DNA (August 29, 2019)

One of the most prestigious engineering institutions in the country, IIT-Bombay is all set to hold a special screening of Sajid Nadiadwala’s upcoming film, Chhichhore, for their alumni, just days ahead of its release. It’s a momentous event for those associated with the project as it’s rare for an esteemed college like IIT-Bombay to organise a special screening of a Bollywood film prior to its release. Interestingly, the educational institute will hold the show to celebrate the achievements of the film’s director Nitesh Tiwari, who happens to be an alumnus. The flick, which has been extensively shot on their campus, highlights the importance and joy of the college life in an individual’s life and how it remains a fun ride.

The movie is being screened in remembrance of the former students to relive their days, honour and cherish the most spectacular phase of their lives and to reunite with old friends and batchmates, who might or might not have been in touch with each other since they graduated. Sajid feels friendship is the special flavour of the film and holding its screening for old batch mates and having a reunion will make them take a trip down the memory lane together! The movie stars Sushant Singh Rajput, Shraddha Kapoor and Varun Sharma in lead roles.

After the tremendous success of Hrithik Roshan-starrer Super 30, Sajid’s upcoming outing is slated to release on September 6, 2019. It also marks the coming together of Sajid Nadiadwala and Fox Star Studios after they delivered hits such as Judwaa 2 and Baaghi 2, together. Chhichhore is helmed by Nitesh Tiwari, who has earlier directed the blockbuster Dangal. It is being deemed as a film that is the perfect amalgamation of college-induced nostalgia, the fun, laughter as well as the mischief. The narrative revolves around the two phases that a group of friends goes through — the college life and the midlife.

The trailer has received massive applause and is generating great excitement amongst the audience and making them uber nostalgic. The poster has hit the right chord with the audience as it promises to take you down memory lane and experience friendships once again.

Nitesh Tiwari, whose upcoming film is a story of friendship blossoming in an engineering college, recounts his own coming-of-age journey on the premises of India’s premier institute
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 26, 2019)

Nitesh Tiwari is all set to return to the theatres with his fourth directorial, Chhichhore, a story of seven friends partly set in an engineering campus, a scenario its writer-director is familiar with, having spent four years at IIT Bombay. Just the four words, Indian Institute of Technology, conjure up a picture of nerds with their noses in their books and Nitesh admits it was one he too carried in his head as he walked apprehensively towards Hostel No 4 of the Powai campus. “I was never an intellectual and made the cut with a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck,” he says modestly, admitting that he was relieved to hear the popular song from Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, “Pehla Nasha”, playing inside one of the hostel rooms. “Then, I looked down and saw a bunch of boys playing football, one letting loose with a string of gaalis, and I knew instantly I was home, among boys who were just like me.”

Medical and engineering colleges have grabbed headlines with horrific instances of ragging. Touch on the subject and the filmmaker admits that while there was a hierarchy in place at IITB, rules were not sacrosanct and the only marching orders he remembers being given as a fresher was to stand on his toes with his arms spread and take the oath. Prod him on the oath and he guffaws, “Don’t ask me to repeat it, you’d never be able to print it; it’d just be a string of asterisks. I’ve used a more civilised version in the film so I wouldn’t get an ‘A’ certificate.”

A particular task which was part of their initiation ritual was “flushing” the smile away, which had to be done with all the requisite sound effects, right down to pulling the chain of an antiquated wrought iron flush tank, followed by the gurgle of water and ending with a “phurrrrr” sound which left Nitesh with a smile on his face as a result of which he had to repeat the task half-a-dozen times. “It was only later that I realised the “phurrr” was the sound of pigeons flying. They would perch in the toilet till the sound of the flush drove them away,” he reminisces, adding that once a bull was lured with rotis to the second floor of the hostel and pushed into a boy’s room. Imagine his shock when he unlocked it to “come face-to-face with his new roomie. I swear this is no bulls***,” Nitesh laughs.

