Showing posts with label Anil Ganguly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anil Ganguly. Show all posts
Without Tamannaah Bhatia, Aaj Ki Raat wouldn’t have reached where it has-Vijay Ganguly
2:43 PM
Tanvi Trivedi (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 17, 2026)
Winning the National Award for choreographing Aaj Ki Raat from Stree 2 is a milestone Vijay Ganguly says he never expected. While he hoped the song would connect with audiences, he did not anticipate it becoming one of the year’s biggest party anthems.
“When we choreograph, we always hope our work reaches the maximum number of people. But every song has its own fate. Sometimes you’ve done great work, but the song gets cut from the film or never reaches people. For instance, we had shot for a very beautiful song in Chhaava with Vicky (Kaushal) but in the end it got edited. With Aaj Ki Raat, we knew we had done a good job, but we had no idea it would connect with so many people. We just did our job and hoped it worked. And it did.”
He believes the song’s appeal came from its music and the way the choreography carried the same energy visually. “The audio was so good that everyone — from children to older people — connected with it. Once kids connect with a song, it becomes huge because they keep playing it everywhere.”
Ganguly also credits Tamannaah Bhatia for the song’s success. “Tamannaah definitely played a huge role because what people ultimately see is the performer. If she hadn’t performed the way she did, the song wouldn’t have reached where it has today. The biggest credit goes to her.”
A national award that adds to the family legacy
Vijay’s father, filmmaker Anil Ganguly, had won two National Awards. “My father had won two National Awards Best Story for Kora Kagaz (1975) and Best Feature Film in Hindi for Tapasya (1976). This is the third one coming into the house, but my first. It’s the biggest honour in the country.”
Vijay Ganguly on his National Award win: "I was just numb for five minutes"
9:25 AM
Tanvi J Trivedi (BOMBAY TIMES; July 24, 2026)
Vijay Ganguly says he never saw coming. The choreographer, who once had no interest in dancing, admits he is still processing the honour.
“I was just numb for five minutes. I couldn’t believe it. When messages started pouring, I realized, okay, this is really happening. I’m still processing it,” he says.
The award is especially meaningful for Vijay as it continues a family legacy. “My father had won two National Awards (Anil Ganguly received Best Story for Kora Kagaz and Best Feature Film in Hindi for Tapasya). This is the third National Award coming into our home. It’s a fantastic feeling,” he adds.
Ironically, Vijay’s journey into dance began almost by accident. “Growing up, I was never interested in dancing. I would only perform during Durga Puja celebrations. In 1999, just for fun, I enrolled in a Shiamak Davar dance class. I realized I really enjoyed it, and the rest is history,” he shares.
Looking back at Aaj Ki Raat, Vijay says he had hoped the song would connect with audiences but never imagined it would become one of the year’s biggest party anthems. “We knew we had done a good job, but had no idea it would connect with so many people. We simply did our job and hoped it worked. Everyone, from children to older people, connected with it.”
He is also quick to credit Tamannaah Bhatia for bringing the choreography to life. “Tamannaah definitely played a huge role because, ultimately, what people see is the performer.”
It’s just love: Vijay on his mother Rajani Ganguly’s viral dance reel
His mother, Rajani Ganguly’s dance reel on his song Shararat from Dhurandhar recently won hearts online. Vijay says the family never expected it to go viral. “I don’t share too many reels, but this one was special. Mumma loves dancing and she’s a very good dancer. We always feel people should see her dance. Whenever one of my songs becomes a hit or excites her, we ask her to dance and we post it. It’s just for fun. It’s not social media content that we expect will go viral. It’s just love.”
Dharmendra was awake till we completed the Ikkis song at 4 am-Vijay Ganguly
10:23 AM
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; December 20, 2025)
When Ikkis opens on January 1, it will, among other things, remind us of what Hindi cinema lost in 2025. Sriram Raghavan’s directorial venture, led by Agastya Nanda, will mark the final on-screen appearance of Dharmendra, who passed away on November 24. In the swansong, we’ll also see the superstar’s last dance, in a qawwali track.
Featuring Dharmendra and Jaideep Ahlawat, the song was shot in Pune in May 2024. It apparently sees the veteran actor’s character going to his college reunion.
A source from the unit said, “Initially, it plays in the background as Dharmendra’s character catches up with his friends. Then it moves to the foreground as his friends get him to the dance floor and he shakes a leg. It’s a fantastic moment! While the college is shown to be in Lahore in the narrative, producer Dinesh Vijan and Sriram filmed it in a Pune college.”
