Showing posts with label Chak De India. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chak De India. Show all posts
This new book explores Shah Rukh Khan's fandom
3:01 PM
Shah Rukh Khan; (right) Dancing through life: Shah Rukh and Gauri show young love’s got rhythm
A new book aims to encapsulate what actor Shah Rukh Khan means to his fans. This extract talks about an early hit, Fauji, and how it heralded the birth of the superstar we know, and love, even now
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; November 10, 2024)
Shah Rukh’s breakthrough in television came with Fauji, helmed by the jovial Colonel Raj Kapoor, who appeared on Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai to talk about the actor.
Speaking about Colonel Kapoor, Shah Rukh said, “I never thought I could act on screen. Let me share a story: After my father passed away, my mother and I were searching for a house to rent. When we found one, my mother insisted that I see it first before confirming. When asked where I was, she replied, “He’s off acting.”
Kapoor’s son-in-law Kamal Dewan suggested I go to him, who was directing a serial. That’s how Fauji, which was aired in 1989 and had thirteen episodes, came to be.
Fauji served as Kapoor’s homage to the Indian Army, presenting a realistic portrayal of cadet life as young men trained to become commandos. Shah Rukh was already acting in another serial titled Dil Dariya at that time and shot for Fauji during lunch breaks—such shooting schedules were common for actors then who worked on multiple projects at the same time. The audition for Fauji involved a rigorous physical test, including a 1.5-mile run at dawn, followed by an impromptu boxing match. Shah Rukh impressed with his discipline, by not giving up on the race even when many co-auditioners dropped out. He was initially designated to land a smaller role while Kapoor’s son Bobby was to play one of the leads, Abhimanyu. But Bobby, who was already the cameraman, had to bow out.
It’s the way of this industry, as Karan Johar points out in Zoya Akhtar’s debut movie Luck By Chance: “Industry mein outsiders aise hi toh aatey hai. Koi alag tarah ka role likhta hai, koi badaa star nahi karta hai and finally ek naye ladke ko break mil jata hai [This is how outsiders get into the film industry. Someone writes a different sort of a role, big stars refuse to do it and then finally a newbie gets his break]. Zanjeer was turned down by seven actors before a struggling star, Amitabh Bachchan, picked it up.”
Shah Rukh has been destiny’s child in that sense, or probably was always at the right place at the right time. His two big Bollywood hits, Darr and Baazigar, landed in his kitty just like that.
How Shah Rukh landed Fauji, over and above the rigour he showed, is funny, to say the least. At the launch of Samar Khan’s and Sonali Kokra’s book SRK: 25 Years of a Life, he recounted, “I went there, I auditioned and he gave me a sweet role—in the whole Fauji serial, the Colonel orders me to go and count the crows on the tree. I would run and say, ‘There are four crows’. This was my role in the whole serial. I thought this was so strange… How could I tell my family that this was my role? … I did that and it was one of the nicest roles, and they’ve all loved me like a family. I am not saying this with false humility, but maybe the goodness I have at this age is because of the wonderful men and women I’ve met in my life.”
Amina Shervani, who wrote and acted in Fauji (as Kiran Kochar), said that for its time, Fauji was an extremely expensive show to make. It cost nearly Rs 2 lakh per episode to shoot. It was facing a four-year delay in its pilot launch. The Fauji team rallied in 1988 to ensure an early release the following year. They obtained permissions from the Ministry of Defence, Doordarshan and the Army headquarters. Despite challenges, the dedicated team pooled their talents and resources to bring the series to fruition.
In an interview to The Print, Shervani said, “I remember the Army was supposed to give us sten guns and other equipment to use, but they didn’t let us touch anything. So I flirted with a commando to steal a broken, defunct sten gun, and made a mould of it. We made twelve aluminium moulds that looked quite real. And one day, I was carrying them back from the studio in an auto, and the cops stopped me, and there I was—with twelve real-looking guns. Fortunately, we had done films for Delhi Police before that, so the police commissioner knew what we were really doing.”
This was the late 1980s and the turmoil in Punjab meant that procuring materials such as fuel for the demolition and explosion scenes was difficult, as the authorities had put strict rules in place. And so, for the scenes in the show, these had to be sourced from Shah Rukh’s mother, who owned a kerosene company. Dynamite was acquired through connections with friends who had contracts for stone and mica mining in the Aravallis, allowing the team to create their own explosives.
One would think these would be the biggest challenges in the making, but the real hurdle was getting Shah Rukh to cut his hair. Shervani said, ‘”Shah Rukh just wouldn’t cut his hair. He would keep smoking, and his mother would be worried that nothing would come of his passion for theatre.”
When Fauji was aired, it resonated with people in a big way. Shah Rukh’s charm captivated viewers, propelling him to the forefront of the show. His character, Abhimanyu, became central to the story, showcasing Shah Rukh’s knack for both romance and action. This was the first time he started becoming a household name. One of the many fans of Shah Rukh from that era is my own mother, Ellora Basu. When I first told her I am working on this book, she recounted to me how her love for Shah Rukh dates back to the late 1980s.
“Watching Fauji was like witnessing the birth of a superstar. Shah Rukh Khan’s charm as Abhimanyu Rai was not to be missed, and we knew he was destined for greatness from the very first day the show aired.”
As a child of that time, she told me how there was a general sense of fatigue with the trope of the ‘Angry Young Man’ that ruled movies and television then. “I wasn’t interested in television until Fauji came along. That was a young show. It had stories that my siblings and I could relate to. The show brought in young people to television viewing. A large part of our love was because of Shah Rukh. He was always a sincere actor, but more than anything else, he had the ability to charm you. It could be called screen presence, but in his unique goofy, boy-next-door way, he was someone you’d want to root for in a story. That’s the sign of a hero!”
Extracted with permission from Shah Rukh Khan: Legend, Icon, Star by Mohar Basu, HarperCollins India
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‘Even at his worst, he finds it in himself to be a kind person’
Author and mid-day writer Mohar Basu says that the book, Shah Rukh Khan: Legend, Icon, Star, came into existence because they wanted to view Shah Rukh and his influence on cinema, culture and community from a third eye perspective including the lens of his fans. We spoke to her about what inspired her most as she wrote the book, and how she managed to write it as a detached writer, and not die-hard fan.
Excerpts from an interview.
What anecdote about SRK inspired you the most personally after writing this book?
There are a lot of absolutely fantastic stories about Shah Rukh, and a great selection of these has made it to the book. But the one that stuck with me was this story about Shah Rukh rushing back to India after his wife had a miscarriage while he was in New York shooting for Pardes. To get home quickly, he flew from LA to New York and then caught an Air India flight to India. There was rush and confusion at the airport and a fan persistently followed him for an autograph, despite seeing him flummoxed. When he finally reached his gate, he realised the lady actually was Akshay Kumar’s fan and thought he was Akshay. He didn’t want to break her heart so quickly signed an autograph as “Akshay Kumar”. This story shows what makes him as loved as he is. Even at his worst, he finds it in himself to be a kind person.
As a journalist, writing about fans and a star, what were some things you were careful about—so that it didn’t end up pandering to a star, but spoke of something deeper?
The relationship that fans have with the star they love has been a point of academic research. We all know how powerful and dynamic fandoms are. The approach we had decided early on in the project was to view Shah Rukh and his influence on cinema, culture and community from a third eye perspective including the lens of his fans. Why do people love him so much for so long is a question that was repeatedly asked at every step along the way. My editor at HarperCollins India, Bushra Ahmed, in fact, kept reminding me that fan psyche was at the forefront of this book. This is why we decided to write an entire chapter about why people love and desire him and tackled every aspect of it. Most interviews were done for this chapter because everyone found different things that drew them to him. Married women loved his love story, younger women saw him as a benchmark of what they seek from a man they are in a relationship with, some love the fact that he is a great father and everyone finds themselves drawn to him because he is respectful. The men loved his ability to work hard. The approach was pretty sociological. Some amount of my own training as a journalist and my education in sociology came in handy. We have tried to create a multi-layered, non-lateral narrative which I hope best portrays the power that SRK holds. The love for Shah Rukh runs deep and his charm is an added bonus.
What’s something your book has that you don’t think has been ever addressed about SRK before?
The impact of Shah Rukh Khan on community and culture, not just cinema, is at the heart of this book. The broad highlights of his life are well-known but this book looks deeper into the phenomenon that is SRK. For instance, take my favourite SRK film—Chak De India. The finest sports film India has ever made. And why has that movie been hard to top? It blended in entertainment and social themes perfectly. No other film has been able to reflect how diverse the country is and then SRK says that iconic dialogue— “Mujhe states ke naam na sunai dete hai, na dikhai dete hai. Bas ek mulk ka naam sunai deta hai.” Or more recently, a film like Dear Zindagi. A fan spoke about how she had always felt different and knew she wasn’t okay but Dr Jug made her to check in to therapy and she is better because of it. We often discuss how stars, especially in a country like India, actually impact real lives and how fans look up to them to inform their own perspectives. This book attempts to do show you how Shah Rukh Khan goes beyond being just a superstar.
Give me credit for Shoebite as it originated from me, and let’s get on with it-Shailendra Singh
8:30 AM
Singh, who filed an injunction against Shoebite’s release in 2012, says he doesn’t want to block Big B-Shoojit’s film anymore; seeks acknowledgement and dialogue with duo
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; April 2, 2024)
It’s heartbreaking to have your labour of love lie in the cans for 12 years. Last week, director Shoojit Sircar told mid-day that he was trying to resolve matters so that Shoebite, which has been mired in legal issues, could have an OTT release (Out of the limbo, Mar 31). Now, Percept Pictures Company’s Shailendra Singh, who had filed an injunction against the film in 2012, says that he will support its release as long as the makers give him due credit.
The poignant drama, which marked Sircar’s first collaboration with Amitabh Bachchan, has had a turbulent history. In 2007, Singh had originally announced the film as Johnny Walker with Bachchan and Sircar. However, the project didn’t roll, and the director went on to make Shoebite with UTV Motion Pictures. That led Singh to file an injunction against its release in 2012. Since then, both Bachchan and Sircar have often expressed their desire to have Shoebite reach the audience.
Singh rues that the episode is the perfect example of “what Bollywood does to independent filmmakers”. “Johnny Walker was initiated by me. I paid a Rs 4 crore cheque to Amitabh Bachchan; at that time, he didn’t know who Shoojit was. I chose Shoojit and took him to meet Amit ji for the narration. I spent Rs. 86 lakh as Shoojit went on a 20-city recce. Yes, Amit ji later returned my money. Amit ji wanted to become its producer by getting AB Corp on board. When I rejected [the idea], they changed the movie’s name and went to Ronnie Screwvala.”
