Proud of couturier-daughter's debut in Masaba Masaba, Neena Gupta says she was anxious about working with her
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; August 30, 2020)

Despite acting for almost four decades in films, television, theatre and web shows, Neena Gupta admits she harboured fears when approached for Masaba Masaba. Her cause of concern — daughter Masaba who is making her acting debut with the Netflix series. "I was skeptical about how we would play ourselves on screen. Masaba had never acted before, so I wondered if she could pull it off," reasons the veteran.

The series is a scripted version of the ace designer's life as she navigates her professional and personal journey. Even as she guided Masaba during the initial readings, Gupta refrained from providing one too many tips. "During script readings, Masaba would go too fast. I had to tell her to pause and understand every nuance. [But once the cameras rolled], I did not interfere in any scene."

Having watched the show, the veteran says that Masaba has come alive on screen. "I apologised to her for stopping her from being an actor," says Gupta, who knew her daughter harboured aspirations of joining Bollywood. However, Gupta had then dissuaded her by telling her that she would be stereotyped in films. Now, she hopes Masaba will give acting a shot while handling her business.

Though the show borrows heavily from their lives, Gupta was certain that she did not want to offend those close to her with the offering. "From our first meeting with writer-director Sonam Nair and showrunner Ashvini Yardi, we drove home the point that we did not want to be bitter about anyone. But my husband [Vivek Mehra] may be offended as the actor playing him looks much older," she laughs.

There is no reference to Masaba's father, Vivian Richards in the series. Probe her on it, and she says, "There was no need [to mention him]. The story does not begin from her birth, but at a later stage in her life."

Showrunner Ashvini Yardi on why her Netflix series, Masaba Masaba, will prove everyone wrong
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; August 27, 2020)

It was a big relief for Ashvini Yardi — showrunner and producer of Masaba Masaba — when the trailer of her latest outing on Netflix dropped online. She had a hard time making people understand the concept of the show. In a chat with mid-day, she says, "People think it is a mockumentary, but it is a scripted show with a blend of fact and fiction. It was a unique format that I envisioned while working on it. Usually, there are too many no-go zones while making a biopic; the family often doesn't let you showcase things you want to and whitewashing becomes a norm. This format allows you to explore the grey areas."

Yardi was always clear on roping in a female director and it took her six months to zero in on Sonam Nair, who also contributed on the show as a writer. "Masaba Gupta and Neena ji are fierce, no-nonsense women and I was sure most men won't be comfortable with that vibe or [be able to] depict it correctly." She says Nair, who has previously helmed Gippi (2016) and Kaafir (2019), had the right quirk for it.

"Masaba is a designer, I was worried about her acting skills," confesses the showrunner and hoped that she had Neena ji's genes. "Masaba was confident she could pull it off and she has surpassed our expectations." But there were other things that plagued Yardi's mind. "Everyone told me the show is a mistake [owing to its atypical format and lead]. My main focus was to prove people wrong. Masaba is an unusual personality with unconventional looks. An Indian-Caribbean lead in a mainstream show will set a new benchmark. It will shatter the set ideas of leading ladies and casting," explains Yardi, adding that despite being a feminist show delivered by women, she wanted it to appeal to both men and women.

The series features a slew of cameos where actors play exaggerated versions of themselves. While Kiara Advani and Farah Khan make an appearance in the trailer, Yardi says she is saving most for the series itself.

As told to Akash Bhatnagar (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 1, 2020)

I went to audition for Fugly after someone I knew told me that the director (Kabir Sadanand) was looking for actors. Most of the auditions I had gone for before, would take months for a call back. But here, I got a call from producer Ashvini Yardi on the very next day. She was really impressed with my audition and called me to meet her and Akshay (Kumar) sir, who was co-producing the film. I went with my parents to their office, and the next thing I knew, I had signed the film. It all happened surprisingly fast, and it took me some time to comprehend. But I guess it was in my destiny.

After that, we had a month of workshops. Our acting coach came from Delhi to train all four of us (including Mohit Marwah, Vijender Singh and Arfi Lamba), making us work on our skills and helping us bond.

I had wanted to become an actor ever since I was a child. So, naturally, I was excited that it was all finally happening. However, when I reached the set on my first day after getting my hair and makeup done at Leh, I got cold feet. I wasn’t sure if I’ll be able to do it and started wondering if I was good enough for the job. It was like having butterflies in my stomach and anxiety kicking in together.

