Irrfan Khan passed away after a two year battle with neuroendocrine tumour. The actor was just 53 years old. Irrfan Khan started his career in television in the mid 80's and worked mostly in television through the 90's and came to the notice of the Hindi film industry in the early 2000's. It was the work in thrillers from the Bhatt camp like KASOOR, GUNAAH and FOOTPATH which led the way to more assignments in the Hindi film industry.

The biggest achievement of Irrfan Khan as an actor was that he is the only actor from India to make a mark in mainstream Hollywood cinema with films like LIFE OF PI and JURASSIC WORLD. There have been many that have tried (male and female) but only Irrfan Khan manage to succeed.

The popular films of Irrfan Khan in Hindi cinema were PIKU, HINDI MEDIUM and GUNDAY. It is a coincidence that the last film to release before the lockdown was an Irrfan Khan starrer, ANGREZI MEDIUM. This film remained in theatres for four days before the entire country went into lockdown.

MUMBAI MIRROR (April 30, 2020)

Ali Abbas Zafar on the bond between him and his leading man and why switching genres is important for a filmmaker
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 24, 2019)

At 28, Ali Abbas Zafar made his directorial debut with the 2011 Katrina Kaif and Imran Khan-starrer Mere Brother Ki Dulhan. He followed it up with three films with Salman Khan, and the duo has emerged as a formidable combo. Now, Ali is looking forward to their reunion with a franchise. Excerpts from an interview:

How did your friendship with Salman take off?
I was an assistant director on Marigold (the 2007 Salman-starrer) but our first interaction happened while I was directing Gunday and he was shooting for Ek Tha Tiger. Katrina, who is close to both of us, introduced us. He heard Gunday’s story, and reacted positively to it, saying it’s a typical mainstream potboiler. He is like family to me. I treat him like an elder brother. The maturity in my work comes from his experience. When you do a film with Salman Khan, you can’t alienate a section of audience.

How do you react to fall-out reports between the two of you?
I don’t need to answer anyone because we know what our relationship stands for. I have never seen anyone write an article saying ‘oh, things are great between Salman and Ali’ but people only want to write that things are not great. They are more interested in writing wrong things about people.

How did you become a filmmaker?
I was doing a lot of theatre while studying at Kirori Mal College (in Delhi). I was involved in stagedesigning, acting, direction. Since then, I was clear that I wanted to be a director. After finishing my last project as an assistant director (Badmaash Company), Adi (Aditya Chopra), who is my soul brother and responsible for who I am today, told me, “Ali, I see a strong creative side in you, why don’t you start writing?” I had already written Mere Brother Ki Dulhan. He heard the story, and it was locked within seven days of the first meeting, while the cast was in place in another month.

From a rom-com to a sports drama (Sultan), an action thriller (Tiger Zinda Hai) and now, a family-drama with Bharat. You have switched genres with every film…
Exploring new stories gives you the same excitement as that of your first film. I don’t want to be termed as a filmmaker who makes a certain kind of cinema. It is important to explore new stories so that you don’t become boring with your work. Sometimes the appreciation will be universal, sometimes it will be mixed. But it’s important to keep trying.

Which one has been the most challenging?
It has to be Bharat because we tried to compress 70 years of history in two hours and in doing so, one has to be sure of what to retain and to edit out. Also, since it’s a period drama, I had to find emotion in something that I had not experienced in my life—it came from research. The film was not a copy-paste of the Korean original (An Ode To My Father). I made it a completely new film.

Did you think Bharat was riskier than the previous films as well?
Since Sultan and Tiger were big blockbusters, SK and I decided to team up on a film that’s different. We were aware that the new film’s business might not be the same as Sultan or Tiger Zinda Hai as we were on a slightly unconventional route. At the box-office, it has not done similar business as our previous films but is still a big money spinner for everyone associated. Not all films are meant to make Rs 300 crore at the box-office.

Since it’s Salman, a lot of people expected more action in the pirate scene, but you did not play to the gallery...
His character has been brought up with the philosophy of non-violence. The idea was to make people realise that violence is not the answer and the biggest problems can be solved by sitting across the table. We wanted to take a newer approach rather than have people say, “Ab toh Salman logon ko marega.”

You have thanked Baahubali writer, K V Vijayendra Prasad, in the film. Why is that so?
I think that thanks came from Atul (Agnihotri, producer) because when I was doing Sultan, Mr Vijayendra Prasad was developing the script for SK and Atul.

Is there anything you wish to change about your previous films?
With Bharat, I would want to rework the music because when we were working on it, we were sure that it would have a strong appeal, but it didn’t turn out the way it was intended. On Tiger (Tiger Zinda Hai), given the available resources, a little more time and we could have executed the action even better. In Sultan, if I had more time, I would work on the fights that SK had in the MMA section. I feel a bit more work on Gunday’s script would have made it stronger. The first film is always special and since I was learning while shooting Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, I wouldn’t want to change anything.

What’s happening with the third instalment in the Tiger franchise?
Right now, I am on a break in Dehradun, but I will be working on the script and as soon as it is ready, I will share it with SK. He is busy doing big films one after another and when we find a window, we will jump into Tiger 3.

And that would be your next directorial?
I haven’t decided on my next film as there are two stories that I am toying with right now. One of them is Tiger. Depending on which one I finish first and availability of dates, I’ll decide my next.

Is the second script also for Salman?
Well, that’s something I’d know only after completing the script.

Have you thought of a spin-off on Katrina’s character, Zoya, from Tiger franchise?
We are working on something which is a spin-off for Zoya, but let’s see. It is very important to lock the story first as only after that everything is possible.

What are the pressures of directing a big franchise like Tiger?
There is always pressure working with Salman, but when you do a franchise, it just multiplies. It is essential to write a bigger and better story every time you decide to carry forward the franchise. With my combination with SK, people put extra pressure and it gets even tougher.

