DNA (November 14, 2017)

Amole Gupte hates the word kids. “I have an allergy to that word. I prefer to call them children. In the attitude itself the adult world doesn’t know how to respect children that’s the starting point for me.” Amole was the brain behind Taare Zameen Par before he handed the reigns of the film to Aamir Khan. He went on to make films like Stanley Ka Dabba, Hawaa Hawaai, and Sniff!!! He says, “My comfort zone is children. I have seen they are brutally honest and transparent, therefore I can retain my sanity in their world. In the adult world, people have huge egos. With children, I manage to create content with their help. It’s not a one-way street. It’s a two-way workshop mode. We have never used a single school day for our activity. And what comes out of our activities is the film. They have kept me sane. The children’s world and the cinema world; not Bollywood. I try to bring out the issues I have. Sadly, the adult world doesn’t want to pay attention to it.”

Here the filmmaker-actor talks about the world that he feels comfortable in, and why Hindi cinema hasn’t been able to do justice to them.

You said you had lot of issues with the way children are dealt with...
I have issues about respecting children, about the communication system, about listening to them. The entire adult world seems to be such a one-way street, the anguish of the child doesn’t reach their ears. So you have to bring it out, you have to talk about the educational system, the financial system. You have to talk about inequality. There are so many things that need to be brought out, it can’t follow the ridiculous entertainment programme, as it is made out to be.

What do you think about reality shows that focus on kids?
I think some children have the talent and they need a platform. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it should not be burlesque. Imagine a little girl or boy dancing in that way or creating laughter which is not tasteful for that age. You have to be careful of their age, or you can spoil their childhood by creating these little geniuses who are burlesque to watch. Many shows the adult judges and people who are running the show they seem to be praising the ability and quality that the kids are dancing like a grown up man or woman. They don’t realise ke usko time hai abhi. Let them grow, let them become trees from plants. We just need to see to it that the pace doesn’t become awful.

There doesn’t seem to be enough cinema for children...
Sniff !!! was taken off the theatre in a week, there was no audience because it wasn’t promoted well. Nobody actually gave it value. There seems to be an audience waiting somewhere that goes to see films like Harry Potter and The Jungle Book, but they are not aware that an Indian film was made. I actually have many people coming and asking me when is the film coming. There was no promotion, the theatres didn’t support it neither did the distributors. I can’t blame the audience because it did not reach them. The same audience received Stanley Ka Dabba and Hawaa Hawaai very well. So, for such movies its about the level of awareness created and the faith that the studio puts behind children’s content. Everytime you don’t get lucky and get an Aamir Khan in your film to get more eyeballs. People didn’t know any actor in Harry Potter, The Jungle Book is an animation film, but there were so many people who lapped it up. That kind of awareness and marketing nobody is talking about. People only wake up on November 14 and talk about it. That’s the unfortunate place I am in because I am fully wedded to children’s cause, but it is a fight for me to survive.

Do you think our industry doesn’t take the children audience very seriously?
Of course. Not just in Hollywood, even in Europe, children’s films do more business than movies made for adults. That happens because for films made for adults only that age group goes to the theatres, whereas for the films for children, the entire family sees it. The eyeballs multiply. That’s the reason they make it an event. Here you go to a U/A film with little kids, there will be an item song in it, it’ll have sex comedy...

Do you keep in touch with the children you work with?
Of course. Khushmeet (Gill from Sniff!!!) has been with me since Stanley Ka Dabba. I think about what can I do for a child like that so then I give him a cycle as a birthday present.

Your son Partho has stayed away from films or ads...
After Stanley Ka Dabba and Hawa Hawaai, you can imagine the endorsements and offers that must’ve didn’t take a single one because we shoot only on a Saturday. Will they do it? No, because they don’t plan for children. Because I am his parent I can control that. But I am not Darsheel’s (Safary’s) father or Khushmeet’s father, so I can’t control their movements. I can only advise the parents. I can only tell them to not take their children out of the system, else he or she will lose their childhood. But they may or may not listen, so it’s difficult.

Amole Gupte admits that having learnt the value of stars, he'd like to have one in his next project and wouldn't mind collaborating with Ajay Devgn
Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 9, 2014)

On April 29, Ajay Devgn's father, Veeru Devgn, fell ill and the shoot of Singham Returns was cancelled for the day. Amole Gupte, who plays a baddie in the film, decided not to waste this free day and paid a visit to his ailing father at the hospital along with wife Deepa and son Partho. While leaving, the doctors informed him that his father was doing fine and will be discharged the following day. Amole was extremely happy as three days later, Hawaa Hawaai, his second directorial featuring his son, was scheduled to hit the theatres, and he was looking forward to catching a show with his dad.

Next day Amole resumed shoot of Rohit Shetty's film and kept talking to his father who seemed to be in high spirits. But the coming day Gupte Senior suffered a fatal heart attack.

However, less than 24 hours after the tragedy, Amole was shooting the climax of the Sigham sequel. "It was a big production, I was working with a unit of 3000 odd people and I had to soldier on. Besides, I also had to go to Delhi and Kolkata to promote Hawaa Hawaai. I hardly got any time to mourn my father's death," he recalls. He is yet to get over the shock of his father's untimely demise.

In Singham Returns, the character Amole plays is called Baba and is a quintessential villain for whom there can be no retribution. His look in the movie is carefully designed.

"Baba wears a blue-and-white ensemble and has a salt-and-pepper mane and beard which I grew out for a year. He started out his career selling movie tickets in black," he informs, quick to add that there are no religious references.

After Kaminey, Amole who has the face of a cherub, was flooded with offers to play a baddie. He manages to infuse an element of menace to the dark characters he plays on screen thanks to his training in theatre. He has no qualms about taking up an out-and-out Rohit Shetty masala movie. "Having struggled to sail a boat with a small sail on my own, I wanted to know what it was to be mounted on this battle tank which just chugs along," points out the actor-director, adding that working with the No. 1 commercial director was an educative experience in the working of the star system.

