Made in Heaven co-director Prashant Nair bows out of the second season to focus on his web series about the 1997 Delhi fire
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; May 7, 2020)

He stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti, Nitya Mehra and Alankrita Shrivastava as he co-directed the much-loved Amazon Prime series, Made In Heaven, last year. However, before the second season goes on floors, Prashant Nair has made a graceful exit from the picture. The Spain-based filmmaker is instead consumed with bringing a real-life story to the screen.

"I am not part of the second season as I am working on a web series based on the Uphaar Cinema tragedy," says Nair, referring to the 1997 fire at the Delhi theatre that had claimed 59 lives and injured over 100 people. "I am the show-runner, director and creator of the series that is being developed with Endemol Shine India. It's currently in the research phase," he adds.

It has been a memorable week for the filmmaker, whose latest offering, Tryst With Destiny, won the Best Screenplay award at the Tribeca Film Festival. "The organisers kept the competition section open virtually so that [the jury] can watch the links. When they announced the win, I was in my pyjamas at 2 am, feeling remarkably unglamorous, reading Danny Boyle's lovely feedback on the movie," he laughs.

Though glad that the Viineet Kumar Singh-starrer has received acclaim, Nair feels rather disconnected from the win. "I wanted to experience this moment with my cast and crew. And damn, we didn't even get a selfie with Robert De Niro [who is the co-founder of the festival]!"

Recalling his close association with late Irrfan Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui says he got to ‘learn a lot’ from the actor
Prashant Singh (HINDUSTAN TIMES; May 2, 2020)

They had an association spanning more than two decades. That’s why it doesn’t come as a surprise when Nawazuddin Siddiqui calls Irrfan Khan’s demise “a huge personal loss”. “He treated me like a younger brother. And for me also, he was like an elder brother and a mentor. I used to share all my problems — personal as well as professional — with him,” he says.

The actor knew Khan “from even before 2000”. He says: “Isliye kaafi lamba saath raha. I was very close to Irrfan bhai, so I used to be with him, or around him a lot. He was my first-ever co-star, and an actor whom I worked the most, and that includes a number of films that never even released. And it’s a secret that when he recorded [audition] tapes for Hollywood films, I would give him cues.”

Siddiqui also recalls how Khan took him along to meet Danny Boyle [director of Slumdog Millionaire] at a hotel. “And that too without any appointment [for me]. He really wanted me to meet Danny,” he says, while also revealing that in 2007, Khan directed him in an hour-long film titled Alvida.

“It was a BBC film, in which I was the hero. And what a gifted director he was. If Irrfan bhai was a director and not an actor, he would have been huge as a director too,” he says, and adds, “As an actor, we would miss the authenticity he would bring to his work. Ek alag tarah ki casualness, ease aur unpredictability laate the apne characters mein which was unique about him.”

The actor says, “Bahut kuch seekhne ko milta tha unse. When Haasil (2003) released, I had just landed in Mumbai. Unki performances dekh kar aur bhi mehnat karne ka jazbaa milta tha,” adding, he “was in constant touch” with Khan “even when he was hospitalised”. “We had a great relationship. It’s an irreparable loss for the film world,” Siddiqui concludes.
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A quick acting tip!
“I remember we were shooting near Aurangabad for Alvida, and there was a scene where I had to tell the heroine, ‘cycle pe baith jaa, tujhe drop kar deta hoon.’ So, Irrfan bhai said, ‘We all can see the cycle, so you don’t have to say cycle pe baith jaa. Don’t underline everything in a scene.’ That turned out to be an important lesson.”

The ground floor flat in Anurag Plaza, Santacruz West

After falling on hard times, Azharuddin Ismail, who played a young Salim in Slumdog Millionaire, sold off the flat he was given by the Jai Ho Trust to move into a 10X10 ft room
Satish Malavade and Lata Mishra (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 25, 2020)

In 2008, child actor Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail was basking in the success of Danny Boyle’s blockbuster Slumdog Millionaire. The 10-year-old rubbed shoulders with the who’s who of Hollywood at the Academy Awards held the next year, in which the movie won eight Oscars, including Best Picture. The same year, Azhar, who used to live in the Garib Nagar slums in Bandra, and his co-star Rubina, were given flats by the Jai Ho trust, named after the A R Rahman chartbuster from the movie.

Cut to 12 years later – Azhar, now 21, has lost his fame and fortune and has been forced to go back to living in the slums. Six months ago, Azhar sold the 250-sq-ft flat he was given in Anurag Plaza, Santacruz West, for Rs 49 lakh and went back to living in a slum in Naupada area in Bandra East, very close to the Garib Nagar slums where Danny Boyle first spotted him.