Twelve years on, Singh says he doesn’t want to block its release anymore. He wants to come to an understanding with the actor-director duo. “I don’t want to block the film. I want a transparent dialogue among the three of us about what transpired. Shoebite is a brilliant story, and I want them to acknowledge that Johnny Walker was my film and this is what happened. I don’t want an apology because nobody will give it. I don’t want money or compensation either, I just want credit. I want a big slide to come in the film’s beginning, thanking me for it. I had gifted the title Singh Is Kinng [2008] to Akshay Kumar; similarly, I gave the title Chak De [India, 2007] to Aditya Chopra. They both thanked me in the credits. Give me credit for Shoebite as it originated from me, and let’s get on with it.”
Today, I can even talk to Lionel Messi about football-Amit Sharma
9:04 AM
From learning all about ’50s football scene to meeting coach Rahim’s family, Maidaan director on making the Ajay-starrer over five years
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; March 28, 2024)
Amit R Sharma’s last theatrical offering was the wonderful Badhaai Do (2018), which won multiple awards. The director has had to brave the pandemic, lockdowns and multiple delays to ready his next, Maidaan, led by Ajay Devgn. What has he learnt from the experience? “Patience,” says Sharma.
He believes that the biopic of Syed Abdul Rahim, who was the Indian football team’s coach and manager between 1950 and 1963, deserves time and care. If it took him five years to make it, so be it.
“The story was such that I couldn’t detach myself. Even when we wrote the film, we didn’t want to do a rushed job. When we started out, Syed Abdul Rahim’s Wikipedia page had Jarnail Singh’s picture. We met [Rahim’s] son Hakim saab. When Rahim started out [as a coach], his motivation was solely that India should be recognised the world over.”
Sharma is a cricket fan, like the majority of the Indian population. As he went ahead to tell the football coach’s story, it was the man, not the game that drew him.
“I’ve played cricket all my life. When I said yes, it was for the charm of the man. I had to learn [so much]. The football rules of the ’50s were different. There was no foul, no red and yellow cards before. There were no substitutes for injured players. Novy Kapadia [football journalist and commentator] helped us capture the mood of the ’50s. Today, I can even talk to [Lionel] Messi about football.”
The biggest challenge was to give the leading man memorable scenes even as he stayed off the field. “He is the mastermind [of the game], but how do you give him importance? He had to be the story’s hero. We worked on detailing. I didn’t want the people from the football team watching the film and saying it’s not authentic. Ajay trusted our vision.”
In a crucial scene in the trailer, Devgn is seen giving a pep talk to the players. Tell him it feels similar to the memorable ‘sattar minute’ scene of Chak De India (2007), and Sharma notes, “But they are different films and different sports altogether. Football and hockey are sports where the coach plays a major role. You play mind games with the opposition. We devised game plans. Match scores are available on Google, but we had to make the five minutes [of each match] an edge-of-the-seat experience.”
Atlee would suddenly have an idea and would shoot it the next day, says Jawan actor Kenny Deori Basumatary
7:54 AM
Navya Kharbanda (HINDUSTAN TIMES; November 6, 2023)
Kenny Deori Basumatary, who was seen in Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Jawan, says working in the Atlee directorial was “super chaotic” since the filmmaker “keeps coming up with new ideas all the time”. “He would suddenly have an idea and would shoot it the next day. During production, he’d say, ‘Abey yeh nahin, yeh chahiye’. It was amazing,” says the Assamese actor-director, whose film Local Utpaat was recently screened at The Himalayan Film Festival (THFF).
He adds despite the chaos and constant changes, the output was worth it. “When you see the end result, it is just amazing. As soon as the first teaser came up, one knew that people were going to like it,” he beams, adding, “A happy coincidence was that when I went to SRK’s office for the first time, that was the day when the first teaser had come out. I saw it and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I have got to act in this!’”
The film’s success and recognition, Basumatary says, was “definitely gratifying”. “Numbers, I feel, are a function of the hype behind a movie. Moreover, if the film’s content is significant, it will stick much longer. It’s like Swades (2004) and Chak De! India (2007) that is people still remember,” he shares.
Basumatary is glad that Jawan had a historic box-office success worldwide and also made strong statement. “Jawan had substance. SRK made a huge mark for himself and the entire industry,” he wraps up.
Actor Javed Khan dies after prolonged ailment
8:08 AM
Bella Jaisinghani (THE TIMES OF INDIA; February 15, 2023)
Mumbai: Actor Javed Khan, whose repertoire spanned a lion’s share of comedy and a side serving of character roles, passed away after a prolonged illness ending in lung failure on Tuesday. He was 75. A native of Amroha, UP, Khan was an FTII alumnus and closely associated with theatre through IPTA.
Doordarshan viewers recall the twinkle-eyed Karim barber of TV serial ‘Nukkad’ while film lovers double up with laughter over ‘Anand Akela’ courting Raveena Tandon in ‘Andaz Apna Apna’. Ashutosh Gowariker, who directed him in ‘Lagaan’, said, “He was known for his straight-faced humour. And I liked his work for that very reason. His one line that is unforgettable for me is the way he says ‘Hum Jeet Gaye!’ when the villagers win. His contribution to theatre and film is immense. Javed bhai will be missed!”
Khan's students at ZIMA (Zee Institute of Media Arts) in Andheri, which he headed, were conversant with his full range of performance. Khan had played Bharat Kapoor’s evil lackey in ‘Noorie’ and caretaker Sukh Lal in ‘Chak De India!’
He is survived by a son and daughter. The last rites were performed in Oshiwara Kabrastan at 7. 30pm on Tuesday.
Chak De India girls reunite at Chitrashi Rawat, Dhruvaditya Bhagwanani’s wedding
8:18 AM
BOMBAY TIMES (January 6, 2023)
Chitrashi Rawat and actor Dhruvaditya Bhagwanani tied the knot in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, on Saturday. Chitrashi’s co-stars from Chak De India participated in all the wedding rituals and danced with the bride with a lot of enthusiasm. Sharing some pictures from the wedding on social media, Vidya Malvade wrote, “Got our babygurl married (sic).”
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(L-R) Shubhi Mehta Bajpai, Vidya Malavade, Chitrashi Rawat, Seema Azmi and Shilpa Shukla
HINDUSTAN TIMES (January 6, 2023)
Remember the fierce and ferocious Komal Chautala from Chak De! India (2007)? Chitrashi Rawat, the actor who played the youngest hockey player in the movie, tied the knot with long-time beau, actor Dhruvaditya Bhagwanani, on Saturday in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh. The wedding turned out to be quite a reunion for the Chak De! girls as her co-stars Vidya Malavade, Shilpa Shukla, Shubhi Mehta Bajpai, Tanya Abrol and Seema Azmi joined her on her special day.
The Fashion (2008) and Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya (2012)actor had previously shared pictures and videos from her pre-wedding festivities. Among others, her friends from the fraternity, such as actors Sayantani Ghosh, Delnaaz Irani, Himanshu Malhotra and Moon Banerrjee were also a part of the celebrations.
In an earlier interview, Rawat, 33, had revealed that the couple originally wanted to do a court marriage in Dehradun, but the families insisted on a grand celebration. Rawat and Bhagwanani, who worked together in the film Prem Mayee (2012), dated for 11 years before getting married.
Had I continued playing hockey, I might have been at the Olympics representing India-Chitrashi Rawat
8:12 AM
The Chak De! India actress was a hockey player before she decided to switch to acting
Hasti Doshi (BOMBAY TIMES; September 29, 2021)
Actress Chitrashi Rawat, best known for her role as Komal Chautala in the film Chak De! India, was a hockey player before becoming an actor. Recounting the time when she signed the film, she says, “When I got the offer to be a part of Chak De! India, I was busy focusing on my studies and hockey. The film became a big hit and people started recognizing me everywhere. Then, I slowly started getting more work and I got into acting. After that, it was difficult for me to practice hockey.”
Happy with the performance of the Indian women’s hockey team at the Tokyo Olympics, she says, “It’s the first time in history that women’s team reached the semi-finals, that says a lot about how far we have come. Plus, with the help of sponsorship, our team is also getting recognition, which was the need of the hour. I am happy to see that people in the sports fraternity feel it’s high time that we focus on other sports, too.”
Chitrashi also shares one thought that struck her recently during the Olympics. She says, “Vandana Kataria is one of our hockey players, and back then, she and I have played together. I feel so good that she is representing India. And seeing her, a thought crossed my mind that if I had continued playing hockey, perhaps I, too, might have represented my country at the Olympics as one of the strikers... I don’t know, it’s just a sweet thought.”
While hockey will always hold a special place in her heart, she is also happy being in front of the camera. “I have been working continuously, but some people might feel that I took a break because I don’t promote myself too much. My last TV show was Shankar Jaikishan, and post that, I have shot for films, web shows and now I am part of a comedy show. I have also been doing commercial theatre for the last five years,” she signs off.
The social media banter with Shah Rukh Khan was unplanned and natural-Sjoerd Marijne
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Abhimanyu Mathur (BOMBAY TIMES; August 18, 2021)
When the Indian women’s hockey team made their historic run to a fourth-place finish at the recently-concluded Tokyo Olympics, the team’s head coach Sjoerd Marijne became a fan favourite. Marijne, who took over the team in 2017, has been credited by fans and experts to transform the unit from minnows to potential world beaters. At Tokyo, he revitalised the Indian campaign after the team lost their first three games and looked all set to crash out early. The coach chalks the turnaround to the team’s belief in their abilities. “I worked day and night with the girls. But the fans go by the results. They see the results against Netherlands and Germany and wonder, ‘Will these girls make it?’ But we always had self-belief and that is the most important thing,” he says.
Having completed his tenure with the team, the Dutchman has now returned home to spend more time with his family. He admits it was tough to adapt to the country and its culture. “It has been tough. I will be honest about it. The culture here is very different from my country. It took me a long time to get the girls to play how I wanted them to play,” he says.
When he took over the team, they were ranked outside the top 10 in the world and had crashed out of the Olympics without winning a game. Though the results did not change overnight, Marijne credits the improvement to the girls’ resilience. He says, “We had a lot of setbacks in tournaments where we didn’t do well. But every time, you move on. One of the things that always kept me here was that the girls always kept pushing themselves. They never said no and were always eager to learn.”