We started the shoot with the song “Banjarey”. I remember being on a hilltop and sitting atop a car’s bonnet. I had to break into impromptu dance moves and there was no set choreography, as the shot was about just having fun. I began alone in a close-up shot. Since it was a moving shot, I joined my co-actors as the camera followed me. After the shot, everyone on the set applauded all of us. But at that time, I wasn’t sure whether it was because I was good or just because it was my first shot. Although, when I watched the song, I was quite happy with what we had done.

I don’t think any actor can ever forget their first day and first shot. When I gave mine, I realised that this is what I needed to do for the rest of my life.

Netflix has sanctioned a web series inspired by Masaba's life, to feature designer and actor-mother Neena in lead roles.
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; July 13, 2019)

In the 10 years since she set foot in the world of fashion, armed with her love for quirky prints and rich hues, Masaba Gupta has become one of the leading couturiers. Her journey — including her lineage, her professional highs, her fight for body positivity, and her personal life — is worthy of storytelling. So, it's not surprising that Netflix has sanctioned a web series that will be loosely inspired by the designer's life. The Sonam Nair-directed project, produced and conceptualised by Ashvini Yardi, will be headlined by Masaba and actor-mother Neena, thus marking their first outing on screen.

A trade source says, "Masaba and Ashvini have been spotted together on several occasions over the past year. It has now emerged that the two were finalising the concept of the show. While the web series takes inspiration from Masaba's life, it has been fictionalised to an extent. It will see Masaba as a fashion designer who navigates her professional and personal life after her divorce. No prizes for guessing that Neena will be seen as her mother. Both women loved the concept and immediately said yes."

Considering Masaba has sealed her place as Bollywood's go-to designer, the show will also delve into the functioning of the film industry from the lens of the couturier. "It's essentially a fun, quirky take on the film industry and fashion. Since the mother-daughter duo is close to several Bollywood celebs, including Alia Bhatt and mother Soni Razdan, sisters Sonam and Rhea Kapoor, several real-life incidents of Tinsel town will be incorporated into the series." The show is likely to go on floors next month.

mid-day reached out to Yardi and Netflix. Both remained unavailable for comment.

Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; January 18, 2018)

On the work front, Alia Bhatt has a busy year ahead. She has Zoya Akhtar’s Gully Boy, Ayan Mukerji’s Brahmastra, and Abhishek Varman’s Shiddat. Apart from these three movies, she is also slated to do the Sadak sequel for her home banner. But the actress, who is always eager to take on projects that are out-of-the-box, has been approached by director Ashwini Iyer Tiwary for a woman-centric film. And it looks like the actress is likely to give her nod.

THE BALANCING ACT
Alia balances commercial films with the ones that give her an opportunity to do something new. In a previous interview with this paper, she had said, “I want to do a few commercial films, but at the same time, I want to explore and try something new every year. I’ll do at least one such film every year. That’s the plan.”

ALIA IN ASHWINY’S FILM!
Speaking about the film that Ashwiny and Alia are likely to collaborate on, a source says, “The director, who has helmed films like Nil Battey Sannata and Bareilly Ki Barfi, has approached the actress with an idea which she’s developed. Alia has already shown interest in the film and given Ashwini a go ahead.”

A WOMAN-CENTRIC FILM
According to the source, this will be a coming-of-age, sensitive film. Adds our source, “The film is about a girl, her ambitions, and her relationship with her parents. It’s about how she fights with everyone to achieve her dreams. It will be an emotional tale of desires, with a sensitive touch to it and will be based in Punjab.”

NOT NICHE
The film will not be in the niche category like Dear Zindagi. Informs our source, “Despite Shah Rukh Khan’s presence, Dear Zindagi was based on a niche subject. This one will be an emotional fare, but at the same time it will be dealt with in a fun and commercial manner.”

THE TWO-YEAR ITCH
We hear, Ashwiny has been planning this movie for the last two years. “Nitesh (Tiwari) has written the script and Ashwiny met Ashvini (Yardi) for this project right after her debut directorial Nil Battey Sannata released. The two decided to collaborate on the film, which will be co-produced by Yardi and Phantom.”

KAB HOGA?
This project will, however, take some time before it hits the floors. Alia has four movies to finish at the moment and Ashwiny, too, is currently busy scripting a sports film on kabaddi. “The movie that Ashwiny plans to make with Alia will roll out sometime next year, but it will be one of those special films that Alia looks forward to doing every year,” our khabri says.

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 25, 2017)

Three years after hosting a TV reality show, Dare 2 Dance, Akshay Kumar has returned to the small screen as a super judge on the comedy show The Great Indian Laughter Challenge with Sajid Khan and Shreyas Talpade set to join in as replacements for co-judges, comedians Zakir Khan and Mallika Dua and actor-writer Hussain Dalal. And recently the actor was so impressed with comedian-ventriloquist Vignesh Pandey, who came on the show, that he will be learning the craft from him.

