Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; November 29, 2019)

She has donned multiple hats in showbiz — that of a filmmaker, writer, producer and actor. But the in-conversation session at the ongoing International Film Festival of India (IFFI) started with Farah Khan making it clear that in her head, she is primarily a mother to her three children. Not the one to mince her words, she was her inimitable tongue-in-cheek self during the session. Read on...

‘It’s tough to work with directors who do not have any clarity, but want to interfere’
Farah, who first made her mark as a choreographer before exploring other roles, said that when directors don’t have a clear vision for their songs, it gets difficult for a choreographer. She said, “They will say things like, ‘It’s a college song, with a 40-year-old hero dancing around’, or ‘It’s a wedding track, an item song, abhi aap kuch bhi karo’. But there are also those who have a clear idea of how the song will take the narrative forward, for example, Mani Ratnam, Kundan Shah (Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa), and Mansoor Khan (Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar). Shirish (Kunder, her filmmaker husband) was like that too, with Jaan-E-Mann; he was clear about the songs, maybe not so much about the rest of the movie (laughs!). Then there are those directors who do not have a vision, but do not interfere. It’s easy to work with them. The worst are those who do not have any clarity, but want to interfere.”

‘A movie can engage me on different levels, but I don’t expect it to educate me’
Farah has always been unapologetic about the films she makes — typical Bollywood commercial potboilers. And, she doesn’t agree with the notion that commercial movies are brainless entertainers. She said, “I love all kinds of movies. I love some for their thehraav, because my movies lack that. Mine are always energetic; I don’t want people to get bored. A movie can engage me on different levels, but I don’t expect it to educate me, at least not in an overtly preachy manner, because I went to school for that. If it’s a Munna Bhai, it’s great; it’s funny and tongue-in-cheek and is still telling you something at the end. But now there seems to be a pressure ki ‘bolo, bolo, social message do!’ I feel that’s not the primary objective of a film.”

‘Parity will never be achieved if we divide professionals on the basis of their gender’
Farah also said that she doesn’t want to be slotted as ‘the woman director’. She shared, “I don’t like crutches. I genuinely don’t think that a director needs to be seen through the lens of gender. It’s not a gender-specific job. It’s not like an actor or an actress, who can play only male and female characters, respectively. In fact, sometimes they do both as well. So, the gender bias is something that I have rejected since the beginning.”

She added, “I have often been asked to join photo shoots with fellow female directors. But, I would decline the request saying that I would do it if they wanted to do a photo shoot with directors. Don’t slot me. Quite strangely, I find a lot of women directors not only accepting, but also reveling in that (gender specification), which I don’t think should be the case. Because then in the same vein, you talk about gender parity and pay parity. That will never be achieved if we divide professionals on the basis of their gender.”

Talking about parity, isn’t it true that actresses have a shorter shelf-life compared to their male counterparts? “It’s a business module. Big-ticket movies with big heroes tend to get more business and I blame the audience for that. The moment the audience chooses a female-centric movie over a herodriven one and makes it a big hit, that cycle will break,” she replied.

‘In my movies, I make sure that the woman is not there just to romance the hero’
Even though she doesn’t want to be slotted as a ‘woman director’, Farah is clear about the representation of women in her films. She said, “In my movies, I make sure that the woman is not there just to romance the hero. Also, you won’t see vulgarity. There will be song and dance and they will look glamorous and sexy, but it won’t be vulgar.”

Talking about vulgarity, the conversation steered towards item songs, and Farah noted, “In the ‘90s and early ‘2000s, we did a lot of songs which are now slammed for objectifying women. But it was perfectly fine at that time because most people hadn’t realised that it was wrong. Back then, a Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast or Chane Ke Khet Mein were okay. But, as you grow and learn, you realise that it’s not right. Fortunately, for me, I have never done an obscene or vulgar number. I have done a Munni Badnaam Hui and Sheila Ki Jawani, but they were tongue-in-cheek tracks. Today, we are more conscious and exercise restraint in the lyrics.”

