Stating that he had big shoes to fill when reimagining Ole ole, choreographer Mudassar on modifying Saif Ali Khan's original hook step for Jawaani Jaaneman song
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; January 22, 2020)

Regardless of whether they are a Saif Ali Khan fan or not, every Hindi movie buff is all too familiar with shots of the actor, dressed in a black leather jacket and surrounded by a bevvy of girls, dancing to Ole Ole. Cut to 26 years later, Saif has revisited the chartbuster from Yeh Dillagi (1994) for Jawaani Jaaneman. While the leading man relished the idea of going Ole ole again, choreographer Mudassar Khan was a bundle of nerves at the thought of reimagining the number that was designed by veteran choreographer Saroj Khan.

"When I was told that I have to recreate Ole ole, my first reaction was of panic and fear," laughs Mudassar, adding that the song — which drops online today — had to be reflective of Saif's character in the comedy. "When I went to meet Saif sir, he told me that the song had to be a blend of both, his on-screen character and his persona in the original song. Ole ole was a legendary track and we couldn't be short of that energy."

Such was the popularity of the original number that its hook step is still vividly remembered. "We wanted the hook step, but I was told to not replicate it [in entirety]. So, I put a dab step to the original signature move. After he saw the final cut, Saif sir messaged me to say that he liked the song."

Two decades after leaving to work in Dubai, “Rambha Ho” girl Kalpana Iyer appealed for decent, substantial roles on the social media
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 5, 2019)

Back in the eighties she turned “Hari Om Hari” into a disco beat, then, lip-synced to Usha Uthup’s distinctive, husky voice in the Bappi Lahiri-composed “Rambha Ho Ho” for Armaan to book a place in our collective memory as one of Bollywood’s hottest sirens. A former Miss India who went on to represent the country in the Miss World pageant and made it to the semi-finals, Kalpana Iyer featured in many more special appearance chartbusters, from Disco Dancer’s “Koi Yahan Nache Nache” to Raja Hindustani’s “Pardesi Pardesi”. Towards the end of 1999, she moved to Dubai.

For almost two decades, Kalpana disappeared from the public eye, surprising everyone on Saturday when she resurfaced on Instagram with a post, asking for work. It was not a desperate plea, rather it was a respectful appeal to friends to come through for her. “I have worked for almost my entire life and most of you know me so a CV, I believe, is not really needed for I feel that it would be self-glorification on my part,” she pointed out, proceeding to state in simple terms that she was looking for a job as she wishes to continue working for as long as she can. “I am eager and willing and sincere so please consider this as an appeal to lead my life with dignity,” she reiterated.

When Mirror reached out to her in Dubai, the veteran actress was her usual upbeat, feisty self, pointing out that she had voluntarily left India and Bollywood at the turn of the century even though the offers were still coming in , mostly for TV. “It is not as if I only wanted to do films. But after shows like Banegi Apni Baat, Junoon and Dillagi, the work that was coming my way was not exciting in terms of screen time and substance. Mazaa nahin aa raha tha,” rues Kalpana, who started her career with Rajshri Films’ Manokaamnaa in 1980, a love triangle featuring Shail Chaturvedi, Urmila Bhatt and her as the glamorous London-based fiancée of the hero. Incidentally, her last film before the hiatus was also a Rajshri production—Sooraj Barjatya’s star-studded family drama, Hum Saath Saath Hain, which she describes as a “sweet, decent role” and even though it wasn’t too long, she admits she had a lot of fun on the sets with co-stars Kunika and Jayshree T.

Soon after, a dear friend who was in the hospitality business, invited her to work in his restaurant as a manager and Kalpana migrated to Dubai “I hadn’t expected to stay away for so long. But I liked it there, and though I had a strict boss, I enjoyed the work. Since my family was with me, 19 years passed by in a flash. Around four years ago, the friend closed down his business, but I managed to land a job at another restaurant. Unfortunately, I lost that one too in June. Now, even though I am done with all my responsibilities and have no majboori, I don’t want to take it easy yet. I want to work for as long as I can, I want to stay young at heart,” asserts the sixty-plus lady.

She acknowledges that she’s been away for almost 20 years and since she was not desperate enough to issue any denials and clarifications, many of her former producers were led to believe that she was no longer open to acting and would never return to Mumbai. “There is no reason for me to quit showbiz. I am who I am today thanks to Bollywood and Mumbai. My doors have always been open, so has my heart, but kaam toh hona chahiye, na?” she reasons.

