Kunal Kohli with British actress Amelia Gething and Hollywood actor Nick Sagar

Filmmaker Kunal Kohli is stepping into uncharted territory with his latest project, All About Her, a British English feature film starring a predominantly British and international cast. The film, which is currently being shot in the UK, is his first English-language directorial venture.

Talking about it, Kohli says, “Directing an English film and working with a full British and international crew is a whole new chapter in my life. Shekhar Kapur has always been my inspiration, and I am hoping this starts a trend of more Indian filmmakers working globally. Though English is not my first language, the experience of directing a film in English has been incredibly rewarding.”

Headlined by British actress Amelia Gething and Hollywood actor Nick Sagar, the Sheetal Parab production venture is expected to wrap filming later this month and will be submitted to international film festivals before its release. Nick Sagar is best known for his role in The Princess Switch film franchise, while Amelia Gething has garnered attention for her performances in Emily and The Spanish Princess.

He adds, “Shooting a film in the UK with British actors and crew gave me a great deal of creative freedom. Direct interaction with the actors helped bring the characters to life on screen exactly as I had envisioned, in complete sync with Amelia and Nick. Although I was new to their industry, the actors placed their trust in me and together we created an incredible cinematic journey that we are excited to share with audiences across the world.”

Rumours had abounded for weeks that Rohit Shetty’s Golmaal 5 is inspired by Do Aur Do Paanch (1980). Earlier this month, the filmmaker dismissed these reports. Now, it looks like we may get a movie bearing a connection to the Amitabh Bachchan and late Shashi Kapoor-starrer, not from Shetty’s stable, but from producer Deepak Mukut. The producer revealed to mid-day that the project is at the scripting stage.

Mukut, who has the rights to the 1980 original, shared, “A decade ago, I was planning a remake with Kunal Kohli as the director, and Abhishek [Bachchan] and Bobby Deol playing Bachchan ji and Shashi Kapoor’s roles [respectively]. At that time, it could not materialize.”

The producer is now giving a second shot to the project. “I haven’t [decided] whether the movie will be inspired by, a remake, or a sequel to Do Aur Do Paanch. Ideally, I’d like to cast Abhishek and Bobby again as they look great together on screen,” he said.

The rumours surrounding Golmaal 5 had reached Mukut too, who immediately took action. He recalled, “I put the notice in a trade magazine, so that no one else can remake or be inspired by it. I own Do Aur Do Paanch’s rights.”

In early February, Rohit Shetty shut down rumours of ‘Golmaal 5’ being inspired by ‘Do Aur Do Paanch’. The filmmaker stated that the reports “are factually incorrect, misleading, and completely untrue”.

Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur has expressed his dismay at streaming platform Amazon Prime Video for editing Bandit Queen (1994) without his permission, addressing the hurdles for freedom of expression even on OTT.

He wrote on X on Tuesday, “I wonder if OTT platforms would let me make #BanditQueen the way I made it years ago. The Bandit Queen on #AmazonPrime is unrecognizable from my film. Someone has cut it beyond recognition. And yet it carries my name as Director. And no one asked me! Are we lesser beings than Western Directors? Would they have the guts to cut a Chris Nolan film without his permission? (sic)”

The biopic portrayed the life of Phoolan Devi, dreaded dacoit-turned-Member of Parliament, and earned Shekhar global acclaim. It also led to his Hollywood directorial debut with the Oscar-nominated Elizabeth (1998).

The issue began when the 79-year-old appreciated the British mini series Adolescence for “its next level story telling”, to which filmmaker Sudhir Mishra replied, “Nobody will let us do something like that. One should do it as an independent film.” Shekhar then pointed out the edits in his film.

“Today’s @shekharkapur with your Hollywood successes would be allowed to make it. But the Shekhar Kapur before Bandit Queen would definitely not be allowed by any OTT to make Bandit Queen the way he wants to. Cutting/Hacking your film without your permission is shocking to say the least. (sic),” wrote Kunal.