Slum life did not suit Azhar the second time around. As he often fell ill, his mother took him to their village in Jalna to recuperate, where he has been living for the past couple of months.

Speaking to Mirror from his village, Azhar said, “The stardom is over. Now I have to earn to run the family. Mumbai is crowded and polluted. I was born in a slum but never wanted to go back there.” Azhar, who lost his father to tuberculosis a year after the movie released, added that he sold the flat in Santacruz as the family was facing financial troubles.

Azhar was selected among 300 slum kids to play the role of the youngest version of Salim, brother of the protagonist Jamal Malik. Boyle and the film’s producer Christian Colson, had formed the Jai Ho charitable trust to provide a better life and education to child stars Azhar and Rubina, both of whom lived in the Garib Nagar slums when they were selected for the roles. In July 2009, Azharuddin shifted to his new flat with his mother. The flat, which was in the custody of the Trust, was transferred in Azhar’s name after he turned 18. “Uncle Danny Boyle and Jai Ho trust have done a lot for us. We will be always grateful to them,” said Azhar.

Speaking on the financial troubles they were facing, Azhar’s mother Shameem said, “After Azhar turned 18, the Trust stopped paying monthly expenses which was around Rs 9,000 a month. It then became very difficult for us to run the household.” She also said that Azhar was not interested in studies and decided to start a small business but that too did not work. He also fell in bad company and started doing drugs, she said.

“He would fall ill often. Since the past three years I was struggling, I have spent a lot on his treatment and we had no option but to sell the house to deal with the situation,” she said.

After selling the house, Shameem and Azhar moved to a 10X10 ft room in a three-storey structure in Naupada which they share with five other people – Azhar’s sister, her husband and their three children.

The filthy conditions of the neighbourhood and the overcrowded living situation did not suit Azhar, and he fell ill many times. Shameem then decided to take him to their village in Jalna. “I would like to request Danny Boyle to help my child, he needs support and motivation,” she added.

Nirja Mattoo, one of the trustees of Jai Ho, said that after Azhar and Rubina turned 18, the houses were officially handed over to them and the Trust was closed. “Azharuddin wanted to start his own business and for financial support they wanted to sell the house. He is an adult now and I hope he will do well in the future,” she said.


The 10X10 room in Naupada, Bandra East
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Rubina Ali Qureshi, a make-up artist

Rubina Ali Qureshi, who played a young Latika in the film, has also moved out of the house she was given in Royal Court building Bandra by the Jai Ho Trust but hasn’t sold it. The 20-year-old, who is a first-year BA student, has moved with her mother Khurshid to Nallasopara while her father lives in the Bandra flat with her step-mom Munni and their five children.

“I lived in the house for four years, but it became very difficult to live in the flat with eight people. So I moved out,” said Rubina. She added that even though she wants to sell the house and buy a bigger house in Nallasopara, she does not want to displace her father who is suffering from tuberculosis. “Where will he go in this condition? Right now, I just want to focus on my career,” she said. Rubina is also studying fashion design and doing a make-up course. She has also started working part-time at a make-up studio.

“Uncle Danny Boyle has done a lot for me. I was staying in a slum. I completed my education thanks to him and the Jai Ho trust, who have always guided me. Though the Trust has officially closed now, they are still in touch with me and keep helping in whatever way they can,” she said.

Nirja Mattoo of the Jai Ho Trust is happy with the way Rubina has shaped her life. “Though the trust is closed, we will always be there for any help she requires in the future. I am glad she is doing well and charting a bright future,” she said.

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.

Former child star Rubina Ali on life after leaving Mumbai streets ten years ago to attend the Oscars when the film went on to win eight awards
Daily Mirror (BOMBAY TIMES; February 20, 2019)

On Oscars night next weekend, all eyes will be on Olivia Colman, the 45-year-old British actress being tipped for Best Actress glory for her role as Queen Anne in The Favourite. It will be a remarkable night for Colman, but nothing compared to Rubina Ali’s experience on the Hollywood red carpet ten years ago.

Slumdog Millionaire star Rubina was ten, when she left India and her tiny shack of a home in the Mumbai slums, to go to the 81st Academy Awards in Hollywood, where all eyes were on her as Danny Boyle’s film won eight Oscars.