And while Amole has done his job convincingly, he candidly admits that he'd feel chained if he were in Rohit's shoes and could never make a film like Singham Returns. "It's as different as chalk and cheese. I'd feel chained if I were in Rohit's shoes," says the director who has been conducting classes in world cinema at a municipal school for nearly eight years now. "And while my students may not have a house to live in, I'm pretty confident that can put together a feature film which I'd like to oversee."

That apart, he's also working on what he hopes will be a path breaking film. But this time it will not be children-centric. "Now that I've realised how important it is to have the support of a big studio and a star, the idea is to rope in an A-lister into working with me," he quips.

Amole has worked with one of the biggest stars, Aamir Khan, in Taare Zameen Par, but is categorical that he'll never work with him again. However, he wouldn't mind collaborating with Ajay who has impressed him with his calmness and grace on the set.

Meanwhile, he has made Sajid-Farhad happy by giving them the title of Entertainment for their directorial debut. Is it because they gave him some punchy dialogues in Singham Returms? "No," he laughs. "I had registered the title for a film I've been shooting for the last two years. But, when I learnt that it was important for them to get the title Entertainment for their much bigger film, I happily gave it away, dosti ke khatir. I can always call my film something else."

Watch your head! Amole Gupte, 51, Deepa Bhatia, 41 and son Partho, 13 buzz about in conversation.
Mitali Parekh (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 8, 2014)

Deepa Bhatia is the adult in the house. Husband Amole Gupte and son Partho are comrades, playmates, balcony scientists. The Bhatia-Gupte household is a racuous democracy, but a dedicated one.

Fresh from starring in his father's just released film, Hawaa Hawaai, Partho discusses camera equipment, asks his film editor mother if he can watch Heropanti again and reviews their just-concluded cinema dissertation session in the same breath. Amole matches his decibel level, speed of speech and enthusiasm. Deepa is left to steer the conversation.

This is a genuinely happy home. The contentment is not just the resultant alchemy of their personalities; it comes from wisdom that home must be a haven. And that's why they spend so much time here. When Partho was born, Amole and Deepa worked from home for three years. "Partho was the first one to leave," says filmmaker, script-writer, poet, artist and actor Amole. "I joined his montessori the same day as an honorary teacher and left seven years later with him."

He says his films (Taare Zameen Par, Stanley Ka Dabba) aren't the result of empathy for children; it's because he is a child and knows their emotional complexities. It's not just something clever to say. Amole is most comfortable sparring verbally with Partho, nudging his worldview to grow. (Partho: Kejriwal is in jail. Amole: Arre, that's his fault. He refused bail.) With adults, when Amole senses a different wavelength, he drifts into his imagination. "I have just been forced to have an adult moment," says Amole. "I lost my father last month, and realised things are not in continuum. He was the first member of my immediate family unit to pass away."

Deepa's father passed away when she was 17. She and her sister took turns to get an education, while running the family business with their mother. Now, both their mothers live with them. Naani Bhatia is fasting while Aaji Gupte is cooking a yummy upvaas dish for her. Otherwise, Amole is the cook.

"I don't enjoy cooking and my mother advised me to stay bad at it, else I'd be stuck in the kitchen," laughs Deepa. "She encouraged us to pursue a profession. My father treated her like a queen. We were not allowed to talk back to her or complain about how messy she left the kitchen. I'm sure they exchanged cross words, but it was out of hearing shot. The man-woman relationship has to be harmonious for the home to be happy."

Amole comes with a rare empathy for working women. "Both my parents worked and I took care of my younger brother. You learn to help with the housework and realise that mother is going to come home tired so let's take the help of a friend to make a vegetable cutlet for her," he says matter-of-factly.

When Amole met Deepa, he was past his wild phase of drugs, booze and rock-n-roll ("We were the Woodstock generation, remember?") and was leading a solitary life as an artist working out of a studio in Mahim. He was 30; she was 20. "He had a jumbo film can with chillar he had collected over the years," says Deepa. "He lived on that money, taking a bus from home to the studio and back." "I lived with my parents," continues Amole, "I had very few material needs."

"When we started dating, sometimes we'd need to take a cab home and he realised a girlfriend could be expensive," Deepa smiles.

Cinema brought them together (Deepa had gone to Amole to assist him on a project) and it binds the family. They have only one television and they watch it together. Sometimes, it's Tom and Jerry for all three.

Amole credits Deepa with his cinematic expression. "I didn't make films before I met her," he says. "First, there was physical attraction, which is unquantifiable, and then she became my muse."

Deepa was won over by his integrity and genuine interest in nurturing her potential. "He'd talk me out of taking up assignments for money alone. When Amole makes a film about children, he is also interested in their well-being on set. He shoots in four-hour shifts over holidays so that the actors don't miss school," she says.

Deepa edits all their films, besides working on others like Student of the Year, Rock On!! and My Name is Khan. She's also the co-producer and her conviction about the production process makes her an ally. "We are aware that the film is bigger than us," she says. "If I insist on a cut, Amole knows I am convinced it will only make the film better. I understand the film takes longer to shoot because we follow an ethical process."

Partho is not insolent as you'd expect. He has a football analogy for fame: "When I am playing football, my opponent is not thinking, 'Arre, ye toh Stanley Ka Dabba mein tha. Isko goal marne deta hoon'." "He is not exposed only to Bollywood," explains Deepa, "so he doesn't have a conventional idea of hero-heroine. He sees technicians and scriptwriters. For him, his mother is his heroine and father, hero."

Amole's concern is with exposing him to poverty. "The upper middle-class goes from AC homes to AC schools," says Amole. "Then they plot how to escape the country, while not taking responsibility for it. I want Partho to understand that not everyone has the same advantages, but everyone has potential."

