Playing an antagonist in Brahmastra, Mouni Roy on how she worked on her speed, agility for her first actioner
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; September 3, 2018)

That Ayan Mukerji meant business when he said Brahmastra will involve action was made evident when he roped Israeli movement coach Ido Portal - among the most celebrated names in movement culture across the globe - to train his cast. While lead actors Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt spent a fair share of time learning from Portal earlier this year, mid-day has it that the film's antagonist, Mouni Roy, is leaving no stone unturned to give them tough competition.

Roy, who also learnt from Portal for a brief period, is set to pull off action sequences for reel for the first time. However, it is under the guidance of trainer Kuldeep Shashi that she has been undergoing intense prep for her part. A source close to the production tells mid-day, "As a villain, Mouni is expected to be lithe, agile and fast-footed. She has been training in free-running and gymnastics with Kuldeep since January, and has also been working on her flexibility." While Roy's portions won't involve martial arts, she will pull off hand-to-hand combat sequences, apart from high-octane gymnastic moves like free-wheeling spins, back flips and splits, says the source.

Confirming the news to mid-day, Roy reveals, "We didn't train in a particular form of martial arts, but in routines that can make us equipped to perform all kinds of action. I guess, you could label our training as one that makes me a Jack of all trades."

Playing the role of an antagonist early on in her career doesn't seem like a risk for Roy. "I have been acting for nine years [in television], so it's not that early. Also, I love stories. I like intriguing parts, so, if something excites me, I will do it."

Bharati K Dubey (DNA; January 25, 2018)

Dharma Productions is probably the first Bollywood production house to shoot in Israel. They have shot their upcoming film Drive, directed by Tarun Mansukhani, which stars Sushant Singh Rajput and Jacqueline Fernandez in the Middle East country. Dharma CEO Apoorva Mehta speaks about Israel and his plan to have a theatrical release there.

What prompted you to shoot Drive in Israel?
I believe we are the first production house to film there. The narrative of Drive needed a certain portion to be shot abroad. Our director Tarun was looking for a location that offered all the cinematic trappings in one place — a scenic city scape, frisky beaches and location that was a blend of cultural heritage and the affluence of modern city. Our executive producer was in touch with the Tourism minister, who told her that we could look for Israel as an option.

There are reports that you will shoot Brahmastra there as well...
No, we are not going back to shoot for Brahmastra, but we are working with one person residing in Israel. He is Ido Portal, a holistic movement specialist, who is helping us with the styling for Brahmastra. We shot a dance-and-song sequence, which turned out to be a wonderful experience. We were very impressed with the way things were planned and laid out for us, so everything went off smoothly.

But do Bollywood films release in Israel?
There was a time when films did release in Israel. I remember meeting the distributor, but I think mostly the releases were on TV. Israel is a small territory and they are still not ready for it.

Do you intend to have a theatrical release of Drive?
There is a thought to release Drive in cinemas in Israel. We will definitely work around it, if we have somebody who can support us there. We will work with the Consul General and the Tourism Minister.

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 3, 2018)

On Sunday, filmmaker Ayan Mukerji and his Brahmastra leads, Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, arrived in Israel for a recce of their upcoming action-adventure. Set in modern-day India, the first film in a potential trilogy revolves around wisdom and powers drawn from ancient Indian culture and will be shot in the old city of Jaffa and Jerusalem, as also parts in the neighbouring country of Jordan. Shooting kicks off this February with Amitabh Bachchan also featuring in the cast.

The trio brought in New Year’s Eve at a club in Tel Aviv before getting down to work with Israeli fitness trainer and movement coach Ido Portal (right), who is training Ranbir to get the body posture right for his superhero turn and for some important action sequences too. Ido, who is trained in different martial arts, dance forms, gymnastics, acrobatics, among other physical disciplines, is working with an approach that blends aspects from each form into an exploration of the ability and limits of movement, which will feature in the film.

Last year, Ayan, Alia and RK had met in London to begin prep, which was followed by periodic narrations and workshops with Ido in Mumbai. “Ranbir and Ayan are incredibly gifted. In a culture of superstardom, big productions and money, they impress me with their humanity, love and care,” the trainer said.

While Ranbir has headlined all of his filmmaker friend’s directorials —Wake Up Sid and Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani — the duo has welcomed the new cast member with open arms. The trio has been exploring hip party destinations on Rotschild Boulevard and Alia, while interacting

DNA (January 1, 2018)

Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and director Ayan Mukerji flew to Israel on Saturday night. The trio has gone there to meet internationally-renowned Israeli trainer Ido Portal, and spend the New Year with him. Ido is training Ranbir and Alia for their upcoming superhero film Brahmastra. A few months ago, Ido had posted a picture of him with Ranbir and Ayan, saying, “When passionate people are coming together in collaboration to fulfill a fantasy — expect truly fantastic things coming on your screen in 2018.” A source says that a few months ago, Ido had come down to Mumbai and Ranbir had thrown a bash for him at Chembur where he was staying then. And, now the trio is kickstarting the new year in Israel.