O'Romeo collects 59.50 cr in 4 weeks; 93 cr worldwide gross
9:48 AM
Box Office India Trade Network
O'ROMEO took its four week collection in India to almost 60 crore nett and and there is not much to come as it could add another 1 crore nett on a best case scenario. The film has seen dropping collections every week despite the limited competition. Moreover, the initial was not good also as the film saw a 27.50 crore nett first weekend and that was with adds.
The overseas figures are no better as the the market which could have done well was USA/Canada but that will be wrapping up with a little $1 million. The rest never had much of a chance and the film has done $2.3 million and is running in very few cinemas this week. This takes the Worldwide figure to 93 crore.
For a comparison, KAMINEY did 71 crore worldwide and HAIDER did 79 crore worldwide but the former was released in 2009 and the latter was 2014 and the costs were much lower. KAMINEY and HAIDER were moderate successes due to the costs while O'ROMEO becomes a huge flop because of far higher costs.
The worldwide collections of O'ROMEO till date are as follows.
India - 72 crore (59.50 crore nett)
Overseas - 21 crore ($2.325 million)
TOTAL - 93 crore
The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond collects 31.83 cr in 2 weeks
9:45 AM
Box Office India Trade Network
THE KERALA STORY 2: GOES BEYOND had a solid second week as it collected 12.50 crore nett dropping just 35% from the first week which is a good hold. The film now stands at almost 32 crore nett and it will comfortable cross the 35 crore nett mark. If the film can hold its collection on the third Friday, then it could be even heading for a 40 crore nett finish. The film is lopsided towards Mumbai circuit and it could end up with 45% of the all India business.
The film is the only film playing bring in an audience to the cinemas but that will change when DHURANDHAR: THE REVENGE releases on Wednesday. THE KERALA STORY 2: GOES BEYOND still has around five and a half days till DHURANDHAR: THE REVENGE2 and has to get whatever it can in these days as nothing much will be coming after. Overall the film is an a AVERAGE fare and its the third success of the year with BORDER 2 being a SUPER HIT and MARDAANI 3 and THE KERALA STORY 2: GOES BEYOND being AVERAGE fares.
The collections of THE KERALA STORY 2: GOES BEYOND are as follows.
Week One - 19,28,00,000
Friday - 1,65,00,000 apprx
Saturday - 3,00,00,000 apprx
Sunday - 2,50,00,000 apprx
Monday - 1,25,00,000 apprx
Tuesday - 1,65,00,000 apprx
Wednesday - 1,25,00,000 apprx
Thursday - 1,25,00,000 apprx
Second Week - 12,55,00,000 apprx
TOTAL - 31,83,00,000 apprx
After Shah Rukh Khan became a star, he said some unkind things about us-Pradip Krishen
9:40 AM
‘In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones’ director Pradip Krishen on how the team didn’t expect Shah Rukh Khan to become a megastar
Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; March 14, 2026)
Some will watch In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones (1989), which made it to theatres on March 13, to see author Arundhati Roy’s brush with acting. Others, to see Shah Rukh Khan in his pre-stardom era, as he appears in a brief role in Pradip Krishen’s directorial feature. While making the film in the late ’80s, had Krishen anticipated that Khan would go on to become a superstar?
“I didn’t expect Shah Rukh Khan to become as big a star as he did. When you have a bunch of young students working with you, you don’t quite imagine that one of them will become a megastar. I’m happy for him,” shared Krishen.
He added that Khan was “unhappy” about not getting a meaty role in the movie. “After he became a star, he said some unkind things about us. He said, ‘Those guys never recognised what a good actor I am.’ I guess that’s true. But he belongs to a genre of acting that didn’t suit the parts we were looking for.”
Last month, the movie was screened at the Berlin International Film Festival. Lead actor and writer Roy dropped out of the gala, criticising festival jury president Wim Wenders’s statement that filmmakers should stay out of politics. We asked Krishen if he too considered withdrawing from the gala. “I was already in Doha when I learnt that Arundhati wasn’t coming. It was too late for me to bail out. I admire her courage to stand for her principles. The audience clapped when I said she had made this decision on principle.”
