Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; April 6, 2017)

Kanan Gill may have offended cinephiles and producers alike with his YouTube movie review show, where he pokes fun at Bollywood films with co-host Biswa Kalyan Rath. But the online star is now gearing up to put himself under the spotlight by reviewing Sonakshi Sinha- starrer, Noor, which also marks his maiden Bollywood outing. The 27-year-old says, “I have proposed to do a Pretentious Movie Review (his web show) of Noor. I know of details that others wouldn’t, and can pull this off better than anyone else.”

It was Kanan’s web show that caught the eye of director Sunhil Sippy, who was scouting for an actor to play Sonakshi’s friend in the drama. “After the show, I have been getting offers. When Sunhil looked up online [to find an actor], there I was! I am excited to be a part of the film, but unlike others, I don’t have plans and goals.”

While he is happy with his performance, Kanan continues to question his acting abilities. “It’s hard to say if I am an actor. Any role that may demand greater range is going to test my skills,” he says earnestly.

Comedian Kanan Gill, who rose to fame by trashing Hindi films, on crossing over to the dark side with 'Snapchat buddy' Sonakshi Sinha
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 14, 2016)


Millennials first took note of Bangalore boy Kanan Gill as one-half of the hugely popular Pretentious Movie Reviews on YouTube, where the comedian, along with partner-in-crime, Biswa Kalyan Rath, trained their funny guns at such celluloid gems as the Fardeen Khanstarrer Prem Aggan and Sooraj Barjatya's Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon, featuring Kareena Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan and Abhishek Bachchan.

Several stand-up gigs, more YouTube videos and a TV commercial later, the 26-year-old former software engineer has crossed over to the dark side - he makes his Bollywood debut as Saad Sehgal, Sonakshi Sinha's buddy, in adman Sunhil Sippy's slice-of-life drama, Noor. By his own admission, he was summoned for the role because of his popularity online, but Kanan had to audition twice before he was finalised.

"For the role, Sunhil gave me references of comedians like Eddie Izzard, who is my favourite. I was encouraged that he and I have a similar sense of humour. I also liked the fact that he was very particular about what he wanted for each role," says the actorcomedian, adding that his Saad is Noor's childhood friend. "He owns a restaurant in London so he's constantly shuttling between the UK and India. He's a positive character and tries to find humour in every situation. At the same time, he also serves as a reality check for people around him."

This isn't Kanan's first brush with the traditional media though. In 2014, he appeared in a Shaadi.com commercial, making him an easy target for jokes among his friends within the Indian comedy circuit. How are they responding to the big switch to the 70 mm? "I have made fun of movies and, in turn, have been made fun of. Also, all my friends are comedians, but some of them, like Tanmay Bhat (of AIB), have been part of films too. That said, this isn't my first switch. I went from a music band called NYEH to work for a software firm, then graduated to comedy videos and now it's movies," he explains.

So how does a music band-software engineer-comedian-actor trajectory pan out? "Most people in Bangalore are a part of a band at some point in their lives," he quips, adding that being a part of one is like a saas-bahu drama. "People end up fighting. We're down to three from six now and still meet up sometimes to perform, just for the love of music. I was the guitarist of the band and also sung badly."

He adds that since he had a degree in computer science, he joined the software firm but slowly realisation dawned that the slow mental breakdown wasn't for him. "Suddenly, after a 12-hour job, I had all the free time. That's how the movie reviews happened with my friend Biswa. I was nervous on the first day of Noor's shoot, thinking what if I am like everyone I made fun of? Making a video is a different process, the scale of a movie is so huge!"

Kanan says, adding that he is bonding with Sona over the social media. "We knew each other vaguely before. Now, we are Snapchat buddies on the sets. We have shot a few scenes and it's been super fun."

Known for working with big guns, Sonakshi Sinha seems to have had a change of mind
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; May 30, 2016)

Ever since her debut film Dabangg (2010) opposite Salman Khan, Sonakshi Sinha has always worked with established names in the industry. Even though in her 20s, the actress prefers to work with 40-plus actors with an eye at the box office collections. It appears that now Sona has had a change of mind. The actress is slated to star with a debutant in her upcoming film, Noor.

The film is an adaptation of the Pakistani writer Saba Imtiaz’s 2014 comedy crime-thriller, Karachi, You Are Killing Me! Sources state that Kanan Gill, a stand-up comic who is well known on a video-sharing site for his shows, is making his Bollywood debut in the film directed by Sunhil Sippy and produced by Vikram Malhotra, who has secured the rights to the book.

Sona, who will next be seen with John Abraham in Force 2, has earlier romanced Salman, Akshay Kumar (Rowdy Rathore and Holiday), Ajay Devgn (Son of Sardaar) and Saif Ali Khan (Bullett Raja). There had been buzz that she preferred the big guns though there were offers for her to team up with younger co-stars.

From among the younger lot, she has teamed up with Ranveer Singh in Lootera and Arjun Kapoor in Tevar.
Malhotra, the producer of Noor, says, “We are in the process of casting and no actor has been confirmed as so far”. Sona’s spokesperson, on the other hand, maintains, “She is currently in New York and does not talk about her offers or films till the makers have officially announced it.”