Showing posts with label Ghanchakkar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ghanchakkar. Show all posts
Most of us have been underdogs at some point, so I always tell an underdog’s story-Raj Kumar Gupta
4:48 PM
Anshul Chaturvedi (BOMBAY TIMES; August 18, 2025)
Raj Kumar Gupta last stepped behind the camera in 2019 with India’s Most Wanted. In the post-pandemic landscape – where Indian viewers are spoilt for choice with global OTT content and theatrical releases often struggle to draw crowds – he made a return to the big screen with Raid 2, delivering an impressive theatrical run. Best known for films like Aamir and No One Killed Jessica, the director believes that even in an OTT-saturated ecosystem, there is still room for procedural dramas in mainstream cinema. And the USPs of that are two elements: a distinctly Indian setting and the story of an underdog battling the system from inside to achieve justice – a narrative arc uniquely rooted in the Indian context. Excerpts from a chat:
Given the high-quality police procedural content available on OTT, how have things changed since you made the first Raid film in 2018? Is it more complicated to carve out space today than it was when the first film happened?
Even if you look at Raid (2018), it wasn’t an easy film to make, it wasn’t an easy story to tell. Of course, there was a novelty to it. We all relied on the underdog story – the story of a righteous officer against somebody who was never questioned in terms of power dynamics. And we rested it on storytelling as well as emotions. So, that has not changed.
Of course, there is a lot of exposure now to different content, but the challenge was always there. In filmmaking, the one element that we really depend on – apart from telling a good story– is the emotion of it. An American story, of course, can work here also in terms of reception; but the connection that one would have from an Indian story would be very different.
Often, your protagonist is fighting the system and from within the system. So, you’ll have a lawyer or a police officer or an Income Tax officer, who is trying to get things done in a system that is really not enabling them to sort of take things on. Is this a conscious personal sympathy point – towards people who try to deliver results while they are inside? Where does it come from?
I find them fascinating. A lot of these people are government employees, a lot of them I know personally because they’re my friends, and I’m aware of their struggle inside the system. The limitations, what they are up against, the politics of it, and there are repercussions to their actions. They have to perform their duty despite these hurdles, be resourceful without the resources, put their own resources because they are passionate and be sure about something that they are doing, because in these jobs sometimes you work with facts and evidence, and sometimes you work on your instinct. There is a heroic nature to these jobs.
So, these things really fascinate me. And it is very dramatic. I’ll give you two small examples from when I was researching Raid. One of my Income Tax friends, when they raided somebody who was evading taxes, they could not recover anything from him. And it was a very high-profile raid. Suddenly, acting on instinct, this I-T guy remembered what was the last thing that this guy wore, and he got that shirt and pants.
And there was a chit in his pants – and the entire case was built on that (what was written in it). It was so instinctive, so subtle and dramatic.
And the second incident was long back, I guess in the early 2000s or mid 2000s – when there was a riot about to happen between two communities. The DM and SP, whom I know, came in between (the two groups) and told them that if you want to harm each other, you have to first kill us. Everybody went back, nobody did anything. It was so dramatic.
So, one incident was so subtle, and the other was so in-your-face dramatic. These are the kinds of dramas that really, really fascinate me. And it is always an underdog story.
How are the characters in your stories underdogs?
In Aamir, he was a normal guy who was standing against a thought process. He was asked to do certain things he was against – and we rooted for him. In No One Killed Jessica, we rooted for Sabrina and for the journalist Meera’s character, and we wanted them to win because they were up against a system, against powerful people. If you look at Raid 1 or Raid 2, it is a normal government employee who is again standing against powerful people. In India’s Most Wanted, our protagonist went to another country to get India’s Most Wanted terrorist, and we rooted for these people.
So, that’s how that underdog element comes in, and there is an inherent emotion attached to it. Most of us – if not all of us – have been underdogs in our lives. We have been up against something or someone at some point. It might not have looked that larger-than-life in our day-to-day life, but we all have lived it.
So, what is the general throwback of your career in your mind at this point in time – after this movie?
(Laughs) I mean, as a filmmaker, I feel that my job is to tell a story and I’ve been doing it. This is my sixth film. I feel that I have just started, you know. There is a lot to learn, and there are so many new things coming. There are many stories to tell in terms of narrative style – one would want to explore various elements and stories.
In terms of throwback, one always looks at whether the stories that I’ve told till this point have connected with the audience or not. And I’m happy about the fact that, largely, it has connected to the audience. That gives me the strength to tell more stories, and explore, experiment.
One of my films has not worked – India’s Most Wanted. To some extent, Ghanchakkar had a mixed reaction. But it was an average film. I don’t know why...
What did you do differently in those two projects?
Nothing. As a filmmaker, I have told all my stories with sincerity and trusted those scripts. And I still believe in those scripts. But it happens. You know, you go with your conviction. Some work, some don’t work. And that’s the way it has been. But it has nothing to do with what I did differently in those films. So why they didn’t work is still a mystery to me, but I told those stories with equal passion.
During No One Killed Jessica you said that Delhi is a city with more power than it can handle. You have also had some degree of exposure to Delhi from your background and studying here in Ramjas College. Is it different making a film set in Delhi’s power corridors than going to the hinterland and making stories like Raid? Are there different dynamics?
Yes, for sure. Because there is a physical complexity and an emotional complexity to Delhi. Delhi is the centre of power, and so many things happen in this city which probably would not happen in a smaller town like, say, suppose – in Kanpur or Lucknow or Patna, or, for that matter, any smaller places. And our nature as humans might be very different in a bigger city than in a smaller city because of exposure...
The humour is also very different. The humour that would come in a smaller town in terms of power politics would be more defined than what would come in a place like Delhi.
Any film that you sort of watched and felt ‘I wish I had got a chance to direct this one’ recently?
No.
That means you’re happy with your CV?
No, I’m not saying that I’m happy with my CV. I’m just saying that I’m happy that I got the opportunity to make the films that I have. I’m also a student of cinema, as other filmmakers are. So, I’d love to make different films, explore different genres, and I’m glad that I’ve got an opportunity to make these films that I have made.
If you look at my films – those were not very usual, formula films. I’m happy about the fact that, largely, my work has connected to the audience. It could very easily have been otherwise, and I am fully aware of that. And that’s what gives me strength to tell more stories and explore more genres, more challenging stories.
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It is always an underdog story... In Aamir, he was a normal guy who was standing against a thought process. In No One Killed Jessica, we rooted for Sabrina and for the journalist because they were up against a system, against powerful people. In Raid 1 or Raid 2, it is a normal government employee who is again standing against powerful people
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As a filmmaker, I have told all my stories with sincerity and trusted those scripts. Some work, some don’t work. But it has nothing to do with what I did differently in those films. I told those stories with equal passion
I was really surprised that you could get admission in college on the basis of your acting skills-Abhishek Banerjee
8:46 AM
Niharika Lal (BOMBAY TIMES; July 16, 2022)
Abhishek Banerjee’s role as the hammer-wielding gangster Hathoda Tyagi (in Paatal Lok) made him a household name. An alumnus of KMC (Kirori Mal College), Delhi, Abhishek says he took admission in that college because it was Amitabh Bachchan’s college. In Delhi for a project, he talks to us about his college days and how it took him almost a decade to crack the code as an actor, while he worked behind the scenes as a casting director and also did small roles. Excerpts from our chat with him:
‘I DIDN’T KNOW ONE COULD GET ADMISSION IN DU WITH ACTING SKILLS’
The Delhi boy shares, “Even when I was in school (Kendriya Vidyalaya in Delhi), I wanted to get into KMC because I was a huge fan of Mr Bachchan and he was an alumnus of KMC. Main yeh sochta tha ki main thoda ghoos (bribe) khila ke kaam chala lunga. Then I met Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub; he was from my school and studied in Kirori Mal College. He told me that I could also get admission by appearing for the theatre auditions (under ECA quota). I was really surprised that you could get admission in college on the basis of your acting skills, and that’s how I got into KMC and then Players (the theatre society of KMC).”
Talking about Players, he adds, “It is one of the best theatre groups in the country, and I’m not talking about amateur theatre groups. It is the best professional theatre group in the country. We have many talented people working in the film industry from Players – from Ali Abbas Zafar to Divyenndu (Sharma) and Zeeshan (Ayyub). And of course, we have veterans like Satish Kaushik and Kulbhushan Kharbanda.”
‘AS A CASTING DIRECTOR, I COULD NEVER BE PARTIAL, EVEN TO FRIENDS’
Abhishek’s first brush with films was on the sets of Rang De Basanti (2006). He played a small role in the film. He says, “It was the first time when I went on a film set, and I realized that there are so many other things to do on a film set apart from acting. But I wanted to become an actor.”
Apart from Rang De Basanti, where he played the role of a DU student, the actor also had a small role in Bombay Talkies (2013) and played a pickpocket in No One Killed Jessica (2011). Abhishek had auditioned for the role of Manish in the film but was rejected. The role was eventually bagged by Zeeshan Ayyub.
Abhishek shares that while he did not go to FTII (Film and Television Institute of India) or NSD (National School of Drama), he learned from his experiences on film sets, where he started working as a casting director. He has 90 credits on IMDB as a casting director, which includes films like Secret Superstar and Toilet: Ek Prem Katha. He says that over the years, there have been many times when his fellow casting directors would reject him for roles.
He says, “In Ghanchakkar, I thought I could have been cast as I knew the team, but I was not. It was a learning from my seniors, and that is why I could never be partial as a casting director, even to friends.”
While he kept doing small roles and got a lot of offers for playing the hero’s friend, Abhishek says he didn’t want that. He adds, “In 2018 when I was offered the role of Rajkummar Rao’s friend in Stree, I was not convinced. But Amar sir (Amar Kaushik, director of Stree) told me that it is a film with three guys. While it was an important role, I think the role after which people started noticing me was Hathoda Tyagi. And then they would recall Stree and Phillauri and so on.”
Talking about his experiences and learnings as a casting director, he tells us, “I have been casting from the time when we were known as casting coordinators and not casting directors. We know a lot of good actors who haven’t got space. We try to not waste them on small roles – and when the time and the role and the director are right, we cast them. And then people wonder yeh kahan se aaye? Yeh yahin thay – yahin theatre kar rahe thay.”
