Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; April 21, 2018)

When you meet Isabelle Kaif, you notice that she is similar in some ways to her older sister Katrina Kaif, yet is different in some aspects. While Kat takes time to open up, Isabelle is more talkative. However, both of them are focused on their respective careers.

Isabelle, who was first seen in the Canadian romantic drama Dr Cabbie (2014), is all set to debut in Bollywood with Time To Dance opposite Sooraj Pancholi.

Over a cup of coffee, she talks to us about her film choices, dance and more.

How many projects were you offered after Dr Cabbie?
There were some offers that weren’t so great and others where the makers wanted to start immediately, but it wasn’t possible for me to leave everything and shift here within a month.

There have been rumours about you doing a Hindi movie since a long time. How did you react to them?
I would be so confused about those reports. I would be like, ‘Which are these films that I’m doing and why don’t I know anything about them?’

Was it a conscious attempt on your part to attend an acting course?
I liked acting, but I was always shy. So, Katrina told me I should go to college, take up an acting course and see for myself if I enjoy it. That would help me get rid of the shyness too. Because getting on set and finding out that I don’t want to do this would be a little too late (laughs). So, it was a conscious decision.

When did you finally realise that you wanted to pursue this?
It was after I did my first play. At that point, we were just a week or so into the course. When I acted on stage, it was a different high for me. We were hitting every line perfectly and ended up getting a standing ovation. I just knew this is what I had to do, in whatever capacity I’m allowed to.

Are there any roles that you veer towards?
I don’t think I’m the funniest person in the world, so comedy scares me a little. People laugh at me rather than with me (laughs). I have always veered towards drama, maybe because in theatre, it was so much prevalent. I have done epic love stories, classics and I have enjoyed that space. I’m also drawn towards action.

Just like your sister?
Ya, totally. One of the first classes I had signed up for was action. There was stage combat where they teach you how to fight, sword fighting and stunt training, etc. Katrina is amazing with action.

How did Time To Dance happen?
Discussions started when I was in the US and had sent some audition tapes. The makers asked me to come over to Mumbai. Around the same time, a leading cosmetic brand was looking for a face and they signed me. Later, I met director Remo D’souza and everything fell into place. That’s when I decided to commit full time to the job and shift here.

You are training rigorously in different dance forms now...
Yes, Sooraj and I train for almost 10 hours a day. We are doing 12 different dance forms and each of them has a different musicality and technique to it. I’m excited because we are trying to do some cool drops and spins in this film. And I am like, ‘Sooraj, you better not drop me because if you do, I am going to limp back and kick you!’

How would you rate yourself as a dancer?
As a kid, I was drawn towards Jazz, Modern Ballet, Hip Hop and Tap Dancing. Today, I’m definitely a better dancer as compared to my school days. Hip Hop makes your moves sharper while Bollywood dance gives you fluidity.

Do you agree that now dance films today have a different audience altogether?
Yes. Although we dance in every single film of ours, we don’t have something like the Step Up franchise. It was Remo sir who created the ABCD: Any Body Can Dance series and his movies have done so well that I feel now is the right time. People are interested in the genre, so it’s just about delivering a good film that they can connect to.

Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; March 21, 2016)

Salman Khan’s production Dr Cabbie, which features Katrina Kaif ’s sister Isabelle, finally reached India, but on an online portal. The star’s first international venture, though complete in 2014, did not get a theatrical release here despite Salman’s plans. It was also touted to be a launchpad for Isabelle’s film career in Bollywood. Salman recently tweeted, “Dr Cabbie is now in India. Only on Hotstar.”

Says a source, “The film released on DVD in the US and Canada a while ago. Everyone was banking on Salman to release it in India, but things did not work out, and finally it has managed an online release.”

Apart from Isabelle, the film directed by Canadian director Jean Francois Poulio, features Kunal Nayyar (Raj Koothrappali from The Big Bang Theory), Vinay Virmani and American actress Adrianne Palicki. In 2014, Salman had visited Toronto for the film’s music launch as well as its premiere.

In 2011-12, Isabelle would often accompany Kat to film events and award shows, but later, she went missing from her sister’s side. Isabelle and Harshvardhan (Anil Kapoor’s son) also featured in a short film, Coming Home (2012). In 2014, Isabelle was allegedly involved in a sex tape scandal. However, many claimed it was not her, but her lookalike.

She has four international projects lined up in 2015, but for Lillete Dubey, theatre comes first.
Reema Gehi (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 28, 2014)

A photograph of actors Roshan Seth and Lillete Dubey sits at the latter's sea-facing Colaba office. Dressed in traditional Parsi attire, the two seem locked in a particularly animated conversation. "Isn't it adorable," smiles Dubey. "It's us at the bazaar outside our house."

Dubey is referring to her home in the 10-part drama series, Indian Summers, set to premiere on Channel 4 in the UK, PBS network in the US and several major networks internationally including Canada and Australia, in January. Directed by Anand Tucker, who has previously helmed Leap Year (2010), the series is set in 1932 British India. The drama narrates the rich and explosive story of the decline of the Raj and the birth of modern India, from both sides of the experience. "It is strongly from the British point of view, but you see how Indian influences permeate, because it is affecting their lives," explains Dubey, who essays the role of Roshana, "a sheltered, gentle but strong woman of the early '30s." She is wife to Seth's character, Darius.

