heard that Mary had entered the premises, she made it a point to go and congratulate her on making the country proud at this year’s Olympics.
Paparazzi: Spotted
Parineeti Chopra and Karan Johar
Kalki Koechlin, Shahana Goswami and Shraddha Shr addha Kapoor
GANG OF GIRLS Parineeti Chopra made her presence felt at the fashion show. From the moment she entered, the actress was seen chatting with everyone non-stop. Shraddha Kapoor, Kapoor, Shahana Goswami and Kalki Koechlin became quite the trio at the event as they spoke about movies and more.
Paparazzi: Spotted
Shabana Azmi and Prateik
...With Shraddha Kapoor
PICTURE THIS Prateik decided to have his own fun in the green room of the Mijwan show. After he got his hair and make-up done, he took the camera from the inhouse photographer and went on a clicking spree. He captured almost everyone as they got ready for the big show. Psst psst... Prateik and Shraddha Kapoor were also heard discussing their love lives...
Paparazzi: Spotted
Punit Malhotra, Manish Malhotra, Karan Johar, Rohit Shetty and Prabhudheva
DIRECTOR’S CUT Who says actors get to have all the un. At the Mijwan charity ashion show, Manish Malhotra got India’s top flmmakers to walk the ramp. It was quite a sight to see all o them going through the grooming process. And they sure seemed to have enjoyed it.
Imtiaz Ali, Dia Mirza and Sameera Reddy
Paparazzi: Spotted
MERA NAAM JOKER In this picture, Chitrangda Singh let us in splits. Now we know the dusky actress went all out to promote her item number in Joker but must she pose like the alien too? Not only did she match the attire o the alien rom the flm but his expression too. Rather unny, we say.
S H O T O F T H E G H T F O R T N I G Deepika Padukone
MS ANIMATED Look who we spotted -- Deepika Padukone in a rather expressive mood. We wonder what’s got her all excited. Maybe she is gloating about the act that she has an envious line-up o flms in her kitty. I we were her, we’d be thrilled too! Chitrangda Singh
EK THA MENTOR Salman Khan has always been known to guide new actors. Whether it was Hrithik Roshan, Arjun Kapoor or the very recent Varun Dhawan -- Mr Khan has mentored them all. So when we spotted the actor with late director Vijay Anand’s son, we couldn’t help but wonder i he’d be getting a star launch in B-town soon. Knowing Sallu bhai, he may make it happen. Plus, this Vaibhav Anand is quite the good-looking lad, no? Salman Khan with Vaibhav Anand
Paparazzi: Spotted
O M G M O M E N T O F T H E G H T F O R T N I G
Ileana D’Cruz
TONGUE & CHIC Ileana D’Cruz may be effortlessly stylish but the actress still needs to be on her guard while making public appearances. You can disapprove as much as you like but sticking your tongue out is just not good manners, Ileana.
CLICK ME NOT Now what might look like a rave party bust is actually Preity Zinta exiting the Mumbai international airport. We don’t know what the fuss is all about? Preity Zinta
Paparazzi: Spotted
Ranbir Kapoor
YOUNG BLOOD Ranbir Kapoor sure knows how to promote his flms. And we aren’t saying this without reason. His unny expressions in these photographs are taken right out o the Barf! poster. But we don’t know what Ranveer Singh’s reason is. Whatever be the reason, we like their over-the-top bindaas ways. Ranveer Singh
Paparazzi: Spotted
Kareena Kapoor and Madhur Bhandarkar
DIVINE INTERVENTION This has to be one o the most unusual ways o launching the music o a flm. But not or Madhur Bhandarkar, who has been doing it or or all his flms. Kareena Kapoor along with her Heroine director, got the music cds o their flm blessed at Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai. The team created quite a stir on their visit there. Considering her perormance in the flm has been appreciated, looks like this was a good move.
GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE HA VE FUN! FUN! Shazahn Padamsee and Jacqueline Fernandez got rather close ater their stint together in Housefull 2. And their close bonding was there or all to see at a recent event. The two girls laughed, joked and gave the cameras quite a feld day. Shazahn Padamsee and Jacqueline Fernandez
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Pprzz: I Spy
AmitAbh & JAyA go for A drive
A renzy ensues every time Amitabh Bachchan is spotted in public. He may be 70 but his popularity and an ollowing can give the younger stars a run or their money. money. Recently he was spotted driving his Rolls Royce with wie Jaya wie Jaya seated beside him. The actor hadn’t rolled up his window. So when his car stopped at a trafc signal, the passersby went berserk and surrounded his car. They almost caused a trafc jam at the signal. Realising that the situation was getting out o hand, Bachchan rolled up the windows and sped away as soon as the light turned green. Now that’s a star i ever there was one.
Bipasha’s disturbed workout
That Bipasha Basu is a big ftness enthusiast is a known act. So when anyone interrupts her workout, it is only natural that the actress will lose her cool. And that’s exactly what happened some time ago when she went or her regular workout to a suburban gym in Mumbai. While she was doing cardio on the treadmill, a gym riend came and joined h er on the adjoining one and started chatting with her. But what she thought would be a normal fve minute conversation, went on or over 20 minutes. Bips got so annoyed that she abruptly stopped her machine and went to the other side o the gym with her trainer. The riend who was talking didn’t know what had hit her. Clearly, Clearly, the actress couldn’t ake it anymore. Her exercise regime was being disturbed and she couldn’t take it. The riend o course slinked away quietly when she realised her olly. Ha!
Sr Rr We all know he’s a brilliant actor. No doubt on that front. And after singing a small bit for Barf! , Ranbir Kapoor has turned singer like so many of his predecessors. What’s more, for this Bengali song, music director Pritam made Ranbir rehearse for three days. He made sure the actor got the nuances of the language and the music notes right before he recorded the song. We believe Ranbir was spot on.
KabiR Khan haS become the moSt Sought afteR diRectoR afteR the SuPeR SucceSS of Ek Tha TigEr . he’S being offeRed a whoPPing cRoRe ` 12 cRoRe by leading PRoduction houSeS. will he accePt? we’ll wait and watch
Paparazzi: I Spy
Male bonding Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor have signed Yash Raj Films’ Goonday. A lot has been written about how the two have been giving each other cold vibes over Anushka Sharma. The story goes that when Ranveer and Anushka broke up, Arjun became pally with the actress and that, o course, didn’t go down well with Ranveer. But we met the two recently. And there was no trace o any tension between them. Both were cracking up narrating cornball jokes and generally seemed in high spirits. Seeing them on backslapping terms, it was dicult to say that they were giving each other the cold shoulder some time back. Clearly, they’ve been riends long beore Anushka came on the scene. And they continue to be so.
Arshad Warsi’s airport woes No, we are not talking about custom problems here. The actor, who was in Bangkok recently, had such a tough time with his ans at the airport that he had to literally run to escape rom them. Just beore boarding his fight back to India, a bunch o ans came and asked him to pose with them or a photograph. Initially excited, Arshad agreed. But the an renzy just wouldn’t end. As soon as a bunch o our would go, another our would turn up. And all his ans had just one request, they wanted the actor to pose like Circuit (his character in the Munnabhai series). Ater clicking over 20 photographs, Arshad managed a quick getaway getaway..
PRIYANKA’S FAN MOMENT The other day, a teenager tweeted that he was standing outside Priyanka Chopra’s building waiting to catch a glimpse o his avourite actress. PC and her team got to know about it. They checked and the boy was really standing there waiting or the actress. Priyanka was ar away shooting and was scheduled to return home only late at night. So her manager spoke to the boy and convinced him to return home. The last thing they wanted was a boy standing outside their door without ood and water. The boy returned home reluctantly. But his happiness knew no bounds when Priyanka met him ater a ew days. He posed or pictures and got an autograph too.
KAREENA AND SAIF HAVE HA VE BOUGHT BOUGHT A NEW HOUSE IN KHAR. IT’S BELIEVED TO BE THEIR NEW HOME POST MARRIAGE
Pp: I Spy
Hrithik to the rescue Hrithik Roshan’s manager Ashok Vasodia met with an accident. He fractured a rib and was in a bad shape. Hrithik, who was holidaying in Singapore with his family, immediately offered to come back. But the manager advised him against it. The actor then called up his personal doctor in Mumbai and asked him to call on his manager. Vasodia was hospitalised and Hrithik bore the medical expense. His staff tells us that Hrithik pays for his staff’s children’s school fees and also for any other crises they may face. Sweet, na !
The buzz in gossiP circles is Tha ThaT T PoliTician ram Vilas Paswan’s son, chirag, has offered Ya Y ash ra rajj films a whoPPing amounT To make a moVie for him. will The PresTigious ProducTion house biTe The baiT?
SRK chaRmS the valley
Shah Rukh Khan was pretty excited about shooting in Kashmir or Yash Chopra’s yet to be titled lm. As a bonus, he even got to spend the night in the same room where Raj Kapoor had shot the amous song Hum tum ek kamre mein bandh ho… or Bobby . Shah Rukh was elicitated by the government ocials there with a Kashmiri shawl and a copper Samovar. During his stay in the valley valley,, SRK was served Kashmiri Wazwan dishes like rista rista and and goshtab , which he loved. He even requested the hotel to serve him those dishes every day till he was in the valley. Also, the actor only travelled in a chopper rom one location to the other or security reasons. Ater the shoot was over, the actor few to meet his son Aryan, who’s been sent to a boarding school in London. Shah Rukh was missing him terribly and at the rst given opportunity he few o to meet his ‘only true riend’ as he calls him.
marriag iage e in Karisma’s marr doldrums
The rit between Karisma Kapoor and husband Sanjay Kapur is out there. The rumour mills are agog with Sanjay Kapur’s relationship with model Priya Chatwal but we hear his amily is quite against this relationship. Recently, there was a wedding in the amily and Sanjay wanted to bring Priya along with him or the event. His sisters, however, ercely opposed it. A huge argument ensued between brother and the sisters. The situation apparently got so bad that Sanjay threw a glass o wine at his sister Mandira and walked out o the wedding. Those present told us that the scene was straight out o a Hindi lm. Guess his flmi flmi connections connections had something to do with that.
Paparazzi: I Spy
Sanju rejuvenated Have you seen Sanjay Dutt lately? He’s looking rather resh and young these days. And this apparently is courtesy a cosmetic operation he’s undergone. Reportedly, he got the bags under his eyes removed surgically. All in a bid to look young. But the unny thing is, he told everyone around that he was going in or a knee surgery as it had been giving him some trouble o late. But when he returned, the bags under his eyes had disappeared mysteriously. Our sources insist he’d been under the knie or his ace and not the knee. Ha!
