As told to Upala KBR (MID-DAY; June 2, 2020)

On Monday, at about 2 am, my son Varun [Dhawan] knocked on our bedroom door to inform my wife about Wajid. I couldn't sleep the whole night after that. I was close to Wajid and I cannot describe how I am feeling today. We have done five films together — Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, Partner, Chashme Baddoor, Main Tera Hero and Judwaa 2. All were box-office hits and the songs, chartbusters. You wanna partner, the title song in Partner and Besharmi ki height, Palat tera dhyan kidar hai in Main Tera Hero are my favourites. I would narrate my concept, explain it to him and he would compose songs [that met my expectations]. My last five films have been composed by the brothers.

Wajid was like a child for me. My relationship with him was indescribable. He would come home, jam with us, and have dinner with the family. Salman [Khan], who was instrumental in giving them a break in Bollywood, Sajid-Wajid and I did lot of work together. All the best songs of Salman and Varun are [composed] by him. He loved Varun and gave him such great songs in Main Tera Hero and Judwaa 2, which was difficult to compose.

Wajid was like family to us. He was a musician who played the guitar from the heart. I was discussing Wajid's music with Salman, who was shattered [on hearing the news], yesterday. Sadly, none of us could go to the funeral. We can mourn only from home.

We were in touch when he was unwell because of his kidney transplant and I didn't want to disturb him. He told me that he would step out as soon as he could and see me in my office, but he was hospitalised due to the recent virus. He didn't smoke, drink, nor did he have any vices. He passed away too young.

Rishi Kapoor took stage-exit, just as he'd dived headlong into the most eclectic stage of his career!
Mayank Shekhar (MID-DAY; May 1, 2020)

Actor Rishi Kapoor died young, at 67. If he'd passed on few decades later, he would've still died young. And I don't mean that cliché about being 'young at heart' and all. I mean, literally, young in the head—where it counts.

Think he was between 25 to 30 years old; tops. This infused into his natural persona that casual aliveness of late youth—he's the guy you could chill at the corner-bar with, all through a party, as I did, couple of times. Feel blessed.

It also made him impulsive, tad impatient, moody, on occasion; unreasonable, even. Not an easy man to know and walk around, without care. Also he was therefore (mentally) a decade younger to me, and so there arose the minor/moral dilemma over what to call him! He didn't like Mr Kapoor ("Waddyathink, am an uncle or what?"). Rishi ji wouldn't cut it. He preferred Rishi. I carried on with Mr Kapoor.

In the hierarchy of naam-karan (naming ceremony) in Indian popular culture, the apex of the pyramid belongs to the person the public bestows upon a common nickname, short-form, or epithet. It's not so much a mark of honour as it denotes the level of familiarity the public feels with a public figure!

This cuts across professions. It is most common in films—whether that be Shahenshah or Big B for Amitabh Bachchan; or Baadshah, King Of Romance, King Khan or SRK for Shah Rukh Khan. Tells you something about their image too.

Rishi went by the short, cute sobriquet, Chintu, at best, Chintuji—eternally that boy, at any rate India's first 'chocolate hero', who debuted as the National Award winning child-star of Raj Kapoor's magnum opus, Mera Naam Joker (MNJ; 1970). In fact, if you observed him closely, when he spoke with that impish smile—he still had a sweetly chubby face—it was quite easy to transpose him into the little Raju, besotted by his teacher Mary (Simi Garewal), from MNJ.

Thereafter he held a list of firsts for Bollywood that may not occur to you instantly, if I don't bring them to mind here. For one, up until Rishi's debut as the lead actor in Bobby (1973), he told me, Bollywood's heroes and heroines used to be men and women—holding books and going to college in their 30s and 40s! It's true. Rishi was 21; his leading lady, Dimple Kapadia, after whose character the film is titled, was 16.

While Bobby gave birth to a super-hit romantic pair, Dimple got married, and quit movies altogether. This posed a peculiar problem for Rishi. He was left to swim around a leading ladies' pool—Zeenat Aman, Parveen Babi, etc—that was considerably older, and therefore unfit to be cast as his conventional, romantic leads. There was Neetu Singh, absolutely his perfect onscreen better-half— later his off-screen wife. "But then, how many films could I do with her? So it had to be Neetu, or a new girl," he said.

Don't know if such an entry is allowed into the Guinness book, Rishi held the glorious record of introducing 23 female leads as his on-screen partner in the movies. And even that number he wasn't sure about. Besides that he wished to add even Alia Bhatt (Student Of The Year; 2012), Taapsee Pannu (Chashme Baddoor; 2013), into the list, since they had debuted in Bollywood with him, although he wasn't the lead in those movies.

Did he even remember all those 23 heroines he worked with; was he in touch with any of them? "Don't know where's Kajal Kiran (Hum Kisise Kum Naheen; 1977), Shoma Anand (Barood; 1976), Bhavana Bhatt (Naya Daur; 1978)…" Gah! Would've been a great idea to click Rishi seated in the centre as the good old Gopi surrounded by his debuting leading ladies — an eclectic array, almost stacked up like sardines — to celebrate 50 years of his debut, which falls on September 28, 2020.

A mart is really how the movie business/trade has traditionally perceived itself — setting a price for what sells, and a sell-by-date for what doesn't. This is as true for stars as the image or genres associated with them. In that sense Rishi, although he liked to call himself the "right person at the wrong time", had an absolutely uninterrupted 25-year run at the movies — between 1973 and 1998 (averaging around five to six films a year) — which for its time is also a record of sorts: "Shelf life for a hero then was 20 years; 10 years for heroines."

He said the reason to quit films was also his. He had just got bored of the proverbial dancing around trees. Nothing exciting seemed to exist in the horizon. And so one fine day, he rounded up the four to five producers he owed advances to, and simply returned them their money.

This is when Rishi was 46. Shammi Kapoor, Rishi's uncle, and the seminal singing-dancing star of the generation he took over from, had retired at 37. Amitabh Bachchan, Rishi's older contemporary, left films (to return only much later) at 40. Of course none of these age restrictions/rules for retirement matter anymore. Shah Rukh Khan, 54, has currently taken a break to recalibrate his leading man's career.