People are comparing me to Thor. And here I am scrubbing utensils in my briefs-Abhishek Banerjee
8:12 AM
The actor and talent scout on navigating his way from conducting auditions to cracking them
Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 24, 2020)
Playing a ruthless, hammer-wielding assassin in the web series Paatal Lok has turned Abhishek Banerjee into an overnight sensation. In fact, several memes have compared his onscreen avatar to the Marvel superhero, Thor. He finds the comparison hilarious. “And here I am scrubbing utensils in my briefs,” he says, referring to the mundane chores keeping him busy during the lockdown.
The 35-year-old actor has featured in numerous supporting roles in films such as Stree (2018), Bala (2019) and Dream Girl (2019). But interestingly, he’s also a prominent casting director, credited for over 70 films, including Angrezi Medium (2020), The Sky Is Pink (2019) and Student Of The Year 2 (2019). His talent firm, Casting Bay, which he founded along with fellow casting agent Anmol Ahuja, clocks 11 years in 2020.
Banerjee had his first brush with the big screen when he bagged a “crowd scene role” in Rang De Basanti (2006). Then a third-year student and an active member of the dramatics society at Delhi’s Kirori Mal College, the gig somehow led him to believe that he had “arrived”. “I felt that since Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra had seen my talent, I was sorted,” he says. When the one-scene gig didn’t translate into much, Banerjee resigned himself to conducting theatre workshops after graduation. But as destiny would have it, he caught the eye of casting director Gautam Kishanchandani, who was in Delhi with director Anurag Kashyap to scout actors for Dev D in 2008. Kishanchandani tasked him with providing dialogue cues to auditioning actors, and ultimately asked him to come to Mumbai.
And so, like countless others, Banerjee shifted to Mumbai to realise his tinseltown dreams. Queuing up for auditions in Aaram Nagar studios sensitised him to the film industry’s “disorganised” recruitment process, where the supply far exceeds the demand. “I was feeling disillusioned as an actor but had to feed myself,” he says. Following brief casting stints, he got a chance to assist Kishanchandani with Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai (2010). “I got to deliver lines meant for Ajay Devgn and Emraan Hashmi during auditions and began to enjoy the process.”
Soon enough, Banerjee bagged his first solo casting break for The Dirty Picture (2011). The film’s astounding success resulted in a flurry of work and Banerjee set up his own talent agency the same year. “I was 24 then and had been in Mumbai for only a year-and-a-half, so it was a big deal,” he says.
Over the years, Banerjee has often been drawn to roles he was meant to cast for. While nominating himself would amount to a “conflict of interest”, at times, filmmakers have themselves asked him to take a crack at them. He recalls how director Rajkumar Gupta almost considered him for a role in Ghanchakkar (2013), but when Banerjee auditioned for it, his performance fell short and Namit Das landed the role. “I had recited the lines so many times the rawness had disappeared,” he remembers. Banerjee didn’t take this rejection well and plunged into casting gigs, while secretly “working on the craft”. “While conducting auditions, I got to act every day for eight hours with different actors… it was like a riyaz of acting,” he shares.
To test his skills, he latched onto every blink-and-miss role that came his way. “In Go Goa Gone (2013), they called me for a five-minute role for which I was paid five grand. In Bombay Talkies (2013), I just had a 10-second role but it was a learning experience,” says Banerjee.
His first prominent part came with Devashish Makhija’s Ajji (2017), a dark, modern retelling of ‘Red Riding Hood’. “I felt he was pulling my leg and just wanted me to cast for the film,” says Banerjee, who felt the role required him to shed all his inhibitions. “I was playing a child rapist. How do you train yourself to pull that off?” The critically-acclaimed film slipped through the cracks, but injected Banerjee with the confidence he needed.
Soon after, he landed his memorable turn in Amar Kaushik’s sleeper-hit Stree, where he played the role of Rajkummar Rao’s friend Jaana. “It got me in the public eye and, before I knew it, I was being considered for Dream Girl and Sujoy Ghosh’s horror film,” he says. For Amar Kaushik’s social comedy Bala, Banerjee had already lined up actors to play Ajju, the character he eventually essayed himself on Kaushik’s insistence. “Those I had shortlisted later joked, ‘tu humaara role kha gaya’.”
Today, as Banerjee juggles acting gigs with casting commitments, he says his process of scoping for talent remains the same. “I still visit theatres across the country to find talent,” he says, adding that he sometimes regrets his casting decisions when “those who crack auditions don’t follow through with their performance on set”.
What would be his dream role? “I want to play a cop once since my dad was with the CISF,” he says.
I auditioned Vicky Kaushal for Ghanchakkar-Abhishek Banerjee
9:07 AM
Abhishek Banerjee on scouting actors who became big names and working with Varun Dhawan and Kartik Aaryan-Janhvi Kapoor
Akash Bhatnagar (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 12, 2020)
In 2010, Abhishek Banerjee got a head-start in Bollywood as a casting director and went on to scout talent for films like No One Killed Jessica, The Dirty Picture and Gabbar Is Back. It wasn’t until 2018 that he came into his own as an actor, the goofy sidekick Jana in the Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor’s horror-comedy Stree. “I was rejected in the audition but Dinesh Vijan (producer) liked my tape better than the guy who was selected,” he shares, adding that a lot of people believed he did the casting for this film as well. “When they call me for meetings, things get awkward when I correct them,” he laughs.Abhishek is also often mistaken as one of the writers of Anushka Sharma’s horror film Pari though he was not associated with it in any capacity. “I get calls from filmmakers to write scripts. When I tell them it wasn’t me, they accuse me of lying,” he chuckles. Coincidentally, he had teased the real writer of the film (who happens to be his namesake) about the potential confusion but never thought it would come true.
This year, he’s working in two Karan Johar productions—Dostana 2 with Kartik Aaryan and Janhvi Kapoor and Mr Lele, fronted by Varun Dhawan. By his own admission, his innings as an actor started earlier than he had anticipated. “After all this time lapsed, I figured I would start my acting career like Boman Irani (who debuted while in his 40s),” he deadpans, excited to start work with Varun next month. “He has quirks and innocence working for him, like most of my characters. Even Shashank (Khaitan, director) sir insists we rehearse together.”In Dostana 2, Abhishek joins Kartik and Janhvi, as “a quirky, naïve Punjabi boy”. The second schedule of the film, which marks the film debut of TV actor Lakshya, wrapped up in December.
Besides being associated with some big projects as a casting director, Abhishek also auditioned actors who went on to become big names. “I am proud to say that Siddhant Chaturvedi (MC Sher in Gully Boy) is my find,” he beams. Then, there was Vicky Kaushal, long before he won the National Award for playing a braveheart army man in Uri: The Surgical Strike. “When I was an associate, I auditioned him for a part in (Raj Kumar Gupta’s Emraan Hashmi, Vidya Balan-starrer) Ghanchakkar. Everyone was intrigued by him as he was (action director) Sham Kaushal’s son. I instantly knew that he’d become a star one day. Also, before sharing screen space with Rajkummar, I had tested him for a role in the 2010 film Knock Out, which was eventually played by Apoorva Lakhia.”Raj Kumar Gupta’s faith in me is heartening-Rajesh Sharma
7:51 AM
Rajesh Sharma, who’s been a regular fixture in the director’s recent films, discusses the beginning of their collaboration
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 7, 2019)
After acting in films like Parineeta, Khosla Ka Ghosla and Ishqiya, Rajesh Sharma hit pay dirt for his portrayal of investigating officer NK in Raj Kumar Gupta’s No One Killed Jessica, which had Rani Mukerji and Vidya Balan as leads. For the actor, the fame came as a huge surprise as he had bagged the role quite unexpectedly.“I was in Delhi for a show as I wasn’t doing a lot of films back then and I got an audition call for a film. I went in without any prep, met Raj Kumar’s assistant and auditioned,” Rajesh reveals, adding that on his first day of the shoot, Raj Kumar told him that he had fought with the producers to get the actor on board as the makers wanted a known face. “It gave me a sense of responsibility and brought the best out of me.”
Soon after, he reunited with the director for the Emraan Hashmi-starrer dark-comedy, Ghanchakkar. “There’s a back-story to my character in the film, which was conceptualised with a different actor as the story demanded someone in the age bracket of 65-70. Raj Kumar eventually got the age down to 45 years and cast. His faith in me is heartening,” the actor smiles.
Next up, Rajesh will pop up in the filmmaker’s Arjun Kapoor-starrer India’s Most Wanted, which chronicles the capture of a dreaded terrorist without a single bullet being fired. “Like many people, even I hadn’t heard of the mission and was surprised to discover that it took place in our country. It’s a stamp on the bravery and efficiency of our police, who are perceived negatively. This film proves that,” he asserts, adding that he plays Rajesh Singh, a senior Intelligence Bureau officer from Bihar in the film. “It’s based on a real-life character, but I’ve approached it in my unique style,” he signs off.
I am here because of films like Raaz and Murder, but I am not the same guy I was 15 years ago-Emraan Hashmi
8:25 AM
Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; January 13, 2019)
Emraan Hashmi has portrayed varied characters in a career spanning over 15 years, and proved his mettle in films like Awarapan (2007), Jannat (2008), Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai (2010) and Shanghai (2012). And finally, one can see the ‘serial kisser’ tag, which he unapologetically carried for years, wearing off. Known for playing morally ambiguous screen characters and the one to call a spade a spade, Emraan tells BT about his upcoming film Why Cheat India and how he is finally done with kissing on screen. Excerpts…
Your upcoming film, Why Cheat India, revolves around some of the problems plaguing our education system. Tell us about your character in the film...Rakesh (his character) is not a torchbearer or a vigilante, he wants to make money and be successful. He finds a hack in the education system and goes down that road. He isn’t apologetic about what he does. He wonders why nobody is holding the system responsible for students’ suicides. Lack of seats in universities and the pressure it causes... no one’s addressing that. He feels that at least no one’s dying because of him.
Your wife, Parveen, is a co-producer on the film. Did any alarming personal experience convince you to make this film?
We are busy building colleges, but is knowledge being imparted there? Our education system is all about how much information you can withhold as opposed to sharing practical knowledge, analytical thinking or communication skills.
Education system teaches you two things — how to make a living and how to live. Sadly, our education system for most part teaches you the former and it’s not very good at it either. I don’t want to put my son through the torture that I went through as a child. I hated school and the homework. I used to daydream in class, while some wise teachers talked for eight hours a day. It’s a factory system that cultivates home-grown ‘yes men’. Emphasis is on things that you barely use in day-to-day life. Basic choices were science, maths, and engineering. Right now, arts has gone blazing ahead, but back then, it had no standing. Poetry or dance was looked down upon. Basically, you can’t enjoy what you study. I always found that appalling. Kids need to be kids. You can’t make them competitive by pitting them against each other and labelling them as winners and losers. I felt like a loser when I didn’t score a certain percentage. It affects their morale and self-esteem early on. Why Cheat India is a two-hour film, so we cannot show everything in it, but it does put the spotlight on these long-standing issues. It also emphasises on the scams that are built around the education system. You have to get rid of the age-old system and the middle men who are eating into it.