Riteish upset We were the ones who frst told you about how Riteish Deshmukh was dropped rom the popular reality show, India’s Got Talent 4 , because o the exorbitant ee he demanded. Now that the producers have signed on Karan Johar as the ourth and fnal judge along with Kirron Kher, Malaika Arora Khan and Farah Khan, Riteish is quite disheartened. Apparently, the actor strongly believed that the producers would give in to his demands. What’s worse, Riteish also thinks taking Karan as the judge jud ge on the the show isn’ isn’tt a wis wise e decision. Adds our source, “Riteish believes that since Karan has already judged a reality show recently (Jhalak ( Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa ), ), it made no sense or him to judge a similar show that too within such a short span o time. He even conveyed this to one o the people who approached him.” A case o sour grapes?
Shahid’s back injury Now this one came as a surprise to us too. According to close sources, Shahid Kapoor has been suering rom a minor back injury injury.. A while ago, the actor had gone or a regular check up to a doctor’s clinic in suburban Mumbai, when a an spotted him. On being asked what was wrong with him, Shahid sweetly told her that he had a minor back ailment and didn’t want to make a big deal o it. Though Sasha seemed like he was in pain, he willingly even clicked a picture with his an. Much to the an’s delight.
Akki IcS RAbiR’s c
Did you know Akshay Kumar has other talents apart rom acting? He’s apparently great with the sleight o hand tricks. Recently, he stunned Ranbir Kapoor. The two ran into each other ater a play in the surburbs. Ranbir greeted Akshay with a hug and the next thing he knew, his wrist watch was missing. As soon as he noticed it, he yelled, “You’ve done it again!” and the two burst out laughing. Akshay, whose fngers work smoothly, has tried this trick on Ranbir oten. Yet Ranbir got tricked once again. Akshay is so good at the tricks that during the promotions o Tees o Tees Maar Khan he Khan he tried them on many, leaving everyone amazed. We’re not surprised actually. He’s the Khiladi No.1 ater all.
Rani goes incognito Rani Mukerji, Mukerji, who was shooting in Pune or Aiyya Aiyya a a while ago, had such a hectic schedule that it hardly let her any time to work out. So she devised a method to get her quota o exercise. She started riding a bicycle to the shooting location. But that came with its set o problems. People spotted her on the roads and stopped her or autographs. It became quite a nuisance. But she didn’t want to cut out her exercise routine. That’s when a brilliant plan struck her. She started covering her ace. And that did the trick. Suddenly she was incognito. People let her alone and the actress sighed with relie.
Tabu’s public fight Our actresses are known or their calm composure, at least in public. So when Tabu lost her cool on a BEST bus driver recently, recently, onlookers were rather surprised. The actress, who was driving to a suburban theatre in Mumbai, stopped her car in the middle o the road and started screaming at the bus driver or cutting her. Though it wasn’t a long fght, a crowd gathered around her car within minutes. An onlooker adds, “As soon as he cut her, Tabu screamed and made the bus driver halt. One good thing about the actress was that she didn’t abuse. But as soon as the bus stopped, she gave the bus driver a good piece o her mind. And since she wasn’t wrong, he had no other choice but to apologise to her.” That’s the Tabu we know, always standing up or what’s right. Three cheers or the actress.
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kangna breaks up with English boyfriend We were the frst to report Kangna Ranaut’s relationship with her English boyriend (Nicholas Lafferty). Lafferty) . Now it seems the two have parted ways. Apparently, the long distance relationship wasn’t working. Also, the boyriend wanted to settle down. He wanted babies and a home. All the things that women normally crave. But the idea o settling down was anathema to the actress. The thought o matrimony and motherhood rattled her. She wanted to concentrate on her career. She elt there was enough time or marriage and wanted to do some great work in the coming years. So the two have reportedly called o their relationship.
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FIRST LOO LOOK
Laughing matter An exclusive preview of the madcap comedy Son Of Sardaar
Ajay Devgn in Son Of Sardaar
A sneak peek into the hottest people and of course movies 38
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GenNext actors up close and personal. Bhavna Ruparel and Rishi Bhutani spice up our Hottie pages
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Our box-office report on Raaz 3 an and d Jo Joke ker r gives you the latest buzz from showbiz
First Look Sneak Preview
Son So n Of Sa Sard rdaa aarr
Face o: Sonakshi Sinha and Ajay Devgn
RELEASE DATE
BANNERS
DIRECTOR
STAR CAST
November 13, 2012
Viacom18 Motion Pictures, Ajay Devgn Films and Yrv Infra & Media (P) Ltd. Production
Ashwini Dhir
Ajay Devgn, Sonakshi Sinha, Sanjay Dutt and Juhi Chawla
PRODUCERS
Ajay Devgn, NR Pachisia, Pravin Talreja
MUSIC
Himesh Reshammiya Chak de!: Ajay Devgn
The Plot A romantic comedy, Son Of Sardaar takes you straight into the heartland of Punjab and largerthan-life Punjabis. They take pride in their hospitality and are serious about matters of honour and dignity. Jassii (Ajay Jass (Ajay Dev Devgn) gn) a peace peace loving, happy-go-lucky Sardar from London falls in love with Meet (Sonakshi Sinha) when he comes to India to sell his ancestral land. A twist of fate and a series of incidents land him on her doorstep where he faces the most unexpected. Enter Billu Paji (Sanjay Dutt) who is the head of Meet’s family. A cat and mouse game begins. Confusion, drama, comedy and never before seen action that lead to the climax are sure to hold the viewer spellbound. Juhii Chawla Chawla with sup support porting ing arti artiste stess Indian beauties: Juh
Shades of grey: Sanjay Dutt
Red hot: Sonakshi Sinha
Ride ’em high: Sanjay
First Look Sneak Preview
Chittagong RELEASE DATE
BANNERS
DIRECTOR
STAR CAST
October, 19 2012
NDTV, AKFPL & Bohra Bros Production Pvt Ltd
Bedabrata Pain
Manoj Bajpayee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Jaideep Jaide ep Ahlawat Ahlawat and Rajkumar Yadav
PRODUCERS
Sunil Bohra, Anurag Kashyap, Shonali Bose and Bedabrata Pain
MUSIC
Shankar Ehsaan and Loy
Manoj Bajpayee has the answers
Manoj walks a lonely road
Manoj guides Vega Tamotia
The Plot If you know your Indian history you’d know the Chittagong Uprising in 1930 was that violent revolt which almost knocked the British Raj o its perch. Of course it ended up being a tragedy but one that inspired subsequent tales of heroism. One such tale was told by Ashutosh Gowariker in Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se . Bedabrata Pain, an ex-NASA scientist, is giving the telling of this tale another shot. His lm Chittagong will be driven by the intensity of Manoj Bajpayee and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. The lm has already received its share of controversies and headlines. The only thing left to do is to sit back and soak in a rustic and honest retelling of an Indian Independence saga. Nawazuddin and Vega are on the right track
Nawazuddin Siddiqui guns for glory
Rajkumar Yadav is howling mad
First Look Sneak Preview
Ajab Gazabb Love RELEASE DATE
BANNER
DIRECTOR
STAR CAST
October 24, 2012
Pooja Entertainment And Films Ltd.
Sanjay Gadhvi
Jackky Bhagna Jackky Bhagnani, ni, Nidhi Subbaiah, Arjun Rampal, Arshad Warsi, Kirron Kher and Darshan Jariwala
PRODUCER
Vashu Bhagnani
MUSIC
Sajid-Wajid Jackky ky Bhag Bhagnani nani,, Nidhi Nidhi Sub Subbaia baiah h Lovey dovey: Jack
All smiles: Arjun Rampal and Darshan Jariwala
Funny man: Arshad Warsi
The Plot Heir to a billion-dollar automobile empire, Rajveer Grewal (Jackky Bhagnani) has it all. He falls head-over-heels in love with Madhuri (Nidhi Subbaiah), who is a strong advocate of social justice and equality. To his dismay, Rajveer learns that she hates all rich people. So Rajveer decides to pretend to be poor in order to win her love. As Rajveer and his ultrarich family attempt to play the parts of poor slum dwellers, they turn into a dysfunctional bunch of over-the-top actors. The comedy of errors that follows forms the crux of the story.
