Homi Adajania, Dimple Kapadia during the London shoot of Angrezi Medium

The self-taught filmmaker retraces his 14-year journey on 70 mm through a quartet of films
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 12, 2020)

BEING CYRUS (2006)
For three months, I was sitting around working on a book—it’s on some shelf at the back of my house now—with no publisher in sight, when Kersi Khambatta, who was my writing companion, penning travel pieces for foreign websites, asked if I could read a piece of fiction he’d spun. A magazine had rejected it for being profane, but as soon as I finished it, I knew that this was going to be my first film. Everyone thought it was another crazy whim, but six months later, I was shooting Being Cyrus.

I have to admit that the black comedy was my most fearless film because I had nothing to lose and was running on pure instinct. I don’t know if it was over-confidence or my ability to bull**it, but everyone presumed that I was an ad filmmaker and didn’t think to ask if I had made a film before. Had they known I was just a scuba-diving instructor who’d taken off his lungi and walked onto the set, they might have had some misgivings because I knew nothing about the medium. I loved telling stories and direction started as a life experience. I slowly got sucked in because the power of a movie is so bizarre. As rational human beings, we know it’s not real, yet we are able to suspend our sense of disbelief and laugh and cry at what is happening on screen.

I was working with some of the finest talents. It was a privilege for me, but I never thought about it that way. For me, Naseer (Naseeruddin Shah), Dimple (Kapadia), Saif (Ali Khan), Boman (Irani) were actors, but since I was poorly versed with their work, at some level, it helped me because I had no pre-conceived notions and no reference points. Plus, I don’t have the fan gene in me and never look at someone in any other way except than as a fellow human being who excels in their craft.

I was told to meet Dimple and I walked into her house to find her on the treadmill, screeching at Twinkle’s dog who had pooped under it. And I knew instantly that she was my Katy Sethna, a loud, bossy, incredibly abrasive and slightly crazy woman. What was even more special about her was that when she turned around and saw me standing at the back, she was unapologetic. She is totally uninhibited, brutally honest and one of my closest friends today, who doesn’t care if the role is big or small. If I am directing the film, she has to be in it or I will get kicked in the ar**.

As an actor, she’s not insecure; she submits completely. All she needs is some validation that I’m satisfied with the shot, then, it’s “Okay chal, aage badh.”

In our upcoming film, Angrezi Medium, there is a scene where Irrfan (Khan) and Deepak Dobriyal find her passed out in her house, wrap her up in a rug so she will not get hurt when they are ferrying her to the hospital and try to flag down a car for the ride. We were shooting on the streets of London and while I sat on the pavement there waiting for the car to drive up, Dimple napped behind me, wrapped in the rug. She was totally chilled out, telling me, “Jab shot ready ho toh mujhe bol dena.”


COCKTAIL (2012)
I had never done a commercial Bollywood film with song and dance. To start with, the story did not appeal to me because it was not my space. So, when Dinoo (producer Dinesh Vijan) brought it to me, I told him, “It’s just another romcom, dude, why are we making it.” He didn’t push, but after a month I went back to him and told him I’d do the film. What pulled me in was that it was something new for me to explore, figure out and make my own. And when I saw the palette midway through, I admitted even to myself that it looked good. That’s when Dinoo revealed that the reason he’d wanted me to direct Cocktail was because he’d wanted to repackage the genre and present it in a fresh way. The shoot was raucous, the film was filled with outtakes because many times the actors had no idea the camera was still rolling so the fun we were having for real was carried to the screen.

It was the beginning of a lifelong friendship with Deepika (Padukone). It took a while for us to get on the same page because the character of Veronica was far removed from the real Deepika. She was cool, and I pointed out to her that you can’t act cool, you have to be cool because the audience can pick up a false note. She’s an incredibly hard-working and intuitive actress. After some time, she gave me her blind trust and we saw what she is capable of. Since then it’s only been up for her.


FINDING FANNY (2014)
Deepika’s character Angie (Angelina) was the polar opposite of Veronica and yet they were similar, too, in that both girls grapple with loneliness and wear a mask to survive. I told her about Finding Fanny while we were shooting Cocktail and Deepika told me that whenever I made it, she would do it. I pointed out that it would be an off-beat, indie film and she retorted, “I don’t care, I’m an actress.” We love working with each other, we have such a blast and that laugh which comes from the belly is so rare and precious!

I met Pankaj Kapur for the first time, having been told that he was solemn and a hard nut to crack. In two meetings, I discovered that he really is a shy guy who is largely misperceived by the world because of the front he puts up. His only concern was the scene in which his character, Don Pedro Cleto, gets accidentally shot in the head and drowns in the sea. He was not fond of water, having had a slightly bad experience while filming Maqbool. I assured him I’d use a prosthetic dummy for the sequence and promised that by the end of the film, I’d teach him how to swim. So, every day, after pack-up, we’d return to the hotel and start our swimming classes. After a few days, I started Naseer on it and it was the cutest sight seeing the two oldies splashing around in the pool.