‘I watched La La Land and I was like, what’s the big deal?’
Talking about her dream project, Farah revealed that she would like to make Tom Cruise dance. She also expressed interest in doing an international musical, but a la Bollywood style. “I watched La La Land and I was like, what’s the big deal? Hamari har picture aisi hoti hai and we do it bigger and better. Though it was a lovely movie, the song and dance were comparatively less,” she signed off.

Baiju with his aunts, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle

Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 6, 2018)

On September 8, Asha Bhosle turns 85, but for her nephew, Baiju Mangeshkar, she’s an evergreen 16 — the epitome of inexhaustible energy and a sparkling effervescence who has been inspiring him since his childhood. When he was a boy of four-five, Baiju remembered his Asha aunty as a tornado, sweeping in and out of the house. She was so busy with recordings that they hardly saw her even though she lived next door. But as he grew older, he became attached to her cousins, Varsha and Anand in particular, with whom he would chat till late into the night. That’s when he realised that she was a versatile singer par excellence... And also a gourmet master chef who, like her sisters, could not only whip up delicious Maharashtrian meals, but also specialised in pan-Indian cuisine, from Bengali to Awadhi.

“She can take censure about her singing in her stride, but a grouse that a particular dish had not turned out as well as the last time, she takes personally,” informs Baiju, rhapsodising over her chingri malai curry, sheikh kebab, mustard gosht and Awadhi biryani which she learnt from her Umrao Jaan director, Muzaffar Ali. “She has an anecdote for every dish and will rattle off the recipe the minute you compliment her on it. And no matter how exhausted she is, at the end of the day, she will still head to the kitchen and whip up a gargantuan spread in the shortest possible time,” he marvels.

Baiju also vouches for his Asha aunty sari-draping skills. She can do it in under a minute, he says, having seen it happen one night in a London hotel when they were woken up from sleep by the fire alarm at 2.30 am.

“We straggled out, rubbing our sleepy eyes, in our night clothes, to find Asha aunty who must have been 70-plus at the time, already out on the street. And what’s more, she had stolen a minute despite all the chaos around, to change into a sari as it wouldn’t be appropriate to step out in a nightdress,” he smiles at the memory.

Baiju has never seen his aunt lazing around the apartment, not even on a holiday. And no matter how long the day, she is ready to take off on a shopping spree without a second thought. “She only sits down when she is reading or watching a movie,” he informs.

Asha Bhosle is an avid movie buff, and surprising, while she has her Hindi film favourites, her choice usually veers towards Hollywood classics. Top of her list is William Wyler’s 1961 drama, The Children’s Hour (released as The Loudest Whisper in UK), featuring Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine and James Garner. Also in the same list is another comedy from the same year, Frank Capra’s Pocketful Of Miracles, with Bette Davis and Peter Falk.

“I am equally passionate about Hollywood cinema and recently recommended the Academy Award-winning La La Land to her. We went to see it together and on the way home, she thanked me,” smiles Baiju, pointing out that if she had had an English-medium education, he can easily see his Asha aunty singing English songs, like R&B.

Baiju, the son of music maestro Hridaynath Mangeshkar, is a singer and composer himself and confides that his veteran singer aunt has always “pushed” him to sing, even gently admonished him sometimes, after she secretly heard him sing when he was young.

For Baiju, his Asha aunty can sing anything, from “Kambakht Ishq” at 60-plus to Rabindra Sangeet and Natya Sangeet. “It’s incredible that the woman who sang 'Aaja Aaja' with so much oomph could also effortlessly pull off the classical-based 'Nandalala' for my father. She also sang the complex Ravindra Jain composition, 'Saathi Re Bhool Na Jaana' from Kotwal Saab, in one take after just one rehearsal directly on the mic, something that would have taken other singers at least 10 days to perfect. While a challenge would shake up many of us, with Lata aunty and Asha aunty it only stokes the fire in their belly,” he marvels, admitting that it’s his dream to sing a duet with her some day or maybe compose something special for her, like his father has so many times in the past.