Lastly, any plans to cast Salman and Shah Rukh in a film?
That is my dream project and inshallah, someday, I would write a story that brings them together in a film.

Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; February 10, 2019)

For his film based on India’s Cricket World Cup win in 1983, director Kabir Khan has put together an ensemble cast to form Team India led by Ranveer Singh who will step into the shoes of Kapil Dev. After Sahil Khattar, Jiiva, Ammy Virk and Harrdy Sandhu, the latest to join the cast is Pankaj Tripathi, who will essay Man Singh, the manager of the 1983 Indian team. Ranveer is looking forward to collaborate with the Bareilly Ki Barfi actor.

He says, “Pankaj Tripathi is one of the finest actors in India. He was a part of Gunday, but he had a brief role. I read somewhere that part of the reason he is doing ’83 is me! That’s a massive thing for him to say. I admire him as an actor. He has done some fine work in Newton, Gurgaon and Mirzapur all of which I have have seen and loved.”

The Padmaavat actor recently met Pankaj at an actors’ round table. He says, “I kept saying, ‘Sir I want to work with you’. I manifested it dil se and it has happened. Kapil and Man Singh have a beautiful track. I think I will learn a lot from him and he will help me grow as an actor.”

Karishma Shetty (DNA; December 18, 2017)

Ali Abbas Zafar is currently busy with the promotions of his upcoming movie Tiger Zinda Hai which marks the onscreen reunion of Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif after five years. The movie is a sequel to the 2012 hit Ek Tha Tiger which was then helmed by Kabir Khan.

Recently, the filmmaker, who worked with Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor in Gunday revealed that he would like to make an out-and-out situational comedy with them as well as Varun Dhawan. Ali said, "I want to do a three-hero film with Ranveer, Arjun and Varun. It’s something that genuinely excites me. If I can write a script where the trio can come together, it will be great. All three of them are exceptionally talented and have great comic timing. I’m dying to do an out-and-out situational comedy with them which would be more contemporary, cooler, much like a boys’ film."

Ali also spoke about Ranveer and Arjun's hilarious reaction to his latest outing Tiger Zinda Hai. "Ranveer and Arjun’s reaction right now is that I used them to become famous and then I went to Salman Khan (laughs) and now I’m only working with him. They feel used and abused. They called me to say, ‘Baba you used us in Gunday, made us run on coal trains in the heat and now, you are going and shooting in international, exotic locations like Austria and Morocco with Salman. Why didn’t you take us there?’ That complaint is an ongoing one, I have to hear it almost every third day," Ali quipped.

Tiger Zinda Hai is slated to release on December 22, 2017.

Lasyapriya Sundaram (BOMBAY TIMES; July 24, 2017)

Ranveer Singh told buddy Sultan director Ali Abbas Zafar how he celebrated the film while shooting in France
Subhash K Jha (DNA; July 16, 2016)


The film’s director (and Ranveer’s friend) Ali Abbas Zafar gets emotional as he speaks on the enthusiastic endorsement. “Ranveer is a buddy from a long way back. We became close friends during Gunday. I know how happy he is for me and the success of Sultan. If he was here, he would have joined me at the preview with my other special friends and he would’ve danced just as hard. But he’s in Paris shooting with Aditya Chopra for Befikre. So he saw the film there in the theatre.”

Says Ali, “After Ranveer did this amazing thing in Paris he immediately called me to tell me what he did. He told me, ‘Maine Paris mein Galaxy-Gaiety (two important single-screen theatres in Mumbai) bana diya’. Ranveer is that kind of a person. He doesn’t hold back. And he is genuinely proud of my achievement.”

Sultan director Ali Abbas Zafar on his apprehensions about his film, working with Salman and the prep that went into it
Sarita A Tanwar (DNA; May 27, 2016)

 As we walk out of his cabin, following our chat, Sultan director Ali Abbas Zafar tells me. “People have made this film so big with their expectations that I am scared.” He’s not anxious about what it would mean for him if his third film is not successful. He voices his apprehension, “People are talking about big numbers and talking about it in the same breath as Bajrangi Bhaijaan.” He confesses he finds that daunting, “My worry is that I don’t let Salman (Khan) down. He should not feel that I wasted his time.”

The 33-year-old director from Dehradun, who has previously made Mere Brother Ki Dulhan and Gunday has that indescribable small-town boy appeal that’s missing in big city boys. He is not embarrassed by how he started and that’s impressive. He tells me how that his first tryst with Bollywood began withholding the traffic three kilometres away from a location away from where Hrithik Roshan was shooting for Lakshya. From there to directing Salman Khan at his prime in a decade. He may be directing the star he likes to address as SK, for the first time, but he has worked with him on the same set, a few times. He flashbacks, “I always wanted to do a film with SK. But you know the kind of star that he is...I have an old association with him. I assisted on his film Marigold. Also, when he was doing Ek Tha Tiger, because of my relationship with Kabir, I assisted him on one schedule. Even though I was already a director. During that film, we kind of bonded. Then when I was making Gunday he said, ‘Come and narrate the story to me,' which I did. There was this mutual thing that kuch ho sakta hai. There is a kind of common ground when you talk about the kind of work you want to do and I think I found that with him.”

Ali believes that writing a character for Salman is not easy, and it is a huge responsibility. “The most important thing when you have a star like Salman is to create a character which surpasses or matches his stardom. So the idea was to create a character which he is excited about and says ‘yes’ to. This was a worthy enough character to put in one year of hard work into and that’s what we did. I came up and this is even before I started shooting Gunday I wrote 10 pages of Sultan. I went and narrated it to him with Adi. He said, ‘We are doing this film in 40 minutes.’ Once that happened, I went and made Gunday, finished everything and got into writing Sultan. when I presented the full draft to him, he was more than happy.”

