Amid tensions in West Asia that have led many to reconsider travel plans, Ram Kapoor is preparing to return to Dubai next week to complete pending work. The actor had travelled to the city with his wife, Gautami, two weeks ago but cut the trip short as the situation escalated.

He says, “Last time, we were there for about a week. I thought I would come back to Mumbai and wait for things to calm down before starting again. But now I don’t have a choice. My work is still pending, and the situation does not seem likely to resolve anytime soon and appears to be escalating. It could continue for months, or even longer. If that is the case, I cannot delay any further. I will have to go and complete the timelines I had planned, despite the situation.”

The urgency, he explains, is tied to strict timelines. He shares, “There is work underway at my home in the Burj Khalifa. We received the necessary permissions and have a fixed timeframe within which it needs to be completed, but everything has now come to a standstill. I could request an extension, but we don’t know how long this situation will last. So the idea is to continue with the work and try to finish it as per the original plan. People I know in Dubai are continuing with their lives as much as possible. It’s not an ideal situation, but I am not panicking.”

This time, Gautami will not be travelling with him. He says, “I’m going alone. I am flying on Tuesday after finishing a few things here. I expect to be there for a couple of weeks this time.”

While there are concerns at home, his family understands the situation. He shares, “My children are a lot like me. Even if they panic initially, once I speak to them, they calm down. In fact, they end up reassuring their mother. Gautami does worry, but she understands that this is important and that I can’t miss the time frame.”

He also points to the safety measures in place. “Dubai is very well organised and capable of ensuring safety. Even where my house is, it is one of the most protected buildings in the country, which is something I have explained to Gautami,” he concludes.

Known for speaking her mind, Gautami Kapoor has sometimes found herself at the centre of social media storms. This time, however, the abusive comments took a serious toll on her mental health, prompting her to step away from Instagram for a while. The De De Pyaar De 2 actress, who regularly shared dance and lighthearted videos, has not posted anything for over two months.

In a chat with Bombay Times, Gautami opened up about her sudden absence from social media. “It’s been over two months since I posted anything. Social media became a very toxic space for me. I was receiving horrible, disrespectful comments — not something I needed to read first thing in the morning. I’ve reached a stage in life where I don’t need validation from anyone. I am happy in my own space,” she says, adding, “Things were said about my family and people I love. That’s why I chose to distance myself from social media. Since I stopped checking Instagram, I’ve realised I suddenly have so much extra time.”

Recalling the moment that pushed her to make the decision, Gautami shares, “The comments coming my way were so awful that I don’t have words to describe what they did to my mental health and peace. A few weeks ago, early one morning, I checked my reels, and the first thing I saw was a horrible comment. It was explicit and explosive, and it put me in a very bad headspace. I felt extremely demotivated. I didn’t like feeling that way, so I consciously decided to keep my life private. I’ll only return to social media when I have something to share about my work.”

Gautami also expresses disappointment over the industry’s growing obsession with social media numbers.

“Over the past several months, many people told me that work opportunities now depend on the number of Instagram followers you have. I was shocked. My followers and growth have always been organic. I don’t understand how someone’s body of work can be judged by follower counts,” she says.

As tensions escalated across parts of West Asia and flight operations in the region faced disruptions, actor couple Ram Kapoor and Gautami Kapoor found themselves in Dubai — a city they know well, but one that suddenly felt unusually still. While news alerts, rumours and worried calls from loved ones poured in, the two say they have chosen to stay calm.

Ram, who frequently travels to the UAE, says, “We have a house here, and I come here every two to three months. Gautami arrived just a day before the situation escalated. Our son is away on a school trip, and our daughter is studying in the US, so Gautami decided to join me.”

The couple first sensed that something unusual was unfolding while they were at the Dubai Mall. “We stay in Burj Khalifa. We were at the Dubai Mall and noticed the mall was slowly beginning to close down. That’s when we realized something had happened. Luckily, since Burj Khalifa is connected to the mall, we just took the elevator up to our home. For the next two days, things were largely shut, so we stayed indoors,” shares Ram.

Gautami adds, “We came home, and the kids were calling constantly. Everyone was worried because of the rumours that Burj Khalifa had been evacuated. But this is one of the most protected buildings here, and we feel safe.”

They admit that Dubai feels unusually quiet right now. “We had never seen Dubai like this. It is always lively with people from all over the world, so seeing it so quiet felt eerie. But hats off to the government for handling things so well. For us, Dubai truly feels like our home away from home,” Gautami says.