Note: I mention Shahenshah, and Badshah or King Of Romance, again! This is because in the pantheon of Bollywood stars, Rishi saw himself sandwiched between the two: "I should've entered films in the '90s," he said. The year of Rishi's debut, 1973, is also when Prakash Mehra's Zanjeer proclaimed Amitabh Bachchan as the 'angry young man'— simultaneously killing that flowery phase of Rajesh Khanna romances; and gently pricking at the bud the romantic Rishi Kapoor from coming into full-potential, glorious bloom.

At the box office, Rishi, in many ways, would've been Rajesh Khanna's natural successor. In terms of a female fan-following, he sort of already was — with hordes of women, by his own account, taking their clothes off, so he could autograph their bras! And special 'Bobby buses', matched with theatre timings, plying between Punjab, Faridabad and (what was then) Gurgaon, so people from far-off towns could catch his first film.

Except the phase that followed, especially in the '80s, was full of, as he put it, "B and C centre maar-peet; Lahu Ke Khoon [both mean blood] kind of films, and some skin-show. The ambience, mahaul, was only for action." Rishi, on the other hand, had been secure enough in his masculinity to go drag with Rafoo Chakkar (1975). One such "totally wahiyaat (crappy)" film, he told me about, was called Hawalaat (1987), where he starred alongside the 'action types', Mithun Chakraborty and Shatrughan Sinha. He was of course the "guitar and dafli playing type." When it came to promoting the film, the producer asked him "to pose with a chaku (knife)" for the poster, to draw in audiences!

It is in this backdrop that one has to register the fact that Subhash Ghai's cracker musical Karz (1980) had tanked at the box-office. Ghai recently sold its remake rights for Rs. 3 crore, which is a sum he'd not even come close to with the original. Likewise, Rishi's Tina Munim, Poonam Dhillon, Rakhee Gulzar co-starrer, Yeh Vaada Raha (1982), based on Danielle Steele's novel The Promise, showed no promise either. Neither did Zehreela Insaan (1974). Nor was Ramesh Saagar (1985) quite the Sholay!

The above is merely a short Spotify playlist I'm making for you, so after you're through with the Hum Kisise Kum Naheen medley, you check out the opening riffs of Karz's Ek Hasina Thi, the title track of Yeh Vaada Raha, and the finest R D Burman number, O Hansini, from Zehreela Insaan, or O' Maria from Saagar. These soundtracks have been around us all along. Post Rajesh Khanna, R D arguably equalled Rishi, on screen. R D is very much alive. So will Rishi. Music is the medium through which Hindi movies survive public memory.

Also, only a proper desi film aesthete would be able to tell how Rishi was uniquely gifted at lip-syncing, to perfectly own a song, before the camera. It's called song-acting—a talent that has no use in any another film culture. The first time Rishi was asked to perform a track (Main shayar toh nahin, from Bobby), he recalled, his father, Raj Kapoor, allowed him no choreographer. The logic being the choreographer would give him steps that other stars had already performed to. He would automatically be compared to them!

Even as an actor, it can be argued, Rishi looked and behaved like no one else—of his time, or from the generations before. Let alone other Kapoors. None of whom seemed like shadows of each other — carving niches of their own — while being raised under the banyan tree of Prithviraj, a full-time theatre and later film-studio actor, who began a four-generational legacy that Rishi was a proud and aware progeny of.

Contrary to popular perception — mainly because so many get to take a shot at stardom in the first place — most superstar-kids don't make it in the movies. Comparisons do them in. What separated Rishi from his father Raj, for one, was the lack of being — a word he used himself — the "stylised" actor.

By which you mean certain tics, manners, or andaaz, as it were, that instantly marked out say Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, and others. Rishi didn't have that. And this is what made his return to "character-driven" or more realistic films, at a larger stage, easily possible. Which wasn't the case with most others before him. It's the lightheartedness of his films that rendered him an underrated actor—hardly ever taken seriously by the critical establishment; something that bothered him much. He told me comedian Johnny Lever had a bone to pick with him. Rishi was the only star who'd been around for so long, that Lever couldn't find a way to mimic on stage! Fair point.

In 2017, I had the honour to host Rishi's first (and as yet only) retrospective of films at the Jagran Film Festival. From a filmography of over 150, we had to pick five. This was impossible. Going back and forth with his suggestions, we kept widening the quota. Until we reached a point that we could no longer accommodate more than eight films. And yet, how could MNJ be left out? We decided to play eight and half films in all—the half comprising Rishi's section from the three-part MNJ!

To be fair, an artiste/entertainer's self-perception should be at the core of his fan-base. And for this moment, don't care what Rishi Kapoor gems you've found — let's make it about the jeweller foremost. According to him, besides Karz and Bobby, Rishi's greatest works were—Habib Faisal's Do Dooni Char (2010), Raj Kapoor's Prem Rog (1982), Karan Malhotra's Agneepath (2012), Shakun Batra's Kapoor & Sons (2016), Manmohan Desai's Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), and Yash Chopra's Chandni (1989).

Notice his latent bias towards more recent releases. You can gauge the phase he was enjoying the most — placing his acting chops on display. It doesn't seem as if fate had mortally attacked a man who's young or old — just someone with such vitality and zest for life, that he was looking to soar. That's what hurts far more. Rishi had battled leukemia for two years.

The reason for his return to films, he told me, was a lovers' tiff of sorts that he'd had with his filmmaker buddy Rakesh Roshan, who'd pricked his ego with some loose talk about his career (or the lack of it). The expectedly emotional Rishi reasoned that he had retired from stardom, yes, but not from acting. He decided to stage a comeback — also to prove a point to Roshan, who, along with Jeetendra, Prem Chopra, and his Campion schoolmate, director Rahul Rawail, were known to be his close friends.

Basically the Rishi Kapoor I observed from a private quarter was no different from the Rishi Kapoor one experiences from a distance, in public. Meaning, what you saw is what you got. No overt agendas as such. This often cofounded political coteries on social media, with a lot of his tweets driving traffic to the Right, and then swerving conveniently to the Left-Liberal, as they say!

Guess if you've lived your adult life entirely in the public eye, you'll either always fake it, or just stop caring beyond a point. Of course he also had a socially well-connected, mature, adult side to him, with an eye on the lay of the land. But for the most part, it seemed, Rishi kept it real.

With personal disclaimers, he had no qualms admitting to the world he'd frickin' bought the Filmfare Award, for Bobby! He wrote it in his book, and explained further at an interview with me before a live audience. What're you gonna shame him for?

As a Bollywood star, he didn't think twice before drunk-dialing me past midnight, referring to how I had obliquely compared his son Ranbir's performance in Rockstar (2011) to Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan — "Abey, beta toh mera hai!" True.