Amole and Deepa conduct dramatics and cinema dissertation classes at a nearby municipal school through NGO Aseema. The idea is that a child from this milieu can join the industry, not only as a spot boy but as cinematographer or script-writer too. "We want to expose him to as much as we can," says Deepa. "He can still like Golmaal or grow tomatoes for the rest of his life if he wants." She's referring to Partho's latest hobby of gardening and his love for Rohit Shetty movies.

Partho was named so, we learn, because it's 'nice'. "It looks nice when it's written, it sounds nice with the 'O' at the end," says Amole. "My side of the family calls him 'Parth' and we don't correct them. We know what his name is. When I was lost and directionless, my father didn't call me a loser. He trusted that I was undergoing a process and let me have that time to cook. That's what I want to give Partho." 

Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 13, 2014)

Enthused by the positive response to his recent film, Amole Gupte is planning a sequel to Hawaa Hawaai. “Maybe we can call it Return to Hawaa Hawaai,” laughs the filmmaker, who is currently shooting the second instalment of Singham, titled Singham Returns, in which he plays the main villain. “I’m the bad man in good times, it helps exorcise the evil,” explains the filmmaker.

Meanwhile, Amole has at least five ideas on how to take his critically acclaimed sports drama forward. “It will definitely be a coming-of-age film about the triumph of will but it won’t necessarily centre on a sport. It could be a road movie or a holiday flick. And it’ll be just as moving and ecstatic as Hawaa Hawaai,” he promises.

And will this film too star his son Partho and the four kids who made up the victorious motley crew? “I have the option of making the film without Partho but it would be unfair to drop the five kids given their bonding with the audience,” admits Amole who selected the four debutant child stars from the film and theatre study classes he holds every Saturday in a city Municipal school. And he says that the training helped a lot.

“Thanks to the short films made by the students, the kids were spontaneous while facing the movie camera and not overwhelmed by the adulation that followed. We need to keep our heads on our shoulders as we continue with our journey forward.”

The other three releases had very low collections with all three less than 25 lakhs nett. The order of the three was YEH HAI BAKRAPUR, then MANJUNATH and finally KHWAABB which was the lowest collecting of all the new releases..

DISASTROUS FRIDAY AS 6 FILMS UP FOR RELEASE!

Believe it or not, tomorrow as many as 6 Hindi films are up for release. It’ll be disastrous as these half a dozen films would jostle for space in theatres and also for audience attention. What’s more, none of these films don’t seem exciting enough or have created sufficient buzz. My views:

HAWAA HAWAAI: It is directed by Amole Gupte and like his previous film Stanley Ka Dabba, it also stars his son Partho in leading role. Saqib Saleem plays his coach in this film that is supposedly the first movie ever to be based on skating. Trailer has been impressive but as it’s not a typical entertainer of sorts, the buzz hasn’t been huge. Also, due to low costs, the marketing has been low-key. There’s no chance that it’ll take a bumper opening. But if response is very positive, the film can significantly pick up and turn out to be the surprise of the season.

MASTRAM: An erotic drama, it attempts to depict the life of the anonymous writer who wrote sex stories in 80s and 90s that sold like hot cakes. The trailer is hilarious and very sizzling. But for obvious reasons, the makers have not been able to show it on television. However, what’s surprising is that they haven’t even promoted ‘Achko Machko’ song that’s sung by the very popular Yo Yo Honey Singh. Hence, even though the material is attention-grabbing, the faulty promotion has prevented it from making huge impact. And this can dent it’s collections as well. Yet, it can score and grow due to its adult content.

YEH HAI BAKRAPUR: This is a small-budget satire that has wonderfully caught viewers’ attention due to two aspects – one, because of the goat and it’s hilarious and stylish depiction in the posters and two, because of the manner in which the makers have used Shah Rukh Khan’s name to sell the film (the goat is named Shah Rukh). However, these are marketing gimmicks and although it has helped the film to stay in news, it won’t really help attract viewers to theatres. Also, there’s too much competition in the week for the film to excel.

KOYELAANCHAL: Starring Suniel Shetty and Vinod Khanna, Koyelaanchal shows how politics and mafia have ruined the lives of people living coal mine areas. Surprisingly, the manner in which the coal areas are shot and presented is much better than in Gangs Of Wasseypur and Gunday. Also, from the promos, the film looks like a no-nonsense sensible flick with sufficient doses of entertainment. Sadly, the buzz is negligible. Also, Suniel Shetty doesn’t have the same pull anymore, sadly. The film can work slightly, only in mass belts.

MANJUNATH: The theatrical trailer of this film has been really hard-hitting. It’s also praiseworthy to see the actor playing Manjunath, who very well resembles the real person on whose life the film is based. This looks like an honest and sincere effort and needs time and space to grow. Sadly, Manjunath is going to suffer very badly in this flood of releases. But somewhere, the makers too are to be blamed for designing such a not-so-impressive marketing for the film.

KHWAABB: The film that has been least promoted of all has been Khawaabb. It’s shot well, despite being digitally picturised and having a low-budget feel. But sadly, it’s going to sink without a trace. CHECK THE TRAILER HERE

WHICH FILM WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE OUT OF THESE FILMS AND WHY? DO LET ME KNOW!

Subhash K Jha (DNA; May 8, 2014)

In his new film Hawaa Hawaai, Amole Gupte has cast several very talented children. The filmmaker has spent a major part of his life working with street children and has cast one of them as a spirited gajra seller named Bhura in his latest. Bhura’s off-screen name is Salman Chote Khan.

Turns out, Salman Chote is not only a huge fan of Salman Khan, he also has brothers named Aamir Chote Khan and Shah Rukh Chote Khan. Speaking affectionately on this unusual homage to the Khan superstars, Gupte says, “Yes, Salman Chote Khan indeed has two brothers named Aamir and Shah Rukh. Salman Chote Khan is from the streets. The spirit and the spunk that you see in him onscreen comes from the fearlessness of not caring who’s looking while he is acting. The boy has grown up on the streets. The camera doesn’t intimidate him. How can it, when life doesn’t intimidate him?”

