Showing posts with label Halo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Halo. Show all posts
I would have given the Governor role an edge, had I been given the chance-Ananth Narayan Mahadevan
9:38 AM
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; June 19, 2026)
Despite the accolades and decades of experience, actor and director Ananth Mahadevan says he is often overlooked for roles that he believes are tailor-made for him. The latest disappointment? The Manoj Bajpayee-starrer Governor.
After playing RBI governor S Venkitaramanan in Hansal Mehta’s Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story (2020), Mahadevan earned widespread praise. Yet, when casting began for A Ramanan — a character reportedly inspired by S Venkitaramanan — nobody approached him.
“When Scam 1992 came out, Manoj was one of the first persons to acknowledge my performance on social media, before Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Shahid Kapoor. I would have given the role an edge and looked like the character of the Governor, had I been given the chance,” laments Mahadevan. He adds that filmmakers today often “lack maturity” in their thinking.
While Bajpayee may enjoy greater popularity, Mahadevan argues that both actors are ultimately valued for their craft. “Manoj may be a more popular star than me but he has a different grade of popularity. He is not in the rat race, as he himself admits. If they had got Kamal Haasan to play that part, I would have been fine with it.”
The actor says this isn’t the first time he has been sidelined. He recalls messaging director Neeraj Pandey about the R D Burman biopic with photographs, only to receive no response. “Maybe because they wanted more commercial options,” he says.
“If they had taken a Bengali actor who looked like the music director, that would have been alright. I have nothing against Farhan Akhtar, his father [Javed Akhtar] is a dear friend, but if I was making the film, would I cast Farhan? No.”
The roles that slipped away
- ‘Thiruda Thiruda’ (1993): Mahadevan says director Mani Ratnam had initially considered him for the CBI inspector’s role, which eventually went to SP Balasubrahmanyam.
- ‘Halo’ (1996): He says cinematographer-director Santosh Sivan had approached him for a father’s role, but filmmaker Rajkumar Santoshi ultimately played the part.
I never thought I’d get such diverse roles in the 50th year of my career-Shabana Azmi
2:34 PM
Niharika Lal (BOMBAY TIMES; February 25, 2024)
During a recent discussion with a student collective, Shabana Azmi spoke about her days at St. Xavier's, her experience at FTII, her first roles, and the lasting impressions her teachers left on her. Shabana shared how in the 50th year of her career, she is once again getting the kind of roles she had never expected: from Steven Spielberg's Halo and Shekhar Kapur's What's Love Got To Do With It to Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani and Ghoomer.
"Meri energy wahan se aati hai ki mujhe zindagi se bahut dilchaspi hai. Mere 50th saal mein ek naya silsila shuru hua hai mere career mein - do saal ke dauran mujhe itne mukhtalif (diverse) roles mile. Pehle main yeh kabhi nahi soch sakti thi ki mujhe itne mukhtalif role milenge. I feel I'm so lucky. I am at that stage in life where I don't need to do any roles, so when I find a role challenging, if I feel if the role is saying something that I believe in, then I do it. Mujhe ek mauka milta hai apne films ke zariye unn subjects ko chhune ka jo aam taur par log nahin discuss karte."
Talking about her co-stars, Shabana remembered Farooq Sheikh. Shabana shared that when she enrolled at St. Xavier's College, she found that there was no Hindi theatre program in the college. So Shabana and Farooq Shaikh decided to form the Hindi Natya Manch. Talking about her friendship with Farooq Shaikh, she said, "Farooq se meri behad dosti thi. Woh St. Xavier's College mein mere saath thay."
Later in their careers, they worked together in the play Tumhari Amrita, directed by Feroze Khan, which they performed across various countries. She recalled, "Jab aakhri show hua Tumhari Amrita ka, toh humne usey Taj Mahal ke backdrop mein kiya. Maine kaha ye play hum 22 saal se kar rahe hain, ab humein iss play par parda gira dena chahiye. Farooq ne poocha, kyun? Hum 22 saal se kar rahe hain, agle 22 saal tak aur karenge isey."
She added how just 14 days after this, Farooq passed away. “Ye baat mere sar mein constantly ghoomti hai. Woh itni young age mein guzar gaye ki mujhe aaj tak ajeeb lagta hai ki itni jaldi zindagi ne use kyun chheen liya humse? It's a huge pity."
