Kirti Kulhari on how her character in The Girl Ob The Train remake has been given more prominence than in the source material
Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; June 23, 2020)

Even as she continues to win praise for her performance in the second season of Four More Shots Please, Kirti Kulhari has trained her focus on her next, The Girl On The Train remake. The Parineeti Chopra-fronted psychological thriller has Kulhari play the cop investigating the murder that is at the centre of the narrative. While the source material — the Paula Hawkins novel — and the 2016 Hollywood screen adaptation dedicated little time to the character, Kulhari says director Ribhu Dasgupta has fleshed it out in the Hindi version.

"It's my second outing with Ribhu. He wanted me to be part of the film after seeing my performance in Bard Of Blood [2019]. While the scope of the character was quite limited in the original, Ribhu has developed my role further in the film. Now, it is almost a parallel track [to the protagonist]," reveals Kulhari.

With several films seeking a digital premiere due to Coronavirus lockdown, buzz suggests that the thriller too may explore the route. "We had a word with the director, but, [the decision rests with] Reliance Entertainment [producer]. Right now, everyone is gauging the market and trying to determine what the next six months [will bring]."

Kavita Awaasthi (HINDUSTAN TIMES; December 25, 2019)

With films such as Raman Raghav 2.0 (2016), Chef (2017) and Kaalakaandi (2018), she has had quite an unconventional journey in Bollywood, so far. But switch to web, and Sobhita Dhulipala turned out to be a force to reckon with after starring in drama series, Made In Heaven, that shot her to instant fame.

“Encouraged and motivated by the good 2019 that was”, Sobhita was also seen in Shah Rukh Khan’s web production, Bard Of Blood, and a thriller, The Body, alongside Emraan Hashmi. “I had shot for these projects in the last couple of years, so it is a huge sense of relief that my work is out there. I could only hope that people like it. After Made In Heaven, Bard Of Blood and The Body, I have understood that some things are received well while others come and go,” she says.

Sobhita has a lot of gratitude that Made In Heaven did well. “It is a progressive show that motivates me as an artiste. People have been kind in acknowledging and appreciating my work.”

Looking up, with the horror anthology, Ghost Stories, Made In Heaven Season 2, a Malayalam film with Dulquer Salmaan, and another film with Ronnie Screwvala’s production, Sobhita has a packed 2020. She admits her desire to play parts that are relevant and relatable. “In any project, what works for me is when the writing is a bit relevant with today’s times and I can connect to it. I am a consumer of cinema, so if it is relatable, I enjoy it more. I also love it when there is some social commentary in the script. Right now, I want to work day and night, and never eat or sleep. I want to work like a maniac,” she quips.

After three films, her role in Made In Heaven allowed others to see her in a “certain light” and hence, cast her in roles they might not have considered her for earlier.

“Everyone has their own journey, and I am enjoying mine. I am not struggling or striving to belong. If I try to be like others, neither will I do a good job nor will I enjoy my journey. I will be unhappy and insecure. I stay balanced by spending time with my family, friends and my books. So, most of my attention is on my work and my space, and not about feeling threatened. I actively work towards that as otherwise, it is a negative space to be in,” shares Sobhita.

Titas Chowdhury (HINDUSTAN TIMES; December 22, 2019)

Actor Viineet Kumar has been working continuously. “Yes, I haven’t had time off since August, 2018,” says the actor, who has shot for seven projects over the last one year. So, the Gangs Of Wasseypur (2012) actor had recently flown to Goa for a mini vacation with his sister. “After shooting for the Hindi remake of Thiruttu Payale 2, I headed to Goa. It was my sister’s birthday and we had a small celebration there. The last few days of the shoot drained me completely as I couldn’t get enough sleep. I was mentally exhausted as well,” he says.

The vacation proved to be therapeutic for the actor. He shares, “I wanted to go to the mountains because they are very peaceful. But I had to listen to my sister. I spent my time at the beaches of Goa, watching sunsets and gazing at the starry skies at night.”

He further adds, “For the past year, I had been working on Bard Of Blood, Aadhaar, Saand Ki Aankh, Tryst With Destiny, Betaal, Gunjan Saxena – The Kargil Girl, and the Hindi remake of Thiruttu Payale 2. And so, I wanted to slow down the momentum, contemplate on life and prepare myself for the road ahead.”

