As told to Akash Bhatnagar (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 21, 2020)

I was always inclined towards production and direction, no one ever imagined I’d become an actress. I was in the eighth standard when I started assisting dad (filmmaker Ravi Tandon) during vacations. When I was in the tenth standard, I got a call from ace photographer Shantanu Sheorey’s assistant Amrita Sehgal. They were looking for new models and wanted to do a photoshoot with me. I told her my dad will get back to them and forgot all about it. But she was persistent and promised me a portfolio by Shantanu, which is when I spoke to dad who left the choice to me. And I finally said “yes” to Amrita.

Those pictures went around, and I got my first ad for a shampoo brand. I interned with ad guru Prahlad Kakkar during my summer break and after graduating, joined him full time. I became the in-house model who would fill up for absentees. I was still just a lowly assistant, but everyone would tell me I was made for the screen. I didn’t take them seriously.

Then, one day, while hanging out with friends at a pizzeria, I was spotted by the late director Anant Balani and Vivek Vaswani. They recognised me as Ravi Tandon’s daughter and got in touch with producer G P Sippy saab. I’d done a couple of ads with Salman’s (Khan) friend, Bunty Walia, who was also a model then. A few days later, when I was shooting for an ad in Bandra, Bunty called, asking me to step out of the studio. Outside, he wondered if I’d do a film with Salman, who was also there with him. I was so shocked, I only mumbled that I’d have to ask dad. Vivek and Sippy saab called him and before I knew it, I was signed for Patthar Ke Phool.

I’d been offered a couple of films before that, including Fateh, Heer Ranjha, Jungle and a project by Anwar Ali. I refused all of them and only gave my nod to Patthar Ke Phool because my colleagues were huge Salman fans and told me they would swing by my set to watch him from far. After that, I could quit acting if I wanted to.

Two days after I gave my nod, we had a photoshoot with Sheena, Ramesh Sippy’s daughter. I didn’t even have a stylist and had to wear Sheena’s clothes. I didn’t even get a makeup man and had never acted in my life. They made it easy for me. For the first shot, I had to excitedly walk into the living room with a “Hi Daddy”. It still took five takes to be okayed, but Manohar Singh ji, who was playing my dad, was very sweet and encouraging.

After a couple of scenes with him, they moved on to some songs with Salman. I had no training in dance and only after we started shooting, I joined Kathak maestro Gopi Krishna ji to learn adas and expressions for two months. While I was shooting those songs, I was simultaneously giving my first-year junior college exams. Choreographers Chinni Prakash ji and Rekha still remind me how I’d bring my textbooks to the set and study in a corner.

Salman and I first shot for the skating song, “Tumse Jo Dekhte Hi”, and had our first childish squabble while doing a photo shoot for “Kabhi Tu Chaliya Lagta Hai” over bubble gum.

Indu Mirani (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 27, 2018)

Every Sunday at 5.30 pm, an ordinary football ground, be it at St Stanislaus or St Andrews, both in Bandra, morphs into eye candy nation. That’s when huge SUVs draw up and disgorge young, athletic, fit and stunningly good-looking men: members of the All Star Football Club who assemble to practice their shots and hone their lightning fast reflexes. These may be just practice games but this bunch of lads takes it very seriously, doing a 30-minute drill before the game and matching each other in serious competition with high-fives and cheers thrown in for a good shot.

The All Star Football Club was started by film producer and sports enthusiast Bunty Walia, owner of GS Worldwide Entertainment, six years ago, answering the question of how to use sports among the actors in the film and TV industry for charity. Football was the chosen game and he first approached Abhishek Bachchan and Ranbir Kapoor, both of who were passionate about the game and hailed the idea. In no time at all the group had grown to 26, with some of the best known names from film, TV and fashion including Arjun Kapoor, Kartik Aaryan, Dino Morea, Aditya Roy Kapur, Leander Paes, Karan Wahi, Shoojit Sircar, Ishaan Khatter, Jim Sarbh, Shabir Ahluwalia, Sachiin Joshi, Shashank Khaitan, Vivian D’Sena, Armaan Ralhan, Rohan Shrestha, Antoni Pecora, Aparshakti Khurana, Aadar Jain, Caesar Gonsalves, Armaan Jain, Harpreet Baweja, Marc Robinson, Vikram Thapa and Karan Veer Mehra. Abhishek is captain and Ranbir is vice captain. When they play the team wears “bibs”, which are essentially loose vests with their team colours and the legend “Playing for Humanity”, their credo, on them.