The director further reveals that Salman Chote Khan’s parents are impoverished. “His mother is a domestic help. His father is a construction labourer. They live in the buildings where the father works. They eat and sleep on the construction site. That’s how poor these kids are.”

The filmmaker hopes Hawaa Hawaai will make profits so that kids like Salman Chote Khan can get some financial help.

Yolane D'Mello (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 4, 2014)

Sunidhi Chauhan was barely 15 when she first met music producer and, now, husband Hitesh Sonik. “We were meeting Vishalji (Dadlani), and Hitesh was there for a recording. All I remembered of him, from that meeting, were his toes and the ethnic chappals he was wearing.”

It was 1995, Chauhan’s family moved from Delhi to Mumbai, and her father Dushyant would set out (“in his sports shoes”) to make the rounds of music directors’ offices and showcase her voice.

“She sang like a lioness. But she was so shy, she’d stare at the floor and sing,” recalls Sonik, who gets his surname thanks to the family’s gold trade.

The couple married in 2012, and he wants to set the record straight. “We weren’t childhood friends,” he says. “We aren’t even the same age to have been in school together,” adds the 38-year-old with a smile.

We are sitting in his studio housed in the couple’s Versova apartment, the walls lined with guitars. There are close to 52 studios in the neighbourhood that’s now a Bollywood hub, Chauhan tells us, swivelling her chair absent-mindedly to let her pixie-cut dyed burgundy do the flop.

When they met, Chauhan had been a singer for a decade. She started when she was four, accompanying her father at jagrans. The theatre actor pushed her to sing at local performances, and it was at one of these that television personality Tabassum noticed her. “She suggested we move Mumbai, but dad forgot about it, thinking she was humouring a child,” she says.

A few years later, he called Tabassum while the family was holidaying in the city and, “she was elated. She took us to meet Kalyanji (Kalyanji-Anandji music composer duo), who gave us two minutes because he had to rush,” she recalls. Ninety minutes later, the eight-year-old was still singing. “I sang every song I knew. At the end of it, he told my father not to return to Delhi.”

Chauhan was enrolled under Kalyanji’s guidance and changed her name from Nidhi to Sunidhi. He even came up with the idea of children’s talent troupe, Little Wonders where Udit Narayan’s son Aditya was also introduced. But her father wanted her to be an artiste who sang for films. Ram Gopal Varma’s Mast was her breakthrough as a 15-year-old.

Were there others singers as young as her at the time? Chauhan, true to her foot-staring self, says she is not sure. But Sonik steps in with a firm, “No”.

In contrast, he was never coaxed into taking up music although the family was involved in the production of Bollywood tracks, with Sonik’s granduncle becoming a singer in Mumbai. “Post Partition, my family moved from Sialkot in Pakistan to a refugee camp in Delhi. They lacked skills that could help them find work, so my dad’s uncle started to show them the ropes,” narrates Sonik, who grew up in Khar.

He took to learning the guitar when he was 15 “to impress the girls at college” studying science at Mithibhai. Eventually, he assisted his father in recordings and made it a full-time profession. “I wanted to be an architect because I liked to sketch,” he says, pointing to an unfinished pencil sketch that hangs on the wall of the living room. But music dominated his personal life, too.

“I fell in love with Sunidhi’s singing before I fell for her,” he admits. Their frequent run-ins at studios over the years, led to a friendship and later, love.

He recalls a show for which she travelled to Cochin and sang in Malayalam. It’s just one of a string of regional languages she has sung in although she understands Hindi and English only. “She is like a machine. She can emulate any sound she hears,” he offers.

“Ratta marna aata hai. I did it in school, though in hindsight, it didn’t seem to work too well. I dropped out in standard nine,” she laughs.

Sonik lets her sentence trail off. “But that is because you were already working when others were still in school.” She gives him a coy smile, before admitting to having missed out on the college experience. “If I did enroll, it would have been in Mumbai. Then we’d have met much earlier,” she imagines.

Sonik gives a tentative head shake. “The eight year age gap wouldn’t make that possible. We’d have a chance at school,” he says, putting forward his best goofy smile. This worked out fine, they chorus. 

Chauhan breaks into a song mid-tune; the rest plays in the back of her head.

Sonik grew up listening to guitar-heavy music and idolised Slash from Guns N’ Roses, while Chauhan was raised on Lata Mangeshkar’s tunes. They are not a couple you’ll see at a jazz gig. But Chauhan says she is hooked on a song after every recording, and will sing it for the next couple of days. “He’s fixated on not wanting people to enter the studio when he is working on a composition. But when it’s ready, I’m the first ear,” says Chauhan.

Amole Gupte’s Hawaa Hawaai, due to release next week, has Sonik on board as music director. Chauhan lends her voice for a song titled Ghoom Gayi. “Amol suggested we get Sunidhi, and I knew hers was the right voice. The song is about freedom, and needed a big voice,” he says watching her leave the room.

As the door shuts, she breaks into a song. Something she said in passing strikes a chord. “In the studio, you are in a more controlled environment, able to get that perfect sound. Singing on stage is freedom; it lets you fly.”

Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; May 2, 2014)

When Huma Qureshi attended the special screening of Hawaa Hawaai on Tuesday night, she was really excited to watch the film as it stars her brother Saqib Saleem. However, an incident at the screening had the actress surprised.

A source says, “This was a special screening that was organised only for the film’s cast and crew. Huma wanted to watch this film for a long time so she made it a point to attend the screening and support her brother, Saqib.” Also present at this screening was actor-an- filmmaker Amol Gupte’s son, Partho. When Huma went to meet Saquib during the interval, her brother introduced her to Partho Gupte.