Viineet says that the vacation was a stress buster for him, as some characters that he played took an emotional toll on him. “After playing certain characters, you feel completely drained. A break helps one maintain their sanity and helps strike a balance between personal and professional lives,” says the Gold (2018) actor.

He, however, wishes he could’ve extended his stay in Goa a while longer. “Soon, I started getting calls and I had to go back to reading scripts. I don’t know when leisure turned into business. After Mukkabaaz (2017), I was reading scripts for six months without taking any break. I wanted to experiment with my films and characters and I ended up committing myself to too many projects. So, leaving one character behind and moving on to the next became a taxing process,” he signs off.

Kavita Awaasthi (HINDUSTAN TIMES; November 28, 2019)

“I am scared, nervous and excited,” says Emraan Hashmi — the actor who is all geared up for his next release, the spine-chilling thriller The Body.

“When you put in your creative efforts in a film, you hope that the audience appreciates it and come in huge numbers to see the work,” says Emraan. In the past two years, though the actor has been shooting for his web show, Bard Of Blood (BOB) and two other movies, he has been away from the public eye. However, the 40-year-old actor didn’t feel that way. He says, “When I meet the media, I do feel that thoda lamba break ho gaya hai. I was shooting non-stop for The Body co-starring Rishi ji (Kapoor), then we took a break for his health. Then, I was shooting for BOB, which took nine months. My past few releases, Azhar (2016), Baadshaho (2017), and this year’s Why Cheat India, didn’t work that well. Now, I’m working on Chehre, Ezra, Vayusena and Mumbai Saga, so you will see more of me.”

The actor says that there’s a conscious effort on his part to do more work, but doesn’t want to compromise on the quality of the roles. “It just happens that I got some good roles and couldn’t say no,” he adds.

Once tagged as the ‘serial kisser’, Emraan has seen tremendous success in his career and has a huge fan following. Ask him how has the nature of fame changed over the years and he says, “Today, stardom isn’t confined to films, music or sports. We have YouTube, social media celebrities. Earlier, there was an enigma about actors as information about stars was circulated via film magazines or a couple of TV shows only. Today, people are comfortable about putting their life out on social media. While we are used to social media now, this too will change. Maybe with AI, we will interact with stars through virtual reality. There will be a paradigm shift in the way we consume tech. It might be drastic. In fact, I find social media scary. However, I’m an adapter and try to keep up with technology.”

Emraan,who began his career with massy films such as Raaz (2002), Murder (2004), Zeher (2005), says, “I benefitted greatly from those roles, but then there was a time to move on. It was a risk to try something new because the industry doesn’t want you to change. But as a creative person, you have to take up challenges.”

Emraan is glad that he did BOB which was “a step in that direction”. He says, “Most of the industry doesn’t want to venture into OTT, but I’m one of few actors who have tried their hand at it. When I took on BOB, I felt it would be give me an international audience. Also this subject wouldn’t have been made for cinema.”

Arguing that Bard Of Blood wasn't targeted at urbane audience, Emraan Hashmi says its success has spawned new season
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; November 28, 2019)

"As an audience, I genuinely liked the show," begins Emraan Hashmi when we ask him about Bard Of Blood, the Netflix original series that marked his web debut earlier this year. The espionage thriller, which arrived amidst much hype earlier this year, is gearing up for a second season. "The [initial] work has begun. We don't have a date yet, but we'll probably start shooting sometime mid-next year. The first season was entirely inspired from Bilal's [Siddiqi] book. But now, we will go beyond the book, using the cliffhanger of the final episode as our cue," shares the actor.

Although its cinematography and engaging performances won praise, the seven-part thriller — which marked the first digital offering from Shah Rukh Khan's stable, Red Chillies Entertainment — received a lukewarm response. Bring this up with Hashmi, and he asserts that the show achieved the goals that it set out to.

"One has to understand the agenda behind the show. It was made to penetrate into the mass segments while maintaining international standards. Because of this brief, there was exposition in the show, which didn't sit well with the elite audience. Only five per cent of the audience shot holes in the series. If we would have tried to appease them, we would have lost the masses. If we [designed it] to appease the metro audience, we'd lose out on a major chunk of, say, North India. Netflix doesn't give out numbers, but they are happy to have penetrated into segments that they weren't able to, six months back."