Why so serious?: Kirron Kher with Darshan, Arjun and Nidhi
Jackky ky and and Nid Nidhi hi Having fun: Jack
Monkey business: Darshan
Sets Appeal
Desi tadka Rani Mukerji is a livewire on any lm set. Raghuvendra Singh records the magical moments with unit of Aiyy Aiyyaa aa in Lonavala
Film: Aiyyaa Director: Sachin Kundalkar Producers: Anurag Kashyap, Guneet Monga and Viacom 18
Motion Pictures Cast:: Rani Mukerji, Prithviraj Cast Music Director: Amit Trivedi Lyricist: Amitabh Bhattacharya
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assing through a busy residential area of Lonavala market, I spot a colorful pandal decorated with marigold flowers. The gate is festooned with banana leaves. Like everyone else walking down the road, I too gave it just just a cursory cursory glance, taking it to be just another wedding venue. Just then Ranjeet, the assistant director of Aiyyaa, guides me on the phone and made me return to the pandal, do I realise that it was created for an important scene with Rani Mukerji. Aiyya is the love story of a naughty and playful Maharashtrian girl Meenakshi Deshpande (Rani Mukerji) who falls in love with a poised and serious South Indian boy Surya (Prithviraj). Needless to add, there’s a twist to the tale. As I enter the set, I spot Rani Mukerji keenly watching the production monitor. Clearly, she’s aced her scenes. We’re in Savitri Nivas, Meenakshi Despande’s home in the film. Talk about being in character.. I’ve rarely seen Rani look character l ook so pretty. Dressed in a golden silk saree, with bright green bangles on her arms and Kolhapuri chappals, she’s the typical Maharashtrian mulgi. Rani touches up her makeup as the song Wakda plays in the background. It’s It’s hard to differentiate real from reel, the scene looks like it belongs in a film. Wakda created by the famed duo of music director Amit Trivedi and lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya is pitch perfect. Matching their eye for detail is choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant, who guides the actress through text book dancing steps. Rani is ecstatic about the chance to play this interesting character. She smiles, “While working on this film, I’ve learnt new things about Maharashtrian culture, food 1. Finishing touches: Rani and lifestyle. It’s Mukerji a totally new experience for me.” 2. The pandal for the ring ceremony I’m impressed with the interiors of 3. Rani checks the monitor with Savitri Nivas, which Prithviraj and are spitting images Vaibhavi Merchant of the home of a 4. Director Sachin middle-class family famil y. Kundalkar okays Just as I’m abo about ut to the take sing praises of the
Aiyyaa Trivia Rani Mukerji narrowly escaped a fire accident on the set. She was wearing a silk saree and right under her chair was a live mosquito coil. Her saree caught fire, but the technicians on the set soon had it in control. l One of the scenes required additional South Indian junior artistes and on Rani’s suggestion her PA Amosh and her bodyguard were cast in the scene. Rani supervised their make-up too. l Aiyyaa Aiyyaa is is a Marathi word. When something unexpected happens, Marathi girls often utter it as an exclamation of surprise. Aiyyaa has has a lot of Marathi and l Aiyyaa Tamil dialogue. During such scenes the movie may feature Hindi subtitles on the screen l
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5. The director discusses a shot with his assistant Chinmay
PHOTOGRAPHS: RAGHUVENDRA SINGH
art director, Sachin, the director of Aiyyaa reveals, “This house belongs to our friend Paresh Mokashi, who made the acclaimed Marathi film .” Harishchandrachi Factory .” The next shot is being canned in the pooja ghar ghar.. A tall and handsome young man enters the set. He look attractive in a dhoti kurta and pagdi (turban). This is the first time I’m meeting Prithviraj, the star of Malayalam films. Aiyyaa is his debut Hindi film. Prithvi is excited about his first steps in Hindi cinema, “I am playing a South Indian boy so the role isn’t too difficult for me. I am a bit awkward with the Hindi
6. Prithviraj, Rani, Sachin and Vaibhavi ready to pack up
When the generator breaks down, Rani proposes a game of antakshari. With every song she jumps to her feet and dances uninhibitedly language though, but the experience of working in this film is very important for my career.” Director Sachin calls for a dinner break at midnight. And unlike most stars of her stature, Rani chooses to have her dinner with the director and crew instead of retiring to the privacy of her vanity van. Next on the schedule is the
scene of the sagai (engagement). Right when the shoot is about to kick off again, the t he generator breaks down. The technicians inform us that it will take an hour to get it up and running. Despite the delay, the spirits on the sets remain high thanks to Rani Mukerji’ Mukerji’ss improvisation. She proposes a game of antakshari. Sachin, Vaibhavi, Prithviraj, the supporting artistes and the assistant directors all form a circle around Rani. Vaibhavi breaks into Aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai from Guide and one supporting actor hums Madhuri Dixit’s Mai ni mai munder pe teri from Hum Aapke Hain Koun...! With every song Rani jumps to her feet and dances uninhibitedly. It’s Rani who works the timer when someone can’t recall a song. And just like that an hour breezes by. Though the generator is soon back online, the cast and crew seems more interested in their antakshari. Every actor, including Rani and Prithviraj give their shots and then rush back to sing songs. Before we know it, morning dawns on the horizon and Sachin calls for pack up. The junior artistes surround Rani to click pics with her as I bid adieu with memories of a good old fashioned Indian night out with old Hindi songs and impromptu dancing. n
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First Look: Hottie Nam: Bhvn Ruprel Ag: 24 Plac o bh: Mumbi
Vil ss: 35-28-36 Qulifion: Bachlo n Mass Mda Previous projes: Jogger’s Park, Na Tum Jaano Na Hum Fuure projes: tlugu flm Sukumardu and Chal Pichchur Banate Hai Drem role: Mansha Koala’s n Khamoshi Oher ineress: Cookng and kkng Fvourie flm: Rang De Basanti Fvourie direor: Zoya Akha Fvourie or: ranb Kapoo Fvourie ress: My ss Pooja rupal (Chuk, Kajol's ss n Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
SiSter
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Name: Rishi Age: 29 Place o Birth:
Bhutani Meerut
Vital stats: 41-31-35 Qualifcation: BCA, MSc Computer Science Previous projects: Bolo Ram with Ram with Naseeruddin Shah, Tamil flm Madisar Mami Madana Mama Future projects: Shyam Benegal’s Haryana Brigade Dream role: Shah Rukh Khan’s in Darr Other interests: Martial Arts Favourite flm: Karan Arjun Favourite director: Yash Chopra Favourite actor: Govinda Favourite actress: Madhuri Dixit
SMALL
TOWN
BOY If you would like to be featured as a hottie, send us your bio and pictures
Send us your views, opinions and suggestions to: Email:
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A M I T A B H
B A C H C H A N
S P E C I A L
TO SIR
WITH LOVE Amitabh Bachchan. We adore the man. We love the phenomenon. Over the years, he’s become the symbol of longevity, of brand equity, of resilience. He has everything you can hope for and more. But more than his riches and fame, what draws us to him and what we want to emulate and imbibe is his humility, his ability to retain grace under pressure, his commitment towards his craft which hasn’t waned with the passage of years. He’s kind of become a family member. All those who follow him on Twitter feel as if they are interacting with some much travelled grand uncle; full of advice and wit. On the eve of his 70th birthday, we spoke to some people close to him – wife Jaya Bachchan, son Abhishek Bachchan and idol Dilip Kumar. Then, we also gathered a bouquet of 70 reasons why we are so much in love with our favourite superstar. We hope, dear reader, that you’ll gain as much pleasure reading it, as we did while putting it together…
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A M I T A B H B A C H C H A N S P E C I A L
OPPOSITES
ATTRA JAY YAB ABACHC ACHCHAN HAN SAME, SAME YET DIFFERENT IS HOW JA DESCRIBES HUSBAND AMITABH AND HERSELF. SHE TALKS TO MEERAJOSHI ABOUT THEIR FOUR DECADES OF TOGETHERNESS
I
t’s time for celebrations and jubilation in the Bachchan household. Amitabh Bachchan completes 70 on October 11 this year year.. And on June 3, 2013 Jaya Bachchan and he will celebrate their Ruby (40th) wedding anniversary. Though they’re a private family, family, news has leaked out that the family is planning a surprise for him. The petite Jaya Bhaduri and the tall, lanky Amitabh Bachchan made an unusual couple. While she appeared peppy and mischievous, he was the quiet, introspective and brooding sort. But both of them are a powerhouse of talent. We decide to get to know the man behind the actor through the lady who’s stood by him for 40 years. Initially she’s reluctant. “I’m not the interview giving kind. He’s the talker, I’m the doer,” she tells me. “Besides, we’re very boring people. We don’t have any adventures.” But a little persuasion helps and she concedes, “I wouldn’t do it for any newspaper but you can come and meet me.” Delighted, I make it to Janak, Janak , the Bachchan office, in time on the appointed day and she tells me:
HE HAS REDEFINED AGE When you heard someone is 70, you once thought, my God, that’s hell of a lot but when you see Amit, interact with him, you think, 70? No, no, can’t be.’’ He has red be. redefin efined ed age age.. How How time time has gone by. The first time I saw him was when he visited the Pune Film Institute with KA Abbas but I was introduced to him on the sets of Guddi. He was supposed to play the role eventually done by Samit Bhanja but Anand released and Hrishikesh Mukherjee didn’t want a known face to play the character of a man who wasn’t
impressed with cinema. I was impressed by him and somewhat in awe as he was Harivanshrai Bachchan’s son. I definitely felt he was different though people laughed at me when I said that. I voiced my feelings and said he’s going to make it big. Even though I was aware he wasn’t the usual stereotype hero. I fell in love with him very soon. I used to call him Lambuji till Shweta started calling him by that name too. I realised it was time to stop. After Shweta was born, we had a maid to help during the day but at night we’d do everything
DOESAMIT GIVE VENT TO PENT UP EMOTIONS? WELL,, I DON’T WELL DON’T KNOW WHETHER HE HAS BOXING MATCHES IN THE BATHROOM
CT
PHOTOGRAPH: RAKESH SHRESTHA
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Because i you took as many pills as he does, you’d get a pharmacist’s certifcate.
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BECAUSE WE ARE ALL IN AWE OF HIS GAADI , BANGLA AND BANK BALANCE.
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Because he was a model son to his illustrious parents, Dr Harivanshrai Bachchan and Teji Bachchan, a quality we would like to emulate and imbibe.
BECAUSE HE MAKES ABSURD LOOK SUBLIME. AND TAKES SUBLIME TO NEW HEIGHTS.
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23 26 Because he gets up at fve to do yoga. That’s when some o us go to sleep.
Because he told us that English is a unny language. As bhairon becomes bhairon becomes barron and barron becomes bhairon because their minds are very narrow.
Because you, your ather and probably your grandather know his amous dialogue by heart.
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Because Christmas comes early or any brand that he chooses to endorse. He’s the Santa clause o the ad world contracts alright. Because he’s a one-man industry, an institution and you don’t have to go whistling in the woods to learn rom him.
BECAUSE IF ONE COULD COMMERCIALISE WILL POWER, HE’D HAVE BEEN THE BIGGEST POWER COMPANY
BECAUSE HE MAKES YOU YEARN FOR HOLI EVERY TIME YOU HEAR RANG BARSE .
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Because thanks to him you can keep a goatee without looking like a minor character rom 3 Musketeers.
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BECAUSE DAHI HANDI CELEBRATIONS AREN’T COMPLETE WITHOUT MACH GAYA SHOR SAARI NAGRI RE... Because he’s made all o us revise our retirement plans.
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BECAUSE HE LOOKS AS GOOD IN A KNOTTED SHIRT AS IN AN ARMANI. Because every young director wants to cast him in the hope o being counted as a made man.
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Because he’s so punctual one can set the clock by him.
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BECAUSE HE MAKES YOU CRAVE FOR MONSOON EVERY TIME YOU HEAR AAJ RAPAT JAAYEN .
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Because we loved him as Supremo. He’s the only B-town actor to have a comic book hero based on him.
BECAUSE HE’S KNOWN TO GIVE 110 PER CENT ONCE HE COMMITS TO A PROJECT. ASK RAM GOPAL GO PAL VARMA. VARMA. GO SEE HIS AAG .
Because he’s made it okay to fght with God and even give us a kick-ass retort – Aaj khush to bahut hoge tum tu m .
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BECAUSE IF GOD WANTED TO MAKE HIM ANY HOTTER, HE WOULD HAVE SET HIM ON FIRE.
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B ’ Saat Hindustani.
B b .
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BecAuse every time someone tells you to sign something, you cAn AlwAys procrAstinAte By sAying Jao pehle uss aadmi ka sign leke aao... (fill in your reAsons)...
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Because unlike many other actors, he’s Been married to the same woman for 40 years now.
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Ba a a a a Aab Baa.
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Because he never stopped making headlines even when he was off the press.
B b ’ ’ .
BecAuse we imAgine god’s voice to Be something similAr to his BAritone.
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B mard ko dard nahin hota.
h .
B b b b .
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53 Because o his gentlemanly sense o humour humour.. He knows how to pull someone’s leg and not cross the line.
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BECAUSE HE KNOWS HOW TO LAUGH AT HIMSELF.
Because he overtook the phenomenon called Rajesh Khanna and made the superstar tag his own.
Because i you want to conuse someone, just say – the whole country o the system is juxtaposition by the haemoglobin in the atmosphere – over and over again.
61 Because the DVDs o even his op flms have become a collector’s item.
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BECAUSE YOU WANTED HIM TO BEAT THE BEEFIER, HEAVIER BAD GUYS AND CLEAN UP THE SYSTEM. HE PUNCHED AWAY YOUR BLUES.