Ram adds that authorities are keeping residents informed about the situation. “Updates are coming regularly through messages,” he says.

While some friends chose to leave the city in haste, the actor didn’t feel the need to do so. “One of my closest friends from my college days in New York was here in Dubai with his fiancée. They were panicking, so they drove overnight to Muscat — about five hours — crossed the border and then flew to Mumbai and from there to Delhi,” says Ram, adding, “We will return to Mumbai as per our plans.”

Ram Kapoor has wowed the internet with his drastic physical transformation. The actor shared a selfie on Instagram showcasing his all-new dapper look. The 51-year-old, who was on a long social-media hiatus, left everyone amazed with his sleek and cool new look. It was in April this year when he shared a photo of himself at the gym, showcasing how he was at it!

On Thursday, the actor took to Instagram to share a stylish mirror selfie and captioned it: “Hi guys, sorry for the slightly long absence from Insta, was working on myself quite extensively (sic).” The post featured him flaunting his fit, dapper look in a classic T-shirt and denim look, leaving fans in awe. He shared another pic with wife, actor Gautami Kapoor, which mentioned, “42 Kapoor”, hinting at losing 42 kg.

His post earned a lot of attention from the fraternity and other internet users. While actor Neena Gupta quipped, “What is that u (sic),” actor Karan Wahi dropped several heart emojis. A user wrote, “Has he done gastric bypass surgery?? (sic),” while another joked, “AI generated hai (sic).”

In 2019, Kapoor had undergone a remarkable weight-loss transformation, shedding 30kg in seven months.

Once a popular face on television, Gautami Kapoor took a break from acting around 2015 to focus on her family. The actress made a comeback in 2020 with the web show Special Ops. And now, Gautami, who has also featured in Bollywood films like Kuch Naa Kaho (2003), Fanaa (2006) and Satyameva Jayate 2 (2021), is keen to dive back into work with gusto.

She tells us, “This year you will see me in not one, but three web shows. In fact, I have already completed shooting for my third show. My kids have grown up now, my daughter (Sia) is 18 and my son (Aks) is 15. So now, I am all set to focus on my career. I believe it is my time to work now and I am back to it. I am going to kill it. I have told Ram that he can retire now while I will work (laughs). I am in a good headspace work-wise.”

While Gautami is currently excited about her web projects, in our previous chat she had opened up about not being content with television show offers. She had said, “I do get calls for shows, but it is not the kind of work I would like to do on that medium. When I ask the makers about the role, they say hero ki maa ka role hai, ya bhabhi ka, but I ask them again ki role kya hai? Unfortunately, they do not understand my question as characters other than leads are not given importance on television.”

The actress spoke to us at a fashion event hosted by designer Maheka Mirpuri. Dressed in retro attire as per the theme of the event, she also spoke about her love for the fashion of the 80s and 90s. She said, “Retro is my favourite era. I love the whole bell bottom pants, bell sleeves, the hairdo, big shades and chunky jewellery. I am in for all things quirk.”

Gautami who looks up to actresses like Sadhana, Mumtaz and Zeenat Aman when it comes to retro fashion also named the role that she would like to enact from the retro era on screen. She said, “I would like to do Parveen Babi’s role in Shaan.”

John Abraham was seen in a desi avatar while shooting for Milap Zaveri’s Satyameva Jayate 2 in Varanasi. Sporting a dhoti and kurta, he also wore a pagadi (turban) in one of the scenes canned at Chet Singh Ghat. A song sequence was shot where the Force 2 actor appeared to be part of a mock rally scene. Harsh Chhaya, Gautami Kapoor, Divya Khosla Kumar and Rajendra Gupta were also seen at the picturesque ghat overlooking the river Ganga.

The shooting later moved to the Ramnagar area where a rally scene was shot in front of Ramnagar Fort in which several local artistes also participated. The title song of the film was played in the background.

“To ensure the safety of the entire cast and crew, proper Coronavirus guidelines are being followed. The entry to the location is restricted and those entering the area have to undergo thermal scanning. Regular sanitising is being done and a medical team is present on location,” informs Gyan Prakash Pandey, line producer.

John, who is on his first visit to the city, relished the local cuisine. He was served kachori and jalebi on the sets and also the famous Banarasi paan.

On Wednesday, John Abraham and Divya Khosla Kumar will flag off Satyameva Jayate 2. The filming of the Bhushan Kumar and Nikkhil Advani production will continue in Lucknow till January 2021.