“Vignesh and his rebel puppet doll Anna are really popular and Akshay is fascinated by the way he changes and throws his voice to speak for Anna. He showed an interest in learning ventriloquism and Vignesh agreed to give him some lessons. Akshay will be spending a few hours every week with him depending on his schedule and if he picks up the art quickly, he may even perform on the show,” informs a source close to the development.

Producer Ashvini Yardi, who has earlier collaborated with the Khiladi Kumar on Umesh Shukla’s OMG – Oh My God! and Prabhu Dheva’s Singh Is Bliing, confirmed the news, saying, “I have known Akshay for over a decade and his interest in learning new things never fails to fascinate me. Vignesh will be starting his lessons from this week.”

Earlier too, Akshay had learnt magic from a contestant on another talent-based reality show and performed some tricks live at the trailer launch of Kabir Sadanand’s Fugly in 2014.

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 5, 2017)

After hosting seasons 1, 2 and 4 of Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi and Dare 2 Dance in 2014, Mirror has learnt that Akshay Kumar is all set to return to television with yet another reality show. This one will be produced by filmmaker Ashvini Yardi who has earlier collaborated with the 49-year-old actor on films like Umesh Shukla’s OMG – Oh My God! and Prabhudheva’s Singh Is Bliing.

“It’s a talent-based reality show with Akshay as the judge. Prep has begun,” informs a source close to the development.

After a 20-year career in television, Ashvini formed her production house with Akshay in December 2011. When she was with Colors she was known for pathbreaking shows like Balika Vadhu, Bigg Boss and Khatron Ke Khiladi.

Priyanka Chopra took over to host the third season of Khatron Ke Khiladi before handing the baton back to Khiladi Kumar. The fifth and sixth season of the show had director Rohit Shetty at the helm who returns in season eight, taking over from Arjun Kapoor.

When Mirror contacted Ashvini she neither confirmed or denied the story, simply saying, “No comments”.

Ashvini Yardi is set to bring out a web series about two boys and a newly inherited sex toy shop
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 10, 2016)

Tis the season of risqué content on the web. After Swara Bhaskar’s series debut, It’s Not That Simple (Mirror, October 4), filmmaker Ashvini Yardi’s Boys with Toys, which was initially conceptualised as a film, is now on its way online. It centres on two brothers struggling to survive in Mumbai when they inherit a sex toy shop after a London-based uncle passes away. The duo cough up a lot of money to get the inventory from the shop, only to realise it’s not antiques or jewellery but sex toys.

A source associated with the project revealed to Mirror, “The film was to be made with Riteish Deshmukh in the lead but the makers realised the premise was too risqué for the big screen. It has now been turned into a light-hearted show that will run in the seasons format. Over 15 episodes have already been shot. Rishabh Chadda (Drishyam and Delhi Belly fame) plays the lead.”

Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; January 14, 2016)

If recent developments are an indication, Akshay Kumar and his production house partner Ashvini Yardi have apparently parted ways. The two had teamed up in 2011 to form Grazing Goat Pictures. Speculations about them going separate ways surfaced after Ashvini moved out of Akki’s recently to another office in Bandra where she floated her own banner, Viniyard (a portmanteau of her first and last names) Productions.

Ashvini met the star when he hosted an earlier season of Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi on the channel she was heading. She quit the channel to set up a production house with Akki.

Says a source, “It could be a business decision, but tongues have been wagging since Ashvini is not seen at Akshay’s production office anymore. At one time, she was the go-to person at his office. Her decision to shift out and start her own banner comes as a surprise.”

Akshay and Ashvini have produced Bollywood films like OMG: Oh My God! (2012), Fugly (2014) and Singh Is Bliing (2015) besides the Marathi film 72 Miles - Ek Pravas (2013) and the Punjabi flick Bhaji In Problem (2013). On the TV front, ongoing show Jamai Raja is produced by Grazing Goat.

While Ashvini remained unavailable for comment, a source close to her points out, “Since she has vast experience in the TV industry, she was getting a lot of offers to make TV shows. She decided to float her own banner for small screen productions. When it comes to films, she will still collaborate with Akshay Kumar.

The insider adds: “It is, however, surprising since she and Akshay had decided to collaborate not only for Bollywood, but regional films and TV shows too. The recently launched TV show Janbaaz Sindbad has only Ashvini’s name as co-producer along with Sagar Films.”

Akshay, who is busy with the promotions of his film Airlift, remained unavailable for comment.

Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; September 16, 2015)

The makers of Akshay Kumar-starrer Singh Is Bliing have apparently agreed to delete certain “objectionable” portions from the film after inviting the wrath of a section of the Sikh community. When the trailer was released last month, Akal Takht, the highest Sikh temporal authority, took offence to a dialogue that mentioned chicken, whisky, Kabaddi, bhangra, turban and the Golden Temple as the major attractions in Punjab. There were also objections to posters showing semi-clad women and the Sikh kara with Gurbani imprinted on it.

Now we hear the makers have approached the Delhi Gurudwara committee and sorted out the problem. “We held a screening of the film with the producers and members of the Gurudwara committee as well as the Censor Board. We put forth our objections and the makers agreed to remove some portions from the film,” says Jitender Singh Shunty of the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Sewa Dal.

Once the matter was settled, the Singh Is Bliing team was invited to the birth anniversary celebrations of Shahid Bhagat Singh on September 27. What’s more, Akshay will be honoured on the occasion. “The Sadbhavna award along with our traditional sword will be presented to the actor. He is expected to perform at the event along with co-stars Amy Jackson and Lara Dutta,” reveals a source.

The film’s co-producer, Ashvini Yardi says, “We have taken extra care and effort in terms of content, dialogues and the overall look in the film so as to not offend or hurt anyone’s sentiments.”

Amy Jackson, Prateik Babbar's one-time date now wants to keep the romance only for reel and concentrate on Hindi lessons
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 24, 2015)

Lara Dutta plays a translator in her next
Upala KBR (DNA; August 18, 2015)


Lara says, “I play Emily aka Imli, a Goan, who is hired by Singh (Akshay Kumar) and his friends to be a translator for them to be able to communicate with Sara (Amy). It’s funny but also quirky. I had to make an effort to look geeky and frumpy. My look was decided upon between the director, the producer and me and was executed by the film’s stylist Arun.”

Word is that she had to be convinced by Akshay to play Emily. She refutes the rumour, “He didn’t need to convince me, he just had to ask. I will never refuse a film with Akshay. Apart from anything else, I love working with Akki. He is hard working and extremely fun to work with. It’s like working with family.”

Producer Ashvini Yardi says, “Lara plays a key role in Akshay’s and Amy’s love story. She’s responsible for the chaos in their lives.”

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 13, 2015)

For the introductory song, Tung tung baje, of his upcoming film, Singh is Bliing, Akshay Kumar had to perform several stunts, one of which required him to jump through a fired up hula-hoop. And despite all the safety precautions, his leg caught fire. They managed to quickly douse the flames but Akshay sustained some burns.

"It was a freak accident which happened during the shoot in Punjab," reminisces filmmaker Ashvini Yardi. "Akshay is a daredevil and doesn't use a body double. But while filming this particular shot, his leg suddenly caught fire. We all were shocked and scared but Akshay kept his cool, quickly moved to the next take."

He was last seen in Trikal in '85, has agreed to play Amy Jackson's doting dad in Akshay Kumar's upcoming comedy
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 25, 2015)

Kunal Kapoor who was last seen on screen in 1985 as Kapitan Ribeiro/Governor in Shyam Benegal's Trikal (Past, Present, Future) has been cajoled by Ashvini Yardi to face the camera again, in her upcoming Akshay Kumar starrer, Singh Is Bliing. He will play Amy Jackson's dashing and doting dad based in Europe.

Ashvini succeeded where Salman Khan had failed. While they were shooting Jai Ho! in Romania last year, Salman tried to convince Kunal, who was line producing the film in Europe for him, to return to acting. Like he'd done with others before him, Shashi Kapoor's suave son laughed off Salman's bullying saying, "Come on, I can't go back to acting after 30 years!"

However, Ashvini who's an old friend and has done a commercial with him earlier, refused to take 'no' for an answer. Kunal was the first choice for the role and since he'd not been seen on screen for three decades, would add to the fresh cast. "She convinced me by using her charm and twisting my arm," he guffaws.

Kunal admits that while there have been plenty of offers earlier too, it was easy for him to shrug them off because he was always more interested in editing and directing. "Direction, in particular, I did not miss acting at all," he asserts.

He was launched as an actor in '82 in Vijeta produced by his father Shashi Kapoor and directed by Govind Nihalani. It also featured Shashi, Rekha, Amrish Puri and Supriya Pathak.

Vijeta is the coming-of-age story of Angad who, confused like any other teenager, is trying to find himself. Also, caught between the marital problems of his Maharashtrian mother and Punjabi father, he has to decide decide what he wants to do with his life. He chooses to become a fighter pilot with the Indian Air Force. What follows is his struggle to become a victor both in his own eyes and that of the world.