BECAUSE HE INSISTS RAJESH KHANNA WAS THE ONLY TRUE SUPERSTAR.
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Because he has taught us that its possible to apply band aid to the mirror and get better.
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Because he gives supermodels a complex when he walks the ramp.
Because he has made acting seem like Zen meditation. Click on the DVD, take several deep breaths... you’re calm already, aren’t you?
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BECAUSE YOU CAN LEARN HINDI PRONUNCIATION BY LISTENING TO HIS DIALOGUE.
Because he made us conscious o mother love time and again and reminded us that God can’t be everywhere so he made mothers.
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Because he goes out o his way to extend a hand to the needy but doesn’t tom-tom about his charitable acts to the press.
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65 Because o his intense brooding eyes. Women fnd them a great turn on and men have been going squint-eyed or decades trying to copy the eect.
70 BECAUSE
LOVE
DOESN’T
NEED REASONS!
BECAUSE HIS SLO-MO RUN IS SEXIER THAN PAMELA ANDERSON’S AND USAIN BOLT’S COMBINED.
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Because mere paas aao mere doston is a cool, scary lullaby. Try playing it in dim light and see the results.
BECAUSE HIS AFFECTION
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FOR FAMIL FAMILY Y AND FRIENDS KNOWS NO BOUNDS. HE LIVES AND BREATHES BREA THES FOR HIS FAMILY.
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PHOTOGRAPH: DABBOO RATNANI MAKE-UP: DIVYA CHABLANI HAIR: MADHURI NAKHLE STYLIST: SHYAMLI ARORA
So S oul soul Bipasha Basu loves treading the dark side. Raedita Tandan delves into the x-fles
B
ipasha Basu’s laugh is the laugh of a woman who truly enjoys life. She lives it large regardless of the paparazzi, the cell-phone snappers and the newsstands filled with tabloids that have, of late, only been interested in her various link-ups. “It’s because I am the minister of light, I spread happiness all the time. I don’t let all this aect me for long,” she grins. As far as her screen performances are concerned, she is slowly turning into the mistress of the dark. After an edgy and successful Raaz 3, Bips is all set to star in another horror film, Aatma Aat ma – Feel Feel It Aro Around und You. She’s confident about her choices and admits they’ve helped her do some much-needed soul-searching. Excerpts from a free-wheeling chat… First Raaz 3 and now Aa Aatm tma… a… Two horror films in quick succession. You Y ou’v ’ve e don done e a few su supe perna rnatu tural ral films in the past too. What about this genre fascinates you so much? See, I don’t really categorise films according to their genres. I think every film tells a story. Aatma… is very different from Raaz 3. While Raaz 3 was dark, Aatma… is all about real emotions. In fact, it’s a
completely dynamic film. It’s just a coincidence that I’m doing two horror films back-to-back. According to me, the story is king. And the scope to perform in this film is great.
Director Suparn Verma recently stated that you accepted Aa Aatm tma… a… after just one narration. True? I loved the film the moment I heard it. I have something interesting to do
in this film. I didn’t even think I was capable of the kind of emotions I am portraying in this film.
It can’t be easy doing such heavyduty movies one after the other? You know, I kind of zone out and listen to music on the sets. It’s my way to disconnect from all the intense happenings around so that I can rejuvenate my mind. After performing an emotional scene, I put my headphones on and shut everything else out. You are required to do that with films like Raaz 3 and Aatma… But I agree, it can get real and painful sometimes.
Are you hinting at your breakdown on the sets of Aatma Aatma… … that happened a while ago? (Cuts in) It happened while I was shooting for Raaz 3 too. I broke down on the sets of Raaz 3 because
the scene was so dark that I couldn’t
Everyone is a little anal and crazy on the sets of Aatma... because Ev they all want to do their best. So the environment is charged
You can be lonely even after marriage Ekta Kapoor rakes in crores even as she kicks up controversies. Suman Sharma decodes the industry’s hotshot producer
T
he spunky Ekta Kapoor followed up her small screen success wth big screen blockbusters like The Dirty Picture and more recently Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum (KSKHH). Though she wasn’t spared her run-ins with the Censor Board and morality moguls even here. “I don’t know why this happens with me. When I was doing television, people objected to my serials. If the same things were shown in another serial, they were taken as a social message,” she shrugs. “People like to pull down what is popular. And it’s the popular that becomes controversial.” Her recent release KSKHH won frowns for its double entendre dialogue, yet the film succeeded at the box-office. “The film had the flavour of an adult comedy. We do enjoy naughty jokes in our day to day lives. So what’s wrong in it? I also know that adult content comes into the zone of a sex film. People liked Delhi Belly a lot. That was an adult comedy too. Why so much hullabaloo about my film? You need
guts to make a film like this,” she defends. Also, the dog in KSKHH, was earlier named Fakhruddin (it happens to be the name of India’s fifth President — Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed), which had certain sections objecting to this ‘dishonour ‘ dishonour.’ .’ In fact, the dog was rechristened Shatru at the Censor Board’ Board’ss behest. “I had not named the dog to belittle any particular person. If someone calls his dog Ekta, will I go to his house and protest? I am now used to controversies. It’s fine as long as it’s fun. But if you are personally attacked then it’s not good. But I must add that my director Sachin Yardi Ya rdi was also whimsical. He did his own thing.” Very often, Ekta has creative differences with her directors – all for the betterment of her product. “I do my work honestly. honestly. I want my product to be up to the mark. If someone spends Rs 200 to watch my film or gives me even half an hour for my TV show, then it is my responsibility to ensure that his money and time are not wasted. We haven’t survived because we
Riteish Deshmukh in KSKHH
I had not named the dog in KSKHH to belittle any particular person. If someone someone calls his dog Ekta, will I go to his house and protest?
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I AM WHAT
I AM HE MAY MAY BE TO FORTUNE BORN BUT JACK JA CKKY KY BH BHAG AGNAN NANII INSISTS HE’S AN UNDERDOG. RAHUL GANGW GANGWANI ANI ADMIRES HIS RESILIENCE
H
e was born with a diamond spoon. Glitzy cars and luxurious homes are incidental to his lifestyle. But when you meet Jackky Bhagnani, he’s minus any trappings of being a well-heeled producer’ producer ’s son. He’s as identiable as the guy-next-door guy-next-door who just chose to dream big. And he’s not had it easy despite a favoured life. That he had enough re was proved when he shed shed 60 kilos to get a ripped body for his debut. Not to be bogged down by his shaky start in Kal Kissne Dekha (2009), Jackky proved he was no ash in the pan with F.A.L.T.U last year. year. Right now, all his energies are concentrated on his next big ticket release, Aj Ajab ab Ga Gaza zabb bb Lo Love ve. Excerpts from a chat...
Just a few days away from the film’s release. Butterflies in the stomach? There’s so much happening, I don’t have the time to be nervous. Thankfully, the theatrical promo has received a good response. The youth has taken to it. The feedback has been positive and encouraging. Everyone is enjoying the Boom boom song. It feels good when your hard work is appreciated. The most lukewarm response to the promo has been ‘it ‘it looks nice’. Otherwis Otherwisee the PHOTOGRAPH: ROHAN SHRESTHA
reactions range from ‘excellent’ to ‘very good’.
How did Ajab Gazabb Love come Love come about? The film is a remake of the Telugu superhit Seema Tapakai . My dad (producer Vashu Bhagnani) liked the concept. He believes in South remakes. In fact, he’s made about 26 films out of which 12-13 have been remade remade from South South films. films. The crux of South films is strong
A still from
Ajab Gazabb Love
YOU SHOULD ASK SANJAY GADHVI WHY HE AGREED TO WORK WITH ME. ALL HIS OTHER FILMS HAD SUPERSTARS
AMITABH BACHCHAN DEFINES WHAT BEING A DIRECTOR’S ACTOR MEANS. EVERY ACTOR SHOULD LEARN FROM HIM
On your knees: Jackky with Nidhi
emotions. Even in Ajab Gazabb Love the emotional quotient is strong. He shared the idea with me and we got Sanjay Gadhvi on board as director. After that it was his baby. I was just the actor. Even though we’ve bought the rights officially, I won’t call it a remake. It’s just an inspired film, a romantic comedy. That is romance and comedy is present in equal measure. Full paisa vasool vasool..
All the recent South remakes have been hits. Are you banking on this trend? I wish our film adds to that list. We’ve worked hard and we want the film to work. Your last film F.A.L.T.U F.A.L.T.U was was a hit. Does that add to the pressure? It’s positive pressure. If people have expectations from me, it means I’m doing something right. Let’s face the truth. Prior to F.A.L.T.U. , no one expected anything from me because my first film Kal Kissne Dekha didn’t work. So it’s far better that the audience expects me to deliver rather than regard me as good for nothing. I prefer to look at everything in a positive light. Sanjay Gadhvi’s last film (Kidnap) was a flop. Why was he chosen to helm the film? Sanjay has done four films – Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai, Dhoom, Dhoom 2 and Kidnap. Three of his films have been hits. So that makes him a director with an 75 per cent track record. In fact, you should ask him why he agreed to work with me
RAPID FIRE YOUR WILDEST FANT FANTASY? ASY? Let’s not go there. It’s too wild.
DOES UNCONDITIONAL LOVE EXIST?
Absolutely. I believe in unconditional Absolutely. love.
YOUR TAKE ON METROSEXUALITY?
Everyone has the right to be what they want. No judging anyone. APPLE OR BLACKBERRY? Technology or ruits? Defnitely technology. PREMARITAL SEX... Nowadays, the marriageable age has gone up. People get married only by 28-30 and you can’t expect them to rerain rom sex or such a long time. But again, to each his own. BOXERS Boxers.
OR BRIEFS?
CHILLING ON THE BEACH OR TREKKING IN THE MOUNTAINS?
Lolling endlessly on the beach. beach . AN IDEAL DATE... A candle-light dinner on a yacht surrounded by the ocean
WHICH HINDI REMAKE WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE A PART OF?
It’s my story, the story o an underdog. Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar.
because I’m still because still a junior junior.. All his other films had superstars.