Deepika Padukone says Mumbai is ‘choking’; action being taken-Mayor Ritu Tawde
9:39 AM
Richa Pinto (THE TIMES OF INDIA; March 14, 2026)
Mumbai: A social media post by actor Deepika Padukone flagging Mumbai's deteriorating air quality sparked a public discussion and prompted mayor Ritu Tawde to respond.
Posting a screenshot of the city's air quality index (AQI) on her Instagram story on Thursday and tagging BMC, Padukone wrote: "The city (& its children) are choking. How is this okay?"
As the post quickly gained traction, Tawde said the civic body is aware of citizens' concerns over worsening air quality. "It is not just Padukone. We are taking cognizance of concerns raised by all Mumbaikars," she said. She acknowledged that AQI levels in the city have risen, adding that BMC is continuously reviewing the situation.
According to Tawde, the civic body has already issued standard operating procedures to builders and contractors, mandating measures to curb dust and pollution at construction sites. "We have also asked developers to install digital display boards showing air quality readings. If the prescribed norms are not followed, BMC is issuing stop-work notices, not just to private developers but also to govt projects," she said.
On Central Pollution Control Board's app, Sameer, Mumbai's AQI on Friday was at 95—falling within the ‘satisfactory' band—while private air quality monitoring platform aqi.in recorded 150 (moderately polluted).
Experts said the low visibility Mumbai had been facing for the past few days was owing to smog. "Low visibility during the morning hours is likely due to rising moisture levels, which lead to mist formation. If pollutants get trapped within this mist, it can result in such conditions," said a weather official.
Kanye West's maiden India tour remains unaffected by West Asia conflict
9:38 AM
Sources from the organizers' team dismiss rumours of Kanye ‘Ye’ West’s maiden India concert being postponed due to West Asia conflict
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; March 14, 2026)
Rumours have been flying thick and fast that the maiden India concert of Kanye West, who now goes by Ye, may be postponed due to the conflict in West Asia. The speculation gained momentum after Bahraini rapper Flipperachi cancelled his India tour that was scheduled to take place on March 14 and 15. However, sources in the organising team of West’s concert have dismissed the chatter.
A source from White Fox, the firm organising the event, told mid-day, “All operational timelines remain intact. We are in the final phase of execution, and ticket demand has been strong.” The source added that they are monitoring international developments as a precautionary measure.
British rock band Def Leppard, too, is expected to go ahead with its tour. An event executive associated with the show said, “International tours are always subject to global conditions, but as of now there is no change.”
I know that the world is in a terrible place right now, and I hope that things improve-Imtiaz Ali
9:37 AM
Oshin Fernandes (MID-DAY; March 14, 2026)
Be it Highway (2014), Tamasha (2015), or Amar Singh Chamkila (2024), through his movies, Imtiaz Ali has a way of saying something bigger than the story itself. A responsibility that the filmmaker believes is only magnified when the world is in conflict. When mid-day caught up with Ali at the India International Film Tourism Conclave (IIFTC) in Mumbai, he emphasised that amid the conflict in West Asia, sparked by the US and Israel’s war against Iran, it’s all the more important for artistes to show the potential of a better world.
Cinema as a cure
Imtiaz Ali believes that as much strife as there is in the world, the requirement for entertainment to provide relief and pleasure also increases.
He explains, “I know that the world is in a terrible place right now, and I hope that things improve, but if I do get influenced by what's going on in the world, it is not actually to make films about what is happening but somehow to make films about what should happen or what the world is missing right now.”
Imtiaz asserts that art can compensate for the absence of a certain condition and draw attention to the real reason why such things happen, aggrieving everybody. “This is the time for all artists to communicate an alternative way of looking, thinking, and feeling to have a better world,” he adds.
