Hiren Kotwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 30, 2019)

Isabelle Kaif, who is making her acting debut with LoveYatri actor Aayush Sharma in the Karan Bhutani directorial Kwatha, started work on the film at a Mumbai studio last week with montage scenes. After a short spell in Mumbai in January, the team will head to Delhi for a 10-day shoot and then to the North-East for 45 days where, according to producer Aditya Joshi, a majority of the shoot will take place. “Apart from some dramatic scenes, we’ll also shoot the action sequences,” he informs.

Meanwhile, Karan says that the film, which has Aayush playing an army officer and Isabelle, a doctor, ‘is not a war film’. “Kwatha is based on a true incident and it also shows the humane side of the Indian Army. Our defence forces don’t just guard our borders and fight the enemy, but also work for the people of the country,” he says, going on to heap praise on his leading lady. “Isabelle’s formal training in acting reflects in her work. On the set, she knows what is required of her and she is always improving. Only a confident actor can do that spontaneously.”

Meanwhile, Aayush, Karan informs, trained at an army camp for a few months in Pune as part of his prep and put on 12 kg of muscle weight. Describing the time he spent with the soldiers as an “enlightening experience”, Aayush says, “Our idea is to tell a story that not many people know, and at the same time, also do it with responsibility, without making the action look filmi.”

Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; May 17, 2018)

Those familiar with the wit of American superhero Deadpool would have applauded the roping in of Ranveer Singh to dub for the Hindi version of the venture’s second instalment. With his appointment behind us, Singh’s seems like the obvious name for the job, given that it is only his infectious energy that could match that of the character, played by American actor Ryan Reynolds. Given that the expletives used in the film make for one of its most saleable factors, the makers aptly decided to use Hindi slang to appease the audience, instead of resorting to translating English expletives, which may have resulted in a cringe-worthy experience. Among the quirky one-liners selected for this outing is “Maushichi”, a slang that Jackie Shroff became synonymous with after he was seen using it in a blooper video from an anti-polio drive in the past.

Although amused with the selection, Shroff tells mid-day he hopes children do not pick up the habit of using expletives from him. “I am happy that it has become iconic [laughs]. It’s interesting that they have used it in a Hollywood film. [But] when I said it, I did so in jest. People need to understand that as actors, we try to de-stress by joking around. But, I would like to tell kids that they should learn good things rather than pick up [the habit of using] slang.”

Meanwhile, only a few months ago, Shroff’s son Tiger delivered one of the biggest hits of the year so far, Baaghi 2. Applauding the actor’s effort in pulling off the Ahmed Khan-directed venture, he says, “The other day, he came to me and said, ‘Dad I finally slept well after four months.’ This was because he went all out with Baaghi 2, and the results are out for all to see.”

On his own plate, Shroff has the Marathi film, Phamous up for release. Talking about the Karan Lalit Bhutani-directed venture, which sees him in the role of a dacoit, he says, “[Karan] is of the same age as my son. When he narrated the script to me, I thought he had a fresh idea to tell. At this stage in my career, I want to experiment and learn from the new generation.”