Finding Fanny was like a small picture book; I wanted every frame to be edible, so you feel like taking a bite of it. I always wanted to make a film like that, but I think it flew over the heads of a lot of people, who thought it was funny, when really it was a very sad film about loneliness and longing.

The other day, when Deepika and I were talking about it, she pointed out that the problem with me is that my movies are ahead of their time.

“So, does that mean I’ll get my due when I am dead?” I retorted, and she laughed, “Probably.”

ANGREZI MEDIUM (2020)
I was working on a very dark project that a writer had brought to me, about a schizophrenic serial killer, ironically called Anand, when Dinoo called me for a narration of Angrezi Medium. Soon, I was rolling on the floor, laughing, then, I was crying. By the end of it, I had realised that it was time to spread some joy and make people laugh because that feeling of fulfilment is unparalleled. I asked Dinoo if any director was attached to the project and when he said “no”, I told him I’d do it.

Again, it was a space I was uncertain about, but I’ve never been comfortable in my comfort zone when I’m creating. Also, I’ve come to understand that for all the divisiveness there is in the world, when it comes to the primal emotions of love, sorrow and pain, it’s the same no matter where you are from. Angrezi Medium is an opportunity to do something I might never get to do otherwise... And also work with Irrfan Khan.

I’ve never worked with an actor with this kind of ability to be the character. Even when he is not doing anything in a scene, he is doing so much. While shooting, I discovered he’d given me 10 times more than what I’d wanted. While editing, I noticed 100 more things which I hadn’t seen while we were filming. That’s his magic!

And more than a genius actor, he’s a genius human being. Watching him play a single parent, I realised Irrfan is a feminist without trying to be one and that was beautiful. As Champak Bansal, when he looks at his daughter, Tarika, he is not seeing a girl, a guy or any other gender; she’s his child and he will give her whatever she wants. That’s a very evolved way of looking at life and I hope people take that away from the film.

Films come and go and all you are left with, at the end, are these memories. It’s exciting for me to learn more about myself and the world through my films, which is why I have chosen subjects so different from each other.

Lasyapriya Sundaram (BOMBAY TIMES; July 24, 2017)

Madhureeta Mukherjee (BOMBAY TIMES; June 7, 2017)

Stereotyping of communities in Bollywood was more prevalent several decades ago than now
Lisa Antao (DNA; March 12, 2017)

Last month, the Supreme Court refused to pass any order on a writ petition seeking a ban on jokes on Sikhs by advocate Harvinder Choudhary. Choudhary argued that the Sikh community needed a “vigorous” law to protect themselves from being the butt of jokes and asked the court to prosecute websites that carry ‘Sardar jokes’. The court questioned, “Why should the Supreme Court issue guidelines on how people should conduct themselves when they hear jokes?” and also argued that even if any order is passed, it’s impossible to implement it, asking, “Even if we issue guidelines, who will control it?”

If counted as a crime, then Bollywood has long been guilty of portraying and in the process, propagating community stereotypes. Sardar jokes and the stereotype of the goofy dim-wit Sardarji are found aplenty in countless Bollywood movies. However, in Bollywood, it’s not only the Sikh community, but also many other communities, which have been stereotyped galore. For example, the loud over-the-top

Punjabis, all South Indians are shown as idli-dosa eating Madrasis, mad- hatter Parsis, alcohol-swigging and plunging neckline-wearing Catholics to serious, argumentative rasgolla-gulping Bengalis.

Stereotyping of communities in Bollywood was more prevalent several decades ago than now. However, Bollywood doesn’t seem to be entirely purged off it. In recent years, stereotyping of communities has been done in movies like Kal Ho Naa Ho (2013), Finding Fanny (2014), 2 States (2014), Shaandaar (2015). We won’t state the obvious by naming the communities, you can do the math! We asked trade experts for their take on the subject.

A purpose for stereotyping
Amul Vikas Mohan, Editor Super Cinema says that stereotypes in Bollywood have always been there and are not limited to communities. The reason for them being there is to cater to the larger Pan-India audiences, and that they work for the movies. He explains, “Stereotyping works and it’s the reason filmmakers connect with the masses. If it’s an inside joke, everyone won’t get it. It’s never the intention of a filmmaker to hurt a particular community. Certain jokes are made about mannerisms about a particular community. For example, besides being known to be cheap, Sindhis are also known to be loud, rich, flashy and wearing lots of gold. And in the movie Shandaar, director Vikas Bahl has shown this. It made sense because everyone knows this.”