The ‘unsafe’ illusion
Imtiaz has never shied away from taking his craft to high-conflict areas. His films, like Rockstar and Highway, have been shot in parts of Kashmir, which he claims felt safer than any other place.
He states, “I have only had extremely cooperative people and peaceful situations. I've had more insecurity in every other place that I've shot. Kashmir has been the easiest place to shoot. Certain narratives get set about the safety and security of certain places. Unfortunately, it takes a lifetime to take that away. People believe that Dharavi is an unsafe place in Mumbai, but there are many more unsafe places.”
Imtiaz stresses the fact that although there’s a war looming overhead, one can’t wait for the ideal situation before making a move. He feels it is paramount that we normalise the world as much as we can.
Director’s darling Diljit
Imtiaz Ali’s next film, Main Vaapas Aaunga, is his second collaboration with Diljit Dosanjh, the lead of his previous hit, Amar Singh Chamkila. Citing how it is rare for him to work again with the same actor consecutively, he says, “This is going to be a Diljit who is very different from the previous film, and this is equally significant to him, maybe more. I’m always very happy to work with great actors, and Diljit is one of them. Personally, I am thrilled to work with him, and I hope to have more chances with him.”
Why does audience care about the opening of a film?-Bhumi Pednekar
9:34 AM
Actor Bhumi Satish Pednekkar urges support for small films beyond box office numbers
Sonal Kalra (HINDUSTAN TIMES; March 14, 2026)
Actor Bhumi Satish Pednekkar’s clarity of thought is refreshing in a world of rehearsed answers by celebrities. In the latest episode of The Right Angle with Sonal Kalra, she talks about her journey, troll culture and urges fans to support low budget films.
With audiences turning up to theatres only for big films, how can small stories win them back?
Small and medium-sized films are dwindling. Friday ko collections aane shuru ho jaate hain aur ek judgement de diya jata hai ki iss film ki opening nahin lagi. Agar nahin lagi toh kya it’s not a film that’s worthy of being given a shot?... I have people around me saying ‘haan lekin iski opening nahin lagi hai na’. I’m like why do you all care? This is not for you. This is for the business and industry people. Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2015) had opened at Rs. 1 crore! Agar tab yeh systems hote toh na mera, na Ayushmann Khurrana, na Rajkummar Rao, na Taapsee Pannu, kisi ke career nahi hote. I really feel bad. These are the films that actually change the society. Har cheez number ho gayi hai ab. We need to encourage small and medium sized films and that will only happen if we stop labelling them.
What’s that one thing you would look for in a role? What’s a prerequisite?
I don’t want to do any character that doesn’t have agency. In my last two pieces of work, The Royals and Daldal, both my characters had agency. I will never play a girl who conforms to all the stereotypes or all the conditioning that every other woman is trying to fight. I don’t have a problem playing a grey character or villain. If I am part of a magnum opus, and there are four scenes, but those scenes where I get to show something that I’ve never done, I will do it. It is not about the size of the role; it is about the impact.
Bhumi khud ye meaningful kahaaniyaan, cause-driven kahaaniyan dhund leti hai, ya ye kahaniyan Bhumi ko dhund leti hain?
This is just a part of me. My art has a lot of advocacy, and I as a person do, too. I am lucky that my first film, Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2015) taught me that cinema has a lot of power if you know how to use it well. Main jis tarah ke parivar mein badi hui hoon wahan pe maine hamesha dekha hai mere mother, father ko bahut community service karte hue. I was always taught ‘nation first, community first’. I think these learnings somehow reflect in my films. I have a lot of activism in me, and a lot of fun was made of it at one point.
What’s one similarity and one difference between the Bhumi of Dum Laga Ke Haisha and the Bhumi in Daldal today?