‘THE SOCIAL MEDIA BANTER WITH SRK WAS UNPLANNED AND NATURAL’
After the team’s quarter-final victory over favourites Australia, Marijne’s social media banter with reel coach Shah Rukh Khan went viral. Laughing about the incident, Marijne says, “Social media clout was never my goal. It just happened. I think the best things in life just happen to you and this is one of them. I posted a tweet that it would be a while before I could return home. And it went viral and Shah Rukh Khan responded. Of course, it all had to do with the movie Chak De! India. The conversation between us was very natural and funny, from both sides. It was unplanned. I am happy everyone loved it.”
After his tweet suggesting it may be time for Chak De 2, the coach says he is being asked if he has anyone in mind to portray him on screen. “Oh, I don’t know if there are many blonde Indian actors for that. Maybe someone from my part of the world,” he says with a shrug.
Funnily enough, it wasn’t the first time Marijne had a Chak De moment on social media. In 2019, he had reposted a Hockey India meme with his face photoshopped on SRK’s body on his Instagram. The difference, this time, was that it got a reply from the man himself. As the conversation went viral, it elicited polarising responses online, as is the case every time Chak De! India finds itself mentioned in a conversation around the real hockey team. Some believed that connecting every achievement of the hockey team’s win to a film was demeaning to the team and their triumphs, which deserved to be celebrated on their own. Others, however, argued that Chak De was not just any film but a critically-acclaimed one that had done a lot to make women’s hockey popular among the masses.
Parents will encourage their girls to play every sport now-Shilpa Shukla
8:10 AM
Titas Chowdhury (HINDUSTAN TIMES; August 4, 2021)
On August 2, the Indian women’s hockey team created history as they qualified for the semi-finals at the Olympics for the first time. Shilpa Shukla, who played a pivotal part in Shah Rukh Khan starrer Chak De! India (2007), says that watching the girls achieving this feat was “a surreal and magical moment”.
“This was history in the making. Savita Punia was phenomenal. I saw the initial matches and I was a little doubtful but when I saw them performing at the quarter-finals, I saw how confident they were,” she says.
Following the win of the Rani Rampal-led team, the title track of Chak De! India began reverberating at the Oi Hockey Stadium, Tokyo. “I’m so glad that we’re alive to see the historic moment. After these tough times, this was the kind of motivation and boost we needed. It was heart-wrenching to see the struggles faced by the team and the way they overcame them,” shares Shukla.
The actor believes that the success of the women’s hockey team will push Indian parents to support their daughters who dream of making a career in sports: “Parents will encourage their girls to play every sport now. They should reconsider their deep conditioning that children should only do well in academics. Sport is very much a part of our lives and it should be embraced.”
Women sportspersons have been stealing the limelight at the Olympics and Shukla believes that it will surely inspire many more. “Women need encouragement. Not just in one specific field, but women all over the world are slowly and steadily winning in all aspects of life. It is something that we need to recognise and appreciate,” she ends.
My family knew very little about social media, but now they’ve caught on-Yashraj Mukhate
8:28 AM
How the music producer behind ‘Rasode mein kaun tha’ video found his groove
Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 30, 2020)
As far as pop culture parlance goes, ‘Rasode mein kaun tha?’ has perhaps topped ‘why Kattapa killed Bahubali?’. The dialogue from the decade-old TV soap, Saath Nibhaana Saathiya, found a new lease of life when music producer Yashraj Mukhate added a hip tune to the bizarre exchange in a YouTube mash-up that has garnered over 14 million views in a week. The video has also elevated Mukhate from just another singer-songwriter to an overnight sensation.
“My family knew very little about social media, but now they’ve caught on,” says Mukhate, who has earned 6.5 lakh followers on Instagram and six lakh subscribers on YouTube since the video was released. The 24-year-old Aurangabad-based composer has, over the last few years, produced a range of acapella covers of Hindi film hits, musical parodies and even compositions. But until last week, his most viewed video was the mash-up of a TikTok video, “Kya Karu Main Itni Sundar Hu Toh”, with 3.3 million views.
The aspiring music producer, who has composed the background score for Marathi TV show Year Down and is presently working on the soundtrack of an untitled film, says that his first mash-up was pieced together 11 months ago by adding beats to a Baba Nithyananda lecture titled “Money Doesn’t Matter”. It garnered 2.6 million views. “He speaks really interestingly and I found it funny and also very rhythmic.” Mukhate uploaded the musical parody with little expectations, but when it got more traction than his covers and original compositions, he figured it was an effective way to draw attention. “I realised that there was a demand for these kinds of videos and I knew that if people picked this up, they would visit my channel and end up going through my other stuff too.”
Mukhate, who is an engineer, shares that his family has “always been very supportive” about his musical pursuits. That his father dabbled with the entertainment industry also helped. He got his first keyboard in Class 8 and overcame the fear of performing on stage when he began playing for the church choir. “I didn’t know much about music production then. I’d just get some loops and add lyrics to them. It was all mixed on my old Windows PC,” says Mukhate, who collaborated with his cousin Shubhankar Valegaonkar on a couple of numbers when they were in school. “And when I joined college, I would travel 40 km daily because the hostel wouldn’t let me set up my music equipment.”
But despite Mukhate’s resolute plans of following his passion, he never sought “formal education in music” and trained himself through online tutorials. “When I began posting my covers on YouTube, someone introduced me to a channel called Recording Revolution, where I learnt technical nitty-gritties like compression, interface and about various music editing tools.”
Mukhate, who’s a diehard fan of composers Amit Trivedi and A R Rahman, managed to swing a chance meeting with another inspiration of his, Salim Merchant (one half of composer duo Salim-Sulaiman), about two years ago. “On Independence Day, he had tweeted asking his fans to post using a certain hashtag and I did just that while sharing my cover of “Maula Mere Le Le Meri Jaan” (Chak De! India). He not only shared my video but also invited me over to his studio,” he says. “I always doubted my composing abilities, but Salim sir told me it’s like any other art form and one needs to just keep working on it.”
Mukhate is a lot more assured of his talent now but he’s also humbled by the validation he’s received online. “Today, artists don’t need a label to promote themselves and even recording equipment has become more affordable,” he says, adding that he wants to encourage others with similar dreams. “I also make videos that break down a Hindi film number, so people can learn from them. I’ve even made a video on how one can make a song on one’s phone.” Let’s hope the next viral stars are tuned in.
If films can be censored, why can’t songs?-Sukhwinder Singh
7:49 AM
Singer Sukhwinder Singh appeals to lyricists to refrain from using expletives in songs; adds that the music industry is his family and he would never want anything bad to happen to it
Nikita Deb (HINDUSTAN TIMES; November 24, 2019)
One of the most popular singers of Bollywood, Sukhwinder Singh, has been enthralling audiences for almost three decades. With superhit songs such as Chaiyya Chaiyya (Dil Se; 1998), Mitwa (Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India; 2001), Bunty Aur Babli (Bunty Aur Babli; 2005), it wouldn’t be wrong to say that Sukhwinder was ruling the music scene then. But even now, the singer doesn’t miss a chance to mesmerise his listeners. With his latest hits, Isaaqbaazi (Zero; 2018), Kar Har Maidan Fateh (Sanju; 2018), and more recently, Chammo from Housefull 4, Sukhwinder seems to be as relevant as ever. The singer talks to us about his near 30-year-old career, if he would ever sing a remix, and how he keeps reinventing himself. Excerpts:
Your recent release in Housefull 4, has over 15 million views on YouTube…
Film kaafi badnaam ho rahi thi (laughs), but when I watched it, mujhe toh bada mazaa aaya. Every song that I sing cannot be a great one, but a lot of my songs are hits and even superhits. Every song can’t win an Oscar, right?
The film didn’t get great reviews. Do you think the reviews of a film affect the music, too?
Nowadays, a few people have turned social media into a tamasha and not a resource. Social media is a great resource where you can say anything independently and freely, dil khol ke. But you can’t say anything without limits. You can’t abuse or use bad words. There are a lot of people who feel that they should do something new, so they resort to doing negative things. I am not saying that Housefull 4 Mughal-e-Azam (1960) ke level ki bani hai or Sanju ke level ki hai. But when I went to watch the film, there were barely any seats available, which clearly means that the film did good business. The makers put in a lot of effort, too, and the canvas is also big.
After so many years of being in the business, how do you keep reinventing yourself?
For that, you need to actually avoid a lot of things. Humare film industry mein kitna glamour hai and some of our activities are very aggressive. But the most important thing about the film and music industry is the creativity. Along with that, there are a lot of different branches of it. There is aggression, insecurity, greed and impatience but all of them live under the same roof of creativity. I tried to find consistency in this. I started working on that. Even before Chaiyya Chaiyya released, I had started following this pattern. When I was in England and my albums would come out, I always looked for that consistency. I was always very aware of aggression, insecurity and everything else. After Chaiyaa Chaiyya, I waited for about 70 to 80 days for my next song. Along with Om Shanti Om (2007) came Chak De! India in the same year, but I sang only three songs in that year. Most of those songs were nominated at award functions. Many people said I was very picky and I was also appreciated, but I remained quiet. And that ended up suiting me a lot. My last song was Kar Har Maidan Fateh, and after a year I sang for Housefull 4. But I am relaxed and now, I am waiting for three or four good movies to come my way. I want to sing more. I have three to four more good movies with good songs coming out. I don’t really ask the names of movies when I get offers. I concentrate on the content of the song. I am really satisfied right now.
What is your take on the trend of remixes that has become ever so popular now?
I’ve always had one big problem with this trend — original composers not being credited for their songs. So, whenever I was asked to speak about it, even during my concerts in India or abroad, I would always bring up this topic. I have been speaking about this for seven to eight years now. Thankfully, this issue has now been solved. Another thing, that really bothers me, is the usage of vulgar and bad words in songs. I feel that is really wrong. I have always maintained that if films can be censored, why can’t songs? People keep saying why do I keep involving myself in these battles, but to them I say, ‘the music industry is my family. And I can’t see wrong things happening in my family’.
As far as singing a remix is concerned, I would love to sing a remake of a Kishore Kumar song because he was my favourite (artiste). But one thing is for sure — when I sing a remix, it won’t be like the usual songs. It will be very special.
After #MeToo movement, thodi tameez aayi hai industry mein-Sukhwinder Singh
7:36 AM
Srishti Dasgupta (BOMBAY TIMES; November 4, 2019)
Carefree, candid and one who shoots from the hip — that’s Sukhwinder Singh for you. Ahead of his concert at Kolkata this week, the Bollywood singer spoke about music reality shows, the #MeToo movement and why he thinks RD Burman is the greatest composer of all times. Excerpts:
What do you have to say about the quality of reality shows?