Till then, they share something special, he whispers, which sets them apart from their illustrious family. “Her father and my grandfather, Deenanath Mangeshkar, had dimples and we are the only two after him to have them too,” Baiju reveals with a flash of his dimples. One can almost hear his Asha aunty laugh too.

Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; July 18, 2018)

Ishaan and Janhvi’s cute chemistry in the trailer and songs of Dhadak is creating a lot of buzz. The two youngsters have also been uploading funny dance videos from the making of the film and sweet moments from their promotions. The duo obviously shares a great equation. Says Ishaan, “The first time I met Janhvi on the sets, I took her to watch La La Land, because she hadn’t seen it. Soon, we started bonding over cinema — both of us are film buffs — and we realised we share a natural equation.”

PLAYING THE SENIOR CARD?
While it is Janhvi’s debut movie, Dhadak is Ishaan’s second outing after Majid Majidi’s Beyond The Clouds. So, did he behave like a senior to her on the sets? “No, I never behaved like a senior or junior. The only way it (Beyond The Clouds) was with me was it contributed everything to my growth as an actor. I was brimming with that energy, but I was excited to share what Janhvi and everybody else in the cast had to offer,” says Ishaan modestly. He adds that the 21-year-old actress has wonderful energy. “She brings a smile to people’s faces. She is dedicated, sincere, curious and is passionate about acting,” enthuses Ishaan.

WE HAVE A SIMILAR SENSE OF HUMOUR
As part of the prep, the two spent a lot of time together going on recces (in Rajasthan) along with their director Shashank Khaitan. “We had a whale of a time as both of us have a similar sense of humour. Janhvi is a goofball,” says Ishaan fondly. “She is unintentionally funny sometimes,” he laughs and then quickly adds, “Even intentionally, to give her due credit!” He recalls that on the sets there were days she would get so caught up in something that she would goof up the simplest instructions, but crack the more complicated things. “If she had to turn from the right, for eight takes, she would give the correct shot, but in the final shot she’d turn from the left! But she had her revenge on me as it rubbed off on me. A month-and-a-half into shooting, I ended up doing something right for six takes but in the actual shot exited from the wrong side of the camera,” he laughs.

Tell him that the picture he is painting of Janhvi is in sharp contrast to what the general impression about her is, thanks to her paparazzi pictures where she looks like a shy, demure girl, and he quips, “That’s because she carries herself well. It’s something she has inherited and not necessarily strategised.”

JANHVI IS A BIG FOODIE
Looking at her svelte figure you wouldn’t believe it, but Ishaan tells us that Janhvi is a big foodie! “She would take off on excursions in search of laal maas. It became a daily ritual. She would also go often to Johri Bazaar during our prep because she enjoyed spending time with the locals. However, she would get lost every now and then! She is like a child in so many ways. But over the making of the film, she became family to all of us, in fact, we all became like a family,” he signs off.

Actor Reshma Gajjar (extreme left) grooves to Another Day of Sun, the opening song of the Golden Globe-award winning and Oscar-nominated musical, La La Land

Kusumita Das (MID-DAY; January 29, 2017)

The girl in yellow, dancing on a grid-locked Los Angeles freeway, in the infectious opening sequence of La La Land, is perhaps, the film’s only India connection. Long before we see leading lady Emma Stone twirl around in a fairy tale yellow dress, it is Reshma Gajjar, an Indian American dancer and actor, who sets the tone for the mad musical as she dances to Another Day of Sun, the film’s opening track. She is joined by 32 dancers, four band members, a professional skateboarder, one BMX biker, a free-runner, a hoola hooper and 40 extras. The song has gone on to become such a rage that no discussion on the film is complete without talking about it. How did director Damien Chazelle manage to shoot it all, has been the question on everyone’s minds.

Taking us behind the scenes, Gajjar says, “The 105 Freeway overpass was shut for two days to shoot the song. Planted on the road were about 52 cars that were propped and reinforced for the performance and many more lined up in the distance. The song was shot in three long continuous takes and, I guess, each take was shot more than 20 times.”