With socially relevant films like Why Cheat India, are you trying to reinvent your image as a hero?
I don’t see it as a reinvention. I don’t know how people will perceive or accept Rakesh. I did the film, because it’s a fantastic concept that hasn’t been explored in our country. I love taking risks. It’s relatable not just for students and educational faculties who are in denial, but also future parents. On the infrastructure front, though we are a country that’s blazing ahead, we could be going faster. The most important part is educating a child’s mind and if you can’t contribute to that, it’s a dark road ahead.
Lately, you have been working in films which have been a clear deviation from the kind of work that people have seen you doing in the past. Are you trying to keep pace with the changing trends of Hindi cinema?
Hindi cinema has changed in the past three years, but before that, in the kind of films that I did — and I don’t mean to dis them — I didn’t get to play ‘characters’. You get stuck in a box. You can’t step out of it, as the industry sees it as a safe bet. If you are a commercial actor, this is what you will have to do. Agar aapko arty film karni hai, toh aap Shanghai kijiye, which I did. It’s a divided industry. Certain critics understand cerebral cinema and they push for it, but there’s another side that dismisses it. Such films are closest to my sensibilities. Somewhere, I had to bend my sensibilities to cater to my audience and my country. I am not complaining, but it’s far from my world. Now, there is a new dawn. The audience and the industry have woken up. You can’t dole out shit year after year and expect it to work. We have had a couple of massive big-budget debacles last year and that’s because the audience’s intellect was taken for granted. It’s great that people now look forward to good subjects. Why Cheat India is one such topic.
Did you reach a point where you thought, ‘Not anymore! I can’t keep doing what I have been doing’?
I said that the first day I entered this industry (laughs!). I feel that you don’t look for scripts, the scripts find you. At least in the initial stage of your career, there are people who will say, ‘This kind of films work for him, let’s give him that only’. My need to explore myself as an actor along with the risk that producers took to make movies like Jannat, Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, Shanghai and Awarapan helped add a different dimension to me. These films are the reason why people feel that I can do a Why Cheat India. I could have done this long ago, but growth and maturity takes time. Ten years ago, good scripts rarely came my way. Ghanchakkar (2013) was ahead of its time. People dismissed it because they didn’t understand the comedy. It is relatively easier for these new-age talented actors like Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Rajkummar Rao, Vicky Kaushal and Ayushmann Khurrana, because the scripts have evolved.
Today, do films solely work on content, as opposed to entertainment?
Not just content. Through a documentary, I can reach a few houses, but by bringing in the commercial element, retaining the script’s authenticity and not making it a jingoistic fest, you can reach millions of people. Films can’t bring about a change overnight, but it can get the conversation started.
Looking back, do you feel that films like Raaz Reboot(2016) and Murder (2004) restricted you to a certain image as the bad boy of Bollywood? Did such roles hinder your growth as an actor?
Bollywood is like a dish in which you add various ingredients to add tadka. It follows norms and is formulaic. Everyone has had their share of massy films. Fight hai, paanch gaane daal doh, film chal jayegi. But after a while, it has changed. I am here because of films like Raaz and Murder, but I am not the same guy I was 15 years ago! Lot of things happened after that. Marriage changes you, your child changes you. That change has to reflect in your films, or you stagnate. I wanted to grow as an actor and it was frustrating when it didn’t go my way. Now, I am happy with the roles that I am doing. I choose scripts that make me happy as opposed to what will work.
Almost every actor today has no qualms about kissing on screen, but the serial kisser tag refuses to leave you...
I am done with it. I am letting it go now, because I am just fed up of it. Kissing is fine. I don’t have an issue with kissing on screen, but it’s what happens after that. Everyone puts the spotlight on whether I have a kiss in a film or not. My producers have been guilty of using the kissing scenes for promotions of films, but I feel things are different today. Youngsters are okay with it. Call it a generation gap or anything, but I shut my ears on hearing half the things. It’s a culture shock for me! I fear for my son when he grows up (laughs!).
Have you ever wondered why you never get offered noble, righteous or heroic characters?
I think it’s my face (laughs!). I don’t look like a noble person. I am not saying nobility doesn’t exist in society, but I also feel that it’s a big sham. Anyone who says that they haven’t done anything wrong in their life is a big scam artiste. We all function in grey zones. I hate people who pretend to be saints. I won’t touch them with a barge pole. I can’t stand their holier than thou attitude. I look for a certain reality in films. A man who saves the day, does everything right or is super sweet... a hero like that doesn’t exist.
A story can be real or fictional, it has to inspire me-Raj Kumar Gupta
7:07 AM
Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; December 10, 2018)
After a decade of filmmaking, writer-director Raj Kumar Gupta, who is known for making edgy and provocative thrillers inspired by true-life events — Raid (2018) and No One Killed Jessica (2011) — will venture into production with his upcoming film. An espionage thriller titled India’s Most Wanted (IMW), it will star Arjun Kapoor. In a chat with BT, Raj spoke about his foray into production and shared his excitement about the eventful year that lies ahead…
2018 has been a good year for you. Not only did Raid (right) turn out to be a success, but you also managed to finish the shoot of your next — IMW. That’s two back-to-back films.I finished the shoot of Raid in December 2017 and then finished IMW in November 2018. So, I have been lucky that everything worked out. After Ghanchakkar (2013), it took me almost four years to make Raid. When you are making a film, so many things can go wrong, but I am glad that didn’t happen this time around. Also, I could finish two films within a year, because I was working on IMW’s script for three years. During the post production of Raid, Arjun Kapoor called up and I gave him the script of IMW, and he totally loved it. I am thankful to the audience for appreciating my films over the years. I am ending 2018 on a happy note. It’s been fulfilling.
On the personal front, you got married this year to actress Myra Karn (who starred in No One Killed Jessica [pictured left]) ...It has been a great year for me, personally and professionally. Thanks to back-to-back shoots, we weren’t able to spend time together, so now is the time for that. I came out of Raid, got married and right away started the shoot of IMW, so we deserved this break. We are off to Europe for a month.
Most of your films are based on real-life incidents and are an ode to unsung heroes. Are you more drawn to stories like that?
A story can be real or fictional, it has to inspire me. It’s not that I only dig reallife incidents or certain genres. It has to affect me enough for me to tell the story and compelling enough to evoke a reaction. Mostly, I write my own films so I look at it that way.
Writer, director and now producer, how difficult is it to don multiple hats?
It makes you more responsible. Writing and directing are two different processes. When I am a writer, I don’t consciously think about how a story will translate on the screen. Once I am done with writing, as a director, I hope to take the execution to a whole new level. When you do both, you understand the subject better. I am co-producing IMW with Fox Star Studios. This is my first feature film as a producer. It was great. I have a very efficient production team. They handle everything, while I just concentrate on writing and direction.
It took you three years to make IMW. That’s a long time...
Yes, it’s the longest that I’ve worked on a film. It is very close to my heart. One of the prime reasons was its story, which deals with the capturing of India’s Most Wanted terrorist, without firing a single bullet. This is the crux of the story, but other than that, there are various other facets to it that also inspired me.
What are you working on next?I am writing two scripts at the moment. One will be a social drama and the other a biopic, which I am super-excited about. I have acquired the rights to make a film on the greatest RAW agent — the late Ravindra Kaushik (right), who was known as the Black Tiger. This is one film I have wanted to make for a long time. I have been working on its script for the past eight months. The casting will happen once I finish writing the script.
Your films are high on content and also entertaining. How do you strike that balance?
Human emotions are the same and we connect on the same level. So, if a story touches me, chances of it affecting others are also high. I always try and look at a story from a third person’s point of view to ensure that it has a universal appeal. I try to maintain integrity as a creative person. You have to be true to the characters and stories you write.
You started off in 2008 with Aamir. It’s been a decade of filmmaking for you. What has been the journey like?
Unless someone reminds me that, it doesn’t feel like 10 years. Filmmaking is not an easy process. You live so many lives with each film, so you don’t really get the time to mull over the years that have passed by. You get so consumed. The biggest lesson that I have learnt over the years is persistence. You have to keep going against all odds — budgeting, time constraint, etc. You have to be constantly positive and you cannot lose heart.
My superheroes are real people, they don’t fly-Raj Kumar Gupta
8:08 AM
Celebrating the success of his latest release, Raid, Raj Kumar Gupta on why the story of an income tax officer garnered his interest
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; March 25, 2018)
Raj Kumar Gupta is a relieved man. His latest offering, Raid, has turned out to be the second biggest weekend opener after Padmaavat this year. The film’s first week collection totalled Rs 63.05 crore and it is still running strong. “For us, it was important to make a good film. Getting an overwhelming response is humbling, heartening and energising,” says the director. “Numbers do matter, it is a business after all. The producer is putting in money, while the unit puts in their heart and soul into the project. To make more films, one needs money. When a producer reaps profits, it is good for the industry.”
Gupta’s last film, Vidya Balan and Emraan Hashmi-starrer Ghanchakkar (2013) was an underperformer. He says, “It garnered extreme reactions — either people hated it or loved it. It did not make as much money as expected. People who loved it were lesser than those hated it. There will always been that one project for a filmmaker that will not receive as much appreciation as his other ventures.”
It has been 10 years since Gupta’s directorial debut Aamir, starring Rajeev Khandelwal, hit screens. He followed it up with the critically-acclaimed No One Killed Jessica (2011), which featured Rani Mukerji and Vidya Balan. Gupta is known to excel at making slice-of-life film. “I am happy that I have got a chance to make such films. I am fascinated by the extraordinary stories of ordinary people. My superheroes are real people, they don’t fly. But it does not mean that I will not direct an imaginary story. If I connect with the plotline, I’ll do it. It must have a soul.”
Raid was offered to him by producer Kumar Mangat. “I found the plot fascinating. It was an unbelievable story about people we hear little about. There is a lot of negativity attached to income tax officers, but we must realise that they are only doing their job. The time frame was fascinating. Corruption has existed since long. So the story was relatable.”
Far from basking in the laurels, Gupta has already started work on his next. “It will be a real story again,” he says.