Reality shows are a very good platform to hone talent. The best show I ever witnessed was the one I worked in as the chief guest. But in the last five years, I have noticed that 80% of the contestants’ growth as a singer coming from reality shows has drastically gone down. I don’t get time to watch reality shows regularly on TV because of my riyaaz, yoga or intense travelling for concerts. I also need to sleep for a minimum of nine hours, and amidst all this, when a friend or an associate asks me to watch some episodes of a particular show, I make it a point to watch them. Ten to 15 years back, reality shows produced better talent.
Why do you think so?
We lead a fast-paced life nowadays, there’s no patience in us. So, the contestants do not devote enough time for riyaaz or to learn the nuances of music. The aggression level has also increased a lot in us. There’s a lot of talent, but they have to be nurtured properly. The rural areas of Bengal too are a treasure trove of raw talent. We just need to find them.
You judged Voice Of India’s second season years back. After that, we have not seen you donning the judge’s hat for any reality show…
Many offers keep coming my way, but shooting till 4 or 5 in the morning is a bit tough for me. Having said that, I don’t mind being a reality show judge. A saint in Chennai once told me, whenever you learn any good thing, you must share it with others. So, I would definitely want to don the judge’s hat and share with everyone my knowledge of music.
Reality show judges openly engage in war of words. Is it part of the script to garner TRPs?
I have always told people, ‘agar aap chahte hai ki tamashe se TRPs bante hai, toh main apko music se TRP banake dikha dunga’. I bet if I get back on the judge’s seat, I will generate TRPs through music, glamour, style and fun. If you want me to get into a war of words with the rest, woh mujhse nahi hoga. Also, I am sure I will be the best looking judge in a reality show (laughs!). Many a times, judges say ‘wah wah’, ‘kya baat hai’ after a contestant’s performance. I wonder why they do so even if the performance is average. I guess, they want to continue their stint in the coming seasons as well, so they want to make the producers happy. But I can never do this.
People from the music industry were also called out during #MeToo controversy. Do you think the movement has created the impact it intended to?
It’s good that unhone awaz uthayi. In our entertainment industry, there are some people who are very cheap. But I cannot ever say that Nana Patekar is cheap. He is one of the best actors in the country. But somewhere this #MeToo campaign did work well. But usko bhi corrupt karne ki koshish ki gayi. When the campaign gained momentum, many said there were other cases too. The common complaint was ladki dikhi nahi ke mooh se laar tapakne laga. But the moment the campaign became a tamasha, it stopped. But some women, who raised their voices, were right. Nobody was saying it openly, but andar se sabko ek satisfaction mila tha ke yeh movement hua, and some people’s true colours came out. I get disturbed when I hear people using abusive language with junior artistes. You can’t do that just because she’s not Alia Bhatt or Deepika Padukone. I think after this #MeToo campaign, woh tameez thodi aayi hai industry mein.
Given a choice, will you ever enter the Big Boss house?
Main tamashe mein nahin jata. They have approached me two-three times, but as I said earlier, if I have to create TRPs, I will do it only through music. I didn’t say no directly, but I gave the makers my reasons for not going.
What do you think about Jasleen Matharu and Anup Jalota’s relationship that blossomed inside the Big Boss house? They initially claimed to share a guru-shishya bond…
Log tamasha karke publicity chahte hai, but what they don’t realise is that they are only tarnishing their own image. They will not gain anything out of this. Woh jaan bujhke badnaam hona chahte hai. For me, I can never tolerate people saying that this man, who has given hits like Chhaiyaan Chhaiyaan, Chak De! or Dard-E-Disco and others, does such things on a reality show. I am not saying Big Boss is bad. It’s a different kind of a show, but I feel I will not fit into the show’s pattern.
It’s believed that the era of melody is over in Bollywood. Do you agree with this?
Woh era aayega wapas. Sukhwinder Singh jumped in and how (laughs!)! Be it romantic songs or peppy numbers, I have done it all. From this year onwards, a new journey of mine will start — the journey of singing romantic songs. When S D Burman, R D Burman, Kishore saab, Mohd Rafi saab, Lataji, Ashaji, Mukesh ji were there, it was the golden era of music. There is no replacement for these legends. Today, you will not find another Kaushiki (Chakraborty) or a (Ustad) Rashid Khan. Melody has become a minor part of music these days, but then why do people love Arijit Singh so much? It’s also because of melody. When people want sukoon, they listen to Arijit.
You spoke about having a huge crush on renowned classical singer, Kaushiki Chakraborty…
I am a big fan of hers. I have a crush on her singing style and am sure everyone in the country loves her singing. Whenever I see her performance, be it on online platforms or on TV, I am amazed to see how can she sing such difficult classical compositions so effortlessly. Her father, Pt Ajoy Chakrabarty, too is one of the finest classical singers in our country. Kaushiki is an extremely down-to-earth person, there’s no iota of arrogance in her and that makes her even more admirable. Ek Kaushiki hai, aur ek hai Pt Jasrajji, dono ke mathe pe kabhi bhi koi shikan nahi hai jab woh gaate hai. They always smile and sing such difficult classical songs.
You have worked with several music directors in Bollywood. Whom are you most comfortable working with?
I have worked with almost all the music composers in the industry. I am comfortable working with everyone. All of them are very passionate about their craft. When they approached me for the song, Kar Har Maidan Fateh of Sanju, which was composed by newcomer Vikram Montrose and written by newcomer Shekhar Astitwa, I instantly loved it and recorded it. The song too turned out so well. When I find lack of experience in a new composer or songwriter, I share my experiences with them. But I do respect their work.
You have sung a lot of songs for SRK. Which actor suits your voice the most?
I have sung more songs for Salman Khan and Ajay Devgn than Shah Rukh Khan. Three to five songs I have recorded for Ranveer Singh and Ranbir Kapoor also. The actors play different characters, and I sing for their characters. In 2007, Shah Rukh was simultaneously shooting for Chak De! India and Om Shanti Om. I had sung two songs for him that year, one for each film. The title track of Chak De! India and Dard-E-Disco. I always go by the director’s brief. Shah Rukh zuban pe zyada aata hai kyun ki he has a lot of appreciation for other artistes and their work. He praises everyone very honestly. If he wants, he will tell the director, ‘Yaar, ek gaana toh Sukhi ka hona chahiye film mein.’
There are a lot of promising singers presently in Bollywood. Who are your favourites? Do you see them as competition?
Competition does work very well. I have been a sportsperson since childhood. Competition works well in sports, but not in music. So, I don’t see anyone as my competition. Arijit Singh is a lot better than many singers; even Shreya Ghoshal and Sunidhi Chauhan are extremely talented and versatile singers. Today, most young and upcoming singers try to copy western artistes like Shakira, Lady Gaga and others. They see their style and stage presentation, but don’t notice their practice and hard work.
Who is your favourite music composer?
R D Burman — he was the best in the world. Agar R D Burman abhi hote toh unke paas kam se kam 20-30 Oscars hota. If he got the technical support that’s available now, he would have fetched us more than 100 awards by this time.
I don’t wear shorts in public because I’m conscious-Shah Rukh Khan
8:30 AM
Meena Iyer (DNA; December 17, 2018)
It’s 10.45 pm. I’m at Mehboob Studios in Bandra, Mumbai. It’s way past twilight hour, but it is the hour when the Badshah of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan, is most awake. He loves the night and follows a clock that is set differently. Animated about his next release Zero, which hits the theatres this Friday, the superstar is game to go on with the promotional interviews all night long. Charming, articulate, candid and funny, he gives us a ringside view of the vertically-challenged character, Bauua Singh, which he plays in his new drama, with the eagerness of a child. That then is SRK; 30 years on, movies continue to make his world go round. And when you’re with him, he beguiles you with answers and anecdotes that make you long for more. Excerpts from our conversation...
You’ve seen the world from a superstar’s perspective. Tell us about a dwarf’s perspective.
Actually, I’ve not seen the world from a superstar’s perspective. I usually see it from the character’s perspective. A couple of weeks ago, I was explaining to my co-stars — Katrina (Kaif) and Anushka (Sharma) — how people perceive someone successful from the outside. But on the inside, the reason we get along — at least I get along with the actors I work with — is because without having to express it, all of us are aware of insecurities, the incompleteness and the consciousness about certain things. In this job, it finally takes a toll when you’ve to express so much of yourself. You defy yourself to the world and it’s difficult. Sometimes, when people such as non-actors are trying to act, it looks weird. Not because they are trying to act, but because they can’t express as openly as actors tend to do.
You are shy, aren’t you?
When you keep on giving so much, obviously all of us have some amount of weirdness and shyness. Like I’m really shy; I don’t wear shorts in public because I’m conscious. Not because I’m conscious of my legs or something, it’s just that I’m a shy person. But then you act in a film and play a character in a kachha-banian. You come on the set and you’re dancing and doing everything. It’s dichotomous, you are living out of yourself.
Similarly, when it came to a character like Bauua, it was his incompleteness, aplomb and coolness that appealed to me. He’s a superstar, a rock star. I remember director Aanand L Rai telling me that Bauua will not be cynical or angry with the world for who he is. He’s going to wear it on his sleeve. His attitude is going to be — if something is wrong with me, it’s wrong with you also. Maybe you are too tall. So, Aanand kept on saying that somewhere at the back of Bauua’s mind, he’s aware that people do take a second look at him.
Go on...
Whether people believe it or not, I’m shy in my personal life. In a public place, I’m like, are people looking at me? Is my hair alright? Not as a star, but as people, we all are. Sometimes, while we’re just sitting, I notice that if someone is feeling a bit conscious of their weight, they will pick up a pillow and keep it to distract themselves from the weight. Someone who is not comfortable with the clothes will keep pulling the shirt down. All the time we believe that someone is looking at us and finding something less in us.
If I’m sitting in a crowded place, I know people are looking at me. So, there is a certain thing, ‘Oh, my God, I hope they don’t realise I’m not as tall as they think I am.’ Of course, I try not to run away with my thought because it doesn’t matter now. I’ve been around too long. To play that character and still have the confidence while retaining the insecurity, I think that’s why it’s exciting for me to play Bauua.
It’s not about the height. It’s not about me alone, but for Anushka, too. Her character (Aafia Bhinder) has cerebral palsy, then there is an emotional issue that Katrina’s character (Babita Kumari) has. So, it’s very interesting that Aanand has touched about incompleteness. And still, all of them are confident. Aafia is one of the most intelligent scientists in the country, perhaps in the world. Babita is beautiful, Bauua is the most confident and cocky person in the world. And all three of them are suffering from a certain kind of complex, which they don’t ask sympathy or empathy for. I think that’s quite interesting.
