The sudden demise of Sushant Singh Rajput due to suicide left the entire industry and moviegoers stunned. But what was even more shocking is how his demise was used by people with vested interests to further their agenda or settle old scores. In this article, I’ll focus on the lies they have spread, few of which caught on and led to hatred against Karan Johar, Salman Khan etc. Moreover, I’ll take a look at their past instances which will make it clear that they can’t be trusted or that they can’t be lapped up in any way.

1. SANJAY NIRUPAM
The Congress politician put up a tweet alleging that Sushant Singh Rajput had signed as many as 7 films after he delivered the super-hit film Chhichhore in September 2019. He claimed that all these films were snatched away from him. Sanjay Nirupam didn’t explain as to how he came to this conclusion and the source of his claims. Sadly, the contents of this tweet have now gone viral.

छिछोरे हिट होने के बाद #सुशांत_सिंह_राजपूत ने सात फिल्में साइन की थी।
छह महीने में उसके हाथ से सारी फिल्में निकल गई थीं।क्यों ?
फ़िल्म इंडस्ट्री की निष्ठुरता एक अलग लेवल पर काम करती है।
इसी निष्ठुरता ने एक प्रतिभावान कलाकार को मार डाला।
सुशांत को विनम्र श्रद्धांजलि!#RIPSushant

— Sanjay Nirupam (@sanjaynirupam) June 14, 2020

Surprisingly, none of the media houses ever reported all these months that Sushant Singh Rajput is losing films. If such a huge development had happened in his life, it would have made headlines or at least someone would have reported. Moreover, writer-director Rumy Jafry revealed that he was to start a film with Sushant. He said that Sushant himself wasn’t interested in working in films. In a Mumbai Mirror article dated June 16, Rumy Jafry said, “The industry knew that I was working with Sushant and two big producers sought my help to get in touch with him. I spoke to Sushant, but he wasn’t too keen on meeting them. His response was simple, ‘Sir, picture hi nahin karni hai abhi toh milkar kya karoonga. Jab agli picture commit karni hogi, tab mil loonga.’” This shows there was no dearth of work and Karan Johar or anyone else were not stopping anyone from working with him.

2. KAMAAL R KHAN
The only ‘media website’ that had spread the news on Sushant losing films is KRKBoxOffice.com. According to the tweet made on February 27 by them, the actor was banned by 7 production houses – Dharma Productions, Sajid Nadiadwala’s Nadiadwala Grandons, Yash Raj Films, T-Series, Salman Khan Films, Dinesh Vijan’s Maddock Films and Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji. This website is owned by Kamaal R Khan who is notorious for fake news and for writing rubbish about the actors that he dislikes. It is absolutely baffling that the tweet of KRKBoxOffice of all people was picked up. Yet again, just like Sanjay Nirupam, KRK didn’t give any basis of the claims he made.

According to our sources #Dharma #SajidNadiadwala #YRF #TSeries #SalmanKhan #DineshVijan #Balaji have banned #sushantsinghRajput! So now he can do web series or TV serials only. Superb!!

— KRKBOXOFFICE (@KRKBoxOffice) February 27, 2020

In fact, KRK in the past have made several derogatory and insulting comments against Sushant. From calling him a flop actor to a non actor to an actor who’s unfit for films, KRK has not left any opportunity to pin him down, without provocation. The irony is that people are baying for Karan Johar’s blood today because they claim he insulted Sushant on his show Koffee With Karan and that in a way led to him ending his life. By that logic, KRK has done far more damage to Sushant’s reputation. Then how can people base their anger on the claims made by a man who has been ripped apart by KRK every now and then?

KRK, moreover, even had an audacity to later put up a video where he says that he knew Sushant Singh Rajput personally and was a dear friend. In the end of the video, he’s seen shedding (crocodile) tears. It was a overreacting at its worst. How people fell for him and his claims beats me.

If your heart still beats for Kamaal R Khan, take a look at this news put up on his website post his death. It claims that Sushant Singh Rajput, before hanging himself, had hinted that he's about to end his life, and that he deleted these tweets after a few minutes. It was proved in no time that those tweets were false. Yet, KRK Box Office hasn't deleted the news or tendered an apology.

3. KANGANA RANAUT
A day after Sushant Singh Rajput passed away, Kangana Ranaut, on June 15, once again used this opportunity to further her nepotism agenda. She accused the high honchos of Bollywood for not acknowledging his work. Her video also further strengthened the narrative that Sushant was also deprived of work.

To say that this reason drove him to suicide is too much. Also, to feel that he was not getting work from the bigger producers is a white lie, already proved above with Rumy Jafry’s quote. Sushant Singh Rajput’s last theatrical release, Chhichhore, was directed by Nitesh Tiwari, who earlier made Dangal, the biggest Bollywood hit ever. Isn’t this a feat that a director who holds the record of making the biggest blockbuster signed Sushant? Not just that, it was produced by two of the biggest banners, Fox Star Studios and Nadiadwala Grandson, the latter run by Sajid Nadiadwala! Even his earlier films like Drive (produced by Karan Johar), Sonchiriya (produced by Ronnie Screwvala; directed by Abhishek Chaubey), Kedarnath (produced by Ronnie Screwvala; directed by Abhishek Kapoor), Raabta (produced and directed by Dinesh Vijan) etc were all backed by big names.

As for box office track record, Chhichhore earned nearly Rs. 147 crore, and it was one of the highest grossers of 2019. Even Kedarnath did very well, earning around Rs. 70 crore.

Kangana Ranaut, however, will not tell you all these facts. Also, Kangana talking about bullying is ultimate hypocrisy. In the last 3-4 years, she has been in news more for her bullying than her films. It all started with Hrithik Roshan and Rakesh Roshan being slammed by her on Aap Ki Adalat, days before the release of her film Simran. A year before that, Adhyayan Suman also opened up as to how she had made his life hell.

Sonu Sood is the national hero today but if Kangana had her way, she in 2018 would have made him the national villain. This is the time when she took over Manikarnika - The Queen Of Jhansi forcibly from its director Krish. She decided to reshoot and asked Sonu Sood, who was then a part of the film, to allot dates. Sonu made it clear that Krish is the director and he’ll reshoot, provided the original director is calling the shots. Kangana, hence, replaced Sonu and told media that “Sonu refused to work with a woman director”! To make such allegations in today’s times can destroy someone’s life and career. Thankfully, Sonu Sood got spared. That he had earlier worked with a female director, Farah Khan in Happy New Year, also saved him.

Not just Krish, even Simran’s writer and editor Apurva Asrani was similarly ousted from the project. Then last year, she publicly fought with a journalist named Justin Rao, after which her sister Rangoli Chandel started a hate campaign against him on Twitter. Kangana and Rangoli have also in the past, without provocation, attacked Alia Bhatt on multiple occasions. Alia, meanwhile, has always maintained a dignified silence.

So is it fair on her part to blame Bollywood for bullying and arm-twisting when Kangana Ranaut herself indulges in relentless trolling? Such kind of attacks can also affect one’s mental health. Hence, she should be the last one on earth to talk about it.