Today, films don’t have characters that are starkly black or white-Raj Kumar Gupta
7:15 AM
Lasyapriya Sundaram (BOMBAY TIMES; March 16, 2018)
Filmmaker Raj Kumar Gupta is known for critically-acclaimed movies like Aamir (2008) and No One Killed Jessica (2011). In 2013, he stepped out of his comfort zone and dabbled in comedy with Ghanchakkar, but the film failed to impress the audience. Now, he’s back with Raid, which is based on one of the most high-profile income tax raids conducted in the 80s in Uttar Pradesh. When BT caught up with the director, he talked about why he is drawn to real narratives. Excerpts…
You have taken to the director’s chair after a gap of five years. Did the failure of your last film Ghanchakkar deter you?
The first three films I directed were in quick succession, but Raid took some time to materialise. Out of the three films, Ghanchakkar garnered the most extreme reactions. People either hated it or loved it, but when it plays on television now, I get calls from people who tell me that it’s a good film. Ghanchakkar not doing well at the box office didn’t deter me.
Real stories are your forte. What draws you to them?
Nobody knows much about the IT raid episode that forms the crux of Raid. In my films, I look for that one element that makes the story unbelievable. As the saying goes, truth is stranger than fiction and that’s what draws me to stories that are based on reality. When the IT raid was conducted in the 1980s, social media was non-existent and hence, very little is known about the case. That gave me a chance to dig deep into the subject, because there was an element of mystery around it.
Is the story of Raid about good vs evil?
Today, films don’t have characters that are starkly black or white. A narrative like that of Raid, has characters that are layered. I always try to explore various aspects of people.
When you dabble in real stories, do you feel that people will take offence to your interpretation of the story?
As a filmmaker, I want to do my job responsibly. Of course, we fear backlash; what if someone says something against it? When that happens, one feels sad and disheartened, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to give up. The attempt is to tell the story in the most responsible way possible and the idea is not to offend people.
Raid was faster than any other project because the script felt right-Raj Kumar Gupta
8:21 AM
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 31, 2018)
A striking Italian poster of Sergio Leone’s 1966 epic Spaghetti Western, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is hard to miss at filmmaker Raj Kumar Gupta’s sprawling Juhu office. He admits that the film holds a special place in his heart and he picked this rare poster while vacationing in Italy a couple of years ago. Unable to cough up the names of any Hindi movies he’s loved in recent times, he goes back to mentioning Western cinematic legends and his alltime favourites — Billy Wilder and Frank Capra — and sheepishly points out that he’s not watched any Bollywood movies in the last six-seven months.
For someone who takes two years to make a film – Aamir (2008), No One Killed Jessica (2011), Ghanchakkar (2013) – you wrapped up your new film, Raid, in a few months.
(Laughs) I hope all my films get made like this! When I directed my debut film, Aamir, the enthusiasm was different, resources were limited and backing none. The leading man, Rajeev Khandelwal, fit perfectly in the script and everything fell into place in only 23 days. But the journey to Aamir began much before that because stories take years to develop.
Today, I would like to believe that I am wiser than I was 10 years ago. The gap between two of my films doesn’t bother me until someone close to me points it out and it is natural to feel bad about it. But Raid was one of those projects that came together seamlessly and it has been an absolute fun ride. There are so many variables in a film that need to come together realistically, and through all of it, the sole aim is to keep the director’s vision intact. There are so many resources that are at your disposal, and so many things completely out of your control. This one was faster than any other project because the script felt right.
The film is based on a real-life tax raid from the ’80s with Ajay Devgn playing a no-nonsense officer. When did you first learn of this case? What about it excited you so much?
The idea was narrated to me by producer Kumar Mangat, whose production team is constantly on the lookout for great stories. There are publicized raids, but this one was one of those rare stories that had lesser documentation and was pretty unheard of. So I thought about the real-life officer and his journey, with the addition of dramatic elements and immediately saw the possibility of an exciting film. Ritesh (Shah, writer of Airlift, Pink) and I started discussing the case. As storytellers, it was enjoyable for us because of the ’80s milieu, which is unique to that particular period yet remains relevant even today.
Ajay is a producer-director himself. Was he in sync with this vision?
Absolutely! Ajay is an absolute delight to work with. I got to know the intelligent, well-read and perspective actor that he is while shooting. When he reads the subject matter, he instinctively comes into the space of a scene. Raid is set in a realistic world, shot at real locations in Lucknow and other places in Uttar Pradesh and he understood this best.
Ghanchakkar didn’t quite match up to the critical acclaim of your first two films. What do you think went wrong?
There is a notion that the film generated losses for the producers, which is untrue. Yes, it was expected to do a certain kind of number at the box-office and somewhere down the line, we were all aware that it wouldn’t. It wasn’t massy. The film generated extreme reactions — more people hated it than loved it. And today, there are people who watch Ghanchakkar on TV and text me, “Hey, it wasn’t such a bad film!” As a filmmaker, I strive to not repeat myself and Ghanchakkar was an exploration of creative content. My attempt to be different, better…
What could have been different?
It’s tricky. It’s like two filmmakers making an ’80s drama — one part of the audience will call one a fantastic tribute to a bygone era and another part will discard it as a rehash of an period film. So no, at the end of the day, I am very happy with the film I made.
There was talk about a project, Section 84, with Kareena Kapoor, another film with John Abraham and Rajkummar Rao and an action-film with Sidharth Malhotra…
Kareena and I were working together on a film. When things didn’t work out, for several reasons, none of them bad, the momentum was lost. Likewise, Sidharth for Most Wanted. There was a discussion, and then we moved on. With John, I was set to produce a film, directed by my long-time assistant Amar Kaushik, who, I am very happy to say, is now making his directorial debut with another project (Stree, produced by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK and featuring Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor). I am extremely proud of his journey.
My career has always been process and story-driven and I am lucky to have met people who have helped me in making these four films. I have taken my own time and it’s been my struggle, but I’ve always let my films speak for themselves.
Do you have plans to turn producer with a feature film this year?
Last year, I produced Aaba, Amar’s short film which bagged the Special Jury Prize at the Berlin International Festival and the National Film Award for Best Short Fiction Film. There was so much passion behind the film and I am fortunate to have been associated with it. This is what makes me a content filmmaker. I look at my journey one film at a time. The idea now is to promote newer talent and I will be producing two-three projects, some of which will mark the debut of my assistants soon.
I can’t pretend to be a 19 year old-Vidya Balan
8:03 AM
Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; November 1, 2017)
People who know Vidya Balan personally would understand that the actress has put a lot of her own personality in Sulu — the character she plays in her next Tumhari Sulu. Her last few films might not have fared well at the box office but Vidya is raring to go sans any regrets. “It’s wrong to not stand by your film, just because it didn’t work,” she says. Vidya is known to pick character-driven films. Ask her if she would choose a small-budget film with an impactful role over a `200 crore mega blockbuster with little to do, and she instantly replies it would be the former. We sit down for a chat over her favourite masala chai, at her plush Juhu apartment, discussing her choices in film and why her approach to picking movies will never change, no matter whether they hit or miss the target. Over to her...
Your last few films didn’t work, didn’t that make you want to change your approach to picking projects or altering your choices?
I keep questioning myself — what is that I am doing differently? How is it that five films of mine, back-to-back, worked the way they did? Whether you talk about critical acclaim, commercial success, everything. Those films had given me the tags that people started referring to me with. People called me the female hero and all that. And then, suddenly, what happened when these films were not working? I went through a lot of introspection. I kept talking to Siddharth (Roy Kapur) because he can give an insider’s perspective and yet because he’s not an actor, it’s a wider one. I would talk to him constantly and try to figure out what just went wrong. He would just tell me, ‘Some films work, some films don’t. That’s the unfortunate truth and there’s no math to it.’ I know that myself but when you are going through a phase like that, you just want quick answers but they don’t come quickly. Having said that, I am also glad I went through that phase because firstly, nothing is permanent. Secondly, I still feel as passionately about the choices I made. I don’t regret any of the films that didn’t work. Yes, you question but then, you move on.
The way you are steering your career is nothing like industry norms. Have you stopped trying to fit in?
Ten years ago! (Laughs) It was around the time when I was doing Paa and Ishqiya. I was like goli maaro yaar, this is how I am. I don’t know how else to be. I love people and I will be my natural self. No walls, nothing. I cannot be the heroine stereotype doing 20 things just for show. I like being who I am and I wear my individuality proudly wherever I go. So yes, I don’t even think about fitting into these boxes anymore. I would love to be free, just like I’m right now.
What do you think went wrong with Begum Jaan?
It’s not one thing. People felt it was too intense. They probably didn’t want to watch something of that intensity in a theatre. That word-of-mouth spreads and later on Twitter, I kept getting congratulatory messages about my performance. I’m very grateful for that. But you cannot put a finger and say, ‘Iss wajah se film nahi chali’. We can draw up a list of reasons but it might not be any of them and be something else completely. Or maybe, it’s a combination of a few things. Even when a film works, you really don’t know why it does. There’s no math.
What mindset were you in when Tumhari Sulu was offered to you?
Tumhari Sulu came to me in 2015. Because Suresh Triveni and my brother-in-law Kedar had done some ad films together. I trust Kedar’s creative instinct. He told me that there’s this ad filmmaker who has a great idea and wants to pitch it to you. So, I said, ‘Okay I’ll meet him’. This is the first time ever that Kedar has suggested someone. I met and loved our meeting because of the way he kept talking about the films, performances and also the way he narrated the idea to me. I asked him to develop the script and he brought it to me after a few months but he said that he wasn’t too happy with the way it was turning out. He then told me that he had another idea which he wanted to share with me. He told me about Tumhari Sulu, that’s about a homemaker who lands a job as a late night RJ. Imagine her saying, “Hello, aapki raaton ko...” I felt that’s quite funny and in just another three-four months, he came with a fabulous first draft. I heard the narration and I wrote on his script’s hard copy — ‘This is one of the best scripts I’ve read. Let’s move forward.’ Then, Atul (Kasbekar) was setting up their company and they had produced Neerja. I had loved what they did with the film, so I asked Suresh to meet him and his team to just see if the director and producers vibe with each other. It took a while, but it all fell into place.
Which character trait of Sulu totally resonates with you?
The fact that she says, ‘Main kar sakti hai’. There’s nothing she won’t try, nothing she won’t do. She isn’t shy or inhibited. Woh bindaas hai. She’s an enthu cutlet. So even if you ask her to go mining, woh chalegi. She has that josh to even perform at FIFA World Cup.