“On the first day, we will shoot only with the lead pair, but subsequently, other actors like Harsh Chhaya, Gautami Kapoor, Shaad Randhawa, Anup Soni, and Sahil Vaid will join in. We will be shooting across Lucknow, including at heritage structures like palaces and colleges,” informs director Milap Zaveri, all praise for the Uttar Pradesh government. “Some of the live locations will be completely sealed off, so crowd gazers cannot sneak in. Only our cast and crew will be present on the spot.”

He shares that even action scenes will be shot on the streets of Lucknow and he has taken his leading man through all the locations virtually. He lauds John for agreeing to shoot in these tough times. His producer acknowledges the challenge, but is confident stringent SoPs will create a safe shooting environment. “It will be scary for the crew at live locations, but it is important to give our audience some entertainment during this pandemic,” asserts Bhushan, promising that Part 2 will be bigger and better than the 2018 original. “When we decide to take a franchise forward, we have to be ready with larger-than-life stories and characters. This script is a notch higher and Milap has worked rigorously on the action scenes with John during the lockdown.”

His production partner, Nikkhil, who was with Milap in Lucknow, asserts that since Milap has developed the subject, he realised that Lucknow would be an apt setting and relocated the story there. Before Coronavirus struck, SMJ 2 was based in Mumbai. His director confides that John’s roots in the film are in Varanasi and believes that the transition will give the film a pan-India feel, appealing even to viewers in the interiors. They will also be shooting for a few days at a Mumbai studio early next year before calling it a wrap.

Nikkhil, whose production house has completed three films in the last few months, including Kiara Advani’s Indoo Ki Jawani, Kaashvie Nair’s cross-border love story and Akshay Kumar’s espionage thriller, Bellbottom, in Scotland, is confident that this one, too, will be a smooth ride. “Our teams will ensure and take all precautionary measures for the safety of the entire crew,” Nikkhil avers.

The film will open on Eid 2021. “It’s a franchise that celebrates the victory of good over evil and that’s a perfect recipe for Eid. Plus, there’s lots of action, drama and dialoguebaazi,” Milap signs off.

Once you have tasted blood, it's difficult to resist the temptation again, says Gautami Gadgil Kapoor. She is returning to TV with Rajan Shahi's Tere Sheher Mein, seven months after her last outing Khelti Hai Zindagi Aankh Micholi, which shut in three months owing to a poor run. “I was thoroughly disappointed and was in a state of shock. I had no clue that television has become TRP-driven and so cut-throat that shows are being pulled off in three-four months,“ she says.

Her new role, by her own admission, isn't much different from her previous outing - she plays a mother again, but she is gung-ho about the story and the way it's shot. She says, “Nobody on TV can offer me anything different. We are attempting something new in terms of the content and the way it is shot. We might not look glamorous on the show, but rather simple and washed out, which might be jarring for the viewers.“

Gautami feels there is a dearth of good roles for actresses who want to return after a hiatus as nobody writes a central character keeping them in mind. “You may not become the lead of the show, but you can still make a mark if you are talented. But unfortunately, you are not even offered roles once you are past a certain age. But then, there are shows like Bade Acche Lagte Hain with Ram as the male lead despite him being overweight. He turned a lot of things around for his contemporaries and the way a hero is perceived,“ she believes.

Ram's female fan following saw a rise during that show. “It was funny. Because he is my husband, I take him for granted. I would tell him to lose weight. He managed to change the perception. It was a big gamble which paid off. Most men after a certain age look like he did on the show and hence, it looked real and relatable,“ she says. Does she still nag him about his weight? “No, he does his own thing. I am happy the way things are,“ she laughs.

And how did she take to the lip-lock sequence between Ram and Sakshi Tanwar? “I wasn't too comfortable in the beginning. But I became fine as it was with Sakshi, who I have known for years. I married Ram knowing the fact that he is an actor and will never impose terms and conditions on him. That would be limiting him. It's a big thing for a woman to let go of it, but this profession comes with that baggage,“ she replies.

However, she isn't game for such a scene. “I don't think I can do something like that. I am not that forward. I know I would be acting, but to take that step, I really have to be in love with that person,“ she says. And how would her husband react to it? “He is extremely possessive. If I were in his shoes and I had to do something like that, there would have been a lot of conflict. That's how Indian men are. They tend to get very possessive when it comes to their wife and daughter. Actually, I don't know how he will react as I have never asked him this. When you are past a certain age, fears are far deep and complicated. You don't fear that your man would leave you for another woman,“ she replies.

