As industry reels under shock after Sanjay Dutt is diagnosed with lung cancer, Arshad Warsi, who was to join him next month for comedy, Sadak 2 co-star Gulshan Grover and Subhash Ghai send strength to the superstar
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; August 13, 2020)

"We spoke when he was hospitalised last week; he assured me he was fine," begins Arshad Warsi, yet to come to terms with the news of Sanjay Dutt being diagnosed with stage three lung cancer. A wave of shock and disbelief fell over the industry on Tuesday as word spread that Baba was ailing. It was heard that the actor, who announced that he was taking a break from work, will soon head overseas to seek treatment.

Warsi, the Circuit to his Munna on screen and a close friend off screen, says Sanjay Dutt will tide over the testing times with his positivity and will power. "I don't know anyone who would have survived [the difficulties] that he has faced head-on. Despite the situations, he has an air of positivity. I have never seen him crib about his hardships. He will emerge triumphant here too; he is a fighter." The two were slated to begin filming the comedy, Blockbuster, next month. The shoot is likely to be deferred until its leading man is fighting fit again. "Films can come and go, but people like him are rare. I pray that he gets better."

Subhash Ghai, who gave Dutt one of his biggest hits Khalnayak (1992), has seen the senior actor evolve as an artiste over the decades. "My directorial venture, Vidhata, was his second film after Rocky. We go back a long way. God is with him in all his crises."

They may have aged gracefully into their sixties, but Gulshan Grover remembers Dutt as the tough guy on the set of Jaan Ki Baazi (1985). "While shooting an action scene, he cut his hand and was bleeding profusely. While Anita Raj and Kimi Katkar were nervous that he is losing a lot of blood, he was coolly smoking a cigarette as the doctor administered stitches without giving him anaesthesia," he laughs.

Maanayata Dutt issued a statement, urging fans "to not fall prey to unwarranted rumours". "God has again chosen to test us to overcome the challenges ahead. All we seek are your prayers and blessings," she said.

Even as state government allows shoots, Mumbai Saga director charts out a plan to film the last leg of John Abraham-Emraan Hashmi starrer in Ramoji Film City
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; June 18, 2020)

Nestled in his Khandala home, director Sanjay Gupta is charting out the final schedule of Mumbai Saga that will kick off in Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad, next month.

With filmmakers gradually planning to resume shoots in Mumbai, the director had initially considered giving finishing touches to the John Abraham and Emraan Hashmi-fronted crime thriller in the city. "But shooting here is way too risky. Public transport hasn't opened up completely yet, so it's impossible to bring the crew to the set daily. This is why T-Series [producer] and I have zeroed in on Ramoji Film City, which is a self-sufficient studio with lodging facilities. We will have our unit tested before flying down," explains Gupta.

The filmmaker, who plans to charter a plane to Hyderabad, has zeroed in on the 30-member crew, including leading men Abraham and Hashmi. "We have 10 to 12 days' work left on the film, including shooting two songs and a portion of the climax."

Gupta agrees that the songs as well as action scenes will have to be reimagined, given the restrictions on the use of background artistes. "Minimising is the way forward on the songs. Rajeev Surti [choreographer] and I are reducing the number of people we can have in the frame and reworking the dance sequences. One of the songs is similar to Ganpat [Shootout At Lokhandwala, 2007]. We have a patchwork shoot with John, Prateik Babbar and Gulshan Grover. Here too, we will eliminate the [background] fighters and keep it focussed on the actors."

Ask him if the actors are comfortable going back to shoot, and Gupta states, "Actors need to have faith in the director and the producer. We have assured them that we will look after them and take precautions. John and Emraan are looking forward to the shoot. We hope to start working on July 15."

Niharika Lal (BOMBAY TIMES; December 2, 2019)

Speaking on the first day of the Times LitFest Delhi, Gulshan Grover, whose film I Am Kalam (2011) won multiple awards, told the audience that he had initially decided not to do the film, but after hearing the storyline, he was so impressed that not only did he change his mind but he decided to do the film for free. Gulshan said, “When I was offered I Am Kalam, I decided not to do the film because the budget of the entire film was equal to my fee. But when I heard the story, I was so impressed that I decided to do it for free. I have huge respect and love for the producers of the film, and Nila Madhab Panda, our director.”