The 61-year-old's next international project, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, where she plays the sombre Mrs Kapoor has got women particularly excited, "and I wonder why," laughs Dubey, who plays the romantic interest of Hollywood actor Richard Gere. "I have older women come to me and ask strange questions like, 'did you get to kiss Mr Gere?'"

A question that, admittedly, leaves her amused.

"Of course, I got very fond of Richard. He's very warm, compassionate and an utterly charming person," she smiles. "But to me the entire process of filming was what was enjoyable."

What she cherishes is that working with mavericks like John Madden, Gere and Bill Nighy, "makes you step up because they are so darn good and professional." "I remember Bill, who filmed a part flawlessly, shot the same scene several times in various angles, and he performed each one precisely like the first. Watching him was like getting a masterclass in acting," she adds.

In contrast to her strict character in Madden's film, her role of Nelli (from Delhi) in the recently-released "rambunctious and raunchy" Canadian film, Dr Cabbie, is a "scream". While in the upcoming Indo-Italian film, that she'll begin shooting for early next year, her character is a, "dynamic, independent women, who is a bit of a cougar".

Dubey enjoys the medium, but much like her international television debut - Dubey's film trajectory too "was completely accidental".

It was filmmaker Shyam Benegal who offered her a role in the 2001 film Zubeidaa, which set her parallel film career rolling. "One doesn't think of starting a film career after crossing 40," she says. "I didn't hire an agency or manager to ensure that I get work in movies. One film led to another. From Zubeidaa, Gadar happened, then Monsoon Wedding..."

At last count, Dubey has acted in 40 films over 15 years. The actor, who moved to Mumbai from Delhi in the 1990s, says being the daughter to a gynaecologist mother and engineer physicist father, made acting "something you pursued on the side". "You didn't dedicate your life to acting or directing." But now, she hopes to direct a film, some day. "That would mean staying away from theatre for a good year and a half," she reasons. A task, the "dyed-in-the-wool theatre person" finds nearly impossible. "Theatre is and will always remain the cornerstone of my life," she says.

In fact, early 2016, her Primetime Theatre Company that has produced long-running productions like Mahesh Dattani's Dance Like a Man, Partap Sharma's Sammy, and Girish Karnad's Wedding Album, turns 25. She hopes to start the celebration of her silver jubilee year with a production inspired by Vikram Sampath's My Name is Gauhar Jaan, (based on the life and times of the eminent Hindustani vocalist). Next, she'd like to conclude it with a revival of the rock opera, Jaya - The Victory. "I had staged this mammoth production in 1998, and aged two years trying to get it on the ground. But the gentleman who wrote it passed away very suddenly and tragically, so we discontinued it after 40 shows," she says. "Theatre has allowed me to revive it and breathe new life into the production, and give the play its full run."

Namrata Thakker (DNA; October 13, 2014)


At least, not for now. How do we know? Here’s what the badi behen had to say when asked about it at a recent media interaction, “I am not training Isabelle for Bollywood. She is working in the international film industry right now. She has just done a film called Dr Cabbie and I believe it has done extremely well in Canada. Also, she has formal training in acting so that way she doesn’t need training from me.”

Katrina further added, “She is an amazing dancer as well. So she has everything going for her. If she comes here, great. Because I know a lot of people here. Over there, I can help her only a certain extent... The scope is limited.”

Kunal Nayyar on what he loves about cinema and why he decided to produce a cricket- based documentary
Shakti Shetty (MID-DAY; October 12, 2014)

He's best known for his comic character Raj Koothrappali in the popular American sitcom The Big Bang Theory (TBBT), but Kunal Nayyar is fast growing out of the stereotype. About to make his big screen debut in a Salman Khan production titled Dr Cabbie, the LA-based actor of Indian origin turned producer as well with a cricket-based documentary titled Beyond All Bondaries. hitlist spoke to the cricket-crazy actor-producer to know more:

Q. How much of a cricket fan are you?
A. I am obsessed with cricket. I played for school growing up, but was never really good enough to compete at a higher level. To be successful in cricket you have to dedicate your life to it. It is tough living in Los Angeles without my daily fix! I have willow cricket on my TV and laptop so I catch most of the big games, but I really missed the boat on IPL. That started after I left India so I feel a slight disconnect with it. I am still a huge fan of old school test cricket and one-dayers.

Q. How was the experience working with director Sushrut Jain?
A. When Sushrut reached out to me through some common friends it was because he wanted me to do the narration for this cricket documentary. He sent me a trailer of the film he had made from the footage he had captured in India. I loved it. I invited him to come over and show me the cut of the film he had at that point. My wife, Neha (Kapur, Miss India 2006) and I both watched it with him and we both loved it. I decided right then that I would do more than just narration, that I would help Sushrut finish this film and join him as a producer.