IITB, he recalls, had a strong presence in both sports and cultural fields, and his seniors were always on the lookout for freshers with particular talents. Once they discovered that Nitesh was a natural mime, he was sent to inter-collegiate fests like Mood Indigo where he won prizes too. In his second and third year, he also came up with story ideas for skits for Performing Arts Festival (PAF). “One of them revolved around goofy ghosts and a haunted house. Imagine back in ’93, we were experimenting with a horror-comedy on the IIT stage,” he smiles.

Different hostels came together for this fest and it was a matter of great pride to win the PAF shield. After missing thrice, in the final year, they decided not to aim at pleasing the judges, but play to the gallery instead. This time, Nitesh directed the skit, A Touch Of Evil, an all out musical about a couple of innocent lovers caught in a bitter rivalry between two sorcerers. “It was a laugh riot and we went on to lift the PAF shield,” he narrates.

So, while studying for a degree in Metallurgy and Material Science Engineering, Nitesh discovered the joy of writing and went on to work as a creative director in an ad agency before diving into Hindi films with Chillar Party in 2011. He wrote the story, screenplay and dialogue for his debut directorial which bagged the National Award for Best Children’s Film. This was followed by the supernatural political comedy Bhoothnath Returns. He then scripted Kill Dil and wife Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s Nil Battey Sannata and Bareilly Ki Barfi while also writing and directing the wrestling drama, Dangal. “IIT was not only a wonderfully liberating experience from the confines of our homes, but also a journey of self-discovery,” he avers.

An all-rounder, Nitesh was also voted sportsman of the year and graduated with the Scroll of Honour, a first after 17 years, in ’96. “I was captain of my hostel’s cricket team, and also played football, volleyball, hockey and running the 4x100 metres relay. I was an extra in the basketball team too,” he smiles. Interestingly, many of these sports are showcased in the Sajid Nadiadwala production too, with Sushant Singh Rajput being a basketball champ in his college days. “It’s a sport not showcased much in Hindi films,” Nitesh reasons.

In reel life, the camaraderie continues even after the buddies pass out of college. It’s the same for Nitesh too, who is in touch with many of his seniors, juniors and batchmates. “Our Whatsapp group is called HIV—Always Positive,” he informs with a twinkle in his eyes, explaining that he was in Hostel No 4 and four in Roman numerals is written as IV, so, HIV. “Back in ’92, AIDS was incurable, so initially the gang was called HIV-The Incurables. Later, when a cure was discovered, it changed to HIV—Always Positive.”

You wonder if there was any college romance he isn’t talking about, and Nitesh chuckles, “None because with a ratio of 45 boys to 1 girl, most of us quickly realised that udhar kuchh honewala nahin hai and took the competition to dramatics and the sports field.”

Before he signs out, the acclaimed filmmaker is quick to add that in his gang of real life chhichhores, many today are successful CEOs, bankers and entrepreneurs who still believe life is to be enjoyed, not just endured.

Math wiz and Super 30 muse Anand Kumar on how Hrithik Roshan-starrer has changed his life
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; July 31, 2019)

While educationist Anand Kumar has long been in the spotlight for his Super 30 programme, little had he imagined that the Bollywood film — inspired by his life — would be a turning point for him. Only days after the Hrithik Roshan starrer raced past the Rs 100-crore mark, Kumar was invited to speak at an orientation programme at IIT Bombay. "In 1994, I was the only student selected from Bihar by the National Board Of Higher Mathematics to pursue a short course at IIT Bombay. I had spent one-and-a-half months at the institute. I have fond memories of the campus and the Powai Lake. It was an honour to go back as a speaker."

Ever since the film hit screens, there has been renewed interest in Kumar and his endeavours. The Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Delhi governments have approached him to teach math in government schools as well as conduct teachers' training programmes. His promotional tours with Roshan have ensured that his fame is no longer restricted to educational circles.

"I am stopped for selfies at the airport. It feels good to be recognized. They [fans] tell me how the film motivated them and made them believe in the value of hard work." Even though he admits to enjoying fame, Kumar is clear about his goals. "I will not lose myself in the world of glamour. In September, I will be back in the classroom teaching my students."

Filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari traces his cinematic journey as he gets ready to revisit the 4 years he spent at IIT with his upcoming directorial
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 30, 2019)

Three years after the Aamir Khan-starrer wrestling drama Dangal, Nitesh Tiwari is gearing up for his next directorial. Chhichhore is a college romance with Sushant Singh Rajput and Shraddha Kapoor playing batchmates in a story spread across different timelines.

He acknowledges that there’s something about campus life which has fascinated him since his days at IIT Powai from where he acquired a BTech degree in Metallurgical Engineering. “Back then, I never thought I’d walk this path, but once I did, I knew I wanted to share those four years with the world because in college, you make friends with people from different walks of life who remain your friends for life. However, I didn’t want to make a film which was a random assortment of funny episodes, without purpose, but once I had a story, I knew this would be my next film,” he says.

Nitesh admits that the names of his characters including Anni (Sushant), Maya (Shraddha), Sexa (Varun Sharma) and Derek (Tahir Raj Bhasin), were those of his batchmates, juniors or seniors, but is quick to add that he has not modelled them on any one person, rather they are a mix of many. However, there isn’t much of him in any of these characters as he was always an ‘observer’.

“But I got involved with the cultural forum at IIT and realised that I can write and that what I was creating was liked by people. I don’t remembering studying all night for my semester exams, but I used to stay up for my plays,” laughs the Dangal director who helmed his first play when he was studying at a convent school in Ganj Basoda, Madhya Pradesh. “I directed a contemporary, tapori version of the Mughal-E-Azam when I was eight. It made people laugh and won me a prize.”

Back in the present, his Chhichhore is heading for a clash with Saaho, the big action-thriller, featuring Prabhas and Shraddha, on August 30. Buzz is, they could shift the date. “That’s a call for Sajid (Nadiadwala) sir and Fox Star Studios to take, who are far more experienced. Whatever they do will be the best for the film,” Nitesh keeps it short.

The filmmaker reunited recently with his Bhoothnath Returns actor Amitabh Bachchan to shoot the Kaun Banega Crorepati teaser, an annual event since the last nine years. “Mr Bachchan is on every director’s wish-list. The day I have something which needs his genius, I will go to him. Ditto with Aamir sir,” he says.

Zaira Wasim (right), his Dangal debutante, recently announced her decision to quit films saying it came in the way of her religion. “Zaira has become incommunicado,” he sighs. “She is a mature girl and since I don’t understand the situation she is facing, I don’t have the right to comment on her decision. I am sure she must have thought it out and taken a conscious call. Still, it’s sad because she is a fantastic actress as Dangal and Secret Superstar proved. And if for whatever reasons, she decided to step away, it’s the industry’s loss. For me, it’s a personal loss because she debuted in my film, so there was a sense of pride. My best wishes to her, I hope she finds what she seeks.”

His next is the Ramayana, a live action Hindi, Tamil, Telugu trilingual for Madhu Mantena, Allu Aravind and Namit Malhotra,which he is directing with Mom filmmaker Ravi Udyawvar. “We want to present something which we can leave for generations of cinegoers,” Nitesh avers. But doesn’t helming a Rs 500-crore project scare him? “If you are scared that’s a good sign, it stops you from being complacent and motivates you to do better,” he reasons, refuting speculation that he’s roped in Ram Charan and Nayanthara to play Ram and Sita.

He has also done the additional screenplay and dialogue for his filmmaker-wife Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s (left) Kangana Ranaut-starrer Panga. “Her films have to go through me, I have to have my say at least in the writing. But even when I am writing for Ashwiny, I give her the respect a director deserves. As a writer I have strong opinions, but I am also aware she can throw them out of the window,” he laughs, pointing out that his wife is a very different filmmaker from him, so she doesn’t need to follow his advice. “Mostly, she doesn’t and I’m glad she doesn’t listen to me because I love the way Nil Battey Sannata and Bareilly Ki Barfi turned out,” he signs off on that note.

As told to Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 17, 2018)

I once told my grandmother that I wanted to be an actor. She responded by slapping me because back then acting was neither a respectable profession nor a stable one. Since I was good in studies, I opted for chemistry and biology in the 11th standard with an aim to get into medicine. I even got enrolled in a dental college in Karnataka. Before that I’d dream of becoming a lawyer or an architect. But deep down, I always knew I wanted to be an actor so one day I confided in my dad who told me that I couldn’t jump into it straight after high school, but if I continued to get good grades, I would be allowed to act.

