MUMBAI MIRROR (July 19, 2019)

A force to reckon with in the Indian film distribution circle—enterprising film producer and Managing Partner of Soham Rockstar Entertainment, Deepak Mukut has over 25 years of experience in the media and entertainment industry.

Upholding his father, the former founding member of Zee Group and producer of Nargis and Teerandaz, Kamal Mukut’s penchant for family-oriented cinema with mass appeal, Deepak has produced several worthwhile films in the recent past, apart from acquiring the negative rights of over more than 500 films.

Having learnt the nuances of the business and filmmaking by working as an assistant director for senior directors and producers, Deepak knows the art and the business of cinema well. We caught up with the young entrepreneur ahead of the release of his film, Jhootha Kahin Ka, starring Rishi Kapoor, Omkar Kapoor, and Sunny Singh.

What’s your company’s vision?
We aspire to be a world class institute that supports filmmakers and talent, engages the community and expands the appreciation of good quality cinema.

Tell us about the journey so far?
It has been gratifying and challenging. We started off with distribution of movies, then dabbled in TV production where we were the first introduce innovation such as film trailers on national television, integration of film personalities in television shows, and this was followed by film production. We have produced movies like Sanam Teri Kasam, Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana, Mulk and Genius. We are also into the movie exhibition business and we own multiplexes in Jaipur with a few more in the pipeline.

Give us an insight on the scope of the film business with respect to the Indian diaspora…
The film industry is growing by leaps and bounds. New talent is being welcomed, newer theatre chains are being launched, major advertising revenues are being directed towards digital content, technology and will further enhance theatrical film viewing experience in the near future. The focus is more on Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns.

Apart from film production what is it that you do?
I am currently focusing on revamping my existing distribution and film making model. However, in my free time I am a community volunteer for social causes and charities including Rotary Club Juhu.

What according to you is that a critical quality in an entrepreneur?
According to me, it is the ability to never compromise on your dream and follow it through with discipline, passion and commitment. One has to be a self-starter with a strong work ethic and interpersonal skills.

Who are some of the directors and actors you would like to work with?
I would definitely like to work with Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Anurag Kashyap, Kabir Khan, and Luv Ranjan.

What is turnover of your company and what is the expected growth?
We wish to grow by 40 per cent by 2020. We aim to be one of the largest content houses of India, with diversification into digital films, web series, short films, social and digital content delivery network with existing focus being on feature films; I am recruiting some of the most diversified and experienced creative talent of India to help me in this mission. I am also working on creating the largest lean theatre chains for content delivery through theatrical projections, which will be a game changer in the business.

What’s next?
Our current slate is looking very promising with a multitude of web series, web shows, and feature films with critically acclaimed directors and actors. Some are in pre-production stage and some are on the floors. I am also open to receiving good scripts and working with new and experienced talent.

Jhootha Kahin Ka is directed by Smeep Kang, produced by Deepak Mukut and Anuj Sharma, under the banner of Shantketan Entertainment and presented by Soham Rockstar Entertainment. The film releases today.

DHADAK had the top premiere on television in 2018 though the year was dominated by TIGER ZINDA HAI, GOLMAAL AGAIN and BAAGHI 2 which have has continued to rate very highly post the premiere. These films have all crossed 5 crore impressions in 6-7 viewings and are films having a great innings post the theatrical release.

These three films were the huge BLOCKBUSTER on television while DHADAK and STREE were SUPERHIT and all the others on the list were HIT barring PADMAAVAT, GOLD and RAAZI. PADMAAVAT has not done well at all post release which pretty much ascertains that the theatrical business had a lot to do with the controversy as never has such big grosser performed so badly on television post release. It was premiered on digital before satellite but so were others on the list like STREE and PARMANU but they still found an audience. It means seventeen Hindi new releases scored on television in 2018.

Below are the top twenty films on television. The number is the impressions which is basically the number of television sets which viewed the film.
1. Dhadak - 1,83,16,000
2. Golmaal Again - 1,63,52,000
3. Baaghi 2 - 1,61,45,000
4. Tiger Zinda Hai - 1,37,04,000
5. Stree - 1,23,29,000
6. Pad Man - 86,42,000
7. Parmanu - The Story of Pokhran- 79,10,000
8. Sanju - 77,95,000
9. Raid - 74,71,000
10. Yamla Pagla Deewana Phir Se - 69,76,000
11. Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety - 64,97,000
12. Sui Dhaaga: Made In India - 64,00,000
13. Hichki - 63,60,000
14. Genius - 63,01,000
15. Badhaai Ho - 60,86,000
16. Secret Superstar - 60,41,000
17. Padmaavat - 55,23,000
18. Fukrey Returns - 53,05,000
19. Gold - 50,66,000
20. Raazi - 48,79,000

STREE is had a huge premiere on television with an audience of over 1.2 crore which is the third best of the year till date. It was always likely to do well as the film performed very well in UP, Bihar, Rajasthan etc especially for a small film so there is always a chance on television. It recorded the fifth best numbers of the year so far.

