Actress’s introductory sequence in her next boasts of international concert standards thanks to star American choreographer, Frank Gatson Jr
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 10, 2018)

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s introductory song in Fanney Khan, ‘Mohabbat’, which has been directed by international choreographer Frank Gatson Jr, is being touted as one of the highlights of the musical drama.

Atul Manjrekar, who makes his directorial debut with the film, told Mirror, “The concept of the song came through Aishwarya’s character in the film. She plays a diva, a singing star. She’s the number one singer and the most beautiful woman in the country. The song sees her character touring across India and performing in front of a live audience. For the sequence, we referenced recent concerts that featured Arijit Singh, Ed Sheeran, Coldplay. That was the starting point.”

According to Atul, the team was looking for authenticity in terms of look and costume changes as they happen during real live concerts, when the film’s producers, Bhushan Kumar, Anil Kapoor and PS Bharathi stumbled upon Frank, who has worked with international icons like Beyonce, Rihanna and Jennifer Lopez, among others. Why an international choreographer, you wonder, and the filmmaker says, “There is great talent in India and one of them, Ganesh Acharya, is the main choreographer for my film. However, with Aishwarya’s song, we were attempting a performance of an international calibre. That said, let us not call Frank a choreographer. He is more of a performance designer. It’s more of a performance oriented number than a dance sequence,” Atul explained.

Was it difficult getting someone of Gatson’s stature on board? “When we approached him, he was very excited about the project and wanted to work with Aishwarya. The prospect of doing a Bollywood song appealed to him,” Atul said, adding that fashion designer Manish Malhotra has created Aishwarya’s look for the sequence.

The director revealed his leading lady is a fabulous singer off screen too. “She would sing in-between takes and I was stunned when I heard her voice for the first time,” Atul said.

Filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, who turns 55 today, on birthdays, films and the future of Hindi cinema
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 7, 2018)

How will you be ringing in your birthday?
My daughter Bhairavi, who is studying in the US, is back home so we will all be going to our home in Pawna, along with the dogs. We will spend the day there before returning to the city on Sunday. I try to steal as much time away from Mumbai as I can. I love animals and nature and I like being in their midst.

Any reflections on the year?
It’s been exciting so far. For the last couple of years, I’ve been developing scripts and working towards what doors they will open for us. For the longest time, I was the only director in my production house. Now, we’ve grown into a boutique studio.

And how are the 50s treating you?
The 50s is the new 18 and this is the most exciting time of my life. In the ‘kal aaj aur kal’ I’m only concerned with the ‘aaj’.

Your musical drama, Fanney Khan, is up for release with co-producers Bhushan Kumar and Anil Kapoor...
Fanney Khan is a film we have been savouring for eight years. I was looking for the right director and found him in Atul Manjrekar who started his internship with us. I’m excited and how!

Whose idea was it to fly down international choreographer, Frank Gatson Jr, for a song featuring Aishwarya?
It was the brainchild of Bharathi, my creative producer. Since she was returning to the screen after a couple of years, we wanted the audience to see a new Aishwarya. We have world class choreographers in our country too whom I love but with Frank you get a different body language. It just worked out.

What’s the status of Mere Pyare Prime Minister?
It’s ready but will open on October 2 because it’s an ode to Mahatma Gandhi. We’ll bring in his 150th birth anniversary with the film.

What changes have you noted in cinema and the industry in general during your 17–year stint?
Change is always for the better and right now, I believe we are on the brink of an absolutely glorious time. I use the phrase ‘on the brink’ because I’m not euphoric. But this is an opportunity we need to grab with both hands and break out of our existing mindset. The more Indian we get, the more global we will become. It’s all about taking desi ideas and showcasing them to the world. When I look back, I feel blessed. My first film, Aks, was with my mentor Amitabh Bachchan. It also featured amazing talents like Manoj Bajpayee, Nandita Das and Raveena Tandon. Then came Rang De Basanti, a collaboration with Aamir Khan, AR Rahman and Waheeda Rahman. And the list continues.

Any plans of a Rang De Basanti sequel?
There have been so many films inspired by Rang De Basanti. But it is not a Superman or Batman film that can be spun into a franchise. Back then, it was just my own angst that manifested on the screen with this film.

Frank Gatson Jr, choreographer to Beyonce, Rihanna and Jennifer Lopez, on working with the actress on his first Hindi film and the culture of ‘Yes Men’ around celebrities
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 28, 2018)

Frank Gatson Jr, who has worked with music icon Beyonce for 15 years and directed videos of her biggest hits, “Single Ladies”, “Run The World” and “Crazy In Love”, believes two qualities define a superstar. “You have to be a warm person, and you have to work very hard. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse,” he tells Mirror on his maiden India visit.