No exclusive targeting
Film critic, Raja Sen adds that there is stereotyping of communities in Bollywood movies, there are various cultural biases that tilt towards the North, which are inevitable. “However, Bollywood being an equal opportunity offender, has stereotyped various communities be it Punjabis, Bengalis or South Indians across the country. It’s not like only a particular community is being targeted. It’s nothing personal and doesn’t need to be taken so seriously,” he says.


Taking offence at the drop of a hat
Amul points out that nowadays people get offended too easily. “If a villain from a movie belongs to a particular community, it doesn’t mean that everyone has begun hating that community. Targeting a particular community is not the motive here. If there aren’t stereotypical jokes in movies, it won’t be funny for the masses,” he says.

Sen says that stereotyping has been going on for a long time now in Bollywood. However, the bigger sin is making bad jokes in movies. Being unfunny is worse than being politically incorrect. “Today, people are taking offence for anything and everything and filing PILs. In that case, even we film critics should file PILs against filmmakers for making bad jokes, bad movies and incompetence. In this quest to please everyone, freedom of speech and creativity is being curbed,” he laments.

Purely for entertainment purposes
Akshaye Rathi, film exhibitor and distributor minces no words and opines that movies are made for entertainment and not for spreading social messages. “Let’s be absolutely clear that movies are not meant for education or to urge people to not to smoke, not to consume alcohol and so on. Movies are purely meant for entertainment. Take the example of displaying those ‘No Smoking’ health warnings before the screening of movies. Has anybody actually quit smoking because of those disclaimers?” he questions.

“Movies are a form of entertainment for the masses. It’s a route for escapism from reality. And let’s just leave it at that. Even these No Smoking health warnings is just tokenism. It has no impact on people. It’s unfair to microanalyse movies like that,” says Rathi. He goes on to cite examples of stereotyping of communities in movies like Kal Ho Naa Ho, of the Gujarati community and in Shandaar, of the Sindhi community in a light-hearted manner. He further adds, “In a comic scene, there’s a joke on a character and that character belongs to some community or the other. Nobody wishes to make a movie to target any community in a negative light. People need to take this with a pinch of salt! It’s entertainment after all!”

Need intelligent humour
Amul does acknowledge that filmmakers and the audience too, need to grow a sense of humour. “Having said that stereotyping does work in Bollywood, personally, I feel that it’s not the right way to go. Filmmakers today need to do away with stereotyping. They need to raise the standard of humour by cracking intelligent, smart, witty jokes,” he says, adding that today’s younger audience is into intelligent humour.

Arjun Kapoor holds forth on making film choices over the years, discusses why he picks the films he does
Sarita Tanwar (DNA; August 23, 2016)


Do you trust yourself to make your decisions now?
I always made my own decisions.

But you would always consult your dad or Aditya Chopra, right?
The thing is, I make a choice and then I go and ask them for their opinion about it. I don’t put it in a way where I ask, ‘What do you feel? Should I do the film or not?’ Because then, I will blame them for the failure of the film, which is wrong. I don’t ever want to be pointing a finger at dad or Adi and saying, ‘Arre aapne bola tha karne... aur nahi chali. Ab main yeh picture kar raha hoon, give me your feedback on it.’

So you decide on your own?
Yes. At the most, I will say, ‘Dad this is the script that I have really liked. What is your opinion about it?’ So I am never posing that question: ‘Should I do it?’ And I’m never putting them in that spot, where they feel the pressure. When I signed 2 States, I called up dad and he said ‘Very good’. When I signed Finding Fanny, I called him up and said it’s a quirky film. He said, ‘You must do a film like that.’

Really? I always thought Boney would only cheer for totally commercial films.
No. In fact, dad told me, ‘It’s important for you to do this film’ because the multiplex audience was still growing. Now, the multiplex audience has become relevant. It wasn’t so, three years ago. We don’t realise how much has changed in three years. He said, ‘You must inculcate a new Mumbai-Delhi mindset.’ He, as a producer, and even Adi had said, ‘You must do it, you are doing rustic films, so this will be a new and a cool space for you’. So, I have made all my choices on my own, but I do take their opinion. My sister is the third person I share the scripts with. That’s about it.

How easy or tough is it to choose films?
I thought it would get easier with time, but it has actually got tougher. The younger you are, the more naive you are. You make more honest choices, that are less calculated. As time goes by, you are influenced by various factors and...

You and most of the actors of your generation have managed to escape being typecast...
Yes, but you know there are fleeting moments where you need to take a step and say, ‘Arre yaar, I need to make an honest choice’. I cannot be thinking about project and star cast. I need to be honest enough that if I am not excited enough to say ‘Yes, I will not jump into it’ or say ‘Yaar, mujhe bhi pata hai, yeh director... he’s a new director, but I feel I am excited enough to grab the offer’. To be honest, there are fleeting moments of dishonesty that come to you because you see the shine and sparkle after four years and you get attracted to that.