That’s how I started dabbling in theatre when in college on the condition that my attendance would be 100 per cent and I would continue to be among the toppers. I started attending the local theatre festivals and even started a theatre group called Manchtantra and later was one of the founder members of Aghaz, the theatre group of DAV College, Chandigrah. We were the first students who got to travel across the country, going to college festivals at IIT Powai and BITS Pilani. After being exposed to theatre groups in the metros we quickly realised how bad we were.

Also, I attended an all-boys college and at Oasis, the annual festival at BITS, I saw guys and girls hanging out together, smoking up and performing brilliantly on stage. It was a real culture shock! In our white shirts and black trousers we looked like waiters and were hooted off stage. After returning to Chandigarh we started reading up and made our plays more edgy. The next year, we were the first non-metro college to win the first prize at IIT Powai’s Mood Indigo. That was the turning point. I still remember the year; it was 2002.

After our triumphant return with the trophy, our principal enquired if someone from our theatre group could host an event. That was my first experience as an anchor. I conducted the entire event and the principal was so happy with it, she paid me Rs 2000. I gave my first salary to my mother who was touched by my gesture. Rs 2000 was big money back then.

In my final year of college I won the ‘All-rounder student’ Award and enrolled at Chandigarh’s Punjab University for a course in mass communication and print journalism. My dad wanted me to have a sound education in case I didn’t make it as an actor. I followed in the steps of Shah Rukh Khan who had also studied mass communication before he chose acting as a career. He is my idol, one of the most educated actors around.

After that I came to Mumbai and started giving auditions for TV shows and films. I also auditioned for radio. I was selected and sent to MICA (Mudra Institute of Communications), Ahmedabad, for training as a radio jockey. There were 70 of us and we were put up at a hostel. Along with our studies, we ran a community radio station, MICA Vani, for the villagers. We’d invite them and they would request for their favourite songs. At 22, straight out of college, I landed my first job in Delhi, a morning show when people would be driving to work. I was the youngest RJ (right) during morning hours. There were hoardings of me all around the city. It was exciting!

From RJ, I graduated to a VJ. MTV was specifically auditioning radio presenters for a current affairs infotainment show — news with a twist. Jose Covaco and Bani J were selected along with me. For four years I was a household name as an MTV anchor. I also hosted the first two seasons of India’s Got Talent and the IPL, along with Just Dance, Music Ka Mahamuqabla and several award shows. Then, Vicky Donor happened in 2012, and I was finally an actor as well.


Ayushmann in MTV Roadies

Nandita Das, along with actor Jim Sarbh and filmmaker Onir, dwells on the topic of gender and sexuality in Indian cinema at a conference at IIT Bombay. Interestingly, the discussion coincided with the Supreme Court’s decision to review Section 377, which criminalizes homosexual behaviour
Pallabi Purkayastha (BOMBAY TIMES; January 11, 2018)

While the country welcomed Supreme Court’s decision to re-examine its view, which criminalises gay sex under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the ‘South Asian Conference On Gender and Sexuality’ held at IIT Bombay recently was a hub of revelation as it touched on the alarming issue of exclusion of the LGBTQ community and representation in Indian cinema.

I DON’T THINK PEOPLE WILL COME ON THE STREETS TO SUPPORT A FILM LIKE FIRE: NANDITA DAS
Nandita Das spoke about how Fire (1998) was the first film to start a dialogue on homosexuality — a topic that was swept under the carpet in most households. “After having done 40 films in various languages, Fire is one of those few films that had an impact,” said the actress-director, who was a part of the panel, which included speakers like filmmaker Onir, actor Jim Sarbh, LGBTQ activist Dr Aditya Joshi, professor at Jamia Millia Islamia University Shohini Ghosh and lawyer and human rights activist Vrinda Grover. “Whether you liked the film, hated it or were uncomfortable about it, suddenly there was a reference point to start a conversation (on LGBT). For me, personally, it was a life-changing experience. I have understood homosexuality on an intellectual level, but I often get asked ‘Why do you care about LGBTQ community? You are straight. Is your brother gay?’ The problem is we have not thought about it as our issue. In fact, it is only after Fire that I realised what an insensitive world we live in,” she explained.