Q. What made you produce this documentary?
A. Cricket is one of the very few things that unites people in India from all corners of the country, who may otherwise be separated along lines of region, language, caste and class. And the 2011 World Cup of Cricket was a watershed moment in Indian cricket history: to win a World Cup in its most favored sport at home. It’s something most Indians want to cherish and relive. And this amazing documentary allows them as well as me to do just that.

Q. Getting a commercial release for a documentary in India is a big deal given few documentaries get a Friday release. What do you think about this genre?
A. If there were ever a topic for a documentary that would speak strongly to Indian audiences it would be the topic of cricket. I think that if you make an entertaining and moving film, it doesn’t matter what the genre is. At the Mumbai Film Festival last year, audiences gave standing ovations to this film and I think that’s a great sign. I have high expectations to be honest.

Q. Do you see yourself directing a film or a documentary anytime soon?
A. I am open to all kinds of creative ventures. If the right thing comes along and strikes my fancy, I can see myself pursuing it. Right now my focus is on being an actor and doing fun, interesting projects, be it in Hollywood or Indian cinema.

Q. Why do you think actors of Indian-origin tend to play non- Indian characters in American films/ shows — your role in The Big Bang Theory being an exception?
A. I’m not sure. I guess there are a lot of Indians who are into acting and film and television. We have a culture of cinema in our blood so maybe that’s why it’s easier to get Indians to act in different roles than it is to find someone from another part of the world.

Q. How familiar are you with Bollywood?
A. I’m a hardcore Delhiite. I grew up on cricket and Bollywood. Just like anybody who grew up in India, Bollywood runs in my veins. I keep up as much as I can with the current goings on and I would love to work in Bollywood.

Q. Can you share something about your work/experience in Dr Cabbie?
A. I loved the role I played in Dr Cabbie because it is the opposite of what I play on The Big Bang Theory. So it was a fun challenge as an actor. I made a lot of friends working on that film that I think, we’ll remain lifelong pals. That part of my professional life means a lot to me.

Q. Do you visit India often?
A. I visit India every chance I get, at least twice a year.

DNA (September 1, 2014)

Salman Khan was seen dancing with ex-girlfriend Katrina Kaif’s sister Isabelle at the music launch of her debut film Dr Cabbie, which was held in Toronto on Saturday (August 30). Salman’s Being Human is presenting the film. A live outdoor musical do was planned at a multiplex for the mega event. Apart from Isabelle, Vinay Virmani and Kunal Nayyar (of Big Bang Theory fame), who star in the film, were also present.

Subhash K Jha (DNA; May 10, 2014)

Two sisters in Bollywood is not such a great idea after all. It has never worked (Twinkle-Rinki, Riya-Raima, Shilpa-Shamita, Sameera-Sushma...Kareena-Karisma worked but Subhash K Jha chose to conveniently ignore this fact). The second sister is never quite that successful. So it is a wise decision that Katrina Kaif’s sister Isabelle who makes her acting debut in Jean-Francois Pouillot’s Dr Cabbie, a film about an Indian doctor moonlighting as a taxi driver in the US, has given up plans of pursuing a Bollywood career.

Says a source close to the family, “While Katrina has no interest in a film career outside Bollywood, her sister Isabelle who was supposed to join the actress in Hindi cinema, has decided against it. It was felt by Kat that the two sisters with similar personalities in the same entertainment industry can never work for the younger sister. Katrina doesn’t want Isabelle to end up being the poor man’s Katrina. The two sisters will pursue their acting careers in mutually exclusive domains.” Hey if Nargis Fakhri can, so can Isabelle no?
But the family has collectively decided that Isabelle would pursue an international career and not a career in Indian cinema industry.

Says the source from Dr Cabbie, “Isabelle took on Dr Cabbie as a starter because it was not really an Indian film but a Canadian project. Although the title role is played by Vinay Virmani and Isabelle is not cast opposite him, she loved the script and wanted to be part of it. Also her co-star is Kunal Nayyar who is one of the four lead actors from The Big Bang Theory.”

It is learnt that Akshay Kumar, who has done many hit films with Katrina, has shown an interest in casting Isabelle in one of his Hindi projects. But she is looking at Tom Cruise, not a Khan, Kapoor or Kumar.

Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; April 7, 2014)

Shakespeare may have said, “What’s in a name?”, but in Bollywood, a known last name certainly carries more weight.

Katrina Kaif’s sister Isabelle, who features in Salman Khan’s first international production, Dr Cabbie, has also added Kaif to her name.

The youngster’s name reads as Isabelle Kaif in the film’s first look that has just been released. Says a source, “Isabelle has taken on Katrina’s last name for her big screen outing as well. It offers easier recognition and a higher recall value.” When Kat started out in Bollywood with Kaizad Gustad’s 2003 film Boom, she was Katrina Turquotte. The film’s producer, Ayesha Shroff, felt that Kat needed an Indian connect since at that time, Indian audiences preferred stars whose names they were familiar with.

Ayesha had initially thought of Katrina Kazi, but later, it was decided that Kazi had religious undertones to it.
As Indian cricketer Mohammed Kaif was in the limelight at that time, his name was pencilled in.

Incidentally, the initial brochures for Boom had her name as Katrina Kazi, but that was passed off by the makers as a printing error.