Another thing to ponder is – how come Kangana Ranaut got films despite taking panga with Karan? If the brigade is claiming that Karan can stop Sushant from doing films, then he should have kicked out Kangana, since ‘he rules Bollywood’! Yet, we saw Kangana bagging Judgmentall Hai Kya, produced by Karan’s ally Ekta Kapoor. Her other films like Manikarnika - The Queen Of Jhansi and Panga were backed by Zee Studios and Fox Star Studios respectively. Both these studios also co-produce or present films of Karan Johar.

Lastly, her nepotism angle now also seems hollow and even laughable as she has hired both her siblings. While her sister Rangoli is her manager, her brother is now her production partner.

4. ABHINAV KASHYAP
The director of Dabangg and Besharam also jumped in to settle old scores. In an explosive Facebook post, he said that post Dabangg, Salman Khan and his family members tried to bully him and that they destroyed his career. Though he directed Besharam after that, he claims the Khans sabotaged the project because of which the film flopped at the box office. He also accused them of not allowing distributors to buy the film and hence he claims producers Reliance Entertainment had to self-distribute Besharam.

Those who didn’t know were shocked but the insiders and avid movie buffs know these claims don’t hold water at all. Firstly, during Besharam’s release, Abhinav never gave any hint that Khans were destroying him. He said then that he was asked to direct Dabangg 2 but he chose not to. He had told Komal Nahta, “It was a case of natural progression. I thought if after Dabangg, I make Dabangg 2 then I cannot get out of this Dabangg genre and I will have to make Dabangg 3 and I will have to make Dabangg 4. I will have to repeat myself over and over again. If I didn't do well then no one would give me a chance yeh keh ke ki isko toh sirf Dabangg aati hai. So, it was very important that I do something out of the box. Dabangg mein main rehta ya na rehta, Dabangg 2 banne wali thi. Arbaaz was very, very serious about making Dabangg 2, so I said don’t wait for me, just go ahead and make it. To an extent unko thoda jhatka laga ho, naraazgi hui ho, utna hi hua tha, par logon ne bahut badha chadha diya.”

One can argue that Abhinav Kashyap might have said this out of fear and bullying. However, what still doesn’t change is the fact that Besharam failed not because of any negative campaign. It starred Ranbir Kapoor and came immediately after his gigantic blockbuster, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. Also, Reliance has a distribution network of it’s own. Hence, to claim Reliance didn’t get buyers is false. The buzz for Besharam was so high that it released in 3400 screens, as opposed to 2900-screen-release of Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. It also opened better than Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, earning Rs. 19.87 crore. However, the film was panned by audiences and hence it flopped. And no, there was nothing fishy about the way it crashed. The same year, Sajid Khan’s much-hyped Himmatwala also similarly bombed. In recent times, Shah Rukh Khan’s Jab Harry Met Sejal and Aamir Khan’s Thugs Of Hindostan too have severely bombed at the ticket window after opening well.

What’s also bewildering is that Abhinav claims Khans didn’t allow him to work. If that’s the case, how come Abhinav’s brother Anurag Kashyap continued to flourish? In fact, a prominent actor like Ranbir Kapoor starred in Besharam. Why did Salman and family ‘allow’ that to happen? Hence, all his claims seem made up.

5. SUDHIR KUMAR OJHA
A few days ago, a lawyer from Muzzafarpur, Bihar, named Sudhir Kumar Ojha filed a case against Karan Johar, Salman Khan, Ekta Kapoor, Sanjay Leela Bhansali etc. He claims they are responsible for Sushant’s death. The case was filed under Sections 306, 109, 504 & 506 of the IPC.

The fact that a case was filed made the anti-Karan Johar haters even surer that their campaign is justified. What the people and even the media didn’t realize is that this man is a publicity seeker who has filed several cases against high-profile people in the past. Here’s a look at other cases he has filed:

(i). 49 celebrities had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over rising intolerance in India. In October 2019, Ojha filed a sedition case against them. However, the police themselves closed the case. “The SSP [senior superintendent of police of Muzaffarpur] recommended closure of the case and action against the complainant for filing a false case without any rhyme or reason,” police spokesperson Jitendra Kumar said. “The investigating officer in the case will file the final report at the local court within a day or two.”

(ii). In 2007, he filed a PIL against the makers and actors of Dhoom 2, accusing them of promoting obscenity by filming a kissing scene. According to Ojha, the case was dropped after the lawyers of the film-makers and actors declared they would not keep kissing scenes in future films (it’s highly unlikely any producer would give such an assurance)

(iii). In 2013, Ojha’s PIL against Amitabh Bachchan for promoting the consumption of instant noodles Maggi, which he described as “hazardous to health”, was dismissed by the court.

(iv). He had lodged an FIR against Anupam Kher, Akshaye Khanna and 12 others for showing Manmohan Singh in a bad light in The Accidental Prime Minister.

(v). He had filed a case against Raveena Tandon and two others accusing them of causing disruption of road traffic during her visit to Muzaffarpur on October 12, 2018

A quick look at the FIR filed against Karan Johar and others makes it clear that even this case filed by Sudhir Kumar Ojha won’t stand in court at all. Amusingly, he has listed Kangana Ranaut as witness to the case! But then looking at his past, it seems he’s fighting a case merely for publicity and not really to win or to get justice for Sushant.

6. SHEKHAR KAPUR
Finally, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur too jumped in the bandwagon. He was to make a film with Sushant Singh Rajput named Paani, produced by Yash Raj Films, in 2014-15. In 2015, the film got shelved. Shekhar told Manoj Bajpayee how both he and Sushant cried when this film got canned and that Sushant had given his blood and sweat in prepping for the part. He added fuel to the fire to the narrative that the big bad world of Bollywood was taking away films from Sushant.

What he didn’t tell however is that this isn’t the first film of his which didn’t see the light of the day. In the past, he has abandoned at least 12 films, not just in Bollywood but also in Hollywood! A few of them like Paani or Aamir Khan-starrer Time Machine never got made. In the rest of the films, someone else took over as director. Sanjay Kapoor’s debut film Raja was to be made by Shekhar. Sanjay in an interview said, “Shekhar Kapur was initially supposed to direct Prem. But the problem with Shekhar is that he is a very lazy guy, which is why he has made such few films over 30 years. He never wanted to start it and that led to my frustration.”

A full list of the films he ditched can be read here.

CAN BOLLYWOOD BE COMPLETELY ABSOLVED?

Surely not! Sushant Singh Rajput’s demise is a time for introspection and what has gone wrong. But the actor has not left behind a suicide note and most people abusing Karan Johar and others did not know Sushant Singh Rajput personally. Here’s hoping people look at facts and don’t fall for any lie they see on social media. And if you still want to bash them, please do by all means. But then, please leave poor Sushant out of this. It’s no longer about him and using his death to troll them is highly unjustified.

And finally, have a look at those who were close to him. Till date, no one out of them have raised any finger towards Karan Johar or any other filmmaker. Rohini Iyer, publicist and Sushant’s close friend, wrote two explosive posts on Instagram (part 1, part 2) wherein she completely squashed the hate campaign going against Bollywood. Some of her note-worthy quotes were: "He rejected your parties, you didn’t shun him", "He was an outsider and he never cared about being am insider. That’s because he had a life beyond films. The industry was a small part of his life, he had many worlds beyond that", "He didn’t care about awards. He walked out of an award function just cos he got bored. This was even before they announced his best actor award", "He broke every rule and burnt bridges sometimes just to light his way" and "I just want everyone to know and remember him for the person he really was. Not this manufactured version the peddlers are trying to sell".