Titas Chowdhury (HINDUSTAN TIMES; October 25, 2019)

2019 has been a year of highs for Kirti Kulhari. The actor starred in two of the biggest films of the year, URI: The Surgical Strike and Mission Mangal. Her performances have been lauded but Kirti is in no mood to rest on her laurels. “I’m quite grounded and don’t get carried away with success. That comes from the maturity and the way I’ve dealt with life. I feel grateful and elated, but the last few years have taught me to move on, be it from success or failure. While I feel blessed with the way 2019 has turned out, what I’m thinking right now is what’s next,” she says.

The films created a roar at the box office and crossed the coveted ₹200 crore mark. But Kirti doesn’t believe in gauging success with box office numbers. “Thankfully, there’s a distinction between how the world views my success and how I view it. Box office success is not the only definition of success for me. But it does strengthen your position as an artiste. It also increases your market value and ultimately, bigger and better things come your way,” she grins.

So, what has really changed for the actor? “Now I’m considered one of the better actors in the industry. Nobody can deny that. People don’t offer me random things anymore. They know that if there’s anything less than good, I’ll not do it. My credibility has gone notches up. I’ve consistently proven that I’m capable,” she says.

What made 2019 even more special for Kirti were her web series, Four More Shots Please! and Bard Of Blood. Sharing her thoughts on the digital boom, she says, “I follow my heart and a little bit of my mind to do work that gets me excited. With the current wave of OTT, the content it is bringing and the way the audience is receiving it worldwide, it would be stupid of me to say that I’ll not do a web series,” she adds.

Her next, The Girl On The Train will see her in a new avatar. “I will don a look in it that people have never seen in Indian cinema. I finished shooting for it. All of it was shot in London. I’m playing a British investigative cop in it,” says an excited Kirti.

Kirti Kulhari on juggling two mediums as she wraps up the shoot of The Girl On The Train and Four More Shots 2
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; October 9, 2019)

It has been a hectic few months for Kirti Kulhari as she shot for two projects back-to-back — the second season of Four More Shots Please followed by The Girl On The Train remake with Parineeti Chopra. Tell her she seems to have struck that elusive balance between digital and big screen offerings, and the actor says that juggling the two media can be "quite a handful. Nowadays, most filmmakers shoot on a start-to-finish schedule, which takes about 30 to 40 days. So, films get wrapped up faster. The shoot of web series, on the other hand, goes on for almost six months. Four More Shots took five months to complete. In that sense, web shows are more exhausting than films."

But Kulhari, who was also recently seen in Bard Of Blood, agrees that the advent of OTT platforms has enabled actors to explore varied subjects. "Now, actors have exciting parts to play, thanks to fantastic writing. As an artiste, I like to experiment, and Bard... gave me a chance to play a Balochi girl. Personally, it was an exciting project as I love espionage dramas."

Dhaval Mehta (DNA; October 5, 2019)

Viineet Kumar made a foray into Bollywood in January last year with Anurag Kashyap’s Mukkabaaz. However, one cannot consider him a newbie because he has been around for almost two decades. The actor, though, emphasises that his innings only began in the first month of 2018. “For 14 years, I was writing Mukkabaaz and it released in my 18th year. So, I’ve been slogging it out for 19 years. But I only consider myself 18 months old in the industry. I’ve used all that experience in my acting,” says the actor-writer. Now, the tide has turned as he has Saand Ki Aankh (SKA), Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl and Aadhaar lined up. “Mukkabaaz is one film that has given me 10 years of my life back,” says Viineet, as he talks about the six releases in the next seven months.

Tell us about your character in Saand Ki Aankh?
I play the role of Dr Yashpal, who belongs to the profession of shooting. He returns to and wants to contribute to his village in some way. He knew that Daadis (Chandro Tomar and Prakashi Tomar) had this talent and if they are trained well, something good could happen. If not for my character, Daadis couldn’t have won their first medal. So, it is a pivotal part. Also, I am happy the trailer has been appreciated.

But it also faced flak for casting Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar as older characters...
Honestly, I read the script and was only concerned with what I was doing in the film. Casting is not my domain. It is the prerogative of the filmmaker. Even in the past, we have seen many actors portray older characters and they have been appreciated. This issue can be good for debate and many people can have different takes on it.

How much does it help as an actor to work with different personalities like Anurag Kashyap, Akshay Kumar, Reema Kagti and Tushar Hiranandani?
As an actor, it was important for me to work with different directors. Most people were under the impression that I only work with Anurag sir. I’ve learnt a lot from him and become a better actor. I try to fulfil the expectation of my director. It is good to collaborate with different directors and I am also getting repeated for their next projects.