That used to happen earlier. Actors would do as many films as possible thinking, ‘Make the most of it while the sun shines’.
Yes, now the longevity is there.

The actors, who have been working for 20 years, are still around now in their 50s. So your generation knows they have time. You have 20 years ahead...
Yes. I said this in my last interview as well. It’s not about survival of the quickest, but about the one who can last. It’s not about how quickly you reach the top, it’s about sustaining. It’s a long race. Like you said, make choices that are long-term choices, not short-term.

Is that the plan for good?
I’m trying. It’s very difficult sometimes to do just one film at a time, and everybody says, ‘Aare teen-chaar sign karke rakhle. Kya farak padta hai? Do chalegi, do nahi chalegi.’

Most actors seem to have adopted that style.
But that’s good, na. Also, it allows you to be open to the correct film, which can come your way at any time.

Yes, isn’t the waiting frustrating? There’s security knowing what you are going to be doing next.
Yes, but when I did Ki & Ka, I didn’t sign anything, then suddenly Half Girlfriend came my way. Circumstances brought it to me. I was ready to be part of it because I had not committed to three other films, otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to do it. I feel it’s one of the best scripts I have got as an actor to be a part of in terms of investing. If I had signed two three other films — not that they would have been bad for me — but I would have missed out on a great possibility of playing a character that I am really excited about.

As long as it is working for you.
Yes, I think it’s good to be patient. There might be a time where we all end up signing four films at the same time. The industry slowed down a little bit in terms of the amount of films being made. It’s become a little more qualitative rather than quantitative, even if you see the big studios...

The guys who would make projects are still trying but it’s not working out.
Correct. So now, even the big studios are greenlighting limited films. And actors, like you said, are not saying yes to everything that comes their way because it’s about doing one correct film a year rather than two bad films in a year.

Arjun Kapoor on growing in confidence over a span of four years and making his mark
Sarita A Tanwar (DNA; May 23, 2016)


How many years has it been now? Six?
What since I became an actor?

Yes.
Four! What six!? You have turned me into an old hag. Six is too much. It’s been four years, exactly four years. You probably feel I am around because I have been around maybe a year before the shooting, the announcement had come that I have signed the YRF film.

Found your comfort zone? In terms of professional work?
Yes. Yes, I definitely feel I have... A lot depends on your audience feedback also. You know, in the beginning, you’re still finding yourself. You are wondering if the films are working because the films are good or even because you have that acceptance from the audiences. Are they coming to see you in a particular film or they’re coming to see a film and you happen to be in it? You need to solve that jigsaw puzzle on your own and connect with your audience when you interact with the audience. When you travel, you to get a sense that nahi yaar, you don’t know what it is, but they are liking something about you and you need to embrace that. You don’t need to fight it, you don’t need to doubt yourself, you need to say okay to whatever it is. Out of 1 billion people, there are about 10-12 people who get this opportunity and I happen to be one of them. There is plausible enough reason to believe the audience likes you. So don’t let any negativity or any confusion hold you back from that. So the first two three years go in figuring that out. I won’t say actors kaan ke kacche hote hai but there are lot of influencing factors when you are starting out, there are lot of people saying a lot of things. So you have to kind of take a step back, put things into perspective.

And actors live in a bubble, without interacting with the audience directly, so they don’t know their perspective.
Correct. I think the one good part about promoting films is that you get to meet audiences. That’s one advantage of going out to promote a film across the country. You get to see the country and the audience and you get to see what they react to. So like the audience in a Delhi reacts to a different film of yours that they’ve liked. The UP audience will react more to a Gunday. Gujarat, you’ll have people talking about 2 States. Every state has a different reaction...so you get a sense. So yes, you need to take a step back in the first one or two years, figure yourself out, enjoy the attention and then kind of... Now, I feel chaar saal is a good enough time for me to accept I’m here to stay. I think also the last film Ki & Ka doing the kind of business it did, kind of consolidated the fact that the audience is interested to watch me as an actor which is important. In the bigger picture, producers are putting their money on me. The kind of film it was, the number that it started with on the first day, was a pretty nice feeling as an actor to do a niche multiplex film and have Rs 7 crore-plus on the first day.

You’ve done so many different kinds of films. What is your comfort space in terms of genre?
I don’t have a comfort space in terms of genre. That’s one thing that no actor should ever find. You should be comfortable being an actor but you should not be comfortable ki main uss type ya iss type ki kar sakta hoon. I want to discover it all...