When I started my career, there was a certain innocence in that Bhumi that isn’t there today. A lot of that also comes with just spending these many years working. Agar kisi bhi profession mein hoti life, aapke experiences ek amount of hardening, and dar har insaan mein paida kar dete hain. The girl in Daldal is more mature. The similarity is that both are fearless. I was fearless then, and I am that now, too.
You’ve gone on record to say that you felt that it was a creative, emotional depletion that happened, which is why you took a break before Daldal. Would you want to elaborate on the break?
I felt it coming last year after shooting Daldal and a film. I couldn’t gather the strength to take that break. We are always told that, as a woman, how can you take a break? The clock is ticking, aur aapko yeh lag raha hai ki oh my God, now you know I am growing older… because this is your conditioning. I was very scared. I wasn’t able to give myself to acting the way I used to, maybe a little earlier. And it’s not like meri mehnat mein ya meri koshish mein koi kami thi. I felt depleted emotionally. I had seen a lot of struggle before I became an actor... I think once you become an actor, your life becomes monotonous in many ways because you are only working. You are going from one film set to another. If as an artiste I have nothing left to take from, ek ghada hota hai experiences ka, jo as an artiste aap apni performance mein daalte hain, wahi deplete ho gaya tha. Ek dum se vanilla ho gayi thi meri life, and I wanted to change that. I was an uninhibited actor, kyunki main kabhi race mein thi hi nahin. Main toh khud ki jagah bana rahi thi aur main race mein kab jud gayi, mujhe pata hi nahin chala. And that started affecting my mental health, everything.
Burnout is a reality, no matter which sector or age. What advice would you have, now that you’ve come back healed?
I have always been a planner. A lot of things that have happened in my life have been magic, and it has been God’s blessings. But I’ve always believed that you need to have a larger vision about what your life is. Even if you don’t have solid goals, there’s a larger vision, right? If you know what the next decade of your life is gonna look like and you feel that you need more skill, you need more time, or you just want to do nothing, that is also okay. You don’t owe anybody an explanation, nobody but yourself.
I think the industry needs to come together to stand up with each other when one sees negativity. It happened with actor Arjun Kapoor. So how do you keep yourself away from it?
I feel that people have forgotten ki by the end of it hum insaan hain. You can’t dehumanize a person you watch on screen. And all I want to say is that it’s easier to say, ‘It does not affect me’. It affects every one of us. How can it not? This is becoming a bit of a sickness.
I feel bad for all of these people who have so much negativity to say because there have been times where I have gone to this wormhole, and I would see it’s a woman who has pictures with her daughters. And I was like, ‘The way you are objectifying other women on social media, what if your daughter were to be objectified like that?’ It’s just not okay.
I would go a step further and say that we need strict laws against this, because this is not trolling; this is bullying. It is only a matter of time before a big incident happens, and then it will get nasty. Like, you know, you literally are telling people that, ‘I hope you die.’ What sort of darkness are you living in? What sort of sickness is here?
Squad goals: Keeping up with the Mohans - Shakti, Mukti and Neeti
9:32 AM
As kids, sisters Shakti, Mukti and Neeti Mohan would perform in classrooms, parties and their bedroom. (SOURAV SHARMA)
Neeti has sung your favourite Bollywood tracks. Shakti has the killer dance moves. Mukti lights up the stage and the screen. Step inside the Mohan sister-verse
Kritika Kapoor (HT CITY BRUNCH; March 14, 2026)
As kids, the Mohan sisters would perform everywhere. In their bedroom, at birthday parties, in classrooms, for friends and family. Their favourite routine: Madhuri Dixit and Karisma Kapoor’s Dance Of Envy from Dil To Pagal Hai (1997). Shakti Mohan and Mukti Mohan took turns playing Madhuri and Karisma. “I was Yash ji [Chopra] and Saroj Khan,” says Neeti Mohan, laughing. They would cut their tights into shorts, and their mother would lend them lipstick and jewellery.