“She said that she liked his work and before she could speak any further, he suddenly bent down to touch her feet. Huma didn’t know how to react. Other guests too couldn’t control their laughter after witnessing this scene. Huma eventually regained her composure and chided Partho that she isn’t that old after all. She asked him to not do it again.”

Huma remained unavailable for comment.

Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; April 25, 2014)

Saqib Saleem, 26, loves his mother the most in the world, but instinctively attached his father Saleem’s name to his own after coming to Mumbai. He is a people’s person who considers himself extremely emotional, much more than even his sister Huma Qureshi, who he finds more sensitive than himself. The industry may have taught him patience, but he still needs to become more organised. Over a cup of coffee, ahead of his upcoming film Hawaa Hawaai, he speaks to Bombay Times about his love for his mother, his organised sister and his madness for Sachin Tendulkar. Excerpts:


Did you plan to become an actor?
I am an accidental actor. I enjoyed watching films, but never imagined that I could be an actor for whom someone would pay 300 bucks to watch. I was a sportsman and played cricket all my life. I got through Hindu college through the sports quota as I played a year for Delhi. I was dating this girl who was a year senior to me and wanted to become an actress so she came to Mumbai. One night, we were talking and we had a fight as she said, ‘This is not going to work out and you better come to Mumbai if you want our relationship to work or else it’s over.’ Being as aimless as I was, I told my father, ‘Jaa rahe hain hum Mumbai.’ Huma had already come six months back and while they were not happy about my decision to go, they had one consolation in their mind that at least I would be there to look after my sister. I moved in with my girlfriend, but broke up in just two months. I didn’t know what to do. I had told my dad that I would be in Mumbai for a year, live an independent life and try and become a hero in that time. Huma was living as a PG at that time. Someone told me to audition for ads and I did that and got some ads and got paid 50,000 for one day. I had come to Mumbai only with 25,000 in my bank when I came here, so getting 50,000 was a big deal. One of my designer friends from Delhi, Varun Behl knew Shanoo Sharma, the casting director of YRF and told me, ‘Why don’t you meet her? She is looking for new boys.’ I met her and said, ‘I am not sure, Shanoo, that I want to act.’ She found me cocky, wasting her time. I went back to doing more ads and started enjoying being in front of the camera and did my first soft drink commercial with Ayan Mukerji along with Ranbir. I started messaging Shanoo, but she did not respond till one fine day she auditioned me but nothing happened. Again, she made me audition after two months, but nothing happened and my year was coming to an end. She again called me for a third audition and I auditioned half-heartedly for Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge. My dad had come to Mumbai and had bought a car for my sister. Now I am driving this car and my dad is sitting next to me and I know he is going to ask me that dreaded question, ‘What happened as one year is going to get over now?’ And I was preparing my answer in my head when I coincidentally passed YRF. Dad asked just then and I said, ‘I will do my first film with them.’ It was a very instinctive thing and I said it. Believe it or not, just five minutes later, I get a call from them saying that I had been signed for a three-film deal and I started crying.


What is your sister Huma Qureshi like?
The first time I came to Mumbai, I called her and said, ‘Humiaji, we will not stay together.’ As a kid, I could not pronounce baji so started calling her Humiaji. I told her, ‘I have come here to discover myself and so we will meet only on the weekend. We have now realised that family is important and are living together. We were not that close when in Delhi where we both lived our own lives. We used to fight when we were young. I was a Sachin Tendulkar fan and she a fan of Shahid Afridi and we both had their posters on our sides of the room. So I would tell her if she crossed the line, I would rip her poster apart. Today, we are more friends and I tell her everything about myself. Mumbai has got us closer. We hang out together and have the same set of friends. She is very chilled out. When I was growing up, I thought she was very stuck up and I had never been open about my relationship with her. She is very organised which I am not. And I like that she is always approachable. What I don’t like is that she can’t judge people and takes people on face value. Also, sometimes when we have to go out together, she takes too much time to dress up and it bugs me. She likes that I open up easily which she can’t and that I judge people very well. Of course, she wants me to get organised and not keep the house messy. Her room is always clean. If I have to wear one shirt, I will take out five and leave it on the bed and will not close my toothpaste cap that really bugs her and my mother. We are planning to bring our parents here with us and are doing up our place for that.


Talk about your love for sports?
I grew up playing cricket. I started playing when I was six and played till I came to Mumbai. I had this life-size poster of Sachin in my room in Delhi. I would talk to him everyday and say, ‘I will come and play with you one day, sir.’ It was madness to another level. If he would get out at zero, I would shiver. Once they had to take me to the hospital. I have met him only once in my life. He had come for a benefit match for Yashpal Sharma to Delhi and was staying in a five-star hotel where my uncle was the food and beverage manager. He somehow managed to connect Sachin with me on phone and as soon as he said hello, I started crying and told him I wanted to meet him. He agreed and called me next day to the hotel. I was training with Chetan Sharma, who also helped fix for me to meet him. Next day, I went to his hotel and saw him just outside the lift and told him how I was that guy who called him the previous day. He asked me, ‘What do you do?’ I said, ‘I play cricket.’ He said, ‘Will you play with me?’ I said, ‘Ha, Sir.’ He must have spoken to me max for one minute and he left wishing me best of luck. I had played for Delhi and for Kashmir but there came a stage in my life where I became bored of it and realised that I was not good enough to be in the Indian team. I was in college and there was this girl that I was seeing. There is this fashion society and she needed a model as one of the models had backed out. She trained me for two days and we went and did the show. Our team lost but I won the best model award and got paid 15,000 for it. I started shooting in Delhi and worked part-time with my dad till finally when I shifted with my girlfriend to Mumbai.