In Ikkis, Dharmendra portrayed the father of Nanda’s character, Param Vir Chakra awardee Arun Khetarpal. Working with him on the number was a moment of pride for choreographer Vijay Ganguly. Remembering the 89-year-old actor as being “full of life”,
Ganguly told mid-day, “Shooting with Dharmendra was amazing as he was vibrant and full of life. He was awake till we completed the song at 4 am.”
What made the collaboration sweeter was the fact that their association went way back. The choreographer, who has designed two songs in the biopic, added, “It was a moment of nostalgia for both of us. Dharam ji had done a film earlier with my father [filmmaker Anil Ganguly] called Dushman Devta [1991]. During the shoot, he remembered my father fondly. He told me he was a kind man and that he enjoyed working with him.”
To be 40 plus and not have a 26-inch waist when you’re playing the lead can be challenging-Rupali Ganguly
8:00 AM
Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; July 5, 2021)
While she has been a part of many successful shows in the past, all that Rupali Ganguly craved was recognition as a versatile actress. So, she is understandably elated about finally getting her due with the TV show, Anupamaa, in which she plays the title role. The family drama marked her return to the small screen seven years after she took a break to embrace motherhood.
She says, “After I quit Parvarrish due to my pregnancy, I was busy with my home and my child. I enjoyed every moment of it. However, when Rajan Shahi approached me for this show, the actor in me got greedy. What further piqued my interest was the fact that the concept of the show was in the zone of my father’s (Anil Ganguly) films, like Kora Kagaz, Humkadam and Tapasya. The women in these films were strong and empowered, just like Anupamaa. When I spoke to my husband (Ashwin Verma) about it, he told me that I hadn’t got my due as an artiste and said, ‘You should take it up and make us proud’. He took a break from his work so that I could get back to acting. In short, he gave me the wings to fly.”
The show with a protagonist in her 40s struck a chord with the audience. Rupali says, “To be 40 plus and not have a 26-inch waist when you’re playing the lead can be challenging at times. I always wondered if it would work. You can’t predict the fate of a show. I still can’t believe it’s happening to me and hope the bubble doesn’t burst.”
Rupali further adds, “I feel blessed and am filled with gratitude for this opportunity to return to TV after seven years with a role like this and getting a chance to prove myself. I have been part of some fantastic shows and played great characters, including a double role in Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahi and a negative one in Sanjivani because I was bored of playing positive characters. Then I was inundated with negative characters, but I didn’t want to repeat myself. Every artiste vies for that one role, which takes her a level up, where people start recognising your work and acknowledging the fact that you are a good actor.”
Talking about the way her career has shaped up over the years, she shares, “There were some people who thought that I was just a fluke. But with Anupamaa, they sat up, took notice, and admitted that there is somebody called Rupali Ganguly, who acts well. While Monisha in Sarabhai vs Sarabhai got me noticed, Anupamaa has given me the platform I’ve always craved. I am glad that I have left a mark. My epitaph will perhaps read — here lies Monisha Sarabhai and Anupamaa. Despite not being conventionally good-looking, I have finally been recognised for my talent.”
For Yaar Bina Chain, we made Ayushmann Khurrana recreate the step of Anil Kapoor-Vijay Ganguly
8:36 AM
Vijay Ganguly on choreographing Yaar Bina Chain from Saaheb, which was directed by his father, for Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan
Sonia Lulla (MID-DAY; February 9, 2020)
During the shoot of Saaheb (1985), Vijay Ganguly, then five, would run about the set as his director father Anil Ganguly filmed Yaar Bina Chain with the movie's leads Anil Kapoor and Amrita Singh. Almost 35 years later, in a quirk of fate, Vijay found himself being appointed to choreograph the rehashed version of the song for Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer, Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan. "Initially, the team, including director Hitesh Kewalya, simply told me I would be working on a remix of Bappi da's [Lahiri] song, and that they were sure I would be excited about it. As soon as the track began, I was taken aback. I thought, what are the odds that of all the choreographers and all the songs, this one would come to me?" exclaims the choreographer, talking about the song that releases on Tuesday.In keeping with the theme of the same-sex love story, the track—now titled Arrey pyaar kar le—has Khurrana romancing his on-screen love interest, Jitendra Kumar. "Since the song didn't have [the usual] guy-girl dynamics, there wasn't much that we could [use] from the original. So, we decided to [reference] the period instead. When my dad made the film, the unit went to Ballard Pier, used water, and employed the star filter that made water [droplets] look like light. So, we used the same filter for our song to [evoke a sense of nostalgia]. We also made Ayushmann recreate a step of Anil sir." He adds that Khurrana, delighted to learn of the coincidence, urged him to invite his mother and actor sister Rupali Ganguly to the shoot.
Vijay Ganguly with Bappi Lahiri on the set
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