In reply to a question about his inclination towards villainous roles, Gulshan said, “I have been offered a hero’s role several times but I always turned them down. I never wanted to be a hero.” He added, “When I came to the film industry (in the ’80s), the actors didn’t want to change their look for a film. They didn’t even want to put on a fake moustache while playing the role of a police officer. I was the one who changed this by experimenting with my looks, and now actors like Aamir Khan go through the process of changing their looks to make the character look real.”

Talking about the work he has done in foreign films, the actor said, “When I went to Hollywood, our films used to be screened at film festivals. They didn’t know much about Bollywood, be it Amitabh Bachchan’s films or Dilip Kumar’s, which has now changed.”

The debutant actor on doing comedy, facing rejection at auditions and bagging a film with a little help from his disco dancer father, Mithun
Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 3, 2019)

Even before he can introduce himself, the uncanny resemblance gives Namashi away — he is celebrated actor Mithun Chakraborty’s son. Having recently wrapped up the shoot for his debut feature, Rajkumar Santoshi’s Bad Boy, the 27-year-old is not one to discount how his lineage has helped him bag a break in Bollywood.

“Let’s be honest, Rajkumar Santoshi wouldn’t have even met me if I wasn’t Mithun Chakraborty’s son,” says the actor, who has been paired with Amrin Qureshi, also a debutante, in the “romcom about a bindaas boy who falls for a girl who has an entirely different personality”.

Ask him why he has started acting so late and he says it’s because of his father. “When I was 22, I really wanted to work in films, but my father felt that I looked far too young and immature, and that I will get easily typecast,” he says. At the time, he was offered to play a part in a multi-starrer, which his father convinced him to turn down. “That film was a blockbuster, but the actor who played the role I was offered hasn’t got any work since...”

Growing up in Ooty, where incidentally, Mithun has “shot more films than in Mumbai”, and where he runs a string of hotels today, Namashi always felt at one with the film industry. “I literally grew up on the sets, and almost every actor who has shot in Ooty, from Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar to Govinda, would come and stay with us,” he says. Sometimes, encounters with stars, especially those who played leading villains back in the day, would be rather traumatic. “When I would see Shakti Kapoor or Gulshan Grover, for instance, I would run in the opposite direction, and accuse them of doing horrible things to my dad,” he says. “That’s how obsessed I was with films.”

Unlike Namashi, who was a regular fixture at his dad’s film sets, his disco dancer daddy, he says, only dropped in a few times on his film shoot. “We were shooting at HMT grounds in Bengaluru at 5 am on the first day. I was very nervous. Raj-ji [Rajkumar Santoshi] is a tough guy who screams and shouts if you don’t get things right. Then suddenly, I saw a familiar face smiling from a distance,” he says. “My dad had come to surprise me. I was like ‘ek aur teacher aa gaya’. But he just said that I was doing exceedingly well for a newcomer.”

Like many who harbour dreams of making it in films, Namashi signed up for Kishore Namit Kapoor’s classes, followed by Alok Ulfat’s intensive workshops, to sharpen his acting skills. Once he felt he was ready to test the waters, he joined Improv Comedy Mumbai, a collective of comics, and took to performing at live gigs.

“Doing comedy in the age of trolling was not easy. But I wanted to be independent and try and make it without using my dad’s name,” he says. This, however, turned into a futile pursuit, despite “joining every casting WhatsApp group and doing the Aram Nagar rounds”.

“The first time I auditioned, it was for a chocolate commercial, and I cracked it. But as destiny would have it, my maternal uncle passed away the following day, so I had to opt out and be with my mother,” he says. “Casting agents post requirements for actors like ‘young, fair complexion, curly hair and tall’, and when I’d turn up for auditions, there would be 40 people who would fit that description perfectly. Sometimes, if my name was lower in the list, I wouldn’t even get a chance to audition as most casting agents tend to pick someone from the first 20 people they screen.”

Being a Chakraborty naturally comes with its share of misgivings. “Anyone who meets me wants to know if I can dance and act like my dad,” he says. “Well, I’ve got a break in films without an audition thanks to him. Now, my performance will decide whether I deserve the second film.”

Dhaval Roy (DNA; August 3, 2019)

Gulshan Grover recently spoke to us about losing out on Bollywood projects in the pursuit of an international film career. Back then, desi filmmakers were under the impression that he would either ask for too much money or find faults with their movie plots.

