Showing posts with label Dear Father. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dear Father. Show all posts
Every actor worth their salt would consider it a privilege to work with the talented Paresh Rawal-Manasi Parekh
8:08 AM
Actor Manasi Parekh credits writers for meaty roles and change in audiences tastes
Kavita Awaasthi (HINDUSTAN TIMES; March 22, 2022)
She is on cloud nine with the reception of her recent Gujarati film, Dear Father. Calling the experience “incredible”, actor Manasi Parekh remarks, “Every actor worth their salt would consider it a privilege to work with the talented Paresh Rawal sir (actor), who has done over 150 films. It was great to have a substantial role that gives takkar to his character in the film.” Though the team knew the film would work, they were surprised with its response.
Parekh has been an actor since 2004, with a number of hit TV shows, including Kitni Mast Hai Zindagi, Gulaal and Sumit Sambhal Lega to her credit. Later, she debuted in Hindi films with Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019). “I am at an interesting juncture in my career. My Hindi film career is a few years old that started with Uri, which I was happy to be part of. The usual trend is that actresses in their 20s do many Hindi films and in their 30s, things would peter out, but that is not the case anymore. In fact, now there are so many interesting roles out there for my age group,” says the 35-year-old.
Parekh gives credit to the writers and audiences who have accepted actors “who are not playing a quintessential, good-looking actress”. “I always had wonderfully etched out roles in the TV shows I did. But back then, I didn’t get film offers and maybe koi specify requirement hogi. And after Uri, people have been offering good roles. Moreover, my experience, marriage, and motherhood have added value to my performances. Earlier, actresses were told if you want a career, you can’t marry or become a mother. But my career surged post marriage,” says the actor, who will be seen in Jab Khuli Kitaab, co-starring Aparshakti Khurana.
Having starred in some acclaimed Gujarati films, Parekh is thrilled with the growth of Gujarati cinema. “There is an overarching trend of audiences and their tastes changing. The lockdown and pandemic, too, have amplified things. Today, people are ready to watch films in any language. Pehle Bollywood zyada dekhte the, but now they have become more open to different languages,” says Parekh.
She adds, “There are many exciting things happening in Gujarati cinema. After doing Gol Keri (2020) and Dear Father, I am now shooting a film with (actor) Sharman Joshi and another Gujarati film with (actor) Ratna Pathak Shah. Suddenly, a number of mainstream Hindi actors are stepping into Gujarati films. While the south industry is established, Gujarati is still growing. It is exciting to be part of this growing industry. That is a telling sign of changing times.”
The film industry needs to reinvent itself to bring magic back to theatres-Paresh Rawal
8:29 AM
Abhimanyu Mishra (BOMBAY TIMES; March 20, 2022)
Over the years, Paresh Rawal has lit up the silver screen with some stellar performances. The actor recently made a a comeback to Gujarati cinema after 40 years with Dear Father. In an interview with us, the veteran actor opens up about how we need to make films with a global appeal and why the enigma associated with stars is vanishing due to social media. Excerpts:
‘MEGA OPENINGS AND STAR-DRIVEN FILMS WILL SOON BECOME A THING OF THE PAST’
The pandemic has brought about a huge shift in the way things are perceived and consumed. Those big-ticket films, mega openings and star-driven success will become a thing of the past as cinema has lost its magic in a number of ways. The mindset of the audience seems to have changed. If the film industry wants to bring the audience back into the theatres, they will have to make some big efforts. Expensive tickets, food and beverages, parking, etc. make movie-watching an expensive affair, and a middle-class family can’t afford it. Masses can make or break a film. So, we need to make things affordable for them, for our survival.
‘OTT PLATFORMS HAVE IMPACTED FILMS IN A BIG WAY’
Today, OTT has become a safe medium for filmmakers to release their films. They get their money back and after that, it’s not their headache to see how the film is doing. But they have also made things easier for small-budget, content-driven films. Such films now have a huge platform to reach out to a bigger audience.
‘NOW,THE STARS ARE EVERYWHERE,THERE’S NO EXCLUSIVITY LEFT’
Earlier, film stars carried a sense of enigma. We saw them only on the big screen and their personalities made the audience watch them in awe. But that has completely vanished due to social media. Now, the stars are everywhere all the time. We know what they do in their vanity vans, at their homes, on their vacations. There is no enigma left, which is hurting their stardom. Stars must maintain a certain distance. Otherwise, the exclusivity of a star is lost.