How was it working with Sanjay? I had heard a lot about Sanjay and I’m sure he must also have heard things about me. But when I met him for the first time, he came across as a completely different person. We got along instantly. instantly. I had a blast working with him. He knows how to take care of the unit. I had only worked with first time directors before. But after working with an experienced director, I realised how much their craft and experience add to the film. He makes actors comfortable in front of the camera and that’s why they perform so well in his films. Are you a director’s actor? I have always wanted to be one. I guess I am. But if there is one man who really defines what being a director’s actor means, it’s Amitabh Bachchan. Till today, even if he’s working with young directors, he listens to them. It’s a fantastic quality. And every actor should learn from him. Also, in a dance sequence, the choreographer is the director. In a photo shoot, the photographer is the director. You have to surrender yourself to them and learn from them. They are hired because they have knowledge. When I sign a film, I’m a puppet on the set. To be successful you have to be a director’s actor. Many believe that you are here only because of your father. Care to comment. When you see a glass building from
Ladies’ man: Jackky
I’M FORTUNATE MY SURNAME IS BHAGNANI. IF PEOPLE HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT THEY CAN COMPLAIN TO GOD the outside, it looks all fancy. But do you know how much effort goes into maintaining it? People only see the beauty of the building and don’t bother to know know about the hard hard work work behind it. But I don’t don’t blame blame them. them. People don’t know how hard I have worked. They don’t know I lost 60 kilos to have a body like this. And that I have to prove myself constantly. On the other hand,
FIVE ACTRESSES YOU’D LIKE TO BE PAIRED WITH: KATRINA KAIF She’s gorgeous! KAREENA KAPOOR She’s super talented. DEEPIKA PADUKONE Love the way she carries herself. PARINEETI CHOPRA She’s spunky and acts well. KAJOL I wish I could go back in the ’90s and be paired opposite her. She’s a goddess when it comes to acting.
a non-industry guy comes from nowhere, does little work and people appreciate him. But I’m completely okay with it. Every coin has two sides. It doesn’t affect me at all.
Do you think it’s a curse to be an industry kid? I don’t take it as a curse. I am what I am and what I wanted to be. I’m fortunate my surname is Bhagnani. If people have a problem with that they can complain to God. My philosophy in life has always been to turn the negative into positive. I’m trying hard to change the opinion of cynics. I’m sure it will change one day. Judging by the promos, you have built a hot body… Oh yes! My body in F.A.L.T.U. was also decent. People complimented me. But with this film, you can easily say I have one of the best bodies in the busines business. s. It was a brief given given to me by Sanjay Sanjay and my choreographer Bosco. They wanted me to go shirtless in the Boom boom song. It was a difficult process though. Workouts, no salt and no carbs was my keyword for months. I became disciplined during that period. The hard work has worked in my favour. n
Bangalore, I started modelling. I also did a couple of advertisements and then came the downpour of movie offers from the South Indian film industry. I got offers from the Mumbai, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu industries. And since I just wanted to break free from my engineering course, I grabbed the opportunity. It’s been three years since I began working in South cinema. I have seven films to my credit today. My first two films were average hits but my fourth film (Pancharangi ) was a super hit. From then t hen onwards, things started getting brighter brighter.. Whilst working on my seventh film, I signed OH MY GOD! It’s a movie that’s against idol worship. I believe in that too. I signed it because I wanted to test the waters in the Hindi film industry. And after that immediately Ajab Gazabb Love happened. l
Stepping into B-TOWN was more a transition than a struggle. It was a natural process. I’ve even moved base to Mumbai permanently permanently.. l
It was so much fun doing AJAB GAZABB LOVE . I remember we had to go to Italy to shoot three songs. I especially loved shooting for Boom boom because I had nothing much to do in it. But outdoor locations are ice breakers between the film’s crew. Everyone bond's big time. I even sneaked some time out to shop at the flea markets. And I sailed in Italy as well! Now you can imagine how big a deal that was for me! l
I’m a BAD PLANNER. I can’t plan my future career moves. I don’t even know what I’m doing in the next two-three months. I know it sounds clichéd but I never planned to get into movies either. l
I haven’t been to ACTING SCHOOL. I’ve learnt everything on the set; in fact even now it’s a learning process. In my first few films I didn’t even know how to face the camera. Those experiences honed me and my art and made me what I am today. l
I don’t see the South as a STEPPING STONE to the Hindi film industry. I’d still like to have a healthy balance between the two industries. When I was working in the South, I never thought I’d be doing a Bollywood movie. So yes, signing my first Hindi film is something eventful. Bollywood has worldwide recognition. l
Neither does SUCCESS give me a high nor failure a low. I don’t let it affect me, these things never last forever.. People praise me, I say forever thank you and move on. I’m critical of my own work. l
The world loves a winner.. So i you’re a winner winner,, it celebrates winner yoou. And then there’s y a fip side when you a alter
I don’t think I take things too seriously, maybe that helps me. I don’t even take myself seriously. That’s the best way to deal with COMPETITION. It’s work at the end of the day and that’s why I’m not vulnerable. l
I can never be POLITICALLY CORRECT. I didn’t have anyone to guide me. I say all the wrong things to the wrong people at the wrong time. (Laughs) l
Frankly, there’s there’s so much more to life than acting. I grew up in Coorg with a lot of books around me. My parents have imbibed reading as a definitive hobby hobby.. Maybe that’s what ticked the writer in me. I’m a BLOGGER and have also written short stories. Eventually, I want to write a book and maybe even a script. (Laughs) But I also want to sail around the world. Besides, my dad has wanted me to be a singer since I was two. I sing too. I also sang at the audio release of Ajab Gazabb Love. But I’d love to be like the legendary Suraiya, who acted and also sang in her movies. l
The world loves a WINNER. So if you’re a winner, it celebrates you. And then there’s a flipside when you falter. That used to hurt me at times but now I’ve learnt to take it in my stride. l
I don’t want my friends and family to treat me like an ACTRESS. Once when I got back home my dad asked me to wash the car. I shouted, “How dare you! I’m an actress now!” All he said was, “Oh okay, go wash the car now and take the dog out for a walk too.” But this is exactly how I’d like it to be. l
I’m crazy about KAJOL. I used to watch all her films first day, first show back then. Usually, teenagers my age had pictures of heroes on their bedside and framed on the walls but I had Kajol’s posters in my room. So doing a film with her would be like a dream come true!
l
Also, there are so many goodlooking and talented girls out there, I better BUCK UP! n l
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Being Raedita Tandan pubs into the art and craft of the thespian Kamal Haasan
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elow the city looks as gorgeous as a newlywed bride. Bejewelled with wit h street lights, smooth roads, structured traffic, architecturally delightful buildings, a lush grand prix circuit and clean environs. Up above on the 25th floor of a five star hotel, I can only stare at the sheer beauty of Singapore. Just then, t hen, a strong fragrance envelopes me like a blanket. This is what I would call sensory overload. The perfume enters the room long before he does. Strong and expensive. Like the man himself. I turn around and there he stands. The man, the legend. Kamal Haasan. He apologises for being 10 minutes late. The thought bubble in my head reads that I would have gladly waited forever. Okay, Okay, I’m turning into splinters just standing before him. God save me. Imagine, he did his first movie long before I came into this world. Dressed in a beige suit, he looks every bit the star that he is. At
I used to be a reluctant actor.. I never thought I was actor meant to be in ront o the camera… In act, I was always waiting or the opportunity to start calling the shots. Getting behind the camera has been a very satisying experience PHOTOGRAPHS: KARTHIK SRINIVASAN
Kamal 58, he’s remarkably energetic and sharp. Not to mention extremely charming. He has the effortless ability to put you at ease. Within minutes of meeting him, we’re talking like buddies. There’s ample supply of commercial allure there. Now you know why he has been worshipped by the masses for decades. Anyway, the reason he’s here, glad-handing strangers and chatting up journos like me is to promote his new film Vishwaroop. First up, he tells me that he isn’t media savvy. Really now. Seeing the incredulous look on my face, he explains, “When I work, I can’t do anything else. It’s not just about the media; it’s the same for my close
No one has ever made a flm like Vishwaroop in India. It’s the costliest movie o my career. And I have made some costly flms
Kamal Haasan with the cast of Vishwaroop - Pooja Kumar, Andrea Jeremiah and Jaideep Ahlawat PHOTOGRAPH: YOGEN SHAH
relatives too. Sometimes, when I’m busy with a project, I don’t speak to them for six to seven months. When I am working, it generally consumes me.” Hmmm. An insight into how a genius mind works. Complete focus, shut out the distractions. That has been his mantra for years now. As an actor and as a director. Vishwaroop (titled Vishwaroopam in Tamil) is ready for release and you can see a sense of satisfaction on the actor-turned-director’s face. The last few months haven’t been easy.. Consequently, he majored easy m ajored on work and minored on fun. But he has enjoyed every bit of it. He smiles, “No one has ever made a film like this in India. It’s a oneof-a-kind film. It’s the costliest movie of my career. That’s all I will say. And I have made some costly films,” he says of the action-thriller. Ask him whether he prefers to act or direct and he surprises you with his reply, “I used to be a reluctant actor. I never thought I was meant to be in front of the camera.” What? Is he serious? Is he talking about the same Kamal Haasan generations have grown up worshipping? Seems like he is. He explains, “I would worry a lot about my acting. In fact, I was always waiting for the opportunity to start calling the shots. Getting behind the camera has been a satisfying experience.” Having said that he quickly adds that he cherishes his acting career despite the doubts that have plagued him about his acting abilities. He believes it’s the star
No one makes a flm or themselves. I am quoting another flm director here, who got angry when someone asked him about the message his movie contains. He said, ‘What message? I am not a postman that you will fnd your message in my flm happy working with the people I am.” He continues in the same breath. “Very “V ery few actors know how to choose films. Even I haven’t done many films because I didn’t know they were good films. That’s why there should be a script and everyone should read scripts.” There, read between the lines. Go figure. As we chat about the movies, the director is all pumped up. He elaborates on the various theories of filmmaking, discusses the art of movie making and finally pronounces that the audience is the ultimate king. If they like your work, you’re on top. Otherwise, it doesn’t matter where you are. He also says that he gets offended when people ask him about the message in his movies. “No one makes a film for themselves. I am quoting another film director here, who got angry when someone asked him this question. He said, ‘What message? I am not a postman that you will find your message in my film.’ Through each of my films, I only try and vocalise my love for the audience.” He continues, “What everyone forgets to realise is that we are the audience. So when some of my filmmaker friends PHOTOGRAPH: YOGEN SHAH
BARRIE M OSBORNE ON KAMAL HAASAN The successful Hollywood producer talks about his equation with the actor and gives us a few inside details on their Hollywood project together... “I have known Kamal or a while now. Recently, he came to Hollywood to do some work on his flm Vishwaroop. I saw it and was impressed with what he has accomplished. I have seen the flm and what I like are the twists in the plot. They are absolutely unpredictable. You may start watching the flm with a ew preconceived notions but you will be surprised. It’s such an honour to know him. His knowledge o history, literature and flms is encyclopaedic. He has an impressive background. Kamal presented me with a movie idea that was so compelling that I couldn’t resist it. It’s about the great tradition and history o India. And we are planning to tell it in Hollywood style. It’s an international movie involving the world. The story will have a universal appeal and it will be made in English. We haven’t decided when we will start it because we want some time to develop the story. So we’ll take it rom there.”
or money lenders say that they know what the audience will like or won’t like, they are bluffing. No one knows. Not even me. So I take the best possible sampling from the audience, which is me and stay true to myself.”