Nandita, whose upcoming biopic on writer Saadat Hasan Manto is set to release this year, feels that with every passing day, the society is succumbing to the fear of unknown and that, freedom of expression cannot be exercised as one could back in the 90s. “What has changed now? I think Fire released without a single cut despite the presence of self-proclaimed custodians of culture, who thought the film should be stopped. Today, if something like this happens, I don’t think people will come out on streets to support us like they did back in 1998. People talked about freedom of expression, whether they agreed or disagreed with the film. I don’t know if a film like Fire can be made today. Are we liberal enough as a society to make a film like that or even a film like Firaaq (2009)? I don’t know how Manto is going to be received. We live in times of fear and silence, where we are ready to bow down even before we are slapped by someone,” she said.

The award-winning actress also shared a rather disturbing anecdote, which was an offshoot of social media bullying. “Someone wrote that I said, ‘All men are potential rapists’. I would never make a generic statement like that, but people started tagging me on pictures of my five-year-old son and asking, ‘Is he a potential rapist, too?’ I was scared for myself and my family. I don’t know the source of the quote, but I had to clarify it,” she shared.


‘I AM TIRED OF BEING CONSTANTLY QUOTED AS THE ONLY OPENLY GAY DIRECTOR IN BOLLYWOOD’: ONIR
Celebrated director Onir spoke of how the world around him concentrates on his sexual orientation and not the variety of work he has done. “I am tired of being constantly quoted as the only openly gay director in Bollywood. I made My Brother Nikhil, it was my fifth script, which accidentally became my first film. I am always fighting this notion that because I am gay, I made My Brother Nikhil. I have made films that deal with child abuse or even Kashmiri pandits, but that doesn’t make me a victim of abuse or a Kashmiri Pandit. It’s just that you feel about certain issues,” said the director.

Despite winning a National Award for ‘Best Feature Film’ for I Am (2012), the director still struggles to get his films to the theatres. Talking about the humongous task of getting his films cleared across various boards, the filmmaker shared, “I went to the FCAT to get a U/A certificate for Shab (2017), I received a written letter from them, saying ‘It glorifies homosexuality’. At the end of it, I am really worried as to whether I really want to make another film.”


‘I HAVE NO INTENTIONS OF PROMOTING BOLLYWOOD’S IDEA OF HOW A MAN SHOULD BEHAVE’: JIM SARBH
Yet another popular name from the film and theatre world, Jim Sarbh shared a few funny anecdotes from his audition days. Reflecting upon the numerous instances of ‘stereotypical gay jokes’, the Neerja-famed actor said, “I was part of an advertisement where I was asked to repeat a take because they thought my walk was not manly enough. It is shocking that people are discussing these things the way they are. It is not because I come from an amazingly Bohemian family and even my family will have a tough time to come to terms with it, if I said I was gay or bisexual. People should express themselves the way they want to as long as they are not causing any harm to another person.”

Jim, who is well aware of the ways of showbiz, refuses to conform to stereotypes. “Men are expected to behave a certain way, especially in Bollywood and the idea is promoted vehemently. But I have no intentions of doing it, not unless you’re playing that stereotypical role of a macho man as the only representation of men. As long as the films are being sensitive to these gender roles, I will do it. But if a role says ‘that’s how men are’, I will fight that,” asserted the actor.

Amidst a hall full of enthusiastic students at IIT Bombay’s annual cultural fest, filmmakers Madhur Bhandarkar and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra threw the crowd into a frenzy with interesting anecdotes from their lives
Pallabi Purkayastha (BOMBAY TIMES; December 27, 2017)

Madhur Bhandarkar, the critically-acclaimed director, who is known for making hard-hitting cinema about the darker side of life, had to overcome some mammoth obstacles to get to where he is today. Talking about his struggling years, Bhandarkar said, “I come from a middle-class family. So I had to struggle a lot... I sold video cassettes on cycles. As a delivery boy, I have given cassettes to every person— from dance bar girls to people from the underworld. I used to meet film actors during those days. One person who knows that I am the same video cassette delivery boy who used to go around on his bicycle is Mithun Chakraborty. He remembers me well because I used to go to his place for four years. He cannot believe it that I am that same guy. At the success party of Corporate, he went on stage and said ‘half chhaddi main aata tha mere paas.’ It was so sweet of Dada.”