Urged by friends who have been telling her for a while now that it’s time to return home, Kalpana put out the Instagram post and is encouraged by the overwhelming response it has received. “Since I don’t live in Mumbai, this was the best way to catch the public eye,” she says.

In 2017, National Award-winning actress Neena Gupta, then 62, had shared a beautiful picture of hers on the social media with the caption, “I live in Mumbai and working as a good actor looking for good parts to play.” She was rewarded with a strong role in Badhaai Ho as a woman on the wrong side of 40s with two sons in their 20s, who suddenly discovers that she is pregnant again. It bagged her the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress. “I want roles like that, roles that are decent in terms of footage and have substance. The budget is not important, nor the platform. Apart from films, there’s a lot happening in television and on the digital media too, I am open to any kind of work. Things are far more professional today, a system is in place, the younger lot is enthusiastic. These are good times for actresses, for women, even those who are over 60. It’s a truly good space to be in so I thought, why not give it a try. Working is my passion, I feel alive and happy when I am busy. After all these years, it’s hard to sit at home with my feet up,” she asserts.

In April 2018, Kalpana had been invited to the launch of Filmfare Middle-East. The editor, Manju Ramanan, had promised that they had a surprise in store for the actress. She did turn up but had hurt her knee badly and was on her way out early when she was persuaded to return to her seat. “Usha (Uthup) invited me to the stage and greeted me with so much grace and warmth, showered me with so much love,” she flashbacks to that evening. You remind her that she had gone “Bang Bang” too with Usha didi and she laughs, “I’ve sung and danced at stage shows before too but that act was not planned. It just happened.”

Any calls from Bappi Lahiri after that impromptu performance? “No, but he knows if he has something for me, I am waiting,” she avers. So, in this age of remixes and remakes can we hope to see her grooving to “Rambha Ho” again? “These days the girls are so slim and trim. If the audience is okay with a plumper Kalpana doing a 'Rambha Ho' I’m game,” she quips.

Quiz her on career highpoints, and she says every single film was an enjoyable experience. “I knew no one, I had no godfather, yet the film industry was good to me, and I am not being diplomatic here. I truly have no complaints,” she asserts.

Kalpana has always been around for her family. But doesn’t she wish she had got married and had a family of her own? “I live with my younger sister. Her son is my son too. My other sister has two kids and they are my own. I have no regrets. It’s been a beautiful life,” she concludes on a high.


Kalpana Iyer in Pyaara Dushman’s ‘Hari Om Hari’; In Raja Hindustani’s ‘Pardesi’

Sunny Deol on why cinema one believes in should take precedence over what’s in vogue and passing on the family legacy to the third generation
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 1, 2019)

Sunny Deol is gearing up to unveil the third generation of Deols with his son, Karan, opposite another debutante, Sahher Bambba, in his next directorial, Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas. He is understandably all nerves. “I was the first in our generation to be launched and this film made me realise what my dad (Dharmendra) must have gone through during Betaab. Unless you become a father yourself, you can’t empathise with this pain, fear and love,” the actor-filmmaker admits, recalling how when he was shooting the action sequences, the director in him would relentlessly push Karan, but watching him plummet 400 feet, his heart in his mouth, he forgot to record the stunt.

“It was taxing,” he shudders, admitting that he got even more nervous watching the scenes he’d shot, wondering if he could have bettered it. “Despite all the films and years of experience, I’m unsure, so then, I decided to do my work honestly and leave the rest to the audience. Sometimes what feels wrong to me, is okay with them since they don’t know the story.”

Sunny’s equally nervous for his son, wondering if Karan will be able to handle things. “Then, I remind myself that I did, so he will too. Still, given that he comes from a protective family, it’s good I’ve directed his first film. It’s important for a newcomer to be fathered and while filmmakers in our time were more approachable, the scenario has changed today,” he sighs. So, has he prepared his son for what is to come? He points out that no matter how much a parent does, the battle must be fought by the child. “Karan must be telling himself that he can and will be able to tackle anything. At that age you believe you are invincible,” he chuckles.

You wonder if Deol Jr was always inclined towards films and Sunny looking bemused, says Karan spoke about becoming an actor after completing high school. “So, I sent him abroad because here being an actor’s son, it’d be difficult for him to interact with people normally and expect them to judge him like any other guy. For me, there’s no better career than films and if my son wants to dabble in the arts, I couldn’t be happier,” he smiles.