You played a housewife in Ghanchakkar too. Which one are you closer to and why?
I think I’ll say I’m closer to Sulu because I’m someone who smiles and laughs a lot. I look for reasons to smile, laugh and be happy. So Sulu is that way more me. But when I played Neetu in Ghanchakkar, I loved her too. She was on a different sur, but Sulu is closer in person to me.
There was a huge debate over the homemaker versus working women issue. What’s your take on this?
I personally feel that homemakers do a lot of work. I have a problem calling them housewives. It’s a debate that’s been going on because the work of a homemaker is literally invisible. Because you are not paying for her work, there’s no value for it. That’s extremely unfortunate because if other members of the house are able to function smoothly, it’s because of all the work that the homemaker puts in. I think it’s your choice and it’s fantastic. As long as you are happy being a homemaker, a working woman or both, it’s great.
Unlike most of your contemporaries, you are playing a mother on screen, time and again...
Honestly, I don’t really think about what anyone else is doing. It’s about me and what challenges me and the story I’m getting to tell. I don’t think about breaking norms or setting standards or making a point. I’m just here to tell stories. At 38, I’m more than happy with the kind of work that I’m doing. It’s an exciting time, so I don’t mind my age. There are 38-year-old women who are mothers. Why should I not play a mother just because I’m not one in real yet? Or maybe because there’s a certain perception about actresses taking up mother’s roles and their careers being over? Come on, I’m 38! I can’t pretend to be like a 19-year-old. But there’s again so much great work for a 38-year-old as well.
Are you happy given that it’s not a slapstick comedy?
This is my kind of comedy. It’s very subtle, it’s not slapstick or over-the-top. It’s her personality that makes it funny. The way she says, ‘Mujhe pressure cooker nahi, TV mil sakta hai kya?’ That’s relatable because you know people like that. And that’s why I used to love Hrishikesh Mukherjee films because it had that kind of comedy. No one was falling over a banana peel, for the lack of a better example, to make you laugh. I’m so glad that I got this and it couldn’t be better timed because I had been doing some serious stuff for sometime now. Mentally, it’s just refreshing and relieving to do something like this.
Do you feel strong comic roles aren’t written for women?
I don’t think they are. It’s unfortunate. There is just a handful of them here and there. Yes, there is a Tanu Weds Manu Returns and now, there’s Tumhari Sulu. These are the only films that I can think of. Where are any other comedy roles written for actresses?
Kangana Ranaut recently said that after Sridevi, she’s the only heroine doing comedy. Agree?
I think she said it because she got to do it in Tanu Weds Manu Returns and a bit of it in Queen, too. Personally, I don’t think it’s about agreeing to what she said but there aren’t any comedy scripts for female actors. Out of which she has done one and she’s done it beautifully. There’s no contesting that at all.
A-list male actors stay away from films where the central character is that of a woman. Does it stem from ego or insecurity?
Let me make it very clear. I absolutely have no issues with men because now-a-days the moment you talk about women upliftment and the position of women in the society, people start thinking that you’re probably anti-men. I don’t think men are used to taking second place, in personal or professional spheres, which is why all these clashes have happened because women are asserting themselves and wanting to hold on to their space. They are coming into their own and living their life the way they want to. So men, that way, do have ego issues where they cannot be secondary to a woman. Whereas we have historically done that over the years. Ninety per cent of the films have women playing roles which are sometimes inconsequential, and even when it’s consequential, they are always a step below. The heroines are hardly at par with the heroes in most of our films. Whereas, they are not okay with doing that in our films. Yes, he is no Shah Rukh Khan but Manav Kaul is a fabulous actor, too. He is brilliant in the film and no one but he could have done the role this way. I have watched the film so what he’s done to the role is extraordinary. We naturally trusted each other because both of us were secure as actors, therefore there was no one-upmanship.
Are you averse to a commercial masala entertainer completely?
I won’t say I’m averse but those films offer me nothing. I am very happy doing the kind of films I’m doing right now. For me, an actor really means someone who lives different people’s lives with every film. That’s what is challenging or fulfilling. Sometimes, films work and sometimes, they don’t. But I’m happy I’m getting to play such varied characters in a span of 12 months. There was Kahaani 2, Begum Jaan and now this, so I’m very happy as an actor.
A lot of people equate feminism with man-hating and that's very disturbing-Vidya Balan
8:18 AM
Lasyapriya Sundaram (BOMBAY TIMES; April 12, 2017)
After an unforgettable debut
in Bollywood with Parineeta (2005), Vidya Balan established herself as
an actor par excellence with roles in films like Paa, Ishqiya, The Dirty
Picture, Kahaani and Kahaani 2. While critics have not stopped raving
about this National Award-winning actor's ability to deliver one
knock-out performance after another, her films in the past five years
haven't worked their magic at the box office. Vidya, who will be seen
essaying the role of a brothel madam in Srijit Mukherji's period and
Partition drama, Begum Jaan, spoke to BT about her latest labour of
love, dealing with box-office failures and why feminism doesn't mean
being a man-hater. Excerpts...
When you started out, did you think that eventually, you would be in a position where roles will be written for you?
That always sounded fancy, but I didn't know what kind of roles people would write for me. However, I love the fact that people write roles for me; I feel humbled. You keep hearing that a particular role was written keeping Amitabh Bachchan in mind and wonder how that works... and suddenly, it happens to you. But consciously, I never worked towards it or even desired it.
You have always played hard-hitting roles, but your character Begum Jaan is different from what you have done so far. So, how did you go about fleshing out your character?
I saw the Bengali film (Rajkahini) and it struck me as extremely powerful and moving. But then, I consciously blanked out my memory of the film. Today, if you ask me how a particular scene was done in the Bengali film, the answer is, I don't know. That's the only way I could have brought in my interpretation of the character. For me to understand that it is about power, I had to have conversations with Srijit. It's a well-written script, so all I had to do was read it and enact the scenes. But the fun is when you flesh it out a bit - get into details people don't necessarily watch on screen, but nevertheless lend life to those moments. Begum Jaan rules the space she lives in, so her body language is very chauda. When we asked ourselves why she would not set up her kotha somewhere else, we realised that each one of us is trying to establish our roots somewhere or the other. And just because Begum Jaan belongs to the fringe section of the society, it doesn't mean that she doesn't feel the need to do that. She doesn't care if you decide to partition the country. She says that's irrelevant to her whether you are calling it India or Pakistan; it is her house and she will deal with it the way she wants to. She doesn't seek approval. These might have been mere words when Srijit and I were discussing the story, but thanks to those conversations, I could bring her alive.
You have often said that the first day of shoot sets the tone of the film for you. What was day one like on the set of Begum Jaan?
On day one, my shoot was with Naseer saab (Naseeruddin Shah). The scene portrayed Begum Jaan's feminine and charming side - she negotiates with the Raja, almost seducing him with her charm. I looked at Srijit and said, 'After all those conversations about her fearless, aggressive nature, you are making me do this'. But sometimes, it's the best way to start. The most unexpected thing happens on the first day and you nosedive into it; there is no other way to go.
You are critics' darling. However, your last five films have not worked at the box office. How did it affect you?
At times, it saddened me and at times, it broke my heart. At times, it destroyed me and at times, it didn't affect me. I invest a lot in the films that I do. So, there is always a part of me that wants love, acceptance and approval and it gets measured in terms of box-office success. After a spate of successful films, Ghanchakkar didn't work and I didn't know how to deal with it. When Shaadi Ke Side Effects didn't work, I was angry. When Bobby Jasoos didn't work, I felt like a victim. When Hamari Adhuri Kahani didn't work, I was devastated. And then, when Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh didn't work, I disconnected from the numbers game. And maybe that's why I had to go through this; so that I could go back to focusing on what I enjoy doing - the process of moviemaking and even the promotions. Today, I am very glad that I went through that phase, though when I went through it, I am not sure I felt the same way. I feel maybe there was a lesson in store for me.
Actors are considered to be vain, but you have never let that come in the way of portraying a character...
I feel I am vain because I like to do whatever I can to make a character come alive. On screen, I have to think about what the character would like to wear. Her economic or social background also needs to be taken into account. So, those things dictate how I look in a film. If I am looking true to the part, it satisfies and excites me. I am not Vidya Balan, the star on screen, and that distinction is very clear in my head. Of course, there is a part of me because I am playing the role, but I am not playing myself.
The word 'feminism' is dropped very often these days. Do you think it's misconstrued? What's your take on feminism?
If by feminist, you mean somebody who values herself, her body, her space, her choices or the right to her choices, yes I am a feminist. But I am definitely not a man-hater. A lot of people equate feminism with that and that's very disturbing. Yes, you are challenging the status quo by wanting to assert yourself, your individuality and your individual space. I am at the centre of my universe and I happen to be a woman. I don't feel any lesser than anyone else and I won't settle for anything less. I won't settle for anything but the best.
When you started out, did you think that eventually, you would be in a position where roles will be written for you?
That always sounded fancy, but I didn't know what kind of roles people would write for me. However, I love the fact that people write roles for me; I feel humbled. You keep hearing that a particular role was written keeping Amitabh Bachchan in mind and wonder how that works... and suddenly, it happens to you. But consciously, I never worked towards it or even desired it.
You have always played hard-hitting roles, but your character Begum Jaan is different from what you have done so far. So, how did you go about fleshing out your character?
I saw the Bengali film (Rajkahini) and it struck me as extremely powerful and moving. But then, I consciously blanked out my memory of the film. Today, if you ask me how a particular scene was done in the Bengali film, the answer is, I don't know. That's the only way I could have brought in my interpretation of the character. For me to understand that it is about power, I had to have conversations with Srijit. It's a well-written script, so all I had to do was read it and enact the scenes. But the fun is when you flesh it out a bit - get into details people don't necessarily watch on screen, but nevertheless lend life to those moments. Begum Jaan rules the space she lives in, so her body language is very chauda. When we asked ourselves why she would not set up her kotha somewhere else, we realised that each one of us is trying to establish our roots somewhere or the other. And just because Begum Jaan belongs to the fringe section of the society, it doesn't mean that she doesn't feel the need to do that. She doesn't care if you decide to partition the country. She says that's irrelevant to her whether you are calling it India or Pakistan; it is her house and she will deal with it the way she wants to. She doesn't seek approval. These might have been mere words when Srijit and I were discussing the story, but thanks to those conversations, I could bring her alive.
You have often said that the first day of shoot sets the tone of the film for you. What was day one like on the set of Begum Jaan?