Shabana also shared other anecdotes from her career. When Shyam Benegal offered her two roles together for the first time, she told her mother 'koi fraud director hai'. And when Satyajit Ray offered her a role, “main khushi se pagla gayi.” She told the students how these directors appreciated her craft and the nuances of acting that she learned from them.
Within 2 days after breaking my wrist, I came to Budapest to shoot for Steven Spielberg’s Halo-Shabana Azmi
8:18 AM
Sugandha Rawal (HINDUSTAN TIMES; March 23, 2023)
There is nothing that can stop actor Shabana Azmi from working, not even a broken wrist. The actor was back on the set, ready to shoot, just two days after sustaining injuries. The show must go on, she says firmly, and she hopes she can work till her last breath. “That is the way I have always been,” the 72-year-old tells us while opening up about her injury.
She adds, “This is not so bad. There was a time when I twisted my ankle just before a show. My mother (late artiste Shaukat Kaifi) said to me, ‘You can’t cancel a show. The show must go on’. And I have believed in that since then. At that time, I didn’t know it was a fracture. I thought it was a sprain. But I went on stage after taking injections. So, such things keep happening, and you have to just carry on.”
The veteran continues, “Now, I am working with a broken wrist. Within two days after breaking it, I had to come to Budapest to shoot for Steven Spielberg’s Halo. My family was worried and said, ‘How can you travel? What can you do?’ But I wanted to do it. Now, I am managing to work with this. It’s putting some challenges on the crew, and it’s putting some challenges on me. But over the years, I have realised that I am happiest when I’m working. I would like to die with my shoes on.”
In fact, even during the pandemic, Azmi chose work over everything else and decided to go to London to shoot Shekhar Kapur’s international project, What's Love Got to Do with It? “When I was told not to go, it was not coming from a place of ‘You are doing something wrong’, but in a way that it might be a hazardous thing to do. But I trusted my gut,” she ends.
Indian OTT platforms are falling into the trap of whodunits, abusive language, sex, violence-Shabana Azmi
8:01 AM
With the release of Halo behind her, Shabana Azmi on how Indian OTT platforms are choosing stars over stories
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; March 27, 2022)
It’s a wonderful time to be an actor amid the OTT boom. Ask Shabana Azmi who got a taste of Indian digital entertainment with The Empire (2021), following it up with the recent international offering, Halo. Thrilled about the opportunities coming her way, the actor credits the OTT revolution for enabling her to experiment with varied roles. “Since OTT doesn’t depend on immediate box-office gains, unlike films that heavily bank on them, the content can be varied,” she says.
But where there is an upside, there is a flipside, too. The actor is worried that Indian streaming platforms are roping in stars to appeal to the masses instead of focussing on content. She says, “I think OTT platforms are losing the opportunity of creating their own stars. Why are they running after the big stars and big banners? That was [never the] mandate. Instead of focussing on content and giving opportunities to independent directors to make documentaries that have archival value, they are falling into the trap of whodunits, abusive language, sex, and violence. Don’t miss the woods for the trees.”
None of the actor in Steven Spielberg's Halo is cast due to their ethnicity-Shabana Azmi
8:09 AM
A still from Halo. Pics/Instagram, Getty Images
With the makers of her upcoming sci-fi series Halo employing colour-blind casting, Shabana Azmi bats for diversity on screen
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; March 6, 2022)
In early 2020, Shabana Azmi began shooting for Steven Spielberg-backed Halo, adapted from a popular video game. Two years on, the sci-fi television series—which sees the actor play Admiral Margaret Paragonsky, the head of the Office of Naval Intelligence—is set to air on Paramount+ from March 24. Azmi says it was a sheer pleasure to be part of a project that employed colour-blind casting.
“Halo has a cast that includes Korean, African American, English, Indian and Hungarian actors. None of them is cast due to their ethnicity, nor is anyone made to put on an accent that is not intrinsically theirs. That is so refreshing,” she exclaims.
Colour-blind casting, where one’s ethnicity is not considered while casting for a role, has become increasingly popular in recent times. While the practice has some detractors, the move is largely welcome as it boosts diversity on screen.