Bhandarkar also spoke about the pay disparity in showbiz and had a powerful message to convey when a student quizzed him about his take on the glaring issue. “Like I always say, all superhit films are not good films and films that do not work are not bad films. Bollywood is definitely star-driven. As a consumer, if you go to a shop, you prefer to buy a trusted brand. Similarly, you will go for a small budget film only when you start hearing good things about it. A lot of people ask me why heroines face pay disparity, as opposed to heroes in films. To which, I reply ‘Aap hamesha puchte ho hero kaun hai, aapne kabhi pucha heroine kaun hai?’ Nobody asks that. The priority is always given to the male lead. Everyone wants to know only about the actor and not the actress. The day we change this mindset and go to watch a female-centric movie with the same zeal as we have for a male-lead film, that day the actress will be paid equally,” he said. Needless to say, the answer was received with a thunderous applause.

While the students were bowled over by Bhandarkar’s brutal honesty, Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra left everyone in splits with his tongue-in-cheek humour. When he was asked to impart life lessons to the young generation, he said, “There is a price you have to pay, whether you like it or you don’t. There are many who manage to do that (excel in academics) and lose out on life. I would rather not lose out on life chasing a certain percentage. I cannot speak for others but for myself. Some people have the ability to multitask, I cannot.”

Mehra, who is known for his films like Rang De Basanti and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, shared how failures and rejections instilled a sense of fearlessness in him and urged him to go on. “Rang De Basanti was supposed to be a Box Office disaster. We all knew it. It is a miracle that it worked. Nobody was financing us, nothing was happening and for us, it was even more fun. Every time we hit a wall, we said aur maza aayega. We went to every actor from A to Z and all of them rejected it. I went to Amitji (Amitabh Bachchan) and told him that there is this character of a 22-year-old, which has been rejected by everyone. He said when he looked at me for the first time, he thought I was crazy. Now he is sure that I am totally mad. That was his way of encouraging me.” The director is clear in his thoughts that he would rather learn from his mistakes than repeat his success.

While talking about the process behind making the biopic Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, he made a startling revelation. He shared, “Every time I would interview Milkha Singh, I would ask him to repeat his stories. He welled up on two occasions — when he lost the 400 metres Rome Olympics and second, when he spoke about the massacre. Milkha Singh had demons in his heart about the partition. I don’t blame him; he has witnessed the massacre of his mother, sister, brother and cousin. When he saw the film, he broke down. He held my hand and said ‘jitni nafrat thi aaj sab nikal gayi’.”

Both Madhur and Rakeysh urged the youth to chase their dreams without an iota of hesitation and told them that they should never let anyone plant the seed of self-doubt in their beaming minds.

As told to Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 9, 2017)

I was in my first year of studying Mechanical Engineering at the Delhi College of Engineering (now known as the Delhi Technological University) and really wanted to buy myself a swanky sports bike. I had also enrolled for Shiamak Davar’s dance classes and wanted more money for advanced lessons. At the time, Shiamak had also wanted me to pursue theatre and asked me to train at Barry John’s acting academy, and for that too, I needed more money. So I started tutoring 12th standard students from my university and even though I was only a year senior I managed to get a bunch of students. Some of them wanted coaching for the higher secondary board examination, while others wanted guidance for their medical and engineering entrance exams. And it wasn’t a scam at all, this was serious tutoring, one-on-one long sessions, and, though I say this myself, I was a pretty good teacher!

I’d won the National Physics Olympiad and cleared around 11 engineering entrance exams. I mostly took physics and math classes. Eventually, I got a lot of students and made quite a lot of money to live out all my dreams.