On day one, my shoot was with Naseer saab (Naseeruddin Shah). The scene portrayed Begum Jaan's feminine and charming side - she negotiates with the Raja, almost seducing him with her charm. I looked at Srijit and said, 'After all those conversations about her fearless, aggressive nature, you are making me do this'. But sometimes, it's the best way to start. The most unexpected thing happens on the first day and you nosedive into it; there is no other way to go.
You are critics' darling. However, your last five films have not worked at the box office. How did it affect you?
At times, it saddened me and at times, it broke my heart. At times, it destroyed me and at times, it didn't affect me. I invest a lot in the films that I do. So, there is always a part of me that wants love, acceptance and approval and it gets measured in terms of box-office success. After a spate of successful films, Ghanchakkar didn't work and I didn't know how to deal with it. When Shaadi Ke Side Effects didn't work, I was angry. When Bobby Jasoos didn't work, I felt like a victim. When Hamari Adhuri Kahani didn't work, I was devastated. And then, when Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh didn't work, I disconnected from the numbers game. And maybe that's why I had to go through this; so that I could go back to focusing on what I enjoy doing - the process of moviemaking and even the promotions. Today, I am very glad that I went through that phase, though when I went through it, I am not sure I felt the same way. I feel maybe there was a lesson in store for me.
Actors are considered to be vain, but you have never let that come in the way of portraying a character...
I feel I am vain because I like to do whatever I can to make a character come alive. On screen, I have to think about what the character would like to wear. Her economic or social background also needs to be taken into account. So, those things dictate how I look in a film. If I am looking true to the part, it satisfies and excites me. I am not Vidya Balan, the star on screen, and that distinction is very clear in my head. Of course, there is a part of me because I am playing the role, but I am not playing myself.
The word 'feminism' is dropped very often these days. Do you think it's misconstrued? What's your take on feminism?
If by feminist, you mean somebody who values herself, her body, her space, her choices or the right to her choices, yes I am a feminist. But I am definitely not a man-hater. A lot of people equate feminism with that and that's very disturbing. Yes, you are challenging the status quo by wanting to assert yourself, your individuality and your individual space. I am at the centre of my universe and I happen to be a woman. I don't feel any lesser than anyone else and I won't settle for anything less. I won't settle for anything but the best.
I feel desirable, but if there's a standard of desirability I don't fit into, I can't help it-Vidya Balan
7:50 AM
Madhureeta Mukherjee (BOMBAY TIMES; November 30, 2016)
She takes you to places
where other Sometimes artistes deep, unknown corners. Bringing every
moment on screen to life - with her curious eyes and chortled laughter.
If her stark strokes in cinema stun you, a heartfelt conversation with
her leaves you gaping in awe. She bares her fears and scars. No
cover-up, no charades. Just the Real Picture. She's broken stereotypes,
made new rules. She's been crowned and criticised. She knew this ride
wasn't going to be easy. It got rough, and she got tough.
Days before the release of Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh, directed by
Sujoy Ghosh, Vidya Balan, sits pretty (with no make-up), looking out at
the sea in her lovely apartment and demystifies some doubts, some myths,
some secrets. Like I said...nothing fake, all raw and real.
You've said that you get drawn towards women-centric films? Do you feel such roles attract you?
I think it's a two-way street. I have been offered such roles since Parineeta (2005), and then Ishqiya came along (2010). With these films I was taking baby steps and it peaked with The Dirty Picture (2011) and Kahaani (2012). Though even in typical, commercial Hindi films, my roles always had substance. Also, I think it's a function of the times that we are living in. We were at a point where we were ready to tell these stories, so it opened up more doors for writers who had written such stories, but kept them away thinking that they will never be made. Suddenly, there was new hope, I was doing these films and they were successful. After that, some of these films didn't work, but it was not that my choices had changed.
The 50's and 60's had some impactful films driven by women. We often tend to forget that because of the dearth of such subjects that followed...
Yes, that's why it is called the Golden Era of cinema. Though often in those films, you still revered the sacrificial role of women. In that sense, there has been a change; there is no glorification or vilification anymore. In today's movies, you see women as humans who have flaws, limitations and ambitions. Earlier, there were few like that, but the rest largely derived their identity from the men around them. Now, we have identities of our own and that is getting translated on screen.
You broke down while working in Kahaani 2. Do the characters you play affect you very deeply?
I have come to accept that I am intense and I don't know film. I need to do other things like travel, read, watch films and laze around. I only do films that I am completely convinced about. So whether the film works or not, I don't regret it later.
Five hits in a row, and you were the toast of Bollywood. Then it came crashing down with a series of flops. Given how intense you are, is failure also much harder to deal with?
Yes, the heartbreak is so much more, especially after seeing such a high. After a string of successful films people told me, 'You have the midas touch. How do you choose such scripts?' I have done lengthy talks and sessions on that...and then these films started failing (laughs!). I thought to myself...I hope I didn't give these talks too early in my life. It was devastating. I went through a roller coaster, also because I was going through health issues. Generally, when you are physically low, everything else gets magnified. When Ghanchakkar failed, I felt that I had personally failed my husband Siddharth (Roy Kapur) as his company had produced it and it was our first film post marriage. Initially, I didn't accept it, I kept saying...kal collections accha ho jayega. Then Shaadi Ke Side Effects and Bobby Jasoos followed. People told me that the audience wanted to see more of me in women-centric films, but Bobby Jasoos was that.
Did this phase compel you to rethink your choices?
Before Hamari Adhuri Kahani (HAK), (Mahesh) Bhatt saab called me and said, 'I have some concerns that your films haven't worked post marriage'. I told him there is nothing I can do about that, and I have no qualms if he chose to cast someone else. Incidentally, I had gone to speak to him about leaving the film because of my health issues, and when he expressed his concern, I thought it was universe's way of saying this isn't working out. That was a tough day for me, as I came home and opted out of Sujoy's film, too. I told Bhatt saab, 'I don't regret being married, and I don't know why the films haven't worked. To me, it is not because I am a married woman, but because the films failed. If that's the perception, I don't want you to carry that baggage.' I am so glad that he was blatantly honest. It made me question if there was some truth to this myth of married actresses in Bollywood. When I looked around me, I saw that Kareena (Kapoor Khan) had just delivered a hit in a typically commercial film. Aishwarya (Rai Bachchan) had also been signed on for Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, so this couldn't be a measure. Sometimes you feel that it doesn't matter how much you have achieved, one failure and you are back to square one.
But you went ahead and did HAK...
Bhatt saab told me that he had written the script for me and he wouldn't do the film with anybody else. He also told me, 'Keep the script. Even at 50 if you want, you can get some director to make this'. However, he had another concern - he wanted me to lose weight. I said I couldn't promise that as I was going through a health issue. I am someone who enjoys exercising and eating right, but my body had changed. For three-and-a-half years I was being medicated for a condition which had messed with my system completely. When I went off the medication, it was like a boomerang. I told him that I would walk out of his office with as much respect, but I couldn't take the pressure of him wanting his leading lady to look lighter. I was sure that I wasn't going to go under the knife, or do liposuction. After having achieved so much, you are eventually judged on the basis of your body. And poor body of mine...how much judgement and criticism it has gone through. And I am not talking in respect to my conversation with Bhatt saab, but the general perception of people. I had reached a stage where I said that I don't want to be judged anymore, so if it means not doing a role, it is okay. I feel desirable, but if there is a certain standard of desirability I don't fit into, I can't help it. HAK got delayed due to Emraan Hashmi's son's health and I ended up doing the film. I will always appreciate that Bhatt saab was brutally honest with me - that's Mahesh Bhatt for you. Even today, I can't bear to see Bobby Jasoos, as I was at my lowest point. It reminds me of a time in my life when I was not feeling good about myself. And today, it's not like my situation has changed, my attitude has. I'm back to accepting and loving myself.
So after HAK, you decided to take a break...
I took a break to think if I wanted to continue doing what I was doing. Since I was 11, I only wanted to act, and suddenly I felt that I was losing my dream. I was unsure about the one passion I lived for. On the last day of HAK shoot (and no one knows this) I told my family that I was not going to get back to work for a while. I started refusing offers. Siddharth was confused, and my family patiently listened to me. They let me vent, cry and even bore the brunt of it. I would write my thoughts down, sometimes shred it to pieces, too. I was just purging all the angst and anger (there was a lot of it) out of my system, it was difficult. I wasn't convinced about the perception of married actresses in our industry, but I guess, Bhatt saab actually vocalised it for me. It's like your worst fear coming true. I went through a process of extricating all these thoughts out of my system. Slowly, I realised my value as an individual, woman and actor. When you get rid of all the excess baggage, you begin to accept yourself again. I am still reeling under the effect of medication that has wrecked my system. My body has changed dramatically.
During The Dirty Picture, it was a revelation to see everyone applaud you for putting on weight and flaunting it with such abandon for a role. Then quickly people started bodyshaming and criticising you for the same weight...
That's right! If you put on weight for a role, everyone says... 'Arre wah, what an actor!' Then they bring you down for the same thing. After The Dirty Picture, I thought that if there were any issues that I had with my body and weight...I had let myself go. But then, the universe came knocking at my door and said, 'Hello, I am still here and there are things about yourself that you still need to accept'. It is not easy to be told by everyone...'OMG! You have lost weight, or you have put on weight, why don't you exercise'. The comment is, after all, always about weight loss or gain. I feel it's none of your business. Now, it doesn't bother me, I am feeling good and happy in my space. I am back to work with a vengeance. I had to go through all this to understand what my passion means to me. Looking back, I can't imagine that I had reached a stage where I thought I would give it all up. These cycles happen and I am happy admitting that I have gone through it and I have come out stronger and happier. I was meant to go through it to accept more of myself.
You've said that you get drawn towards women-centric films? Do you feel such roles attract you?
I think it's a two-way street. I have been offered such roles since Parineeta (2005), and then Ishqiya came along (2010). With these films I was taking baby steps and it peaked with The Dirty Picture (2011) and Kahaani (2012). Though even in typical, commercial Hindi films, my roles always had substance. Also, I think it's a function of the times that we are living in. We were at a point where we were ready to tell these stories, so it opened up more doors for writers who had written such stories, but kept them away thinking that they will never be made. Suddenly, there was new hope, I was doing these films and they were successful. After that, some of these films didn't work, but it was not that my choices had changed.
The 50's and 60's had some impactful films driven by women. We often tend to forget that because of the dearth of such subjects that followed...