Sushant Singh Rajput’s sister too wrote a beautiful post and hasn’t blamed anyone. His father, in his police statement, has done the same. According to reports, even close friend Rhea Chakraborty has ruled out any agenda. So it’s upto you now. Would you believe these people, who knew him very closely and therefore knew him better? Or would you like to believe an opportunistic politician, troublemaker actress, publicity-hungry advocate, serial film ditcher etc for whom Sushant’s death was just another way of grabbing attention? The choice is yours.

And finally, HERE'S A VIDEO THAT SAYS IT ALL...STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH!

 

He went for her birthday, she ‘liked’ a picture of his twins, he ‘followed’ her back on Instagram but they won’t comment on their emotional reunion. Here’s Kajol and Karan Johar’s friendship status
Meena Iyer (MYMBAI MIRROR; August 9, 2017)

On Tuesday, around 2 pm, Filmfare tweeted, “Now this is the happiest news we have heard.” After a yearlong cold war, Karan Johar and Kajol have finally patched up. The news sparked speculation about what had brought the former besties together after an ugly fall-out last year around Diwali.

Mirror has learnt that on August 5, Kajol invited family and a few friends to celebrate her 43rd birthday. And she decided to extend an olive branch to her longtime friend and director by sending him an invite too. “She’s never been big on parties. It was an informal lunch. Karan sportingly turned up. They hugged, chatted for a couple of hours and Karan teared up. When he left the ice had melted. They did not touch on the issues that had created the rift,” informed a source.

The online world woke up to the reconciliation when Karan shared the first pictures of his twins, Yash and Roohi, on Raksha Bandhan. Kajol ‘liked’ the post and Karan returned the favour by hitting the ‘follow’ button on her profile.

Social media has played a significant role in this story. Last year around Diwali, Kajol’s husband Ajay Devgn and Karan had locked horns over the release of their respective films, Shivaay and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, that faced-off at the box office. Self-appointed critic Kamaal R Khan’s revelation during a recorded phone conversation with Ajay’s longtime friend Kumar Mangat that he had been paid to sabotage Shivaay had not gone down well with the leading lady of KJo’s blockbusters Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhie Khushi Kabhi Gham and My Name Is Khan. She reacted with a one-word tweet, “Shocking!”

Referring to the tweet, Karan acknowledged in his autobiography An Unsuitable Boy that that’s when he knew it was completely over for him. “She can never come back to my life… she’s killed every bit of emotion I had for her for 25 years. I don’t think she deserves me. I feel nothing for her anymore,” he raged.

Kajol and Ajay chose to maintain a stoic silence. In an interview to Mirror (Oct 24, 2016) Ajay said, “All I can say is whatever was there was over long ago and has nothing to do with professional work. There are personal reasons for it which I don’t think anybody would want to talk about.”

Kajol had been equally evasive. When prodded about her former friend, she had told Mirror (July 26), “Since you are expecting an answer, I am going to give you one. This is not the time or place to clarify. I would prefer not to speak about it.”

Their camaraderie was the stuff of industry lore, their unabashedly back-slapping could make a third person feel out of place — Rani Mukerji shifting uneasily on the sofa next to Kajol during an old episode of KJo’s talk show comes to mind. Kajol was Karan’s lucky charm, making guest appearances in films that did not feature her, and a regular fixture at Karan’s residence, pampered the most by his mother, Hiroo, and the only actresses who stood out with her frankspeak on Koffee With Karan, thereby demonstrating that she could get away with murder as far as KJo was concerned.

Meanwhile, despite acting in one of Karan’s production, Kaal, Ajay never really warmed up to his wife’s BFF but never objected to it either. This changed when he was reportedly told that Karan had been badmouthing Kajol and his family at a party. He gave Karan an earful over the phone. In February, Karan admitted to a senior journalist that he was hurt about how Ajay had responded to “hearsay” without giving him a chance to defend himself. He was equally upset with Kajol. “She should not have allowed her husband to say such things to me and even if he had, she shouldn’t have endorsed it. She should have picked up the phone and said ‘sorry’ for that entire situation,’’ he had said.

The KRK episode was the last nail in the coffin, with KJo making a full disclosure in his book: “I don’t have a relationship with Kajol anymore. We’ve had a fall-out. Something happened that disturbed me deeply which I will not talk about because it’s something that I like to protect and feel it would not be fair to her or to me. After two and half decades, Kajol and I don’t talk at all. We just acknowledge each other, say ‘hello’ and walk past.”

But, as they say, no friendship or enmity is permanent in Bollywood. According to the source, things began to change after the arrival of KJo’s twins this February. The new father sent Kajol a picture of his babies but things were far from back to normal. On July 29, Karan was seen scurrying off the stage at an awards show he was hosting when Kajol walked up to receive an award on Ajay’s behalf. Jeetendra and his son Tusshar Kapoor, who were on the stage with Kajol, looked confused by his hurried exit. He returned only after she had stepped off. Earlier, he had gone the extra mile to avoid her and Ajay at another awards show in March.

It was another text message that buried the hatchet. Kajol invited Karan to her birthday; He RSVPed ‘Yes’. “It was an emotional reunion, they genuinely care for each other,” said the source, adding that Ajay was absent from the scene. When Mirror contacted the duo, they refused to give an official comment. Their reason was interestingly the same — they feel the patch-up is in nascent stage and want to give it time before waxing eloquent about beautiful forevers.

The actor on his debut production, fallouts and plagiarism charges
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 21, 2017)

Your first production, Captain Nawab, is reportedly based on a real army captain. When biopics are upsetting families and fringe groups, aren’t you worried about the journey ahead?
It’s not really a biopic but inspired by a true event with excerpts taken from this person’s experience in Pakistan. It’s the story of a new army recruit who crossed the border. He was in Pakistan for a considerable time and it’s about how he’s stuck between both countries with them questioning him. We aren’t saying it’s a particular person’s life, there’s a book which is a source of inspiration. But a lot from it has been edited and some bits added to the script.

We have Kamaal R Khan on tape saying he’s a consultant on the project and advisor on the script...
That’s not true. He’s in no way associated with the film, either creatively or financially. The best source of advice would be the army as we’re trying to be as true to the book as possible with respect to the captain’s life and how the army functions. Once the script is done, preliminary training will begin.

Given that you refer to KRK as Kamaal bhai on Twitter and he refers to your co-producer and director Tony D’souza as a friend, what is the equation with him?
I don’t know the dynamics of Tony’s equation with him, they must be friends, but I’m the producer and I know the inner workings of the film. No advice has been taken from him, he is not part of Captain Nawab.

We were told Tony and you are the producers but KRK claimed Zee is also onboard. Any other producers?
(Testily) I can message you or Tony can give you details about who all are involved and in what capacity.

The film’s first poster was strikingly similar to the Call On Duty: Black Ops video game’s; you came in for some criticism. How did you get caught in a plagiarism charge?
I reacted on Twitter after the poster was out. I don’t think there is a copyright on a picture of someone sitting with two guns in their hand. We didn’t take the trolling seriously but did say that the similarity starts and ends there. They failed to notice the concept of India on one side and Pakistan on the other and criticised us for only one aspect. We moved on. That wasn’t the main poster anyway, it was just an announcement. The new artwork will be different.