Hansal commented, “That is the point I’ve been trying to make @shekharkapur. Are we here to foster superior storytelling or to produce cattle-feed ? Leave the good stories, the innovative storytelling, the silences, the slow burn, the experiments, the audacity, the budgets to the superior minds from the west. Welcome back to the days of colonization. (sic)”

The terms ‘block bookings and ‘corporate bookings’ have created a lot of buzz recently. It began when trade analyst Komal Nahta accused the makers of actors Akshay Kumar and Veer Pahariya’s recent film Sky Force of resorting to booking out theatres in order to paint a rosy picture in the film’s box-office report.

Things took a turn after the same accusation was levelled against Vicky Kaushal and Rashmika Mandanna’s upcoming Chhaava, which is bankrolled by the same producers — Maddock Films. In light of these allegations, insiders worry that the industry’s credibility is at stake, considering anyone can manufacture numbers to favour their films.

According to trade analyst Taran Adarsh, big names in the film industry were fudging the numbers even in the 1970s and ’80s: “In those days, block bookings was called ‘feeding’. A top actor I spoke to would buy tickets at certain cinemas for houseful boards to create a certain perception. Films wouldn’t release simultaneously then — a film might premiere in Delhi today, Mumbai after a week and so on. But public sab jaanti hai.”

However, exhibitors do not complain since tickets are technically being sold. He adds, “Aaj kal toh bade level pe ho raha hai yeh sab. Exhibitors are happy, ab chaahe producer khud khareed raha hai ticket, ya actor, ya studio.”

Also accused of using this tactic were the makers of Ram Charan and Kiara Advani-starrer Game Changer. The makers claimed that it grossed Rs. 186 crore worldwide on premiere day. But according to number crunchers Sacnilk and Box Office India, the actual worldwide gross was Rs. 80 crore.

With the growing buzz, filmmakers have begun adding their two cents to the debate. Recently, filmmaker Kunal Kohli called block bookings “rubbish”. In an interview with YouTuber Aleena Gandhi, Kohli said, “Matlab we make the film, we release the film and then we only buy tickets to watch the film? The reason you are doing [this] is ego, to pamper a star and not show him the reality, or to pamper that director, that producer.”

Shibasish Sarkar, the president of Producers Guild of India, asserts that this is fraud against the masses: “I think ultimately what is happening is bringing the credibility of the industry down. The only logic here is to create a perception about the demand.”

As for fake numbers, Sarkar notes, “In developed markets worldwide, there are systems like Rentrak (to track the numbers). In India, unfortunately, that has not happened. While this isn’t new, things are happening on a scary proportion. So, even if you get a system to bust fake numbers, how would you see who is fraudulently booking the tickets in bulk? You cannot install CCTV cameras inside every theatre.”

We reached out to Dinesh Vijan, founder of Maddock Films, but received no response by the time of going to press.

After the makers of several tentpole films were accused of ‘block booking’, we ask industry insiders about the practice and why it is so rampant

Trade expert Atul Mohan explains, “If an actor endorses 20 brands, they ask one brand to, for example, purchase 10,000 tickets for their latest film. In return, they waive off some fees, or shoot an ad for free. This means 10,000 tickets are legitimately being sold, even if the theatres turn out to be ultimately empty. Then there’s block booking, where a producer, actor, or studio pay for multiple seats out of their own pockets. In both cases, when you open booking apps, you see theatres are filling fast. That creates a positive perception around the film.”

The discussion around the increasingly visible role of entourage costs in burdening film productions precipitated a meeting between four film bodies — including the Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association (IMPPA), Producers Guild of India, Active Telugu Film Producers Guild and Tamil Film Active Producers Association — and five major talent agencies: Collective, Matrix, Exceed, YRF and DCA.

“They plan to regroup in another couple of weeks. In the interim, the agencies are expected to discuss the matter with their clients, says a source, adding, “In the meeting, all parties acknowledged the issue of the unpredictable costs associated with actors coming on-board projects.”

Could capping these costs help, or be proposed in the meeting? “Right now, all options are on the table. Just having a blanket cap would be difficult. The requirement of different scale of films is different,” says the source.