Salman has never done a sports film while his contemporaries have delivered some big hits in the genre — Aamir (Lagaan), Shah Rukh Khan (Chak De!) and Farhan Akhtar (Bhaag Milkha Bhaag). Ali feels that Salman always wanted to do a sports film because he loves sports in one way or the other. “He also loves Sylvester Stallone, as we all know and he wanted to do that one film which was about sport and but yet was about more than sport. Sultan is about fighting out and fighting within. At heart, it is a very simple story about a man and a woman and what happens in their relationship. Wrestling is just the backdrop of the film. In wrestling, every time you lose you fall in the mud, you rise. It’s like life. The only thing they teach you in wrestling is: Just get up again after a fall. ‘Chal khada ho, chal khada ho,’ those are the only words they use while training a wrestler. That became a kind of a germ for the story.”

A sports film is also a first for Ali. He has grown up playing football, cricket etc, outdoors because “unlike the youth in the cities, who go to clubs, we used to play sports because we had no other option.” But why wrestling? Simply because simply because it hasn’t been done before? He shakes his head, “This whole idea of wrestling began with the 2012 Olympics when Sushil Kumar went to the finals of wrestling. One thing that came very blatantly to my observation was that he was so honest about winning that medal for the country. When he didn’t win the gold, he said ‘Today I tried my best but something was not right for me and I couldn’t win that medal and I hope next time I come back and win that medal.’ The kind of honesty he said that with, made me feel that there is definitely a character here. Also, I can’t do a sports film about fencing, it is not an Indian sport. It might just look very cool, but will it connect to an Indian audience? Maybe not. Wrestling is a very Indian sport. If you travel in our country you will see an akhara in every city. Benaras, Calcutta...if you drive towards Kolhapur, you will find 15 akharas. It was interesting for me to kind of re-look at an Indian sport and make it look cool for the audience.”

The director did prep for three months before the movie went on the floors. Says Ali, “Once I wrote the script, I travelled extensively in Haryana. For almost three months, I stayed there and I spent time in akharas, I met real life wrestlers, heard their stories, and understood the kind of physical disciplines they follow, about their married life, how much money the government gives them and all of that. All that happened as a process of looking at a wrestler’s life, and their personal problems. If you look at the condition of the wrestlers, you will feel bad, and yet they are so proud of the nation and want to bring back gold medals....That became the essence of Sultan. That continuous strife, even in the trailer, Sultan says, ‘Mera sapna hai ki main Hindustan ko gold dilau.’ That’s their dream because till the time they don’t get a medal of that calibre, no one will register them as an athlete. It’s not like cricket in T20 ki tumne pachas run maar diye to log bolne lagenge ki yaar yeh toh bahot talented ladka hai.”

As seen in the trailer, Salman plays a wrestler who then becomes a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter. MMA is a catch-all that embraces several fighting styles, wrestling being one of them, so a lot of things were different between the two sports. For wrestling, the research was in the country’s northern state, for MMA, they headed to LA. Ali and team spent three weeks scouting action directors. He explains the process, “We got in touch with this so-called sports choreography called AD 7-11 and they have done all the major so-called martial arts films from 300 to every big action film that you talk about. I met one action choreographer there —Lard and took him through the story, we locked them down and I told them the part is getting played by one of the biggest stars in the country. They Googled him and said, ‘WOW he is huge,’ and they were all very excited. I said my actor is very excited about the project, too, but he won’t be able to come here and train. So, six people travelled from LA and spent almost three-and-a-half months at his farm training him. Luckily because the kind of excitement level Salman has, he loves all that as he is still a boy a heart. He trained every day for three hours. He got thrown around, kicked and punched. But within three months he was kicking, punching and doing all those things like a pro. They put him into a perfect regime of what he has to eat and how much he has to gain etc.

Salman has two very different body types in the film. And according to Ali, he achieved that during the course of shooting. Ali adds, “In the first part of the film when he is a wrestler, his body type is different. And when he becomes an MMA fighter, his body type changes. Hats off to him the way he has transformed his body without taking a break, at 50 that is very difficult to do. We switched two body types while shooting which is phenomenal because the wrestling body is a little leaner and ripped and the bulkier body is for the MMA. In the film, the trainer tells him that you need to become a bull because that’s the only way you are going to survive, and he did it. Luckily, there is a lot of honesty between SK and me. He very honestly tells me what he feels and vice versa. There was no difficulty while working, apart from one thing which is that I always had to keep in mind that here is a man who has put so much to be in a certain way to for this film and he can’t over exert himself. He was working for me and for the film, even when he was not on the set because he had to spend four hours in the gym...”

During a visit to the Bigg Boss house, I’d seen Salman do his workout during breaks. He did a gruelling workout in the gym at the chalet. Ali salutes his effort, “Salman had put in so much effort that I had to be conscious that I don’t strain him because his body wouldn’t be able to take it. Because he had to look good on camera. Also, because extra physical exercise will happen in the ring while shooting. With a number of lights are pumped in, it’s hot, so your energy level can drop within an hour, and that is not good for the camera and the actor who is doing it. So there were days when Salman said, ‘Today I am not feeling up to it’ and I never pushed him. We shot for 40 days of action with him non-stop. When you shoot such a long duration of action your body within those 40 days changes because you are losing body salts every day. So by the time he started to the time he finished, his body has changed. Towards the end of it, he was looking like a completely ripped big guy.”

There was some buzz about Kabir Khan’s presence on the set and if it was because Salman wasn’t confident of Ali’s capabilities and he asked the Bajrangi Bhaijaan director to be present. Ali smiles, “Kabir is like an elder brother to me and I would always want him to be on set with me. When you have people who want things to become better for you and you find them on set, you only feel happy. It’s like having your family on set. He gets along with me, he gets along with Salman and we are very cool. I was on the sets of Bajrangi every day when he was shooting. I will go again on his set. There’s no problem.”