None of them really dreamt of a career in the spotlight. They were a middle-class family in Delhi, with zero ties to film or TV; there was no real path to get there. Yet, 30 years later, Neeti, 46, is a Bollywood playback queen. Shakti, 40, reigns as Indian TV’s go-to dance judge, host and mentor. Mukti, 38, started out as a dancer, before pivoting to acting. She’s been in Thar (2022), Lust Stories 2 (2023) and Gyaarah Gyaarah (2024).
They did it all the hard way: No filmi family, industry contacts or shortcuts. Just three sisters figuring it out together.
The Mohans are often asked how one family ended up with three siblings in show business: Is it in the genes? The training? Something in the water they drank? Even they don’t quite know. Their parents weren’t performers. They weren’t wealthy – their father was a chartered accountant, their mother a homemaker. “But they let us do whatever we wanted, be it singing, dancing or sports,” says Shakti.
In the early 2000s, even in a city like Delhi, that kind of freedom for daughters was rare. The sisters remember people pitying their father for having four daughters. (Their fourth sister, Kriti Mohan, stays out of the spotlight, managing Shakti and Mukti.)
It’s partly why Neeti had a relentless urge to excel. Reason No 2 was her younger sisters. Their father would tell her, “Neeti, whatever you do, your sisters do. No pressure.” Of course, she felt the pressure. “My sisters are like my best friends,” she says. “But they’re also like my children.” So, she leaned into the role, excelling at studies, music, dance, theatre and the National Cadet Corps.
By the time her sisters joined the same school, Neeti was the hostel head, the cultural head, the band leader. Shakti was the “naughty one”; the kind to throw a book at a beehive, just “to see what would happen”. “Teachers would complain to Neeti about me, so I was terrified of her. If she was coming from one direction, I would run in the opposite direction,” Shakti says.
Neeti in turn, made sure her sisters had a spot on stage, and coached them to do well. “I’d tell them to dance to a patriotic song – you’ll get more marks.” The strategy worked. The sisters dominated everything, from dance to basketball. They picked safer futures in college: Neeti studied Philosophy. Shakti planned to take the UPSC. Mukti wanted to pursue a Master’s in Psychology. But that was about to change.
Triple threat
It was the first decade of the new millennium. India was in the middle of a reality-TV boom. Farah Khan, Sonu Nigam and Anu Malik were assessing nobodies face-to-face. Talent shows were carving out a separate path to fame. Music directors were looking for new voices. The showbiz formula was changing.
Neeti was 24 when her sisters pushed her to audition for Channel [V] Popstars in 2003. When she appeared on the show, “we were bragging everywhere,” recalls Shakti. She made it to the shortlist – along with three others – to form the pop group Aasma. They released two albums before folding in 2005. But the show had given Neeti a way in, and she wasn’t letting go.
In 2009, she returned to compete on the singing show Music Ka Maha Muqqabla and won again. Then, in 2012, a breakthrough. Neeti sang Jiya Re, from Jab Tak Hai Jaan; and Ishq Wala Love, from Student Of The Year. There were awards. There was recognition. Her sisters believed if Neeti could get there, maybe they could too.
Shakti and Mukti grew up joined at the hip. “People thought we were twins, even though we’re two years apart.” Maybe it was the matching outfits and identical mushroom haircuts. Or the fact that they trained in Bharatanatyam and contemporary dance together, shared the same friends, and – for a while in college – even had the same Tata Docomo phone. So, it was hardly surprising when they entered showbiz together. In 2010, Shakti won Dance India Dance Season 2, while Mukti won Zara Nachke Dikha.
At the time, there was no real career in dancing. “You could either be a back-up dancer or assist a choreographer,” says Shakti. But with a reality TV win, they had the visibility that few dancers did. Shakti went on to judge, host and guest star on more than 20 dance shows. Mukti tried everything from comedy and stunt-based contests such as Fear Factor, to taking a six-year break in 2018 to train in theatre. “I didn’t have to worry about rent or groceries,” she says. Her sisters had her back as she worked her way up to films and web series.