Your leading ladies of late have mostly been newcomers. Will Captain Nawab have an A-lister?
The script will be ready in the next couple of weeks after which we’ll get into casting. Whether it’s a newcomer or an established actress depends on the script, what the director and the writer feel.

You’d said you wouldn’t go beyond part three of a franchise, then went on to do Raaz Reboot (right). Will we see you in the next instalment of Raaz too?
I don’t see myself doing another Raaz.

There were rumours of a fallout with Vikram Bhatt just before the release of Raaz Reboot.
There is no fallout with Vikram.

So will Vikram and you collaborate on Murder 4 as you’d announced to Mirror earlier?
No more Raaz and Murders. For me Murder concluded with Part 2 long ago. I was not part of Murder 3. Even with Raaz it concluded with Raaz Reboot.

Buzz is, there’s been a fallout with Mukesh and Mahesh Bhatt too over remuneration.
This question always pops up when they announce a film we’re not doing together. There’s no fallout. A story idea could bring us together but there is nothing at the moment.

Your international debut, Tigers, didn’t get you the desired exposure in the West and is finally releasing in Japan. When will it come to India?
The film is a gem, relevant to our times and Danis Tanovic is a fab director. I’m happy it’s releasing in a couple of international territories. Only the producer can tell you why the release has taken so long and when it’ll come to India. We’ve gone to four festivals, I’m happy it’s being noticed.

Your book, The Kiss Of Life—How A Superhero & My Son Defeated Cancer, is a bestseller. Will their be a next one?
That was a personal journey which impacted me four years ago which is why I wrote it. I’m not ruling out the option of another. Maybe in a couple of years if there’s something I want to pen down...

Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 9, 2017)

Emraan Hashmi’s debut production, Captain Nawab, in which he plays the title role, has a new member on board. Actor, producer and self-proclaimed critic Kamaal R Khan aka KRK is the creative consultant on the project.

Buzz is, KRK is also the co-producer but he refuted the claim saying he will “only contribute creatively not financially”.

Speaking to Mirror, Kamaal says, “I am helping the team on their script. I have been advising about what integral elements are required to be incorporated. Director Tony D’souza is a good friend so whenever he asks for my advice I’m always available to help as a creative consultant. Zee is producing the film.”

Tony is also co-producing Captain Nawab in which Emraan will play an army officer for the first time. In the film’s first poster, half the uniform was that of the Indian army and the other half of Pakistan. When quizzed on this he had said, “That’s the DNA of the film. I know it’ll spark off assumptions but I’ll hold the suspense for now.”

Emraan and Tony last collaboration was the 2016 biopic, Azhar.

But only after Ajay Devgn completes two films as an actor; also ready to produce a film for wife Kajol
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 24, 2016)

He directed U Me Aur Hum in 2008. After eight years, Ajay Devgn is back in the director’s chair and is encouraged by the heartening response to Shivaay's trailer from all over the world.

“When I designed the shots, many wondered how we'd take them in the locations we'd chosen. I had the passion to push myself into shooting in minus 20-25 degrees celsius and, watching me, the rest of the team jumped in and soon owned the film,” says the actor-filmmaker, pointing out that doing something new requires stepping out of one’s comfort zone. “We have the talent, we can do what Hollywood does, we only need to push ourselves. I’m proud I could prove that.”

After Shivaay releases and a six-day break, he'll jump into Milan Luthria’s action thriller, Baadshaho. He’s looking forward to reuniting with his old friend, Milan, and Emraan Hashmi. “For a few months, I’m going to enjoy just shooting without responsibilities before jumping off the deep end again,” he laughs, adding that this will be followed by Rohit Shetty’s Golmaal Again which starts at the end of January or early February.

Once these two films are wrapped up, Ajay promises to get back to direction again with Battle of Saragarhi. Isn’t Rajkumar Santoshi’s war drama, Saragarhi, on the same subject? He reveals that Santoshi was aware he was making this film as he'd announced it two years ago. “It doesn’t matter, he can go ahead and release his film. Mine has to be mounted on a large scale and will take a while to get made,” he says.

Meanwhile, a routine clash between two biggies this Diwali has turned into something bigger after Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil was embroiled in a controversy over Fawad Khan’s cameo following the Indo-Pak tensions. Ajay argues that the controversy would have come up even if the two films were releasing on different Fridays.

“When we announced a Diwali release for Shivaay, there was no other film in the fray. The other film announced its release a few months later. Fair enough, they must have had their own reasons,” he shrugs.

Had there been a situation with the UK or Poland, how would he have reacted and what are his views on Karan’s video statement not to work with Pakistani talent again? “I've worked with Pakistani actors, singers and musicians, we were one fraternity then. There comes a time when you have to stand up for your nation. This is the time for me to stand by my country,” he asserts.

And how does he react to MNS politicking, the Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis and even the army being dragged into a film’s release? “It’s sad, these things draw attention away from the content. I’d want to talk about what we've accomplished, ditto for the other maker, instead we are answering questions which have nothing to do with our films," he grouses.

You can understand that he’s disgruntled and hate to bring up the name of a particular individual (Kamaal R Khan) who has been consistently running down his film on Twitter... Before you can even complete the sentence Ajay interrupts, “Don’t mention his name or give importance to someone like him. Your industry and mine are one, we depend on each other, when people like him come in, it ruins the reputation of our fraternities,” he warns.

But its being said that his actress wife Kajol and Karan’s decade-old friendship is over because of this individual and his admission that he accepted money from the latter to promote his film over Ajay’s. “All I can say is whatever was there was over long ago and has nothing to do with professional work. There are personal reasons for it which I don’t think anybody would want to talk about," he says.

Meanwhile, Kajol, as co-producer, has jumped into the promotions because after one three-day US tour, Ajay has been working 20 hours on post-production. He will be producing a film for his wife which rolls in January. “The script is locked, it’s a humorous, emotional, sliceof-life film,” he informs.

He’s quick to describe Shivaay as an emotional drama more than a maar-dhaad thriller... A father-daughter love story. Talking about daughters, Nysa, accompanied him to the London premiere of Parched which he produced. Is she likely to follow in her parents’ footsteps? “Parched spoke about empowering the girl child so I thought it was a good platform to take Nysa on. She also went with me to the Smile Foundation.

As a father I want her to realise how privileged she is and do her bit for them,” he asserts, exulting that the film a couple of days ago was celebrating a silver jubilee run in France. “Silver and golden jubilees were terms I had heard 15 years ago. To know that my film ran for 25 weeks and is being appreciated all over the world is heart-warming. That’s the reason I make the films I do,” he signs off.

BOMBAY TIMES (September 3, 2016)



------------------------------------
KRK's comment has landed him and two big releases in an unsavoury online blitzkrieg
Avinash Lohana and Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 3, 2016)

It's still two months for Diwali but the firecrackers have already started exploding thanks to two Bollywood biggies whose films will be clashing at the box-office on the festive weekend. When Karan Johar's romantic drama, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil was pitted against Ajay Devgn's action thriller Shivaay, trade know-alls had anticipated the battle to take an ugly turn. It happened before anyone expected.