If I were to tell people that, ‘Yaar, mujhe yeh problem hai,’ they are like, ‘Abey yaar, tere ko kya problem hai! Tu toh Shah Rukh Khan hai.’ That’s how people look at it. But you have your own issues. Sometimes, it’s something that makes you feel cynical and angry, too. But we’ve made a film that is not cynical or angry. We’re just telling people, listen, it’s alright to be less. Actually, less is unique, because we all are less in the film, in different ways.
Both, Anushka and Katrina, say the nice thing about you is that you let the female characters in your film shine.
I find that strange because, for me, it’s a natural progression of a co-actor who is working with me. I’m nobody to give anyone any kind of an upper hand in the film. I just want, as an actor, to be able to give my co-actor space where he/she also shines. And only then together we will shine.
I think it’s also my experience. When I joined the industry, I worked with Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit, Juhi Chawla. These three were the biggest stars this country has ever seen. I remember, the first time I acted with Juhi, after a scene, she turned around and said, ‘I love working with you, it’s exciting and fun.’ For a big star like her to say that to me, who was not even half as good as she was in the films, was a huge thing. One day when Madhuri and I were shooting, her hairdresser came and said, ‘Madhuri ek minute aana chahti hai’. I was like, ‘Haan haan, tell her to come.’ Then she said, ‘Nahin nahin, woh batana nahin chahti. Woh aapko dance karte hue dekhna chahti hai. She loves the way you dance.’ Sridevi used to give me a hug after finishing her shoot. So, all of them have been nice to me and I’ve worked with some of the best actors. Rishi Kapoor saab, Naseeruddin Shah saab, Amrish Puriji... the biggest of stars were so kind to me. They never pointed out any of my weaknesses in a negative way. They helped me out with the scenes in their own way. They didn’t sit me down ki ‘aisa karna hai’, ya ‘waisa karna hai’. And then, I became a star because of how they were to me. So, for me, that learning curve goes to everyone who is new to me now.
Katrina and Anushka are new to me, in terms of I’ve worked many more years. So, it’s not about them being girls only, it’s about them being my co-actors. And if I don’t give it to them, perhaps they will not be able to give it back to me. And also, I’ve a soft corner for women, because I do believe, most of my films which have done well, whether it’s Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) because of Kajol, Himani Shivpuri, Faridaji (Jalal), Sushmaji (Seth) and all the lovely ladies in the movie, or Chak De! India (2007), in which there are 15 new girls with me, I think they all made me look better than I am. I genuinely believe that. I think I’m nice to my heroines only because they make me look good. It’s as simple as that.
Is there anything at all remotely similar between Bauua Singh and Kamal Haasan’s Appu Raja?
Not at all. This film is not about a vertically-challenged person. It’s about incompleteness. Another thing is that Appu Raja was fantastic. Full marks to Kamal sir to even attempt it. Only he, with his weird, intelligent way of thinking, can do it. One of the other things that we didn’t want to have is that it’s a given, that if you’re vertically challenged, you would be in a circus. We didn’t want that in the film.
Some time ago, after a prominent filmmaker saw the first promo, she sent me a letter stating, ‘You don’t know how people lead their lives in circus’. I wanted to call her up and say, ‘How can you assume?’ and ‘How wrong you are to assume that just because a person is vertically challenged means that he should be in a circus.’ But I didn’t. I don’t think she will still like the film. So, it’s alright. We wanted to break the myth that any kind of incompleteness leads to cynicism and anger. You can celebrate life inspite of being incomplete. So, it’s not about the height.
With Zero you seemed to have fully inhabited the world that Aanand and writer Himanshu Sharma have created. When you say the dialogue — ‘Teer lena hai mujhe’, it appears as if either Aanand or Himanshu was coaching you to say it in a particular manner. Is this correct?
Oh, it’s different. I’m not from this world and I keep joking with them. I call Kandivali as ‘Candivali’. I keep joking with them saying, I’ve never been beyond Switzerland and Zurich and you’ve taken me to Meerut.
But having said that, 90 per cent of how I speak in the film is based on how Himanshu narrates it to me. I don’t think I’ve done a good enough job. And the other person who helped me was Zeeshan Ayyub. Himanshu sat me down with Zeeshan, who is a lovely actor, and said, ‘Sir, yeh jaisa bolega na, waisa bolna hai’. So, the scenes I’m with him, I speak better because I take the cue from him and he helps me out. But on my own, I think I’ve not been able to get the right flavour. I try my best while dubbing, too. But Himanshu is Himanshu. The way he puts it across is very different. And he is kind. The other day, I finished the dubbing and told him, ‘Yaar, waisa nahin ho raha hai’. But he said, ‘Nahin sir, yehi bada achha lag raha hai. Mera wala achha nahin hai.’ But I did copy his ‘Wheelchair toh photo mein dikhi nahin.’
Were you toying with the idea of calling the film Harami?
You know what we thought.. the character we were trying to build is badmaash. So you see all the titles that came in the teaser first.. there’s haram khor, baazigar, aflatoon, kameena.. I think he’s a mixture of all that. Then we thought what is the one thing that can apply to both. When I was growing up, I would often hear harami being used as a term of endearment like ‘tu bada harami hai’. We thought, can we have a term which can say, he’s fun and he’s an idiot, like he’s a complete zero. Yeh bilkul zero hai yaar.
For us, Zero is also a very Buddhist whole. It can be a complete circle or be nothing. We wanted to have a title that signifies both things. It’s not about a zero becoming a hero. It’s about a zero being zero but you seeing it from a different perspective. There’s no underlying meaning and that’s what I love about Aanand and Himanshu.
Was this your most challenging role to date?
It’s a very exciting part. And maybe one of the few roles that I want people to like a lot. I’ve never played a character hoping that people will like it. And I hope I never do that; ki main hero type ka role karunga toh chalega. I’ve just played characters within the parameters of commercial cinema. Maybe that’s also why I’m blamed for not essaying different roles because I don’t do the other kind of cinema, it’s not affordable time-wise and sometimes, filmmaker-wise.
You hear so many people turn around and say, ‘Yeh alag film honi chahiye, content hona chahiye’. I think Zero is such a movie. If it’s liked, it’s nice, if it’s not, then it’s back to the drawing board. I hope people like it. It’s a different movie. A lot of people ask me, do you get nervous or anxious about your film? I don’t think if you’ve been an actor for 30 years and done well, you should make a film that makes you anxious, in a good way. You should not make a movie like, ‘Yeh toh chalega yaar’. My anxiety is like ‘Yaar, yeh kaisa bana hai?’ I still have that excitement.
I asked Aniruddh, the Chief AD who saw some portions, ‘Kaisi lag rahi hai’. And he replied, ‘Bahut achhi lag rahi hai’. When I asked him, ‘Bahut mazaa aaya?’, and he’s like ‘I don’t know about that, but achhi lag rahi hai’. It’s nice to have a set of 300 people working on a film and you don’t know how it’s gone. It’s good art because it’s too much craft if you know exactly where it is going.
You’ve been around for about 30 years, but still no one romances like you. Do you take that as a compliment? Your arms outstretched pose is enough to tell people what romance is all about. There are people who are doing that even on social media.
I don’t know. I think people tend to simplify things. I’m happy to have been simplified to a romantic hero. I don’t take it personally because I know the layers that I bring into my characters. I’m not the best of actors, but I try my best to bring something personal and some public experience and utilise it. I’ve done this in a lot of films.
I don’t have a tendency to describe acting seriously to people. Maybe if I did, they will take me more seriously. But I don’t think you need to take me seriously because if you eat good food, it’s boring to be told how it was made. You taste it, you like the chef, you say he’s got magical fingers. So, I would like to be known as that person. If they think I’m a romantic hero, I fulfill that part of an emotion, I think it’s one of the most beautiful emotions we have. Having said that, personally, I’m weird with romance. Actually, I don’t even like romantic films. It’s strange, jaisa log bolte hain na, if you have plans, God has a way of laughing at you. That’s the only kind of hero I didn’t want to be when I came in. My first five-seven films were anti-hero and different because I was awkward. I said I don’t look good enough and I can’t romance a girl. I remember Yash Chopra ji telling me, ‘If you want to be a legend, you have to be a romantic hero.’ And I was like, ‘Yash ji, yeh kya bol rahe ho? Mujhe action karne do.’ He’s made films like Deewaar (1975) and Trishul (1978), so he was my go-to action hero. All the tough directors I worked with, they all turned patsy and romantic with me, including Rohit Shetty, with Chennai Express (2013). I think it’s not me, it’s them.
For me the armed forces represent the kind of integrity that I have seen in my father-Swara Bhasker
10:10 AM
Anshul Chaturvedi (BOMBAY TIMES; August 15, 2018)
Swara Bhasker has been in an intense love/hate relationship with social media over the past year. Some see her as an outspoken defender of free speech and liberal values. Her critics slam her as an extreme leftist ‘anti-national’. A tweet by her has led to sedition cases in multiple courts. Ahead of 15th August, we ask her to explain what a ‘seditious’ JNU-ite who is also the daughter of a Naval officer has to say about being charged with defaming the uniformed forces.
Controversy and you aren’t strangers, Swara, but even by your benchmarks, sedition cases being filed is a new benchmark. How did you manage that?
Yes, controversies are something that I’m used to, especially of the kinds that originate on Twitter. But honestly, this particular one, I had no idea what was going on because I’m on a month long trip in Europe. I had done a series of tweets with #ButLiberalsAreFanatics. I suppose sarcasm is lost in the world of hashtags. But I was just trying to be sarcastic about it and wry. So, I put out this tweet which was in reference to the Una case of the Dalits being tied to a jeep and flogged, and how that was recorded and circulated, and I mentioned ‘big caste pride’ and of course it’s a case I feel very angry about and I used an expletive, I said ‘a**holes’, and I thought that it was pretty evident because I’d mentioned the word ‘caste pride’, and ‘tying to a jeep and flogging’, and I tweeted it.
And because I was travelling I didn’t even look at my Twitter, and then my father actually, who’s himself a retired Naval officer, called me the next day and said, listen, have you tweeted something because there’s this news that you abused the army. And I was like, what?! And even at that moment, I didn’t realise that it was this tweet that was being talked about. And then I went back to it and realised oh, this is being interpreted in this wrong way. And I didn’t know if it was willfully being interpreted in a wrong way or people were just making mischief, and then of course I was like, oh my God. So then I put out a clarification saying that obviously I was talking about Una and read the papers or use your brains or don’t, whatever. And then I thought okay, I’ve clarified, and I forgot about it. And then again, the next day a friend sends me this article from a factchecking agency, and when I read the article I realised that ministers had tweeted about it, like of course all these fake news sites had picked it up. I was just like, wow. I mean there’s a Twitter storm going on but I’m sitting by the beach in Portugal and I had no idea. Of course, I never said that, I don’t know how they assumed that I was talking about the army. Frankly, it shows their lack of faith in the army. My father is an armed forces officer and I’ve grown up in that whole culture. Nobody can have more faith in that institution than the people who’ve grown up within it, and who know it in a personal sense.