RAAZI which was also a sleeper hit like STREE did not do well on television but it did also not do well in mass markets theatrically. Now it remains where the third sleeper hit BADHAAI HO goes and looking at its box office ratios it should be in between STREE and RAAZI. STREE has come after a digital release but it has no affect on the ratings.

SANJU which is the biggest hit theatrically in 2018 is a HIT on television while the second biggest hit theatrically PADMAAVAT tanked on television. BAAGHI 2 is a blockbuster on television as it is likely to hit 5 crore impressions on its sixth screening. BAAGHI 2 is the most watched film of the year and the only film released this year which is a blockbuster in theaters and television. TIGER ZINDA HAI, GOLMAAL AGAIN and BAAHUBALI 2: THE CONCLUSION were the last films to achieve this. STREE can hope to follow but depends how well it does on television post its premiere. GENIUS is a HIT on television a bit like SANAM RE as the music worked in the mass pockets.

Below are the top fifteen films on television. The number is the impressions which is basically the number of television sets which viewed the film.
1. Dhadak - 1,83,16,000
2. Golmaal Again - 1,63,52,000
3. Baaghi 2 - 1,61,45,000
4. Tiger Zinda Hai - 1,37,04,000
5. Stree - 1,23,29,000
6. Pad Man - 86,42,000
7. Sanju - 77,95,000
8. Raid - 74,71,000
9. Yamla Pagla Deewana Phir Se - 69,76,000
10. Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety - 64,97,000
11. Hichki - 63,60,000
12. Genius - 63,01,000
13. Secret Superstar - 60,41,000
14. Fukrey Returns - 53,05,000
15. Gold - 50,66,000

Genius as expected is a terrible flick. We have had so many examples of trashy star kids getting launched and delivering senseless films and even commercial disasters like Shiv Darshan’s Karle Pyar Karle and Ek Haseena Thi Ek Deewana Tha, Mustafa Burmawalla’s Machine etc. Yet Anil Sharma who has always had the problem of failing to accept the reality went ahead and made this trashy gem that’s sure to be trolled like anything. Utkarsh Sharma (seen as Sunny Deol-Ameesha Patel’s son in Gadar) is terribly miscast for the part. His expressions are awkward and he really should have worked on his skills rather than get launched so soon. Also he looks like a kid and it’s laughable to see him handling a special team in RAW. Ishita Chauhan is nothing special. Nawazuddin Siddiqui is the best part of the film and raises genuine laughs. Mithun Chakraborty, Abhimanyu Singh, Ayesha Jhulka etc are wasted. Himesh Reshammiya’s songs are nice and melodious and sadly, they won’t have a larger shelf life as they became a part of this disastrous film.

My rating - * ½ out of 5!

HAPPY OR GENIUS – WHO WILL STRIKE GOLD AT THE BOX OFFICE THIS FRIDAY?

Now that the big Independence Day clash is done, it’s time for a spate of small and medium budget films to release. In fact the next biggie directly is after 2 ½ months – the Diwali dhamaka Thugs Of Hindostan. Tomorrow sees the release of two movies and the first one has a high chance of scoring. My analysis:

HAPPY PHIRR BHAG JAYEGI: It is the sequel of the 2016 sleeper hit Happy Bhag Jayegi and takes the story forward from where the first part ended. Only Abhay Deol is missing from the original cast. The rest of them – Diana Penty, Ali Fazal, Jimmy Sheirgill and Piyush Mishra – have been retained. In addition, Sonakshi Sinha and Punjabi actor Jassie Gill joins the madness. This time, the story unfolds in China instead of Pakistan. However, Diana, the ‘Happy’ in Happy Bhag Jayegi, has a supporting role and it’s Sonakshi who plays the lead. But thankfully, the makers haven’t spread stories of catfights between the two or that Diana was upset with Sonakshi taking over. In fact, Diana and Sonakshi have been giving joint interviews and their camaraderie has been lovely. The trailer looks interesting and the buzz is there, but it’s limited. Happy Bhag Jayegi opened at Rs. 2.29 crore and went on to collect Rs. 28.19 crore. Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi can surely open in the Rs. 3 crore range. The lifetime surely can be expected to go above Rs. 40 crore mark if the response is positive.

GENIUS: It is directed by Gadar director Anil Sharma and stars his son Utkarsh in his debut role. Utkarsh played the role of Sunny Deol’s son in Gadar and had impressed viewers then. Genius also marks the debut of Ishita Chauhan and also stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Mithun Chakraborty. The trailer however is laughable. Utkarsh doesn’t seem right for the role and the music hasn’t worked at all. The buzz for the film is extremely low and it won’t be surprising if the film has an opening of less than Rs. 1 crore. However, the massy action and patriotism bit of the film can help get an opening of around Rs. 1.25-1.50 crore at the max. In the long run, it’ll be difficult for the film to survive.

WHICH FILM WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE AND WHY? DO LET ME KNOW!

Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; August 23, 2018)

He’s an actor who never ceases to surprise us. Whether it’s playing the role of a don, a psycho killer or a tough cop, he is living testimony to the fact that if you’re supremely talented and have the passion to be an actor, no matter what, you can be one. The intensity he brings on screen is rare and the various shades he displays in his characters are noteworthy. In an interview with BT, Nawazuddin Siddiqui talks about his winning phase in Bollywood, playing challenging characters like Bal Thackeray and Manto, and his forthcoming film, Genius, directed by Anil Sharma. Excerpts...

It’s not often that talented actors, who started their careers with supporting roles, become stars in their own right. You’re one such example. It must be very fulfilling?
Today, by God’s grace, I have choices, so jo roles main karna chahta hoon, main wahi karta hoon. It could be any big director or production house, but if I don’t like the role that I am being offered, I will turn them down. Having said that, the day you start feeling that you are a star, it will be the end of you as an actor. It will curb your growth as an artiste. I am a very selfish actor, so I won’t let the ‘star’ tag stunt my growth. I don’t want to feel that I have arrived. Of course, I appreciate it when people come up to me and say that they like my work. They motivate me to act with more honesty. It shows that they respect my work, but I don’t take the star tag too seriously.

While you have played an array of roles, it seems that directors like Anurag Kashyap are adept at bringing out various aspects of your talent on screen, especially your dark side.
I don’t like the word 'dark'. I feel Anurag taps into my human side. Koi bhi insaan publicly hamesha apni ek hi image leke chalta hai, ki dekho main kitna accha hoon. We take this righteous image to our grave, and never show our real self to the world but we all have grey shades. I am able to explore all those aspects when I work with Anurag. He often jokes with me that if I were a girl, he would have married me (laughs!). He tells me, 'Agar tu ladki hota toh main tere saath shaadi kar leta'. Main uske pyaar mein hoon aur woh mere pyaar mein hai.

Speaking of edgy roles, you play a negative character in your upcoming film Genius. Tell us about it.
Sometimes our desire for power makes us take the wrong route, while a few others choose to take the right way. Genius is a clash between good and bad, right and wrong. Basically, it's a clash between different ideologies.

Between the CDR (Call Detail Record) allegations and your sensational biography, you have been muddled with controversies over the past year. What do you think went wrong?
Meri jitni bhi controversies hai, unme mera ek per cent bhi involvement agar aap prove karde, toh aap joh bhi kahe main maan lunga.

Your dialogues often go viral online and are lapped up by social media enthusiasts for memes. Are you aware of that?
Mujhe filmigiri pasand nahi hai. Main iss baat ka lalach nahi rakhta ke mere dialogues iconic ho jaaye. To be honest, I don’t know mere dialogues popular kyun ho jaate hai. As an actor, I hope to make a scene more conversational instead of making it look orchestrated. I don’t believe in dialoguebaazi or that kind of over-dramatic acting. My intention is to make the scenes look organic. If you ask me my favourite cinematic moments, they all would be the ones without any dialogue. Very often, we see this aspect captured beautifully in international cinema.

This year at the Cannes Film Festival, 82 women working in the movie industry swarmed the red carpet to denounce gender inequality. Your film Manto, directed by Nandita Das, premiered at the festival this year and you are doing two more films with female directors (Tannishtha Chatterjee and Debamitra Hassan). Female representation in Bollywood is becoming stronger and interestingly, you've had an opportunity to work in films that have been led by women...
I am not trying to make a statement by working with female directors but there’s one thing that I’d like to say. Our ancestors had a different perspective on how to treat women. Fortunately, that has changed. A woman has a mind of her own and an identity beyond being someone’s wife, girlfriend, mother or sister. When I started working with female directors like Nandita or Tannishtha, I got an opportunity to observe and realise that women have a unique perspective on life, situations and people. Unka ek alag nazariya hota hai duniya ko dekhne ka, which is very interesting. Men have a tendency to look at the world only from their point of view. Humne kabhi yeh samajhne ki koshish nahi ki ke how women will look at a certain situation. That aspect of getting into the mind of a woman to understand her outlook on life was fascinating for me.

Did working with female directors give you a different perspective as an actor?
Working with female directors filled the void that I had in me as an actor. When they suggest something, I try and understand why they are saying what they are saying. It then dawned upon me that I was thinking in a certain way, because I am a guy and there’s always a different way of looking at things.

You’re doing biopics on Saadat Hasan Manto and Bal Thackeray. Both were people with distinct personalities and ideologies. However, both fiercely spoke their mind...
Absolutely. With Balasaheb, what you saw was what you got. He was who he was. There was no pretense. Some people didn’t like what he said, but he said it anyway. He was open about smoking a cigar or a cigarette. He unapologetically lived life on his own terms. There was a certain honesty about him, which was the reason why he commanded the attention of so many people. At the same time, Manto jo dekhta tha wohi likhta tha. He followed his heart as well. So yes, there are these certain commonalities between these two characters.