Yes, that's why it is called the Golden Era of cinema. Though often in those films, you still revered the sacrificial role of women. In that sense, there has been a change; there is no glorification or vilification anymore. In today's movies, you see women as humans who have flaws, limitations and ambitions. Earlier, there were few like that, but the rest largely derived their identity from the men around them. Now, we have identities of our own and that is getting translated on screen.
You broke down while working in Kahaani 2. Do the characters you play affect you very deeply?
I have come to accept that I am intense and I don't know film. I need to do other things like travel, read, watch films and laze around. I only do films that I am completely convinced about. So whether the film works or not, I don't regret it later.
Five hits in a row, and you were the toast of Bollywood. Then it came crashing down with a series of flops. Given how intense you are, is failure also much harder to deal with?
Yes, the heartbreak is so much more, especially after seeing such a high. After a string of successful films people told me, 'You have the midas touch. How do you choose such scripts?' I have done lengthy talks and sessions on that...and then these films started failing (laughs!). I thought to myself...I hope I didn't give these talks too early in my life. It was devastating. I went through a roller coaster, also because I was going through health issues. Generally, when you are physically low, everything else gets magnified. When Ghanchakkar failed, I felt that I had personally failed my husband Siddharth (Roy Kapur) as his company had produced it and it was our first film post marriage. Initially, I didn't accept it, I kept saying...kal collections accha ho jayega. Then Shaadi Ke Side Effects and Bobby Jasoos followed. People told me that the audience wanted to see more of me in women-centric films, but Bobby Jasoos was that.
Did this phase compel you to rethink your choices?
Before Hamari Adhuri Kahani (HAK), (Mahesh) Bhatt saab called me and said, 'I have some concerns that your films haven't worked post marriage'. I told him there is nothing I can do about that, and I have no qualms if he chose to cast someone else. Incidentally, I had gone to speak to him about leaving the film because of my health issues, and when he expressed his concern, I thought it was universe's way of saying this isn't working out. That was a tough day for me, as I came home and opted out of Sujoy's film, too. I told Bhatt saab, 'I don't regret being married, and I don't know why the films haven't worked. To me, it is not because I am a married woman, but because the films failed. If that's the perception, I don't want you to carry that baggage.' I am so glad that he was blatantly honest. It made me question if there was some truth to this myth of married actresses in Bollywood. When I looked around me, I saw that Kareena (Kapoor Khan) had just delivered a hit in a typically commercial film. Aishwarya (Rai Bachchan) had also been signed on for Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, so this couldn't be a measure. Sometimes you feel that it doesn't matter how much you have achieved, one failure and you are back to square one.
But you went ahead and did HAK...
Bhatt saab told me that he had written the script for me and he wouldn't do the film with anybody else. He also told me, 'Keep the script. Even at 50 if you want, you can get some director to make this'. However, he had another concern - he wanted me to lose weight. I said I couldn't promise that as I was going through a health issue. I am someone who enjoys exercising and eating right, but my body had changed. For three-and-a-half years I was being medicated for a condition which had messed with my system completely. When I went off the medication, it was like a boomerang. I told him that I would walk out of his office with as much respect, but I couldn't take the pressure of him wanting his leading lady to look lighter. I was sure that I wasn't going to go under the knife, or do liposuction. After having achieved so much, you are eventually judged on the basis of your body. And poor body of mine...how much judgement and criticism it has gone through. And I am not talking in respect to my conversation with Bhatt saab, but the general perception of people. I had reached a stage where I said that I don't want to be judged anymore, so if it means not doing a role, it is okay. I feel desirable, but if there is a certain standard of desirability I don't fit into, I can't help it. HAK got delayed due to Emraan Hashmi's son's health and I ended up doing the film. I will always appreciate that Bhatt saab was brutally honest with me - that's Mahesh Bhatt for you. Even today, I can't bear to see Bobby Jasoos, as I was at my lowest point. It reminds me of a time in my life when I was not feeling good about myself. And today, it's not like my situation has changed, my attitude has. I'm back to accepting and loving myself.
So after HAK, you decided to take a break...
I took a break to think if I wanted to continue doing what I was doing. Since I was 11, I only wanted to act, and suddenly I felt that I was losing my dream. I was unsure about the one passion I lived for. On the last day of HAK shoot (and no one knows this) I told my family that I was not going to get back to work for a while. I started refusing offers. Siddharth was confused, and my family patiently listened to me. They let me vent, cry and even bore the brunt of it. I would write my thoughts down, sometimes shred it to pieces, too. I was just purging all the angst and anger (there was a lot of it) out of my system, it was difficult. I wasn't convinced about the perception of married actresses in our industry, but I guess, Bhatt saab actually vocalised it for me. It's like your worst fear coming true. I went through a process of extricating all these thoughts out of my system. Slowly, I realised my value as an individual, woman and actor. When you get rid of all the excess baggage, you begin to accept yourself again. I am still reeling under the effect of medication that has wrecked my system. My body has changed dramatically.
During The Dirty Picture, it was a revelation to see everyone applaud you for putting on weight and flaunting it with such abandon for a role. Then quickly people started bodyshaming and criticising you for the same weight...
That's right! If you put on weight for a role, everyone says... 'Arre wah, what an actor!' Then they bring you down for the same thing. After The Dirty Picture, I thought that if there were any issues that I had with my body and weight...I had let myself go. But then, the universe came knocking at my door and said, 'Hello, I am still here and there are things about yourself that you still need to accept'. It is not easy to be told by everyone...'OMG! You have lost weight, or you have put on weight, why don't you exercise'. The comment is, after all, always about weight loss or gain. I feel it's none of your business. Now, it doesn't bother me, I am feeling good and happy in my space. I am back to work with a vengeance. I had to go through all this to understand what my passion means to me. Looking back, I can't imagine that I had reached a stage where I thought I would give it all up. These cycles happen and I am happy admitting that I have gone through it and I have come out stronger and happier. I was meant to go through it to accept more of myself.
I realised I needed to stop being a super woman and just be a woman-Vidya Balan
7:58 AM
Vidya Balan on her eight-month break and how marriage with Siddharth Roy Kapur works for her
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 5, 2016)
Lounging in the living room
of her Juhu apartment, Vidya Balan looks as serene as the sea below even
as 'Wanted' posters of her are terrifying city kids who believe this
woman wanted for the kidnap and murder of her daughter is a threat to
them too. That's the reaction she wants for her upcoming Kahaani 2!
Four-and-a-half years ago, the original had marked a watershed in her
career. Two days before its release, when Vidya was in Dubai for
promotions, she learnt she'd bagged the National Award for Silk in Dirty
Picture. The day's a blur, what she recalls is that Kahaani opened well
and grew, Sunday's collections four times that of Friday's and held
even on Monday. “That was unthinkable for a heroine-centric film and
suddenly, I was a 'Shero' and the fourth Khan,“ she smiles.
After the high came the fall, five straight hits, then, Ghanchakkar. Vidya was in denial when it failed. Shaadi Ke Side Effects didn't work either and Bobby Jasoos was dismal. “I went through the usual emotions of anger and fear before withdrawing into a shell and trying to figure out what had gone wrong, till I realised that despite the tags, success hadn't been mine alone, so why should I hold myself responsible for the failure?“ she reasons. Epiphany came during an eight-month break which fuelled rumours of a possible pregnancy and an imminent retirement. She laughs away the buzz, saying naysayers have to wait another 50 years for her to retire. The' break' was to take care of niggling heath issues she'd neglected for too long. “Every doctor I visited reiterated that there was nothing clinically wrong with me, all I needed was to take it easy,“ recalls Vidya who having debuted at 26 when most actresses are moving on, put pressure on herself to make up for lost time while trying to make time for her family. “I would take breaks between films, but my mind was always occupied. Finally, I realised I needed to stop being a super woman and just be a woman.“
She stepped out of the arclights to sit at home, catch up on films, shows and reading, till she was ready for action again. Again, isn't she trying to make up for lost time, shooting two films - Kahaani 2 and Begum Jaan - back to back, while prepping up for Aami which rolls in December? She blames the hectic pace on the weather. First, it was the heat, then the rains.
They filmed Kahaani 2 in Chandannagar at the peak of summer (50 degrees Celsius), then moved to Jharkhand for Begum Jaan in mid-June only for the monsoons to arrive a month early. “When it rained, it poured, so we'd wake up at 4 am and turn up on the set, ready and rehearsed, by the time day broke, trying to make the most of the sun. It was tough, with temperatures hovering around 45-46 degrees Celsius. We were drained, some fainted, tempers flared... We tried not to get personal, and those who did would on any set, irrespective of the conditions...haha,“ she says, quick to add that no one forced them to shoot at gunpoint. “But none of us wanted to abandon the shoot for a later date so we all worked overtime to make the film happen in a record 35 days.“
Srijit Mukherjee, she reveals, had come to her with the Bengali original, Rajkahini, but she was on her 'break' then. When he returned with the Hindi remake, she watched the Partition drama revolving around 12 women being pressurised to leave the brothel that's their own after it finds itself in the middle of the LoC, and connected with it instantly.
“From what I've been reading and seeing, nothing much has changed since the Partition and the role helped me give vent to my anger and angst as a woman. Also, even though our bodies define us, a woman still doesn't have first right over it. The film's fight for physical space parallels a woman's fight for right to her own body space,“ she points out, admitting the subject called out to her, in much the same way that Kahaani 2 and Aami did.
The latter is the first biopic she's signed since the Dirty Picture. Interestingly, Vidya would have made her debut with it's director Kamal's Malayalam film had it not stopped midway. She knew little about litterateur Kamala Das, also known as Kamala Surayya and Madhavikutty, apart from the controversy of her converting to Islam at 65 after falling in love with someone from that faith. “I read her autobiography, she intrigued me. I'm still wondering if she was who she's made out to be, pretending to be her or misunderstood, hoping to get some answers at some point during the film,“ she muses.
Aami will be the Malayalam film her parents have wanted her to do for years even though Vidya vowed not to do one, angry and hurt for being unfairly labelled a jinx after Kamal's film was shelved. “But today, I'm a greedy actor who'll go anywhere for a good role. Also, I've realised you can't let one experience put you off an entire industry,“ she argues.
There's a mellowness and maturity to this new Vidya who sits opposite you, stirring only to see her husband off. Buzz is, Siddharth will head his own studio early next year. She will not discuss his business plans, but reveals that they will not work together. It's a choice they made after Ghanchakkar through the making of which she refused to interact with the MD who she was dating. “I wanted to safeguard our relationship, I didn't want any clashes. Ghanchakkar was my first release after marriage and I felt guilty, personalising its failure. Siddharth, more objective, told me it was ridiculous to feel that way. I know that now, but I don't want to put myself in a similar situation again,“ she says.
