MUMBAI MIRROR (September 8, 2015)

Indian Idol Junior winner Ananya Nanda wants to do playback for Sonakshi Sinha, Deepika Padukone and Anushka Sharma.

The 14 year-old Odisha girl, who won the second season of the show, said the three actresses are her personal favourites. "I would be very happy to sing for Sonakshi ma'am, Deepika Padukone and Anushka Sharma. I really like their acting and it would be an honour to do playback for them," Ananya says.

Sonakshi was one of the three judges on the show, which saw Ananya defeating other two finalists - Nahid Afrin and Nithyashree Venkataramanan.

Ananya said she was surprised to win. "I was shocked when my name was announced. I had not thought about winning. I went with the flow because if I had kept expectations and lost, I would have been very sad and heartbroken." She now wants to focus on her upcoming exams and get back to her riyaz.

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 28, 2015)

In an earlier interview to Mirror (July 31), Sonakshi Sinha had admitted that being a judge on the talent hunt show, Indian Idol Junior, has inspired her to brush up her singing skills and could lead to her crooning a song in one of her upcoming films. "Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani are doing the music for Akira. Vishal, who is my Idol co-judge thinks it would be great if I sang," Sonakshi had said.

While one is still unsure about whether the 28-year-old actress will be making her signing debut in AR Murugadoss's remake of the 2011 Tamil hit, Mouna Guru, Mirror has now learnt that she has promised a playback break to one of the contestants, Nahid Afrin. The 13-year-old sang KK's chartbuster from Jannat, Zara si dil mein de jagah tu. Everyone, including the singer, applauded the performance, and an overwhelmed Sonakshi embraced Nahid and requested her to sing for her in Akira. Sonakshi confirmed the news saying. "Yes, Nahid is one of my favourite contestants and with her confidence and passion she can record a song anytime. I requested her to sing for my upcoming movie Akira and I'm glad she's agreed."

Nahid understandably, is over the moon. "This the best moment of my journey on the show," she smiles.

Tanvi Trivedi (BOMBAY TIMES; August 21, 2015)

Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; August 19, 2015)

Film promotions these days are incomplete without the star cast making an appearance on popular reality shows. That is what Katrina Kaif and Saif Ali Khan have been busy doing to spread the word about their upcoming film, Phantom. However, on Sunday, when the duo visited the set of the music reality show,  Indian Idol Junior, Kat seemed a tad upset. Sources say the actress was unhappy about not being clued in about the flow of the shoot.

A unit hand says, “They were supposed to arrive by 4pm and begin the shoot at 6pm. However, the schedule was advanced to morning since it was Saif ’s birthday that day and he wanted to spend the evening with his family. We made arrangements for the shoot to commence at 10am, but it started nearly 90 minutes later as soon as Saif arrived on the set. Katrina, on the other hand, reached a bit late.”

Since Kat walked in late, she could not be informed about the flow of the shoot. The actress is said to have refused to do a gig as she was not briefed about it beforehand. “She was not present when we started shooting, so we could not tell her about it. The gig required her to say yes to a question that was asked to her, but she didn’t want to do it. She even asked the crew members to stop filming for about 20 minutes and asked for a proper briefing as a condition to resume the shoot. Finally, it all ended well,” adds the source.

Kat denies the buzz and says, “I was always meant to come a little later than Saif since I had another shoot, but I was not upset at all.”

After punching and pummelling her way through the Mouna Guru remake, the actress is now combining forces with John Abraham
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 31, 2015)


When A R Murugadoss decided to remake Santha Kumar's 2011 Tamil action thriller, Mouna Guru, as Akira, with the leading lady of his film Holiday, Sonakshi Sinha, stepping into actor Arulnithi Tamilarasu's shoes, little did he know that he was moulding an action heroine for Hindi cinema.

The 28-year-old actress underwent months of training in mixed martial arts to enhance strength and flexibility. She also practised choreographed kicking and punching. "By switching the gender, Murugadoss sir has changed the film's perspective and makes the character even more relatable. Every young girl will be able to take something away from it. For me, Akira was exciting because I was getting to learn something new. The prep required plenty of discipline and hard work but I was happy to go through the grind because it helped me get into shape too," Sonakshi smiles.

She recalls a cable action scene in the film in which she had to kick off from the chest of one of the fighters, do a back flip in the air and land on her feet. "It was the most daunting and difficult stunt I've ever done but I pulled it off," she exults.