Arjun Kapoor on growing in confidence over a span of four years and making his mark
Sarita A Tanwar (DNA; May 23, 2016)


How many years has it been now? Six?
What since I became an actor?

Yes.
Four! What six!? You have turned me into an old hag. Six is too much. It’s been four years, exactly four years. You probably feel I am around because I have been around maybe a year before the shooting, the announcement had come that I have signed the YRF film.

Found your comfort zone? In terms of professional work?
Yes. Yes, I definitely feel I have... A lot depends on your audience feedback also. You know, in the beginning, you’re still finding yourself. You are wondering if the films are working because the films are good or even because you have that acceptance from the audiences. Are they coming to see you in a particular film or they’re coming to see a film and you happen to be in it? You need to solve that jigsaw puzzle on your own and connect with your audience when you interact with the audience. When you travel, you to get a sense that nahi yaar, you don’t know what it is, but they are liking something about you and you need to embrace that. You don’t need to fight it, you don’t need to doubt yourself, you need to say okay to whatever it is. Out of 1 billion people, there are about 10-12 people who get this opportunity and I happen to be one of them. There is plausible enough reason to believe the audience likes you. So don’t let any negativity or any confusion hold you back from that. So the first two three years go in figuring that out. I won’t say actors kaan ke kacche hote hai but there are lot of influencing factors when you are starting out, there are lot of people saying a lot of things. So you have to kind of take a step back, put things into perspective.

And actors live in a bubble, without interacting with the audience directly, so they don’t know their perspective.
Correct. I think the one good part about promoting films is that you get to meet audiences. That’s one advantage of going out to promote a film across the country. You get to see the country and the audience and you get to see what they react to. So like the audience in a Delhi reacts to a different film of yours that they’ve liked. The UP audience will react more to a Gunday. Gujarat, you’ll have people talking about 2 States. Every state has a different reaction...so you get a sense. So yes, you need to take a step back in the first one or two years, figure yourself out, enjoy the attention and then kind of... Now, I feel chaar saal is a good enough time for me to accept I’m here to stay. I think also the last film Ki & Ka doing the kind of business it did, kind of consolidated the fact that the audience is interested to watch me as an actor which is important. In the bigger picture, producers are putting their money on me. The kind of film it was, the number that it started with on the first day, was a pretty nice feeling as an actor to do a niche multiplex film and have Rs 7 crore-plus on the first day.

You’ve done so many different kinds of films. What is your comfort space in terms of genre?
I don’t have a comfort space in terms of genre. That’s one thing that no actor should ever find. You should be comfortable being an actor but you should not be comfortable ki main uss type ya iss type ki kar sakta hoon. I want to discover it all...

But for actors some things comes easier.. Be it, action, drama...
I am dying to do a comedy but nobody is offering me one. So I don’t know. Everybody said action is Arjun’s go-to, but my biggest success is 2 States, which has no action. I loved doing Ki & Ka and 2 States and Finding Fanny. Everybody says I’m intense but my sense of humour actually is one of my biggest assets. If you interact with me, you will find that it is one of my saving graces of my personality. I can make a person laugh or smile and cut the tension in the room. It’s just that I come across as a very serious person on face value. As an actor I can be funny, I can be charming, I can be serious, I have all the facets, it’s all about how a director sees me. And I never want to feel that this is my groove and I will stick to it. The fact that I did Ki & Ka because I wanted to again re-emphasises the fact that I don’t live in a groove. Even Half Girlfriend for that matter.

Two choices of yours Ki & Ka as well as Finding Fanny I don’t see any of the boys of your generation taking up a film like that.
Thank you.

What gives you the confidence to say yes to a film like that? Isn’t there that insecurity that will this be accepted?
You don’t think so deeply about not being accepted. You kind of believe that if the film is good, it will be accepted but yes thank you for appreciating the different choices that I’ve made. Finding Fanny was more about, yaar I think not enough ensemble films are made, not enough quirky experimental films are made with enough face value to get attention. My reason for doing Finding Fanny was if I don’t do this now when will I do this? Take chances, I was still young, I didn’t have to think about the consequences. Because the bigger you get, the harder it gets to experiment...

I would say that it’s easier to experiment when you are bigger because by then you know you have your fan base. So intially actors should aim for really safe films.
What is safe today? Ishaqzaade was not a safe debut and it did well. My first film kind of made me realise pushing the envelope is more exciting for the audience today than sticking to conventional films. My reason for doing Ki & Ka was it seemed like a risky film. I liked the fact that we were taking a risk, in terms of that a mainstream commercial Hindi film hero who is so macho in his perception is going to play a home maker. I think the film worked because Balki cast me in that role. I think if it was anybody else from my contemporaries it would have seemed a bit generic. It added a fun twist to it was to see this big burly guy who is like a giant taking care of the house and taking care of a woman and cooking and cleaning and playing house husband. I found that visual exciting. I found that story very relatable, so I went with the emotion of the film.

Having directors like Balki and Homi must have the big driving factor, right?
100 per cent. I think if it was somebody else coming with an idea about a me playing a home maker, I wouldn’t have done it. And of course to do a Finding Fanny you need somebody as out there as Homi. He was the main reason for me to jump in because you got to work with all kinds of people. You cannot always do films for the monetary reasons. You cannot always do it for box-office especially when you are starting out because you really don’t know what’s going to work. Like I said, you know once you keep working then you become even more serious about “no, I don’t want to do this because this will become my positioning’. When I was starting out, I was doing Finding Fanny along with Gunday and 2 States, so if you look at it as a spectrum they were three very different films. I didn’t know which one is going to work and which one isn’t.