However, it’s a different story today. The actor asserts what he is doing today is interesting. “I’m extremely relevant today. I’m the main antagonist in Rohit Shetty’s Sooryavanshi, which is the biggest movie being made by him. It has Akshay Kumar and Karan Johar is the co-producer. All three of them could have got anybody for this part. But I’m doing the role,” he points out. Then, he is also the lead villain in Mahesh Bhatt’s comeback movie, Sadak 2. “I’m also the main baddie in Sanjay Gupta’s Mumbai Saga, which has a big star cast like John Abraham, Emraan Hashmi, Jackie Shroff, Suniel Shetty and various others,” which he says re-emphasises the pertinence of his presence in the industry.

The actor further told us that his international projects and recent Bollywood projects like Agent Vinod (2012), Bullet Raja (2013) or Hate Story 4 (2018) have given more meaning to him coming out with a book. “If I hadn’t had releases, the autobiography would have looked so bad — someone who hasn’t had a film in 10 years recounting the glorious days. Bose speakers ke zamaane mein tape recorder ki baat karne ki tarah,” he laughs.

Gulshan took the bold step of building a career abroad while staying in India.

But in his opinion, the obscurity that a foreign industry accords scares many actors from going there. “The anonymity is a strange and, at the same time, humbling experience,” he concludes.

As he inches closer to releasing his biography, Bad Man Gulshan Grover on becoming a somebody in Bollywood
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; July 26, 2019)

Gulshan Grover is the latest to join the Bollywood folk who have penned their life stories. His upcoming biography, Bad Man, traces his journey from being a nobody to somebody, and from Bollywood to Hollywood. The veteran actor was initially not inclined to telling it all in a book "as it is a big responsibility and you should not hurt anyone, especially those who are not alive to defend themselves."

His reluctance gave way "after meeting the publishers. It was a wonderful experience to meet the Penguin team. I was happy to revisit my life." Grover has been involved with "every dot and comma in the book". He says, "I had to read, correct, make changes and send it again, all in time to meet deadlines." He has dedicated the biography to filmmaker-son Sanjay, who he refers to as "my life." Grover has been a single parent and he says the book will chronicle his personal and professional life. "But I have not made any irresponsible statements."

The title for the book was an easy decision. "Ever since Subhash Ghai's Ram Lakhan [1989], in which I mouthed [the words] Bad Man, it has stuck with me." While shooting for Rohit Shetty's Sooryavanshi, Grover spoke about the book's title to co-star Akshay Kumar. "He told me I should copyright it, like he has done for Khiladi." The veteran actor relates an incident in Los Angeles while shooting for a Hollywood project. One of his American co-stars told him, "Oh, you are Bollywood's Bad Man. Wherever I go, I am referred to by the name."

Grover, who has been in the industry for almost four decades, hopes the book proves to be an inspiration for people to chase their dreams. "I am the first commercial actor who crossed into Hollywood long before Irrfan, Anupam Kher and Priyanka Chopra did."

Dhaval Roy (DNA; July 24, 2019)

The first thing Gulshan Grover tells about his authorised biography, Bad Man, is that it has an arc. It’s about an average person who gave up academics in Delhi and came to Bollywood to try his luck but graduated to working in international films. The actor says, “A regular Bollywood actor’s biography is about making it in the industry and becoming bigger and bigger and then that’s it. But mine is about a guy who went to Hollywood at a time when there was no internet and no way for them to know who and what kind of an actor I was.” He adds, “I’m proud that I created a mud-path between Bollywood and Hollywood, which is being followed by wonderful colleagues like Priyanka Chopra, Anil Kapoor, Irrfan and various others.” Excerpts from an interview with the original bad man of Bollywood!

What has the early feedback to Bad Man been like?
Mostly those who have read it say that the refreshing part is reading about the draining experience of entering the international industry, succeeding in the transition and the sense of national pride. It’s more interesting to read than a Bollywood actor saying I met Akshay Kumar on this set or Shah Rukh Khan on that one. Mahesh Bhatt saab said that this will be especially inspiring for the youngsters.

While working on the book, were there any moments that were poignant to relive?
Yes! Being in Los Angeles and introducing myself to filmmakers from morning to evening — I’m Gulshan Grover and I’m a famous actor in India. As soon as I would land in Mumbai, everyone would recognise me, producers would be waiting at the airport requesting me to go to the set without even going home. This contrast was the most difficult part. I used to often wonder why I was struggling there when here, I had projects, money, popularity, and I was enjoying my work.