Who do you love the most in the world?
My mother. She is the perfect kind of woman. Whenever I am dating somebody, I want her to take care of me like my mother. I look out for that. I am very close to her. I love how my mom loves everyone unconditionally. In my childhood, my chachu was staying with us and he would not take money from dad but my mom would take out the money from my dad’s wallet and give it to him and not tell my dad about it. Dad was always busy working so I was not as close to him. We never had family holidays. It was always Huma, mom and me going to Kashmir to my maternal grandparents’ house. I loved films. I used to stay in Kalkaji and every Friday, Huma, Mom and me would go to Paras cinema to watch a 9 to 12 night show and my dad would pick us up while returning from the restaurant. My father loves Huma way too much, but my mother loves me a little more than her.


Are you in a relationship?
Yes. She lives in Mumbai but is from Dehradun and we have been seeing each other for the last three years. I have promised my mom that when I do my first superhit movie, I will get married.


You have worked with both Rani and Adi Chopra. What do you think connects them?
They are both passionate and private people.


Coming from an orthodox Muslim family, did you find it awkward to kiss Randeep Hooda in Bombay Talkies?
Of course, it was awkward. But then you explain to yourself that even the girl you kiss on screen is not someone you love but you still need to kiss her. In all honesty, I had built it up so much in my head, but on the day of the shoot, Randeep had come only for half an hour to do this scene. Everyone was awkward as this was the first time we had shot such a scene in our films, but it was taken in one take. And when it got over, I thought, ‘big deal’ and felt excited that I was part of history. My parents were in Mumbai on the day when the screening happened but I didn’t have the guts to invite them there. My parents saw the film later and my mother told me that she found it to be my best performance so far.

Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 18, 2014)

On the sets of Singham 2, Amole Gupte is prepping for his turn as the menacing baddie when his son Partho joins him. The two have just wrapped up Hawaa Hawaai, their second collaboration after Stanley Ka Dabba. The film once again sees Partho taking directions from his father. Mirror caught up with the two. Excerpts:

Partho has acted in two films which had him in major roles. Didn’t it affect his studies?
Amole: He won 11 awards for Stanley Ka Dabba but no, it didn't affect his studies. Several advertisements came his way, but he was not tempted to take them up. He believes in the journey and not the goal. Such people are never swayed. Ask him? (Gestures at his son).
Partho: We shot Hawaa Hawaai only during the holidays. So it didn't affect academics. I never undermine the importance of going to school.


We believe Hawaa Hawaai was written with Partho in mind?
Amole: Yes, and did you know that Partho was a cue master in Taare Zameen Par? He was too young then else he could have played the role which went to Darsheel Safary. I didn’t do the casting of TZP alone. We zeroed down on four kids and then decided on Darsheel through a ballot that involved Aamir, along with our friends and family.
Partho: I am a nocturnal child. Dad still tells me stories at night. He introduced Arjun of Hawaa Hawaai to me in one of these stories. I had got into the character even before the workshops began.

Was the switch from Stanley to Arjun difficult?
Amole: It was an effortless transformation which I don’t see in adults. They should learn from kids.
Partho: I began from scratch. The film revolves around skating and I used to skate till a few years ago. When dad told me Arjun’s story, I knew that he had a film in mind so I started skating again. It wasn’t easy. Skating is not cycling. You forget.

One thing you want to change about each other?
Amole: Partho finds himself in whatever he explores. He is dedicated and when he pursues any hobby, he masters it. I'm blessed to have a child like him.
Partho: I like dad the way he is. He is awesome! He tells me stories and is an excellent cook. He makes my favourite chicken and crab preparations and we watch good movies together.

Sridevi was supposed to be a part of the film, right?
Amole: No, I didn't approach her with a role but but I am thankful to her for attending the trailer launch. Partho: At a certain point, there was a thought of casting her. She is a superb actress. I haven’t seen Mr India but I have seen her in the Hawa Hawai song.

Do's and don’ts for each other?
Amole: I always insist he calls me and lets me know wherever he is, otherwise his mom Deepa gets anxious. Partho: No drinking or smoking for dad.

Don't you want another kid?
Amole: Zaroorat kya hai?
Partho: I wanted an elder brother but my friends say that I would have been bullied by him. Now that I am 13, I think I can take care of myself quite well. (Smiles)

Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 2, 2014)

"If someone compliments me on the editing, I think that I’ve failed,” says Deepa Bhatia, who’s edited films like Rock On, Kai Po Che! and Taare Zameen Par and is now busy with Hawaa Hawaai. She feels that the ideology behind her craft is extremely understated. She explains, “The whole idea of editing is that it should be invisible and only the film should emerge. We tend to think that anything that is visible is good editing. My funda is exactly the opposite. I don’t want to stand out, I want to be invisible. I’m not here to show off my craft.”

Presently occupied with adding final flourishes to her husband Amole Gupte’s latest directorial venture, Hawaa Hawaai, Deepa was faced with a professional predicament on the editing table. She remembers, “Hawaa Hawaai is a film about adrenaline rush and emotion. It’s has the energy of a sports film but it also has a soul. So my biggest challenge was to strike a balance between the two. If you lean too much on sentimentality, you can lose the energy that a sports film needs and if you lean too much on energy, you could make the film cold.”

Deepa singles out the climax which features a skating race as the one that tested her ability as an editor. What helped her sail through was having being inducted into the film from inception. “Luckily, I’ve been with the film from the scripting stage and have seen all the drafts to know what Amole wanted from the scene. Also, I was involved emotionally with the project from much earlier, not in terms of writing it but knowing what was happening at each point and by the time I sat down to edit the film, I was aware of how everything had been written, developed, changed, filmed etc. I knew that like all legendary sports films like Lagaan, Chariots of Fire, even Hawaa Hawaai should have a strong play off in the climax. Keeping that in mind, I’ve tried to keep the climax non-interventionist in the edit and in the execution,” she adds.