“Cutting these costs is the only way to go about it. In 2022, when we (Telugu film industry) went on strike, this was the reason. We demanded things like one pay cheque, and that staff payment be done by the artistes only,” says producer Abhishek Agarwal.

“Let’s not only blame the actors, but also star directors, star DOPs. You go on a set with everyone who is a big name and there will be just 30-40 people that are part of their entourage and they are not actually part of the filmmaking process. All costs that do not show up on screen do need to be brought in check,” says producer Kunal Kohli.

Aamir Khan’s announcement of a one-and-a-half-year hiatus from acting must have sent his fans into a frenzy. Before him, Shah Rukh Khan, too, had taken a five-year break, albeit unannounced, after his ambitious VFX spectacle Zero (2018) didn’t meet expectations. The actor is set to return with a bang in 2023 with three biggies — Pathaan, Jawaan and Dunki.

What effect does it have on the industry when top stars like them decide to take a break? Does it ever reach a point where it could affect their stardom or career? Experts weigh in.

Filmmaker Kunal Kohli, who directed Aamir in Fanaa (2006), says, “As a friend of Aamir, I have always told him he should not do one film in two to three years, but one per year. Talents like his and SRK’s are so rare that one really misses them on screen. Of course, it’s a huge creative loss. I hope Aamir comes back soon.”

In the past, actors such as Amitabh Bachchan and (late) Vinod Khanna took breaks from their acting careers. The former announced it in 1992, to spend time with his family, and returned with Mrityudata (1997) after five years. Khanna left films at his peak to spend time at Osho’s ashram.

However, trade analyst Taran Adarsh supports decisions like these: “Life is not just about running from one studio to another; it’s important to slow down and analyze.”

What might have worked in the favour of stars earlier could have been the fact that there was no social media, and movies were the primary source of entertainment. Today, there’s OTT, and stars are much more accessible. Still, trade expert Joginder Tuteja reasons: “Aamir has only seen one major flop in recent times, Laal Singh Chaddha. Thugs Of Hindostan (2018) was a flop, but it still grossed Rs. 150 crores, which was a record for Hindi films at the time. You’re forgetting actor Rajinikanth; he comes out with a big film every two to three years. Even actor Salman Khan is not doing as many films as he used to do.”

Massy is his thing. From the beginning of his career, Varun Dhawan has worn the ‘Massy Hero’ badge with pride, and for him, it has worked wonders. The pandemic has changed him, not his choices or passion for cinema, but his state of mind. He’s still raring to go, but not in the rat race. He desires to do more of the kind of cinema he strongly believes in, crowd-entertainers, but he says that even in that zone, “You need to figure out newer ways of entertaining the audience.”

And even as the audience is still grooving to the hook step from the Nach Punjaban song from his recent release, Varun takes time out to talk to us about industry perceptions, his obsession and other truths. Read on, he will have you hooked…

I am grateful that this could happen as we shot for JugJugg Jeeyo through the pandemic. Neetu ma’am (Neetu Kapoor) and Raj Mehta (director) got COVID, and by the time we released the film, I guess most of the cast members had got COVID. It was extremely challenging, especially shooting for a family film during that time, as all characters were at close quarters, and we also shot songs. We didn’t want to compromise on the scale, so there were breaks in the shoot, but we were determined to make the film that we wanted to.

When you are giving an interview, you know it will be in a public forum, so you always think…should I say this? Sometimes when you speak your heart out, you are judged for what you have said. So, we can rarely speak the truth.

But, if I am being honest, I will say that at the onset, it 100% hurt when we came to know that Coolie No. 1 will not have a theatrical release. But at the end of the day, everyone who was associated with the film made their money back during the pandemic. The change in the release plan did not cause them any economical loss. I know that Sara (Ali Khan), dad (David Dhawan, who directed the film) and I, were really dying to have a theatrical release. It was tough for me surely, but more so for dad; he is 70 now and has made so many successful films, so he wanted to see how this film would do in the theatres and how people would react to it in the single screens. That is the absolute truth.

