Fresh off the success of Dhamaal 4, actor Jaaved Jaaferi reflects on his four-decade-long journey in the industry and the changing landscape of cinema.

The 63-year-old believes that every generation of actors has its own strengths and shortcomings. He calls the younger lot “professional, serious and very focused on what they want”, but feels that “they’re in a hurry and are not very accommodating”.

Known for his comic timing, Jaaferi reflects on the changing nature of comedy, noting that some aspects of it remain unchanged. “There’s a certain kind of humour that stays the same. Charlie Chaplin will never change, Mr Bean doesn’t change, Tom and Jerry doesn’t change. Dhamaal is that world,” he says.

Jaaferi further adds, “It doesn’t matter whether you watch it today or 10 years later. There will always be an audience who will like it... Dhamaal (2007) ko bhi aaj 19 saal ho gaye. Sensibility toh badli hai logon ki, but log abhi bhi dekh rahe hain.”

The actor believes one of the biggest challenges actors face is being a prisoner of their own commercial success. “There was a phase when (veteran actor) Mr (Amitabh) Bachchan couldn’t do anything different because it didn’t work. The commercial aspects didn’t allow him to move,” he shares.

Jaaferi says he has consciously tried to avoid that trap by making thoughtful career choices. “As an actor, though I have done a lot of work. I’ve played a villain, I’ve played crazy guys, done serious films as well. Yet feel there is a lot more left to explore in me,” he concludes.

Barely two months after Meenakshi Seshadri announced that she had relocated to Mumbai for good and was seeking acting opportunities, she has bagged a Prime Video series. What’s even better is that the project, titled Nanavati vs Nanavati, reunites the actor with Jackie Shroff, alongside whom she had delivered her first smash hit Hero (1983) at the start of her career. mid-day has learnt that the series went on floors this week.

Sources have told us that the eight-episode series, directed by Vipul Shah, is currently being shot at Bar Stock Exchange in Andheri West, with a packed ensemble that includes Bhagyashree, Ram Kapoor, and Anupriya Goenka.

An insider said, “Bringing Meenakshi and Jackie, the hit pair of the 1980s, together again after four decades is one of the show’s biggest talking points. Their scenes are expected to tap into the nostalgia associated with Hero, while placing them in age-appropriate characters. Bhagyashree and Ram will play the other couple. Since Ram is on another show right now, he will join the shoot later. The primary schedule is expected to be conducted in Powai.”

An official announcement from the streamer is expected closer to the completion of the shoot. 

mid-day reached out to Shah, who didn’t respond till press time.

It’s been a heady few days for Akansha Ranjan Kapoor. Only 10 days ago, the actor tied the knot with her partner of four years, director Sharan Sharma. Even as the couple keeps their professional and personal lives separate, Sharma remains the first person she turns to for honest feedback. 

Revealing that he is often the first person to watch her projects, Kapoor said, “He is very critical. It comes from a place of tough love. After watching Gram Chikitsalay, he hugged me and said that I looked like I belonged in that world.”

That was heartening for Kapoor, who plays a rural doctor in the slice-of-life series. One of the reasons to join Gram Chikitsalay was to steer away from the perception built about her. “I wanted to be part of TVF’s [The Viral Fever] storytelling and world-building. A lot of people couldn’t see how I would fit into this world, so I was keen on showing a different side of me.”

It’s widely believed that Kapoor, who is best friends with Alia Bhatt, has benefited from being part of a well-connected social circle in the industry. She is unfazed by this chatter. “People are allowed to have their opinions. Time will tell. Till then, I want to do good work.”

When you express solidarity with others, you come back strengthened. That’s something Shabana Azmi always believed in. And the veteran actor experienced it over the past three days as she joined the ongoing protests — led by Abhijeet Dipke’s Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) — at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, demanding education reforms and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak. 

Since July 19, Azmi has been at Jantar Mantar, even joining thousands of youth in the Chalo Sansad march on July 20. Talking to mid-day from New Delhi, she said, “These young people have been pushed to the wall, and they have chosen to resist with courage and dignity.”

The actor criticised the police that resorted to lathi charge and tear gas even as the students protested peacefully on Monday. According to Dipke, over 150 protesters were undergoing treatment in hospital due to the violence.

Expressing her disapproval over the police’s handling of the situation, Azmi said, “What impressed me most was that despite their pain, their anger, and the provocation, the students remained determined to protest peacefully. The tear gas and lathi charge were completely unwarranted and condemnable. Who treats young students this way when all they are asking for is dialogue?”

A dialogue with the students, in fact, is what Azmi and her husband, noted writer and lyricist Javed Akhtar — both former members of the Rajya Sabha — sought from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Azmi revealed that they wrote a letter to the PM, urging him to understand the students’ concerns.