A decade on, instead of rubbing shoulders with the stars in LA next Sunday, Rubina, 20, will be watching it on TV in her one-bedroom flat in Bandra West, just across the railway line from the Bandra East slum where she was born.

Rubina says, “The Oscars was just unforgettable. It was one of the most amazing days. But sometimes it feels like a dream — I was so young. I was very happy to meet all the Hollywood stars and to experience the red carpet. I never imagined that would happen in my life.”

Wide-eyed Rubina played the young Latika, who falls in love with Jamal, played by Dev Patel. Recalling her trip to LA, Rubina, now a student and part-time office worker, says, “I remember I didn’t like the US food. Dev Patel used to feed me with his hand — pizza and burgers — but I like Indian spicy food, I didn’t like the continental food.”

‘SLUMDOG STOLE MY CHILDHOOD’

Rubina was living in a tiny brick-and-corrugated-iron hut in the slums with dad Rafiq, stepmum Munni, two brothers and two sisters, when a friend heard that US film producers were looking for slum children for a Hollywood film.

Rubina, whose biological mother, Khushi, had walked out of the family home when she was four, was paid an upfront fee equivalent to around £624 now, a huge figure compared to her father’s £110-a-month wage as a carpenter.

Danny Boyle later formed the Jai Ho Trust to help Rubina and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail — the only other slum kid in the film — and pay for a good education and a flat for each of them.

She says, “Uncle Danny has been wonderful. He has supported me so much. He paid for my education and came to visit me every year. I’d go to visit him at his hotel and he’d ask me about my life. He has helped me a lot. He is very kind and loving to us. I love him too.”

The two children went to an English school in plush Bandra West, and when they turned 18, they received an undisclosed sum from the trust plus the deeds to their flats.

Speaking to the team as she revisits the slums where she once lived and where the movie was filmed, Rubina says, “I grew up much quicker because of Slumdog, though. The film stole my childhood. My mother and father didn’t know much, they’re not educated so they had no idea how to handle the fame and attention. It was too much for them.”

She says the film also brought her ‘fake friends’ as she found herself to be a target for opportunists, who tried to take advantage of her success. She and her family were offered free food and clothes, but when the interest in the film started to subside, so did the offers. Rubina says, “Everyone wanted to be my friend after the film. People would buy me gifts and clothes and feed me, but then they disappeared. Before Slumdog there was no one, then there were so many people and then, there was no one again. They wanted to be famous because I was famous.”

‘SOME PEOPLE STILL RECOGNISE ME, BUT NOT AS MUCH AS THEY USED TO’

Rubina’s 15-minutes of fame took a toll on her already-strained family. There were stories of her mum fighting with her stepmum, she fell out with her father and even moved in with her aunt and uncle for a while. Rubina says she saw a lot of ‘deceit’, but refuses to elaborate. Her brush with Hollywood fame has left her guarded, struggling to trust people.

She says, “Now I live a simple life. I don’t have many friends and I don’t drink alcohol. I saw a lot of fake people soon after Slumdog, so I am very wary of people. I don’t like being with a lot of people, I’m not very trusting. I’m alone quite a lot and I quite like that. I don’t want people to use me and harm me.

“Some people still recognise me, but not as much as they used to. Soon after the film, everyone used to call my name and sing Jai Ho at me, but not as much these days.”

It’s a sad statement for a young woman of 20. But Rubina has been on a rollercoaster few could imagine.

Her first home in the slums was destroyed to make way for a railway line the year the film came out and her second home was burned to the ground in 2011, the fire destroying all her Oscar memorabilia and the baby blue dress she wore on awards night.

She moved into the flat at the age of 13, where she now lives. Many of her family still live in the slums, and as she shows us the area where she once lived, she admits that, despite the atrocious conditions, she misses the community spirit she once shared.

Rubina says, “I often go back to the slum to see my uncle and family. It looks different now, so I don’t feel emotional when I go there, but it was once my home. I miss how it was, the home I had. I loved my neighbours and close family nearby. We were a close community —everyone was so nice, but it’s gone now.”

Of course, the film has given her plenty of opportunities, too. She now studies art and literature at Mumbai University and works parttime in an office.

‘I LIKE BOTH HOLLYWOOD AND BOLLYWOOD, BUT I DON’T WANT TO LIVE OVERSEAS’

Rubina, who was a runner on the 2013 movie Belle, still wants to be an actor and insists that, overall, the Slumdog experience was wonderful. She says, “It’s my dream to be an actor and I want to make it come true. I know my family is very proud of me.”