Late on Thursday, Ajay fanned the fire with a tweet. "Hear what self proclaimed no. 1 critic and trade analyst Kamaal R Khan has to say," he wrote sharing with it an audio clip of a phone conversation between KRK and his business associate, Kumar Mangat, in which the self-styled film critic inadvertently let slip to Mangat that he'd been paid Rs 25 lakh to launch a smear campaign by KJo against Ajay's upcoming film.

Ajay followed up the expose with a carefully worded statement which surprisingly mentioned his fellow filmmaker by name, thereby breaking the decade-old Bollywood code of omerta. He stated, "It is very sad that people from our own industry are supporting such elements and spoiling the ethos of the film industry. I would strongly demand that this be thoroughly investigated by competent authorities to clarify if Karan Johar was indeed involved in this." His wife Kajol, KJo's longtime bestie and the leading lady of several of his films upped the ante by retweeting Ajay's audio clip, captioning it, "Shocked."

Immediately after the expose, KRK crowed on Twitter that Ajay must think of him as, "a powerful no.1 critic who can harm his film" and boasted that both films had got free publicity worth millions using his name and the power of "The Brand KRK".

The next morning however, cockiness gave way to damage control and the former Bigg Boss contestant insisted that KJo had never paid him and he'd told Mangat that he had received the Rs 25 lakh to get him off his back as he was calling him repeatedly.

Trade analyst Komal Nahta was quick to question the veracity of KRK's claims, pointing out that he is "someone who can be bought for Rs 25 and paying him Rs 25 lakh is too much... He is too cheap to be taken seriously. He is not even a journalist so why waste words and time on him?"

Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri groused that such media-made clashes create unnecessary hype and result in middlemen taking advantage. "KRK is the one who got caught but many critics demand money. This is not a business of writers, directors and producers anymore, it's all about middlemen, fashion designers, hairdressers and marketing," he raged, adding that this is why film studios are shutting down. "In the next couple of months, I predict a lot of mud-slinging. Slowly, the truth will come out about who takes how much and how Rs 100-crore projects get approved. Everyone wants to kill KRK at the moment because he is small fry."

The "small fry", meanwhile, called the press to his residence where he said that Mangat and he had collaborated on two films, Aatma and Alone, and spoke on the phone every three days and met once a week. "Being a close friend, I didn't expect him to record our conversation. I thought he was saying that since I'm his friend I should favour his film and not KJo's. But why would I do that if I liked something? I liked Shivaay's first trailer and said good things about it too, and Kumar Mangat had thanked me. But I didn't like the next one and I said so," he asserted.

Reiterating that he hadn't taken any money from KJo, KRK argued, "Why would he pay me? Since Kumarji is a close friend and was putting pressure on me, I had to use KJo's name as an excuse and say that I took Rs 25 lakh from him to favour his film (favour not review). I don't deny that I take money to promote films. I run a website and have to pay salaries of 15 people. I took money from One Night Stand, Shorgul, Desi Kattey and Teraa Suroor but I don't review the movies I promote."

Trade analyst Amod Mehra calls KRK a "dangerous quack" and says that if he were in KJo's shoes he'd sue him. "It's time these so-called reviewers are exposed because they not only talk bad about a film before release, but declare flop films as hits by accepting money. I can vouch for the fact that some of our stars have these so-called reviewers on their payroll. Success and failure are being manipulated. Any clash is bad for the business as both parties end up losing money, with the weaker film losing more."

In 1990, when Aamir Khan's Dil and Sunny Deol's Ghayal clashed, no one thought of it as a war. Both films became superhits. That's an oft-quoted example industry folks cite even a quarter of a century later. What they fail to underline is that a lot has changed since. The stakes are higher, reputations are made and maligned every Friday, the number of films being produced has gone up and so have the monies. Budgets have escalated but profit margins are diminishing, particularly with star-studded bonanzas. That's why two Diwali dhamakas have faced-off with much sound and fury, be it SRK's Om Shanti Om and SLB's Saawariya, SRK's Mohabbatein and Sanjay Dutt's Mission Kashmir, SRK's Jab Tak Hai Jaan and Ajay's Son of Sardar, to name a few.

Producer Ratan Jain who has made films like Khiladi and Baazigar in the past, believes that both these films will perform well. However, he is quick to add that "somebody taking money to declare a film as good or bad is not going to influence the audience's verdict".

Just a few months ago, KRK in his review of 1920: London had alleged that Vikram Bhatt had fraudulently taken money from his producers and even sent his heroine, Meera Chopra, to them as a favour. An enraged Vikram had launched a scathing attack on him on the social media, also pulling him up for his derogatory tweets on actresses, and threatened him with legal action. After a war of words, KRK had publicly apologised to Vikram and the industry.
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Sting call to Twitter troll exposes rift between Karan Johar, Ajay Devgn ahead of Diwali clash
MID-DAY (September 3, 2016)

The impeding Diwali box office clash between Ajay Devgn’s Shivaay and Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil just got murkier. On Thursday, Ajay tweeted the audio clip of a conversation — reportedly between Shivaay’s co-producer Kumar Mangat and Twitter troll Kamaal R Khan — where the latter is heard saying that KJo paid him R 25 lakh. This is in response to Mangat’s query as to why he was tweeting positively about Johar’s film and writing negative comments about Shivaay. The clip, however, is yet to be verified.

Ajay issued a statement demanding investigation to find if Johar had actually paid KRK. “I have been part of the Indian film industry for the past 25 years and have been associated with over 100 films. It pains me to see that people like Kamaal R Khan are holding the film industry to ransom by spreading negativity about films to extort money from producers. It is very sad that people from our own industry are supporting such elements and spoiling the ethos of industry,” he said.

KRK, on his part, denied taking money from KJo. At a press conference yesterday, he claimed that Ajay was pulling off a publicity stunt by using his name. Earlier, he had tweeted, “Karan Johar has never paid me or asked me to bash # Shivaay n you can hear it in the tape. I said Rs 25 lakh to avoid Kumar. Ajay, Kumar offered me money to bash AeDilHaiMushkil as he is offering in the tape also but I refused. I told them that I will do it free (sic).”

Ajay, however, scoffed at KRK’s comments and said, “KRK is contradicting himself in explanations about what he has said in the recording and what we heard in his postured press conference. He has not denied that it was his voice in the recording and he is now making excuses and contradicting himself. It is now for the people to decide. I have never in my life spoken to or met this man.”

Upala KBR (DNA; July 5, 2016)


Says a source, “Emraan has been on holiday in the US since last week. He got a SMS from KRK telling him to sort out matters between him and Vikram as things had escalated beyond control. Emraan and KRK are buddies. During Azhar KRK had tweeted in support of the actor saying he would rock big time, something he rarely does.”

Emraan called Bhatt and asked him if a patch-up was possible. “Bhatt said that as KRK had insulted him on a public platform it was only fair that he apologise on a public platform to make amends. When KRK did that, Vikram was happy to accept the olive branch.” All’s well that ends well.

Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; June 28, 2016)

Vikram Bhatt flew into New Delhi for a literary event on Sunday and on the way from the airport, he began jotting down his thoughts. Known for his heartfelt outpourings on social media, the filmmaker was hurt and angry, warned and cautioned. By the time, he had finished writing, it was over a 1,000-word blogpost. Yesterday, at 10am, he posted it on his Facebook account and titled it ‘Kamaal R Khan and my imminent mud wrestle’. Bhatt is in no mood to let the Twitter troll get away with his offensive remarks against him.