The day we go to watch them practice there are Abhishek Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor, Shabir Ahluwalia, Aparshakti Khurana, Marc Robinson, Armaan Jain, Armaan Ralhan, Aadar Jain, Vivian D‘sena, Shashank Khaitan, Harpreet Baweja, Antoni Pecora and Karan Mehra. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the former Indian cricket captain has turned up to play and instantly the cool-ometer of the boys goes up hundred-fold. He is easily absorbed into the group and with no airs or pretensions, going through the paces like anyone else. Bunty tells us that Mahi joins in whenever he is in Mumbai and has done so a few times already. Of statistical interest is the fact that Marc Robinson, looking decades younger than his 55 years, is the oldest player in the group.

The club has raised a whopping Rs 5 crore so far for various charities including Magic Bus and Waheeda Rehman’s foundation. The players themselves charge nothing and willingly give up their time and energy three or four times a year for worthy causes, besides their weekly practice sessions.

Abhishek Bachchan is the spokesperson of the group and though he says that they celebrate their wins by first everyone saluting him and then going to a restaurant and eating boiled chicken, except Mahi who eats butter chicken, he adds in an aside, the fact is they celebrate by going out for a meal, pulling each other’s leg, laughing at in-jokes and generally being boys. A loss brings on introspection, analysis and more intensive practice sessions.

What keeps this club together is the sense of brotherhood, of belonging to the same family, says Abhishek, a thought that Ranbir agrees with when asked separately and which has everyone nodding in unison. But what about professional rivalries, we ask. “There are no professional rivalries, everyone knows the pecking order,” Abhishek says in a stern voice and immediately everyone else dissolves into laughter. Obviously ego is not something that comes into play here.

At practice, Bunty plays referee and they bully him relentlessly. “They do listen to me too, if it was anyone else they never would. You know actors and their egos, no?” And that is exactly where their charm lies. Big, small or medium, from TV or films, no one is trying to be one-up on the other and they play like a composite whole, supporting each other, following one of the most important tenets of sports.

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 19, 2018)

John Abraham has had a great year at the box-office with Abhishek Sharma’s Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran, opening in the theatres on May 25 after a legal battle with former producer-partner Prerna Aroraa and wowing the audience with its inspiring, true-life drama. This was followed by the Milap Zaveri’s vigilante action film, Satyameva Jayate, on August 15, which went on to be one of surprise hits of the year. He is currently shooting for Batla House, inspired by the real-life operation headed by then ACP Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, which he is jointly producing with director Nikkhil Advani. In a surprise move on Saturday, given how reclusive both he and his wife Priya Runchal usually are, the actor-producer hosted a party for his filmmaker-friends at his Bandra office.

Besides Nikkhil, Milap and Abhishek, John’s Kabul Express and New York director Kabir Khan was also there with his wife Mini Mathur. Also spotted was his Desi Boyz and Dishoom director, Rohit Dhawan, along with T-Series head honcho Bhushan Kumar and his RAW: Romeo Akbar Walter producer Bunty Walia.

“John has been wanting to celebrate with close friends from the industry for a while and when everyone’s time matched, he invited them over to chill. Both John and Priya were great hosts and personally looked after their guests,” one of the attendees told Mirror.

He starts shooting for the next schedule of Batla House in Lucknow from November 21, after which he will kick off Anees Bazmee’s Pagalpanti in February, which is being produced by Kumar Mangat and his son Abhishek Pathak. All three were at the bash. The surprise guest was Harshvardhan Rane who is rumoured to be dating Mohabbatein girl Kim Sharma. He arrived with the actress.