What was the most challenging part about playing Thackeray? Also, he was a controversial figure and many believe that he criticised North Indians. Since you hail from Uttar Pradesh, did you have any conflicting thoughts while essaying the role?
Getting the look right is not really a challenge for an actor, as the make-up artistes do it for us. We didn’t use a lot of prosthetics either, except for the nose as Balasaheb had a prominent nose. The challenging part was to get Balasaheb’s inherent feisty attitude right. To be able to feel that passion for what he did was important. Also, I am an actor and it’s my right to play any character. As an actor, you get an opportunity to understand different people and their perceptions. Why should I get into the politics of a character? Maine jitni shiddat ke saath Manto kiya, utni hi shiddat ke saath Thackeray ka kirdar bhi nibhaya hai. I did it with all my honesty.

Pallabi Purkayastha (BOMBAY TIMES; August 22, 2018)

He first got noticed as the child artiste in his father Anil Sharma’s smash hit Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001), in which he played Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel’s son. And now, Utkarsh Sharma is all set for his second launch — this time, as the male lead — with Genius, directed by his dad. In an interview with BT, the young actor talks about his layered role in the upcoming film, the acting lessons that he learnt from his co-actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and how his father is a taskmaster on the set. Excerpts…

Considering the fact that every actor chooses his/her debut carefully, what made you say ‘yes’ to Genius? Also, how was the film conceptualized?
Well, the idea came to dad when I was still studying in the US, and he had narrated it to me when I was in Mumbai during my vacations. Originally, the character was 45 years old, and I felt that the story was uni-dimensional. Dad then kept this script aside and started working on Singh Saab The Great (2013). When I decided to join the industry, I wanted to work outside, but dad told me that he required an actor in my age bracket. He also told me that he had tweaked the age of the character and reworked the film accordingly. His idea was to comment on the youth of India, who often seem Western in their ways, but deep down, are rooted in their culture. I got interested in the film, because mine is a layered character. He not only ages in the film, but also comes from a very different background — Vrindavan. He is smarter than I am and he is always three steps ahead of everyone else. He knows the Bhagavad Gita and also has knowledge of modern science, and has his own philosophy in life. This guy is so brilliant that RAW picks him up at the age of 21. He is a prodigy and since it is a thriller, it has sub-texts where a lot is going on in the character’s head, but it’s shown very subtly.

The film will see you sharing screen space with Nawazuddin Siddiqui. How was it working with such an experienced and acclaimed actor in your first film?
Nawaz sir had seen my rushes before he signed the film, and he liked it. I was thrilled, as he is one of my favourite actors, and being complimented by him was a huge boost to my confidence. I was extremely excited when I learnt that he had signed the project. When I met him for the first time on the set, there was definitely a hint of nervousness. I thought, ‘How am I going to perform in front of him?’ However, he doesn’t behave like he is such an accomplished actor. He becomes the character that he is playing. He is constantly working on his nuances, body language and dialogues. You can see him pushing his limits, and it’s very inspiring because he makes you do the same.

What kind of conversation did you have with Nawaz on the set? Did he tell you about his journey as an actor and how he prepares for a role?
Usually, he is busy working on his own scenes, but occasionally, we would chat and I would ask him about his upcoming film Thakeray (biopic on Bal Thackeray) and how he is preparing for the role. When I told him that he was a born actor, he turned around and told me thar it’s not his inborn talent that made him a fine artiste, but his training at the National School of Drama that helped him get here. Even at this stage of his career, he gives credit to his training. The reason he has been able to make such a mark is not just because he has done some great work, but because of the person that he is, and that is very important to survive in this industry.

In an earlier interview, you had said that you don’t like to hog the limelight. But now that you are going to make your debut, are you ready for the public scrutiny?
Unfortunately, this is an industry where your success and failure are in the public eye. So, you have to be very tough; the biggest of actors have seen failures and the smallest of actors have tasted mammoth success. Anything can happen here; Friday se Friday aapki zindagi badal jaati hain. I am not media shy, but I would like to keep my life as private as possible. Today, even going to the gym is not private, and I find it a bit ridiculous. But it is all because people love actors and they want to know every little thing that they do. It is both good and bad, but kya kar sakte hain… that’s the way it is.

Did Anil Sharma give you any advice before the commencement of the shoot, not as a father but as an experienced filmmaker? Also, what kind of a director was he on the set? Was he lenient or a taskmaster?
Even at home, my dad is a director. He never takes off that hat. He told me that as an actor, if you are honest, it will reflect in your eyes and overall body language. He said to be a good actor, you have to learn not to act. Talking about the kind of director he is, he let me be, and and I also prefer it that way. He never put any pressure on me; in fact, he was always open to my improvisations, and if he thought that I needed to change anything about my performance, he would frankly tell me so. Our emotions never came in between, and on the set, he treated me like any other actor. There were times when I was not even provided with a vanity van. He is a taskmaster and he had made me work crazy hours, but ultimately, we have one common objective, ki film achhi bane.

Flushed with the success of Sacred Games, Nawaz on how India’s first Netflix show made him an international star
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; August 21, 2018)

Over a month after he made his web debut with Sacred Games, Nawazuddin Siddiqui says it was a gamble that has paid him rich dividends. Amidst reports that the second season of the adaptation of Vikram Chandra’s novel will go on floors by the year-end, the actor reveals that his portrayal of Mumbai crime overlord Ganesh Gaitonde has brought him recognition among the global audience.