However, on a personal level, she can't imagine being married to any other man but Siddharth. She points out that no matter how educated or liberated one is, most women, wives in particular, are conditioned to put their spouses before them. “I caught myself doing that too, only for Siddharth to ask me if this was really what I wanted,“ she confides, adding that in the process of making adjustments, one is at the risk of losing oneself in a marriage. “But my husband lets me be me. More than anything else, marriage has taught me to value myself. It's all about do jisms and do jaans being together,“ she smiles.
After the high came the fall, five straight hits, then, Ghanchakkar. Vidya was in denial when it failed. Shaadi Ke Side Effects didn't work either and Bobby Jasoos was dismal. “I went through the usual emotions of anger and fear before withdrawing into a shell and trying to figure out what had gone wrong, till I realised that despite the tags, success hadn't been mine alone, so why should I hold myself responsible for the failure?“ she reasons. Epiphany came during an eight-month break which fuelled rumours of a possible pregnancy and an imminent retirement. She laughs away the buzz, saying naysayers have to wait another 50 years for her to retire. The' break' was to take care of niggling heath issues she'd neglected for too long. “Every doctor I visited reiterated that there was nothing clinically wrong with me, all I needed was to take it easy,“ recalls Vidya who having debuted at 26 when most actresses are moving on, put pressure on herself to make up for lost time while trying to make time for her family. “I would take breaks between films, but my mind was always occupied. Finally, I realised I needed to stop being a super woman and just be a woman.“
She stepped out of the arclights to sit at home, catch up on films, shows and reading, till she was ready for action again. Again, isn't she trying to make up for lost time, shooting two films - Kahaani 2 and Begum Jaan - back to back, while prepping up for Aami which rolls in December? She blames the hectic pace on the weather. First, it was the heat, then the rains.
They filmed Kahaani 2 in Chandannagar at the peak of summer (50 degrees Celsius), then moved to Jharkhand for Begum Jaan in mid-June only for the monsoons to arrive a month early. “When it rained, it poured, so we'd wake up at 4 am and turn up on the set, ready and rehearsed, by the time day broke, trying to make the most of the sun. It was tough, with temperatures hovering around 45-46 degrees Celsius. We were drained, some fainted, tempers flared... We tried not to get personal, and those who did would on any set, irrespective of the conditions...haha,“ she says, quick to add that no one forced them to shoot at gunpoint. “But none of us wanted to abandon the shoot for a later date so we all worked overtime to make the film happen in a record 35 days.“
Srijit Mukherjee, she reveals, had come to her with the Bengali original, Rajkahini, but she was on her 'break' then. When he returned with the Hindi remake, she watched the Partition drama revolving around 12 women being pressurised to leave the brothel that's their own after it finds itself in the middle of the LoC, and connected with it instantly.
“From what I've been reading and seeing, nothing much has changed since the Partition and the role helped me give vent to my anger and angst as a woman. Also, even though our bodies define us, a woman still doesn't have first right over it. The film's fight for physical space parallels a woman's fight for right to her own body space,“ she points out, admitting the subject called out to her, in much the same way that Kahaani 2 and Aami did.
The latter is the first biopic she's signed since the Dirty Picture. Interestingly, Vidya would have made her debut with it's director Kamal's Malayalam film had it not stopped midway. She knew little about litterateur Kamala Das, also known as Kamala Surayya and Madhavikutty, apart from the controversy of her converting to Islam at 65 after falling in love with someone from that faith. “I read her autobiography, she intrigued me. I'm still wondering if she was who she's made out to be, pretending to be her or misunderstood, hoping to get some answers at some point during the film,“ she muses.
Aami will be the Malayalam film her parents have wanted her to do for years even though Vidya vowed not to do one, angry and hurt for being unfairly labelled a jinx after Kamal's film was shelved. “But today, I'm a greedy actor who'll go anywhere for a good role. Also, I've realised you can't let one experience put you off an entire industry,“ she argues.
There's a mellowness and maturity to this new Vidya who sits opposite you, stirring only to see her husband off. Buzz is, Siddharth will head his own studio early next year. She will not discuss his business plans, but reveals that they will not work together. It's a choice they made after Ghanchakkar through the making of which she refused to interact with the MD who she was dating. “I wanted to safeguard our relationship, I didn't want any clashes. Ghanchakkar was my first release after marriage and I felt guilty, personalising its failure. Siddharth, more objective, told me it was ridiculous to feel that way. I know that now, but I don't want to put myself in a similar situation again,“ she says.
However, on a personal level, she can't imagine being married to any other man but Siddharth. She points out that no matter how educated or liberated one is, most women, wives in particular, are conditioned to put their spouses before them. “I caught myself doing that too, only for Siddharth to ask me if this was really what I wanted,“ she confides, adding that in the process of making adjustments, one is at the risk of losing oneself in a marriage. “But my husband lets me be me. More than anything else, marriage has taught me to value myself. It's all about do jisms and do jaans being together,“ she smiles.
Failure always hurts, makes you doubt self-Emraan Hashmi
8:12 AM
With five flops on the trot, Emraan Hashmi confesses he feels stereotyped
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; September 2, 2016)
Emraan Hashmi’s irreverent attitude could be dangerous for an actor who has delivered five duds back-to-back. But, he says he is naturally defiant. When hitlist meets him, his droopy-eyed gaze says it all. “You never get used to the exhaustion of promotions,” he adds quickly. But the man, who has lost his mojo, has no other option. He shirks off the weariness and opens up about why he isn’t the massy actor he is made out to be and plans to foray into production. Edited excerpts from the chat:
Success has eluded you in your last few outings.
When things fail, we all live in the hope that going back to basics can revive the magic. As actors, we have to remain unattached to the failure and success of our films; at least make that effort. You have given your best and then the ball is in the audience’s court.
Your taste in films as a viewer is different from the kind you act in.
I always knew what I didn’t want to do. Typical rom-coms were an absolute no-no for me. I am a bit of a freak when it comes to films. I like these immoral, unethical characters I play. They are the likeable wrong men, irreverent and yet they have a certain charm about them. I love dark roles and doing genres like horror that actors don’t touch easily. So far, I have done what I believe in.
Are you at peace with your choices?
I feel stereotyped. Sometimes it is tiring to live up to the image I had carved as a youngster. The industry allows you limited bandwidth to function within. You cannot easily tip over and start doing something else. This problem is not peculiar to India or Bollywood alone. But, at least, Hollywood allows you more breathing space to try your hand at different things. We cater to the the taste of the audience that still wants heroes to rescue damsels-in-distress. How much of that can you do? After a point, it gets repetitive, hence, pushing the audience into a Catch-55 situation. Over time, actors learn what tricks to use, which buttons to press and what reactions to evoke from people.
Every actor has his share of regrets. What are yours?
I am stuck with the wrong target audience. For the first six years of my career, the kind of films I was doing was the exact opposite of what I liked watching. People perceived me as an entirely different person. I was looked upon as this actor, who talks only in Hindi, cannot utter a word of English. People were surprised when they met me because I didn’t fit their expectations. I did films that pitched to the front-row audience, because that was my base. But I ended up getting stuck in the rut and could not come out of it. I saw different kinds of cinema and could not do those films for a living. When I tried that, a lot of them didn’t do well. Most of my successful films are for the mass audience. God forbid, if they ever meet me, they will feel I am a cheat. Something doesn’t add up in that equation. I am waiting for a script that caters to every segment of the audience.
When you tried to break out of your serial kisser image, the films didn’t work.
Maybe, if a Ghanchakkar were made today, it would have worked. Failure always hurts. It throws you into self-doubt that probably you should have done a film differently or it shouldn’t have been done at all. But we are all in for a gamble. I don’t mind failing, but I do mind not taking risks.
What’s next?
I am focussing on Baadshaho. I am also starting a production house. We haven’t locked the script yet, but we plan to kick off our first project next year. It has to be something I believe in and my reputation precedes me in this case. When I get what I want, I will know.
I have wrecked many relationships on screen-Emraan Hashmi
8:03 AM
Moumita Bhattacharjee (DNA; June 9, 2015)
Emraan Hashmi’s role in Hamari Adhuri Kahani is unlike
anything people have seen him play before, he says. Though he is
playing the other man in Vidya Balan’s married life, something that he
has done so many times before. The actor explains...
You have seen a spate of disappointments in last few months. The recent one being Mr. X. So how important is Hamari Adhuri Kahani for your career?
Hamari Adhuri Kahani is very important because I am reinventing myself with it. This is something that I have never done before because I felt the need to change things around me. I needed a shift. You can say, it’s my coming of age with this film. In the last 12 years, I have given audiences what they like which also was a reflection of me — the rebellious, bratty me. But this time I am in a different territory.
Vidya Balan and you have worked in two films before this, The Dirty Picture and Ghanchakkar, but this is the only romantic film, right?
Yes, The Dirty Picture had us in a love-hate relationship while Ghanchkkar was completely different. But we were pretty clear that next time we come together, it has to be a romantic film.
People are raving about Rajkummar Rao’s performance. Even in those few scenes, he managed to leave a mark. Does it bother you?
First of all, I haven’t heard this before. This is the first time someone has mentioned this to me. Frankly speaking, I find it very petty to comment on.
What’s with you and someone else’s woman? You seem to lure these women out of their troubled relationships and into your arms. You did it in Murder, Zeher, Gangster and now HAK….
(Laughs) Yeah, I have wrecked many relationships on screen. But here, I am not stepping between two people. My character isn’t grey at all. It is completely white. I am not doing anything unethical.
Your next is Azhar, a biopic on former Indian cricket captain, Mohammad Azharuddin. What is that one thing in the former skipper you are finding very difficult to emulate?
(Sighs) Leg glance! I have been practicing it every morning, to get the nuances right but as of now, I haven’t been too successful. He does it so effortlessly. But I am sure I will master it soon.
You have a huge fetish for expensive watches and high-end cars. True?
I have always loved watches and have many luxury watches now. I used to wear a Casio watch as a kid. I remember my father had bought me an automatic watch in my 10th standard. Presently, I am really fond of the models from IWC, Hublot, Breitling, Graham, Ulysses Nardin and others. As for cars, I do have an Audi 8, a BMW and others but I would like to own a Ferrari someday.
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