Actor will be accompanied by Jackie Shroff; team to shoot in Gulmarg and Srinagar over 10 days
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 14, 2018) 

John Abraham who plays a secret agent and sports 18 different looks as he goes about his mission in Robbie Grewal’s espionage thriller, RAW: Romeo Akbar Walter, will head to Kashmir on August 16 for a 10-day schedule across Gulmarg and Srinagar during which they will shoot a lot of action sequences. The makers have arranged for tight security for the cast and crew. Leading lady Mouni Roy won’t be making the trip to the Valley but Jackie Shroff, who plays the RAW chief, will be present.

Robbie, who is already there, points out that they have hired local actors besides technicians because taking actors from Mumbai won’t give the portions the required vibe. “Even the dress dada (costume designer) is from Kashmir. We are recreating the Valley of the ’70s for our film,” adds the excited director.

Speaking on their choice of location, Vanessa Walia, who is producing the film with Dheeraj Wadhwan, Ajay Kapoor and Robbie, explains that the story required them to film at real locations. “We couldn’t shoot in Pakistan, so we recreated some of the heritage buildings in Gujarat. But Srinagar can’t be replicated in any part of the world, be it Switzerland or Shimla, as it has a unique landscape and feel. It’s also a troubled city but from day one, we knew we would have to shoot in Kashmir for the look Robbie wanted for the film,” she says.

The Gulmarg shoot is scheduled to wrap up in two days, after which the team will move to Sinagar. According to Bunty Walia, who is a consultant on the film, the Director General of Police, Kashmir, has assured him that the law and order situation is normal. “They told me that Vidhu Vinod Chopra has also been shooting there and there’s nothing to worry about. They have assured us security because John and Jackie have a huge fan following and we didn’t want an obstruction in the shoot,” he says.

Earlier speaking to Mirror (August 3) John had pointed out that he had filmed Kabul Express in Afghanistan just after the fall of the Taliban and now was taking RAW to Kashmir because “ a film set can’t replicate what you feel when you are in danger zone”.

Robbie’s father was in the armed forces and had served in Kashmir before he was born. “When I grew up, I visited the Valley and have shot there earlier. The people are warm and understand that when film units come here, people get work,” he says.

Suchitra Krishnamoorthi on her comeback with a John Abraham film, nudging Kaveri towards films and why she will never work with filmmaker ex-husband Shekhar Kapur
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 19, 2018) 

Suchitra Krishnamoorthi, who was last seen on the big screen in the 2010 film Mittal V/s Mittal alongside Gulshan Grover and Rituparna Sengupta, is back on the big screen with the espionage drama, RAW: Romeo, Akbar, Walter, also featuring John Abraham, Jackie Shroff and Mouni Roy. The actress-singer kicked off shooting in Vadodara, Gujarat, for the Robbie Grewal film earlier this month and is set to move to Junagadh with the team on July 26 for the next schedule.

“I got a call from the casting director a month ago but I was leaving for a Himalayan trek. But soon afterwards, I injured my back and was advised not to continue the trek. Two days later, they called again and I gave my nod. This is the first time I am working in such a big film in a commercial setup,” she says. She has shot a few scenes with Jackie who plays the RAW chief.

Suchitra admits that she regrets turning down some films in the last few years. “I’m a moody actor. But some of the films that I rejected went on to become really big hits. This time, I have decided to take up the offers that I find interesting. I’ve been getting mother roles off late so it was a relief to land a film like RAW which is a true story set in 1971 India. The look is also based on real characters,” she informs, refusing to divulge anymore on the subject or her character.

Meanwhile, her teenaged daughter Kaveri, who has three singles to her credit, is also making inroads into the film industry. “I’m very keen to see Kaveri in a movie. She was offered Aamir Khan’s Secret Superstar (a role which eventually went to Zaira Wasim) but she declined the offer. I begged her to do just this one film, but she wanted to focus on being a singer-songwriter at the time. So, she put on her most pronounced foreign accent and said, ‘No, mum, are you crazzzzy!,’” she informs mimicking her with a still disappointed sigh.