Definitely! We are seeing so many films that are not working. In the first six months, since the theatres reopened in 2022, we saw only The Kashmir Files, Gangubai Kathiawadi and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 do well. And there was a big gap between the first two and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. It was nerve-racking to think about what was happening. All we knew was that we had made a good film and we just went with that belief.

What I understand is that nobody knows anything. I am saying this very humbly as someone who has done just a few years of work as an actor in the industry — that the veterans, producers, directors or fortune tellers — no one knows what is going to happen and there is no formula right now to understand what will work. Yes, there is some factual data that tells us we will see more massier films and more universal films with universal emotions. Such films stand a chance of collecting a much bigger number at the box office, but it still has to be a great film. The only thing I can say is that we have to now make really good cinema, as mediocre cinema will not work.

I believe that we can’t let go of our Indian culture, emotions and roots in our films. Primarily, we are making films for our audience. I am glad that the younger generation of filmmakers, like Raj Mehta, understand how to weave in music and other such elements so well in our films. Kunal Kohli (filmmaker and my cousin) once told me that I should work with more directors who have grey hair because they understand our Indian roots better. Honestly, I often try to tell the younger filmmakers, and there are so many today, and convince them about this.

I think now everyone wants to do pan-India films. I believe if we create good, fun, non-preachy content, it could work. My current release has given me a lot of confidence. Now, I just want to do crowd-entertainers and massy films. I feel that working with good directors like Shoojit Sarkar, Nitesh Tiwari and Sriram Raghavan has helped me grow. Sometimes, you get to do a large-scale entertainer like Bhediya, where you also get to perform.

I have always wanted to do something like Amar Kaushik’s Bhediya, it’s something that hasn’t been done in recent times. Also, working with Dinesh Vijan (who is producing it) after Badlapur was great. I told him, ‘Tu hamesha mere paas itni tedhi films kyun leke aata hai?’ He said, ‘Usme hi mazaa hai, I want to put you in an uncomfortable zone.’

Yes. But I still feel more comfortable doing massy entertainers. Every time I walk into a set to play a character which is very different from what I have played before, it gives me jitters. It scares me, which is good as it often brings out the best. Even if you are doing a massy entertainer, you need to figure out newer ways of entertaining the audience. I can’t still be doing what I did in Main Tera Hero.

Well, what has changed is that the things one would do to create a perception earlier, now everyone is doing it. During the pandemic, I got tired of putting myself in that rat race. I thought till when are we going to keep doing this? I know ultimately, I am here to be an actor. So, I decided that I am going to remove myself from this, and that’s what I did. It’s just about doing things in my own style and not trying to run this race because everyone is just doing the same thing. Today, we are all trying to create a perception that we are successful, that we are No. 1, or we are this or that. We have all got sucked into this rut. Every producer knows how much money his film has made, and yet, he has to put it out for everyone to know when it’s a success. Even I am sucked into this, and I can’t help it. Unfortunately, cinema has become more about perception rather than judging how good or bad a film is. So, my obsession right now is to be a part of good films and work with good directors.

Only months after we witnessed the re-runs of Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan, director Kunal Kohli is set to offer a retelling of the ancient epic with Ramyug. The mythological outing, originally designed as a two-part film, has been converted into a web series, owing to the prevailing situation. The filmmaker is not complaining about the change of medium as he says, “The ultimate aim for all content makers is to reach a wider audience, so I am happy that Ramyug is releasing. We had close to four hours of content, so it was not difficult to convert it into eight episodes.”

The MX Player series features Diganth Manchale, Akshay Dogra, Aishwarya Ojha, Tisca Chopra and Dalip Tahil, among others. The timeless appeal of the epic aside, Kohli says that the ability to enhance it with innovative technology drew him to the project. “It’s an epic that has been with us since childhood. [While hearing the story], one always imagines the visuals in a particular way. With changing technology, I felt that we could take the visual to a different level.”