Sonakshi has now bagged the Force sequel opposite John Abraham which will also have lots of daredevil stunts but will not require any further homework. "The training I've undergone is perfect for Force 2 too though this time, the action will be more stylised as compared to the raw power of Akira," she points out.

John is still remembered for his bulging biceps and 12-pack from the original Force. Apprehensive? The query is answered with peals of laughter, "What's a 12-pack? Last I counted, it was six! And why would I be apprehensive? That was John's look for the film and I'm not exactly competing with his physique. I've worked with some of the best action heroes and learnt from watching them. It will be amazing to put all that learning to use and see it translate on screen."

The way she's going, will she soon give Bollywood's heroes a complex? "Why would I give them a complex? They've been at it for years; it will take me a while to be in their league, but I will keep trying," she promises.

Prod her on role models and Angelina Jolie is the obvious choice for her effortless action in films like Salt, Wanted, Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life. "I also loved Uma Thurman in the Kill Bill series and Rani Mukerji was awesome in Mardaani," she raves.

Given her new-found expertise in maar-dhaad, will Rajjo fight the baddies in Dabangg 3 with Chulbul Pandeyji? Sonakshi instantly clams up, saying it's too early to speak about Dabangg 3 which is still being scripted. "But I think they will leave the fighting to Pandeyji in this one as well," she smiles coyly.

Okay, so Salman's out, so which action hero would she like to match, kick for kick, someday? "Definitely Akshay Kumar," she quips. "He is so good in martial arts and parkour that it would be challenging to match him, kick for kick!"

Well, there's talk of a Rowdy Rathore sequel, she could give Akshay competition in that? "Why are you hell-bent on me giving my heroes competition?" she frowns. "We all work in harmony for the film. I don't know anything about a Rowdy Rathore sequel but if it happens, it would be awesome."

When Sonakshi is not fighting, she's dancing. Nachan Farrate, her special appearance song in All Is Well, is already top of the charts. "Ahmed Khan choreographed the song and he's really fast. We knocked this song off in two-and-a-half days and the energy level on the set was always high," she reminisces.

From dancing to singing. After watching her judge Indian Idol Junior, will we also hear her sing in Akira? "Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani are doing the music for Akira. And Vishal, who is my Idol co-judge thinks it would be great if I sang. Let's see, I just might because being on the show and watching all the talented kids inspires me everyday to brush up my vocal chords," she confides.

Will we see more of her on TV now? Sonakshi admits that it is a wonderful medium with a wide reach now. "It's no longer the small screen and I'd want to always be a part of Indian Idol Junior. If something else comes along once this season is over, and I like the concept, why not?" she retorts.

Meanwhile, there's a home production coming up with Sonakshi leading the cast. Will that be an action-oriented, heroine-centric film too? "I'm already doing an Akira along those lines. I would like to do something very different for the home production. We are close to locking a script. Wait and watch," she says evasively.

BOMBAY TIMES (July 4, 2015)

DNA (July 3, 2015)


Meanwhile...
The Bajrangi Bhaijaan actor will be seen with his little fan Akshat Singh — the boy who apes Salman to the ‘T’ — in Comedy Nights With Kapil. A source says that Salman will enter with Akshat and both of them will do a dance jig together. There will be a wrestling competition between Daadi (Ali Asgar) and Pankhudi (Kiku Sharda) in which Salman will be the chief guest and judge the match.

Sonakshi Sinha opens up about her family project, admits that Action Jackson didn't turn out the way she expected, asserts she can't see anyone else playing Rajjo in Dabangg
Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 12, 2015)

Your glam prop role in your last film, Action Jackson, disappointed. Will AK Murugadoss's Akira be any different?
My role eventually turned out to be something entirely different. But when I commit to something, I believe in doing it with conviction. Action Jackson and Akira are different films, made by different people with different characters. Akira is a character people will relate to.

Your director turned the character around, from a guy to a girl. How much has Akira changed from the Tamil original Mouna Guru?
Akira is different from the original now that it has a female protagonist and has been adapted to the sensibilities of a Hindi film audience. Murugadoss sir's gift came with a strong sense of responsibility. When briefing me, he pointed out that we'd both been part of films which featured male superstars. This film is riding on us.