The actress-singer further reveals that her daughter is gradually warming up to the idea of being in films but is currently at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in the US doing a summer course. “Her father (filmmaker Shekhar Kapur) has shot her next music video in Goa. It should be out in September,” she informs.

Is a collaboration with her ex-husband in the offing, too, you wonder, and she is quick on the uptake, “Never!”, adding with a laugh, “We manage to get along for Kaveri’s sake and that’s a great thing. Who wants to start fighting again.”
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Jammu and Kashmir government promises security for shooting of Romeo, Akbar, Walter

Bunty Walia, one of the producer of RAW, recently met top police officials in Srinagar to request for security for the team when it arrives in the Valley for its third schedule.

According to a source, Bunty is camping in Srinagar ahead of the schedule to facilitate a smooth shoot. “I don’t expect any trouble while filming here but looking at the present situation, I have asked for security for the cast and crew so that they feel secure while at work,” the filmmaker told Mirror.

He adds that the spy thriller will be filmed at three locations, including Gulmarg and Srinagar. “My earlier film, Lamhaa, was shot in the state, during the Amarnath land row. The locals are very cooperative and I’m sure we will be taken care of this time as well.”

The source revealed that a twotier security, which includes Jammu and Kashmir Police and CRPF, has been promised to Bunty for his team during the duration of the shooting.

After the Vadodara and Junagarh schedules in Gujarat, the team will arrive in Gulmarg on August 18. The film is expected to wrap up by August-end and hits the theatres on January 26. The Republic Day date is a coveted one for Bollywood filmmakers. — Anil Raina

Actor kicks off his next, an espionage-thriller directed by Robbie Grewal, on June 10 and will also shoot in Jammu and Kashmir, Nepal, Mumbai
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 31, 2018)

John Abraham’s next film, the Robbie Grewal directed espionage-thriller Romeo Akbar Walter (RAW) which is set in the 1970s, sees him share screen space with Jackie Shroff for the first time. The duo is set to kick off the film’s first schedule in Gujarat on June 10.

Joining them will be Sikandar Kher, who was last seen as the terrorist Haroon Sherchand in the Anil Kapoor-starrer Hindi version of the TV show 24. In the film, Sikandar plays John’s nemesis and the two actors will feature in several rounds of “war of words”. After wrapping up his portions as the baddie of Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Milan Talkies in Lucknow, Sikandar is now prepping to play the villain once again, this time inspired by a real-life man-on-a-mission with shades of grey. “I am undergoing readings and workshops,” Sikandar says, while writer-director Robbie adds, “There will be several sequences where John and Sikandar are pitted against each other. During the readings I’ve noticed that the timing is going to be crucial. Sikandar makes a great nemesis.”

The film will be shot in a start-to-finish, threemonth schedule, which involves 60 days of rigorous shooting. “We begin in Gujarat; filming continues through Jammu and Kashmir, Nepal, and the schedule ends with some portions being filmed in Mumbai. A leading lady, who will join the cast in Kashmir, will be announced shortly,” informs Bunty Walia, who is co-producing the film with wife Vanessa, Ajay Kapoor, Dheeraj Wadhwan and Gary Grewal.

Robbie is presently in Gulmarg on a recce. The film will also be shot in Srinagar and Jammu. “I’ve been to Kashmir several times to shoot for commercials in the past. My father was in the armed forces and was posted there. I was very young when I first visited the Valley and I wish I could shoot there again and again. The people, the scenery, the food, everything is splendid,” Robbie told Mirror from Kashmir.

The film’s highlight is expected to be the actors’ unique looks as the makers have roped in National Award-winning makeup artist Vikram Gaikwad and famous costume designer Amera Pulwani for the film. John and Jackie’s characters are based on real people, with the latter playing a stylish Chief of RAW.

Meanwhile, John has wrapped up Satyameva Jayate, a Bhushan Kumar and Nikkhil Advani co-production. Directed by Milap Zaveri, the action-packed thriller is set in Mumbai and revolves around a cop and a murderer. It also features Manoj Bajpayee and Aisha Sharma.