Sunny’s known to be a hard-to-please actor, is he a perfectionist director too, you wonder, and he guffaws, “Perfection is difficult to achieve, and it is boring. What I was looking for was vulnerability. The beauty of a love story lies in innocent faces. Sadly, that innocence fades away after the first film,” he rues. But the Deols are all heart with the dhai kilo ka haath. Will that be passed on to Karan as his legacy? “I wouldn’t call it a legacy since we haven’t inherited it. Our strength comes from our honesty and is embodied in the dhai kilo ka haath,” he elucidates.

After Karan, are there plans to launch Rajveer? “Definitely. After Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas, the story is being written.” Will he direct him as well? “I’m open to another director, but I won’t run after someone. Unless the person is interested… baat nahin banti. All my life I’ve worked with people who are hungry, tabhi creativity mein maan aata hai,” he says.

Brother Bobby’s sons, Aryaman and Dharam, are also good-looking kids. Would he want to direct them too? “Why not? If I am capable. But they are still young, let them complete their education first, then if they want to get into films, I’m there for them,” Sunny smiles.

A performance that stands out is his National Award-winning turn in Damini with his bitter rant against blind-folded justice, “Tareekh pe tareekh...” With the Unnao rape case making headlines, the subject is still relevant. Ever thought of taking it forward? “Not the film, I’d like to take the character forward. I don’t drink or smoke so Govind evolved as Raj ji (director Rajkumar Santoshi) and I went along. He can be brought back, like Ajay Mehra in Ghayal: Once Again, if we can nail a story,” he avers. What about reports of reuniting with Santoshi? “Raj ji and I just met and Ghayal, Damini, Ghatak happened. Hope something like that just happens,” he smiles.

How about taking the Yamla Pagla Deewana franchise or even Gadar forward with Karan? “That would be beautiful if we can find a subject. There’s a lot of love for the Deols. YPD was an interesting concept but after the first film, we couldn’t get it right. Gadar, for me, is like Star Wars, the whole country has seen it. People see it as an Indo-Pak drama, I see it as a beautiful love story. With a great subject, it could be big,” he avers.

Sunny adds that he has not remixed or recreated his father’s Blackmail song for Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas despite borrowing its title. “It’s my favourite song but certain things should not be touched. Besides, there was the question of rights. Log humse pyaar toh bahut karte hain par jab hum unke paas jaate hain toh pyaar nahin dikhta. We have created another hummable title song,” he informs.

For Sunny there are two types of films—the nautanki kind and a cinema which is believable—and being a fan of Hollywood films, particularly the ones featuring James Dean, he enjoys and tries to emulate the latter. “I’m not praising yesteryear films or criticising the ones made today. All I’m saying is that don’t turn films into fast food. Everyone wants a hit, but don’t consciously work towards it. Sometimes, even I may have done films because of pressure, but for the most part, I’ve made films I believe in rather than run after what’s in vogue,” he says.

And what prompted him to get into politics after shying away from it for years? “I told myself, I never thought of becoming a producer, Ghayal made me one…. I never thought of direction till Dillagi hapened. Politics happened in the same way. When I was campaigning, I did not know what I’d have to do so I was just myself and that resonated with people. After I was elected, everyone I met, from a guy at the airport to an autorickshaw driver, looked at me with trust and hope. They’re happy for me, maybe happier than I am. And that gives me a sense of pride and responsibility. I’ve to live up to their expectations and I know I will. I always do what I want to do, what is required of me,” he signs off.

DNA (February 6, 2019)

Bobby Deol, who recently turned 50, feels one should never look back at one’s career with regret. In fact, the actor feels whatever career choices he made were a part of his destiny. He says he finds it hard to choose his good work from his indifferent work, but of course, certain films come to his mind immediately.

1. WISH DILLAGI HAD FARED BETTER
For example, Bobby loved the 1999 film, Dillagi, which was directed by his brother, Sunny Deol. “I wish Dillagi had done better. My character in it was one of my favourite ones,” says Bobby, while talking about the film which had Sunny and him falling for the same girl — Urmila Matondkar.


2. RANI AND PREITY ARE CLOSEST TO ME
The Race 3 star also remembers Guddu Dhanoa’s Bichhoo (2000) with fondness where he co-starred with Rani Mukerji. He says, “Bichhoo was nice, but I didn’t want my character to die. It was a remake of a French film; but back then, there were no issues of copyrights.”