Last week, he slapped a defamation case against KRK and is taking further legal recourse. Bhatt sent the notice following KRK’s nasty review of his film, 1920 London, last month, and for making a personal attack in which he was accused of trying to “supply Meera Chopra (actress of his film) to a well known producer by many dirty tricks.” The filmmaker says, “Many people told me that he does it to get attention and that I should just let him be. But I cannot remain silent; my conscience will not allow me to do that.” According to Bhatt, KRK’s disgusting tweets about Bollywood actresses amounts to sexual harassment. “Just because Bollywood does not have an office, the women cannot go and complain, unlike how it happens at the workplace. KRK is outraging their modesty. In any other situation, the person would have been taken to task,” he adds.

He wonders why the National Commission of Women has not darted off a notice to KRK as yet.
“Salman Khan’s recent rape statement caused outrage and he was taken to task. So why is this man, who repeatedly outrages the modesty of women, going scot-free?” At the same time, he declares, “I am not trying to be a messiah. Nor do I want to be crusader. I am a writer and a filmmaker. But, what he is doing is wrong. I am handling the emotional part of the battle while my lawyer Rizwan Siddiquee is helping me with the legal processes.”

Bhatt also knows that not many from the industry will come out in his support, especially actresses whom KRK has harassed on social media. “I don’t expect them to come forward. I know it could be a lone battle, but action has to be taken against him. He claims to be a film critic and producer, so he is part of the industry and someone needs to ask him to stop. And when it has happened to me, I can’t remain silent.”

The filmmaker is likely to file an FIR with Versova police against KRK today.

Vikram Bhatt's Facebook post:
It all started with a Twitter duel between Mr Kamaal R. Khan and me after the release of my film 'Love Games'. Then, came his review of the film '1920 London'. Though I did not produce the film, direct it, write the dialogue or the screenplay, he decided to do a review of me instead of the film. He made absurd insinuations — called me a fraud, a pimp and other unsavory names. I couldn't care less. When you have made a business of ranting, then ranting is what you got to do! When you don't stand up and fight the rumours that are being perpetrated about you, your silence gives these rumours the fodder they need to seem like the truth to the people around you. I knew then that I had to fight, if not for for anything else then at least my daughter's tears.

Here are some of the things Mr Kamal R Khan has been saying about our ladies. And this is just tip of the iceberg:
On Bipasha Basu: Posting a picture of papayas on Twitter, he wrote, "These are as big as bipasha ke in bipasha song. #Jodibreakers? ." He further added, "Believe me I go crazy when Bipasha move her boobs on the song Bipasha of Jodi breakers."

On Nargis Fakhri: "Nargis Fakhri says- My butt is bigger than my lips. Yes yes I know this yar but kabhi milo Tho Sahi yaar. @NargisFakhri How long can a woman go without sex? We r supposed 2have sex n don't lie 2me tat nobody wants it.[sic]."

On Malaika Arora: "There comes an Item.song from an Old lady Malaika Arora Khan who still dances at her best with hotness and curves, it was fun watching this dance."

On Priyanka Chopra: "I want to ask only one question to @priyankachopra ji Madam ji are you also a virgin like Rakhi Sawant? ?#?JustAsking?(sic)."

On Huma Qureshi: "I want to ask you one question if you will not feel bad? I want to have sex with you. Hahaha." He then addded, "Now watching Gangs of Wasseypur 2 for the 2nd time n only for Human Qureshi and dialogue Kahke Loonga"

On Madhuri Dixit: "Ye lo buddhi Madhuri Dixit will again try to become no.1 actress. Madam ji just learn something from Sridevi."

On Alia Bhatt: "Alia looks so bacchi in panty but still some force her to wear it."

I am no Ram, in fact far from it. But I have decided to go to the heart of this evil to bring back what is good. If I have to fight filth and get filthy, then so be it. But fight I must!

The filmmaker sends defamation notice to Kamaal R Khan for making uncharitable remarks about him and his leading lady, Meera Chopra
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 24, 2016)

Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt has sent a criminal defamation notice to Kamaal R Khan alleging that the former Bigg Boss contestant has been publishing, disseminating and circulating false, fabricated, derogatory and misleading information about him on Twitter and YouTube. The Raaz director's lawyer, Rizwan Siddiquee, has stated in the notice that while reviewing Vikram's 1920 London, Kamaal had made personal attacks on his client as well as on the film's leading lady Meera Chopra.

In his review, KRK alleged that everyone Vikram has promised to make a star has had to eventually sit at home for lack of work, including Sushmita Sen and Ameesha Patel, so it was bound to happen to Meera as well. At another point in the review, KRK says that the filmmaker cheated two Delhi financers who'd come on the set in an Alto car while he would show up in either a Mercedes or a BMW, leaving them high and dry, their get-rich-quick dream shattered.

"I sent a criminal notice to Kamaal Rashid Khan to which he was required to respond within seven days. The time is up and we haven't heard from him. It's obvious that he doesn't have any justification for his criminal acts of defamation and is apparent that he is lying. Instead, he has chosen to blatantly continue with it, showing a complete disregard to laws and even had the audacity to outrage the modesty of my other client, Ms Meera Chopra," Rizwan stated. Meanwhile, KRK informed Mirror that he received the notice only on June 23. "Vikram is uneducated but speaks English well, which I think is a very dangerous combination. Reading the notice aloud will make one laugh. As a critic I have the right to say what I want about a film. If filmmakers start getting offended, everyone will start sending us notices. For now, I have passed the notice along to my lawyer who will respond by tonight," he said, after taking to Twitter to give his side of the story regarding Meera.

"I just want to inform Mr Vikram Bhatt that Meera Chopra herself told me the whole story. I didn't add anything from my side in that review. Now, I will reveal in the court that Vikram Bhatt tried to supply Meera Chopra to a well-known producer using dirty tricks," he threatened. However, when prodded on the incident, KRK refused to comment further.

Next up, Rizwan is preparing to move court against KRK. "We will also file an FIR against Mr Kamaal R Khan on behalf of Ms Meera Chopra," he concludes.

In a chat with Follo.in, the Yamaha Fascino Miss Diva-Miss Universe India 2015 girl speaks about her online spat with the actor and life after winning the title
Noyon Jyoti Parasara (BOMBAY TIMES; June 3, 2016)

Advice on comedy aside, Riteish Deshmukh talks about family, friends and films...
Upala KBR (DNA; May 26, 2016)


So, who are you...
The day I know that I will let you know (smiles politely).

Ok, let me be more specific. Who do you play in Housefull 3?
It’s a film where Akshay, Abhishek and I are in it more for the love of money and less for the ladies in love. I play a blind man, who is not actually blind but we are all faking our conditions to stay in the house. We get caught and the situations keep building up till it just gets chaotic. The directors Sajid-Farhad have a very punchy sense of humour and that will keep the audience engaged.