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Meanwhile: Bollywood returns to the Valley

While Jammu and Kashmir has been a Bollywood favourite for decades, filming had come to a standstill in the Valley after the Uri attacks of 2016. However, since January this year, several film personalities have been spotted in Kashmir and in the last six months, three big-budget Bollywood films featuring A-listers, and two Tamil films have been shot in the Valley with as many as 200 unit members. A TV show, produced by Zee, was also filmed there recently. The J&K Government has also reopened its doors for photoshoots with the onset of summer and this week, Neha Dhupia and Prachi Desai are getting photographed against snow-capped landscapes. With Romeo Akbar Walter as the latest entrant in the list, here’s looking at films that were in the Valley recently:

RAAZI: Dodhpatri
Meghna Gulzar’s Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal-starrer became the first film ever to be shot in the remote Dodhpatri – Valley of Milk – in Kashmir’s Budgam district. Dodhpatri is inaccessible for five–six months every year because of heavy snowfall. There was no way to get to the region till a road was built five years ago. The film was shot in a lush meadow where wild horses and sheep graze, with picturesque hills and waterfalls in the background. The unit also stayed in Srinagar for a week, enjoying Kashmiri delicacies.

RACE 3: Sonamarg
 Salman Khan and Jacqueline Fernandez wrapped up the Sonamarg schedule of their action-thriller, Race 3, and left for Leh by road on April 27. After reaching Kargil, Salman, with Jackie behind him, rode to Leh on a motorcycle — a six to eight-hour ride — along with a dozen bikes and jeeps carrying the unit. This was Jacqueline’s first visit to the Valley and before leaving for Leh, she took a ride on a snow bike to Zero Point, which is beyond the Zojila Pass, and promises a breath-taking view of the mountains.

MANMARZIYAAN: Thajiwas
The last schedule of Anurag Kashyap’s Manmarziyan took off in Sonamarg mid-April. The arrival of Abhishek Bachchan, who plays the lead alongside Taapsee Pannu and Vicky Kaushal in the film, coincided with a call for a two-day shutdown. And while the actor was stopped at Srinagar airport, he reportedly had a good time during the rest of his stay. The team filmed in the Thajiwas area amidst wildlife huts and Taapsee, who visited the Valley for the first time, said that she’d love to return to ski.

Upala KBR (MID-DAY; April 20, 2018)

The rival team of the All Stars Football Club (ASFC) will have to up their socks to battle the newly introduced sportsperson in the league. Fresh out of his success at the Davis Cup, tennis ace Leander Paes is set to join Bollywood actors Abhishek Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor and Dino Morea, among others, at the club’s charity match in Singapore’s Jalan Besar football stadium on April 22.

Bunty Walia of the organising team says, “Leander Paes joined the boys for their latest photoshoot yesterday. He will fly with the team to play the game. This is the first time that Leander will play with us. He is a sports person, and has always shown interest in the game. He had a free window, and when I spoke to him, he asked me if his jersey was available. Leander has practiced with us in the past and is superb at the sport.”

The event aims to raise funds for marginalized children and is the brainchild of Magic Bus Foundation, AFSC and crowd-funding platform ImpactGuru. com. It aims to raise Rs 60 lakh towards Magic Bus’ programmes through the match. There will also be an opportunity for fans of the actors to contribute and join their stars. One of the 36 lucky donors will get a chance to meet one of their favourite actors from the team.

Talking about his association, Bachchan says, “I have met some of the children and know what a massive change the organization has made in their lives.” Glad to do his bit for the cause, Kapoor says, “I am excited for the match, but I’m more thrilled to reach the goal of this fundraiser.”

Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 8, 2018)

Writer-duo Siddharth-Garima, who penned the Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone-starrer Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-leela (2013) and last year’s Akshay Kumar-Bhumi Pednekar film Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, now have a social-drama up their sleeve. Titled Saale Aashiq, the film revolves around a Khap Panchayat and a couple on the run.