But for actors some things comes easier.. Be it, action, drama...
I am dying to do a comedy but nobody is offering me one. So I don’t know. Everybody said action is Arjun’s go-to, but my biggest success is 2 States, which has no action. I loved doing Ki & Ka and 2 States and Finding Fanny. Everybody says I’m intense but my sense of humour actually is one of my biggest assets. If you interact with me, you will find that it is one of my saving graces of my personality. I can make a person laugh or smile and cut the tension in the room. It’s just that I come across as a very serious person on face value. As an actor I can be funny, I can be charming, I can be serious, I have all the facets, it’s all about how a director sees me. And I never want to feel that this is my groove and I will stick to it. The fact that I did Ki & Ka because I wanted to again re-emphasises the fact that I don’t live in a groove. Even Half Girlfriend for that matter.

Two choices of yours Ki & Ka as well as Finding Fanny I don’t see any of the boys of your generation taking up a film like that.
Thank you.

What gives you the confidence to say yes to a film like that? Isn’t there that insecurity that will this be accepted?
You don’t think so deeply about not being accepted. You kind of believe that if the film is good, it will be accepted but yes thank you for appreciating the different choices that I’ve made. Finding Fanny was more about, yaar I think not enough ensemble films are made, not enough quirky experimental films are made with enough face value to get attention. My reason for doing Finding Fanny was if I don’t do this now when will I do this? Take chances, I was still young, I didn’t have to think about the consequences. Because the bigger you get, the harder it gets to experiment...

I would say that it’s easier to experiment when you are bigger because by then you know you have your fan base. So intially actors should aim for really safe films.
What is safe today? Ishaqzaade was not a safe debut and it did well. My first film kind of made me realise pushing the envelope is more exciting for the audience today than sticking to conventional films. My reason for doing Ki & Ka was it seemed like a risky film. I liked the fact that we were taking a risk, in terms of that a mainstream commercial Hindi film hero who is so macho in his perception is going to play a home maker. I think the film worked because Balki cast me in that role. I think if it was anybody else from my contemporaries it would have seemed a bit generic. It added a fun twist to it was to see this big burly guy who is like a giant taking care of the house and taking care of a woman and cooking and cleaning and playing house husband. I found that visual exciting. I found that story very relatable, so I went with the emotion of the film.

Having directors like Balki and Homi must have the big driving factor, right?
100 per cent. I think if it was somebody else coming with an idea about a me playing a home maker, I wouldn’t have done it. And of course to do a Finding Fanny you need somebody as out there as Homi. He was the main reason for me to jump in because you got to work with all kinds of people. You cannot always do films for the monetary reasons. You cannot always do it for box-office especially when you are starting out because you really don’t know what’s going to work. Like I said, you know once you keep working then you become even more serious about “no, I don’t want to do this because this will become my positioning’. When I was starting out, I was doing Finding Fanny along with Gunday and 2 States, so if you look at it as a spectrum they were three very different films. I didn’t know which one is going to work and which one isn’t.

A lot of your contemporaries in the same position are not experimenting. Where do you get the inspiration?
The thing is, I never wanted to be an actor. I am not competitive to a point where I want to outdo others and I don’t want to get into that rat race. I want to be a part of this turnaround that has happened in these last two to three years. I feel very proud that we have all kind of survived that wave and we are doing well. There is no sense of out positioning each other because we all have enough going on for us. We have allowed more films to be made, we have allowed more directors to dream, We have allowed more writers to make choices of writing extreme stuff like a Finding Fanny or a Badlapur.

You have always said that ‘I’m limited in a way the roles that I can do because people see me in a certain way because of the way I look.’ But you’ve played the most diverse characters. I don’t see any of your contemporaries doing a Fanny, or a Ki & Ka.
I think that’s primarily because I have made those choices before them so you’ll always think of me first.

I don’t see it.
I do believe I can do action better than all my contemporaries also because I just have the backdrop now with the kind of films that I have done so I’ll always be convincing in an action film. I do see Ranveer being able to do action well. I think we all are finding our grooves. What I said was that people see me in certain kind of roles. I don’t see myself that way. Not even the audience does. It’s the people making films, who are casting you, who always see you in one dimension or in a stereotypical or a way that. ‘oh iski pichli action chali toh...’ I am sure even Varun faces that, when he’s offered those teenybopper films all the time. I’m sure even Tiger would want to do other kind of genres but he’ll always be the go-to guy for masala action films. He’ll also have to find his groove. That’s a constant battle for young actors. But you should take chances I think that’s what I have learnt by doing a Ki & Ka, 2 States and Finding Fanny or even by doing television. You just have to keep working, you never know what’s going to work and you don’t have answers. Like Gunday was supposed to be the sure shot film eventually 2 States did better than Gunday.