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e change the topic after this and train the arc-lights on his daughter Shruti Haasan. Shruti has been making waves at the box-office. Her Telugu film, Gabbar Singh, has broken all records. She was also critically acclaimed in the movie 3. Naturally, the proud father is all smiles at the mention of her name. And he states that he’d love to work with his daughter sometime in the future. “Shruti is a star on her own. And Rajkamal Films (his production company) will be happy to approach her. It shouldn’t even be that difficult.” difficul t.” He chortles, “Like I said, it’s good to have a star under your banner.” He moves on to talk about his latest venture with Hollywood bigwig Barrie M Osborne. Barrie, who has produced movies like The Lord Of The Rings and The Matrix , will collaborate with Kamal Haasan for a movie. Kamal is obviously thrilled. “The lineage that Barrie comes from is close to my heart. All the heroes I have looked up to, Barrie has worked with. Apart from being a champion, he has worked with directors like Francis Ford Coppola (director of The ). And we keep referring Godfather ). to Coppola every once in a while when it comes to making films,” he says, proudly. In addition to acting in this international project, Kamal will also be writing it. “And I will also direct it if I need to,” he cuts in, adding, “I am glad that my entry into Hollywood is through this film. I am sure the subject we have chosen will create an impact.” Well, if his relentless determination is anything to go by, we’re sure it will! n
With Hollywood producer Barrie M Osborne
and still keeps track of my career. We have been friends for decades now. Lata ji calls me every time she hears I'm in town and invites me over for lunch or dinner. Asha ji too has become a close friend after our association with Sur Kshetra. I know despite my saying all this tongues will still wag but I can’t put a stop to all rumours.” Runa was quite beautiful and there wasn’t a lack of Indian suitors for sure. She could easily have married and settled in Mumbai and blossom blos somed ed out out her her budd budding ing car career eer.. But sadly for us, she didn’t take up any offer. “I just didn’t, let’s leave it at that. And I don’t regret my decision.” She got many offers to act as well, both in Indian Indian and Paki Pakistan stanii films films but she didn didn't 't go aga against inst her par parents ents’’ wishes. “Don't stretch it, young lady” – that was my parents’ reaction when they first heard of those offers.” Runa mentions that she did feature in a Bangladeshi film called Shilpi .
With Lata Mangeshkar
With Rakesh and Rajesh Roshan
It was like a dream It come true when Lata didi blessed me at my frrst recording and f oered me a bouquet. I couldn’t have asked oor a better beginning
“It was about my life and times, a fictionalised account of sorts. I played myself in the film.” There has been hue and cry of late by certain sections against artistes from across the borders. Runa maintains one shouldn’t give in to such politics of hate. “I’ve been bee n coming coming her heree since since 1974 1974.. I was was invited here by ICCR to perform in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata and have always been welcomed with open arms. I’ve nothing but love for the people of India. I never felt I’ve come to a different country. She mentions she met Lata during her first tour too. “It was my lifelong ambition to meet Lata didi and I was surprised to see her backstage at one of my rehearsals. She hugged me and sat through the programme as well. Having her in the audience was quite encouraging.”
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part from KalyanjiAnandji and Jaidev Jaidev,, the other composer who favoured her was OP Nayyar, with whom she recorded some private albums. “Nayyar saab was a taskmaster. He really made you work but the effort always stood out. He was so pleased with the results that he started calling me princess. I sang all sorts of compositions – from qawwalis to bhajans for him. He really brought out my versatility versatility.” .” She shares a close association with Bappi Lahiri too, who had, in fact, recorded a pop album in her voice called Superuna in London. “We recorded at the Abbey Road Studios, made famous by The Beatles and I think we were the first people from the subcontinent to have done so. It was a spectacular experience. The songs are still popular and I perform them at my shows even now.” The songs were indeed so popular that Bappida used the hit single, De de pyar de in the film Sharaabi (1984). She shows no rancour about it now. “It did pinch me then, as Prakash Mehra (director of Sharaabi ) said he would like to retain my voice. I don’t know what happened and why Bappida didn’t call me. It’s still not clear. I’m happy that Asha ji did such a fabulous job. That made up for all the heartache.” I probe her whether this happened
often, that songs promised to her or sung by her were later recorded with other singers. “Not to my knowledge, knowledg e, I think it was a one-off incident,” she comments.
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he was talking about the travails of live recording earlier and hence it is a surprise to learn that she holds the world record for doing the maximum number of recordings in a day. “Concorde Records wanted me to rerecord the album Ghazal Aur Geet , which was originally recorded in Karachi. We recorded 30 songs in three days at Western Outdoors. I remember Daman Sood was the recordist. These weren’t live recordings in the true sense. We could take breaks but yes, it was with live musicians. The music wasn’t punched later on, as it is nowadays.” Runa has also sung versions of Mehdi Hassan’s ghazals, which became bec ame quit quitee famous famous.. She She attribu attributes tes this to chance as well. “I learnt music from Pandit Ghulam Qadir, who was Mehdi saab’s elder brother. He gave music to some of his best ghazals and taught me most of them. Hence, the finesse that you see in my rendering
of Ranjish hi sahi is of Ranjish sahi is because of his blessings bles sings.” .” The singer is saddened by the loss of stalwarts like Mehdi Hassan and Jagjit Jagj it Singh Singh.. “I’ve “I’ve sung sung many due duets ts with Mehdi saab saab.. His last days were quite tragic. He used to have memory lapses but to my good fortune he recognised me when he met for the last time. “Runa,” he said, “T “Tum Runa ho na. na. Thodi moti ho gayi ho. ho. (You are Runa, right? You have put on some weight). It thrilled me that he still remembered me as a lissome girl! Likewise, Jagjit bhai was so full of bhai was life. He chose philosophical ghazals but he was was quite quite a jovial jovial pers person on at at heart. He regaled you with one joke after another. He was a foodie and dinner table conversations continued late into the night as he never tired of food and anecdotes.” She lost her mother Amina Laila some time ago and has yet to come to terms with her absence. “It happened when we were to start shooting for Sur Kshetra in Dubai earlier this year. Gajendra Singh got to know about it and told me I need not attend. Then Boney ji (Boney ji (Boney Kapoor, the producer of the show) called up to offer his condolences and said he’s cancelling the shoot and would only With singer Abeeda Parveen commence when I
Prakash Mehra Pr said he would like to retain my voice in the song De de pyar de. I don’t know what happened and why Bappida didn’t call me
was ready. Everyone was so nice and supportive. I was touched by it all.” Today, her personal life revolves around her husband Alamgir, a Bangladeshi actor and her daughter Taani (from an earlier marriage) and her grandchildren, Zain Islam (9) and Aaron Islam (5). She’s excited that Zain, who loves football, has been bee n chosen chosen for a foot football ball cam camp p by Arsenal. “He plays really well and if he continues to shine, he might play for them when he grows up,” she beams. She reveals that Taani too is a gifted singer but never took up singing professionally. “Both my grandchildren sing well. In fact, I was humming something and the younger one commented that I was out of tune. His mother shushed him but he was right. I didn’t know the song well and hence was singing off key. That he picked it up at such a young age was surprising.” She was born in East Pakistan, was educated in Pakistan, settled down in Bangladesh after the creation of the state in 1971, has worked in India and travels the world with her shows. Where does she really belong? “Artistes are like the wind,” she says. “We don’t have fixed abodes, fixed roots. It’s silly to put us within bounda bou ndarie ries. s. We We belo belong ng to who whoev ever er accepts us and our art. I don’t feel uprooted because I belong to world.” n
should claim credit cred it for any film’s success. Similarly Simila rly,, no successful film fil m should ignore an actor’s contribution in its success.”
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eportedly, co-star Paoli Dam and Nikhil couldn’t see eye-toeye during the making of Hate Story . “I am an actor. My job is to understand the character and emote according to the dir ector’s vision. If along the way I can for ge a friendship with like-minded technicians and co-artistes, I’d of course do it. But if t hat doesn't happen, it does not mean that I cannot see eye-to-eye with another co-actor. I’ll still perform to the best of my abil abilities ities and ensur en suree that th at the chemist ry looks believable.” believable.” Tell him that off beat cinema and small films fi lms are giving big hope to small-timers and he begs to dif fer. “That’s just a perspective. I do not differentiate between cinema. Cinema’s foremost objective is to entertain and if possible make a relevant point about society. For every Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi in the ’50s there was a Do Aankhen Barah Haath, for every Junglee in the ’60s, there was a Sujata, for every Zanjeer and Sholay in the ’70’s there was a Garam Hawa and Nishant , for every Coolie in the ’80’s ’80’s there was an a n entire wave of parallel cinema. So nothing has changed. cha nged. There will always be space for good cinema and an audience for it,” declares he. So many youngsters like Ranveer Singh, Ayushma Ayushmann nn Khurrana and Vidyut Jamwal have entered the i ndustry. But he denies feeling insecure. “It’s heartening to see young and talented actors who do not belong to famous families making it on the basis of merit. I have also struggled and am still struggling. So I laud it. Study the history of Indian ci nema and you’ll you’ll find in any generation there were perhaps 20 to 30 male actors. The number of films being produced has only increased. On an average PHOTOGRAPH: VIRAL BHAYANI
we churn out about 250 plus plus fil ms every year. Even if an actor does four films a year, we need about 60 male actors. So there’s no sense of insecurity.” He dismisses competition with equal ease. “I’m not being pompous. But I don’t see any actor as competition. I view some of them as idols, some of them as respected seniors, some as dear colleagues,
I an honest flmmaker wants to tell a story around sex... then please or God’s God’s sake do not tear the posters down or ban the flm
With wife Gaurie Pandit
some as friends and some who I believe should quit as soon as possible. I am perhaps too selfish, concentrating just on my work.” His confidence is often mistaken for arrogance. “Honestly, I don’t see myself as either headstrong or arrogant. But yes, I have a lot of pride. I’d like to believe it’s not misplaced. Many a time, holding your head high without a certain amount of success is perceived as arrogance. People say why is he so cocksure of himself ? What has he achieved? Maybe they are right. But unfort unately unately,, I did not grow up any other way. What I see as self-belief may come across as arrogance. arroga nce. I am ready to work upon it as long as I do not have to compromise on my self-respect.” His strength strengt h he says says lies in his stubbornness. “It’s tough for me to give up on a challenge. But I am impatient with people who may perhaps lack common sense. I am also impatient with dishonesty or indiscipline. And I show my displeasure easily. I have to learn to be more tactf ul.” Coming back to Tamanchey , he asserts it’s a special special film fi lm and credits it to t he producer of of the film, Sur yaveer Singh. Singh. “He has made it with a crew not exceeding 30 people. And not once was anything anythi ng lacking on the sets in terms of equipment and manpower. He has brought a certain science to production. In particular, his idea to hire a visual director or a co-director for the film will be borrowed by m any. any.”” A career on the rise and a sense of security back home,, Nikhil home Nikh il is a happy man. Recently married to model Gaurie Pandit, he says, “Marriage has brought in the much needed stability in my life. I can’t think of any drastic change otherwise. But yes, I am required to keep things thi ngs in order at home. My wife is strict about that. And yes, I cannot stay out late at night anymore. Earlier, I had no sense of time. Otherwise I am still the same person. And so is she. she. Thankf ully!” he smiles. n
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Future Stock Siddharth Menon in Peddlers
PEDDLER OF
DREAMS Vasan Bala has exposed the new, sexually uninhibited woman in Mumbai in his directorial debut Peddlers. Vivek Bhatia
understands understan ds why the lm has sent ripples across lm festivals
Vasan Bala
Anurag Kashyap rejected two o my scripts and the reasons he gave were vague. We had plenty o heated arguments and proper street fghts
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hirty-four-year-old Vasan Bala could be termed a late bloomer. But he’s undoubtedly ballsy. After switching two well-paying jobs, one in banking and the other in software communications, he suddenly gave up his cushy lifestyle to pursue a career in filmmaking. He was 28 then. And it’s no mean feat that his directorial debut Peddlers was selected for the 51st Cannes Critics Week - a parallel section at the Cannes Film Festival that discovered filmmakers like Bernardo Bertolucci and Wo Wong ng Kar Wai. The film, which features
Gulshan Devaiah, Kriti Malhotra, Siddharth Menon and Nimrat Kaur has also recently toured t oured the Toronto International Film Festival. Vasan says that the audience abroad is looking for original voices from India. “They don’t want to see rehashed European films. They were taken aback with the way Mumbai is showcased in Peddlers and surprised by the projection of women having drinks and indulging in one-night stands. They’re used to seeing only conservative films coming from India,” he says. After grabbing international eyeballs, Peddlers is all set to release in India.