The film is set to go on the floors by the year-end and the writer duo is currently on a recce in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur for research, meeting real-life couples who are hiding from panchayats, as part of the prep for their film. The script for the Bunty Walia and Ajay Kapoor production is currently being worked on. A source reveals, “Saale Aashiq is about standing up to the hate politics, age-old traditions and an eventual death threat as a couple faces opposition from their respective families. The director of the film will be announced soon.”

Meanwhile, Siddharth and Garima are also prepping to make their directorial debut with Jasmine, which they have also written, that is expected to go on the floors around March-April. The film is the story of a surrogate mother who gets attached to a child and doesn’t want to let go.

Bunty Walia lashes out at the actor for leaving him in a lurch just when his film was to roll; says it will only get bigger now
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 25, 2017)

Director Robbie Grewal’s spy thriller RAW – Romeo Akbar Walter — was set to take off earlier this month but was put on the backburner after Sushant Singh Rajput opted out at the nth hour. Speaking to Mirror, producer, Bunty Walia, blasts the actor for his “sudden exit”, asserting that the film is slowly getting back on track and being planned on an even bigger scale.

“Now that we have the time, we’re working to improve the script and it should be ready by month-end, after which the director will decide which actors to approach,” informs Bunty.

Buzz is, his good friend, Abhishek Bachchan could step into Sushant’s shoes. “I’ve heard the speculations too but I’ve left that decision to Robbie. I’ll definitely try to influence him to meet Abhishek,” he says, going on to admit that Sushant’s exit came as a shock to the team. “We had planned to kick off on October 1 and wrap up the film by November 30 in a start-to-finish schedule. We had signed Sushant in February and had his dates too. His sudden exit came as a shock to us, in particular to Robbie, given that he had given his nod right away. Directors are sentimental about their script and for Robbie it’s an emotional setback,” Bunty explains.

Since the film is based on true events that happened in 1971, there were plans to shoot a major chunk in Gujarat, recreating the period in and around Ahmedabad and Vadodara, says the producer. This would be followed by shoots in Kashmir and Kathmandu. “An extensive recce has been done, locations have been finalised, and commitments made. There won’t be any changes but Robbie is now preparing a virtual storyboard which is why the slight delay.”

Bunty remains optimistic that despite Sushant’s exit his film will only get better. “It’s a great story that needs to be told. We had signed Sushant but then he decided to shift the date and that was not acceptable. Two weeks ago, Robbie came back saying he wants to make some changes to the script that was narrated to Sushant and make the film bigger in terms of how he wants to shoot. Bad luck to the one who missed the bus.”

Third edition of celeb football match to see Bachchan's team battle Kohli's cricketers
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; September 16, 2017)

Sports enthusiasts will be treated to the third ever clash of Tinsel town's celebrities and members of the Indian cricket team at the Celebrity Clasico this year, after having previously locked horns in 2013 and 2016.

The All Stars Football Club (ASFC), with Abhishek Bachchan at the forefront, will clash with Virat Kohli-led All Heart Football Club (AHFC), a property of the Virat Kohli Foundation, on October 15 in Mumbai.

Kohli, who led the team last year as well, ended up in a 2-2 draw with Bachchan's Playing For Humanity team. It was helmed by Ranbir Kapoor that year since Bachchan had suffered a slip disc. The ASFC team has been practising regularly to put up with their fitter competitors, who will join them next month ahead of the match, which will be played at the Mumbai Football Arena in Andheri Sports Complex.

Bunty Walia, from GS Worldwide Entertainment, owner of the ASFC, says, "The aim is to raise funds for various charities. One of the causes we are supporting this year is the women's self-defence centre that's being backed by Akshay Kumar and Aaditya Thackeray. Parts of the proceeds will go towards the state-of-the-art gym at Andheri Sports Complex."

Subhash K Jha (DNA; July 24, 2017)

Sushant Singh Rajput’s much-publicised espionage thriller RAW (Romeo Akbar Walter) has been pushed ahead.