Konkona Sen Sharma plays a cop in the film... apprehensive about getting overshadowed?
Konkana is a fantastic actress. I'm looking forward to the shoot. Actors feed off each others energy, being in the same frame with her will only enhance my performance.

While other heroines are signing films every week, you have your hopes pinned on Akira. Why the go-slow strategy?
Who is snapping up films every week? They're either working on the films they've signed or waiting for them to release. There are hardly any films on the floors. The box office lull has affected everyone. It's better to take things slow than jump into something just to have films in your kitty. I've worked at breakneck speed for the last four years. Now I'm enjoying doing one film at a time.

After shooting for the action-packed Akira, do you feel confident to take on a Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar or Ajay Devgn?
Mixed martial arts are new to me. But I was sporty when in school and college and I adapted well. I started training a month before the shoot and am continuing with it. It's gruelling, I've injured my wrist, back and knee. As for taking on Salman, Akshay and Ajay, why would I do that? It would be cooler to be on the same team with them.

Buzz is, Dabangg 3 will take off in mid-2016. An eight-year-old reality show contestant, Akshat Singh, claims he's playing junior Chulbul Pandey. Can you ever see anyone else playing Rajjo?
Clearly this eight year old knows much more than me. The script is still being developed. I will always be Rajjo. Dabangg is my identity, it's a film I will always be proud of. I can't see anyone else playing Rajjo.

After saying you're just a bathroom singer you are judging moophat kids on Indian Idol Junior. What made you take on the challenge?
I love to sing and dance even though I've had no formal training. I can't judge these kids but I can encourage, support and help them with tips on stage presence and performance. And I'll learn some singing from them. It'll be fun! If kids are moophat, what makes you think I'm any less?

How about hosting a talk show on issues your dad's government is grappling with?
Why do I need to host a show on my father's field of expertise? If I do one, it'll be about something I excel in.

Your home production was to take off this year. Any updates?
A script has been finalised. Once the formalities are done, an announcement will be made. And yes, I will be starring in it.

In retrospect, was Lingaa opposite Rajinikanth, your father's contemporary, a mistake?
Why would it be a mistake? It gave me the biggest debut in Tamil cinema. My performance was appreciated. I've got more offers. I would love to do more films in the South.

Many of your contemporaries have turned philanthropists. Why not you?
I was part of an eye donation campaign last year, I've walked for cancer patients and Mijwan. My father is the is chairman of Prayas which helps women and children. I also helped in the Nepal earthquake relief. Just because I don't go to town about it, doesn't mean I don't do it.

At a time when other heroines are looking skeletal, you are advocating curves. What makes for a perfect figure?
There is no such thing as perfection. The world is made up of people of different shapes and sizes. That's the beauty of it. What matters is that you're healthy. Just as its wrong to discriminate on the basis of colour, creed and gender, it's wrong to discriminate on size. That irritates me!

Neha Maheshwri Bhagat (BOMBAY TIMES; April 4, 2015)

Asira Tarannum (MID-DAY; March 14, 2015)

The first promo of Indian Idol Junior’s upcoming season has just gone on air and it looks like one half of it is missing — it features only Vishal Dadlani while his music partner Shekhar Ravjiani has curiously gone missing from it. Interestingly, the composer duo has always judged music reality shows together and Shekhar’s disappearance has set tongues wagging.

Shekhar says he was not approached for the show. “I don’t know the reason; speak to the channel,” he retorts. Vishal, on the other hand, suggests it was “a call that Shekhar and the channel made.” When we asked him if Shekhar deliberately opted out of the show, he says, “The channel spoke to me and I spoke to Shekhar, he told me to go ahead and I went and did it (all by myself). It’s a commercial engagement at the end of the day.”

The channel spokesperson confirms that Shekhar is not a part of Indian Idol Junior this time, while stating that the reason was “not known to us right now.” Another source from the channel informed us that the show’s format has been changed this season and there will only be two judges.

Gaurav Seth, the channel’s marketing head, has a completely different version to offer. He says, “We have just released the first promo, so wait and watch. The first one only features Vishal and we are yet to announce the other two judges.”

Vishal-Shekhar have, so far, judged five shows, including Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007, Jo Jeeta Wohi Super Star in 2008, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa with Sajid-Wajid, Amul Star Voice of India Mummy Ke Superstars and Indian Idol Junior 2013.