I am glad to get a chance to do a Gujarati film after 30 years-Paresh Rawal
8:06 AM
The senior actor is looking forward to reprising his role in the play Dear Father for a film in his mother tongue
Kavita Awaasthi (HINDUSTAN TIMES; July 31, 2021)
After 430 shows, all over the world, of the popular play Dear Father, senior actor Paresh Rawal is now looking forward to reprising the role in a Gujarati film. Excited that he would be acting in a Gujarati film after 40 years, after his last outing Parki Jani (1991), Rawal explains, “Dear Father is close to my heart. I wanted to turn this play into a film script for a long time. I have been doing plays for many years and have exhausted most of them. I wanted this story to reach a wider and diverse audience. I also wanted to be part of a meaningful and valuable film, made in my mother tongue - Gujarati. Glad to get a chance to do a Gujarati film after a long time”.
He explains that the play has a good story and is an emotional thriller, but turning it into a good screenplay took some work. He is glad that the team was able to bring it to fruition. “The film will have a small cast, so there won’t be any hassle while shooting or else amid the pandemic, shooting with a bigger unit has its own challenges. Primarily, it is the story that drew me and drove me to turn it into a film. In terms of the screenplay, the story will be racy and gripping while my approach towards acting will be unlike my theatre performances. Over there, one has to be loud for the audiences in the back. In cinema, you can be subtle and can internalise feelings and emotions,” he says.
Up next, Rawal will be seen essaying the same role, played by the late Rishi Kapoor in Sharmaji Namkeen. He shot for the scenes required to complete the film after Kapoor’s demise and shares he got very emotional while performing.
The actor also admires the concept, wherein after the death of an actor, another actor essays the same role completing pending portions. “It is a unique concept and I felt very different while shooting. Walking in his steps and working on his characterisations were difficult initially. But, with the help of the director and co-actors, I completed the film. In fact, in recent years, I have not come across a script as good as Sharmaji Namkeen. A slice-of-life film with an endearing story,” he explains.
With his recent film releasing on OTT instead of in theatres, Rawal says he understands the producer’s dilemma. He replies, “What can one do? How long can you hold on to a film? The economy is being affected. The producer’s money is stuck in one film, he won’t be able to make another project and thereby people won’t be hired. So many people are dependent on shoots and the entire cycle has to work for people to be employed.”
The senior actor admits that while OTT tickles his curiosity, he is waiting for a project that is both “interesting and good”.
Ask him about the pandemic and the last trying 15 months and he reveals, “I focussed on my health and tried to stay as fit and healthy as possible. I also kept my mental health in check by reading, watching films and making time for myself.”
You can’t remain theatrical in your performance-Paresh Rawal
9:06 AM
Deepali Singh (DNA; January 29, 2018)
It’s not easy to adapt a play into a film. Ask Paresh Rawal. After his Gujarati play Maharathi, and Hindi production Kishen Vs Kanhaiya, his Dear Father is all set to be adapted into a film, which will be produced by Ashutosh Gowariker and directed by Satish Rajwade. While the first film didn’t make any noise, OMG – Oh My God! adapted from Kishen Vs Kanhaiya ran largely because of its “courageous content”, according to the actor. He tells us more...
When a play is adapted into a film, do the dynamics change?
Yes, they do. We could not succeed in terms of the screenplay in Maharathi, while OMG ran hugely because of its courageous content. So the screenplay was not much of an issue as the content itself was so powerful, sensational and shocking. In Dear Father, you will see some remarkable work in terms of the screenplay. In a movie, you also have to work on your acting. You cannot remain theatrical in your performance. But mainly, you have to work on the screenplay.
Does it become easier to spread the message of the play via a bigger platform of a movie?
Yes, if the content of the drama is good, then with the help of camera, locations and visuals, you can enhance the message. You can make it more palatable and interesting. In a film, I can show you the beach, the sunset, the roads, while in a play you have to imagine all that. But the more advantage you have, your responsibility also increases.
You have worked with Ashutosh Gowariker in the past. How did he approach you for the adaptation?
Ashutosh saw the play and told me that he really liked the premise and wanted to adapt it. I was happy that somebody wanted to do this play as it’s very close to my heart. (The Gujarati play has completed more than 600 shows, while the Hindi version is currently on and doing pretty well, too). It is being made in Marathi first, titled Aapla Manus, with Nana Patekar playing my role. The shoot for the Hindi film will start from May.
What do you think of Nana Patekar as an actor?
To talk about him is like talking about sunrise in the morning. He’s the first character actor to demand Rs 1 crore, main uske guts ko maanta hoon. He does so much for the farmers of the country, such noble work. Nana as an actor, as a human, as a citizen is an asset for any country. As for playing my role, I did it my way and now he will do it his way. It will be fun and interesting to see how the same subject is approached by different actors.
Theatre-wise, are you looking at doing something new?
I’m looking for a good script, but I’m yet to find one. There has to be something to say in it. If I have to do a show every day, then I should have fun. It must have an element that enriches you as a person and as an actor.