They rehearsed on an empty parking lot using a combination of their own cars with some reinforced prop vehicles. Gajjar was part of choreographer Mandy Moore’s “skeletal crew” that mapped out the choreography to present to Chazelle. “During these rehearsals, Damien saw me play the part that I eventually play in the movie. There were auditions for that role, but in the end, he chose me, which was an incredible feeling. He’s very focused and kind, and has a grand vision that he communicates with specificity and enthusiasm,” says Gajjar, in an e-mail interview from LA.

The brief given to her was to “ride the balance between existing in total fantasy while remaining grounded in the real world.” Her movements needed to be simultaneously pedestrian and extraordinary. “Damien wanted me to follow my instincts. For me, the beginning of the song felt very internal, so I chose to play it as natural as possible until the moment I get out of the car,” she says. The film swept seven Golden Globes and is now riding on 14 Academy Award nominations. “The whole process of creating Another Day of Sun was epic for me, so I love that it became a sensation to the rest of the world. I think the song resonates with so many because we’ve all been stuck in traffic wishing we could just get out of our cars,” says Gajjar, who has previously been part of 500 days of Summer and American Beauty.

She feels the time is ripe for Indian Americans in Hollywood. “I remember going to auditions for years and not booking anything. I was good enough to make it to the end, but was often considered ‘too ethnic’ for the part. I don’t think Hollywood was ready back then. To the industry here, Indian Americans just didn’t exist. But we do, now,” says Gajjar, whose parents moved to the US in the 70s. They didn’t have any connections in the entertainment world. “I was the oddball in the family chasing a career in entertainment. Growing up, I didn’t know any Indian Americans doing what I was doing. It was a path I had to pave on my own.”

Deepika speaks about her comment on The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Upala KBR (DNA; January 23, 2017)

It’s almost midnight In Los Angeles but Deepika Padukone is happy, chirpy. Still on a high post the release of her first Hollywood film XXX: The Return Of Xander Cage. It’s all still sinking in, says the actress as opens up about the reactions she’s been getting for her film in India and abroad. From the Indian premiere, the reviews and her “having Vin’s babies in my head” comment on The Ellen DeGeneres Show she takes all the questions on her chin, like the sport she is. Read on....

What has the reaction to been to your debut internationally?
It’s been amazing! I have been extremely overwhelmed. People have given me so much warmth and love. I can really feel and appreciate the love, warmth and warm welcome given by everybody to my first Hollywood film. I didn’t know what to expect because it was such a new territory for me in terms of being a new environment and outside my comfort zone. And then to be embraced and welcomed in this way is extremely overwhelming and very exciting!

Are you happy with the response for the film in India? It had a Rs 20 crore weekend, which isn’t a very big number.
In India, it released only in 3D. I got an email from my producer talking about how the numbers are encouraging! When you know it’s a limited release and you get these numbers, it’s wonderful. This weekend it will release in all other formats in India this weekend. Globally the film has released in all formats all at one go but it’s only in India because of piracy that we had the 3D release first and then the other formats this weekend. It has been extremely exciting to see the response to the film and my character in the film. The biggest compliment I have got is from women. That finally women are being included in an action film and you got to see such a strong powerful character in a film, where usually the characters are male-dominated.

The box office collections in USA haven’t been too great. Are you disappointed?
I haven’t gotten into the numbers as we are still recovering from the massive premiere. It has been such a crazy schedule that I think first we will recover from that and tomorrow sit down and get into the box-office figures. Honestly, the love, warmth and appreciation I have got for my role, that’s my real takeaway — it has overshadowed everything else. I loved the way they did the premiere at the Chinese theatre. Few Hollywood films get to see that kind of premiere where they block the streets, roll out the red carpets and so many people gathered at that venue. It reminded me of the classic old-school premieres they used to have in India.