She says, “I like both Hollywood and Bollywood, but I don’t want to live overseas. I want to stay in Mumbai, so I guess Bollywood will be my future. If I become a successful actress as an adult, I now know to be careful with people. I’m prepared for the fame now. Once you get attention, people appear out of nowhere.”

She wants to share the same advice with other young stars, like Sunny Pawar, who was 11 when he went to the Oscars after starring with her old friend Dev Patel in Lion (2016). Rubina says, “I’d tell Sunny to make sure his family have guidance to make the right decisions and make the most of the opportunities. All the fame, that world, it’s very different from our normal lives.”

Rubina had a lot of that support from Danny, a lifeline she will always be grateful for. But while she still looks forward to his visits, she admits she hasn’t seen Slumdog in a while. Speaking of the film that changed her life, Rubina says, “I don’t watch it, it’s embarrassing. I play the role of a beggar, so it’s quite embarrassing to watch. I laugh when I see myself.”

MID-DAY (November 3, 2018)

Danny Boyle says he first thought about asking Jack White to compose the music for Slumdog Millionaire, but zeroed in on A R Rahman — who won an Oscar for the film — on the recommendation of a crew member.

The ace filmmaker says he couldn’t see or hear how the team could use the hit song Jai Ho in the movie. “I first thought about asking Jack White to write the music for Slumdog Millionaire, but I was already in India preparing the film and a member of the crew kept saying, 'You really must meet Mr A R Rahman, he truly is the Mozart of Madras', and he will change your life,” says Boyle, who won the Oscar for best director for the film in 2009. After that “titanic recommendation”, Boyle met “this gentle, unassuming man and my life did indeed change”.

According to the British filmmaker, Rahman brought all the driving sensibility of a brilliant rock, pop and blues guitarist, with the tenderness and originality of India, “like a calm hub around which Western and Eastern musical sensibilities revolved”. Recalling their work together, he says, “I remember one session where he and MIA jammed, throwing each other samples across the carpet of his tiny studio in Tufnell Park, London. She had followed his work since childhood, yet he treated her as an absolute equal. It would never occur to him to do anything else. Their song O... Saya grew out of these sessions.”

He also says he “couldn’t hear” the Oscar-winning track, Jai Ho at first. “I liked it, but couldn’t see or hear how we could use it in the film. Seems strange to admit it now, but he showed me how to end our film, how to harness the spirit of his homeland, and, in doing so, like the man said, changed my life," he writes in the foreword to a new book on Rahman

Billed by publishers as an authorised biography of Rahman, Notes Of A Dream is penned by Krishna Trilok. The book features intimate interviews with the virtuoso, as well as insights and anecdotes from key people in his life.

Thanks to Danny Boyle's Jai Ho Trust, Rubina Ali has a shot at a better future, even if the past still bristles
Tariq Engineer (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 5, 2017)

Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 3, 2016)

But Anil Kapoor's son is yet to give the nod to either sister or father
Upala KBR (DNA; September 22, 2016)

While Anil never interferes in Harsh’s decisions, few know that it was Harsh who pushed Anil to work on Slumdog Millionaire and Dil Dhadakne Do.

Just like me, says Anil
Anil laughs when we ask him about it and adds, “Yes, Harsh has his own individualistic tastes where movies are concerned. Even my wife Sunita says that I was like him when I came into the film industry. And my brother Boney says the same. It took me a lot of time to get into commercial cinema as I have worked with directors like M S Sathyu and Mani Ratnam right at the beginning of my career. I loved meeting directors like Shyam Benegal, so I guess yes, that artistic streak runs in the family. Much later, I started doing both kinds of cinema — art and commercial. Also, while Harsh can convince me to do anything, it’s very difficult for me to convince him. I have two scripts ready for my production house, but neither Rhea nor I have been able to get him to read them. And that’s the way it should be. He has to make his own path as far as his career is concerned.”

His own man
Anil shares an interesting anecdote regarding his son’s birth. “When Harsh was born, Sunita and I took a long time deciding his name as I didn’t want him to be known as my son — he should be known as Harshvardhan and not Harshvardhan Kapoor. If you notice his name is very different from the rest of the family members. We wanted that Harsh one day should become his own man. And I am proud to see that slowly and steadily, Harsh is finally carving his own niche here in his unique way,” the proud father beams with joy.