It is learnt that Sushant has allotted the dates that he had given to RAW to his old friend Abhishek Kapoor for Kedarnath, the film that will launch Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh’s daughter Sara. It may be recalled that Sushant got his big-screen launch from Abhishek Kapoor in Kai Po Che. Now, that Sushant and Abhishek have patched up, the actor can’t afford to antagonize the director again. Hence, he has surrendered the rest of the year to Kapoor’s Kedarnath leaving the RAW team in a lurch.

RAW co-producer, Bunty Walia, confirms, “The dates may get shifted to accommodate Kedarnath. It’s a great script and the project is backed by a big business house. There is no shortage of funds, so no reason to not do the film, unless we ourselves decide to pull the plug after the dates are shifted.”

Ranbir Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan are gearing up for the Under 17 FIFA World Cup being held in India for the first time in October with some celebrity matches
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 8, 2017)

Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 20, 2016)

In mid-January, Abhishek Bachchan will flag off his next film, Lefty, which he is co-producing with friend Bunty Walia and will be directed by Prabhu Dheva, with a month-long schedule in Hyderabad.

A source revealed to Mirror, “The film will see Abhishek play a left-handed character (considered inauspicious by some in India) who is on a mission to save his city. A regular guy in the world’s eye, he has special powers that help him sense trouble. Abhishek and Prabhudheva met last week to discuss details of the shoot. The team will leave for a recce in Hyderabad where the story is set, sometime this week.”

The makers are looking for a relatively new face to play Abhishek’s love interest in the hero-centric project.

Interestingly, the actor is left handed in real life too and so felt the part was perfect for him. His last screen out- ing as a character with superpowers was in Goldie Behl’s 2008 fantasy-adventure, Drona.

Meanwhile, buzz is, AB Jr. will ring in New Year in Dubai with wife Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and daughter Aaradhya.

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 23, 2016)

Two years after Abhishek Bachchan and Ranbir Kapoor came on board Bunty Walia's charitable football initiative, which brought together Bollywood and TV actors, along with sportsmen, to encourage the sport in India, the team is now prepping up for a three-match tournament in Delhi, Lucknow and Dehradun, which will kick off on June 4, followed by an international charity tour. The team is set to play one match each in Qatar, Singapore, Dubai and the UK. Government officials and local sports teams in each country will play for charity against the Indian celebs to raise funds for different causes.

The team, captained by Jr Bachchan also includes Arjun Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapur, Dino Morea, Shabbir Ahluwalia, Karan Wahi, Armaan Jain, Marc Robinson, Sachiin Joshi, Raj Kundra, Caesar Gonzalves and Shoojit Sircar who have been practising every Sunday at a Bandra school ground. Mirror has learnt that the star quotient has just gone up with Sidharth Malhotra and Kartik Aaryan signing up for the football initiative last week.

"The main objective of the All Stars Football Club (ASFC) is to raise money for noble causes. We play 90-minute matches once a week with a 'no wives or girlfriends on the field' policy in place," jokes the owner-founder, admitting that it was Abhishek's love for the sport and the immediate thumbs-up from several others, for reasons ranging from philanthropy to fitness, that set the ball rolling. "Sidharth wanted to play a couple of trial matches before he came on board officially. After three Sundays, he was game too."

With the summer sun blazing, the actors didn't want to get all tanned, and disrupt continuity in their films, so the practice timings have changed to 6 pm and they will be playing under floodlights at an adjacent ground from this Sunday. Last year, the Bollywood boys had sparred with the Boys in Blue, led by Virat Kohli's 'All Hearts Football Club', at a packed Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, in the capital. The actors lost 4-3 to the cricketers but this only encouraged them further. In the last six months, they've also taken on TV actors, IPL cricketers, the Mumbai police and a team of businessmen in Surat.

Subhash K Jha (DNA; August 21, 2015)

Sons Of Sardaar, which is based on the legendary Battle of Saragarhi, was originally supposed to be made with Sanjay Dutt in the lead. But the actor’s incarceration has compelled the makers to go ahead with Dutt’s buddy Ajay Devgn.