A lot of your contemporaries in the same position are not experimenting. Where do you get the inspiration?
The thing is, I never wanted to be an actor. I am not competitive to a point where I want to outdo others and I don’t want to get into that rat race. I want to be a part of this turnaround that has happened in these last two to three years. I feel very proud that we have all kind of survived that wave and we are doing well. There is no sense of out positioning each other because we all have enough going on for us. We have allowed more films to be made, we have allowed more directors to dream, We have allowed more writers to make choices of writing extreme stuff like a Finding Fanny or a Badlapur.

You have always said that ‘I’m limited in a way the roles that I can do because people see me in a certain way because of the way I look.’ But you’ve played the most diverse characters. I don’t see any of your contemporaries doing a Fanny, or a Ki & Ka.
I think that’s primarily because I have made those choices before them so you’ll always think of me first.

I don’t see it.
I do believe I can do action better than all my contemporaries also because I just have the backdrop now with the kind of films that I have done so I’ll always be convincing in an action film. I do see Ranveer being able to do action well. I think we all are finding our grooves. What I said was that people see me in certain kind of roles. I don’t see myself that way. Not even the audience does. It’s the people making films, who are casting you, who always see you in one dimension or in a stereotypical or a way that. ‘oh iski pichli action chali toh...’ I am sure even Varun faces that, when he’s offered those teenybopper films all the time. I’m sure even Tiger would want to do other kind of genres but he’ll always be the go-to guy for masala action films. He’ll also have to find his groove. That’s a constant battle for young actors. But you should take chances I think that’s what I have learnt by doing a Ki & Ka, 2 States and Finding Fanny or even by doing television. You just have to keep working, you never know what’s going to work and you don’t have answers. Like Gunday was supposed to be the sure shot film eventually 2 States did better than Gunday.

How much of divide is there in the kind of films the older guys are doing and the kind of films that younger heroes are doing?
I think there is a divide because the appetite of the audience is a certain way for certain actors. I do believe that they have been moulded into a certain pattern. Because the audience diktat says that when they go to see films of Khans, Akshay, Ajay, even a Hrithik for that matter, he has to play the star. So all of them have to play to their audience, their fan base — and their fan bases are huge — so they have to appease them before anybody else, so their choices are dictated by...log kyu aate hai paisa kharch karne? There is a lot of money riding on them, they would love to take risks I’m sure.

Like Shah Rukh did with Fan.
Which I think is commendable. I think they all take risks. I do believe even a Bajrangi was a risk in that sense. It was not a typical action Eid kind of film. It was an emotional tale of a man and a child. Even for like Aamir doing a Talaash, and Ajay did a Drishyam. Nobody speaks about those films because they all think about Action Jackson first unfortunately. So they all attempt different films but we tend to remember the bigger, flashier, commercial, pot boilers more. So I think the senior stars don’t get their due enough. Look at Akshay, he has done Airlift, and Baby last year.

They are limited because their audiences don’t want to see that.
But the audience has seen them in different films. But there are certain limitations. They cannot make song less films with superstars. You can’t suddenly go dry. The films have to have enough to appease the masses also because the masses do come out to watch them. So they will have that extra song maybe they’ll have that one action sequence or little more dialogue baazi but the material is still getting more relevant and more young.

None of the Gen Next actors don’t really fit into the kind of films that the older guys do...
Correct. We don’t.

Except for Tiger, you all have the multiplex audience on your side and Tiger has — because of the kind of films that the single screen audience.
Correct. He has done two films that played to the gallery. Yes, I have done my Tevar and Gunday. I have enjoyed that side of performing also, and I will never shy away from them. But yes, to the multiplex audience, our films have appealed more to their sensibility. Which I think will change over a course of the next couple of years I might do a massy film and I might discover that even I want to do more of that.

I think those kind of films are dying.
Yes, because now they have become like junk food. Once every six months you get a film like that you’ll enjoy it. Earlier it used to be staple and the multiplex film used to do be once in a while you saw an interesting unique film. Now the interesting unique films are every month.

Multiplex audiences is still essentially the cities right? While single screens are everywhere. So which audience would you rather woo?
Yes, it’s still the cities. But the money in cities is much more. Today four cities can allow you to do Rs 70-80 crores. Between Pune, Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, little bit of Gujarat. Look at Neerja, Kapoor and Sons, Ki & Ka these are multiplex dominated areas where these films have done very good numbers. At the same time, a single screen film like Baaghi can do Rs 70 crores because it’s appealing to the rest of the country. So the numbers on both sides. But single screen films are becoming little obsolete now because the audience is now watching Hollywood films all the time. They have the internet and they are aware of what’s happening around the world. Now filmmakers know they are making films for an intelligent mindset and they want to see everything new. They want to see a Neerja and an Airlift and a Kapoor and Sons to discover a family drama of a different kind rather than the song dance routine one. They want to see a macho hero play a typically female oriented character and pull it off. These are the kinds of things that have worked along with a Baaghi, I’m not denying that. But I think Baaghi worked because it is the exception this year. I think because it came at the right time also. There is a certain enjoyment about watching a commercial masala film once in a while. So I think if he is the go-to guy for that then I am very happy for Tiger, I think everybody should have their groove and everybody should appeal to all kind of audiences. I have always believed that an actor should be able to appeal to every audience member eventually. You cannot be like ki yaar main multiplex...

Yes, but sometimes audience slots you. They decide what they like you in best.
I have been very lucky. I have a lot of decent goodwill in the mass thought process also. When I have interacted with people the younger boys, the men... they have enjoyed Gunday, Ishaqzaade, and Tevar. So I feel maybe I just need a correct film to kind of reconnect with them and take it to that level. Sometimes you just need the correct film. You might have the potency, you might have a connect, but to really see the volume of numbers you need a correct film also. But it’s going to be I think once a year you’ll see a Baaghi doing well, once or twice a year you’ll see that kind of a film doing well more than the Neerja’s and Kapoor and Sons and all.