How was it filming for the Bard Of Blood?
It was great but the weather was difficult in Ladakh as the temperatures were in the range of -8 degrees and -12 degrees centigrade from 4 degrees. We have grown up watching the works of Shah Rukh (Khan) saab and learned so much from him. It was nice working with Emraan (Hashmi), Jaideep (Ahlawat), Sobhita (Dhulipala) and Kirti (Kulhari).

You have spoken about struggling to get all this work. How did you deal with it and did you have a backup plan?
During difficult times, my father used to say, ‘Haariyon ne himmat, bigadiyo ne Hari naam’, which means never give up and always believe in the power of God. And I was not even given the opportunity to show my talent then how could I give up? I believed whenever I'd get a chance, I’d prove my mettle.

How important is screen presence vis-a-vis character while choosing a project?
I’m not afraid to experiment with my roles. When I choose a film, I’m concerned with the script, director, producer and what I am doing in the project. A good director can make an average script magical as it is their medium. I come with all my preparation but follow the script and director. It’s the filmmaker’s prerogative how he utilises me.

Co-star Viineet Kumar backs casting of Taapsee, Bhumi as 60-year-olds in Saand Ki Aankh
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; October 4, 2019)

Even as select veteran actors, including Neena Gupta, had questioned the decision of the makers of Saand Ki Aankh to rope in young female actors for the role of 60-year-old sharp shooters Chandro and Prakshi Tomar, cast member Viineet Kumar Singh says the trend isn’t new in cinema.

“There have been many films that had young actors portraying older characters. Saaransh [Anupam Kher], Lamhe [Anil Kapoor] and Lincoln [Daniel Day-Lewis], are a few of them. All of these actors were appreciated. I’d urge people to make a judgement after watching the film, instead of harbouring any pre-conceived notions,” says Singh, who slips into the role of a coach to the shooters, played by Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar.

Singh, who’s last release Bard Of Blood has received mixed reviews, says he has been receiving praise for his small but vital act of a RAW intelligence officer sent on a covert mission to Balochistan, in the Netflix offering. “I was looking forward to doing something on a streaming platform for a while. With this offering, I could see that my character, Veer, had something important [to offer].”

For Singh, green-lighting a Shah Rukh Khan production was also nostalgic. He recalls how as a participant of a reality show 17 years ago, he had received praise from Khan for his “zabardaast” act. “So, doing this show felt like an achievement.”

Singh has the Janhvi Kapoor-starrer Gunjan Saxena biopic, and another Netflix show, Betaal, in the pipeline.

Emraan Hashmi, who makes his digital debut with Bard Of Blood, now wants to surprise the audience and begin anew
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; September 29, 2019)

He feels his sugar level is dipping. Emraan Hashmi's already given some 15 interviews and has more lined up. The actor deliberates over candy or perhaps a hot cup of coffee to recharge his batteries.

We are with him at a Lower Parel hotel where he is promoting his digital debut, Bard Of Blood. Last seen in Why Cheat India earlier this year, Hashmi is the latest Bollywood star to jump onto the digital bandwagon with the Netflix series. The actor says he "was not apprehensive about taking the web route. It is just something that did not cross my mind earlier. Initially, there is always resistance to something new."

Bard Of Blood, which also marks Shah Rukh Khan's digital debut as producer, is based on Bilal Siddiqi's 2015 novel of the same name. "I knew Bilal and we used to talk about bringing the spy thriller alive on the screen. We would often discuss the names of the actors who could play the protagonist."

Siddiqi co-wrote Hashmi's book, The Kiss of Life, an autobiographical account of how the actor coped when his son Ayan was diagnosed with cancer. "So when the project was taking shape, Bilal suggested I give it a shot as I had not explored the medium or played a character of an espionage agent before," he says.

Hashmi took it up "as a challenge to test my skills as an actor. I can't be doing the same stuff all my life. An actor has to keep reinventing himself. A film has its space, it is something you are familiar with, but the web world is a different ball game. At the end of the day, you have to test your skills as an actor."

In Bard Of Blood, Hashmi plays Kabir, a former Indian spy who now teaches William Shakespeare to school students. "People have a certain image of me. The last thing that anyone would imagine was me speaking Shakespearean language." This was yet another reason for him to take the plunge. "I would not have got a Bollywood film of this nature in which the characters are so nuanced and detailed. Something that is real and entertaining where the focus is only on the story. I wanted to go into a direction in which something new is expected of me."