In hindsight, I realise that even though I knew how to make my students understand differential equations, I was clueless about where to apply them in real life. It’s a redundant way of teaching, to tell students “how to think”. By 2005, I was fed up of studying engineering altogether. Around the same time, I was also picked up as one of the background dancers for the Filmfare Awards. I also performed in the cultural programme of the opening ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Australia. And this opened new doors for me.

I always remember this one thing my mother told me — no matter what you choose to do in life, it’s important to complete your education. (Sushant’s mother passed away in 2002, when the actor was 15 years old). I would have liked to follow her advice but couldn’t. I didn’t wait to get my engineering degree and dropped out in the final year to pursue dancing and eventually, television and acting against everyone’s wishes.

It was not the safest decision to take but in retrospect, I can say that it was the right one for me. I am happy with my choice of vocation. Because of my personal journey, I believe that teaching students how to realise what they want to do, showing them “how to think” over “what to think” should be a crucial part of our education system. But some day, I’d also like to go back and get my degree.

Last year, during the promotional tour of M S Dhoni - The Untold Story, I was invited to IIT Bombay to give a motivational speech. That was a high! Years ago, I’d aspired to join IIT Delhi or Mumbai but didn’t score enough to get in. And yet, there I was speaking to the students. So I guess, life works in strange ways.

Today, I am an established actor, but I am continuing to take small steps in my own way with the ‘Sushant 4 Education’ programme for students. I hope to activate a strong sense of learning in young minds as I believe in the power of education. We have already provided round-the-clock counsellors to some schools to help students make the right career choice based on their strengths and aptitude. These sessions have begun in two city schools — St Elias High School and S S Sahney High School. In one school, we’ve also provided projectors so that teachers can use films and documentaries instead of only archaic textbooks.

Majority of the kids I want to cater to are first-generation learners. So the next step is to start a scholarship for students to travel overseas for a semester at an international school so that they get some much-needed exposure early on.

I’ve now moved from being the tutor who told students “what to think” to the actor who wants young minds to be free, to think and question. I want to inspire the kind of teaching they follow in a few medical schools in America. In some places, for example, a student will be asked what he or she enjoys studying about the most. If the answer is dinosaurs, everything from maths to chemistry will be taught using examples and theories related to the extinct species. These students don’t follow exam patterns like ours, and yet in their final grade 10 exams, 90 per cent are among the top 10 per cent rankers in the US. That’s exactly the kind of learning I want to inspire in our country too.

Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; August 28, 2017)

From speaking up about depression to launching social campaigns against sexual and physical abuse — Bollywood celebrities have often used their stardom for a greater good by championing causes that need addressal, thus becoming catalysts for change.

Taapsee Pannu is the latest to join the bandwagon. The actor has joined hands with the students of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mumbai in their endeavour to promote sanitary education among women. The initiative also includes distribution of sanitary napkins in villages.

The actor reveals that she aims to remove the stigma attached to menstruation. "I have never understood why menstruation has been a taboo subject, people don't want to come out in the open and talk about it. Women often use code language to talk about it. That's probably one of the reasons why the sanitary health of women has not really improved over the years," Pannu analyses.

She feels the first step towards improving sanitary health is to address it openly. "It's a natural aspect of womanhood. It needs to be discussed, so people understand it better." Pannu thinks it is noteworthy that the young students are driving the attitudinal change. "It's a delight when young minds work hard to create awareness about such issues."

Subhash K Jha (DNA; May 13, 2015)


Raj screened the though-provoking film at the Indian Institute Of Technology in Mumbai on May 8 to an immensely attentive and responsive audience. He says, “The screening was a private one, for students of the IIT only. There were 400 students present and everybody was fully engaged and absolutely loved the film. The Q&A lasted longer than an hour.”

Seeing the positive response to the film, Raj wonders at the wisdom of preventing youngsters from seeing cinema about the harsh truth of life. “The Censor decides that these kids don’t know how to handle tough subjects and films! Our young breed is very aware of the world and its reality. They don’t need to protected and mollycoddled.”

Raj now takes Unfreedom for a screening in New York on May 29. “Any film can be screened publicly in the US without an American censor certificate.My Unfreedom has the freedom to be screened fearlessly on American soil. But not in my own land,” rues Amit.