We received an acknowledgement, saying that we would get a reply within two days. When four days passed without any response, I decided to go to Delhi in support of the students. We are constantly told that our youth are our greatest strength. Then why were their voices not even being heard? When I went to Jantar Mantar, I saw hope and strength. We often dismiss Gen Z as careless or disengaged. I think the failure is ours. We have failed to provide them with the leadership that inspires trust. Yet today they are inspiring us, even to the extent of risking their own lives for what they believe is right,” said Azmi, referring to the protesters’ hunger strike.

The actor’s participation has been criticized by some sections, who claimed her presence was giving a political colour as she is seen as aligned with Left-wing politics. “I have never been a member of any political party,” she asserted, before adding that a patriot must hold those in power accountable for the betterment of the country.

“Democracy is strengthened by questioning, not weakened by it. I’ve been called many things over the years. Both Javed and I are criticized with equal intensity by Hindu and Muslim fundamentalists, which says something about our refusal to belong to any ideological camp. The real question is not what people call me. The real question is whether young citizens asking for dialogue deserve to be heard.”

Hearing their concerns and acting on them is the need of the hour, Azmi insisted. For her, the students are the “real story”.

“Throughout history, young people have been the harbingers of change. They are our greatest investment. Let us nurture them, undertake the educational reforms they have been demanding, overhaul a system that too often fails them, and give every young Indian an equal opportunity to realize their potential.”

Five days before she reached Jantar Mantar, Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar had written to PM Modi as concerned citizens and former nominated members of the Rajya Sabha, urging him to begin a dialogue with Sonam Wangchuk and the students. The letter was emailed, faxed and personally delivered, and an acknowledgement promised a response within two days.

When no reply came, Azmi decided to join the protest herself. “We waited two days, then three, then four. On the fifth day, I decided I would come here,” she said at Jantar Mantar on Monday.

Azmi maintained that her presence was never about herself. Standing in solidarity with the students, she said her presence was meant to draw attention to the young people who had shown the courage to raise their voices.

She also rejected claims that the students were being used for political ends. Speaking to a news channel, she said, “It was a sea of young people. I have never seen such a scene in my life… I have never been involved with any political party. I have never been a member of any political party. On record, I’m telling you, nor do I intend to be. I have never been a member of any political party because I have always believed that joining a political party means the party’s truth becomes your truth, which could be a one-sided truth. When I was in Parliament, we (she and Javed Akhtar) were Presidential nominees. We were with no party.”

About the protesters, Shabana Azmi told reporters at Jantar Mantar, “They are saying violence kiya, jo bilkul sachh nahi hai . Ek tarfa jo sach bata rahe hain woh nainsaafi ho rahi hai yahan.”

When asked how she responds to being repeatedly labelled anti-national, she said, “Iss baat ko dil se nahi lagana chahiye. Mujhe kitni baar anti-national kaha gaya hai.”

At 75, Azmi said she sees speaking out not as activism but as a moral compulsion. “Main hamesha nahi bolti hoon. Jab paani hadd se guzar jata hai, jab mujhe koi cheez andar se jhinjhorti hai tab bolti hoon... ab meri 75 saal umar ho gayi hai, main bahut kuch dekh chhuki hoon.”

She added that she understands the resolve required for a hunger strike because she has experienced it herself. In May 1986, she joined filmmaker Anand Patwardhan and activist Gurubai Bhaskar Hamza in a five-day hunger strike demanding rehabilitation for slum dwellers displaced from Colaba in Mumbai. The protest was successful.

Throughout the protest, Azmi posted several videos from Jantar Mantar and recited a verse by her father, Kaifi Azmi: “Koi toh sood chukaye, koi toh zimma le, uss inqalab ka jo aaj tak udhaar sa hai.”

With five months to go for its release, is Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘King’ done with its globe-trotting shoots? Well, almost. Sources have told mid-day that discussions are underway for the action thriller’s last overseas shoot that will be held in August. The destination? Either the US or South America.

From what we’ve heard, a team is currently conducting a recce to finalise the locations for the last leg of director Siddharth Anand’s action extravaganza.

A source shared, “Only an international schedule is remaining. Nothing has been officially locked yet, but a team is currently in the US, scouting locations and working out the logistics. They will head to certain countries in South America before zeroing in on the locations. If all goes according to the plan, the unit will head there next month before calling it a wrap.”

The bulk of the film — which marks Suhana Khan’s first big-screen offering — is already complete. The proposed shoot is for a key sequence. The source added, “Shah Rukh and Siddharth wanted an untapped location for the sequence in question.”