Ever since he experienced success with films like Murder (2004), Aashiq Banaya Aapne (2005) and Gangster (2006), Hashmi became to be known as Bollywood's serial kisser having locked lips with all his heroines. Hashmi, 40, says, "Some 10 years down the line, I don't want to be that guy who puckers up with girls half his age on screen. Back then, I was some sort of a cultural phenomenon. We, Indians, are not open about sex and kissing though today's kids are. It is still something that is discussed in hushed tones. So, I became this guy who made all their fantasies come true." He says it "is difficult but not impossible to shed this screen persona. I want to deconstruct myself and start afresh. I want to constantly remind the audience that I can do this as well." He hopes that his upcoming slate of films, which include The Body, Mumbai Saga, Chehre and Ezra does so.

Hashmi is also synonymous with having chartbusters, "make that Sufi songs," he says in his films. "Imagine if I had to break into a song every few minutes in Bard Of Blood, except for India no other Netflix viewer from around the globe would stay tuned. They would most likely switch off. Now, I don't miss the song and dance. I have moved on," he says.

From Book To Screen
Author Bilal Siddiqi on whose book Bard Of Blood is based was interning with Shah Rukh Khan’s production house, Red Chillies, when a casual conversation about the spy thriller resulted in making it into a web series. He presented the book to SRK who liked it. "He was contemplating getting into the digital medium and felt this was apt. Everyone liked the conflict in the title. You don’t associate William Shakespeare with blood," says Siddiqi.

Director Ribhu Dasgupta, who recently wrapped up the Parineeti Chopra starrer The Girl On The Train, makes his digital debut with the seven-episode show. He says, "I had not read Bilal’s book till I was on board to helm the series. What attracted me was the genre as I am inclined to thrillers. The way it was written, it was visually rich, which made it ideal for a screen adaptation. We shot extensively in New Delhi, Rajasthan and Ladakh in freezing cold," says Dasgupta who has also directed the Amitabh Bachchan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui-starrer Te3n (2016). "The audience usually binge watches web shows, so each episode has to be captivating in order that they continue viewing," he says.

Adds Gaurav Verma of Red Chillies, "We spent a lot of time in pre-production as we wanted to cast actors who have not done anything similar before. We were all working together for the first time so we wanted the approach to be new and interesting."


Ribhu Dasgupta, Gaurav Verma, Shah Rukh Khan and Bilal Siddiqi

Headlining web shows Made In Heaven and Bard Of Blood, Sobhita Dhulipala discusses taking the unconventional route to Bollywood
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; September 27, 2019)

After Made In Heaven made her a bona fide star, critics and audience have been keenly watching the next move of Sobhita Dhulipala. To her credit, she hasn't disappointed. If her Malayalam film, Moothon, recently did the rounds of Toronto International Film Festival, her digital outing, Bard Of Blood — that drops online today — too has generated buzz. The espionage thriller sees her as Isha Khanna, an analyst in the Intelligence Wing. "Since I have never attempted this genre before, I was instantly attracted to the script," she begins.

Point out that she has earned a place in two of the biggest digital offerings of the year, and she says, "When I signed Made In Heaven, I had no idea about the web world. I signed it before the digital medium boomed. It's an edgy show, so we had no clue how it would be received. It was a creative gamble. Every project I have done, right from my first film Raman Raghav 2.0 (2016), has been a creative gamble."

The move has paid off — up next, Dhulipala will be seen in The Body, opposite Emraan Hashmi, and the anthology, Ghost Stories. Taking the unconventional route to Bollywood, however, did not happen by design. "In the beginning of your career, you are not spoilt for choice. You can only choose not to be part of something you don't believe in," she reasons.

If her choice of projects are uncharacteristic of Hindi cinema actors, she has Anurag Kashyap to thank. "Working with him was like character building. He moulded my understanding of cinema. Raman Raghav 2.0 opened at Cannes and my visit to the film festival changed my worldview."

Mukkabaaz fame Viineet makes a case for OTT platforms as he debuts with Bard Of Blood
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; August 26, 2019)

“All my life, I have wanted to adopt Mr Bachchan’s gait. After the trailer released, someone told me that there’s such intensity in my scenes that they were reminded of Bachchan saab. That’s the best compliment,” gushes Viineet Kumar Singh. The actor, who shot to fame with his boxer act in Mukkabaaz last year, has another promising project in Bard Of Blood. The Netflix show has him play a spy who is sent on a rescue mission to Balochistan.