Says a source, “The film was originally supposed to be produced by Dutt’s friend Bunty Walia and directed by Rohit Jugraj, who the actor felt, was the right person for a war epic. But then, Dutt went to jail and rather than wait for Dutt’s release, it was felt that Devgn was the right person for the part.”

Apparently the role requires the protagonist to be fighting-fit. “It would’ve taken Sanjay Dutt months and months of physical training to get into shape for this role. It was therefore felt it was better to replace Dutt with Devgn,” says the source.

MID-DAY (October 6, 2014)

If recent reports are to be believed, Sanjay Dutt, who is serving his three and a half year sentence at the Yerwada Central Jail in Pune, is suddenly getting flooded with mails from his colleagues in the film industry and we wonder why. Right from Ranbir Kapoor and Rajkumar Hirani to Bunty Walia and Sanjay Gupta, many of his coactors and filmmaker friends are writing letters aare are seem to writing to Sanju baba, even as he spends his time making paper bags in prison.

Says a source, “Many Bollywood folks are writing letters to the actor; they want him to know that he is being missed. Since sending letters is the only way to communicate with him, they have been sharing their thoughts on paper.”

Interestingly, it’s not just personal letters that are being exchanged, people from the industry are reportedly also discussing film scripts with the Munna Bhai MBBS actor. What’s more, some personal letters are said to have made his friends very emotional. At the same time, some other sources are skeptical about the wave of letters and the timing of it all. “It all seems a little absurd that all these stories about letters being exchanged with him have started doing the rounds only recently. It’s just a few months before the release of his film, PK, which is scheduled to hit the big screen in December this year,” says an industry source.

It may be pointed out that it all started when the actor reportedly wrote a letter addressed to Ajay Devgn when his film, Singham Returns, was nearing release. Sanjay apparently conveyed his best wishes to the actor and Ajay was reportedly moved to tears after reading the letter.

Next we hear that Sanjay Gupta wrote to Sanjay Dutt in what is being construed as an attempt to extend an olive branch. The two were once good friends but they had a falling out, so much so that they were not on talking terms. A source says that Gupta discussed a film script with the actor in his letter, though nothing more has been revealed about this letter.

Apart from this, there have been reports about Sanjay Dutt keeping in touch with wife Manyata by writing letters to her on a daily basis. The actor has apparently also written letters to director Rajkumar Hirani who he has worked with in several films (read: the Munna Bhai series). It is being said that the actor has been enquiring about his upcoming film, PK, and sources say that Hirani too was in tears after reading the letter.

“The actor gets to read only old newspapers in jail; he doesn’t have any other access to the outer world and its happenings except for writing and receiving letters,” says a source close to the actor.

It’s indeed interesting that for someone who has been away from the public glare due to his jail sentence, Sanjay Dutt continues to stay in the news.

His letters, for one, have piqued the curiosity of many. It remains to be seen whether this wave of letters will continue in the future too.

Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; July 21, 2014)

Film producer Bunty Walia has filed an objection with the Indian Film and Television Producers’ Council (IFTPC) over the tagline of UTV films’ Raja Natwarlal. In his complaint, Walia has said the tagline, Aisa Koi Saga Nahi Jise Isne Thaga Nahi, is the title of his forthcoming film, which will soon go on the floors.

Walia says, “When I saw the poster, I noticed the tagline which is, in fact, the title of my next film. I don’t know if a solution will be arrived at in my case. But I think that filmmakers need to check with producers’ associations before releasing the publicity material of their films. It is quite easy to check if there is any other film with the same title or tagline. I want the film producers’ associations to introduce strong guidelines to stop such overlaps as it affects the producer whose film is still in the making.’’

Vikas Mohan, senior vice president of IFTPC, confirms receiving a complaint from Walia. He says, “We have forwarded our Walia’s objection to UTV films; we have also requested them not to use the tagline.”

When contacted, the UTV Motion Pictures spokesperson denied knowledge about any such complaint. “We are not aware of any such objection; if and when it is brought to our attention, we will respond appropriately,” was the spokesperson’s reply.