Speaking about the success of the Netflix series for the first time, Siddiqui — who is no stranger to the international circuit courtesy several films, including Gangs Of Wasseypur (2012) and Manto, that have travelled to various festivals — says he understood the farreaching impact it had within a week of it dropping online. “I was in Rome [shooting for Tannishtha Chatterjee’s yet-untitled directorial] the same week when Sacred Games released. What was interesting was the fact that not only Indians, but the locals also recognized me as Ganesh Gaitonde and appreciated my performance. I have never seen this kind of adulation in my life. It is India’s first Netflix series. It is on par, or I would say, even better than the shows that are being made in various parts of the world,” says the actor.

The pilot season received much acclaim, with some drawing parallels with the popular American drama Narcos. Siddiqui shares with mid-day that the second season will be more promising. “Anurag [Kashyap] told me that the second season will be bigger and better. It is in the scripting stage.”

While he awaits the second instalment of the web show, he will be seen on the big screen in Anil Sharma’s Genius. “When Anil ji approached me, I agreed to be a part of the movie, as I have always loved the treatment of his films.”

Anil Sharma on reuniting with the Deols and launching son Utkarsh in his next directorial
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 17, 2018) 

In a recent interview to Mirror (August 15), Dharmendra had revealed that Anil Sharma has found an interesting subject for the sequel of their 2007 sports drama Apne. The filmmaker confirms this, saying Apne 2 with the veteran actor and his sons, Sunny and Bobby, is on track, with Dharmendra having liked the script.

“I will concentrate on it fully after the release of (son Utkarsh’s acting debut) Genius. Everyone tells me to make Gadar 2 and Apne 2 but making sequels of highly appreciated films is challenging. I haven’t cracked the story of Gadar 2 yet but Apne 2 is on,” Anil informs, happy about the revival of sports dramas in Bollywood. “Apne was the first-of-its-kind at the time and many discouraged me from making a film on boxing. I’m happy that times have changed now.”

In the run-up to his son’s big day, the filmmaker harks back to when he’d discovered Utkarsh’s inclination towards filmmaking. “He acted in Gadar as a child and would contribute to my script but I wanted him to get an engineering degree first, as cinema is a fickle profession,” he reasons.

But, seeing his dogged pursuit of the medium, Anil sent his son to the US to learn filmmaking. “On his last day of college, I watched the short film that he had directed and I knew he was ready to be launched,” the filmmaker recounts, adding that he had a similar conflict with his parents, who’d wanted him to become a doctor.

He goes on to reveal that he hadn’t started writing Genius with Utkarsh in mind. “My protagonist grows from a teenager to becoming a RAW agent and I had a few names in mind. Later, I wondered how to justify the age span with a 30-something actor, everyone is not Aamir Khan, who can pass off as a student in 3 Idiots, so then I decided on a new face. By the time I was ready with the script, I knew it had to be Utkarsh,” he says.

He’s all praise for the film’s other leads, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Mithun Chakraborty. “There is no hero or a villain in my film, only two geniuses, one played by Utkarsh, the other super genius by Nawaz, and the story revolves around their conflict. Nawaz being a great actor himself has only enhanced Utkarsh’s performance. Mithun da only wanted to know the story to make sure that I was giving Utkarsh the best launch. He is like family,” adds Anil.

He isn’t too worried about Genius clashing with the Sonakshi Sinha and Jassie Gill-starrer Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi. “The audience has always given us a lot of love and I’m sure they will do so this time as well. Competition has always been around, Gadar clashed with Aamir’s Lagaan on June 15, 2001, while my first film, Shradhanjali, was released alongside seven other films on November 6, 1981. I wish everyone does well,” he says.

Every year, there are a couple of surprise successes – films that don’t seem that exciting prior to the release but turn out to be great entertainers and box office hits. Happy Bhag Jayegi was one such film of 2016. It released just a week after the big Rustom vs Mohenjo Daro clash and had a slow opening. But the word of mouth was encouraging and it sustained very well. Its lifetime collection was around Rs. 28.19 crore which is quite good for a film that opened at Rs. 2.29 crore.

The positive response prompted the makers to come up with the sequel, Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi. The lead attractions of the first part were Jimmy Sheirgill and Piyush Mishra and both have been retained. The original ‘Happy’ Diana Penty and her lover Ali Fazal have a supporting role this time and they pass the baton to Sonakshi Sinha and Jassi Gill. In the first part, Happy accidentally ventures into Pakistani and in Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi, the madness unfolds in China!

The trailer was unveiled yesterday and it has met with an encouraging response. The film looks hilarious and its dialogues are expected to bring the house down. The elements that made the first part a success – chaos happening in a neighbouring country, family-friendly genre, a munhfat Punjabi girl, effective performances – all are present in the sequel as well.