Home advantage
The sisters say that the only downside to fame has been the invasive curiosity that comes with it. “People keep flooding our social media comments with questions about Kriti,” says Shakti. Conspiracy theorists suggest that she’s being kept out of the spotlight. “It’s so bizarre and obnoxious. She has chosen to remain private. She’s living her life. Why does she have to be on stage too?”
Shakti runs a dance studio, Nritya Shakti, for hip hop, ballet, jazz, dance hall, Bollywood and more. Mukti’s performing-arts space Mukti Manch trains aspiring actors. Both sisters acknowledge that their success came from all the people who voted for them on TV. They’re keen to pay it forward.
And, for once, they’re teaming up. Their 2025 show, Mohan Sisters Live, has played in Mumbai and other Indian cities. It’s packed with Bharatnatyam, bhangra, kathak, garba, Latin, hip-hop and contemporary routines. Neeti sings all her hits. There’s even a Madhuri Dixit tribute, making it a full-circle moment.
And just like they did as kids, they’ve shaped every detail of the show. Shakti handled choreography and the show’s Instagram page. Mukti takes charge of design and styling — from sourcing the fabrics for their glittering anarkalis to the bedazzled red JLo-style jumpsuits.
They’re not always in sync. They are sisters, after all. On 5am flights, “Mukti and I are bouncing around,” says Shakti. “Neeti is quiet because she’s conserving her voice.” Neeti will change her seat sometimes, because she “just can’t keep up with their energy”. On their group chat, it’s the same. Shakti and Mukti flood the thread with GIFs, memes and stickers. Neeti operates in efficient one-word replies, usually to scheduling questions. Her signature response: “Available”.
When it comes to famous sisters, the Mohans admire Destiny’s Child, the Phogat sisters and the Williams sisters. But their favourite sister act of all time? “Us. Definitely.”
Too many extras: Bollywood actors’ entourages now eat up 10-12% of film budgets, sometimes even more than director’s fee
9:29 AM
Costs crossing 10% of total budget in some movies, often exceed remuneration of cinematographers, writers & directors
Rajesh N Naidu (THE ECONOMIC TIMES; March 14, 2026)
Mumbai: Film producers are facing a mounting dilemma-rising costs of entourages accompanying stars. Such expenses have spiralled to about 10-12% of the total production cost of high mid-budget and big-budget films from the mid-single digits about a year and a half ago.
The drastic increase in budgets comes at a time when the industry is reeling from a volatile box office and few hits, with producers stating that the demands are becoming increasingly unreasonable.
Notably, the additional expense borne by producers often exceeds remuneration of key contributors such as cinematographers, writers, and even directors in some cases, according to producers and analysts.
"Historically, entourage costs were in the low single digits as a percentage of overall budgets," said Suniel Wadhwa, co-founder & director, Karmic Films. "In recent years, these costs have become double-digit figures in select projects. Today, a film requires an additional box office collection of Rs. 2-2.5 crore to recover a cost of Rs. 1 crore attached to it. This shows how high entourage costs impact its earnings."
‘Outrageous Demands of Actors’
Conservative estimates shared by executive producers and veteran producers with ET showed the percentage share of entourage costs in the total cost of producing a high mid-budget film — Rs. 80-100 crore, 70-day shoot — has surged to nearly to 10% in the past one and a half years. In the case of big-budget films — Rs. 100-200 crore, 120-day shoot — the share has jumped to 12% over the same period.
Producers attribute two key factors to this trend. “In the past one and a half years, heads of each overhead expense of some well-known talent have increased their fees,” said veteran producer Rajesh R Nair. “They have also employed more people in each overhead, thereby increasing entourage costs.”
Producers say there are at least a dozen overheads that make up entourage costs. Recently, content team comprising photographers and videographers for actors’ personal social media accounts have become part of entourage costs.
“Producers are catering to outrageous demands of actors,” said a veteran producer, requesting anonymity. “Actors want a meditation coach, life coach, and a companion (wife or a family member) on sets.”