But being understated may lead to multiple interpretations which could counter the filmmaker’s narrative. “I have a lot of faith in people and in dealing with the material, understanding the story and reading the mind of the director. When you edit with that confidence, people respect that you’re trying to create a new world. I don’t like talking down to the audience,” she defends.

Another thing that helped Deepa nail the climax was Amole’s inventive way of shooting. “Amole shot it with multi-cameras and that gave us about six-seven angles for every shot. While this made the edit even more strenuous (as I had to go through almost 30 hours of footage to cut just the climax) it’s the only way to go if you have to scoop out the best moments from the material at hand,” she adds with a smile.

Subhash K Jha (DNA; April 2, 2014)

Sridevi’s last release English Vinglish is definitely the best comeback by any actress ever in the history of Bollywood. It was her first time with debutant director Gauri Shinde, who did full justice to the actress, and the film. It isn’t suprising that a year after that, Sridevi hasn’t given the nod for any other film. Now we hear that the powerful duo will team up once again.

Over a period of time, the very shy and confident Sridevi has conquered her inhibitions and has gradually come out of her shell. How much so was evident at the music release of Amole Gupte’s Hawaa Hawaai. For the first time, she confidently spoke without a prepared speech. The actress who at one time couldn’t speak two lines in public to save her life is today confident enough to do an impromptu speech.

This new confidence that Sridevi has found in herself has apparently come after English Vinglish. Gauri and Sri are very close friends and confidantes. In fact, Gupte approached Sridevi through Gauri to attend the Hawaa Hawaai trailer release. According to sources, Sridevi and Gauri are now planning a second project together. Says the source, “It would be another social comedy about the Indian middleclass woman. But it won’t be a sequel to English Vinglish.” Something to look forward to, for sure.

Amole Gupte (BOMBAY TIMES; March 31, 2014)

There are dreams that come to you when you sleep and then there are those that just don’t let you sleep. Hawaa Hawaai is a dream, an idea that has haunted me for over eight years now.

The inspiration came on a deserted sodium-lit, BKC backstreet on a summer night — squatting on the pavement, pushing little son Partho’s four-year-old foot into the shoe of a gleaming skate, surrounded by speeding skaters, habituated to hitting tar and harvesting gold medals. It was Formula 1 on two feet and I was overcome by the idea of filming the sport. And so in 2007, I kick-started the research and writing of Hawaa Hawaai. This was the film I planned to make after Taare Zameen Par. John Lennon wisely wrote, ‘Life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans’.

Hawaa Hawaai didn’t take off then, but Stanley Ka Dabba did. Thankfully. Because it set up for me the prototype of working with children, ensuring limited shooting hours, no school missed and a free flowing performance environment, ideas that I follow to this day while filming children.

But some dreams don’t let you be. And post Stanley Ka Dabba, I was drawn back to the tale. Every dreamer needs a believer. Vijay Singh of Fox Star Studios stepped in for a second association and finally, the dream was turning into reality. In the meantime, the foot of my boy Partho had grown nearly to my size. After Stanley..., Partho began living the role of Arjun Harishchandra Waghmare — zipping on two Ferraris for Hawaa Hawaai…

Saqib Saleem, playing Lucky sir, Arjun’s coach, wheeled in to give flight to Arjun’s dreams and mine. Joining him are ‘The band of boys’ — Salman, Ashfaque, Maaman and Tirupathi, students of a quiet cinema and theatre study class I have been running for years now and they are nothing short of diamonds in a coalmine.

So, Hawaa Hawaai is not my dream alone. It belongs as much to Partho, Saqib, the band of boys, and every crew member that has shared my dream and generously made it their own. It’s when dreamers meet believers that impossible dreams come true.

Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; March 27, 2014)

Actress Sridevi will be launching the trailer of Amol Gupte’s film, Hawaa Hawaai. Since it was Sridevi who popularised the term Hawa Hawaai by featuring in a hit song of the same name from the film, Mr India, the makers felt that it was only apt to have her launch the film’s trailer and give her blessings to the project. “Initially, there was buzz that the actress would be doing a special number in the film. However, that did not happen. But she has agreed to launch the film’s trailer,” says a source.

Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; March 21, 2014)

You may remember Sanjeev Kumar romancing Hema Malini skating together singing Hawaa Ke Saath Saath, but no one internationally has made a film based on the sport of skating till Amole Gupte, whose upcoming film Hawaa Hawaai, which will do just that. If you are wondering why no one thought of it earlier, it might just be that a writer-director before may not have had a son like Partho, who from the age of four, dreamt of skating and decided to not just learn the sport, but dragged his parents along as they needed to tie him up. So by default, Amole landed up getting inducted into the sport and decided to write a script in 2008 which after 22 drafts, has finally got made as Hawaa Hawaai. It stars Saqib Saleem who plays Partho’s coach and young Partho who will live his dream of skating through the medium of the film. Talking about skating, Amole said, “Skating is an expensive sport as a pair of inland skates could cost more than a bike. But I saw the grit of the sport and wanted to make a film on it as it will be a first on celluloid internationally and skating is Formula One. Either you are on four wheels in a Ferrari or you are the Ferrari.”

While there aren’t too many sports-based films made in India, the ones that were made, prove to be both inspirational as well as profitable. We look at some of our favourites...

Mehul S Thakkar (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 31, 2014)

When Mirror met Amole Gupte at a municipal school in Pali, he was the centre of attention in a room full of children. The filmmaker who is also the Chairperson of the Children’s Film Society of India (CFSI) holds a weekly film appreciation class for under privileged children in the school. In a candid conversation he speaks out against ‘child labour’ in showbiz.
 
As the CFSI chairperson, what are your biggest peeves?
Child artistes are the last priority for producers when planning a schedule. So, the children are called before noon for a reality show and kept waiting till 2.30 am. By then they're sleepy and to wake them up, ice is rubbed on their faces and they are given fizzy drinks. This is a punishable crime and completely unnecessary. While filming Stanley Ka Dabba I shot only on Saturday for four hours. No child missed a school day or a Sunday.
 