"Vijeta took a lot from me. It was a difficult shoot. I had to undergo intense training and be very fit since I played an Air Force cadet. But it was a special film and I enjoyed it, just as much as I enjoyed Utsav and Trikal for different reasons," he reminisces.

His daughter, Shaira is going to the UK to get a diploma in production designing. She was in Sri Lanka for a year working on Anurag Kashyap's Bombay Velvet.

His son, Zahan, has been assisting, also editing and directing his own films. And now is beginning to show some interest in acting too. Will he produce a film to launch Zahan as an actor and Shaira as a production designer? ""No, I won't do it to launch them. But If I do make a film and they fit the part, I might cast them," says Kunal.

So, there are plans of making a movie. "I have a few ideas," he admits. When will it roll? "I could roll tomorrow if someone gives me a cheque," he chuckles.

Woudn't he want to produce it under his father's banner? "I'm not sure, Filmwallas is dad's banner. I could do it under his banner or create a banner of my own," he muses.

For now though, the focus is on Singh is Bliing which starts shooting in 10 days. Kunal is flying off to London today on some personal work. "I believe they will be shooting in Europe. If they do, I will fly out from London directly. Or else I will come back to Mumbai and join the team where ever they are," he says.

Prod him on the role, and he admits that he's clueless. "We haven't started shooting yet. So I have no idea what my scenes are like. All I know is that the film is a comedy and I'm not playing a sardar. So, in that way it's different from Vijeta," he says.

But isn't a comedy easier than an intense film like Vijeta? "No both give me sleepless night," he quips.

Ashvini Yardi, Chandraprakash Dwivedi, Mukesh Bhatt, Shabana Azmi, Anubhav Sinha and Hansal Mehta. Pics/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
In the light of the recent Censor Board issues and the growing gap between the government and the film industry, six outspoken industry folk met to discuss what ails the system and how to redress it
Asira Tarannum (MID-DAY; March 22, 2015)

We need to find solutions to the issues which have been pending for long. Is there a communication gap between the members of the Censor Board and the producers?
Shabana Azmi: Let's look at the larger picture. In a democracy, there is freedom of expression and it has to be safeguarded as said in Article 19 of the Indian Constitution, but there is no such thing as absolute freedom. It is done with reasonable restraint even within Article 19. It, itself, celebrates the fact that all creative artistes within them have some kind of regulation which says this is not recommended for kids, etc. Now what we are looking at is basically freedom of expression rather than film certification. Three to four years ago, I had stated that we have to stop calling it the Censor Board because that suggests implicitly that your job is to censor. It is a film certification board as their job is to certify according to appropriate ages — that is their business. When you keep referring it as the Censor Board, then you keep thinking that it is my mandate and find objectionable stuff. What we have adopted as the system of film certification needs to be revisited. We are following the UK system of film certification. It means that there is one chairperson and then there are 30-odd members or how many ever members you want who are selected. They are supposed to be reasonable people from society whom you respect. There all kinds of drama people and litterateurs and not necessarily people belonging to the film fraternity — that I think is basically the fault. What happens is when my party comes into power, I choose in that board people who share my political dispensation, which essentially means that every five years we are subjecting the morality of the country to political dispensation of their rule. It is not important which party it is, but this is unacceptable for one billion people to be subject to the political dispensation of the day and the morality being judged. This is the problem. Now what can we do? I think the time is now ripe that we closely look at what USA is doing. They have a self-regulatory body that has people within the film industry and also sociologists. The business of cinema is the business of images and we know pictures speak at subliminal levels much more than any amount of words. For instance, I constantly believe that violence around the corner is suggestive and violence is far more effective than graphic violence. Why do we not start a dialogue to have a self-regulatory body from within the industry and outside? I know it is not easy nor will it happen the next day. I have been a member of the Broadcasting Content Complaint Council (BCCC) since the last three years and it has a liberal group of members. When things come to us, whether it is from the ministry or from the public, we call them and talk to them. We tell them you will shift it to the graveyard hour because it is not appropriate. So you either shift or don't show it. There has been 98 per cent compliance because people know that if it reaches the ministry they will be in trouble. My suggestion would be to overhaul the system. The Justice Mudgal Committee which was set up during the UPA government has done a lot of ground work to revisit the Cinematograph Act. We should look at it carefully. What firm proposal can we give to the ministry? It is we who are directly affected and we need to overhaul the picture as we know better.