So why did you choose the life of struggle?
Because I didn’t see myself sitting amidst 30-40 silver jubilee awards or photographs from the past, with a paunch and money, talking about the glorious days. I don’t have a single old picture or a trophy at home. All that is over. I’m done talking about Ram Lakhan. Past is just something to get nostalgic about. It’s an illusion. I wanted to make it an inspiring story for youngsters to dream and work hard. It’s not a story of yesterday that lost to today.

You say you’re the pioneer when it comes to a Bollywood actor going international. But there have many who crossed over...
I’m not the first Indian actor to work in films outside but my predecessors settled there. I was there to make a transition and not look for work. That was a lot more difficult than just getting an acting job as filmmakers there thought you couldn’t be relied on because of the distance and time difference, etc. Also, I was a product of commercial cinema that was looked down upon. Even today, it will not be conceded that we should be approached first for world cinema. Actors of parallel cinema will be called first because the perception is ki woh international level ki acting kar sakte hain. People, neither there nor here, believed I could do it. All they knew was, he’s from a film industry where stars break into a dance every five minutes.

But today, I’m the first Indian who did a Polish, Iranian and Malaysian film each. I also have French, Australian, German and Italian movies. The onslaught of what others are doing has been a lot in the media but my work has not been in focus.

Why did you think now was the time to talk about all this?
I somehow didn’t feel the need to earlier. In fact, Hollywood films destroyed my career here. Producers thought now I would find the bathrooms dirty, I will ask for more money and more importantly, ask about the motivation of the role (laughs). So, I would hide the photographs and tell filmmakers that I was shooting in Bangalore instead of revealing that I was in LA.

Biographies or autobiographies are known for unearthing the personal lives of actors. Has that aspect been covered, too?
My life is very work-driven but I have talked about everything. My upbringing has taught me to respect others’ privacy. It’s disrespectful of men who write about love affairs without realising the repercussions it could have. These things should not be revealed unless you have that equation with the lady in question. I’ve been very cautious about that.

BOMBAY TIMES (June 14, 2019)

A gangster drama titled Mumbai Saga, set in the ’80s and ’90s, revolving around the events that changed the face of Mumbai, is ready to go on the floors. Starring John Abraham, Emraan Hashmi, Jackie Shroff, Suniel Shetty, Prateik Babbar, Gulshan Grover, Rohit Roy and Amole Gupte among others, the movie is being backed by Bhushan Kumar’s T-Series and is being directed by Sanjay Gupta.

Speaking about the project, Kumar says, “Mumbai Saga is our first film in the gangster genre. The film is inspired by true events and yet the characters are larger than life. The entire cast will bring so much to the table.” Sanjay Gupta adds, “After being in the industry for 25 years and making 17 films, I had to give my audience something bigger and better. This movie is by far my most ambitious film, which needed a visionary producer. And I am grateful that Bhushan Kumar has put his might and faith in it. This is one story that needs to be told on screen.”

Gulshan Kumar presents, T-Series and White Feature Films production, Mumbai Saga, which is produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar and Anuradha Gupta. The film is likely to release in 2020.

Duo kicks off Hyderabad leg of Rohit Shetty’s cop-drama today; will shoot for a romantic song and action sequences in the month-long schedule
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 13, 2019)

After shooting schedules in Mumbai and Bangkok, Akshay Kumar and leading lady Katrina Kaif kick off a month-long schedule of Rohit Shetty’s Sooryavanshi at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad today. The actress had briefly shot for her portions at Mumbai’s Mehboob studio with Akshay, and Neena Gupta who plays his onscreen mother. She now joins the team in Hyderabad and will be shooting a lavish romantic number with Akshay. The team will also be filming some big scale action sequences with Akshay who plays ATS cop, Veer Sooryavanshi, a character that first appeared in a cameo in Rohit’s last directorial, Ranveer Singh’s Simmba.

While Rohit’s stunt team has been prepping for the sequences since the past few days in the city, a source connected to the film reveals, “This one is the film’s longest schedule. Rohit plans to wrap it up before he leaves for Bulgaria where he will shoot for the 10th season of adventure-based reality show, Khatron Ke Khiladi, for around 45 days. Once back, Rohit will start filming the final schedule of Sooryavanshi in Goa with his lead actors and the antagonists - Gulshan Grover, Abhimanyu Singh and Nikitin Dheer.”