Hiren Kotwani (BOMBAY TIMES; June 18, 2014)

Best known for the lead roles he played in telly soaps, Ram Kapoor ventured into Bollywood with character roles in films like Karthik Calling Karthik, Agent Vinod and Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu, among others. In Sajid Khan's upcoming comedy Humshakals, he plays three characters, all called Mamaji. Excerpts from a conversation...

Sajid and you have been friends for years. Why did it take you so long to collaborate?
I know a lot of people in Bollywood, but it's not in me to tell a friend that I want to work with him. Sajid did well in his career, while I progressed in mine. When I was doing TV, maybe he didn't think I was a good option. Once, after I had acted in a couple of movies, he said we must work together. At that time, I didn't know what he had in mind for me. When he approached me with Humshakals a few months later, I said, `Fantastic. Let's do it'.

Being a big TV star, what prompted you to start with supporting roles in films?
While it's true that I've done well in TV , it took me more than 10 years to get there. Films are a different ball game altogether. I had decided that I would do whatever it takes to enter movies, but slowly . Be it Agent Vinod or EMAET, they were baby steps for me. Due to my size, I fit into character roles. I'm aware of my advantages and disadvantages and discussed this with Sajid too. Boman Irani is one actor I look up to and I think I can have a similar career graph. I've a plan in process and I'm moving from one step to the next.


What was your first thought on hearing that you have to dress up as a woman?
I was nervous as to whether I'd be able to pull it off. Doing a hit show on TV means doing the same thing for three-four years. When I decided to venture into films, I wanted to try and do things as differently as possible. So, I took Humshakals as a challenge. On TV , I'd have never got an opportunity like this.
In movies, I want people to see all sides of me as an actor.

What happened the first time you stepped out in your female avatar?
That was in Mauritius. Kareena (Kapoor Khan) and Genelia (D'Souza Deshmukh) were also there. Tamannaah and Bipasha gave me a hug, saying they found me too cute. If the audience reacts the way people on the set did, I'll be happy.

While Saif (Ali Khan) and Riteish (Deshmukh) are chasing each other's female avatars in a song, you're chasing your own. Was that intentional?
That was Sajid's idea. He thought it would be funny if Ram is chasing Ram. Shooting that portion took us four days and it was extremely tough. I had to alternate between both the looks to complete the shoot.

You've worked with Saif briefly in Agent Vinod. Since you have a lot more scenes with him, how was it different this time?
Saif is a thorough gentleman. I got to know him better now as we spent more time working and chilling out together. He's got a wacky sense of humour.

What about Riteish?
He is a fantastic person and a great guy to work with. He gets along with everyone.

What did your wife Gautami have to say about your 'woman' avatar?
After seeing the promo, she laughed non stop for 10 minutes. I've never seen her laugh so much. She got our kids to see it and they too had a good laugh. They're all excited to see the film, particularly me as a woman.

What's next in movies? Aren't you apprehensive this may typecast you in comedies?
Since I've been trying to do different roles, I don't think I'd be slotted. I've signed three movies, one of which is Patel Rap with Sunny Leone. It's a hilarious comedy in which my character, a Gujarati man named Patel, is secretly obsessed with Sunny. As for the other two films, let's wait for the producers to make the announcement.

What about Bade Acche Lagte Hain?
I had signed it for three years. After that, I informed the producers and the channel that I won't be able to continue.

Actors have gained and lost weight for roles. For which directors and what kind of roles would you consider losing a few kilos?
I'd do it for any director as long as the film and the role is worth the effort. It takes time to lose weight, and currently, I'm committed to movies, which came my way due to my size. So for the next six-eight months, I have to look like this. If something comes up later, I'd have to take a break to lose weight and not take up anything else till that assignment is complete.

Is it goodbye to TV then?
I'll never turn my back on TV, because it made me a household name. If something good comes up, I'll definitely consider. Otherwise, I'm totally focused on movies.

SAJID KHAN ON RAM KAPOOR
“Ram was initially shy after dressing up as a woman. We had to shoot on a beach and he was very hesitant. But when he saw people laughing, he felt it was working. He then started interacting with people to shed his inhibitions.“

Humshakals, produced by Vashu Bhagnani and presented by Fox Star Studios, releases June 20.