Some films are worth far more than the paycheque they bring. For Pankaj Tripathi, Ohh My Dog is one such project. The actor did not charge a fee for the July 31 release, choosing instead to support the film because of his long friendship with director Amit Rai.

Tripathi told mid-day, “Ajay Rai, the producer, and Amit Rai are old friends of mine. Commercial films are made with the support of money, but for independent and small films where the story is important, who will support them if not actors like us?”

Ohh My Dog tells the story of a young girl who forms a special connection with a stray dog. When Amit first narrated the movie to Tripathi, the actor was overjoyed for two reasons — it was not only a heart-warming tale of unconditional love, but would also be shot in his home state. “The story is set in Bihar. Amit asked me to shoot for four days, and I told him I would come for six. I also called my friends in Bihar and we supported the film in every way. Eventually, I stayed for seven days.” 

Tripathi plays a teacher in the movie, which is led by child actor Maahi Rai and stars Pawan Malhotra and Rajesh Sharma. The actors form the supporting cast. That’s how it should be, asserted Tripathi. “The main story is about a dog and a child. We are all in supporting roles, but in reality, we are supporting the film itself.”

And it’s something he would gladly do again for Rai, with whom he collaborated on OMG 2 (2023). “That’s when we became friends. It remains one of the special movies in my filmography.”

Three decades into her career, Smita Bansal still feels butterflies before stepping onto a new set. “I get extremely nervous,” admits the actor, who transitioned from lead roles to character parts with Balika Vadhu (2008). As she gears up to play the head dean in 108 Base Hospital: Uri, Bansal speaks to mid-day about choosing finite television, embracing mother roles on screen, and why the medium needs a revamp. Excerpts from the interview.

We have been saying that content on television is becoming repetitive and needs a change for long. I believe finite series have more to offer. You get to work more on your character because you know the story from the beginning to its end and there is a proper graph. The story doesn’t change every week because of TRPs. It is also a challenge for the writers to keep the audience hooked for years. When I started doing TV [in the 1990s], we had finite series and weekly shows. That’s why I support different kinds of work coming in.

I shot The Pyramid Scheme while filming Bhagya Lakshmi. My issue is that TV wasn’t offering enough weekend programming. We have limited content during that slot. But 108 Base Hospital: Uri is set in a real space. Even though it is a medical drama, it focuses on the real challenges army doctors face, rather than only the human side.

What will work and what won’t is something no one has really understood. When Balika Vadhu was made, we had no idea how people would receive it until the first week. Audiences become used to a certain kind of content, so it becomes easier for them to accept it. Even if she gets married several times or is kidnapped often, the audience stays invested. I think it is a collective responsibility to [move with the times]. By the time a new-format show is launched and begins finding acceptance, the makers have already decided to pull the plug. You have to give audiences the time to develop a taste for something new. They should also demand better content and reject stories that don’t make sense. TV needs a revamp.

When I moved to character roles with Balika Vadhu, it happened organically. Even after the leap, the decision wasn’t difficult because the show was hugely popular. Lead actors spend 14 to 16 hours on set and work almost 30 days a month. I was entering motherhood and didn’t want to stay away from my child for long. So, stepping away was a conscious decision. There’s a reason behind playing mother on screen. After the hero and heroine, the mother is usually the most prominent character in a TV show. There’s also the factor of screen age. After Balika Vadhu, it would have been difficult for audiences to accept me in much younger roles.

Our producer, Samar Khan, comes from an army background, so he made us aware of everything we needed to know. It’s not that we underwent intensive action training, though I’m sure Erica [Fernandes] and Gashmeer [Mahajani] did that too. We learnt army etiquette, basic gun handling, and combat. We were also trained in how doctors and nurses interact in a hospital. A doctor was present on set to teach us how to hold medical instruments and follow the correct procedures. We also watched medical documentaries to ensure there were no technical errors.

Five days before she reached Jantar Mantar, Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar had written to PM Modi as concerned citizens and former nominated members of the Rajya Sabha, urging him to begin a dialogue with Sonam Wangchuk and the students. The letter was emailed, faxed and personally delivered, and an acknowledgement promised a response within two days.

When no reply came, Azmi decided to join the protest herself. “We waited two days, then three, then four. On the fifth day, I decided I would come here,” she said at Jantar Mantar on Monday.

Azmi maintained that her presence was never about herself. Standing in solidarity with the students, she said her presence was meant to draw attention to the young people who had shown the courage to raise their voices.