Like the Bangkok schedule, this one will have a lot of bikes, guns and daredevilry. Akshay had earlier shot scenes that had him hanging from a helicopter and riding a superbike on a runway in the Thailand capital.

Buzz is, the film will also feature cameos by Rohit’s other leading men—Ajay Devgn as Singham and Ranveer Singh as Simmba. With Sooryavanshi, Akshay and Katrina are reuniting nine years after Farah Khan’s Tees Maar Khan. The film will be their seventh collaboration. 

Hiren Kotwani (DNA; June 6, 2019)

Ever since Akshay Kumar made an appearance in Simmba (2018), starring Ranveer Singh, Rohit Shetty’s next, Sooryavanshi, has been piquing audience interest. Even as the team is shooting in Bangkok, Thailand, comes the news that Gulshan Grover plays the main antagonist in this action drama. Apparently, all it took the veteran actor to sign up was hearing his part after the blockbuster filmmaker’s chief assistant director called him for it.

We hear it’s a different kind of role for Bollywood’s Bad Man. As our source says, “This antagonist is a new kind of opposition to the hero. His sense of good and bad has blurred. While you may think that he’s bad, he thinks he’s a good guy. Karan Johar, who is also producing the film with Rohit and Akshay, too, complimented Gulshan — about how he feels he is perfectly suitable for this role. For someone who’s as known for his looks as he is for his performances, GG will be sporting a different look this time around as well.”

While he declines to reveal anything about the kind of role he plays in this supercop outing, Gulshan says, “All I can say at this point is that I’m a huge fan of Rohit Shetty’s films. I’m a bigger believer that not only does he deserve all the success he has got but also deserves a lot more for the way he understands the responsibility of success and mega-movies entertainment so well. He keeps his family and young audiences in mind while making his films.” He adds that in his years of experience, it’s not often that one works with a filmmaker who has such a solid grasp of technique. “Rohit makes larger-than-life fantastic cinema for the entire family to enjoy. And he knows the technique so well, it’s amazing.”

This film also sees him team up yet again with Akshay, with whom he has done several films like Mohra (1994), Hera Pheri (2000) and a few Khiladi titles, too. He is excited to collaborate with him again. “Apart from the working relationship and the camaraderie on the sets, Akshay is like a brother. He’s such a positive force around and the support from him is so strong, it’s always great working with him.”

Bollywood actors and filmmakers share their fondest memories of Veeru Devgan who helped them pull punches on the screen for almost three decades
Natasha Coutinho, Avinash Lohana, Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 28, 2019)

Flying punches, gravity-defying kicks, blood and dhishoom dhishoom, the Bollywood audience of the 1980s and ’90s loved all this, and Veeru Devgan delivered stunts in plenty, stylishly packaged in films like Kranti, Loha, Himmatwala, Khatron Ke Khilaadi, Dilwale and Phool Aur Kaante to compete with the gun-slinging Westerns. On Monday, the action director-turned-producer-director breathed his last in Mumbai. He was 77.

Through the ’70s,’80 s and a sizeable part of the ’90s, Veeru Devgan was the man to go to for action sequences. “He worked systematically, within a budget, with creativity. He’ll be remembered as an iconic action director who always wanted to make a film,” shares producer and distribution partner Suneel Darshan.

Boney Kapoor agrees that Veeru ji was among the best in the industry, always ready to try something new, and was in demand for the longest time. “His Hanuman sequence in Mr India is unforgettable while Sanjay’s (Kapoor) ‘test’ on the bridge in Prem was brilliantly executed. The train robbery in Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja still remains way ahead of similar sequences attempted by international stunt coordinators later,” he eulogises.

Gulshan Grover lauds the action director for redefining kicking techniques in Hindi cinema. “Since not everyone is flexible, he made the actor wear trousers and shoes on his hand and punch. This translated as a mighty kick on camera, a trick I incorporated in one of my early Hollywood films, The Second Jungle Book: Mowgli & Baloo,” informs the ‘Bad Man’.

Shatrughan Sinha reveals that when they were doing Mere Apne in 1971, while the film’s action director was Ravi Khanna, debutant director Gulzar got Veeru ji to choreograph most of the action. He goes on to confide how the fight master played Cupid for him and wife Poonam on the sets of their film Dharti Ki Godh Mein, spiriting away his future mother-in-law so he could ride away with his lady love during an action scene. He remembers Veeru ji as a disciplined man who fasted twice a week and after he retired, was happy to devote himself to his family.