Describing his character Veer Singh as “a shape-shifter”, the actor says it took him a while to internalise the unpredictable nature of his part. “Veer is shrewd and unpredictable. For this character, I had to understand a spy’s state of mind. I was provided with reading material for that. Veer’s language is integral — he sounds like a local and has been functioning covertly in the region [Balochistan]. So, I had to learn a particular dialect of Pashto for the show.”

The thriller, which stars Emraan Hashmi, marks his foray into the digital space. Pointing out that the OTT platform offers a wider reach, Singh adds, “It’s my chance to showcase my work to audience in 190 countries. I am here because of my love for acting. From Benaras to Mumbai, my journey has been to pursue my passion. People talk so much about how OTT is different from movies, but honestly, it isn’t. It’s shot with the same vigour. The best thing is that the medium allows an actor to delve deeper into his part and have a larger character arc.”

Emraan Hashmi on foraying into the web with Shah Rukh Khan-backed spy thriller, Bard Of Blood
MID-DAY (August 22, 2019)

Given his experimental streak, it was only a matter of time before Emraan Hashmi would dive into the digital world. Almost a year after he announced his first collaboration with Netflix, the actor is ready with Bard Of Blood, a web series based on Bilal Siddiqi's book by the same name. The spy thriller also has the distinction of being the first original developed by Shah Rukh Khan's stable, Red Chillies Entertainment, for the streaming giant. mid-day was privy to the first look of the Ribhu Dasgupta-directed series, the trailer of which drops online today.

"You will first spot Kabir Anand in Mumbai as a literature professor, teaching Shakespeare in college. He is then reluctantly pulled into the battlefield because of a certain situation," begins Hashmi of his character, a former spy who has swapped guns and a gritty life for a peaceful existence as a professor in the remote mountains of Panchgani. However, a call from the PMO thrusts him back to the unforgiving terrain of Balochistan where he has to rescue four Indian Intelligence Wing (IIW) officers who have been captured. The actor adds that his character's troubled backstory adds to the layered narrative, that also features Sobhita Dhulipala, Kirti Kulhari and Vineet Kumar Singh in pivotal roles.

No subject has been off-limits for Hashmi whose eclectic filmography makes room for a middle-of-the-road film Shanghai (2012) as well as a mainstream and commercial fare like the Raaz series. The actor admits that it is his creative pursuit that has made him explore the OTT platform. "I've always believed that in movies, because of the very nature of the business, there are a few stereotypes that one has to abide by. That is not the case here. One can try out nice and experimental ideas with a platform like this. I probably consume more than 80 to 90 per cent of my media through Netflix."

Deepali Singh (DNA; April 4, 2019)

Tell Sobhita Dhulipala that the recognition she has managed to achieve with her web series Made In Heaven is something that even her three earlier films, Raman Raghav 2.0 (2016), Kaalakaandi (2017) and Chef (2017) could not do, and she laughs. She says, “It does feel great that a piece of work I have done has reached out to so many people. But it’s so funny because I have done honest work in everything I have been a part of. That’s why when people ask me where I have suddenly come from, I reply, ‘I was around only, but no one was looking.’ With a couple of projects in her kitty — probably even a second season of the show — the former model informs us that she wants to constantly surprise herself with her choices. Excerpts from a chat with her...

People have binge-watched the show...
Yes, and that’s a huge compliment. When I read the script, I was surprised to see how it juxtaposed the grandeur of people’s ambitions and their lifestyles against the inadequacies of the simplest human needs. It’s such a paradox. It was nice to have something that reflects the truth of our times.

Your character, Tara Khanna, is so layered. How did you get into the head of this complex personality?
To be frank, it was liberating to play such a flawed character. We are so caught up with the idea of heroes and villains, that we think there is no scope for grey at all. But, in reality, we are all grey, depending on our level of emotional stability and security. All of us feel jealousy, disappointment as well as excitement, and to have a character that embodied these emotions, and to be so unapologetic about it, was a delight. Here is somebody who is like a lot of us, who is very ambitious but at the same time, really vulnerable. It was a beautiful learning experience for me.

Has the show resulted in more offers for films or web series?
There are conversations that have begun, but nothing has been completely locked yet.