Ranveer Singh on the effect buddy Arjun Kapoor has on him
Tushar Joshi (DNA; January 26, 2016)


YEH DOSTI
“I met Arjun after months recently and we made this video which I am contemplating putting out there or not as it’s very embarrassing. (He shows a Dubsmash between Arjun and him dancing to Mera Piya Ghar Aaya O Ramji and bursts out laughing). Decoding us is very simple. The reason why people love our jodi is because it’s genuine and heartfelt otherwise it can’t have garnered so much love. The fact that we are genuine friends and people recognise that. Their love for us is more off-screen than on-screen although there was Gunday and there is a certain strata of society that loves us for Gunday. There are certain small towns I visit or people from certain walks of life or strata of society that I meet who, when they meet me, the first thing they recognise me for is Gunday. It had that kind of mass appeal. But Arjun and I as a pair are appreciated for our off-screen chemistry because we come from an honest place. Even when I met him recently, we only had five minutes as I had to go somewhere, but we were meeting after so long that I ended up sitting and chatting with him for hours. He’s somebody I am in touch with on a daily basis, we keep talking sh*t and messaging each other on chats some nonsense and we have so much in common that we never run out of things to talk about. Arjun is an extremely intelligent, funny and knowledgeable guy and he stimulates my imagination and he is somebody who can be so engaging in a conversation that I just love hanging out with him. He enters the room and I light up like a 1000-watt bulb!”

Priyanka Chopra, who's shooting Quantico in Montreal will be back next month to sign two films
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 12, 2015)


Last week, Priyanka Chopra walked into Times Square in New York to find herself splashed across billboards and digital screens in the busiest pedestrian junction of the world. It's the same, in the Canadian city, Montreal, where she is filming her upcoming TV show, Quantico.

Speaking to Mirror from her new home in Quebec City, PeeCee admits she feels like an 18-year-old debutante all over again. "I had just won the Miss World title when I signed for Andaaz opposite Akshay Kumar. I remember sitting at Juhu Beach, gazing at six hoardings and wishing I were up there too. It took me five years to get there, and I was finally across all of them just before Fashion released. It's the same feeling all over again," she reminisces.

The actress, who flew off to Los Angeles on July 20, has a new bestie in co-star Anabelle Acosta. There's a lot of 'womance' on the sets and PeeCee has her own girl gang. "It's like being back in school with the boys chilling out together and the girls doing their own thing. My co-stars are experienced TV actors and a big support. I'm glad I am not alone, this time around," she asserts.

Recently, she screened one of her Hindi hits for them. "And ever since the boys saw Gunday, they've been taking off their shirts and running around the sets in slow motion, like Ranveer (Singh) and Arjun (Kapoor) from the film," she laughs, adding that they plan to record a video of them imitating the Indian actors and send it to the film's director, Ali Abbas Zafar, as their audition tape for his next Hindi film. "Realising how far I am from home, they've been taking extra care of me. Despite living in the US, they too miss home when they're shooting in Canada. We stick together. By month-end, my mom, (Madhu Chopra) will be with me too. I cannot live alone!"

The 33-year-old actress has been filming 16 to 20 hours, canning nine scenes a day, shuttling between the past and the future for reel. All the recruits have a specific reason for joining the force and the ABC production chronicles their training in the present, before they fastforward to the future, when PeeCee's half-Indian, half-American character is suspected of masterminding the biggest terror attack on New York City, since 9/11. She also has an affair with a fellow recruit, Ryan Booth, played by Jake McLaughlin, who was last seen as the lead in NBC's fantasy drama, Believe. Aunjanue Ellis plays Miranda Shaw, the assistant director of the FBI Academy, and Josh Hopkins is her subordinate, FBI Special Agent Liam O'Connor. There are a lot of action sequences and Priyanka has been relying on the strength she built up for Don, Mary Kom and most recently, Gangaajal 2. "I'm confident and have a great body of work behind me. Hindi films are my heart and soul, my strength and ammunition out here," she says, adding that there are lots of hand-to-hand combat sequences in the series. "The fighting is as real as it gets, with punches, kicks and pushes. Alex Parrish is super-sexy and totally badass, so there are no wires and no flying around, Bollywood ishtyle."

Priyanka returns to India by the end of September to wrap up Sanjay Leela Bhansali's period romance, Bajirao Mastani. "I have a few sequences with Ranveer (Singh) that I will wrap up and return to the US for Season 2. I'm not bound by a ridiculous contract, I can travel back and forth. I'm balancing my two worlds like the hands of Liberty," she giggles.

She reveals that during her next visit to India she will sign two Hindi films before she flies back to the US. She will also shortlist a few other projects. Is one of the films the much-awaited Don 3? "I can only confirm what films I am signing when I'm in Mumbai. I love everyone at Excel (Entertainment). Ritesh (Sidhwani), Farhan and Zoya (Akhtar) are my family. But nothing is finalised and it's too early to say anything," she reasons. "Waise bhi, it's the director's prerogative whom they want to work with."

What about a Hollywood film? "Bollywood is not a stepping stone to the West. I am extremely picky and in no hurry to sign a Hollywood film. I am only greedy for great roles, language and country is no barrier. And yes, I'll always be a Hindi film star first," she signs off.

Arjun Kapoor on pressures about being an actor, dressing up, acting in his first home production and being one of few stars from the new generation who has been linked with all his co-stars
Harshada Rege (DNA; December 9, 2014)


Usually, industry kids make their debut with a home production, but you are already pretty established. Is the pressure different from what it would have been if this was your debut film?
When you do a film, you don’t think like that. When you’re shooting, it’s only about getting the work done that day. You are going day-by-day, and not thinking of the bigger picture. You are only trying to make the work happen, and that goes for every film, even if it isn’t a home production. I would consider YRF as much my home production, so I put in the same amount of effort. The excitement, the nervousness… all those emotions are the same, but now that I sit down and talk to people there’s that realisation that there is certain perception that comes with working in a home production, and I am very okay with that baggage. I am very proud of my home production, I am very proud of my father and I want the film to do very well.