He was like family for Anil Kapoor who’d walk in and out of his house and gratefully recalls how Veeru ji made action scenes safe and easy for him when he was just starting out as an actor. Jackie Shroff agrees, describing him as an ever-smiling, gentle soul. “He took care of actors like his children and made the biggest action sequences simple for us,” shares Jackie who’s worked with him in Izzat, Police Officer and Doodh Ka Karz.

Anil adds, “During shooting, if we ever fell short of money, Boney would unhesitatingly turn to him, he was always there for us. His contribution to Mr India was immense.”

Kumar Mangat whose association with Veeru ji spans 38 years since he was a production manager, reiterates Anil’s claim: “When I turned producer, Veeru ji bailed me out whenever I ran out of money. He didn’t even charge me for the action in Qayamat Ki Raat and after Ajay was launched as an actor, he told me to manage his work.”

For Shakti Kapoor he was a “royal man” who always stayed in five-star hotels when in Chennai or Hyderabad. “And whenever I was there, he’d insist on having dinner together. He was the highest paid action coordinator in India and technically very sound,” he says, recalling Veeru ji telling him to help his introverted son open up before he got into films. “I’m happy he saw Ajay become a superstar.”

Ajay’s director-actor buddy, Sajid Khan, remembers how, as teenagers, they’d hang out at his building in the evening. “As soon as Veeru ji arrived, Ajay would go home even if we were in the middle of a cricket match. He pushed Ajay hard because as the best action director’s son, he had to be the best action hero. And till the last day, Ajay respected and cared for him like a good son.”

The memories come flooding for Harry Baweja for whom Veeru ji was a “pillar of support” when he produced and directed his first film Dilwale. “He treated me like a younger brother,” he says emotionally.

Another filmmaker Milan Luthria reminisces how when he had to wait for Ajay’s dates, his father would call him into his cabin and promise to help. “It is unheard for someone to have done over 500 films and never have a disagreement with anyone,” Milan asserts.

Aditya Pancholi recalls the Rs 100 baksheesh he got for fearlessly standing at a high point and jumping on boxes at Madh Fort for an action scene in Dus Numbri while producer-director Rajiv Rai who worked with Veeru ji in Tridev points out that the ’80s were tough times for action directors because of the lack of CGI and VFX. “But there were seldom any accidents on his sets. He was the Amitabh Bachchan of action, he worked with many cameras and I learnt a lot about technique from him,” Rai remembers from London.

Anees Bazmee who’s returned from the shoot of Pagalpanti in London, flashbacks to how in the ‘90s, when films had three-four busy heroes, Veeru ji helped resolve date issues and when that was not possible, would shoot with actors separately in a way that the audience didn’t realise it. “He was brilliant!” raves the writer-director. 

Actors Shabana Azmi, Shatrughan Sinha and Gulshan Grover remember the father of method acting in India
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 12, 2019)

Roshan Taneja, father of ‘method acting’ in India and founder of the acting department of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) passed away on Friday after battling prolonged illness. At FTII, he taught legendary actors like Shabana Azmi, Shatrughan Sinha and Jaya Bachchan. When he moved to Mumbai in 1976, he started the Roshan Taneja School of Acting.

‘Method acting’ – a system that was initiated in Russia by actor-director Constantin Stanislavsky in the early decades of the 20th century – involves a series of vocal, emotional and physical exercises that help actors to completely identify with the characters they portray. Taneja adapted the technique, refining it for the Indian actors.

Actor Gulshan Grover believes he was doubly-blessed as he had the opportunity to both train at Taneja’s institute and teach there. Looking back, Grover told Mirror, “Before performing a scene, you were expected to go through a lot of emotional experimentation – exercises that sharpened the reflexes and made your performance as real as possible.”

He said Taneja would bring his students’ performances to an abrupt halt if they did not appear to be “really feeling the emotions”.

This was in the 1960s, a time when, according to Grover, “one learnt acting on the sets under the guidance of directors”. Taneja thus revolutionised how acting was taught. “The sheer flair that his FTII students demonstrated eventually paved the way for acting classes,” said Grover.