How much of divide is there in the kind of films the older guys are doing and the kind of films that younger heroes are doing?
I think there is a divide because the appetite of the audience is a certain way for certain actors. I do believe that they have been moulded into a certain pattern. Because the audience diktat says that when they go to see films of Khans, Akshay, Ajay, even a Hrithik for that matter, he has to play the star. So all of them have to play to their audience, their fan base — and their fan bases are huge — so they have to appease them before anybody else, so their choices are dictated by...log kyu aate hai paisa kharch karne? There is a lot of money riding on them, they would love to take risks I’m sure.

Like Shah Rukh did with Fan.
Which I think is commendable. I think they all take risks. I do believe even a Bajrangi was a risk in that sense. It was not a typical action Eid kind of film. It was an emotional tale of a man and a child. Even for like Aamir doing a Talaash, and Ajay did a Drishyam. Nobody speaks about those films because they all think about Action Jackson first unfortunately. So they all attempt different films but we tend to remember the bigger, flashier, commercial, pot boilers more. So I think the senior stars don’t get their due enough. Look at Akshay, he has done Airlift, and Baby last year.

They are limited because their audiences don’t want to see that.
But the audience has seen them in different films. But there are certain limitations. They cannot make song less films with superstars. You can’t suddenly go dry. The films have to have enough to appease the masses also because the masses do come out to watch them. So they will have that extra song maybe they’ll have that one action sequence or little more dialogue baazi but the material is still getting more relevant and more young.

None of the Gen Next actors don’t really fit into the kind of films that the older guys do...
Correct. We don’t.

Except for Tiger, you all have the multiplex audience on your side and Tiger has — because of the kind of films that the single screen audience.
Correct. He has done two films that played to the gallery. Yes, I have done my Tevar and Gunday. I have enjoyed that side of performing also, and I will never shy away from them. But yes, to the multiplex audience, our films have appealed more to their sensibility. Which I think will change over a course of the next couple of years I might do a massy film and I might discover that even I want to do more of that.

I think those kind of films are dying.
Yes, because now they have become like junk food. Once every six months you get a film like that you’ll enjoy it. Earlier it used to be staple and the multiplex film used to do be once in a while you saw an interesting unique film. Now the interesting unique films are every month.

Multiplex audiences is still essentially the cities right? While single screens are everywhere. So which audience would you rather woo?
Yes, it’s still the cities. But the money in cities is much more. Today four cities can allow you to do Rs 70-80 crores. Between Pune, Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, little bit of Gujarat. Look at Neerja, Kapoor and Sons, Ki & Ka these are multiplex dominated areas where these films have done very good numbers. At the same time, a single screen film like Baaghi can do Rs 70 crores because it’s appealing to the rest of the country. So the numbers on both sides. But single screen films are becoming little obsolete now because the audience is now watching Hollywood films all the time. They have the internet and they are aware of what’s happening around the world. Now filmmakers know they are making films for an intelligent mindset and they want to see everything new. They want to see a Neerja and an Airlift and a Kapoor and Sons to discover a family drama of a different kind rather than the song dance routine one. They want to see a macho hero play a typically female oriented character and pull it off. These are the kinds of things that have worked along with a Baaghi, I’m not denying that. But I think Baaghi worked because it is the exception this year. I think because it came at the right time also. There is a certain enjoyment about watching a commercial masala film once in a while. So I think if he is the go-to guy for that then I am very happy for Tiger, I think everybody should have their groove and everybody should appeal to all kind of audiences. I have always believed that an actor should be able to appeal to every audience member eventually. You cannot be like ki yaar main multiplex...

Yes, but sometimes audience slots you. They decide what they like you in best.
I have been very lucky. I have a lot of decent goodwill in the mass thought process also. When I have interacted with people the younger boys, the men... they have enjoyed Gunday, Ishaqzaade, and Tevar. So I feel maybe I just need a correct film to kind of reconnect with them and take it to that level. Sometimes you just need the correct film. You might have the potency, you might have a connect, but to really see the volume of numbers you need a correct film also. But it’s going to be I think once a year you’ll see a Baaghi doing well, once or twice a year you’ll see that kind of a film doing well more than the Neerja’s and Kapoor and Sons and all.

Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 22, 2016)

Varun Dhawan on the only reason he would do an Indian English film
Sarita A Tanwar (DNA; September 12, 2015)


Ask Varun Dhawan, who did a film like Badlapur, who everyone advised him against, if he would act in a Bollywood English film and he says, “I honestly don’t know that. It might alienate a certain section of the audience and I don’t know if I would do a film like that at this point. If I were to, it would have to be something really special for me. Also, there needs to be a need for English in the film, not just as a gimmick.”

*** English forays ***
Saif Ali Khan was the first A-Lister to act in an Indian English film Being Cyrus. A dark, comedy that spins around the Sethnas — a Parsi family.