Where does your sense of humour come from?
Humour lies in every situation… It’s just how you can bring it out. I have got it from my father (Vilasrao Deshmukh). I think it’s all about the context you are talking in and how quick you are. Sometimes, you surprise yourself at the way you find humour in a completely dull situation. But it should be natural and you shouldn’t be afraid of cracking lame jokes. Humour keeps your mind ticking. Abhishek and Akshay are very humorous, with both having a different sense of humour — enough to learn from.

Does your wife Genelia think you're a funny guy?
Yes, of course! I cracked a big joke when I proposed to her and she fell for it (we both laugh).

On a more serious note, which film is more challenging to do — the negative role in Ek Villain or Housefull 3?
While I enjoyed doing both, Ek Villain might have an edge because I don’t do those roles often. It was a one-off, so it comes as a surprise. So when people see me in slapstick comedies, they are like 'Wow! He can do this too'. I am glad that I get roles in both. But it’s important too that serious films should be successful. I was fortunate that some of my films like Rann, Lai Bhaari and Ek Villain did well at the box-office. Unfortunately, all serious films don’t work.

Please continue...
As far as challenging roles are concerned, it depends on the scenes. A scene in Ek Villain may drain me emotionally, but a comic scene in Housefull 3 may drain me out physically. People feel comedies are easy to do. They are, but when the jokes are well written. When the material is weak, one is trying so hard to be funny and trying to be heard. The audiences say that whatever you are showing us, do your homework well. It’s just the timing and one has to constantly upgrade oneself with the things, especially the humour around us. Everything around us is happening so fast.

So how do you keep up with what’s happening around you?
I read 12 papers every day. I got this habit from my father who used to read 20 papers every day. After he finished reading them, I would read them. I like to go through the headlines and then some of the articles. I figure out what’s happening and I read on every subject, not just politics. I read from pages 1 to 16 and the supplements, I may or may not read. It takes 45 minutes for me to go through all the papers. I have all papers at home and in my van, if I am shooting. If I don’t manage to read them at home in the morning, I catch up on the set. If I leave early morning for travel, I catch up on the news on Twitter and social media, which makes it easy. Reading papers is amazing. Newspapers are a must and can never be completely replaced by digital media.

On the work front, what’s next?
Great Grand Masti, Banjo and Bank Chor and then, my Marathi home production Mauli and the biopic on Chhatrapati Shivaji.

Apparently Nargis left you in the lurch with Banjo as there were some scenes still to be shot?
Nargis was never supposed to be here. And excuse me, she didn’t leave me or anybody or anything in the lurch. Her shoot is happening in New York where it was always supposed to. The Mumbai schedule with Nargis is complete. Now, the summer schedule is left which she will shoot in June in NY. It’s unfair of you to say that she’s left us in the lurch. Nargis has been a wonderful girl to work with, she is lovely with a great sense of humour.

Why is Bank Chor taking so much time to release?
Bank Chor should release in the third quarter of this year. As far as the delay is concerned, I think you should ask the production house (YRF) that as they have charted out how to go about its release. First Fan released and will be followed by Sultan on Eid.

Is the hairstyle you're sporting now for one of your Marathi films?
It’s not for any film. I call it my summer look. When I am not shooting I love experimenting with my hair. After I finished shooting Banjo, I don’t shoot till August. So one day, I just cut my hair with a razor and buzzed it off. And I am very happy with the look.

Speaking of Marathi cinema, what do you make of the success of Sairat?
The success of Sairat is of immense pride for everyone and all kinds of regional cinema. It marks the coming-of-age of Marathi cinema and if it sustains, remains as strong over the next three-four years and maintains the momentum for this kind of commercial ratio, then that day is not too far when we become as big as Tamil or Telugu cinema.

Have you thought of producing a film with Genelia and you?
I would love to do a Marathi film with Genelia. I have not produced a Bollywood one yet, as I am still understanding the production market. Genelia is choosy, too, while selecting her films. Fortunately, all the films we did were hits. But I would like to do one Marathi film with her. She has done films in five languages, including Tamil, Telugu and Kannada, but not a single Marathi film though she can speak the language fluently. All we need now is a good script.

Recently Kamaal R Khan did a poll on Twitter, on who is a bigger star today, where he said he was sad that Abhishek and you defeated him by a lesser percentage of votes. You told him that next time, you would be the first person voting for him. You were friends with KRK. What changed?
I think people are reading too much into it. KRK is a colleague and friend. He had an opinion to make, which is okay. I don’t understand why people get upset with trolls. It’s a social space and it’s perfectly okay for everyone to express their opinions. One needs to respect that and move on. I don’t react to trolls, though I might choose to react in a different way, with good humour. I just feel there is no point in reacting.

You will be becoming a father again…
It’s something I would rather not talk much about. Yes, it’s exciting. The first time around, there was a sense of completion.

You fought with your close friend and director Milap Zaveri during Mastizaade. Have you patched up with him?
(Cold silence) Patched up? (Pause) I don’t think anyone’s interested about whether we have patched up or not.

But still…
No comment.

Sidharth Malhotra opens up about aashiqui, reel and real; actor plans to learn how to sing and play the guitar for the musical
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 11, 2016)

MUMBAI MIRROR (January 7, 2016)

Kamaal R Khan fancies himself as a bit of a ladies man on the social media. Turns out, he is not so different from the rest of us, after all.

KRK visited SRK's Dubai residence with his children, Faizal Kamaal Khan and Farah Kamaal Khan. Both dad and kids posed for pictures with the Baadshah but KRK only shared his click with King Khan online.

Mirror got hold of the picture of Shah Rukh with the Kamaal kids but when questioned about it, a shocked KRK said, "Bacche? Mere bacche? Kaun se bacche? Mere bacche nahin hain." Wonder how he's going to explain this to the teenage boy who looks so much like him.

DNA (April 29, 2015)


KJo and the paagal kutta
When asked if he would direct himself in a film, he immediately shot back by saying, “No, no, no.. Mujhe pagal kutte ne nahi kaata ki main apne aap ko cast karunga. Usko (Anurag Kashyap) kaata tha.” He went on to add, “Why would I cast myself and be my own liability? If anyone wants to put money on me, I’ll act. I am open to offers. Otherwise, also I am open.”

When RK pressed KJo
When Ranbir Kapoor was asked to describe his experience of working with Karan, everyone was in splits with their double-meaning banter. He said, “Karan has been my personal mentor and in this film also he plays my mentor. I used to laugh in the initial days when he used to say dialogues. I remember there was a scene where I had to press Karan against the window of the car. Karan got very charged and told me, ‘Tu mujhe dabba.’ Not in that sense. So from the time I started pressing him (against the window), he started getting hurt. But he was so engrossed that he kept telling me, ‘Tu dabate jaa, dabate jaa’ Eventually, after pack-up he had to take some pain killer as he had a migraine problem.” Karan then added, “Tune achi tarah se nahi dabaya. If you had pressed properly, I wouldn’t get hurt.”

Bolly aur dosti
Talking about the feedback on his role from his friends, the director said, “Bollywood main kiske dost hote hai? People are there, but not friends. What will people say? They will say good things to your face, but if they feel it’s not good then they will tweet about it or will say something behind your back. I would in fact want to know the media’s view. Why should I ask the members of the industry?”