The audience abroad was taken aback with the way Mumbai is showcased in P Peeddlers and surprised by the projection of women having drinks and indulging in one-night stands However, the debutant director is under no pressure as the money has been recovered. He’s also aware of the minimal reach his film would have here as it doesn’t cater to commercial tastes. “I’ve made an individualistic, stubborn film. I’m not bothered about how people are going to react to it,” says he. “I can’t put a gun to people’s head and say if you don’t like this you’ve got shit taste.” Peddlers is a story of three scarred people living in Mumbai and how their childhood experiences shape them into complex individuals. “The film showcases how under a calm demeanour, beneath a civil façade, everyone is a vulnerable ticking bomb,” bom b,” expl explains ains Vasan asan.. The The traile trailerr of his film raised a debate whether or not the movie had any similarities to Kiran Rao’s Dhobi Ghat. Vasan dismisses the rumours. “Mumbai is treated like a ghost town in my film. So you won’t see too many people on the streets. The cacophony and frenetic motion of the city is given a skip. So we’ve not shot at Mohammed Ali Road or other crowded places,” he states. “Dhobi Ghat showed us the city that we see today. Peddlers is going to break the aesthetics of how Mumbai is showcased in the movies.” Peddlers was shot in 31 days straight, mostly guerilla style sans any permissions and mostly at nights, he says.
Gulshan Devaiah in Peddlers
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ith absolutely zilch filmi film i contacts, this aspiring filmmaker began beg an his his strug struggle gle on a blank slate. “Other than watching movies I had no other film connection. I started cutting trailers to learn editing. I also started writing for film blogs and somewhere I realised that there’s a part of me that could make a film.” Shooting one-off corporate videos kept the stove burning at home, until he met Anurag Kashyap. He worked closely with the director on Gulaal and Dev.D (both in 2009). Anurag is known to support aspiring directors but Vasa asan n wasn’t wasn’t goin goingg to hav havee it easy. He had written two scripts, both of which were rejected by Anurag. “The reasons that Anurag gave were vague. We had plenty of heated arguments and proper street fights,” he laughs. Frustrated and impatient,
Vasan Bala walks the red carpet at Cannes before the screening of Peddlers
Vasan approached Anurag’s producer Guneet Monga and she put a plea out on Facebook asking for funds to make the film. “When Anurag finally saw the first cut of my film he said, ‘This might go somewhere’. That was good to hear,” he smiles. Despite their differences, he claims to have learnt a lot from his mentor. “I used to be a shy individual. I never thought I had it in me to fight a lone battle. Anurag made me learn the hard way. That’s the best part about working with him. Whether he’s there or not, you still learn a lot from him,” he asserts. Vasan is currently penning his next film. It’s a quirky love story, which he had thought of even before Peddlers. “This film is going to be bigger bigg er and and more more exp expensi ensive ve than than Peddlers,” says he. “I’ll shoot with proper permissions and my team will get proper equipment. I’m looking forward to it.” n
VE TE FI V I T R U O V A F S ’ n a vaS
• Mr IndIa • Satya BoMBay • dharavI ISS raat KI SuBah nahIn •
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Glamfare Fashion Play
WHAT’S PRINT WHAT’S PRINTED ED MATTERS When you want some funk, drama or attention in your look, it’s time to try prints! Check out our bombshells make or break this look
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Pac P acma man n al aler ert t
It’s never ‘what’ and ‘who’ Sonam Kapoor wears but more how she wears it. Straight off the runway runway,, this pacman-printed sari by Yogesh Yoges h Chaudhary is totally up her alley alley.. Not bothering to tone things down, she’s all for being in-your-face here!
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So mu much ch
Like Sonam, Chitrangda Singh too dons a Surendri by Yoge Yogesh sh Chaudhary ensemble with pacman earrings. She’s quite a number in this vibrant kneelength dress. And if anything, she’s got all that it takes to make this look work. Even her turquoise heels are a safe bet.
Dram Dr ama a no mo more re
2 In spite of being a fun print, Tisca Chopra keeps the covered look clean and surprises us pleasantly in this Aartivijay Gupta creation. We’d have gone for dark blue nails, smoky eyes and nude lips; unlike that clichéd touch of red.
That sinking feeling
3 For a cute face like Ayesha Takia’s, this Archana Kochchar look doesn’t complement her. Maybe a shorter sleeved blouse would’ve saved the day day.. Wish she’d gone conventional instead. Whadd’ya think?
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Glamfare Fashion Play
WHITE WONDERS It may not be warm and sunny at the moment but our B-town beauties have certainly taken to wearing the colour o summer – that too with a traditional twist. White anarkalis seem to be all the rage this season. Check ’em out!
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True fashionista
Siimply stunning S This o white Preeti Kapoor anarkali sits prettily on Bipasha Basu, Basu, lending her a sot look. And the simplicity is balanced with gold gota work around the neck and on the sleeves o her outft. The no jewell jew ellery ery loo look k wins wins her spe specia ciall points and the simple bindi gives it a nice touch.
1 Sonam Kapoor makes or an elegant click in this white anarkali by Shehla Khan. We heart the traditional chikan detailing here. Her pretty mojris and heavy chand baalis add to her eminine grace. Stylish as always, aren’t you Ms Kapoor?
Showstopper
2 Dia Mirza’s white and gold anarkali has a quiet sophisticated eel to it. The big gold earrings draw attention to her pretty ace. And o course, she has always had that beautiul smile to her advantage. We like!
Less Le ss is mo more re
3 Konkona Sen Sharma’s white anarkali may be a little dull or a cocktail aair. We agree her style is on the earthy side but wish she had accessorised some more. For this look, we’d swear by an ethnic choker. 3
Glamfare Fashion Play
DEEP DARK DESIRES! Dark nails are the latest fxation -- rom bloodshot red to deep maroon and even dark purple. They are the new love on the ashion circuit. We show you our ways to work this look
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Let’ Le t’ss ge gett wa waccky
Na N ailed it!
Deepika Padukone wows us with this grunge look. And the trending nail colour is quite the icing on the cake. She mixes edge with elegance in those distressed denims and that blazer.. Hot pink lips and blazer unky neckpiece adds to her charm.
1 The next time you’re in or some un, this is one look you should defnitely try out. Neha Dhupia gets it bang on with her sexy maroon nail shade. Imagine a coral peach or light blue with this quirky ensemble. Wouldn’t blend in, right?
Styl St ylis ish h as al alwa ways ys
2 Sameera Reddy has combined dark and edgy with sensous. It’s inevitable that her dark nails are an ultimate hit. Opt or Sam’s look i you want to look stunning at a classy do. And also go with dark lips like she has, that is sure to get you noticed.
Casual chic
3 She’s one damsel who rarely gets it wrong! Sussanne Roshan’s blackish purple nails are quite the star here! I you thought deep shades were only or the night, think again. ’Coz you can rock this look in the day too.
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Glamfare Fashion Play
POLKI DIARIES Want to know why your beautiful polki jewellery loses its lustre so soon? Well, our divas don’t seem to have that problem. But you can keep your jewels as sparkly as theirs with just a little care. Check out these tips Wrap the jewellery in a soft muslin cloth or in cotton wool and store it in plastic bags to protect it from oxidizing. Don’t forget to store polki jewellery with a polki jewellery pouch of silica gel to keep it dry. This prevents tarnishing and cracking
Don’t wear polki jewellery before jewellery applying make-up
Gently use an eraser that rubs off pencil marks or a suede cloth to remove surface dust
Don't apply perfume, hair spray, chemicals or water on polki
Never wash polki polki jewellery jewellery in soap water as the chord gets discoloured and jewellery can get dull too. So if in case you’re washing hands, make sure you remove your bangles and rings etc beforehand
Madhuri Dixit Nene dons the polki rani haar at haar at the India International Jewellery Week 2012
Store your polki sets polki sets in boxes to prevent breakage. Never jam up your one set with another too
Glamfare Fashion Play
WHAT’S
SMOKING? They’re mysterious, hot as hell and will never go out of fashion. The smoky-eyed look is a favourite with our glamdolls. Want this look? Read on
SMOKY EYES JUST A FEW STEPS AWAY
Kajol does it with a brown tint
Freida Pinto experiments with metallic shades
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For smoky eyes, a gel-based eye shadow or a cream eye shadow is extremely essential. Especially with Indian weather nothing else works. Maybelline liners are fabulous. But L’Oreal and M.A.C are good too.
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Start applying it from your lash line while smudging it upwards towards the upper lid of your eye. Every time you start applying bit by bit, remember to keep smudging upwards.
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Do your entire eye socket this way. Keep in mind the edges of your smoky eye should go from dark to light. Darker around your lash line and lighter towards your upper lid.
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On your bottom lash line, use a lot of dark black kohl. With a thin smudging brush take the gel or cream based shadow and smudge going inwards.
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It’s very important to fill in all the blanks from underneath. The inner eye lid needs to be filled completely with your kohl pencil. And curl your lashes.
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Apply 2-3 layers of jet black mascara. And you’re ready to go.