Ahead of the show dropping online, a music video, titled Jai Hanuman, with Amitabh Bachchan on the vocals and Ustad Zakir Hussain, was released last week. Asked how Bachchan came on board the project, the director says, “When Rahul Sharma [music director] played the song for me, I told him that it would be great to have Zakir Hussian play the tabla and Mr Bachchan sing it. We both laughed at the over ambitiousness of my thought. However, when I approached Mr Bachchan, he instantly agreed. [This episode] shows that a dream, no matter how big, might come true some day.”

When Kunal Kohli began filming his yet-untitled Lara Dutta-led web series in February-end, he believed the worst of the Coronavirus pandemic was behind us. As the cases started surging across the state from March, the filmmaker — who is shooting with minimal crew — conscientiously ramped up safety measures on the set.

“Apart from following strict protocols like monitoring temperature and disinfecting the set every two hours, I ask technicians to wait outside after they have set up the scene. That way, actors shoot on a relatively empty floor. Whenever we change the location within the set, everything — from the chairs to the equipment — are sanitised all over again,” he states, adding that glass screens have been put up in the cafeteria to enable social distancing during lunch breaks. 

With the spike in cases, came additional on-set restrictions in the first week of April, which included the barring of filming crowd sequences. “Fortunately, we completed the few crowd sequences in early March, before these restrictions came into effect,” he says, recounting how he pre-emptively employed special effects for a crucial scene. “One of the scenes required Lara to sit in a bus with some other passengers. We shot it with her alone in the bus, and added other [passengers] through visual effects.”

Kohli has only a week of work left on the web series, which also features Prateik Babbar and is the adaptation of popular international show Casual.

Getting back on set is one of the most enjoyable times for actors these days. The seven-month hiatus has been hard on most of them after their choc-a-bloc schedules came to a grinding halt due to the ongoing pandemic. Thus, when a start-to-finish schedule was lined up for her upcoming project in Lucknow, Richa Chadha was more than thrilled to get back to work. Helmed by Kunal Kohli, Lahore Conspiracy is said to be a thrilling love story of two spies.

The Zee5 film revolves around a divorced Indian woman, her love for Urdu literature, and a call of duty in Pakistan that will change her life as she knows it. Talking about her project, Chadha tells mid-day, "I was kicked when I heard the story and learned that I am to play an undercover agent. Lahore Conspiracy is an entertaining film that carries a potent message. We had a great time shooting it."

Staying true to her style, the actor spent considerable time working on talaffuz (Urdu pronunciation) for the character. Chadha, who enjoys shayari, has read the works of Mirza Ghalib, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Basheer Badr, Chakbast, among others. But for the film, the Fukrey actor is widening her interests. Though her character in the movie doesn't speak Urdu, there is a lehja (manner of speaking), which she sought to perfect during the filming. The producers even hired a diction expert from Lucknow to help the cast pronounce words accurately.

Chadha explains, "It's essential to stay authentic to the role. As actors, it is primarily our job to perfect every element of our character. I am glad this film allows me the opportunity. Exploring languages, places, and culture is the most thrilling aspect of being an actor. Every day is a learning experience and this shoot, drenched in old-world nostalgia, was fulfilling."

Script-writer Jyoti Kapoor has won a case of copyright violation and breach of confidence against Bollywood director-producer Kunal Kohli of Amir Khan-starrer Fanaa fame.

The Supreme Court in a landmark verdict on Monday ruled there were similarities between the storyline of Kohli's under-production film 'Phir Se' and Jyoti's script titled 'RSVP'. The court ordered that Kohli pay Jyoti a compensation of Rs 25 lakh and give her credit for 'story idea.' The verdict brought to end an eight-month battle which took Jyoti from multiple industry dispute resolution mechanisms to the High Court and then to the Supreme Court. Her victory could well redefine the station of script writers in the industry dominated by stars and powerful production houses.

While Jyoti, who spoke to Mumbai Mirror over the phone from Karnal in Haryana, described the Supreme Court verdict as a vindication of her stand, Kohli tweeted that he was happy to bring the matter to a close and focus on releasing the film. “The judges asked us to go for a settlement and I agreed, as I don't believe in fighting with members of my fraternity. Judges felt that creative people should settle to promote creativity and culture. Case is finally over. Release date to be announced soon,“ he tweeted.