He could get childishly excited even about wearing a delegate-badge at a film festival, given that he said, surprisingly (for me), he'd never been formally invited to one before. But then again, despite his first and only retrospective being held across 16 cities over three months, he could bail out a day before the all-important closing ceremony, for a conversation before a packed house.

Because? He had an issue with an absolutely random cartoon published in Mid-day, about the fire at R K Studio. No, you couldn't console him. Just couldn't. That was Rishi. His friends say the same. Everyone loved him just the way he was though. Good luck God. And thank you, Mr Kapoor.


Bobby (1973)

Taapsee Pannu on chasing new dreams after nine years in the film industry
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 13, 2020)

Taapsee Pannu recently completed nine years in the industry and flashbacking to her debut film, Jhummandi Naadam in Telugu, she says, “I was a novice then, I’d never acted and had no plans to make a career in it. I entered films with the intention of experimenting with life.”

After 10 films down south, she entered Bollywood with David Dhawan’s Chashme Baddoor, but still does one regional film a year. “I never used the South as a stepping stone to Bollywood. I never wanted to choose between the two, I wanted to work in both simultaneously. It took a while to find a footing in both industries though,” Taapsee acknowledges, saying she learnt the craft from co-actors and that the South film industry helped shape her basics. “Learning happened with every film.”

After Chashme Baddoor, she did a cameo in Akshay Kumar’s Baby, which got her a lot of appreciation, but Pink was the turning point. “After that people started to expect something from me, it gave a clear direction to my career. I wanted my audience to enjoy the film and take something back, too, so I began to sign up for subjects that made an impact on me,” she explains.

This year, she has four releases, all in different spaces. “With so many releases in such a short span, it’s essential not to repeat yourself,” reasons Taapsee, who opens her account with Anubhav Sinha’s Thappad on gender dynamics and is hopeful it will make people reflect on their mind-set.

Haseen Dillruba, which follows, is an intense love story in the garb of thriller. Then, there are two sport films, Rashmi Rocket, in which she plays a sprinter and the Mithali Raj biopic on the captain of India’s women cricket team. “The first three months of the year will go in developing an athletic body and the next three in learning a game. It’s perfect to play a sprinter and cricketer in such a short span,” she smiles.

The actress also has a yet-untitled espionage-thriller down South, which is targeting a mid-2020 release. And even as she is juggling suspense, drama, action and sport, she is looking to live out another dream. “I want to be an Indian superhero,” she concludes with a smile.

Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; November 25, 2019)

“I am a drama queen in real life,” she proclaimed, her smile lighting up the entire auditorium during the ‘Women in Lead’ session, at International Film Festival of India (IFFI), 2019. From being called the ‘bad luck charm’ of the South film industry to becoming one of the faces of content-driven Bollywood cinema, Taapsee Pannu’s journey has been an interesting one. Excerpts from the session:

FROM GEEKY TEENAGER TO AN ACTRESS
It’s no secret that Taapsee landed in cinema purely by chance. “I was the geeky, nerdy frontbencher. After college, I got a corporate offer through campus placement, but I wanted to pursue MBA. I am a drama queen in real life, but I had no connection to dramatics ever. In fact, during my college days, I was part of the dance troupe and used to have huge fights with the dramatics club over the rehearsal space. I would laugh at them for being so overenthusiastic about drama, which I didn’t think much of back then. But eventually, I started modelling just for pocket money, and somehow cinema followed,” she recounts. And when did she finally decide that this was the career path that she is going to follow? “After my first film released,” says Taapsee.

THE RELATABLE AND VERSATILE ACTOR
Starting off with the typical commercial potboilers, Taapsee slowly made a move towards subjects that can be termed unconventional. From a Chashme Baddoor to a Mulk, Badla and Saand Ki Aankh, was the transition a conscious choice? “My first Hindi film was Chashme Badoor, a commercial potboiler, an appropriate launchpad for a girl from South to get into Bollywood. And who would say ‘no’ to a David Dhawan film? I wouldn’t, not even today. Then I thought, what next? I realised that there were already a lot of girls, who were really good at these commercial potboilers. And they were all being backed or recommended by someone or the other. So, I realised that it was too crowded a space here. I didn’t think I could get an edge over them, because these girls were drop dead gorgeous and doing a swell job. Plus, I had no one backing me. So, I had to find a new path and create my own space.”

But, now that she has created that space, and can afford to be selective about her roles, how does she go about it? It seems that she has a three-point checklist. Taapsee says, “When I hear a script, the first thing I think is if I would spend my hard-earned money and time to go and watch it. Secondly, I think if I will be able to make an impact on the narrative. I would want the audience to take my character back home with them. I am not concerned about my screen-time. If the audience remembers me after coming out of the theatre, I am happy. The third one is a little filmi. I really want my kids to be proud of my filmography.”

‘I AM NOT ANSWERABLE TO A FAMILY LEGACY’
Taapsee is as bold in her choices as are her characters on screen. She says, “I don’t get scared because I don’t have a surname to protect. I am not answerable to a family legacy. That’s why I say that I have an edge being an outsider. I am here because I am having fun. And till the time I am having fun, I will do everything that the world tells me I can’t do. The day I get bored or get similar offers, I will happily and gracefully step down and do something else in life. For me, films are not the be all and end all of my life.”

FROM SOUTH TO BOLLYWOOD
“At no point have I ever used the South industry as a stepping stone to Bollywood,” Taapsee insists. But will she continue working in the South, now that she has established herself in Bollywood? “It would be very stupid of me to leave that market just because Hindi is perceived to be pan-India. The South film industry taught me a lot and I have an immense sense of gratitude towards that industry. With the kind of highs and lows I saw there, from making a successful Tamil debut to being called a bad luck charm or the iron leg after four of my Telugu films bombed, it was hurtful and I learnt a lot. The journey toughened me up for Bollywood.”

HER DREAM ROLE AND LOVE FOR ROBERT DOWNEY JR
Towards the end of the session, Taapsee let it slip that she often DMs Robert Downey Jr on Instagram, letting him know that how heartbroken she is that his character had to die in The Avengers. This comes soon after she talks about her dream role. “I want to be an Indian superhero in The Avengers. That’s my dream role. I love X-Men and The Avengers and love Robert Downey Jr to an extent that I will happily play the Iron Man suit,” she signs off.