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It’s a mysterious look. It’s usually a charcoal coloured blackish grey look but now you can experiment with browns, greens, purples, blues and the works. In fact the blue rage is on now.
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Don’t mistake a cat eye with a smoky eye. Neha Dhupia’s is a cat eye. It’s a definite thick line unlike the mysterious smudged look that we aim to get!
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Even the reversed smoky-eyed look is super in. It’s a thick smudged layer of kohl and eye gel or cream-based shadow just at the bottom of your eye. Kareena Kapoor frequents this look.
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Kareena Kapoor dons the patent smoky-eyed look with a charcoal tinted blackish grey hue
Neha Dhupia goes for the cat-eyed look
If you’ve got wide eyes, heavy layers on your upper and lower lid work fabulously. Otherwise for a smaller set of eyes, just concentrate more on the upper lid. It’s all trial and error. If it’s your first, practice with just a kohl pencil and simple eye shadow. So girls, whatchya waiting for? Get going… - NAMRATA SONI, MAKE-UP EXPERT
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YOUR FILMFAR ARE E
NO REASON TO SMILE The viewer verdict is out and Joker Jok er is far from being funny
Sonakshi Sinha and Akshay Kumar in Joker
Pg114
Pg116
Pg118
Readers recall their favourite stars and forgettable tragedies from cinema history
The viewers’ verdict on Shirin
Shatrughan Sinha’s racy rejoinders
Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi
You Y ourr Fil ilmf mfar are e Letters heroines in the bare minimum. Scenes, item songs and dialogue are incorporated to patronise the female anatomy. Not that the audience is complaining. The voyeuristic male laps up all types of sex. Ashwani K Malhotra, Ludhiana
Other side of 100 crores
Ek Tha Tiger
Wrong tha Tiger So the world is rah-rahing about Ek Tha Tiger and its tryst with 200 crores at the box-office. Salman Khan is undoubtedly the Rajnikanth of Hindi cinema, but even the superstar had his lacklustre moments in ETT . My main problem with the stunts was that Salman was jogging around rather clumsily and his unenthusiastic baby steps were miraculously followed by Olympian leaps across buildings. If that wasn’t enough, the film stereotyped its locations too. ETT showed Turkey’s Blue Mosque, Cuba’s montage of people puffing cigars and swaying to Rumba. It’s as if the scriptwriter was inspired by a tourist brochure. CK Ramani, Mumbai
40-plus leads are a hit It was refreshing to watch two artistes above 40 playing leads in Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi . As a new brigade of people enters the industry, a notable difference has started to make a mark. Farah Khan was good considering this was her acting debut. It’s just not about age, but the dynamics of perfect bodies and lead actors
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has changed. Gone are the days when the dashing hero took centre stage. Nowadays talent precedes everything. All hail the new trends of the industry!
Dayanand Kudari, Pune
Sex was always a USP
A few years ago, actress Neha Dhupia had made a famous remark, “Shah Rukh Khan and sex sell”. She wasn’t off the mark. The editorial, Sex is the new love (August 29) reinforces this view. But it’s also true that in the ’50s and ’60s we had the vamps upping the sex quotient and the heroines wore skin tight kameez, salwars and churidars to appear sexy. Sharmila Tagore appeared in a bikini in An Evening In Paris and the audiences ogled and clapped while the critics raised an eyebrow. It’s only now that filmmakers are featuring their
While the industry folk are busy gloating over a handful of films that touch the 100-crore mark, they must also remember that throughout the year countless terrible flicks lose money too. Films with weird titles like Impossible Vivek, Vikalp, Utt Pataang, Naughty @ 40, Love Express, Love You To Death, Staying Alive, Will You Marry Me?, Say Yes To Love, Akkad Bakkad Bambe Bo, Happy Husbands, Always Kabhi Kabhi run to empty theatres with neither the filmmakers nor the artistes showing any interest in them. One wonders why and for whom these films are made and released. Sharada Iyer, Mumbai
Filmfare’s balanced I admire team Filmfare for getting the magazine out of the clutches of big stars. I have no problem if you talk about biggies like the Khans, Kapoors or Kumars and Bachchans, but focussing on them and ignoring other smaller stars irritates me. In the current issue a balance was maintained. There were articles on biggies like Akshay
Corrigendum In the issue dated September 12, 2012, a photograph with the Filmfare trophy was accidentall accidentallyy featured in Dolly Ahluwalia’s interview and credited as hers. The error is regretted.
Sharmila Tagore
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Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif and Abhishek Bachchan, but pieces about relatively unknown performers like Richa Chaddha, Gauri Shinde, Sneha Khanwalkar, Monica Dogra, Gauhar Khan, Dolly Ahluwalia and Amole Gupte were interesting and revealing too. The articles about performers like Raveena Tandon and Mahendra Kapoor reminded us of their heydays. That is the perfect balance every film magazine should maintain. Surinder Kalia, Haryana
Just one Ju point Anita
I feel shattered. I think Anita Advani should fight for her rights after all she was with Rajesh Khanna in his last few days. Let’s not get into the mess of money and fame. But this woman was there when his own family was not with him. Pretty Kt Mirchandani, Mumbai The editorial Sex is the new love, was bang on. A film with sexual themes becomes an outstanding hit and a bold actress becomes a star overnight, we long for both but we still describe them as vulgar. MPS Chadha, Chandigarh At 82, Clint Eastwood still has author backed roles in Hollywood. Why can’t Hindi cinema offer its veterans Dilip Kumar and Manoj Kumar roles worthy of their stature? JD Sin Sinha, ha, Rou Rourkel rkelaa
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You Y ourr Fil ilmf mfar are: e: Reviews
Twiviews Fans and readers tweet their mini reviews to @filmfare. @anilprasad7: Flop film. @chiragsrk: Joker is a @chiragsrk: documentary made to show why Shirish Kunder deserved a slap from Shah Rukh Khan. @strange_brew: Poor storyline and terrible second half, this Joker is a mess. @canwill: The aliens in the film are the people who died after watching Tees Maar Khan.
Sonakshi Sinha, Akshay Kumar and Shreyas Talpade in
Jo J oker
It’s dierent To be pragmatic, AkshaySonakshi’s Joker Joker is is a brisk wrap, around a theme which could have done with some dollops o humour. One must give credit to Akshay Kumar or pulling o a role where he has less heroism to show and behave like a literate buoon at times. In act, Akshay outperorms Sonakshi who is more content with mouthing the odd dialogue and gyrating on screen. Joker Joker is is not astounding but it is not a damp squib either like most dat comedies we’ve had in recent
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Joker
years. Joker Joker comes comes as a breath o resh air compared to the soppy romances and the fst o ury in every odd flm. Chiranjib Haldar via email
Works in parts parts Akshay Kumar may have distanced himsel rom the flm’s promotions but the vegetable resembling aliens in the flm got the kids’ attention. I landed up or a morning show with a bunch o 8-yearolds or company. While I nearly slept through it, the kids seemed to have a rollicking time. While the village name, Paglapur had them giggling, Vindoo Dara Singh and Asrani
as its mad hatter residents let them highly amused. Shreyas Talpade’s character as the gibberish speaking lunatic had our young audience in splits. As or Akshay playing a NASA scientist, ater the flm I did hear one kid say he’d want to become a NASA scientist, so I guess the character did make an impact ater all (i that even counts!). While Sonakshi Sinha is quite prominent on the flm’s posters, her role in the flm is similar to the udta frta omlette (UFO) — both would not be missed. As or director Shirish Kunder, the less said the better. Only third graders enjoyed his jokes. Priyanka Ashinkar, Pune
Disaster So what went into making Joker you ask? Well, this seems to be the recipe director Shirish Kunder ollowed: 1 kg o Koi… o Koi… Mil Gaya’s alien Gaya’s alien theme mixed with 250 gms o Lagaan’s o Lagaan’s rustic rustic village theme and 250 gms o Peepli o Peepli Live’s social Live’s social issues theme. Add a cup o Akshay Kumar to hold it all together. Mix in a handul o Shreyas Talpade, Vindoo Dara Singh and Asrani. Add a pinch o Sonakshi Sinha and a some not-unnyat-all jokes. Serve with an udta frta omlette frta omlette and garnish with a Kafrana item Kafrana item number. Served in cinemas all across the country. Samantha Sequeira, Mumbai
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Last word By Jitesh Pillaai
The yo youn ung g on ones I
t’s been raining flowers – buds have blossomed and announced themselves on the biggest stage of them all. 2012 could well be recorded in the history of Hindi cinema as the year of the newcomer. When the debutants have sizzled, held their own at the box office and critics’ scorecards against the top stars, and kept pace. They have jostled for Twitter comments, rubbed shoulders at film parties and taken home their share of the awards. They have generated Google searches from kids in cinema halls, egged on by their parents who are as keen to know more about someone they had probably not heard of till an hour ago. The sperm of a film that grew into a giant – Vicky Donor –heralded two of them, Ayushmaan Khurrana and Yami Gautam. Though the two didn’t necessarily set the screen ablaze with their chemistry, they did enough for the universe to take note and sent the producers singing all the way to the bank. The chocolate and candy flick of the year, the most eagerly awaited Student Of The Year , directed by the Karan Johar himself, sans superstars, heralds
another generation – Varun Dhawan, model Siddharth Malhotra and Mahesh Bhatt’s and Soni Razdan’s daughter Alia. If promos are anything to go by, another trio will be added to the promising promising young ‘uns and superstars of tomorrow list. Next: Arjun Kapoor our cover boy has the goods as evidenced in Ishaqzaade. Spunky, wise, worldly yet wide-eyed, the innocence and
spontaneity of the next wave of actors is as refreshing as it is breathtaking. The focus is on performance,, not only performance appearance and they are more likely to be doing stunts with their heart than jumping off a cliff in a fight sequence. They have their heads screwed on tight, a maturity beyond their years and an army of common sense and vision when it comes
Ayushmaan Khurrana
Yami Gautam
Varun Dhawan
Alia Bhatt
to making decisions on roles. It bodes well for Indian cinema, for on the shoulders of its youth will its future ride. Bang! So while I was writing, Nawazuddin Siddiqui finishes off yet another mobster in Gangs Of Wasseypur 2, with as much fire power in his eyes as his guns. The smoking barrels competing with the imaginary smoke from his head as he essays the role of the reluctant ganglord with consummate ease. One would think that the director had actually found this amazing performer amongst the proverbial gangs, so realistic is his portrayal. Talking of crime and another film that he acted in – Kahaani – also featured a sweet young policeman who everyone was raving about – yet no one knew his name – where do you start a Google search? At Kahaani ? The man is Paramabrata Chatterjee, well known in the East but a national phenomenon after the brilliance of his performance in the thriller. Who says star kids are all that we have (we do have them but we have more!) And the future does indeed look bright. May every year be the year of the newcomer. n