How can we stop this from happening?
I want the rules of the animal welfare board to apply to children. Child artistes here are treated worse than animals. Other countries have a rule book, why can’t we have one too so we can ensure that children are not subject to such cruelty? For six years I’ve been campaigning for rules, that if you break, your film will not be certified.
 
What’s the hurdle?
I wrote a letter to Shanta Sinha when she was the chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights to take up the initiative. She replied only after she retired and then directed me to the Broadcasting Content Complaints Council. I’m only asking that kids should not be pulled out of school and made to work for longer than six hours. Twelve-hour shifts amount to child labour.
 
Your next film Hawaa Hawaai, is a children’s film with your son Partho in the lead…
I don’t make children’s films but films about children. Like Taare Zameen Par and Stanley Ka Dabba which address their concerns but are for universal viewing. Hawaa Hawaai is a film about roller skating, which Partho has been learning since he was six. It's a story I wanted to make after TZP.
 
Why did it take seven years for Hawaa Hawaai to roll?
I was made to write 22 drafts, I had spoken to Farhan Akhtar and Excel was to produce it. But then he got cold feet, so did UTV. It should have started in 2008 but didn’t. Don’t ask me why? So, then I shot Stanley Ka Dabaa, guerrilla style so no one knew I was making a film till it was done. Hawaa Hawaai is the dream that hasn’t allowed me to sleep a wink since 2008. After Lagaan, Chak De! India and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag it will raise the bar for go-getting films.
 
What do you have to show for teaching cinema to underprivileged kids for so many years?
Ashish Gaikwad lost his father, a municipal sweeper, when he was in the 4th standard. He started cleaning with the mother, but also made a short film, Tahaan, which I took as a master class to many fests. Subhash Ghai saw it and Tahaan was the closing film of 100 years of cinema. Subhashji gave him a scholarship to Whistling Woods Institute and last month he passed out. These kids have so many stories to tell. They can give you long lectures on Charlie Chaplin, Italian cinema, and Majid Majidi.

Child actor Partho Gupte, of 'Stanley Ka Dabba' fame, is refreshingly candid and articulate for someone his age
Shakti Shetty (MID-DAY; January 19, 2014)

There’s something about Partho Gupte — the name itself might ring a bell. He is best remembered for his performance in Amole Gupte’s directorial debut, Stanley Ka Dabba, in which he emerged looking quite promising. He was nine years old during the making of the film. Interestingly, despite the overwhelming appreciation from critics in India and abroad, the fame does not seem to have gone to his head.

What’s worth noting is that Partho didn’t sign a single film after Stanley Ka Dabba despite several offers. Apparently, he’s far more comfortable working with his father. In fact, his next film happens to be Amole’s second directorial venture, too. Titled Hawaa Hawaai, it has Partho playing a boy fond of inline skating while actor Saqib Saleem plays his coach. During the shooting, the two became friends and the Mere Dad Ki Maruti actor has only warm things to share about his young co-star. “He’s the finest child actor Hindi cinema has right now. The little chap won a National Award for his first film and I won’t be surprised if he repeats the feat. He’s indeed gifted,” says Saqib.

Partho, who turned 13 last week, comes across as somebody quite level-headed for his age. He is articulate and comfortable enough to laugh at his own jokes. He regularly plays the guitar and considers acting as a means to freedom, not conformation. “To me, acting is like being water. You can take the shape of whatever you’re put into. I can convey happiness, sadness, anger, whatever as long as I’m provided the right direction,” says the Jamnabai Narsee School’s eighth-grade student.

Being well-versed with world cinema thanks to early exposure, Partho understands what is required of him on the sets. Maybe that’s why he claims to have had fun every single day. Besides, he doesn’t use the word ‘work’ for the amount of time spent shooting given Amole’s strict four-hours-only regimen. “I don’t really think about what’s going on or what I’m going to do when Dad goes ‘action’ because half of the time, I’m just having fun with kids my age. Like on the very first day of our shoot at Gokuldham, I, along with four other boys from the film, went missing just 10 minutes before the camera would roll. I’m sure the ADs (assistant directors) had a tough time because of us,” Partho smiles.

When asked about his future plans, he says the action, for him, lies behind it, not in front of it. “I want to be so many things when I grow up. I want to be a musician, though I also hope to become a director someday.” He pauses before continuing, “Oh, I want to be a marine biologist too as I’m fond of the sea and a zoologist because I love animals.”

Here’s a guy who has not got it all sorted out. And that’s a good thing.

Parag Maniar (BOMBAY TIMES; November 28, 2013)

 Ever since its inception in India in 2008, Fox Star Studios seems to have cracked the code and found what it takes to compete in the subcontinent entertainment market. Not only does the production house have A-listers Hrithik Roshan, Ranbir Kapoor, Emraan Hashmi, Arjun Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Deepika Padukone, Anushka Sharma and Vidya Balan in its ventures, it also has as many as 28 film releases lined up next year — nine Bollywood, 15 Hollywood and four Tamil films. And, the studio is currently readying for the Saif Ali Khan starrer Bullett Raja, directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia. 

Speaking about their Hindi line-up, Vijay Singh, CEO, Fox Star Studios, says, “The studio is making a strong statement about scaling up and becoming a key player in the Hindi film industry and at the same time, working with diverse talent cutting across genres.” 

Besides cracking deals with old associates like Vishesh Films and Amole Gupte, the company has also forged new alliances with Pooja Entertainment and Films Ltd, Phantom Films, Illuminati Films and Endemol India. “Our partnerships are a testimony to the fact that we have used our strength not only in creativity, distribution and marketing, but also sustaining business relationships and creating new ones. There is definitely a lot to look forward to in 2014,” says Singh.