She also rejected claims that the students were being used for political ends. Speaking to a news channel, she said, “It was a sea of young people. I have never seen such a scene in my life… I have never been involved with any political party. I have never been a member of any political party. On record, I’m telling you, nor do I intend to be. I have never been a member of any political party because I have always believed that joining a political party means the party’s truth becomes your truth, which could be a one-sided truth. When I was in Parliament, we (she and Javed Akhtar) were Presidential nominees. We were with no party.”

About the protesters, Shabana Azmi told reporters at Jantar Mantar, “They are saying violence kiya, jo bilkul sachh nahi hai . Ek tarfa jo sach bata rahe hain woh nainsaafi ho rahi hai yahan.”

When asked how she responds to being repeatedly labelled anti-national, she said, “Iss baat ko dil se nahi lagana chahiye. Mujhe kitni baar anti-national kaha gaya hai.”

At 75, Azmi said she sees speaking out not as activism but as a moral compulsion. “Main hamesha nahi bolti hoon. Jab paani hadd se guzar jata hai, jab mujhe koi cheez andar se jhinjhorti hai tab bolti hoon... ab meri 75 saal umar ho gayi hai, main bahut kuch dekh chhuki hoon.”

She added that she understands the resolve required for a hunger strike because she has experienced it herself. In May 1986, she joined filmmaker Anand Patwardhan and activist Gurubai Bhaskar Hamza in a five-day hunger strike demanding rehabilitation for slum dwellers displaced from Colaba in Mumbai. The protest was successful.

Throughout the protest, Azmi posted several videos from Jantar Mantar and recited a verse by her father, Kaifi Azmi: “Koi toh sood chukaye, koi toh zimma le, uss inqalab ka jo aaj tak udhaar sa hai.”

A blockbuster is often expected to change the fortunes of everyone associated with it. After playing Ranbir Kapoor’s brother-in-law in Animal (2023), Siddhant Karnick believed the film would finally mark the breakthrough he had spent two decades working towards. Instead, what followed was eight months of complete silence.

Looking back at the period after Animal, he says, “I’d had a strong year with appreciation for my performances in Adipurush, Made in Heaven and then Animal to close the year. After Animal, I expected the floodgates to open. I thought, ‘Two decades of grinding, it’s finally paying off.’ I waited eight months. Let alone offers, there weren’t even any enquiries. My phone didn’t ring at all. That’s when I realised nobody was coming to give me opportunities. That slap to my fantasy was the best thing that could have happened because it forced me to shift my approach. I stopped thinking like an actor and started thinking like a producer. The difference now is that I’m not waiting for the phone to ring. I’m the one making the calls.”

The setback also prompted Siddhant to take charge of his own career. Since then, he has acted in two French films, an English film as the lead, and has a commercial release slated for December. One of those projects, the French short film The Diggers, earned him two Best Actor awards.

He says, “After two decades in this industry, I realised the best way to have control over your career is to create your own opportunities. Jean Louis Carrasco was the first filmmaker I reached out to. We’ve been creative collaborators for 18 years, ever since a passion project short film that won at the Bodega Film Festival and was selected for the Cannes Short Film Corner. Together we developed The Diggers, a 24-minute suspense thriller about an Indian immigrant in Paris who gets pulled into the Parisian underworld. What we’ve shot is essentially Act Two of a feature film, with Acts One and Three currently in development.”

While the recognition has been gratifying, Siddhant believes its true value lies in what it signals to the industry.

“The awards are gratifying, but more importantly, they’re validation. They tell financiers and distributors that this team, this story and this execution have both commercial and critical viability. That’s what matters to me at this stage of my career,” he concludes.

Murali Sharma has spent over two decades slipping into vastly different characters across Hindi and South cinema. Now, as he makes his OTT debut with Super Subbu, he says the size of a role has never mattered as much as what he can bring to it.

“I only look at how much I can contribute to a character. I’ve never gone by the length of a role. I’ve been fortunate to play different roles. People call me the quintessential father in Telugu cinema, but I’ve never worried about being typecast. Every role deserves your absolute best.”

Sharma recalls that recognition didn’t come overnight. “My friends had something called the ‘Spot Murli Contest’ because I’d usually be standing behind the villain or a minister in a safari suit,” he laughs. He says things changed after Maqbool and Main Hoon Na released in 2004.

“I’m grateful to Vishal Bhardwaj and Farah Khan. Those films changed everything. I still remember a group of college students recognising me at a theatre in Vashi. It was a thrilling moment,” he says.

Talking about what attracted him to his character Kukuteshwar Rao or Kuku, in Super Subbu, he says, “I loved the way he walks, talks and carries himself. He’s irritating, yet interesting enough to keep you watching. I enjoy creating those little details. I wanted my OTT debut to be special. There were offers before, but I’m glad I waited because Super Subbu felt right.”