The draft of guidelines was apparently ready in 2010, but nothing has moved on that front.
Mukesh Bhatt: As Shabana rightly says, whatever party it is, the tragedy is that the entertainment world is the last on their priority list. We don't exist on their list and are always put on the backburner.
Shabana: But we are safe also because of that. It is said that the government has no job in films, it really should not have. If we let the state start interfering beyond a point, we are doomed.
Anubhav Sinha: I had asked the Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) seminar what do you do for us? You call us an industry. Have you ever told a banking sector that you have to invest 200-crore in the entertainment industry?
Shabana: They did, of course, when we got industry status.
Anubhav: What I am saying is that there is a certificate called PG15, which has been pending in parliament for 200 years — PG15 is between A and U/A. Whenever its discussion comes up, people abuse and ask the people to sit. They are not able to sort out their issues, so expecting a PG15 certificate is difficult.
Shabana: You have come up with something important Anubhav, because we have so many people who are members of parliament. Why do we not get all the members and tell them our issues? They are expected to talk about the film industry.
Anubhav: So the first and very important thing we should do is meet all these members and put our issues in front of them. We have never spoken to them about our issues.
Hansal: When this government came into power, Prakash Javadekar, who was the I&B minister then questioned the ministry's existence. He said the I&B ministry should not exist, but why? Doesn't the I&B ministry need the lobbying and representation within the government body? If you are questioning the existence of a Central ministry for I&B, it tells you how important it is in the scheme of things.
Shabana: Why does a film institute need to be under the I&B ministry? It should be in HRD. It should have the same value that any other IIM degree has. What is the meaning of the film institute which is under the government and where they spend more than 20 lakh per student?

Anubhav, do you agree?
Anubhav: I have always been vary of too much democracy. Too much democracy is chaotic. It's a very noble thought, but I am not too sure if we can have people without agendas. We are a strange industry. We are only busy finding how much business someone else's film has done. So, I doubt people will clean-heartedly talk about a film.

But at least we will have better chances than now — where people who are far removed from the reality of what is happening.
Anubhav: Yes, that is correct. Now when I see the members, I don't know the people sitting there. How are they related to cinema?
Ashwini: I want to add to what Shabana has said about the US system. The director can always say, "I don't want to cut this as this is how I visualise my film." The producer will then say, "No, I want it like this because my business will come from there and I need a U/A." So somewhere we have to draw a line between a director and a producer.
Mukesh: I want to ask a simple question to Chandra Prakash. I am a filmmaker and give an ad in the papers that my film has an A certificate because of violence or because it's a sex comedy or because it has got lovemaking scenes. As an adult, don't I have the fundamental right to see it? I feel offended if you inflict a point decimal of a cut, as it means you are telling me that I am not a mature adult to see that. I am asking this as an audience, not even as a filmmaker. Do I have this right or not? Who gives them the power to control? A true democracy is not controlling, but regulating. There is a difference between the two. If you do controlling, then you are going the Middle East way.
Shabana: Especially when it's not for free, I am making a choice to pay and watch it.
Anubhav: These days they watch your film and say cut the violence to 50 per cent. So we take 200 per cent and then at times they say nothing. It happened with me. The length of my film was increased fearing 50 per cent cuts, but I didn't want that much of sexual content in the film. Now if I am running short of time, or I want to go to my original length, I have to go for film re-certification, but because it was only one or two minutes long, it is not much of a bother.
Mukesh: Anushka Sharma told me that for her film NH10, she was initially given a U/A certificate, but she was told the villain slaps the girl thrice, so make it just once. He is pulling her hair for three minutes, curtail it to one minute. What are you achieving by doing that? The villain is from a regressive mindset and is calling her kutti. That was asked to be removed. Forget the other stronger cuss words — even saali was removed.
Hansal: What kind of cuss word is Shivaji Maharaj? I was asked to remove that from my film.