The opening is expected to be much better than the first part. It has Genius for competition, which is directed by Anil Sharma and is the debut of his son Utkarsh. The film looks very poor and Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi would surely dominate. The genre and comic moments in fact makes it ideal for a festival release. Viewers crave for a movie that they can enjoy with their whole family during Diwali, Eid, Christmas etc. In that regard, Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi is ideal. Festive releases always get an additional push due to the joyous mood and holiday factor. Hence, films that release during these periods always do a bit better. The Eid release of this year, Race 3, would have been a disaster had it not released during the festival. The money it earned during the first weekend saved the film from becoming a big-time flop. Similarly, films like Golmaal Again, Tubelight, Raees etc got a boost for releasing during the correct period.

In the past, we have seen some very ugly clashes happening when two biggies release on the same day. It not only leads to a divide of screens, but it also results in bad blood between the makers as they try every trick in the book to get more screens and outwit the other. However, when there’s a clash between a biggie and a small film, then things can be better. An example of this is the smaller film Secret Superstar releasing with the big-budget Golmaal Again on Diwali 2017. Initially, issues cropped up as Secret Superstar producer Aamir Khan tried to get half of the screens. But when he realized that his film doesn’t deserve that many screens, he gave it away to Golmaal Again. Both films did well, ultimately and there was peaceful co-existence from thereon.

Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi is also a small film with reasonable costs and reach. If it had come out with say Thugs Of Hindostan on Diwali day this year, it would have been a great idea. Viewers would have got a chance to see two films on this big festival. Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi would have benefited as it would have opened better than on a non-festival day. As for Thugs Of Hindostan, the film is too big and exciting and it won’t have got impacted much with the clash with Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi. In short, a win-win situation for all!

At a time when clashes are becoming inevitable, such kind of measures would surely help and benefit one and all. Nevertheless, here’s hoping Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi meets all the expectations and manages to do extremely well, despite being a non-holiday release!

The actor plays a genius entrepreneur in Anil Sharma’s comeback film also featuring the director’s son in his acting debut
Shravan Shah (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 3, 2018)

Mirror had earlier reported (October 11, 2017) that Nawazuddin Siddiqui had joined the ensemble cast of Gadar: Ek Prem Katha filmmaker Anil Sharma’s next, Genius. Now, we have learnt that the actor will be essaying the role of a businessman in the romance-thriller that also marks the acting debut of Sharma’s son, Utkarsh.

Sharma, who is back to direction after five years — his last film was the Sunny Deol-starrer Singh Saab The Great in 2013 — informed Mirror, “Nawaz plays MRS, a successful businessman who has come up the hard way. The story revolves around two geniuses, Nawaz and Utkarsh, both characters with grey shades.”

The filmmaker also reveals that he was keen to cast the 43-year-old actor even as he worked on the script. “I wanted somebody who could play the character brilliantly so I approached Nawaz. While shooting, he added nuances and portrayed the character with finesse. We had been in talks to cast Nawaz for a long time. After several telephonic conversations, we met and he liked the script,” Sharma revealed, adding that he and the actor met when the film was being shot in October 2017. “I had wrapped up the 30-day first schedule in Mathura and Vrindavan when we met. He came on board and we were shooting his portions by November-end, wrapping up the film in February after shooting with Nawaz in Mumbai, Indore, Maheshwar and Mauritius.”

When asked about his choice of script, the filmmaker said that he wanted to make something that was relevant to the recent times and that it took him two years to develop the script. “I wanted to make a film with young actors as I am now focused on films that are a bit different from the kind I have made before. This one is a complete entertainer,” Sharma says.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui reveals how he plans to play the Shiv Sena supremo, why Manto’s journey was fascinating and the reason he withdrew his memoir
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 20, 2018)

What’s the takeaway from Nandita Das’s Manto biopic?
What was fascinating about Saadat Hasan Manto’s journey was his relentless fight for truth to the very end. This need to explode taboos and expose social hypocrisies is what made the film more than just another biopic. The three-four months that I was in character mujhe khud se sharm aane lagi thi. In our ajeeb aur gareeb world everyone tries to show himself to be pure but in the mirror Manto held up, our foibles are all too clear. He was disarmingly honest and stood up for what is right, that’s what made his stories so genuine. My performance had to reflect these qualities, so through the duration of the shoot, I tried to be who I am, without artifice.

And after the film was over?
(Sighs) It’s hard to live life like Manto, sometimes people can be so judgemental, whether in real life or on the social media, we are all living a lie. I tried to get Manto out of my system, jaldi se jaldi, nahin to nehle pe dehla ho jaata.

Your memoir, An Ordinary Life, was truthful, perhaps a little too truthful.
I was in the Manto zone during the time, so I said some things I regretted later. But I have to point out here that it was a 288-page book and only around five pages spoke about relationships.

Unfortunately, the media focused on only these five pages during the promotions. That gave a wrong impression of the content. I quickly realised my career was going well, I didn’t need to court unnecessary controversy, so I withdrew the book from the stands with a sincere apology.