My poor father, he said I think you should put out a clarification, which I had done anyway. And he said — my father is very mild, he’s not dramatic at all — he said, well, as an aside, thanks to you, I get a lot of spite on my Twitter timeline. Poor guy (laughs), I felt so bad because my identity on Twitter and all my social media activism has led to my father being in the line of fire a lot. So, I told him that maybe you should change your account and not let people know that I’m your daughter, but I suppose it’s too late for that. And he was like, no, no, this is the good fight, and I think he thought it was kind of, I think all of us now realise that it’s a very odd time we live in where even the smallest things can — everything is inflammable, almost, you know. Even the smallest, most innocently made statement, most unpremeditated statement can be misinterpreted or can be wilfully twisted to mean something else. Of course that’s something that happens to me repeatedly. We’re living in a culture where it is so polarised and everyone is trying to discredit the other person or the other side in whatever way possible. Frankly, I do feel that liberals are under attack.
But I think it’s quite ridiculous, because the tweet nowhere implies anything at all like it has been twisted to mean. I know that I have nothing to defend on this because it didn’t even strike me, literally that thought didn’t even come into my mind, I didn’t even associate it with the Major Gogoi incident in Kashmir, till these people started tweeting. I think my father knows very well that obviously I did not mean that and would not ever say that, so he was — apart from making a wry comment about the spite that he receives on my behalf on Twitter, poor guy — has been very supportive. My mother did tell me though, to watch my language on social media and I got a bit of a lecture over there.
Is the JNU/fanatical liberal branding necessarily the same as being hostile to the men in uniform? What do the uniformed forces mean to you?
Firstly, I think that all these brandings, you know whether it’s JNU, or ‘tukde tukde gang’, or ‘libtard’ or ‘AAPtard’ or ‘sickular’ or ‘presstitute’, I think that all these brandings and all the stereotypes that come with them, I don’t buy into them. Frankly, they are hollow and coming from a very toxic place and coming from a place that is trying to discredit people and therefore, discredit their opinions. And to me, it’s a very undemocratic kind of a stand already. So, I don’t buy into that, either JNU branding or a liberal fanatic branding. Thing is, I’m an actress, so I have to hear all kinds of things from all kinds of sides. So if you say something, you’re either publicity hungry, or some group will say you’re a liberal fanatic, I’ve been accused of all kinds of things. So I don’t buy into these brandings. To me, JNU is an institution which is a very precious institution, it is one of the most stellar institutions of this country and the most valuable thing about JNU is that as a centre of learning, it has — it had, at least when I was there — an atmosphere where nothing was considered too outrageous to ask. Because the whole idea is that you can only learn in an atmosphere where questions can be asked without fear. And I think that that critical mindset, and that mindset towards critical questioning, is a very important thing for a democracy to have and to preserve.
As far as what the uniformed forces mean to me, as I said, for me, the uniformed forces — like at the very earliest part of my childhood — have meant to me my father. I always look at the armed forces through the lens that my father was in the armed forces. I have almost a sentimental, and a very emotional kind of a nostalgic outlook towards the armed forces. I have grown up listening to stories of my father’s experiences in the forces, in his training in the NDA, stories about his friends, his colleagues. My father always made it a point to say that the armed forces as an institution are loyal to the constitution of the country and not to any one government or political party. So in that sense, the armed forces are an institution that owes its allegiance to the Constitution of our country. And I think this is a really important point to make. I think we live in a very, it’s almost like this Kafka-esque kind of time where you don’t know what is right, you don’t know what is wrong, now there’s so much fake news you don’t know what is the truth, you don’t know what is fake. So to me, at this point, for me the armed forces represent the kind of integrity that I have seen in my father, and he always made it a point to tell me that the armed forces were very disciplined, they were very secular, they believed in the spirit of fraternity along with discipline, and more than anything they believed in the spirit of empathy and humanity and justice. So even if you have shot an enemy in a war situation, you will treat that dead body with respect because it is the body of a soldier, even if he’s from a different country, and you will lay them down with proper rites and with the respect that is due to a soldier — even if that soldier doesn’t belong to your country. This is my association with the armed forces.
The cliched question — how is your interpretation of Independence Day different from that of your trolls and critics? Are you a cynic or a proud Indian? Can you be both or is it an either / or?
Of course, I’m a very proud Indian, and I was never a more proud Indian than when I was the narrator of this TV series called Samvidhaan, which Shyam Benegal sir had directed, because it really made me understand what a valuable and precious document that is, how our political forefathers were not just far-sighted, but also so empathetic, so humane, so progressive in their thinking, the vision that they laid down in that document. And the fact that in 1947, without a doubt they were able to give equal rights, the promise — at least the vision — of equal opportunity to all the citizens of the country, to women, to Dalits, to the backward castes, to minorities. I think we really have something very special in our Constitution and it’s something that we must respect and love and believe in. I also feel that true love is one which is not blind. True love is one which would be very disturbed when you see the one you love going down on a dark path. If you see a friend or your child going on a very dark path, or doing wrong things or becoming a bad person, if you love them, you will stop them. And you will make them realise that what they’re doing is wrong. It’s the same thing with your country. If you see the social ills in your country or if you see something wrong, or injustice or oppression taking place in your country, and you’re silent in the face of it, and you don’t step up to correct it or call it out, you actually don’t love your country. And I think that you can be a very proud Indian and you can equally be an aware Indian citizen who is also active and who keeps calling out the wrongs that happen around her or him. And an Indian citizen who engages with the democratic process and keeps calling out the government every time the government does something that seems to be not in the spirit of the Constitution. I think that is the greatest sign of being a citizen who loves her country. And so, whoever shot at Umar Khalid — I’d say that is an anti-national action. An act that does a huge disservice to our country.
Which is the one movie you’d sit down to watch on August 15?
I think that I would, my friend gave a very good suggestion, that on the 15th of August, all of us should sit and watch Samvidhaan again, Shyam Benegal sir’s show which I hosted. That’s a great thing to watch and feel proud of our country. I’d watch Chak De! India, Shah Rukh sir’s film, because I think that showed the spirit of patriotism, but also equally looked at the problems in our country in a very nice way and brought it all together very nicely. I’d also watch Amar Akbar Anthony, because, as nostalgia for what the vision of India was, and what perhaps at one point it was, and what it should be and could be.
A young Swara Bhasker at The Garhwal Rifles Regimental Centre in Lansdowne
Sagarika Ghatge to feature in a bilingual film based on football
7:56 AM
Sagarika Ghatge to feature in a bilingual film on housewives who get together to form a football team
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 11, 2018)
Actress Sagarika Ghatge who tied the knot with cricketer Zaheer Khan last November, is all set to return to the big screen. She will feature in director Milind Ukey’s next, Monsoon Football, a film about a group of housewives who get together to form a football team.
The actress who is still remembered as one of the hockey players in Shah Rukh Khan’s Chak De! India team, confirmed the news, raving about the beautifully written script. “After Chak De! India I’ve come to be associated with sports films so it’s nice to do one again. I studied in boarding school and played a lot of sports growing up but football was not something I played often. Being a sportsperson, I’m excited to kickstart my training soon.”
The shoot starts in July but the actress will begin playing footie from this month itself and hubby Zaheer is most supportive. “I always take his inputs because he has a mind of his own. At the end of my day I take my own decisions. When I shared this news with him, he told me that if I liked the script I should go ahead with it,”she says.
Director, Milind Ukey says, “Sagarika was my best choice for the film. She loved the subject and will be undergoing serious training in football. This will be the first of its kind film in Marathi, related to women playing football, the Hindi version too is being worked out simultaneously.’’
Actress Sagarika Ghatge who tied the knot with cricketer Zaheer Khan last November, is all set to return to the big screen. She will feature in director Milind Ukey’s next, Monsoon Football, a film about a group of housewives who get together to form a football team.
The actress who is still remembered as one of the hockey players in Shah Rukh Khan’s Chak De! India team, confirmed the news, raving about the beautifully written script. “After Chak De! India I’ve come to be associated with sports films so it’s nice to do one again. I studied in boarding school and played a lot of sports growing up but football was not something I played often. Being a sportsperson, I’m excited to kickstart my training soon.”
The shoot starts in July but the actress will begin playing footie from this month itself and hubby Zaheer is most supportive. “I always take his inputs because he has a mind of his own. At the end of my day I take my own decisions. When I shared this news with him, he told me that if I liked the script I should go ahead with it,”she says.
Director, Milind Ukey says, “Sagarika was my best choice for the film. She loved the subject and will be undergoing serious training in football. This will be the first of its kind film in Marathi, related to women playing football, the Hindi version too is being worked out simultaneously.’’
Our friends thought we should be together even before we thought about it-Sagarika Ghatge & Zaheer Khan
7:54 AM
Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; October 30, 2017)
It took some convincing for
one of India's fiercest pace bowlers, Zaheer Khan to open up on his
romantic side, life beyond cricket and how he was bowled over by Chak De
girl
Sagarika Ghatge. But once he did, even his gorgeous actress fiancée
seemed mesmerised as he showed
up in a majestic sherwani for our photoshoot. In an elaborate chat, he
dropped his guard and revealed his witty personality often hidden behind
a straight face and stoic demeanour. A little less than a month before
their marriage, the couple played perfect hosts as they welcomed us into
their plush Parel residence, which in Zaheer's words 'isn't a bachelor
pad anymore'. Excerpts from the couple's joint interview with Bombay
Times, on how they fell in love and more. Read on...
Zaheer, your wedding is just round the corner. What's the mood like in the house?
It's upbeat for me, stressful for Sagarika (smiles). She is the worrier, because she is more responsible as far as the timelines are concerned. With me, things go haywire.
A marriage is not just about two people, but two families coming together. Given this is an inter-religious marriage, was it smooth sailing for you two or did you have to brave some storms?
Zaheer: We didn't face any such issues. Both our families are evolved enough to understand that it's about marrying the right person over marrying into the same religion. It's important to be a good human being.
Sagarika: My parents are also open-minded and their primary concern was that I marry the right person. I am sure they may have had their apprehensions, but after meeting him, it cleared a lot of things for them. He is perfect.
What's the wedding ceremony going to be like? Will there be a nikaah and a Hindu wedding?