Jyoti said the verdict has brought a sense of closure after eight months of back-breaking work that at times left her disillusioned. “The compensation will take care of the lawyer's fees. This is a professional, legal and moral victory for my fraternity and me. A friend who had given up on a copyright case half-way through called to say he was reopening the case,“ Jyoti said.

She said the first thing she did after the verdict was announced was polish off the dabba a relative had packed for her in the morning. “I was ravenous. Now I've come home to my parents in Karnal and my mother has cooked a delicious dinner for me,“ she said.

Jyoti's ordeal began when her agent emailed her script to Kunal. He met her and they discussed money and credit. She wanted top billing since she had given him a bound, 90-page script. But Kunal wanted certain changes and wanted to buy the script without giving any credit to her. The deal fell through.

Jyoti then opened negotiations with another producer with whom she signed an agreement and was given an advance.

Meanwhile, Kunal started his film, which will mark his acting debut, and from what she read in the papers, Jyoti detected an uncanny resemblance with her script. Subsequently, she filed a complaint with the Film Writers Association.

The Dispute Settlement Committee of the Film Writers Association ruled in Jyoti's favour, but Kohli appealed at the Appellate Tribunal, which comprises three senior writers. The Tribunal compared the two scripts without being told who had written which one. The Tribunal too detected major overlap in the two scripts. Since Jyoti had registered her script with the Film Writers Association before Kohli began work on his film, the Tribunal declared that it was a clear case of copyright violation.

The case then moved to the Joint Dispute Settlement Committee which comprises members of the Federation of Western India Cine Employees to which all 22 trade associations are affiliated. The representatives of the producers association (IMPPA) met with those of the Federation to sort out the issue. “But just before the case came up for hearing, some calls were made seeking confidential information about who was on board prompting Jyoti to move the Bombay High Court asking for a stay on Kohli's film shoot,“ said Anjum Rajabali, activist of the Film Writers Association.

The Bombay High Court asked for a guarantee of Rs 50 lakh from Kunal but vacated the stay. That was a dark day for Jyoti who recalls breaking down in court and crying all the way home to Versova in the cab. Many friends from the industry told her to drop the case. They said she stood the risk of being blacklisted. “Bills were mounting and I wanted to be able to focus on my writing. For a moment, the thought of giving up the fight crossed my mind. But then, my husband, Harsh Warrdhan, who's also a freelance writer, and I decided to move the Supreme Court which in two hearings gave its verdict. Today, I feel vindicated for all those who've been through a similar situation and thank my family, friends, the fraternity and even strangers for their unstinting support,“ she said.

Anjum said the judgement is a shot in the arm for writers who will be encouraged to take their fight for copyright to court now. “Jyoti is not a hugely successful writer, nor does she have plenty of funds behind her,“ he said, “but she is a girl with considerable talent and spirit and has shown the fraternity the way ahead.“

Kunal has been asked to withdraw the defamation case against Jyoti. He has called her names in the media like 'extortionist' and 'publicity hungry'.

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday ruled an ad interim stay on the of Kunal Kohli's film, Phir Se. Writer Jyoti Kapoor had moved court alleging that the movie is based on her script, which she had narrated to Kohli in January 2013. Through media reports last year, Jyoti found similarities in Kohli's movie and her script and accused him of plagiarism. While he denied her claims, she went to court this February. Jyoti said, “After I went to the Film Writers Association and the Dispute Settlement Committee ruled in my favour, it wasn't easy. So I went to court. I know a lot of my writer friends have gone through this, but not everyone has the wherewithal to go to court.“

When contacted Kunal said, “What I have learnt from this experience is free exchange of ideas is no longer permissible. I'd go a step further and say that it is prohibited. Debate on copyright n plagiarism is settled, it is neither. The industry has to move towards a more close and protective environment with regards to work in progress.What is left to be decided is merely one principle aspect; what is value of an idea that should be in direct proportion to authorship?“