The choreographer, who started in 1986 as a back-up dancer in Michael Jackson’s music video of “Smooth Criminal”, has been staying at a service apartment in Bandra for the last 15 days, to where he retires after working till 2 am at Film City with Fanney Khan actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on a lavishly mounted song. Atul Manjrekar’s directorial debut is produced by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and Bhushan Kumar.

“I was to visit India from Dubai in April but couldn’t despite having an entire day to spare as there were visa and paperwork issues. So, Atul flew to Dubai for three hours to watch me work and hang out. It was clear that the film was important to him and I decided to give it my all,” Frank recalls.

The makers wanted him to come up with something that wasn’t “very Bollywood”. “That was a challenge because music is supposed to tell you what to do but this song’s beats were essentially Indian, and I wanted to stay true to the culture. However, it’s turned out to be an international number,” says Frank.

He makes a note of the heterogenous nature of the dancers’ community in India. “During auditions, I came across many dancers who aren’t from India but work in Bollywood. It’s like someone coming into my all-black neighbourhood and hiring white dancers. I didn’t like it, but luckily, I was able to find some fantastic dancers. Initially, it was supposed to be Ash with only female dancers but then I came across this incredible guy, hard-working and respectful, and added him in,” he informs.

An Indian song with a strong international vibe posed another challenge. Frank, who has worked with some of the world’s best, including Rihanna and Jennifer Lopez in his 36-year career, argues that age-appropriate choreography trumps everything that is current and cool. “You cannot give Ash dance steps that look too young. She is not 19, she’s a woman and a mother. I had to make it likeable,” he explains and believes he got it spot-on because after a long night of rehearsals, Ash wanted to do another take at 3 am. “She was so happy with the way the sequence shaped up, she hugged me and introduced me to her family,” he says, all praise for the “hard-working and professional”dancers he has worked with in India.

But he feels there’s room for improvement when it comes to rehearsals. “The dancers mark your moves but recreate them only halfway till it’s time for the final shot. Two of the greatest performers I’ve worked with, Michael Jackson and Beyonce, went all-out with each rehearsal,” he argues. “I wish I could turn everyone’s volume up.”

He has a strong opinion on celebrity culture as well. “I have a theory. Divas aren’t talented, they just got lucky. I refuse to collaborate with artistes who don’t want to work hard. I’d rather work with talented performers who don’t settle for mediocrity,” he asserts.

Frank also points out that the culture of ‘Yes Men’ around celebs is a worldwide phenomenon and the biggest threat to talent. “Once, Beyonce asked her entire team how she was doing at a rehearsal and they were like 'this is nice… you are cool,' and she started looking for me. She realises the importance of honesty. She is great, but there’s always scope for improvement. The problem with a lot of big stars everywhere is that they don’t get told the truth enough,” he avers.

Speaking of the evolution of the music business, Frank states that it is very visual today. He explains, “You don’t hear Beyonce anymore, you see her, you experience her. Artistes must sing, dance, be nice for the cameras. That’s the new world.”

His tryst with Bollywood aside, he admits to being quite clued into the industry. “The West sees Bollywood as a big deal, we talk about Indian movies all the time. I loved working on Fanney Khan, it was like working on a version of (the Catherine Zeta Jones and Renee Zellweger-starrer Oscar-winning musical) Chicago,” he says.

Actress will be shooting a song, for her upcoming musical-drama, which is being choreographed by Frank Gatson Jr, who has worked with international pop icons such as Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez and Rihanna
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 22, 2018)

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will kick off the biggest song of her career this week. Sung by Sunidhi Chauhan for debutant director Atul Manjrekar’s musical-drama Fanne Khan, it features the actress as an “Indian Madonna”. The song is being choreographed by award-winning dancer and creative director, Frank Gatson Jr (inset), who has worked with Beyoncé and Rihanna in the past.

“Aishwarya plays a huge pop icon who’s extremely popular with the youngsters. Her character is a fabulous dancer and singer who performs on the global stage. While fleshing out her character, we began referencing a bunch of choreographers who do international live shows. Frank is among the best in the world and we decided to approach him,” Atul tells Mirror, adding that the song is an elaborate portrayal of Ash’s city tours, covering three-four acts and will be shot over eight-10 days in Mumbai.

Frank, who got his big break with Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal”, has choreographed 17 videos for Beyoncé and was the director-choreographer of three of her world tours. He has also worked with Jennifer Lopez, Toni Braxton and Usher. “Frank was excited at the opportunity to work with Aishwarya whom he knows of and immediately came on board,” says Atul.

Produced by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Anil Kapoor and Bhushan Kumar, Fanne Khan also features Anil Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao and Divya Dutta. The August 3 release is loosely based on the Oscar-nominated Dutch film Everybody’s Famous!

“We have kept the tone of the film real and this song too is being choreographed tastefully. I’ve been extremely lucky with my cast as none of the actors turned me down,” Atul adds.