As told to Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 22, 2019)

I was working in films down South when I got a call from Mumbai. David Dhawan was remaking Chashme Baddoor and wanted to know if I would be interested in being a part of the film. They were looking for a girl like Preity Zinta for the role of Seema and going by the character sketch, Telugu director Puri Jagannadh recommended my name for the role. When I first met David sir in Mumbai, I wasn’t sure if I was in contention but by our second meeting, we had mutually agreed on the film and I was given an idea of the script, my scenes and my look. David sir had a particular look in mind and we experimented with my hair, clothes and styling. Our third meeting was in the city for the shoot.

I was super excited because I was going to be speaking in my mother tongue on camera for the first time. Since I was entering the Hindi film industry, it took longer than the usual time to get ready as I was being extra cautious. Even after I was all prepped up, there was a long wait as I had to enter the scene at a certain point, Ali (Zafar), Divyenndu and Siddharth who played Siddharth, Omi and Jai respectively, were done with their lines. I think the scene came before the interval and I had just one short dialogue. I was already nervous and as I waited for my turn, my anxiety escalated. I have no clear memory of my first shot even though I remember everything that happened before and after it. I don’t usually look at the monitor, but on that day, the team insisted I check out my performance, hoping it would calm my nerves.

My family doesn’t usually accompany me on a film set either. I am an extrovert and the unit becomes my extended family. In this case as well, I went out of my way to be comfortable with everyone and vice versa. This, over the years, I’ve realised is the only way to remain sane and happy at work.

It took some time for it to sink in that I was actually doing a Hindi film because I had just stumbled upon the offer. So initially, though I was speaking my lines in Hindi, I was performing like it was a Tamil or a Telugu film. The approach is the same, but then, I told myself that this being my language, I could do much more with the scenes and slowly started to improvise, adding personal touches and giving unscripted reactions during the filming.

I think Chashme Baddoor was the perfect Bollywood launch for me. Had I started out with a film like Baby I would have landed up with only small supporting roles while a Pink would have typecast me as a serious and off-beat actress. My debut Hindi film was fun yet conveyed to everyone that I can act and fit in both worlds.

Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; August 4, 2019)

Govinda’s effortless dance moves, comic timing and flashy style set him apart from his contemporaries. His recent revelation of being offered James Cameron’s science-fiction epic, Avatar, set tongues wagging on social media platforms. In a heartfelt chat with Bombay Times, the actor reacts to being mocked, talks about his tumultuous film career, what caused his rift with David Dhawan and the lessons learnt from all of it. Excerpts:

Your revelation in a recent interview that you were offered James Cameron’s Avatar (2009) has become a matter of joke on social media. The memes have gone viral. Do you stand by your statement that you were offered the Hollywood blockbuster?
I am not active on social media, but my daughter Tina keeps me in the loop. I am fine with people wondering how someone like Govinda could refuse a James Cameron film. I can understand where they are coming from. I respect that thought. They are entitled to have that opinion, but to say how come Govinda got that offer in the first place, is wrong. It’s not like meri aukad nahi hai. It’s prejudiced behaviour. Chai wala aagey kaise badh sakta hain? TV actors films mein kaise aa sakte hain? This is that same elitist, superiority complex. Yeh galat hai. Aapko vishwas nahi karna hai toh mat kijiye, but don’t say things like this.

Did James Cameron mention anything about seeing your work? How did your casting come about?
I was a superstar then. He must have seen my films, but I am not too sure about that. There was a sardarji, who knew me well, and belonged to the medical world. He was my senior, and Dev sahab’s (Dev Anand) friend. He was also one of the financers of the film (Avatar). James Cameron and he met me in London, where I was narrated the story of Avatar. In a way, while I was talking to him, I suggested the title to him. Mere muh se woh shabd (Avatar) nikal gaya aur unhone pakad liya. However, I refused the film. The sardarji even complained to Dev sahab that I had refused this big Hollywood film despite the massive money that I was offered for it. Dev sahab even called me and asked about it.

The film was being directed by one of the most celebrated filmmakers in the world. Why did you refuse the film?
When I heard the subject, I thought I won’t be able to match up to the physicality required to essay that character, that needed to be covered in body paint for over 400 days (Australian actor Sam Worthington played the role of Jake Sully, a disabled former Marine in Avatar, the part which was offered to Govinda). Iraada accha tha, but uss process ko sehne ki kshamata mujh mein nahi thi. I remember Yash Chopra ji had also offered me a similar role in Chandni (1989), which was eventually played by Rishi Kapoor. The character is physically challenged for a certain portion of the film. I had refused that one as well. Dates were an issue, plus, you need to be able to do justice to a role that’s physically demanding. Also, at that point, given the image that I had, I wasn’t sure if people would accept me in such a role.

Hollywood has a certain working pattern and casting process. Many believe that if someone like Irrfan would have spoken of turning down Avatar, it’s still believable since he has worked in American films. You didn’t have that kind of background (of working in films in the West) and perhaps, that’s why it was looked upon as a joke?
People making a laughing stock of me is not new. I was mocked even at the beginning of my career because I dared to become an actor. They thought, I am from Virar gaon, yeh kaise hero banega! Even after my films did well, a certain section of people believed iska success toh fluke hai. When I worked with legends and superstars, they said, ‘Govinda won’t be even noticed in their presence. Yeh mahaan logon ke saamne kya acting karega.’ When my films started doing well, I was conveniently labelled as a ‘comedy actor’ and not a ‘good actor’ and I would only get nominated for awards in the comedy category. When you don’t segregate other genres (romance, tragedy, drama, etc.) why make only comedy a separate category? The intention was to push me to a corner and restrict my reach. Eventually, I realised that this is how the industry treats you when you don’t have a Godfather. You have to find a way to survive. I became Govinda because of my hard work. I had to look after my entire family, so acting was more than just a passion for me. It was my means of survival. The struggle was to succeed with whatever limited means I had.

Why did you speak about being offered Avatar after so many years?
How is that no one wondered why Govinda was asked this question on that show? I did not tell the anchor (of the television show) about it before the show at all. He must have heard about it from someone. In fact, I was shocked when I was asked about it. I couldn’t have avoided the question, so I gave an answer, and whatever I said, is the truth. Jo sach hai, woh bola. Maybe people thought yeh uss layak nahi hai. Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, Taal, Devdas, Nayak, Chandni and Slumdog Millionaire… I have declined all these films, too. Why just Avatar, kya baaki films achhe filmmakers ne nahi banayi? All these films turned out to be huge hits.