Evolving tastes
Ask Anil about his son convincing him to do films like SM and DDD and he notes, “Harsh is very young and what happens is, when you are young you have lot of time and exposure watching all kinds of films. With success and achievement there’s less time to absorb things around you, meet people or travel as you want so stagnancy sets in. You feel you need young blood around you, especially children, who are not scared to tell you what is true and right. Harsh is an introvert and rather than partying, he likes to spend time with his few friends, play football or watch movies. He has studied screenwriting in Los Angeles and has a talent and sense of scripting. His tastes are evolving and represent the taste of youngsters.”

Danny’s fan
Anil recalls, “When Danny Boyle approached me for SM, I wasn’t sure if I should have done the film as I had been in this industry for 38 years and international projects would keep coming to me. Harsh was the first to read the script as he’s a big fan of Danny and he pushed me to do the film.”

“When I met Danny, I asked him for an autograph for Harsh and he gifted me a DVD of Trainspotting with his autograph for my son and wrote on it, ‘Thank you Harsh, for convincing your dad.” They became pals after that. Whenever Danny would come home, he would go to Harsh’s room and both would start chatting about cinema. It was Harsh who had predicted that SM would win many Oscars. I would tease him saying, 'It’s beginners luck, let’s see if you can go right again.'”

One more time
Then history repeated itself with Zoya Akhtar’s DDD. “I was skeptical about doing that role and Zoya kept pursing me. Every time Zoya would come to our third floor apartment, Harsh would step out of his bedroom in his pyjamas and tell me, ‘Dad, you have to do the film.’ He has his own persuasive powers. Harsh was definitely one of the main reasons I did these films.”

A R Rahman is busy with South movies, and why he works only on one or two films in Hindi...
Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; May 24, 2016)


As a goodwill ambassador of Olympics this year, what will be your contribution?
I want to create good vibes and cheer for them. Also, it’s a coincidence that I recently composed the music for Pele, a film on the Brazilian footballer. So, I would love to see a song from that film being performed at the Olympics.

Any other international film in the offing?
There might be a couple of things, but it’s too early to speak about it. I am finishing the music for Mohenjo Daro now.

Compared to South films, you work less in Bollywood. Is it deliberate?
No proper movies came to me from Bollywood. The offers that I got were not compelling enough. Also, I was busy with the pre-production of my film, 99 Songs.

You have just released the poster. When is the movie releasing?
Next year. Also, the movie will not have 99 songs though it is called that (smiles). It’s like a fairy tale.

Hasn’t it got delayed?
No. Some movies get made in 12 years, some in 20 years! Movies should be made only when everything is ready.

Your music for the Tamil film, OK Kanmani, especially Mental Manadhil, was a chartbuster. Will the songs be retained in the Hindi remake OK Jaanu?
Yes, those will be retained and we will also be adding some new songs in it.

Are you happy with the way your music for Tamasha was received?
Tamasha was slightly experimental — both in terms of the movie and the music. That’s what I love about it. I liked the way people received it. Some people loved the music, some hated it, but it was meant to be like that.

Why did you opt out of composing for Aamir Khan’s film Secret Superstar?
What happened was, we had started composing and everything, but around that time my studio (in Chennai) was flooded. My mind was very restless and at that time they had the shoot planned, so I couldn’t do it.

Name one director you will make time for, no matter what?
The last time I did that was for Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire). I was extremely busy at that point and I knew his musical tastes. If Danny comes here I will definitely do that, I like him a lot.

How are the students who pass out from your music conservatory KMMC faring?
Some of them have become composers, some are singers here and abroad and they are winning awards. Some even got invitations from other conservatories who wanted to take our students, but we said, ‘No way!’

Are you planning to open more branches?
I don’t know yet. Even this is a miracle — composing and running this together. Opening more branches means more responsibility, more energy. I want to save my energy, and keep one base. It’s more important to do it right, it’s not about replicating it.

Are your children inclined towards music?
I don’t know yet. Time will tell.

You seem to be more involved in tour concerts. What do you enjoy about it?
It’s a very rewarding experience. It gives a whole new meaning to being alive — when you see them smile, and are in harmony with 30,000 people. They have their own stories, and they are cheering, not because I am standing and singing, but because for them it’s a collection of their memories, journey of their lives — the ups and down that are reflected in these songs. It’s a fantastic feeling.

Do you still get requests for Jai Ho (Slumdog Millionare) more than anything else?
Abroad I do, because it is a big hit there. Jai Ho made a huge impact. However, recently in Malaysia, I did not perform Jai Ho. I also get a lot of requests for Dil Se (from Dil Se) It mostly depends on the place. In Vegas, somebody was asking for an unpopular Malayalam song, Mampoove (Yodha). You never know what a person’s listening to, the Internet is making it all possible.