Was it easier then to work in a home production?
No, because there are a lot more emotions off-camera. You feel lots of things… I had my father on the sets for the very first time. I mean, he has always seen my films before they release, but that’s the final product. He got to see my process as an actor for the very first time and that’s a different feeling. Waking up on an outdoor and knowing your dad’s staying in the next room, you can meet him before you go… I have not had that all my life... I mean for as long as I can remember. It’s always been that you meet him at some point in the day or talk to him over the phone, but to wake up in the morning and share a meal with him or to meet him on the set for lunch, those are things I have not experienced before. So there were those emotions.

Looking back, any regrets it wasn’t your first film?
I didn’t do my first film with the home banner because I wanted to be worth something so that my dad could make his kind of film. But on the sets, I like to be his reality check, his mirror. When we were shooting for the Superman song. We’d wake up early in the morning and wait for the fog to clear. Then we would keep shooting till we could. The song was scheduled for five days, but we finished it in four, so on the fifth day we didn’t know what to do. I told Remo (D’Souza), let’s just shoot the song everywhere once again. In the trailer, you see so many places because we were pushing the unit and we got better output. But there was no pressure, ki yaar kya hoga, because nobody can control the fate of the film. But I am happy that I have worked with dad at this point. Maybe if it was my first film, I wouldn’t have been able to handle it. Having this little experience of two years keeps me sane and calm and doesn’t let me feel the burden of pressure.

You’ve always been close to Salman Khan. The Superman song’s an ode to him…
I was quite surprised when I heard the song because I never thought Amit, our director, will get such a commercial hook line for the song. I thought he would have that montage kind of a song, establishing Agra ka character. Remember that song, Dhakka Laga Buka in Yuva? This song was supposed to be like that…a journey in the alleys of Agra. But suddenly they found this hook and they realised that it works very well with my character Pintu. He genuinely believes he is a superhero because he helps people all the time, and he is a fan of Salman in the film, so it made sense. I told him to be prepared because it will never be Pintu’s song, it will be Arjun’s song for Salman. Hum kitne baar bhi bol de key eh Pintu ke liye likha hai, but people are going to say nahi yeh Arjun ne Salman ke liye kiya hai. It came from an organic-ness in the film and then you realise it fits with the film’s perception too, and the fact that I am doing it. So, two plus two became four in a very nice way. It wasn’t manipulated. I loved it and I was looking forward to doing a song where I get to dance after Chokra Jawaan.

Yes, that was the first time you showcased your dancing skills.
Chokra jawaan was an acid test to prove to Aditya Chopra that I could dance. He thought I had two left feet — Everyone at Yash Raj ­­because of my body structure and by body language — thought I was a very laidback, lazy guy with two left feet. For Chokra jawaan, I rehearsed for five days then I performed for Adi in the studio in the rehearsal hall for five-and-a-half minutes like a stage show. And then Adi said, ‘Okay you can do it’. He had said that if I hadn't proved to him then they would have shot the song differently. With Gauahar dancing and me just watching it. But I refused to accept it, and wanted to prove myself. 2 States had little dancing, Gunday was more free styling and less dancing. But with the Tevar song, I can say people haven’t seen me dancing like this.

Do you enjoy dancing or is it something you do like a job?
I love dancing. I know that I am not the best dancer, but I enjoy dancing. I think it shows on your face when you like dancing. We have grown up seeing people like Govinda and Madhuri Dixit who love dancing. We loved them not just because of the way they dance, but also because they could make you want to dance. I am that kind of person, when I see someone dancing well I feel like dancing. But when someone complicates it, I get scared. As long as I am comfortable with it, I enjoy it. Superman was me finding my comfort level again. There’s another song which you will see later in which I have danced again…kyunki producer papa hain toh maine pura advantage liya hai (laughs).

Tevar is a solo hero film. Apart from Gunday, most of your movies have been solo hero projects. Is it a conscious thing?
I have never perceived it that way. I think from my generation, I am one of the few actors to have done so many ensemble movies. Finding Fanny, I knew was truly one and I really enjoyed it. In Aurangzeb, Prithvi had an amazing role. 2 States is also an ensemble, without Amrita Singh and Ronit Roy that film is nothing. I have never seen it that way. In Tevar too, both Sonakshi Sinha and Manoj Bajpayee have important roles. But yes, I love doing ensemble movies. Finding Fanny was selfishly a wholesome experience for me because I got to work with Naseer, Pankaj, Dimple m’am and Deepika, and all in the same frame at the same time. It was really good fun. I would love to do a two hero-three hero film as long as it gives me something to bite into like Fanny did. In Gunday, I knew both the roles are equally fleshed out. We could’ve switched our roles and still got equal credit for it. I would love to do a movie like Ocean’s 11, but nobody is going to make it here. If I was to do that movie, I would love to do Matt Damon’s role. I would love to see more cooler, senior actors play George Clooney and Brad Pitt. In Matt Damon’s role I would observe them and blend in.

Not many upcoming actors would want to blend in; wouldn’t you want to stand out?
It’s about balancing. If I do three Tevar’s in a year, it’s great to do an Ocean’s 11. I chose to do a Finding Fanny because I knew I was going to be doing an Okkadu remake after it. That much sensibility you have to garner, ke okay you want to do this and that also for yourself. It might change in one year, you might meet me and I might say ‘Mujhe toh sirf solo hero hi karni hai’, but at this point I am open to anything.

You haven’t really done any bubble gum romance…
I’d love to do an urban romcom, but I think jab tak main daadhi shave nahi karungga tab tak mujhe koi aisa offer nahi dega.