Chandra Prakash Dwivedi: I will have to work on this for a few more months. I will collect a list of cuss words which are part of our history. Having said that, let me tell you there is not a single member on the board who does not agree with the sentiment of the Hindi film industry. Even in the first meeting, we did not have too much time to discuss on every issue. The agenda was to rectify the resolution of the first meeting. Every single word that has been spoken here has been discussed partially in the last meeting which happened in January. We, the members and the ministry, are thinking on the same lines. I don't want to drag the minister and ministry into this because it's an autonomous body. We need some more time for discussion. I am happy all this happened as a lot of people were accepting what they should have not accepted. People accept and do not go to the tribunal because it takes time. We discussed that can we fix a time for examining the revision, tribunal and then for the court? Why are there gaps of months? When MSG: The Messenger was taken up by the tribunal in a day, there was a lot of noise that there was partiality. I commented that we should be happy that the tribunal has taken it up in one day. We think the Censor Board is the final authority — it is not. Once your film goes into revision and if you have any objection to the certification, the matter goes to the tribunal. We want to get rid of this certification board. We want to evolve as a classification board as some of the members terms are over.
Mukesh: With the terms of the members getting over and the new set about to come, I want to know who are those members going to be? Are they going to be a part of one particular mindset? Are they going to have an agenda from a political party?
Hansal: What is the process of appointing the board members?
Chandra Prakash: The board is appointed by the government. Even the advisory panel is appointed the same way. For the first time, the board has requested the government that can we make some recommendations. Every board member can make a recommendation. I recommended film journalists — those who understand cinema. I have suggested some surgeons also. Whether to accept or reject is the decision of the ministry. But for the first time, on January 23, the board agreed that we will give you names of 35 people each which will be collected by the chairman and forwarded to the ministry. We have also discussed the rating system. There were certain recommendations that before we jump into the American system, lets adopt the system of UK properly. In the American board, all the members are from the film fraternity, in the UK board there are members from the industry and some representatives of the government. The board will discuss it in the next meeting. People were inclined to begin with the UK system first in the last meeting.
Shabana: But we are already following the UK system.
Chandra Prakash Dwivedi: No, not completely. There is no representation from the film industry in the board. We, by default, belong to the film industry. This has not happened that we have asked people to recommend names from the industry. Most of the people on the board this time are related to the film industry so the communication becomes easy. Certification we have also identified. About the percentage to cut, what Anubhav said, we have discussed. A point which was raised is that we should stop this negotiation. I said that's a democratic right of a director that he explains the film from his point of view. Opinions change.
Shabana: You are right. A friend, who was on the board, told me that they listen carefully the intention of the filmmaker and they change their opinion after that. I don't think you should do away with negotiation.
Anubhav: The last time I went to the board they asked me to sit. In 11 years it's the first time they asked me to sit.
Shabana: Otherwise you have to stand? What!
Anubhav: Yes, when we go inside we stand and four to five members sit and give their viewpoint.
Chandra Prakash: I revised three films and made the filmmaker comfortable. I told them don't react to what I say instantly. Take 10 minutes to think. If you do not agree to what I say, come and tell us again. People don't even know that revision is not final.
Hansal: Some people know, but they go for it because it takes a lot of time.
Chandra Prakash: So this time we made a proposal to discuss within the board and also with the minister to set up a time frame. How much time will we take to review a film? Suppose we say that this will happen within 48 hours. Probably then the producer will not hesitate to go to the Tribunal. Thankfully, the I & B minister Mr Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore understood the seriousness of the situation. He asked me what had happened earlier and how much time did it take. I told him that why can't we have a board which works on Sundays. He said that was possible.