Azmi echoes the sentiment, as she says, “Every part that I have played in the West in the last 34 years has been that of a South Asian, and they weren’t visible on the screen till recently. I remember asking John Schlesinger as far back as 1988 [while working on Madame Sousatzka] that in the book, the mother was a Jew; how come he decided to make her Indian? He had said, ‘Indians are so much a part of the British fabric, it must result in the choices we make.’ As the world becomes a global village, it makes sense to be inclusivist and diverse. The struggle for colour-blind casting started about 40 years ago, and finally, we are seeing some results.”
The senior actor describes her character as a hard-nosed, no-nonsense woman. “But I had to find her vulnerable spot because you can’t play a character on one sur. She is conflicted because she has been trained to abide by the rules and yet she allows the unscrupulous scientist to manipulate her.”
Before Azmi reported to the show’s set, showrunner-director Otto Bathurst organised her visit to the Halo world’s lab, 343 Industries. “It was such an alien world, but so fascinating. I didn’t know the game but my 12-year-old nephew Viraaj, who had never before given me time of day, was suddenly impressed by his Shabana bua,” she laughs.
It is therapeutic to work and as long as one adheres to the safety protocols, it’s fine-Shabana Azmi
8:09 AM
Kavita Awaasthi (HINDUSTAN TIMES; March 26, 2021)
A year ago, Shabana Azmi had just returned from Budapest, Hungary, after shooting for Steven Spielberg’s futuristic sci-fi adventure television series Halo and was in quarantine. Today, she is busy wrapping up her portions in the European city and is expected to return to India in early April.
The 70-year-old actor has been shooting almost non-stop for the past few months for Nikkhil Advani’s web series, Moghuls, in India, Shekhar Kapur’s rom-com, What’s Love Got To Do With It, in London (UK) and Halo. Thoroughly enjoying the hectic work schedule, she reveals, it didn’t take a lot of convincing to return to the sets post the lockdown.
“I resumed work in Mumbai as early as September 2020 for Nikkhil’s web series and then followed it up with shoot in Budapest and London. We get tested five times a week. It is therapeutic to work and as long as one adheres to the safety protocols, it’s fine,” she says.
Azmi had tweeted that she was having a wonderful time working with Hollywood actor Emma Thompson. She adds, “Emma is lovely, funny and warm. We got along from the minute we met.” Azmi, who was in her Khandala home with her husband Javed Akhtar for over three months last year during the Coronavirus lockdown, says that it was lovely. “Both Javed and I were glad to discover that we enjoy each other’s company a lot! The crisis became an opportunity for us, which is not to say that the divide between the haves and the have-nots were not of concern to us,” she says.
When not shooting for Halo, I'm washing clothes and shopping for groceries-Shabana Azmi
8:03 AM
Resuming work on Steven Spielberg's Halo in Budapest amid pandemic, Shabana Azmi on enjoying her stint away from home
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; November 19, 2020)
While we continue to be confined within the four walls of our homes, Shabana Azmi has not only dashed off to Budapest but also raced ahead in time to the 26th century. Earlier this month, the actor resumed work on Steven Spielberg's futuristic sci-fi adventure television series Halo, which has been adapted from a video game. The Otto Bathurst-directed venture, also featuring Pablo Schreiber and Natascha McElhone, sees Azmi play Admiral Margaret Parangosky, the head of the Office of Naval Intelligence.
"It's lovely to be back on the set. Pablo Schreiber and Natascha McElhone are wonderful co-stars. We have adopted the bio-bubble mode, and are following several precautionary measures," says the actor, who will be stationed in the Hungarian capital till December. When she is not facing the camera or rehearsing her lines, Azmi jokes that she is busy making errand lists. "I live in an apartment here. I am washing clothes, cleaning and shopping for groceries — something that I never need to do in India. I have a house help who comes to service the apartment. I cannot cook to save my life, so I order in on most days," she laughs, evidently cherishing the experience of living on her own in a foreign land.
The past few months have been hectic for Shabana Azmi — she shot for Nikkhil Advani's web series, Moghuls, before joining the unit of Halo. The actor marvels how the two projects are worlds apart. "One is a historical drama and the other, a futuristic sci-fi show! An actor cannot ask for more diverse subjects," she says, noting that the difference in the working styles of the Hindi film industry and Hollywood is gradually diminishing. "Now, we have proper call sheets. Earlier, that was not the case [in Bollywood]. I remember, Rajesh Khanna and I were shooting a scene in Khar for Aravind Sen's film [Nasihat, 1986] while Kader Khan was writing the next scene in R K Studios, where he was shooting for another film! It's a miracle that we, actors, managed to bring any authenticity at all."