From Manto you move to another challenge, maybe a bigger one—Bal Thackeray.
It’s a challenge any actor would be ready for given his personality. The performance will require a lot of detailing because while there are no videos of Manto floating around making it easy to convince people that this was how he was, in the case of Balasaheb, there is a lot of material available, also, people have seen him in person. I plan to seek out Naseer saab (Naseeruddin Shah), my teacher, to guide me.

I don’t plan to mimic him in the biopic because that any mimicry artiste can do. I have to ‘live’ him on screen. Both the producer-writer (Sanjay Raut) and the director (Abhijit Panse) know him well. I wish I had met him even once as that would have helped me now. Maybe if I go to his house, It’ll get me a feel of the man. I have to get into his mind, understand what made this brilliant cartoonist give up his life for the Marathi manoos who were going through a lot of frustration and depression then. I’m looking for that turning point in his thoughts that defined his life later.

Isn’t it ironical that two years ago, you had to pull out of a Ramleela performace in your village Budhana following protests from the Shiv Sena and now you will be playing the party’s founder-president on screen?
I don’t know who those people were who raised objections then, which party they came from. I took the step of withdrawing, to maintain peace, thinking agle saal kar lenge given that the Ramleela happens every year.

Do you see yourself ever getting into active politics?
Politics? No, no, politics se to main dur dur tak bhaagta hoon. The day I stop getting roles, I will go to the Himalayas.

There’s a long way to go for that. You recently reunited with The Lunchbox director, Ritesh Batra, for Photograph. Has Ritesh evolved in these five years?
What’s distinctive about Ritesh is that he will do a scene 10 times to make it seem natural, as casual as it would appear in real life. He doesn’t want anyone to ‘act’ in his film. It’s wonderful to work with directors like him who are ready to experiment with their craft. Also, it was great to go back to the Gateway of India that I had visited many times in my struggling days. This time though there were lakhs of people who had come for a dekko.

Given how difficult it is to get the nod from you, what got Genius the go-ahead?
Genius is an out-and-out commercial film and director Anil Sharma has some huge hits behind him, including Gadar - Ek Prem Katha. What I like about him is that while my performance is as realistic as ever, the treatment is larger-than-life and that’s what marks the difference between mainstream and the parallel cinema. That’s the difference in gaze between Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire and a small-budget Hindi film about Dharavi. That’s what makes a film entertaining and engaging.

Vaibhav Prakash Pandey, a standard 12 student and a real genius, who bagged a $200000 scholarship to the American University Wheaton, has admitted to being influenced by you. That must be heartening.
I was thrilled when I read this. If I can inspire even one person—and this boy has won a scholarship to an American University—I consider it my biggest achievement. Bigger than any award.

Reportedly you are playing Sultana Daku in a British production which is an adaptation of Sujit Saraf’s book on the life of the UP dacoit from the pre-Independence era. It will be directed by Heeraz Marfatia who has assisted Shekhar Kapur and Roland Joffee.
We’ve spoken about it but there is no real progress on this yet.

What about the romcom with Vishal Bhardwaj and the Phobia sequel?
Dates didn’t work out with Vishal as now my focus is Thackeray. The Phobia sequel I want to do, as it’s a great script. We still have to figure dates.

You had six releases last year. That’s a lot of work but do you really need to do supporting roles in films like Raees, Mom and Munna Michael today when you are getting lead roles?
It’s only in India that we make the distinction between commercial and art cinema or content-driven films. Abroad it’s only ‘good’ and ‘bad’ films. Even more disheartening is that instead of appreciating an actor’s performance and give them the respect they deserve, we are quick to put them into categories like ‘heroes’, ‘character actors’, ‘villains’ and ‘comedians’. After a couple of months abroad, you will realise that the Bollywood hero is a stereotype— he is only there to romance the girl, sing a few songs, fight the bad men and disappear into the sunset. For me a film is a good film if it engages the audience, I don’t want just eight people to see and applaud it. I’d rather experiment on the digital platform where you have the luxury of time to go into the intricacies of character and craft.

We saw you as a rapper in a recent release. Will we see you come out with a music video one day soon?
A music video would mean dancing and while any commercial film I do today usually has me performing a song-and-dance number, it still scares the hell out of me. The body may have rhythm but I have a mental block as far as naach-gaana goes so choreographers tell me. I’m convinced I can’t dance and that’s embedded in my mind. I guess that’s one hurdle I will have to overcome soon.

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 7, 2017)

Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; November 8, 2017)

Last week, there were reports about Shahid Kapoor and Imtiaz Ali reuniting for a film, after a gap of 10 years. Now, another popular actor-director duo is coming up with their next film — Sunny Deol and Anil Sharma.

Reveals a source, “Sunny and Anil have always shared a great working relationship. Anil had this script and approached Deol who immediately agreed to be part of the film. It’s titled Kavach.” This will be their fifth film together. Their first film Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, which released in 2001, is considered one of Indian cinema’s biggest hits. Sunny and Anil collaborated on three other films there on — The Hero (2002), Apne (2007), and Singh Saab The Great (2013). They are coming together after almost five years now.