You have achieved everything. What drives you still?
Being a bridge, getting the next generation educated, being instrumental in pushing our own artistes and amazing artistes from abroad to India.

Who is your support system?
My family. They are my spiritual support.

Actor Ayush Mahesh Khedekar talks about his upcoming release Jai Gangaajal, how he helped Danny Boyle quit smoking and why he wants to take a two-year-long break
Anu Prabhakar (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 3, 2016)

Sometime after returning to Mumbai — and reality — after his fairy-tale outing at the Oscars in Los Angeles for Slumdog Millionaire, Ayush Mahesh Khedekar acted in an advertisement for a noodle brand with Amitabh Bachchan. That Bachchan was once famously critical of the movie that changed Khedekar's life didn't make the child actor squirm. "He told me that I looked familiar and I explained to him that we met at the Filmfare awards and that he must have seen me in Slumdog Millionaire." There was, apparently, no talk of the controversy. "He asked me about my experience of working in the film. It was great talking to him," smiles Khedekar.

The 15-year-old, however, has other concerns. When we catch up at his home in Bhayandar, the teen talks to us about how he is determined to grow in height over the course of a two-year-long, self-imposed sabbatical from acting. He also points out that the break will help him transition from a child star to an adult actor. So for now, he says, his upcoming release Prakash Jha's Jai GangaaJal will be his last as a 'child actor', although he admits to finding it tough to swallow his urge to attend auditions. "Right now, to increase my height, I cycle, skip and swim. And after my 10th standard, I am going to focus on becoming an actor, by going for dance classes, acting workshops and gym sessions."

In Jai Gangaajal, Khedekar plays a schoolboy called Nagesh. "My role in the film is not a major one, although it is a critical one. Nagesh goes through a lot of things in his life but does not talk about it, until one day, he bursts out." It's a role he nabbed by gripping Jha's palm and pulling him towards himself with all his might, acting on Jha's instructions. "Prakash Jha uncle is very intelligent," he adds.

The mention of Slumdog Millionaire makes him smile and flash the very dimple that made audiences around the world grow instinctively protective of his character in the movie, the young Jamal Malik. He also sports a fringe from his Slumdog days, only slightly stylised by the demands of adolescence.

Khedekar shares several interesting tidbits about the movie — that, for instance, Jamal was originally supposed to be the elder of the two brothers, that on set they had unusually early dinners at 6:30 pm and that the ditch of poop that Jamal jumps into in a cringe-worthy scene was peanut butter chocolate. He also says that he convinced director Danny Boyle to quit smoking. "One day, I asked him why does he smoke. I, then, told him not to smoke and he agreed. He said that he will give me Rs 1000 if I found a cigarette on him. So every day when I reached the sets, I searched him and found nothing. A year or two later, he texted me saying that I helped increase his life."

The only time Khedekar gets embarrassed is when our talk turns to his experience at the Oscars — so much so that he covers his face in mock horror. "I was so stupid," he mutters through his fingers. But he also calls it the best experience of his life — one that he enjoys reliving through YouTube videos. "But all those interviews that I gave at the Oscars ... so stupid!" he laughs, straightening up. "Looking back (at the Oscars), I regret so many things now. I didn't know much about Hollywood until I was nine, so even at the Oscars, I didn't know anyone apart from Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. I didn't even carry an autograph book with me! But now, when I watch their movies, I just wish I could go back and get their autograph or click a selfie with them. But I guess I should cut myself some slack — I was only around seven after all."

Post Slumdog, Khedekar spent his time acting in advertisements, short films and movies like Mahesh Manjrekar's Fakta Ladh Mhana and the yet-to-be-released Gandhi Of The Month with Harvey Keitel, whom he calls 'fun and professional'. He also grew up to be a pop culture junkie — he watches rom-com serial Friends every day, avidly follows other serials like The Flash, Quantico, Arrow and Sherlock and loves DC Comics and Marvel movies. "My life is not that different from any other teenager's," he insists. He credits his parents — his father, a former theatre actor and mother, a teacher — for keeping him grounded even as life got a little surreal especially on his return to school after the Oscars. A group of students once attempted to barge into his class and his friends valiantly tried to block their way, he recounts. "My mother sees to it that I balance my studies and acting projects well." However, Khedekar does not envision himself as a scholar or a bigwig in the field of IT — something that he is particularly interested in, after football and cricket. "No, a degree is enough," he laughs. "I just really want to become an actor."