In a foreword she penned for Taneja’s book ‘Moments of Truth: My Life with Acting’, Shabana Azmi said: “Taneja Saheb taught me how to delve into the depths of my own being.” On those pages, Azmi, who trained under Taneja at FTII (Pune) for two years, also recounted her first meeting with him: “His manner was not intimidating but there was something about him that unnerved me and I started forgetting my lines right in the middle of the scene I was auditioning for. It was a letter I was supposedly reading from my grandmother. Unable to remember, I started making up my lines as I went along, pretending that my grandmother’s handwriting was difficult to read which was why I was stumbling. After the audition, I waited, heart in my mouth, to hear him dismiss me. Instead, he smiled warmly for the first time and congratulated me for making the grade. ‘I knew you had forgotten your lines but that you carried on undaunted, making up the lines rather than stopping the scene shows that you were ‘in the moment’. And that’s what matters,’ [Taneja said].”

Meanwhile, actor Shatrughan Sinha, now a member of the Congress party, believes Taneja’s teachings helped him in the world of politics too. “I’m a good orator today because of him,” Sinha told Mirror. “He taught me all about body language, voice modulation, self-projection and presentation.”

In her note, Azmi offers an example of the transformations Taneja’s teachings were able to achieve. She recounts a time when, at FTII, she was called on to play a “nasty stepmother” in an improvised performance. The person playing her daughter was Neelam Mehra, a dear friend of hers, Azmi writes. “I went into the task reluctantly but within minutes was shocked by the fierceness of my nastiness. Poor Neelam didn’t know what hit her.”

All that she had unwittingly imbibed continued to stun Azmi even a decade later, she wrote, recalling her performance in Mahesh Bhatt’s film ‘Arth’. “[In one scene] I beg my husband to give me one more chance to make our marriage work. Begging is a humiliating emotion and I was so affected that I sobbed uncontrollably for about an hour after the director had shouted, 'cut !'. I was able to experience in its full intensity the rawness of that humiliation because Taneja Saheb had taught me how to delve into the depths of my own being rather than fake an emotion externally,” Azmi wrote.

In a teaching career that spanned almost 50 years, the master teacher guided several generations of actors including Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Danny Denzongpa, Subhash Ghai, Mithun Chakraborty, Anil Kapoor, Gulshan Grover, Ajay Devgn, Aamir Khan, Sunny Deol, Sanjay Dutt, Kumar Gaurav, Abhishek Bachchan, and Emraan Hashmi, to name a few.

Through his work, he, therefore, had a profound influence on performance in the Indian theatre and film industries. His legacy will, of course, live on. 

That’s one of the plot points in Sadak sequel which marks Mahesh Bhatt’s directorial comeback after 20 years
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 2, 2019)

Alia Bhatt’s first home production, Sadak 2, which also marks her father Mahesh Bhatt’s return as a director after 20 years, is currently in prep. Last week, Pooja Bhatt, who played the lead in the original and also features in the sequel, shared that Gulshan Grover was the first actor to receive the film’s final draft. Now, Mirror has learnt that the film revolves around the protagonist’s encounters with a godman.

“Alia’s character is out to expose a fake guru who runs an ashram. She is accompanied by Sanjay’s (Dutt) character in this journey. Sanjay has already started prep with Bhatt saab. They start shooting in a fortnight,” informs a source close to the development.

When Mirror reached out to Bhatt, he was uncharacteristically evasive, “Sadak 2 is about love, loss and redemption. To simplify a heartfelt narrative like this is to falsify it. You would be trivialising the essence of the film by suggesting that Sadak 2 is just this.”

Mirror (January 7) had earlier reported that Gulshan Grover who is reuniting with the filmmaker and Sanjay 20 years after the 1999 action-thriller Kartoos, is playing an antagonist in the film.

When asked if Gulshan plays the godman in the film, Mahesh clarified, “He is not. We have a ‘great’ actor playing that part. But Gulshan plays a very important part as well.”

When prodded on the actor who is playing the godman, the veteran writer-director said, “Let the actor sign on the dotted line and let the ink dry on the contract only then will we announce the name. I can’t reveal the identity (of the actor) till that is behind us.”

In an earlier interview to Mirror (November 3, 2017), Bhatt had revealed that Sanjay who was 32 when they made Sadak, returns as 54-year-old Ravi into the 21st century world that is collapsing in front of his eyes. “Where the distinction between the house and the ‘sadak’ is fast disappearing. The story has the emotional connect of the films I made back in the ’90s which brought a lump to the throats of the viewer,” he had said.