“There is a finite universe of well-known actors and stars who can bring in audiences in theatres. So, producers give in. Also, betting on new faces is expensive given the high costs involved in making and marketing films,” the person said.
The rise of streaming platforms has also changed the dynamics of entourage costs, producers said.
“Before 2015, stars had a make-up artist, hair stylist and vanity van,” said distributor Shaaminder Malik. “Then streamers paid irrational prices for pre-release digital rights. These cash flows spoiled stars and mid-level actors. Producers gave in as digital rights revenues were assured cash flows.”
“But in the past two years, streamers have cut their budgets to focus on profitability. So, producers bear entourage costs today,” he added.
Another producer said actors’ demands have “become so specific and their attitude so stubborn that they are indulging in almost wild caprices.”
For instance, recently, a character actor who had worked for a few days brought a staff of seven people with him who also wanted to stay in the same hotel as the actor, said the producer, requesting anonymity.
Malamaal Weekly hamare jeevan ki ek bahut yaadgaar film hai-Rajpal Yadav
11:17 PM
Neha Maheshwri (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 13, 2026)
As the comedy classic Malamaal Weekly completed 20 years since its release, actor Rajpal Yadav marked the milestone on March 10 by sharing a video compilation of his comic moments from the film on social media. Along with the clip, he wrote, “Yakeen nahi ho raha ki 20 saal ho gaye! Bajey ko aur film ko itna pyar dene ke liye aap sabka dil se shukriya.”
Looking back, the actor describes the film as one of the most memorable experiences of his career. He shares, “Malamaal Weekly hamare jeevan ki ek bahut yaadgaar film hai. We shot the film in Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, and the whole experience there was wonderful. Wahaan jogging, shooting, shirting, sab hoti thi (laughs!). My character was offbeat and humorous, and the film carried elements of black comedy as well as a comedy of errors. Through this role, I could explore many dimensions of performance. Since I am also a common man and represent the common man, I feel a natural connection with such roles. I’m very happy that even after 20 years, MW continues to hold its place.”
He also recalls how his distinctive look in the film came about. He says, “During Malamaal Weekly, my hair had grown quite long, but Priyan ji didn’t want that look. Toh Chennai ke jo makeup dada the, maine unka get-up dekha aur ussi se inspire hoke ek look bana kar Priyan ji ke paas gaya. He approved it, so my hair was saved from being cut. The look eventually turned out quite different. Mentally bhi woh character kaafi alag tha, isliye woh experience mere liye bohot yaadgaar raha.”
One particular scene still stands out for the laughter it created on set. He shares, “There is a scene where Riteish Deshmukh and I get into an argument, after which I go to my sister and say I want to get married. She asks, ‘Kisse?’ and I say, ‘Ladki se.’ Then she asks, ‘Pyaar kab hua?’ and I reply, ‘Abhi aadha ghanta pehle.’ ‘Aadha ghanta pehle’ wali line par sabko hassi aa gayi thi, and the whole set had a very lively atmosphere.”
Working with director Priyadarshan has always been a learning experience for him. He says, “Priyan ji khud bhi ek actor hain, isliye woh har actor ki capability ko bahut achhi tarah samajhte hain aur timing ko bhi bahut clearly explain karte hain. Chahe role chhota ho ya bada, he makes sure it is properly shaped on screen, because har moment ek learning moment ban jaata hai. Hamari association kaafi purani hai. It started with Hungama and continues even today. Woh alag-alag situations create karke actors ko surprise bhi karte hain, aur humein bhi honesty ke saath dhamaal karne ka mauka milta hai.”
On the film’s timeless appeal, he says, “Some films like Malamaal Weekly, Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, or Angoor are special. Inse achhi ya alag filmein ban sakti hain, lekin waisi filmein dobara nahi ban sakti. They are as enjoyable to watch as they are to be a part of.”
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