Your female fan following sure increased after 2 States…
I sensed that change in women after 2 States, especially the younger generation. Also children, who were scared of me. I remember I was travelling for an ad shoot and a lady came up to me in hotel lobby, and said that her seven-eight year old son watches Gunday every night while eating his dinner. And I was really excited because I have done stuff like that. I used to watch Ram Lakhan while having dinner. So I went to meet him. When he saw me, he kept saying ‘Bala, Bala’. His expressions went from being taken aback to wailing loudly. He spent more than hour in the lobby of that hotel hiding from me. That’s when I thought ki yeh badlana padega.

The audience accepted you…
One thing I’ve realised is that you can’t plan all these things. I didn’t know where I was going to be after two years when Ishqzaade released. Too many factors are at play — luck, destiny, circumstances, a good director and most importantly, acceptance from the audience. You can’t plan that. You can work really hard, look your best, but if they don’t want to see you, then they don’t want to see you. And sometimes they want to see you no matter what. There’s something the audience catches and latches on to. I always wonder how it happened so quickly with Ishaqzaade. I always thought I will have to work slow and steady to get to a scenario where I can do a movie like Tevar. It’s a full-on commercial, entertaining film, which nobody from my generation has really attempted. People have done it in probably a two-hero set up like Gunday, but nobody from my generation has done a solo, typical Hindi film. If I can do it in two years, and create some buzz that will have people intrigued to go and see the film after the trailer then that’s a good sign. It means that there’s some level of acceptance from the audience.

You said that Aditya Chopra asked you to concentrate on your acting rather than your looks, but today you are constantly under the scanner for how you dress or look. Comment.
Kabhi Kabhi lagta ki log itna kyun notice karte hain. Rhea (Kapoor) is doing my styling now. But in my personal life, I can’t think so much about these things. If I had it my way, I’d wear my favourite yellow shorts and any shirt that was lying around while stepping out. But now you realise that there’s an excitement among people to know how you are, what you are, and about your personal life. That has happened due to the success of the films. But I still can’t be dressing up and think so much. If I am growing out with my hair now, I am going to be have a month of bad hair days. But I’m okay with it. You should realise that people may notice now and comment on it, but when you look fine after a month they will forget that. During Gunday, I had a quiff, which can look strange with a suit. People would say iske paas baal katne ke paise nahi hai. But how many people can I explain it to that I am doing it for a movie? Something looks good on camera, but it may not be appealing off it. Like in Tevar, I knew I wanted to look broad, because if I am beating up 10 people, I should look like someone who can pull it off. I am anyway broad, I am a kabbadi player, so I thought let me use that to my advantage and play it to the gallery. But if I am looking like that while promoting 2 States obviously I don’t look like I did in that film because I am shooting this one. I can’t help it. You can’t be worried and bogged down by who is saying what about you all the time.

You were linked to Sonakshi during Tevar and to Alia in 2 States. Why does that keep happening with you?
It’s not something that I want. It just happens. Just yesterday, I was telling someone that 22 is now 36, it’s not even 22 now. Sonakshi is my neighbour. I have known her since school days, we are acquaintances and friendly for many years. We have always met at parties and would hang around. This is the first time I’ve worked with her. And when you work with someone you get to know them better. Either you get along with them or you realise that this person cannot become a friend. In her case, I really got along with her and that just made it easy for us to be more than just social friends because we know each other’s friends too. We have stepped out for 10 films, but it’s just we have been snapped two-three times. And you can’t explain it to everyone that we had eight other people with us. It’s okay, it’s a small price to pay. The link-ups cannot be changed.

Does that make things awkward?
Not between her and me. The one thing I don’t appreciate is that sometimes people jump to the conclusion that these people are doing it for the film’s publicity.

Don’t you have people telling you to ignore it because it will benefit the movie?
Yes, I have been told that also. But I don’t agree with it. I don’t think that audiences are that stupid to go watch a movie because of a link-up story. Maybe people would come out of curiousity about the actors for the first day, but after that it’s about the film and how good it is. At least, I don’t come from that school of thought that believes you need to do all this to make your movie work. That’s the only thing that irks me a little…people shouldn’t assume that we are doing it for publicity.

There was a lot of speculation about your absence at Arpita’s wedding considering you are very close to Salman.
That’s my equation with Salman and the family…there’s nothing to speculate. I think there were far more interesting things happening like Shah Rukh and Salman bhai meeting.

Do you keep a tab on your competitors?
I am aware of the goings-on because I’ve grown up in the industry. The way people discuss things at their dinner table, this is normal conversation for us. We’d probably know if a movie is being made before many people would because we are a part of this profession. It’s not that we are dying to know, it’s just a part of our lives. It’s very matter-of-fact. I don’t need to keep a track because it automatically comes to me.

Ranveer and you…
Hum shaadi karne wale hain jis din rules badal jaayenge.

What happens to Deepika?
Deepika who? There’s only Ranveer and me (laughs).

The camaraderie obviously goes beyond just movies, how does that work when you are both competitors?
There’s something nice Akshay Kumar once said, “We are not horses who are in a race. We are not pitting against one another.” The media does that so that they can compare who they like better. But liking someone is completely subjective. There’s enough work for all of us to do…. If these factors start affecting your personal life, you’ll never be happy. You have to look beyond them.

One hasn’t seen this kind of bonding in the older generation right at the beginning of their career. You guys hang out together, party together…that’s very unique to your generation....
Maybe that’s because we all know each other before we joined the industry. Ranveer and I knew each other before we’ve became what we have become today. I know Varun (Dhawan). I knew Sid before his Student Of The Year and my Ishaqzaade released. But just because we’ve started doing well, doesn’t mean we start behaving differently with each other. Why would you change your friendships? I am genuinely very fond of the guy (Ranveer). I can be very honest with him about his films and he is equally honest about my work. He saw 2 States and he called me, I spoke to him about Ram-Leela. After watching Finding Fanny, he kept telling me, you are going to Hollywood. I told him that I can’t go to Hollywood, Anil Kapoor is already there.