KJo: Cast Anurag? NO!
When Karan was quizzed about casting Anurag for any of his films, he replied, “I won’t cast him. I only cast good looking actors, why would I take Anurag? Am I mad? Anurag is not the type of person I would cast. I don’t make the kind of films in which Anurag would fit. Have you ever imagined him in New York? He either goes to a village (Gangs of Wasseypur) or into the 1960s (Bombay Velvet). Abroad won’t suit him.”

Ranbir on marriage plans
When asked about Katrina’s recent statement that their marriage will be like a circus, he said, “I think you cannot keep it private. We are actors and it should not be. Wedding is a celebration and I just say this.. (blank) My wedding date was fixed six years ago. Ever since I came into this industry, everyone has been saying I am getting married. It’s a special day so let me announce it. But right now there are no plans. I am in love and I do feel a sense of commitment and responsibility. But when it comes to wedding, so much speculation spoils the fun. You want to set a date and you want to really celebrate. I would request the media to stop speculating about my wedding date because I will put the date out. I will not hide and get married. I also want to celebrate the institution.

Anushka says ‘chup be’
The actress was in a relaxed mood as she wasn’t required to answer any questions on beau Virat Kohli. She was her chirpy self as she was talking about the preparations for her role of a jazz singer. She was speaking fast and Ranbir who was sitting next to her, asked her to calm down and speak slowly. She shot back with a ‘chup be.’ This word seems to have caught her fancy as she uttered it a couple of times after that.

Anurag vs KRK Twitter war
“Kamaal R Khan has given me an open challenge that if Bombay Velvet does well, then he would cut off his special weapon. So, we are now planning to send him a very specially designed ice-box so that we can keep his special weapon on display at the upcoming Museum of Indian Cinema so that we can display India’s most inconsequential critic"

On the eve of Valentine's Day, we set up Saqib Saleem on a rendezvous with newbie Manasvi Mamgai. Turn over to know if Cupid struck them...
Asira Tarannum (MID-DAY; February 14, 2015)

Blind dates can be tricky. But when hitlist approached Saqib Saleem and Manasvi Mamgai separately to be part of a Valentine’s Day feature, they took the proposal sportingly. As the date for their rendezvous inched closer, both of them seemed impatient to know who their blind date was, but we managed to keep it a secret till they met at a suburban restaurant on the eve of V-Day.

Saqib arrived a few minutes after Manasvi reached the venue. When they saw each other, the actor did a subtle fist pump while the beauty queen-turned-actress went ‘yay’ — after all, they have been friends for quite some time now. The look test done, they embarked on their first ever blind date. Excerpts from their conversation:

Saqib Saleem: Hi Manasvi, how have you been?

Manasvi Mamgai: Great. What have you been up to?

Saqib: Chilling, till I start shooting for my next film with Huma (Qureshi, sister) in April. Then I am doing a
sequel to one of my earlier films. You are going down South, I hear?

Manasvi: I may, but I have two films lined up here. So, are you a Valentine’s Day person?

Saqib: Totally. What’s wrong with that?

Manasvi: Nothing! What do you like to do?

Saqib: Find a date, go out with her and have a good time.



Manasvi: What are you doing this February 14?

Saqib: I haven’t decided. I will probably go out for dinner.

Manasvi: You have to find a date first!

Saqib: That I will. Your plans?

Manasvi: I have to make an appearance in Kanpur.

Saqib: So fly your date to Kanpur and have fun. You know, I was so curious about my blind date. I thought I will escape quietly if it was someone I didn’t want to meet.

Manasvi: Same here! What has been your most disastrous date till now?

Saqib: I have had many. Once, I forgot to carry my wallet. It was so embarrassing.

Manasvi: Once I dropped my drink on the guy’s crotch and never met him again.

Saqib: How was Valentine’s Day while growing up?

Manasvi: Not great. I was dark and a national level skater. My knees were always bruised. Did you do a lot of V-Day stuff?



Saqib: Of course. It may sound very cheesy but there was this senior in college I was besotted with. She knew I liked her. I went to my friend’s place, decorated it and recorded a video of mine reminiscing about time spent with her.

Manasvi: Did she say yes?

Saqib: As a matter of fact, she did. We dated for two years. If there was a Valentine’s Day when we weren’t in the same city, I would sing some lines that I wrote, record it and send it to her. 

Manasvi: You should sing now.

Saqib: I can’t!

Manasvi: You should, you are on a date!

Saqib: Now you will regret coming here. ‘I am a gangster baby, am a gangster baby…’ (sings Manasvi’s song from her debut film Action Jackson). Your turn now.

Manasvi: Why? I never said I sing.

Saqib: Tell me what is the craziest thing that you have done?

Manasvi: See, Valentine’s Day is a man’s day. But I have done some stuff, like successfully making pasta and pizza for this guy. The flip side was that I had to cook it again and again because he liked it. Which actress would you like to go on a Valentine date with?

Saqib: I am with one now.

Manasvi: I meant a dream date.

Saqib: None from Bollywood. Even if I had someone on my mind, I wouldn’t tell you.

Manasvi: So, then Hollywood?

Saqib: Jennifer Lawrence. Who will your date be from the fraternity? Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Ryan Gosling?

Manasvi: Ryan Gosling, of course. From Bollywood, it has to be Hrithik Roshan.

Saqib: I have had the biggest crush on Kareena Kapoor since I saw her. I know she is married and happy…

Manasvi: But you can go on a friendly date with her.

Saqib: I know I can’t date her, but it’s okay. Who would you not want to date?

Manasvi: Tusshar Kapoor.

Saqib: Can you say that again? A little louder, please!

Manasvi: No! (laughs) Your turn.

Saqib: Rakhi Sawant, Poonam Pandey, Sambhavna Seth… everyone I know from Bigg Boss.

Manasvi: I have one more name. Kamaal R Khan!

Saqib: Hasn’t he tweeted anything to you? Like, ‘A big kiss to Manasvi Mamgai’!

Manasvi: He has strangely been nice to me. Tell me, what is the craziest thing that you have done to woo a girl?

Saqib: I have already told you about that — cleaning up my friend’s house and recording my messages.
Imagine cleaning a guy’s house! I mopped his room which was really dirty.

Manasvi: Which has been your best date so far?

Saqib: I don’t want to sound preachy but for me it doesn’t matter where I am or what I do on a date. I can be at Juhu Chowpatty and have a great conversation over pav bhaji. You?

Manasvi: I was dating this guy and we went to Rishikesh, did a bit of rafting and lit up a bonfire on a full moon night.

(And their conversation continued for another hour before they realised it was time for other meetings.)

Pics/Nimesh Dave
Location courtesy: Trikaya

Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; July 4, 2014)

On Thursday evening, actor Kamaal R Khan approached Versova police to file a complaint against a certain Sahil Peerzada.

Khan confirms the news. He says, “I have filed a complaint against Sahil Peerzada who has been abusing and threatening me.” It may be pointed out that Khan and Kapil Sharma have been fighting it out on twitter over the past few days. The actor has now gone on to express his joy at Kapil Sharma being ousted from the YRF film.

But as far as his threats are concerned, Khan says, “Somebody threatened me, so a case has been filed at Versova police station. Now it’s the police’s duty to arrest the culprit and teach him a good lesson. I have nothing personal against Kapil Sharma or anybody else and I never abused him in front of Mika Singh."

Kapil was again unavailable for comment