Zaheer: We are going to stay away from both. It will be a court marriage on November 27 in Mumbai. There will be a pre and post wedding functions. I am planning to have something in Pune as well, so the ceremony will go on for a few days. We want this to be a get-together for close friends and family.
Sagarika: We are also planning to have something in my hometown Kolhapur, sometime later.
Tell us how the love story began?
Sagarika: I met him three years ago. It was weird that every time I met him, my friends would tease us for some reason. We would be cordial with each other and stick to the regular 'Hi' and 'Hello'. But there were people, like my close friend, who thought we should be together even before we thought about it.
Zaheer: We both were in a different phase of our lives back then. We got to know each other through common friends. We don't know exactly when it started, but we eased into it.
What were your early impressions of each other?
Sagarika: Zaheer is a good host and is extremely well-mannered. For me it matters a lot. A guy needs to be chivalrous. That was my first impression of him - that he was humble. I am sure he had a different impression of me (laughs).
Zaheer: I am very relaxed and nonjudgmental in my approach. I let people be. This quality of mine, where I am unfazed by things, bothers my friends a lot. Even Yuvraj pulls my leg and tells me that ticking all the boxes during the wedding prep is crazy and hectic. I guess he is envious of how calm I am.
Sagarika: And that's a good quality, but not always. It gets annoying for me. I end up telling him, “You have to have a reaction! You cannot be like that.“
Who made the first move? And how did the friendship graduate to romance?
Zaheer: One person had to take the lead, and it was me (smiles). Things started to get serious when I actually told her about it. Before that we would always meet as part of a group. We would enjoy each other's company, but I wasn't sure if she liked me or not. So I just told her, “I would like to take you out for dinner, but it should be just you and me, not with the gang.“ She thought I was joking about it! We always felt there was something between us, but didn't say it. We have different personalities, but are similar in a lot of ways as well. She is quite choosy about who she hangs out with and so am I. We take our time to open up to people. We both are introverted to a certain extent.
Sagarika: I always knew he was a good guy. Whenever I met this common friend of ours called Ritik, I would always tell him that Zaheer seems like a good guy. He knew that I never talk about anyone like that, so there was probably something more to this. What I liked about him the most was his humility. Despite achieving so much in life, he is grounded. That is one quality in him that I truly I admire. Sometimes I fly, but he is grounded.
Now that you've retired from international cricket, will that give you more time for your marriage?
Zaheer: Yes. People used to often ask me, why aren't you getting married? I can do only one thing at a time. The game is demanding and getting more professional now. To divide time between family and cricket is tough. Not just because of the nature of the game, but the amount of traveling that's involved. It's not easy for us to cope with with such pressures, especially if you want to start a famil .
Sagarika, given that he is a sportsman, was your family a Zaheer Khan fan before? And what about you Zaheer?
Sagarika: Everyone in the family has always been a sports fan, not just cricket. They love him also because he speaks in Marathi. Even I don't always talk to my mom in Marathi but he does and that worked.
Zaheer: When I shared the news with my parents, the first thing they did was get a CD of Chak De! India and watch it. That mutual admiration is there from both families.
Did you particularly remember her when you saw the film back then?
Zaheer: I did. All I knew was she didn't like cricketers in the movie back then.
Sagarika, how comfortable are you mingling with the cricket fraternity?
Sagarika: I never hung out with cricketers before. But his really close friends Ajit, Ashish, Yuvi are just like him, so it was easy to blend in. I think his friends like me more than him now. Even if I work in the films, I have my own set of friends. Everyone who knows me knew that I was never interested in marrying an actor or a cricketer.
Zaheer: She took her Chak De character too seriously (laughs).
Sagarika, was there a notion some where that actors or cricketers are less likely to commit?
May be that was at the back of my mind, but I will never accept it. I guess it was more about being in my com fort zone.
Did you have any apprehensions about marriage per se before finding one another?
Zaheer: Personally, I always believed that when you are ready, it comes to you. I've always looked at it that wa . So when I started dating her, that thought naturally came to my mind. She was apprehensive, but I had the clarity. I always believed in marriage.
Sagarika: I believed and respected the institution of marriage so much that it scared me as I expected so much out of it. You want it to be right.
Sagarika, are you fascinated with the term 'WAG' (Wives and Girlfriends of athletes)?
Sagarika: I am not happy with that term. I don't know why some people like it.
Zaheer: She is happy that I've retired and that no one will call her that.
Unlike a lot of celeb couples, you just went straight ahead and took to social media to announce your engagement.
Sagarika: That's how I have been and he is also like that. He has no pretense. Besides, there was nothing to hide in the first place. He wasn't fooling around and neither was I.
Zaheer: Once you have clarity in a relationship what's there to hide? That's how I have been all my life. Also when it comes to these things, it's very individualistic. Everyone looks at things differently . I did what I felt was right.
Zaheer, your wedding is just round the corner. What's the mood like in the house?
It's upbeat for me, stressful for Sagarika (smiles). She is the worrier, because she is more responsible as far as the timelines are concerned. With me, things go haywire.
A marriage is not just about two people, but two families coming together. Given this is an inter-religious marriage, was it smooth sailing for you two or did you have to brave some storms?
Zaheer: We didn't face any such issues. Both our families are evolved enough to understand that it's about marrying the right person over marrying into the same religion. It's important to be a good human being.
Sagarika: My parents are also open-minded and their primary concern was that I marry the right person. I am sure they may have had their apprehensions, but after meeting him, it cleared a lot of things for them. He is perfect.
What's the wedding ceremony going to be like? Will there be a nikaah and a Hindu wedding?
Zaheer: We are going to stay away from both. It will be a court marriage on November 27 in Mumbai. There will be a pre and post wedding functions. I am planning to have something in Pune as well, so the ceremony will go on for a few days. We want this to be a get-together for close friends and family.
Sagarika: We are also planning to have something in my hometown Kolhapur, sometime later.
Tell us how the love story began?
Sagarika: I met him three years ago. It was weird that every time I met him, my friends would tease us for some reason. We would be cordial with each other and stick to the regular 'Hi' and 'Hello'. But there were people, like my close friend, who thought we should be together even before we thought about it.
Zaheer: We both were in a different phase of our lives back then. We got to know each other through common friends. We don't know exactly when it started, but we eased into it.
What were your early impressions of each other?
Sagarika: Zaheer is a good host and is extremely well-mannered. For me it matters a lot. A guy needs to be chivalrous. That was my first impression of him - that he was humble. I am sure he had a different impression of me (laughs).
Zaheer: I am very relaxed and nonjudgmental in my approach. I let people be. This quality of mine, where I am unfazed by things, bothers my friends a lot. Even Yuvraj pulls my leg and tells me that ticking all the boxes during the wedding prep is crazy and hectic. I guess he is envious of how calm I am.
Sagarika: And that's a good quality, but not always. It gets annoying for me. I end up telling him, “You have to have a reaction! You cannot be like that.“
Who made the first move? And how did the friendship graduate to romance?
Zaheer: One person had to take the lead, and it was me (smiles). Things started to get serious when I actually told her about it. Before that we would always meet as part of a group. We would enjoy each other's company, but I wasn't sure if she liked me or not. So I just told her, “I would like to take you out for dinner, but it should be just you and me, not with the gang.“ She thought I was joking about it! We always felt there was something between us, but didn't say it. We have different personalities, but are similar in a lot of ways as well. She is quite choosy about who she hangs out with and so am I. We take our time to open up to people. We both are introverted to a certain extent.
Sagarika: I always knew he was a good guy. Whenever I met this common friend of ours called Ritik, I would always tell him that Zaheer seems like a good guy. He knew that I never talk about anyone like that, so there was probably something more to this. What I liked about him the most was his humility. Despite achieving so much in life, he is grounded. That is one quality in him that I truly I admire. Sometimes I fly, but he is grounded.
Now that you've retired from international cricket, will that give you more time for your marriage?
Zaheer: Yes. People used to often ask me, why aren't you getting married? I can do only one thing at a time. The game is demanding and getting more professional now. To divide time between family and cricket is tough. Not just because of the nature of the game, but the amount of traveling that's involved. It's not easy for us to cope with with such pressures, especially if you want to start a famil .
Sagarika, given that he is a sportsman, was your family a Zaheer Khan fan before? And what about you Zaheer?
Sagarika: Everyone in the family has always been a sports fan, not just cricket. They love him also because he speaks in Marathi. Even I don't always talk to my mom in Marathi but he does and that worked.
Zaheer: When I shared the news with my parents, the first thing they did was get a CD of Chak De! India and watch it. That mutual admiration is there from both families.
Did you particularly remember her when you saw the film back then?
Zaheer: I did. All I knew was she didn't like cricketers in the movie back then.
Sagarika, how comfortable are you mingling with the cricket fraternity?
Sagarika: I never hung out with cricketers before. But his really close friends Ajit, Ashish, Yuvi are just like him, so it was easy to blend in. I think his friends like me more than him now. Even if I work in the films, I have my own set of friends. Everyone who knows me knew that I was never interested in marrying an actor or a cricketer.
Zaheer: She took her Chak De character too seriously (laughs).
Sagarika, was there a notion some where that actors or cricketers are less likely to commit?
May be that was at the back of my mind, but I will never accept it. I guess it was more about being in my com fort zone.
Did you have any apprehensions about marriage per se before finding one another?
Zaheer: Personally, I always believed that when you are ready, it comes to you. I've always looked at it that wa . So when I started dating her, that thought naturally came to my mind. She was apprehensive, but I had the clarity. I always believed in marriage.
Sagarika: I believed and respected the institution of marriage so much that it scared me as I expected so much out of it. You want it to be right.
Sagarika, are you fascinated with the term 'WAG' (Wives and Girlfriends of athletes)?
Sagarika: I am not happy with that term. I don't know why some people like it.
Zaheer: She is happy that I've retired and that no one will call her that.
Unlike a lot of celeb couples, you just went straight ahead and took to social media to announce your engagement.
Sagarika: That's how I have been and he is also like that. He has no pretense. Besides, there was nothing to hide in the first place. He wasn't fooling around and neither was I.
Zaheer: Once you have clarity in a relationship what's there to hide? That's how I have been all my life. Also when it comes to these things, it's very individualistic. Everyone looks at things differently . I did what I felt was right.