Director Nagesh Kukunoor played the protagonist in his Hyderabad Blues, which was hugely appreciated

Konkona Sen Sharma worked in two films directed by mom Aparna Sen: Mr and Mrs Iyer and 15 Park Avenue. She was also part of The President is Coming directed by Kunaal Roy Kapur.

Perizaad Zorabian acted in Jogger’s Park, which got great reviews all around

Rahul Bose in English August

MORE? HERE’S WHY NOT!
When asked why more English language films don’t get made in Bollywood, trade analyst Komal Nahta, shares, “After Being Cyrus and Finding Fanny other English films haven’t been attempted because these films work to a limited extent only at the box office. Karan Johar had attempted one, We Are Family, which was half English and half Hindi but even with big stars like Kajol, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal, it didn’t do well. Producers put in so much money into making English films but the returns are not up to expectations. Finding Fanny had a big star like Deepika Padukone, a studio like Fox backing it and great promotions but even then it didn’t rake in the money. All multiplexes show these films but with collections ranging from 15-20%, producers feel it’s not worth their while. The market is very limited for English films. They will make some money in big cities like Mumbai, Pune, Delhi but what about other centers like Akola, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Raigad where they don’t register collections? The smaller centers rake in big money.”

ENGLISH, But not B-Town films
Tabu has acted in Mira Nair’s The Namesake and Randeep Hooda in the same director’s Monsoon Wedding. But these English films cannot be called Bollywood films, they were not purely intended for this market.

Arjun Kapoor admits that he is too extravagant to become a producer but wants to venture into a new 'direction'.
Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 18, 2014)

Arjun Kapoor is busy city-hopping for his upcoming film Tevar in which he plays a boy from Agra. Set in the Northern hinterland, the film's milieu is similar to his debut film, Ishaqzaade. "I agree that the world I inhabited in Ishaqzaade is a lot like this film, but the characters are completely different. Unlike rebellious Parma, Pintoo is homely and self-righteous," reasons Arjun.

His involvement in the project is as driven by his fondness for the subject as by the fact that his father, Boney Kapoor, is producing it. "But that doesn't mean that I'm less involved in my other films," he explains. "Okay, maybe it's a bit more with this one than normal, but that's only to ensure that Dad doesn't get too stressed with mundane activities. That's something I can take care of, easily."

Having said that, Arjun reveals although he's a producer's son he has no ambition to become one. "I'm a spendthrift, I don't have a very good control over the monies," he laughs. "I'd like to be a director someday. My directorial debut will be explosive."

Speculations are rife that after Tevar he's given a nod to Milan Luthria for a love story and to Rohit Shetty's next. Arjun insists that there is absolutely no truth in these rumours. "I've decided to do one film at a time. Once Tevar is out of the way, I will take a call on what to do next. I'm very fond of Rohit's films and would love to work with him, but so far I've signed nothing."

What about Revolution 2020 - the film adaptation of Chetan Bhagat's bestseller. He had been signed to play Gopal and had even given dates? "The rights have reverted to Chetan. Now I'm clueless about the film. We've been going back and forth on the dates. I think you should take your question to Chetan. He's the best person to talk about it."

However, he insists that the year has been memorable because of Homi Adajania's Finding Fanny. "I rediscovered myself with this film. Even for the audience, it was like having black tea instead of the usual cutting chai!" he chuckles.

He is teaming up with Ranveer Singh for a face off with the comedy troupe All India Bakchod. "Expect a combination of Charlie Sheen and James Franco from us," he promises. "What's great is that we are making people laugh for a good cause." 

Mathias Duplessy tells us what inspired him to create the quirky Fanny Re for road film Finding Fanny
Kasmin Fernandes (BOMBAY TIMES; September 26, 2014)

Asira Tarannum (MID-DAY; September 18, 2014)

If sources are to be believed, Karan Patel, the lead actor of the TV show, Yeh Hain Mohabbatein, recently had an altercation with actress Divyanka Tripathi. Turns out Karan was blaming the media for having caused his delay in reaching the sets, which, in turn, led to his part being edited out of a special episode featuring Bollywood actors Deepika Padukone and Arjun Kapoor.

Says a source, “Deepika and Arjun had come to the show's sets since they were shooting a special episode to promote their film, Finding Fanny. They were supposed to shoot with the lead couple, Karan Patel and Divyanka Tripathi. But Karan reached late on the sets, and the makers couldn't keep Deepika and Arjun waiting for long due to their other commitments. As a result, they changed the script at the last minute and the episode was shot without Karan.” The source adds that when Karan turned up, the shoot was nearly over. "Since there was not a single shot featuring Karan, he was very upset. He created a ruckus and blaming the media for his delay, he banned them from coming on the sets of the show," says the source, adding that despite the intervention of the show's publicists, Karan didn't want mediapersons on the sets.