You will be seen in the web series, Bard Of Blood. Can you tell us about that?
The screenplay is like an evolved version of the book. Also, some of the character dynamics are altered and it’s a completely different terrain in terms of the conflict and from what I have done before. I have done action for the first time in my life and I was surprised to find that I really enjoyed it and was actually good at it (smiles)!

You’re also in The Body with Emraan Hashmi and Rishi Kapoor.
Yes, I play a mysterious and layered character. You would like to dislike her, but you also understand her. It allowed me to deliver a nuanced performance.

Speculations are rife that you’re doing the Hindi remake of the Tamil film Kanchana with Akshay Kumar...
I was shooting for the Bard Of Blood in Rajasthan when someone sent me a congratulatory message. I replied with a ‘thank you’, but added a question mark to it. They wrote back saying it’s for the Kanchana remake that I was doing. So, I sent one more question mark back and googled myself. A similar thing had happened with Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior as well. I’m not doing it (Kanchana), but I’m quite amused with these rumours (laughs).

With a hit show behind her and another biggie in Bard Of Blood, girl-of-the-moment Sobhita Dhulipala on what makes her tick 
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; April 2, 2019)

“So am I famous now? I am at home, doing my laundry, and have no idea what’s happening outside,” quips Sobhita Dhulipala, the luminous lead of Amazon Prime’s much-loved series, Made In Heaven, and the Internet’s latest darling. As netizens binged on the relationship drama, Dhulipala’s character Tara Khanna — cut-throat yet with a strong conscience, gold-digger yet achingly guileless at times — became fodder for debate. The actor’s analysis of her muse is clear. “I saw Tara as unapologetic. Her flaws make her real. People have the tendency to categorise others into villains or heroes. But the truth is, we all think and do things that aren’t nice.”

Even as she is excited about the appreciation coming her way, the actor, 26, is already looking forward to Bard Of Blood, Netflix’s next original starring Emraan Hashmi. “Bilal [Siddiqi, author of The Bard Of Blood] is also part of the screenplay process. The writers were strict about actors not reading the book. The screenplay is an evolved version of the material. Moreover, the character dynamics have been altered.”

The espionage thriller is her second successive project with Hashmi after The Body. “The man is so different from his image of a serial kisser. For him, I am a bro,” she laughs.

With interesting projects in the pipeline, this might just be Dhulipala’s year. Point out that she went missing in action after a promising debut with Raman Raghav 2.0 (2016), and she says with an endearing naivety, “I don’t have the objectivity to understand screen gaps, or when people remember me and when they don’t. With me, it has always been about feeling assured as an actor. I had a nomination at the Cannes Film Festival with my first movie. I just want to do work that resonates with me.”

That she knows her craft is evident in the fact that the likes of Anurag Kashyap and Zoya Akhtar have placed their trust in her. She sparkled even in blink-and-miss role in Chef (2017) and a supporting part in Kaalakaandi (2018). Deconstructing the process to slip into roles, she reveals, “I prepare by being vulnerable, which is difficult, because the world will give you reasons to be cynical. But in order to get the true essence of the part, I am willing to put myself out there and cause emotional damage to myself. As an actor, if you can’t do that, it’s better to be an investment banker.”

As we wrap up the interview, Dhulipala admits that much like the audience, she too has her fingers crossed about the second season of Made In Heaven. “It’s still at the brainstorming stage. I can’t wait to strap on my heels, apply a lip colour and rock it again.”

Bollywood is quite ruthless or some would say, practical. An actor’s box office track record plays a very important role in determining if the actor will survive in the rat race or fade into oblivion. Several actors, who were once ruling or were ‘the next big thing’ have stopped getting work after giving back to back flops. A few of them are still securing films for ‘nepotism’ reasons or for having solid connections. But an actor who stands out in this regard is definitely Emraan Hashmi.

The actor started out in a big way. He is credited as the pioneer of making sex and kissing scenes mainstream in Bollywood. Earlier, it was only B-grade films that would mostly deal with skin show. However, with his second film Murder, it all changed. It was a fully A-grade film and yet had some scintillating lovemaking sequences, with co-actor Mallika Sherawat. The fact that it had super-hit music also helped in getting audiences to cinemas in large numbers. Not just frontbenchers but all sections of society gave the film thumbs up. As a result, the film that was made on a shoestring budget earned almost five times its investment. It made it clear that audiences are ready for bold content and thus began the trend of A-grade actors and actresses shedding their clothes and inhibitions on screen.