What was your reason for turning down Slumdog Millionaire?
I was offered the role that Anil Kapoor played. Danny Boyle had come to meet me. I think this was right after Partner (2007) had released. Jab aapka bad patch chal raha ho and everyone is demoralising you, aapka khud par se vishwas thoda hil jata hai. I was surprised that he came to meet me. I didn’t do that film, but told him it will do well. I loved the thought of the film that you don’t have to be highly educated to make it big in life, you have to be streetsmart. However, I had two objections with that film… the poop scene in the beginning and the title. I wasn’t comfortable with the word ‘Slumdog’ and that scene.

But when these films that you refused, turned out to be blockbusters, did you regret it?
I have always trusted my instinct and though it has mostly benefited me, but of course, I also know that you can go wrong at times. You assume people want to see you a certain way, and so you avoid taking risks. When the screenplay writer read out the script of Gadar to me, I felt that it had too many gaalis (cuss words). I was later told that, ‘You didn’t do it, Sunny Deol did and it’s a huge hit. Aap darte ho.’ I told them Sunny Deol ji is Dharmendra ji’s son. Unkey parivar mein aadha dozen stars hai. Main toh Govinda hoon aur mujhe apni puri family ko dekhna hain, so it is difficult for me to take risks. Hum thodey se haath jodke hi nikley hain.

Why do you think people are finding it hard to believe that you were offered Avatar?
I thought about this a lot. I am a blessed child of my parents and of course God. I have never had a supporter or a Godfather, who showed me the way. I started looking for work at the age of 14 and managed to get it at 21. Where was the time to work on myself? I am neither educated enough, nor politically correct. There was no one to tell me how I could present myself or how to socialise with people. Fashion kya hoti hai, yeh maloom tak nahi tha. Today, actors have a team of stylists and PR, who tell them what to do, say and wear. In those days, these things didn’t exist. I was labelled as a massy entertainer and I had no issue with it as it suited me. That could be a reason why the thought of me rejecting Avatar sounds funny to people. Woh ek ‘massy’ (dance and comedy) image logon ke dil mein beth jaati hai. I was never called a superstar; I was always ‘Virar ka chokra’ in all the articles. When I was listed by a media house in the UK in 1999 among the Top Ten Most Popular actors in the world along with Mr Amitabh Bachchan, (we were the only Indian actors on that list), I couldn’t believe it.

David Dhawan and you gave multiple hits together. What went wrong between you two?
I haven’t spoken to him for over nine years now. On one occasion, he was talking to my secretary, who had put the call on speaker. David told him, “Govinda ko jo bhi chotey-motey roles miley, ussey kar lene chahiye. Ab woh hero nahi ho payega.” My secretary had called him after I couldn’t work with him on Chashme Baddoor (2013). I heard what he said on that call about me. We haven’t spoken since then. Hota hai film line mein yeh sab. I have learnt not to expect much from people when it comes to your profession. However, there are also those who acknowledge me. Rohit Shetty, Ranveer Singh, Salman Khan, Amitabh Bachchan sir, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan… I want to thank all of them and my fans who still believe in me.

You shot for certain portions of Jagga Jasoos, but those scenes were chopped from the film without you being aware of it. Did that upset you?
I look at the film industry as family and somewhere I was wrong in the way I thought. You should not have these expectations. Perhaps, these people are not wrong. I need to change myself and get more professional and practical in life. Time pe pohcho, time pe niklo, don’t immerse yourself in work beyond that. I am doing that now.

Your alleged lack of discipline and superstitious attitude were cited as the main issues according to many.
If I wasn’t efficient, I wouldn’t have done the number of films that I have. If you are doing your work sincerely, imaandari se kar rahe ho, you don’t look at work as a ‘number of hours’ thing. It’s not possible. I wasn’t so ruthless ke kisika paisa laga hai, but I will leave because mera time ho gaya hai aur ghar jaane ka. I will finish that and only then I will leave. But yes, times have changed for the better. Everything is more organised now, so I am working on being punctual, too. Payments happen on time. Having said that, back then the work atmosphere was more family-like, which isn’t the case today. As far as being superstitious is concerned, who in Bollywood isn’t?

You started working early in life. What are the lessons learnt?
If your films do well, everyone behaves like they are your children. If your films don’t do well, sab aapke baap ban jaate hain. After I quit politics, I signed some big films, but they got stuck and took years to release. Mani Ratnam’s Raavan, for instance, took a while to release. I figured you can’t plan anything in life. God is the ultimate planner. Usiki chalti hai. Yes, I regret not doing as many films, but now I am open to trying different kinds of cinema across platforms.

Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; June 11, 2019)

Taapsee Pannu has become the go-to actress for women-centric films or those with strong, feisty roles. Whether it was Pink (2016), Naam Shabana (2017) or Mulk (2018), she has stood out, thanks to her acting chops. Her last release Manmarziyaan was an intense love triangle with her at the centre of it. And now, the fiery performer will be seen in the Tamil-Telugu bilingual Game Over, which is being dubbed in Hindi and opening in cinemas on the same day. The 31-year-old considers it as a huge honour. “It usually happens for big South stars and even then, their films don’t release on the same date. The movies are dubbed and aired on TV later,” she tells us. This just goes to show the long strides the talented star has taken, becoming a name to reckon with in Bollywood as well as the South. In a candid chat, she tells us more about the upcoming thriller and her other projects.

It must be a big deal for you as your South film is being dubbed and hitting the marquee in Hindi..
Yes, it’s a huge pressure now. Even the way the poster is done — Taapsee in Game Over — is a very South thing to do. In Hindi, we don’t do that even for a Salman Khan film. But down South, the love for their stars is huge. The first time I saw the poster, I felt I have come a long way. It was overwhelming, it has been quite a bit of a journey and I have reached somewhere credible.

Can you take us through your journey?
Initially, I didn’t know anything about acting, I didn’t want to be an actor. I took it up as an experiment and my debut films in Telugu (Jhummandi Naadam, 2010) and Tamil (Aadukalam, 2011) got a thunderous response. That’s when I decided this is my destiny. But then I made mistakes by choosing the kind of movies that didn’t make sense to me as I didn’t have a sense of cinema. I listened to people telling me this is what actresses do and realised it’s not working for me. There were back-to-back flops and I was considered bad luck. I was blamed for the fate of even those films in which I had only three songs and five scenes. So, I thought if that’s the case, I might as well choose the projects that I want to do.