Ashutosh Gowariker's next an adaptation of Paresh Rawal's bilingual play Dear Father
7:52 AM
The Marathi version of the project, produced by Ajay Devgn and featuring Nana Patekar, is currently underway
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 19, 2018)
Ashutosh Gowariker’s next production, slated to go on the floors by mid-May, is an adaptation of Paresh Rawal’s popular play Dear Father that has been staged in Gujarati and Hindi and is also being adapted into a Marathi film. Titled Aapla Manus, it is produced by Ajay Devgn and features Nana Patekar in the lead. The Hindi version will have Rawal step into the double role of the protagonist while casting for the other characters is currently underway. Satish Rajwade, who is directing the Marathi film, will also wield the megaphone for the Hindi version.
Rawal confirmed the news to Mirror, saying, “It was originally a Marathi play called Katkon Trikon. I did the Gujarati version. Ashutosh saw it and told me he wanted to turn it into a film. The project is now taking shape and we plan to go on the floors by May. The Marathi play happened a long time ago but the Gujarati and Hindi versions are still being staged. We have completed more than 500 shows.”
The veteran actor also says that he is happy to see Aapla Manus being mounted on a grand scale with well-known names involved. “It’s a good thing that Ajay, despite being a Punjabi, is backing good Marathi cinema, which has always been progressive. Nana doing the film will be a treat for cinema lovers,” he adds.
Rawal and Gowariker go back a long way. “We have been friends since 1983. I worked in his directorial debut, Pehla Nasha, and we went on to do Baazi (the 1995 Aamir Khan and Mamta Kulkarni-starrer) together,” Rawal shares. The duo have also featured together in films including Aamir Khan’s acting debut, the Ketan Mehta-directed Holi, and Mahesh Bhatt’s 1986 multi-starrer Naam.
Dear Father delves into the complexities of generation gap, differences of ideologies and other conflicts in a middle-class family of three, the young, married couple, Ajay and Alka, and the former’s father, played by Rawal.
Ashutosh Gowariker’s next production, slated to go on the floors by mid-May, is an adaptation of Paresh Rawal’s popular play Dear Father that has been staged in Gujarati and Hindi and is also being adapted into a Marathi film. Titled Aapla Manus, it is produced by Ajay Devgn and features Nana Patekar in the lead. The Hindi version will have Rawal step into the double role of the protagonist while casting for the other characters is currently underway. Satish Rajwade, who is directing the Marathi film, will also wield the megaphone for the Hindi version.
Rawal confirmed the news to Mirror, saying, “It was originally a Marathi play called Katkon Trikon. I did the Gujarati version. Ashutosh saw it and told me he wanted to turn it into a film. The project is now taking shape and we plan to go on the floors by May. The Marathi play happened a long time ago but the Gujarati and Hindi versions are still being staged. We have completed more than 500 shows.”
The veteran actor also says that he is happy to see Aapla Manus being mounted on a grand scale with well-known names involved. “It’s a good thing that Ajay, despite being a Punjabi, is backing good Marathi cinema, which has always been progressive. Nana doing the film will be a treat for cinema lovers,” he adds.
Rawal and Gowariker go back a long way. “We have been friends since 1983. I worked in his directorial debut, Pehla Nasha, and we went on to do Baazi (the 1995 Aamir Khan and Mamta Kulkarni-starrer) together,” Rawal shares. The duo have also featured together in films including Aamir Khan’s acting debut, the Ketan Mehta-directed Holi, and Mahesh Bhatt’s 1986 multi-starrer Naam.
Dear Father delves into the complexities of generation gap, differences of ideologies and other conflicts in a middle-class family of three, the young, married couple, Ajay and Alka, and the former’s father, played by Rawal.
Ashutosh Gowariker buys rights of famous Gujarati play Dear Father?
7:42 AM
Gaurav Dubey (MID-DAY; October 4, 2014)
Ashutosh Gowariker may be currently busy with his upcoming film, Mohenjo Daro, starring Hrithik Roshan, but the filmmaker is certainly looking at expanding his horizons. If the latest buzz is to be believed, the director has bought the film rights for a famous play. Says a source, “Ashutosh has bought the film rights for Dear Father, a highly acclaimed Gujarati play. Interestingly, the play, written by Dr Vivek Bele, has been translated from the Marathi original, Katkon Trikon, by Uttam Gada. Both versions of the play — in Marathi and Gujarati — have been well appreciated and this is why Ashutosh wants to make a film on it.”
The source adds that the film will be produced and directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. “Like the Gujarati play, this film will also star Paresh Rawal,” says the source.
Ashutosh Gowariker remained unavailable for comment.
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