He recalls, “I remember shooting with Rani, I used to call her ‘Dedh Footiya’. There were two people I used to have arguments with, Preity (Zinta), my Soldier (1998) co-star, and Rani. From all the people I’ve worked with, they are the closest to me. During Bichhoo, Rani had so much energy, I remember, when I used to pick her up for a scene, I used to ask her, ‘Tu khaati kya hai?’ Then she lost weight after that.”

He further continues, “In her first film with Karan Johar, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), she was so petite. However, she is a good eater. Being a Bengali, she loves food and would get great stuff from home. She also got all of us some great home cooked fish.”

3. MANISHA ATE CHHOLE AND ONIONS BEFORE A SONG SHOOT
Recalling the shoot of the Rajiv Rai thriller, Gupt (1997), Bobby says, “I wish Rajiv didn’t have to leave the country after Gupt. I liked working with him. I wish he had stayed back and continued making movies once the unpleasantness of the bad incident had blown over.”

He adds, “I had a broken a leg when I had to shoot a song for Gupt. So, I had only hand movements, and couldn’t dance because of my broken leg. I remember I underwent a surgery after that.”

Reminiscing about the suspense thriller, he says, “Another instance people remind me of is the time when Manisha (Koirala) came to the set for a song, after eating onion with chhole. For a scene, she had to bite me, and I was like ‘How can I get romantic with her after smelling onions on her breath?’”

Bobs is quick to say that ‘it was fun’ working with Manisha. “She was quite mad. I have learnt to respect her now. She’s been through so much in life. What an amazing actor she is! She just went another way. Everyone has their own destiny,” he trails off.

Roshmila Bhattavcharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 15, 2018)

A week ago, Neena Gupta had shared a picture of her sitting by the bedside with Brij Katyal at a free-of-charge hospice, Shanti Aeedna Sadan, at Mount Mary, Mumbai, thanking them for looking after her writer-friend and pointing out that despite all the words of wisdom and the movies that tell us not to give everything away to anyone before dying, we continue to make the same mistakes and suffer. “Lecture nahin hai, samne ki sachchai hai,” she reiterated in her post that quickly went viral. On Thursday, the octogenarian who had penned three emotional TV dramas with Neena in the lead, Dillagi, Pal Chhin and Saans, the last two directed by the actress, passed away. He was suffering from cancer.

Neena remembers Katyal as very good and a prolific writer who has also written films like Jab Jab Phool Khile and Yeh Raat Phir Na Aayegi and continued to write till his last days. “But more than that, he was a good human being. After Saans, there were times when I would request him to write something for me to submit to a channel. He never said ‘no’, never asked questions, never even asked for money,” she informs, adding that though they were good friends they lost touch when he went off to Jakarta to pen a serial for Jakarta Television Network.

When she learnt that he wasn’t keeping well, she immediately called him to enquire. In answer to her urgent, “What happened?” Katyal replied, saying he had something to confide and came over to her place with the news that he had been diagnosed with cancer. “But he was very positive, telling me that he would become well, he was undergoing some ayurvedic cure. But he didn’t get better, rather he got worse and I urged him to go in for proper treatment. But basically, there was no money,” she sighs. Was he alone then? Was there no one to take care of him? “He had a family, a son and two grandsons both of whom are married,” she replies, but doesn’t get into details, simply says that he was eventually moved out of home into the Mount Mary hospice where she went to meet him. “I was showing him photographs on my phone, I even showed him the trailer of my new film, Badhaai Ho, but he didn’t react much. They were planning to take him to another hospital where they could put a tube in to feed him. I heard later that he was slightly better, that he was speaking, but the cancer had spread,” she sighs again.

Is there something special she will remember him by, you prod, and she laughs, “Whenever we met, the first thing he would tell me was that I was looking prettier and younger, never mind if I was in my ghar ka kapda.”

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 2, 2016)

Mirror (May 13) was the first to report about Vidyut Jammwal and Huma Qureshi teaming up for a romantic single titled "Dillagi", sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and directed by cinematographer Kiran Deohans.

The shoot took place in Goa last month. "Love his music to bits," Huma had gushed on the social media while shooting with the veteran singer for the Bhushan Kumar-produced video.

We got our hands on the video's first look which has Huma smouldering in a red outfit and matching lips and a love-struck Vidyut putting his jacket around her protectively.

The actor who plays a guy-next-door in the video had revealed to Mirror that the audience will see the 'deewana' side of him for the first time. "Action movies also have strong romantic and emotional elements but it is with this song that I am venturing into out-and-out romance," he had said.

Dharmendra is happy to be back in action with his debut Punjabi film
Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 18, 2014)