Singer Javed Ali, who is best known for his soulful songs, feels the holy month of Ramzan brings out the “best in me”.

“I tell people that you should record me more during Ramzan,” the 42-year-old muses. Ask him why, and he explains, “The texture of the voice changes after one consumes food. So, when we fast during Ramzan, there is a very different roohani (soulful) connection. Kaam aur zyada accha hota hai. I have noticed a kind of freshness in my voice while recording during Ramzan.”

He says it is no coincidence that some of his hits were recorded while he was observing roza: “I recorded the title song of Ishaqzaade (2012), Tu Jo Mila (Bajrangi Bhaijaan, 2015) and Kuch Nahi (Tubelight, 2017) while observing roza. Aur dekho, unn gaano ka kitna asar hai!”

A religious person at heart, Javed tries to observe roza at any cost, even while he is travelling. Though he admits that he faces some challenges while doing so, he takes it all in his stride: “After iftar, when you consume food, your stamina drops. But you have to manage.”

Dwelling on what the holy month means to him, Javed reflects, “It’s tough to define Ramzan ka mauhal aur khushi in words. Many feel we are hungry throughout the day, but it’s nothing like that at all! In fact, we gain more power and control. I feel all rozedars enjoy fasting and doing iftar with family and friends at the dastarkhān with amazing food.”

Actor Parineeti Chopra says her politician husband Raghav Chadha is largely “disconnected from the world of films”, but after getting married to her last year, things have changed slightly.

“Raghav doesn’t know much about films; he is musically inclined. Of course, since we’re together, he takes a little more interest in what’s going on. He watched Amar Singh Chamkila — he knows the whole history of [the slain Punjabi singer] — and thought it was a wonderful film,” says Chopra, who played Chamkila’s wife and collaborator, Amarjot Kaur, in the film.

The positive response to the Imtiaz Ali directorial, which the actor feels is a first in her 13-year career, has left her beaming. “Any film of mine that has done well has a certain aspect [that viewers have loved], it has never been a 100% reception. Hasee Toh Phasee (2014) and Ishaqzaade (2012) continue to get love, Golmaal Again (2017) had the box-office numbers, Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar (2021) had critical acclaim. Every film had a strength, but Chamkila has been my most successful film,” she says.

In the absence of box-office numbers, the all-round appreciation is satisfying, Chopra feels. “In the case of this film, the appreciation feels true and real, and not because of some PR machinery. I’ve met people outside the Hindi or Punjabi speaking belts. Some fans from Nigeria said they watched it! The response didn’t require any sort of polishing,” she wraps up.

A loose outfit is all it took social media to speculate whether actor Parineeti Chopra was expecting. Laughing off the speculation mill, as she did in an Insta Story earlier this year, she says, “In the last one year, I had put on 16 kg for a film, and that has not been shed yet. The obvious deduction when people see me, is, ‘She got married, she must be pregnant’. I don’t bother about it. If I wasn’t married they wouldn’t say all this. It’s so clichéd and predictable, thinking this about a female actor.”