I thought if that’s the case, I might as well choose the projects that I want to do. So, from five-six movies a year in both Telugu and Tamil, I reduced it to one. People said this was the end of my career, but I was the one turning down offers. I moved to Bollywood with Chashme Baddoor (2013) and patiently waited for the best roles because I didn’t want to repeat the mistakes I made in the South by choosing only fancy films. Once that started working, the perception in the South changed and they started to give me the kind of roles I wanted to. Today, I am striking a balance between Hindi and regional cinema.

What kind of prep did you have to do for Game Over?
Most of the prep was during the reading sessions. This is not a regular fiery character people know me for. In fact, it’s the total opposite. She has gone through a trauma and every year, when that date approaches, it affects her. Her mind and body start reacting weirdly, due to which she meets with an accident and she ends up in a wheelchair. As an actor, it was mentally draining. I used to play Ludo in between shots, and hang out with friends during my off days. I didn’t want to stay alone. I used to watch a lot of comedies to lighten my mood because the experience was traumatic.

Do you get affected by the roles you play?
Yes, the role stays with me even after the film is over. It takes away something from me, which I don’t realise. It also changes me as a person. If you see my filmography, most of the characters I have played are intense. I get affected every time I do a movie and end up dressing up like that. After Manmarziyaan, I used to wear a lot of indie dresses and after Judwaa 2, I would dress in a hot chic way (laughs). I make it a point to take a week off on a holiday and disconnect from work after I finish a film’s shoot.

Do filmmakers come to you with strong roles or do you choose only those kind of parts?
It’s a mix of both. The makers of Game Over approached me, but I pursued the makers of Saand Ki Aankh. When I spot that there is a good film/script around, I go for it, I have no shame. For instance, I wanted Anubhav (Sinha) sir to write on this subject (the dynamics of the husband-wife relationship) and since the promotions of Mulk, we knew we are going to work together again in Thappad. The supernatural thriller I’m doing with Anurag (Kashyap) came my way. We had discussed it during Manmarziyaan.

Your upcoming films, Saand Ki Aankh, Thappad and the supernatural thriller, have you as the protagonist. Don’t you want to do a masala flick like Judwaa 2 again?
Yes, I want to. There are preconceived notions that I will not do a smaller part. But it’s nothing like that. It’s just that it shouldn’t be so insignificant that if you take me out of the movie, nothing changes in it. I really hope such a film comes my way. I want to lighten up my filmography, be a little relaxed on the set and not always be so intense. I will wait for such a role. I am not averse to it.

Vinod Ranganath, Chairperson of the Dispute Settlement Committee of the association, responds to the filmmaker
MUMBAI MIRROR (March 31, 2018)

A day after Mirror ran a story by Khalid Mohamed (March 30, Sai Paranjpye: Film Writers Are Vulnerable... They Get A Raw Deal) Vinod Ranganath, Chairperson of the Dispute Settlement Committee of the Screenwriters’ Association (SWA), sent this paper his version of events in the case.

The letter states: “Sai Paranjpye approached our then General Secretary Kamlesh Pandey to help her in the matter of her script of the film Chasme Buddoor. Pandey heard her out and explained to her that we have a dispute settlement committee which handles such matters. He requested her to fill out the complaint form giving details of the case, also attaching her script and her contract with the producer. He also informed her that the Dispute Settlement Committee (DSC) will go through the matter and then take a decision. It was also impressed on her that the DSC is a settlement committee and does not have arbitration or judicial authority.

Sai Paranjpye wanted immediate action to be taken which was not possible without a complaint being registered. She then asked about other options she could pursue. Pandey told her only a judicial court could ensure immediate action as SWA or DSC doesn’t have the power or jurisdiction to stop a films release. She then decided to go to court. So it was not as if the SWA didn’t want to help her. We couldn’t help her without her lodging a formal complaint. This is the reality.”

Clockwise from above: Sai Paranjpye; Chashme Baddoor (2013); the 1981 original


Filmmaker Sai Paranjpye discloses how she was left in a lurch by the Film Writers’ Association over the David Dhawan remake of her cult comedy Chashme Buddoor
Khalid Mohamed (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 30, 2018)

Unbeknownst to many, five years ago, stalwart film writer and director Sai Paranjpye had appealed to the Film Writers’ Association — now known as the Screenwriters’ Association — to argue the case on her behalf against David Dhawan’s remake of her Chashme Buddoor.

The cult comedy classic had opened to rave reviews and housefull shows in 1981. As it turned out, Paranjpye who objected to the retread was left stranded at the last minute.

She had to take the matter to court on her own, with the help of lawyers who had tremendous regard for her track record and the ever-fresh laughraiser which had featured Farouque Shaikh, Deepti Naval, Ravi Baswani, Rakesh Bedi and Saeed Jaffrey.

“The Film Writers’ Association not only proved to be useless,” Paranjpye tells Mirror, adding, “I was assured by the top officer-bearers of the association that they would take care of everything. As a result, I lost out on valuable time, and had to go to court at just a few days before the release of the remake on April 5, 2013.”

The subject of the effectiveness of the Film Writers’ Association (renamed SWA in 2014) was addressed to the spry Padma Bhushan awardee in the wake of the controversy which has erupted over Cheat India, a film on scams in the education system, starring Emraan Hashmi which will get rolling in July.

The Delhi-based writer Dinesh Gautam and actor Imran Zaidi have alleged that Cheat India is a rip-off of their script Marksheet (also to be launched in July). Reportedly, they were vexed vis-a-vis their appeal for redressal to the Screenwriters’ Association.

On its part, the Screenwriters’ Association’s official stance is that it takes all complaints seriously and has strict protocols in place. “Knowing the seriousness of copyright issues, we make every effort not just to be transparent but also neutral, giving equal opportunity to both complainants and respondents to present their case. It is owing to the due diligence practised by SWA’s Dispute Settlement Committee that its intervention is taken seriously by the film and television industries. When cases adjudicated by SWA have gone to court, judges have asked for our report and have also upheld our decisions several times,” Vinod Ranganath, Chairperson of the Dispute Settlement Committee of the SWA, had earlier told Mirror (March 28).

Paranjpye, while speaking specifically on her Chashme Buddoor experience, points out that the rights for the remake were formalised without so much as a by-your-leave by the film’s co-producer Jayshree Anand Makhija. The creative rights which accrue to the writer were ignored, leaving her with no option but to appeal to Kamlesh Pandey, then honorary general secretary of the Film Writers’ Association.