Our source adds, “Sharma will start this film, right after his next. They will begin filming for Kavach sometime next year and the film is expected to release in the last quarter of 2018 or January 2019, depending on their schedule.” Anil doesn’t want to divulge any details about the project at the moment. He says, “I am busy finishing Genius which is my son Utkarsh’s debut film. I don’t want to talk about any other film right now.”

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 11, 2017)

Nawazuddin Siddiqui has joined the ensemble cast of Gadar - Ek Prem Katha filmmaker Anil Sharma’s upcoming sci-fi romance, Genius. Anil revealed that when he’d narrated the script to Nawaz a few months ago, the actor was fascinated with the multi-layered character. “Nawaz plays a genius with an IQ of over 180. The way his character understands people, science and the world at large, is completely different,” Anil told Mirror, adding that he is presently on a 40-day schedule of the film in North India.

This week, the unit shot for a Holi song sequence in Vrindavan and around the Ganga Ghat with Anil’s son Utkarsh, who makes his Bollywood debut with Genius.

The debutant had played Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel’s son, Charanjeet, in dad Anil’s blockbuster 2001 partitiondrama before going on to pursue acting and filmmaking at the Lee Strasburg Theatre and Film Institute in the US. Next up, the unit will be travelling to Dehradun and Delhi since the story follows its characters through several North Indian cities. The third schedule will take place at IIT Roorkee by November-end. “Utkarsh’s character studies there and is identified as a genius in the course of the film. Nawaz’s character encounters him only later. We will be filming with Nawaz towards the year-end in Mumbai,” Anil added.

The first schedule of the 2018 summer release saw Mithun Chakraborty as a National Security Advisor for which art director Bijon Dasgupta had created a grand set of the RAW office on the fourth floor of a Juhu hotel, while another set, of a high-tech war analytics room, was erected at a Mumbai studio. “A fresh face is being launched as the leading lady,” Anil says.

A‘nervous’ Mithun Chakraborty returns to the arclights with a comedy show on TV and a handful of films after a forced two-year hiatus following chronic health issues
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 12, 2017)

In an interview to Mirror earlier (December 21, 2015) Mithun Chakraborty’s son Mahaakshay, following rampant speculations surrounding his father’s health, had revealed that the veteran actor was laid low following a bout of sickness.

In 2008, Mithun was shooting for Soham Shah’s action-packed thriller Luck when a daring stunt-gone-awry left him with a back injury. While the spasms eased up after a while, the back ache returned in 2015. The same year, a bout of fever forced him into a brief hibernation and last year, he flew out to Los Angeles for treatment.

The 67-year-old actor ended the two-year hiatus last Wednesday when he arrived on the sets of Krushna Abhishek’s upcoming comedy show, The Drama Company, in which he plays the role of Shambu, the owner of the company. Interestingly, it has reportedly been conceptualised as a potential rival to Kapil Sharma’s comedy show which airs on the same channel, Sony.

“I’m completely cured but the doctors have warned that my health now will depend on the lifestyle choices I make hereon. I was bedridden for a long time but I have recovered and hopefully have learnt a lesson from the past,” Mithun admitted.

Besides this show, he has signed a handful of films and has begun shooting for them. “I am doing Geher with Ram Gopal Varma and Anil Sharma’s Genius. There’s also Anup Jalota’s Saahas and a Kannada film, The Villain, which features Sudeep and Shiv Rajkumar. They wanted me desperately so I took them up on the offer. Except Anup’s film, all the others are on the floors. I don’t think I can handle more work at this time,” he added.

While he has judged a dance-based reality show in the past, the actor believes a comedy series will be a challenge for him. “All the actors on this show are established names and have proved themselves in the field of comedy while I have been doing only dance shows so it’s more difficult for me. I have shot for two episodes and their talent has left me speechless. Their timing is fantastic, I’m the one who’s nervous,” confides the actor, adding that his character claims to know American President Donald Trump and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and promises to take the others on a trip around the world for five dollars. “I doubt it will ever happen though,” he signs off with a laugh.

BOMBAY TIMES (May 23, 2017)

Actor plays national security advisor in Anil Sharma’s next which kicks off on May 22
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 13, 2017)

Mirror (April 11) had earlier reported that after the 2015 biographical drama Hawaizaada, Mithun Chakraborty who’d been laid low with a bad back is back in action with Ram Gopal Varma’s horror film, Geher, in which he plays a psychiatrist. Now, we hear that the 66-year-old actor will also be seen in Anil Sharma’s Genius.

Anil confirms this, saying, “Yes, he’s a National Security Advisor who shares a rapport with my son Utkarsh’s character, who is an IIT topper and a genius. The film is a battle of the heart, fought with the mind,” says the director. The film kicks off on May 22.

Utkarsh had played Charanjeet, Sunny Deol’s son in the 2001 grosser Gadar: Ek Prem Katha. Art director Bijon Dasgupta is creating a set of a government office on the fourth floor of a Juhu hotel. “Another set of a high-tech war room is also being crafted,” adds the director-producer. The film will be shot in Mumbai, Delhi, Vrindavan and Bangkok.

Hiren Kotwani (BOMBAY TIMES; July 14, 2016)