“When he spotted a few reporters on the sets, he told the producer to ask them to leave or else he would walk away. That's when his co-star, Divyanka, stepped in and announced that she’d walk out if the media wasn't allowed in,” says an eyewitness.

When contacted, Karan said that he was not supposed to be a part of the special episode in the first place. “I didn't want mediapersons to hover around during my shoot because I get distracted when there are many people on the sets. They are welcome once my shot is over," he said, whereas Divyanka confirmed that the actor had insulted some mediapersons. "I am not against Karan, but the media was just doing its job. They weren't doing anything wrong and I was supporting them on human grounds,” she said.

Arjun Kapoor opens up about love, loss and all things in between
Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 10, 2014)

Today, after a preview of Finding Fanny, he's flooded with rave reviews for his performance as Savio. But Arjun Kapoor admits that he was plagued with doubts when, after watching Ishaqzaade, writer-director Homi Adajania approached him with the role.

"I was supposed to assist Homi on Being Cyrus but I fell ill. He had impressed me as a director, but I couldn't see myself in the world he had visualised. One reason was that he came to me with an English film when I was still trying to establish myself as a Hindi film actor," recalls Arjun, sitting in the suite of a fivestar hotel.

He allowed himself to be carried along by the director's confidence and conviction and admits that when he saw Savio on screen, he could see a lot of himself in him -- from the vulnerability to the pain and angst which came from personal experience. "I guess Homi saw me in the character much before I did," he says.

The pain comes from losing his mother, Mona Kapoor, when he was poised on the threshold of stardom. "She stood by me when I was struggling to lose weight, never once telling me I didn't have it in me to be an actor. She had watched me shoot Ishqzaade, saw the first trailer, then, knowing I was going the right way, she went away. She shattered my backbone, leaving behind a big hole. I try to fill the vacuum with work and small joys but it's hard," he admits, eyes glistening with unshed tears.

A man is drawn towards a woman who reminds him of his mother but Arjun insists he's not attracted to any one 'type'. "It's important for me to have a conversation with the lady that lasts beyond five minutes. It could be about films, travel, life, even the weather. I like to listen and talk," he says.

A statement of his on a recent chat show-"I lost weight to get laid"-has gone viral, but Arjun argues that it was just a joke taken out of contest. "Yes, earlier, it was difficult to get female attention. Even during Ishaqzaade, Aditya Chopra advised me to focus on my performance because I wasn't conventionally good looking. Over the last two years, it's gotten easier. But I don't know if the women are falling for me as a person or the characters I portray," he says, unabashedly admitting that he craves the comfort of companionship: "All of us want someone in our lives with whom we can interact on a personal level, I'm no different."

Buzz is, he got possessive about Alia Bhatt. Arjun laughs off the rumour, "I may get emotionally attached to someone, but I don't think I'd get possessive or obsessive about someone. I didn't know Alia before 2 States. She's an amazing girl but now she's busy with Shaandar in London while I'm busy with Finding Fanny here. And yet these Chinese whispers continue to swirl."

He says that a boy and a girl can be just friends without taking their relationship to the next level. Parineeti Chopra and he spent 90 days together in Lucknow during Ishaqzaade and continue to be on backslapping terms. Sonakshi Sinha and he have known each other since they were in school and now enjoyed filming Tevar. "Growing up in this profession, I got used to the gossip early. If someone doesn't hit below the belt, I'm okay. It won't stop me from being who I am," he shrugs.

He's equally dismissive of talks about the bromance with Ranveer Singh going kaput. He reasons that the speculation fuels from disbelief that youngsters like them, who have quickly found audience acceptance, can co-exist without any interpersonal problems. "Ranveer and I are not insecure, we never had issues on the sets. Why can't people accept that we are friends?" he questions.

While Arjun openly discusses personal equations, he's wary of divulging professional details. He refuses to confirm whether he's playing Lakhan in the Ram Lakhan remake or one of SRK's brothers in Rohit Shetty's next. All he admits is that he's Gopal in the screen adaptation of Revolution 20:20. "I'm a producer's son, I'll wait for the announcement," he quips.

Will he now graduate from being executive producer to producer? Arjun smiles and says that his father (Boney Kapoor) was gracious to credit him with the title of 'executive producer' when all he did was arrange for tickets, transport and accommodation. "I don't think I'll make a good producer. I'm a spendthrift. It's in my genes. As long as my father continues making movies, I'll work with him. I don't care for credit," he says, adding he'd rather write and direct a film someday.

Having made a Finding Fanny, will he push his dad into exploring this kind of cinema? "Dad makes film which are entertaining for an all-India audience. He can't think small and niche. Let him continue doing what he does best. I'm as happy with a Tevar as I am with a Finding Fanny," he signs off, ordering lunch.

Enough food for thought, it's time for some real food now!

Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; September 12, 2014)