As the release date of the retread produced by Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, starring Ali Zafar, Siddharth, Divyendu Sharma, Taapsee Pannu and Rishi Kapoor, was nearing, Paranjpye was left in a quandary. “Nothing was happening,” she recalls. “I was even advised that I would have to handle the matter myself. Willy-nilly I had to go to court. Fortunately, because of my well-wishers, justice prevailed.”

Striking a cautionary note, she concludes, “I am not playing my seniority card at all, or tarring the association with one fell swoop of a brush. No writer, whose claims have substance, should go through what I did. Please understand that every writer — if he or she has a tenable case — should get a semblance of protection at the very least from the association. Film writers are vulnerable, they get a raw deal. It’s for the sake of all writers whose intellectual property rights are endangered, that I am speaking out today. Going to court is never a pleasant experience. But when a push comes to a shove, it has to be done.”

Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; January 22, 2018)

Fresh from the success of Judwaa 2, Taapsee Pannu is glowing. Having lost oodles of weight, she is looking svelte, charming and confident. Not only has she established herself as an actress of substance but she is also straddling hard-core commercial films and different cinema. While she delivered power-packed performances in Pink and Naam Shabana, she added the glam quotient to a masala entertainer like Judwaa 2. Even her upcoming movies are a mixed bag — she is balancing a romantic comedy, Dil Juunglee, with a social thriller, Mulk, which is based on real incidents and Manmarziyan, an intense romantic drama. In a candid chat, Taapsee looks back at her journey in Bollywood and opens up about her struggle and choices.

You made your debut five years ago with Chashme Baddoor, but it is only in the last one-and-a-half years that you have got recognition in Bollywood. What took you so long?
It’s difficult to make your presence felt with a film like Chashme Baddoor that is an out-an-out comedy mainly because it’s a common genre. There are so many girls out there who are trying to make an entry with big commercial comedy films. I’m neither the most drop dead gorgeous looking girl, nor am I a diva. All I can say is that I’ll help the layperson, who is buying a ticket, feel that I’m one among them. That’s my USP. I’m not that larger-than-life looking character, so it’s difficult for people to imagine me doing a film like Judwaa 2 immediately after Chashme Baddoor. It took a while for me to establish myself, for the audience to like me and for makers to feel that, ‘Okay, here is someone people would like to see, it will be interesting to put her in those shoes and see how they react.’ Now that the audience loves me, I’m trying to experiment and see in what all shapes and sizes do they like me (laughs).

You are the only actress to have played a small role in a film, Baby, which led to an entire movie revolving around your character in Naam Shabana...
Yes, I’m very lucky to do Baby in which I had a 10-minute role that ended up with me getting the title role in another movie. It wasn’t planned. With Akshay Kumar, Neeraj Pandey supporting it and Manoj Bajpayee playing an important role in Naam Shabana, who would have thought that within three years, I would get a project like that! Then I got to work in Pink where initially people thought it would be an Amitabh Bachchan film. I’m lucky to get such a beautiful role to essay. The only credit I give myself is having made sure that I used the opportunity to my best. I didn’t let it pass or take it lightly. I exploited the opportunity to deliver my best. A lot of directors if you have noticed have repeated me.

How did you exploit the opportunity to your best?
Beggars cannot be choosers. When I did Baby I was told, Akshay ke film mein vaise hi kisi aur ko koi dekhta nahi hain aur 10 minutes ke role mein kya dekhenge? I was not even paired opposite Akshay. It was very convenient to not realise my presence (in the film), but that’s what worked in my favour because people didn’t expect me to do what I did. Whenever I have done something people didn’t expect me to do, it has worked for me. The same thing happened with Pink. They didn’t expect me to have an equal role as Mr Bachchan’s but were shocked to see me have one. Then they never thought I would do a Judwaa 2 after this. It’s fun when I change gears. I do one Pink and Dil Juungleee, a Naam Shabana and Judwaa 2. If I do one genre back-to-back, it will get boring.

What prompted you to take up a film like Judwaa 2 after being hailed as an actress of substance?
There were a couple of things. Firstly, I was sick and tired of hearing that you look really beautiful in real. I was like, ‘Do I look ugly on screen?’ I guess just because I don’t do glamourised roles like a lot of other actresses, people don’t realise that there is beauty in simplicity as well. My take was if you think that’s not beautiful, let me show you this side as well. I tried to showcase that glamourised aspect of me which they think is beauty. I had done this exact same thing for years in South cinema, so it was just revisiting where I started. Secondly, my audience didn’t make Pink or Shabana a Rs 100 crore film. The idea for an actor to grow is to get more and more audience. This is my way to get viewers to see me, like me and come to watch my other movies also. If Pink and Shabana were Rs 100-crore films, I would have done only that type of cinema. But because the audience is still waking up and warming to that kind of films, I need to do something like Judwaa 2 every year.

But it wouldn’t be challenging for you...
No, as I said I have done it in my South films, but the challenge for me here was to look as hot as or at least be worthy of standing in the same frame next to Jacqueline (Fernandez) who has the hottest body in the industry. That for me was the toughest part!

Which is the one role you would you like to essay that people don’t expect from you?
I would love to do a dark character. I think people don’t see me as one, but that’s something I want to do. Gone Girl is an ideal reference.

Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 28, 2017)

Fresh off the success of Judwaa 2, Taapsee Pannu has taken off to Lucknow to film Anubhav Sinha’s social thriller Mulk. In between, she’s also kicked off prep for the Sandeep Singh biopic with Diljit Dosanjh. “Hockey is in my DNA, my father represented Delhi University. I’ve gushed over those pictures but I was never into any team sport, be it hockey, cricket or football. I have never held a hockey stick in my hand but I have held racquets and the body language is a lot alike,” points out the actress, adding that hockey ace and former Indian captain, Sandeep Singh has been training Dilijit Dosanjh, Angad Bedi and her for the film.

She describes him as a “patient guy” and a “good coach” after training with Sandeep in Mumbai for a week before leaving for Lucknow. Admitting that she’s enjoying the game and is confident enough to face the camera for the hockey sequences, Taapsee goes on to reveal that she had deliberately hid the news about the biopic from her dad till she had inked the deal. “I’m superstitious!” she admits, recalling how projects she’d been excited about in the past didn’t work out. “My father found out through the newspaper and has asked me to come to Delhi so he can share his experiences on the field with me. This is one film he is really looking forward to,” she beams.