But there are filmmakers also who don't submit films on time.
Chandra Prakash: It was discussed that we should give priority to the films releasing first. If you want to jump the queue, you pay a fee. All these recommendation will go to the board.
Mukesh: There are no budgets for the board. They are short-staffed. They don't have budgets to hire more people. As the members cannot take decisions, they are scared of whatever reasons and their work also becomes double. What can be cleared in examining, unnecessarily goes for revision. You need to do some introspection there. The revising panel are more bolder people, but you need more bolder people in the examining committee as well.

Where has this list of cuss words come from?
Chandra Prakash: In 2003, all the ROs had prepared the list which was never sent to the board and the government. Somehow someone gave this list to the chairman and he thought it was approved. The matter came to light during the meeting that it has not been approved by the board. That's why the circular was sent that it will not be implemented till the time it is reviewed and approved.

Also, in the past few years there has been lack of unity between the producers.
Mukesh: This initiative was taken by me. What has happened to Anushka can happen to us tomorrow. We are investing crores of rupees and somebody comes and interprets the guidelines with his whims and fancies that should not happen. The guidelines should be clear because today filmmaking is crores of rupees. I am investing so much money in something and I don't know towards the end, it will change into something else.
Shabana: This is also the appropriate time to discuss that we are taking on the board — that is our immediate problem. But the state has failed its duty protecting is own certificate. If you, as a state, has passed a certificate it is your business to protect it. What is the meaning of you giving me a certificate, if 10 people can get up and say we will shut your theatre? The state has to understand that it is an important issue which it doesn't. Ten people can stand outside the theatre and say that don't watch this film, but you cannot vandalise the theatre. This to me is even more violent. The media has an important role as they have to consider what role it will have on the public. A while back, Nelson Mandela had kissed me on my cheek. In the picture it appeared as if he is almost kissing on my mouth. There was some Muslim group which said there is a fatwa against Shabana Azmi and she has to apologise. It was front page news. I asked the newspaper, did you even check which group is that? What happens is when such people get a chance to be on television or in newspapers — all it requires is 10 people.
Chandra Prakash: I also want to add why 10 people from our fraternity don't stand outside the theatre against them. That also we should do. This is a law and order situation. In the matter of PK, no government interfered and said if you have a problem go to the court.
Mukesh: I want to ask this to Chandra Prakash. Can I as a filmmaker think, write and execute an adult film? Can an adult film be made without any fear psychosis?
Shabana: I don't think there is an absolute. There has to be self-regulation within you. The way the camera moves on the fragmented images of a woman's body in the item songs it commodifies and objectifies her. You cannot say, "Main tandoori murgi hoon, mujhey gatkale alchohol ke saath," and say that it is not leading to the sexualisation. In Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Katrina Kaif is a diving instructor and comes out of the water dripping wet. Never does the camera go on to her bosom or leg, it just catches her midshot as she wears her gown and you feel here is a woman who is doing her job. Filmmakers do not exercise that. Something we have to do on our own also.
Hansal: I want to know what is the definition of morality? In Dum Laga Ke Haisha, the word lesbian was muted.
Chandra Prakash: The producer should have objected. Time constraints can be an issue, I agree. There was some major cuts in my film, I fought with them. I took the certificate without a single cut. You can make an adult film, yes! There are people in the board who have said that while you are examining a film, don't look at the Cinematograph Act. I made it a point with the ministry that a member should represent India and not one particular community.
Hansal: I have written a lot of letters and have never got any reply. The answers I have got are ridiculous. One of the answers I had got was as earlier films with kissing and violence have got U/A certificate, we decided to give you a U/A certificate.
Mukesh: From this conversation, I feel we had a healthy meeting and it is heartening to know that a discussion like this is happening finally in the fraternity. I feel more assured that I can make the film. Shabana rightly said some filmmakers misuse; we should exercise self-control.
Ashwini: I wanted to bring the animal certification thing, because there is no clarity. For OMG - Oh My God! I was asked to show an okay for the ants shown. I went mental by the end of the film.
Anubhav: I had a crocodile which was computer generated. I had to use a super for that too. Ban smoking in the country if you can, then talk about censorship in films.

So, why do you think the film industry is a soft target?
Anubhav: Because we don't talk.
Shabana: Don't talk, we are crazy. We have so many MPs.
Anubhav: So who is taking responsibility of calling these MPs and setting up the meeting?

What do you think is the way forward?
Shabana: I think we should talk to the members.
Mukesh: First thing, I would like to say is thank-you and now I am going to harass you more and more because I know how much you can contribute. This is the need of the hour.
Shabana: But first you have to sensitise the MPs. Ask questions in the question hour about the film industry. What you can do is to ask Javed Akhtar to ask a question. Javed will ask 15 other people in parliament to ask supplementary questions. This is how it works. This way we can end up discussing about our industry for half an hour under the form of a question. Within six months the minister has to answer.
Anubhav: This meeting has to happen, let's do it please.
Shabana: Let's write down the names of all the MPs from the industry. Mukesh you should call the MPs and tell them what they should ask. You need some people who can compile questions because we have to send the questions two months before the session starts.
Hansal: In the way forward to change the act, it will take a lot of time. Meanwhile, we need to audit the classification and certification also. There has to be a body that should be appointed which audits compliance. We should have an internal audit also.

Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 14, 2015)

Lara Dutta Bhupathi's comeback film, post her long maternity break, will not be Fitoor, Abhi Nahi To Kabhi Nahi or her long-overdue home production Chalo China. The actress who made her Bollywood debut opposite Akshay Kumar (Andaaz), will return to the arclights with the actor's upcoming film, Singh Is Bliing.

A source close to the development told Mirror that the former Miss Universe was ready to get back to the movies but wasn't getting the right role. When Akshay, who was looking to cast a crucial role in the Prabhu Dheva-directorial, heard this he reached out to the sexy mamma.

"After listening to the narration, Lara readily agreed to come on board," the source said, adding, "She's going to be wearing glasses throughout the film and her entry turns the plot around."

Confirming this, Lara told Mirror, "Akshay has always been a special and exceptional co-star. I'm super-excited to join the cast of Singh is Bliing. What's more, there is Prabhu Dheva too, who I haven't worked with before. And I've never played a character like this. The genre of comedy is really challenging!"

The film's producer Ashvini Yardi said, "People have loved Lara and Akshay's chemistry and I'm hoping this time too, we will receive the same response. Lara's role that will take comedy to another level."

The film also stars Amy Jackson as Akshay's romantic interest. The film is gearing up for an October 2 release.