My big fat Indian wedding with Zaheer Khan could be towards the year end or a little earlier-Sagarika Ghatge
7:24 AM
Sagarika
Ghatge reveals that fiance-cricketer Zaheer Khan and she could tie the
knot before the year ends and insists she will not stop acting
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 11, 2017)
Sagarika Ghatge, who got engaged to Zaheer Khan on April 24 (Mirror, April 25) after the 38-year-old cricketer popped the question during a vacation in Goa, is now looking forward to the big fat Indian wedding. “It could be towards the year end or a little earlier. We have shortlisted a few days but are yet to zero in on D-day,” informs the bride-to-be, who has been travelling a lot with her fiancé, from Jamaica to New York and Dubai. “I have always enjoyed travelling and now it’s even better because the most important person in your life is with you. Zaheer has travelled a lot too, but only to cricket venues. Now he’s exploring the other side of the world not related to cricket.”
The couple met through common friends and began dating. They have been together for two years and Sagarika can’t stop gushing about him. “Zaheer is so easy to be around and so grounded despite achieving so much. I have so much respect for him,” she says, insisting they are like any normal couple on a beautiful journey together.
The 30-year-old actress’s debut film, Chak De! India completed 10 years on Thursday and she nostalgically says it’s overwhelming to be a part of such a milestone film. “Every actor hopes to get a film like this by the end of their career but I got it at the very beginning. Everyone, and Shah Rukh (Khan) in particular, took good care of us girls because we were new and naïve and didn’t know the art of filmmaking. SRK knew everyone was overwhelmed by him so he put in an extra effort to make us understand things,” she reminisces. Point out that in the film too, her character, Preeti Sabarwal, dated a cricketer, Abhimanyu Singh, and she laughs, “Yes people noticed the resemblance.”
In that film, India’s womens’ hockey team beat fancied Australia to lift the World Cup. In real life the women’s cricket team were narrowly beaten in the finals of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 by England. Was she rooting for them? “I’m an ardent fan of every sportsperson. I know what they go through after doing the film and that’s only a fraction of the effort they put in. I have huge respect for those who represent the country irrespective of whether they win or lose,” she says.
Will she continue working after marriage? “Definitely, I’m just looking at doing some good work,” she asserts, adding that she’s back in Mumbai and is hoping to nab some interesting projects. “Big or small, the medium doesn’t matter. I did a Marathi film (Premachi Goshta in 2013) because it helped me grow as an actor. I’m guessing priorities will change after marriage but Zaheer is supportive of my decision knowing I love being on the sets.”
And now that Zaheer has retired as a bowler from international cricket, is there a chance of him finding an alternate career in Bollywood? “He’s focussing on cricket,” she says shortly.
Sagarika Ghatge, who got engaged to Zaheer Khan on April 24 (Mirror, April 25) after the 38-year-old cricketer popped the question during a vacation in Goa, is now looking forward to the big fat Indian wedding. “It could be towards the year end or a little earlier. We have shortlisted a few days but are yet to zero in on D-day,” informs the bride-to-be, who has been travelling a lot with her fiancé, from Jamaica to New York and Dubai. “I have always enjoyed travelling and now it’s even better because the most important person in your life is with you. Zaheer has travelled a lot too, but only to cricket venues. Now he’s exploring the other side of the world not related to cricket.”
The couple met through common friends and began dating. They have been together for two years and Sagarika can’t stop gushing about him. “Zaheer is so easy to be around and so grounded despite achieving so much. I have so much respect for him,” she says, insisting they are like any normal couple on a beautiful journey together.
The 30-year-old actress’s debut film, Chak De! India completed 10 years on Thursday and she nostalgically says it’s overwhelming to be a part of such a milestone film. “Every actor hopes to get a film like this by the end of their career but I got it at the very beginning. Everyone, and Shah Rukh (Khan) in particular, took good care of us girls because we were new and naïve and didn’t know the art of filmmaking. SRK knew everyone was overwhelmed by him so he put in an extra effort to make us understand things,” she reminisces. Point out that in the film too, her character, Preeti Sabarwal, dated a cricketer, Abhimanyu Singh, and she laughs, “Yes people noticed the resemblance.”
In that film, India’s womens’ hockey team beat fancied Australia to lift the World Cup. In real life the women’s cricket team were narrowly beaten in the finals of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 by England. Was she rooting for them? “I’m an ardent fan of every sportsperson. I know what they go through after doing the film and that’s only a fraction of the effort they put in. I have huge respect for those who represent the country irrespective of whether they win or lose,” she says.
Will she continue working after marriage? “Definitely, I’m just looking at doing some good work,” she asserts, adding that she’s back in Mumbai and is hoping to nab some interesting projects. “Big or small, the medium doesn’t matter. I did a Marathi film (Premachi Goshta in 2013) because it helped me grow as an actor. I’m guessing priorities will change after marriage but Zaheer is supportive of my decision knowing I love being on the sets.”
And now that Zaheer has retired as a bowler from international cricket, is there a chance of him finding an alternate career in Bollywood? “He’s focussing on cricket,” she says shortly.
#10YearsOfChakDeIndia: Here's what the girls in Shah Rukh Khan's hockey team are doing now
8:11 AM
Dhaval Roy (DNA; August 10, 2017)
‘Yeh sattar minute tumhe zindagi bhar yaad rahenge.’ Shah Rukh Khan’s momentous lines in Chak De! India (CDI), which celebrates completing a decade today, went on to hold true not just for the on-screen women hockey players, but also the girls who essayed those characters in one of the biggest hits and most revered Hindi films. The film holds a special place in each actress’ heart, as they all admit that not a day goes by when a reference to the 2007 Yash Raj Films’ sports drama directed by Shimit Amin doesn’t pop up. Bootcamp, being charmed by SRK (obviously!), and spending the year living like sisters, it’s all fresh in their memories. “In the seconds that flash before my eyes when my life comes to an end, the bootcamp will definitely have about half a second,” Shilpa Shukla (Bindiya Naik) laughs.
Over the years, the girls have been each other’s support system, catching up often, and helping each other deal with everything from landlord problems, heartbreak, to even loss of a loved one. “Even if we don’t talk for months on end, every time we meet, we pick up from where we left,” says Arya Menon, who played Gul Iqbal in the film. As the film celebrates its 10th year, this is what the on-screen sportspersons are up to today.
Vidya Malvade: Vidya Sharma
The goalie and captain of the team is now a Yogini and conducts workshops in India and abroad. Chitrashi (Rawat), who played Komal Chautala, is one of her students and is excellent at the practice, Vidya informs. She also regularly features in short films, like Amit Masurkar’s breast cancer awareness outing Life After and another one for Mother’s Day. “I’m also waiting for the premiere of my show,” says the actress, reluctant to reveal anything more about it.
Sagarika Ghatge: Preeti Sabharwal
She was last seen in Irada with Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi and now awaits the release of a bilingual thriller (Hindi and Marathi) with Gulshan Devaiah titled Haadsa. Engaged to cricketer Zaheer Khan, she says, “I need to start prepping for the wedding, too. I guess after I’m married, I will be getting ready to do a lot more work.”
Chitrashi Rawat: Komal Chautala
Chitrashi has been a frequent fixture on the big and small screen with films like Fashion and Luck, and TV shows like FIR, Tu Mera Hero other than theatre that she has got passionate about in the past couple of years. Chitrashi’s latest television show is Shankar Jai Kishan 3-in-1. “I have films, too, but they are not finalised yet. So far, I have been travelling a lot when I don’t have work, but, this year looks very good in terms of projects,” she says.
Shilpa Shukla: Bindiya Naik
The actress, who went on to do the critically-acclaimed BA Pass and other films, has got back to theatre in a big way and prefers the medium to films. Her recent work includes Mahesh Dattani’s cineplay The Big Fat City on Netflix and the Hindi adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (which she also wrote), a play — A Woman Alone, and writing for theatre. “I’ve only been getting roles with grey shades, similar to Bindiya. So now I only do films that I feel I have something to offer,” says Shilpa.
Tanya Abrol: Balbir Kaur
Tanya has mostly been doing television since she returned from Punjab. After debuting with Palampur Express, she was seen in CID, Best of Luck Nikki, and is now waiting for her youth-based finite series for a channel to go on air in a couple of months. Television apart, the actress did a couple of Punjabi films. “I only want to take up roles that would suit my personality. So, I’m not blindly signing whatever comes my way,” Tanya says.
Shubhi Mehta: Gunjan Lakhani
She did films like Aamras and a short film, Forever and a Day, but it was television that gave Shubhi a reality check that she wasn’t gifted enough to pursue a career in acting. She’s now a businesswoman who runs her own company in Gurgaon, providing corporate training, and settled with her husband whom she married in March 2016. “I would still love to be in front of the camera, maybe in a commercial or as a sports anchor,” says Shubhi who is an ardent badminton player.
Seema Azmi: Rani Dispotta
The NSD alumnus has her own theatre group called Shila Shringar, for which she writes, directs, acts in plays, other than an odd film or TV show. Currently, she stars in Iss Pyar Ko Kya Naam Doon 3. Other than that, she is acting in a solo play Sara based on Pakistan’s poetess Sara Shagufta.
Masochon Zimik: Molly Zimik
The girl, who essayed the role of a Manipuri player has moved back to her native place in the northeastern state. She has a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter and works for an NGO for the youth. “I never felt like pursuing films but I’m not closed to the idea of acting again,” Masochon says, happy that Chak De! made more people aware of the Northeast and, “People who look like me live in the same country.”
Anaitha Nair: Aliya Bose
After acting in five odd films post Chak De! India, the actress tied the knot in 2011 and moved to Hong Kong. Mother to a three-and-a-half-year-old daughter who she named Aliya after her character, she is pursuing her second love — hairstyling. “I dived straight into hairdressing, which was my second love after acting,” Anaitha says, adding that she does miss acting terribly but she loves her life there just as much. “I tried showing Chak De! India to my daughter recently but five minutes into the film, and she was bored,” she laughs.
Arya Menon: Gul Iqbal
A creative producer on Vikram Motwane and Anurag Kashyap’s Netflix series Sacred Games, Arya has her own production company and produces ad films. “I always wanted to become a director-producer, though after Chak De! I tried some stuff in acting that turned out quite horrendous. So, acting is a big no-no for me,” Arya laughs.
Sandia Furtado: Nethra Reddy
The girl who admonishingly enlightened about the difference between Telugu and Tamil in the film went on to become a PR professional. The Bandra resident had an intimate church wedding with her beau, London-Based Matteo Busa in December 2016.
Director speak: Shimit Amin
On SRK
“Shah Rukh Khan was very professional and low-maintenance as a star. He would come to the sets, do his job, and leave — a very in-and-out guy. With him, one didn’t have to waste time thinking or talk about things we didn’t need to. He was really gracious and had soulfulness to inspire the players as their coach.”
About the team
“We went about portraying every character in a very democratic way. Every role was etched out, though some had a bigger arc than the other. The pressure was on ensuring that everyone had a significant portrayal.”
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