Quiz her on Diljit and she informs that she’s seen his Hindi films, and heard some of his Punjabi songs. “Everyone knows he’s a good singer and actor and since I’m not a trained actor, I feed off the energy of my co-stars. I get excited rather than intimidated by good actors,” she says, adding that Diljit and she have met during the readings and on the field. “I don’t make snap judgements but I have a feeling he’s the polar opposite of me. He’s shy and an introvert who takes time to open up while I will chat with someone even if it’s a wrong number call. And I think this will enhance our onchemistry onscreen.”

Has the super success of the Judwaa sequel boosted her career, you wonder, and Taapsee says that she’s hoping it’ll help her land another potboiler. “I had a blast filming Judwaa 2 and I’m happy people have accepted me in this avatar. And now I am waiting to sign another commercial film for next year for sure,” she says, quickly crossing her fingers.

Her only regret is that within a week of the film’s release, Varun Dhawan and she took off to start new films and being in two different cities, they didn’t get to catch up.

It’s time to get serious with Mulk that boasts of an enviable ensemble cast including Rishi Kapoor, Neena Gupta, Manoj Pahwa, Prateik Babbar, Ashutosh Rana and Rajat Kapoor. “I’m sure the film will get attention, not just nationally but internationally too,” she promises, admitting that Lucknow, where they have been shooting, is the only place where she’s open to eating red meat. “Rishi sir complains every day about how thin I’ve become since Chashme Baddoor and I’m compensating for it in Lucknow. By the time I return, I’d have put on all those pounds I lost for Judwaa 2. In India, the smaller the cities the bigger the hearts and the locals here have been plying us with home-cooked food and not disrupting outdoor shoots. I couldn’t be happier,” she exults.

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 16, 2017)

Rishi Kapoor began filming Anubhav Sinha’s social thriller, Mulk, in Malihabad last week. Taapsee Pannu who plays his daughter-in-law joined Rishi on Sunday. Speaking from the UP town, Anubhav revealed that a day earlier Rishi had canned a confrontational scene in an erstwhile palace, where Shyam Benegal’s Junoon with Shashi Kapoor and Naseerudin Shah, Muzaffar Ali’s Umrao Jaan with Rekha and Anil Sharma’s Gadar with Sunny Deol, had been shot earlier.

“I had no idea. I had simply liked the place when I was on a recce there. It was the locals who recently told me about these iconic films being shot there. I must have been 12-13 when Shyam Babu was shooting Junoon there with Naseer bhai. This place houses the history of cinema,” exults Anubhav who flagged off the film on his son’s birthday. He’s all praise for the mango belt of North India and its gracious inhabitants. “The mango orchards spread over miles and the locals actually adhere to the Lucknavi tehzeeb of ‘pehle aap, pehle aap’. Recently I complained about the unit tea and within 15 minutes, 30 cups of tea came from someone’s home and served,” laughs Anubhav.

On Sunday, they were shooting at a local college, which they have converted into a government office. “Taapsee and Rishi ji have earlier worked in Chashme Baddoor and share a great rapport. Rishi ji is a chilled out person, doesn’t carry the aura of Rishi Kapoor and is very friendly with everyone. We are on a start-to-finish schedule and mid-November mein khatam karke hi lautunga main,” Anubhav signs off.

Divya Kaushik (BOMBAY TIMES; September 29, 2017)

The actress flies off to the Queen's City today to kickstart another David Dhawan film exactly four years after her Bollywood debut with the director
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 10, 2017)

Taapsee on how she was tagged ‘unlucky’ by filmmakers and how her own publicist wrote her off
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 31, 2017)


Last year was a turning point in Taapsee Pannu’s Bollywood journey. With a breakthrough performance in the Shoojit Sircar-produced sleeper hit Pink — a small-budget film on consent with Amitabh Bachchan as its only Alister — the Delhi girl finally broke into the A-list. She will be seen next in the David Dhawan-directed Judwaa sequel. Incidentally, David directed her debut film, Chashme Baddoor.

Unlike other success stories in B-town that follow the ‘one thing led to another’ narrative, the 29-year-old former techie admits that being an outsider in the industry, she’s had to plan her career carefully. One wrong choice could’ve led to a premature exit.

“I knew if I delivered a flop, I wouldn’t get five-six opportunities like industry kids do. I have lost films to star kids but I always knew nepotism exists here so I was ready to work harder than others,” she says candidly, pointing out that Pink has made even those who had no faith in her acting abilities, sit up and take notice. “Now, I’m finally getting the kind of films I always wanted to do.”

The accolades didn’t come easily. When she was working down South, she remembers that a couple of films in which she didn’t have much to do flopped. She was blamed for their failure and tagged “unlucky”.

She admits that even her own publicists didn’t think she was good and would make it big, going by the responses they got from the industry. “When your own team tells you this, it comes as a big shock. I broke down for a while but then told myself that someone else can’t decide how good or bad I am and write me off. That’s when I decided to handle my career all by myself,” she reminisces.

She recalls how during Chashme Baddoor she was treated as a newcomer at events despite having done 10 films down South. “I guess it’s because no one was backing me but after a point I stopped attending events and have only started going out again after Pink,” she says.

After Pink one would have expected Taapsee to opt for intense, solo starrers, but she sprung a surprise by diving straight into Judwaa 2, a two-heroine project, also starring Jacqueline Fernandez, with Varun Dhawan as their leading man. The other film she’s doing is an espionage thriller titled Naam Shabana, in which she plays the title role but which she had signed before Pink released.

“I want to play roles that suit my age. I’m happy if I haven’t lived up to people’s expectations by signing Judwaa 2 because a lot of people never expected me to be a success either,” she quips.

Naam Shabana, she points out, is a prequel to Akshay Kumar’s 2015 release Baby and she remembers that when producer Neeraj Pandey told her she was playing the title role, she laughed in disbelief, never imagining it would happen so early in her career. “Coincidentally I gave my first shot for Naam Shabana the day Pink released,” she smiles.

Her family is still getting used to her stardom. “My mom, after every film tells me ‘Ab tujhe acting aa gayi hai.’ I don’t know which film she is referring to,” she laughs. She adds that her father isn’t as expressive but took his friends to see Pink multiple times, so she knew he loved her work.

Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; January 22, 2015)