As for Emraan Hashmi, he repeated his act in many other films. He mostly played morally wrong, twisted, rebellious character that has a way with women. As a result, the masses whole-heartedly accepted him with open arms! I remember watching Baadshaho two years back on the first day at Mumbai’s premiere single screen complex, Gaiety-Galaxy. Emraan himself came there during the intermission and the way the crowd went berserk was seen to be believed! It was as if an actor of Salman Khan’s stardom was present in the auditorium! And Emraan enjoyed this popularity even when his films were failing.

The initial phase of his career was more or less fine. There came a point in 2006-07 when lot of his films flopped. But with the super-success of Jannat in 2008, his career got a new lease of life. He then followed it up with more hit films like Raaz: The Mystery Continues, Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, Murder 2, The Dirty Picture and Jannat 2. With Raaz 3 in 2012, he reached the pinnacle of success and everyone thought sky would be the limit for him. Alas, the opposite happened. After Raaz 3, he acted in 11 films out of which only Ek Thi Daayan was an average grosser. The rest of the 10 films were all flops! Some of the films were not masala, which is his forte, and he tried his hands in experimental cinema. Then there were two films – Rush and Ungli – that were delayed. But the rest of the films like Raja Natwarlal, Raaz Reboot, Azhar, Mr X, Baadshaho etc were all conventional, mainstream films. But none of these films had a well-written script. Even the music score, once his forte, in these films wasn’t up to the mark. His last film released recently, Why Cheat India. It was an important film for him as he had turned producer. Unfortunately, the film never opened well due to lack of buzz. Public reaction was negative due to which it couldn’t even cross Rs. 10 crore!

Despite such failures, Emraan Hashmi is not yet out and is going nowhere. He has an important film in his kitty, The Body. It is the remake of the Spanish film of the same name and is directed by Jeethu Joseph, who directed the original Drishyam. Besides Emraan, it also stars Rishi Kapoor and Sobhita Dhulipala, the latter who is making waves at presence thanks to her web show Made In Heaven. Recently, another remake of a Spanish thriller Badla did roaring business at the box office and it remains to be seen if The Body also gets similar kind of success. And post the debacle of Why Cheat India, Emraan was signed on for another exciting film, titled Barf. It co-stars none other than mega star Amitabh Bachchan. This is a courtroom drama and it also features Annu Kapoor and Saurabh Shukla.

And that’s not all. Emraan Hashmi is also simultaneously working on the Netflix show, Bard Of Blood. It is adapted from a book of the same name and is backed by Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment. It will be aired this year and is expected to be a rage, on the lines of last year’s Sacred Games. This web series starred Saif Ali Khan who surprisingly also had a similar journey like Emraan Hashmi. Even his films didn’t work back to back and finally he tasted success on the OTT platform. At the same time, his film Baazaar was his rare success after ages. It remains to be seen if Emraan also has a similar trajectory. He is a fine performer and as a person, he has been no-nonsense and non-controversial. As he turns 40 today, we give him our best wishes and here’s hoping he continues to get work and that he continues to entertain us!

Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; January 10, 2019)

Besides being the first Netflix original from Shah Rukh Khan’s stable, Bard Of Blood enjoys another distinction. The spy thriller, an adaptation of Bilal Siddiqi’s book by the same name, also marks Emraan Hashmi’s foray into the digital space.

The actor asserts that the dynamics of the OTT platform are markedly different from that of Hindi cinema. “It’s like shooting three films simultaneously. We have seven episodes, each 45-minute-long,” says Hashmi of the show that has him play a former R&AW agent, who is recalled from his new life as a Shakespeare professor, to save his country.

Although a spy thriller on the surface, Hashmi points out that the makers need to adopt a different tonality when creating content for a global audience. “We are catering to 190 countries; so, the concept of ‘Indianising’ things doesn’t apply here. It has to be real; It can’t be illogical and jingoistic like most of our films.”

Hashmi is no stranger to Siddiqi’s works, having co-written The Kiss Of Life [Hashmi’s book chronicling his son’s battle with cancer] with him. He says he couldn’t have asked for a better debut vehicle. “When Red Chillies offered the show, they felt I might have reservations about foraying into the OTT platform. I had already read the book, and when I read the first three episodes of the adaptation, I decided to give it a shot.”

The actor — who will be seen next in Cheat India — adds that the show is likely to drop online by August-end.