Though the actor missed being part of Diwali festivities in Mumbai, she celebrated it in her own way. "I lit two diyas, wished everybody on Facetime and ordered pizza. It's a strange feeling to be away from home during the festival because we celebrate it in a grand manner."
I will resume Halo's shoot next month-Shabana Azmi
7:57 AM
After eight-month break, Shabana Azmi to fly to Budapest to complete Steven Spielberg's series
Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; October 3, 2020)
With international projects kicking off the world over, Shabana Azmi is counting the days to her impending Budapest trip. The veteran actor, who was shooting for Steven Spielberg's production Halo in the European city in March, is expected to join the unit soon. "I will resume the shoot of Spielberg's project in November. It has been a crazy year — I had an accident [on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway in January], and 40 days later, I was shooting in Budapest," exclaims the actor. Azmi plays Admiral Margaret Parangosky, the head of the Office of Naval Intelligence, in the Otto Bathurst-directed sci-fi drama adapted from a video game.
On the home turf, she has begun filming for Nikkhil Advani's Moghuls. Shooting amid the new normal has been a learning process for Azmi, who says, "On the first day, everything seemed different as people were wearing PPE suits and masks. It seemed a bit odd initially. I got used to it eventually because once we face the camera, we forget everything else. For an artiste, nothing is more thrilling than being under the arc lights."
I am completely fine and have fully recovered-Shabana Azmi
8:15 AM
Sonil Dedhia (HINDUSTAN TIMES; March 18, 2020)
If you compare those graphic images to the outpouring of love and concern that came my way from my audience, it overwhelmed me so completely that nothing else mattered,” says Shabana Azmi from Budapest, Hungary, where she’s currently shooting for Steven Spielberg’s Halo. The veteran actor met with an accident on the Mumbai-Pune-Expressway a couple of months back. As her upcoming short film, Sheer Qorma, on same sex relationship is about to release, she opens up on the changing portrayal of homosexuality in Hindi cinema across decades. Excerpts:
You met with a road accident in January. How is your health now?
I am completely fine and have fully recovered. Currently, I am in Budapest shooting for Halo (produced by Steven Spielberg) and I am happy to be back on the sets.
Pictures of the unfortunate incident were circulated on social media. Many felt that it was insensitive and intrusive. Did that bother you?
My family was upset. It was kept away from me for the longest time as I didn’t have my cellphone. When I saw it, I was on my way to recovery. At that moment, I was just really grateful to those who helped me and the hospital staff.
Right from Fire (1996), the release of which was opposed and banned, to Sheer Qorma now, how do you think the portrayal of the LGBTQ community in Hindi cinema has changed?
I have to say that this genre has opened up, really. The frequency of films that deal with a sensitive subject like homosexuality are being made, have increased in the last few years which is a great sign. The audience, too, is accepting this kind of cinema. Earlier, homosexuality was ridiculed in mainstream cinema but now, we see this subject being tackled sensitively. But at the same time, I feel it is only a section of audience especially in the metros who has have accepted this change.
What would you attribute this change to?
The notion of a family is changing. It is no longer just a heterogeneous family that we accept as a norm. We have seen two partners of the same sex having a baby and I think it is a healthy sign. The notion of family is being redefined as it is no longer restricted to having a baby biologically.
What do you think about mainstream actors working in films dealing with sensitive subjects?
I always believe that films are a reflection of our society and good films can influence society. There is a relation but there is an acceptance, too, and that has to be applauded. Actors today, aren’t shying away from experimenting. The credit should also go to the producer who is ready to back a film on a sensitive subject and the writer who writes the script. The Supreme Court’s decision of scrapping Section 377 was a big propeller towards positively changing the perspective that people had towards the LGBTQ community. It is a great time to be an actor. Gender and age are no longer considered while casting someone.
In a career spanning over 45 years, have you ever faced sexism and ageism?
I have been extremely lucky and my career has always been about being at the right place at the right time. It was my good fortune that Shyam Benegal’s Ankur (1974) became the film that propelled parallel cinema forward. Consequently, I got many different roles from what I would have got had I worked only in mainstream cinema. I never faced lack of acceptance.
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