You do know your “having Vin’s baby in my head” comment on Ellen’s show has caused tremors in India. Comment.
I don’t take such talk seriously. I would rather talk about the experience of meeting an amazing and powerful woman like Ellen. For me, that was the exciting part! Meeting Ellen was a very enlightening moment for me rather than anything else.

Everyone expected you to outright deny the link-up like most actresses do. Instead you decided to joke about it. In retrospect, do you regret being flippant?
No regrets. I don’t have anything more to say about that. Fact is, I received tons of messages from people all over saying how much they have enjoyed the show. The morning after, I was flooded with compliments saying what a fun and candid show it was as people felt I was being myself and I sounded like myself.

Why are you promoting Lungi Dance, which is two years old and not Pinga, which is a more traditional form of dance?
If you are talking about The Late Late Show with James Corden, with me and Vin Diesel, it was very spontaneous and James asked me to perform it. I was surprised to know that Vin and James knew about the Lungi Dance! All these shows are very spontaneous and you just have to be honest and the best version of yourself. James asked me on the spot to do the lungi dance and I would have been equally happy if he had asked me to do Deewani Mastani from Bajirao Mastani. The funny part was how Vin thought that the Lungi Dance is actually a form of dance in India. It was hilarious and he what he said was so adorable. In his interviews in India, he told someone that he thought that the Lungi Dance was some kind of breakdance — a form of dance I had done, and something fun I had come up with in one of my earlier films. It was exciting to be on James show and through all these various mediums there is so much exchange of culture.

Your TV appearances are being compared to Priyanka Chopra’s TV appearances. Your thoughts on that?
It’s not fair to make comparisons. Let me just say everyone has a different path and journey.

How have your parents and sister reacted to the whole journey?
They are so proud and thrilled about it and have been so supportive and amazing, which they always have been. I can feel how proud and happy they are with the way I have conducted myself. For me, that’s the most important thing. They have messaged me saying they are appreciate the way I have conducted myself and that makes me very happy!

Your fashion choices from the red carpet to TV shows are attracting wild attention. How involved are you with your choices?
(Laughs) Of course, I always voice what I am comfortable in, feeling like and leaning towards on that day — it is so much about what you are feeling like on that day and what you want to channel and be comfortable in. But I have amazing team too who is doing a fantastic job with my hair and make-up and styling, which is done by a very senior lady, who is also Gwyneth Paltrow’s stylist, Elizabeth Saltzman. They are an amazing team of stylists — hair, makeup, fashion and style and what you wear on the red carpet is always a collaborative effort. They suggest and then you have to go with your instincts too on that day. I am happy that everyone is enjoy and appreciating what I am wearing. I have been feeling amazing and that’s the best thing!

You said recently you loved La La Land and would love to work with Ryan Gosling… Would you love to do a film like that in India?
I think we already at some level are doing musical love stories here. Indian films are musicals too especially with filmmakers like Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Music and dance is such an important part of our culture and it might be slightly different for the market here in Hollywood. I feel La La Land stands out because of the performances and it’s such a classic love story, told in such a beautiful manner. Ryan Gosling is so organic as an actor and he is so delicious — his performance is so special that he has that magical effect on you on screen.

The #JioMAMI18thMumbaiFilmFestival has ended but the fun and exclusive film screenings continue courtesy the Jio MAMI Film Club. The club held the India premiere of the upcoming Hollywood film La La Land and was open for public as well. This is a romantic comedy musical directed by Whiplash director Damien Chazelle. There’s not much of a story but the songs are beautifully executed and choreographed and that’s what keeps the interest going. In fact, the songs are one of the highpoints in the film and the way each song is executed makes for an exciting watch. The opening sequence is spell-binding. There was instant applause in the theatre! There’s also a vintage Hollywood film touch that adds to the appeal. On the flipside sadly, the conflict that arise between the couple is a bit quick and unjustified. The climax somehow helps in taking the film back on track. Talking of performances, Ryan Gosling is as always quite dashing and terrific. But it’s Emma Stone who steals the thunder. Definitely one of her best or arguably her BEST performance! J K Simmons who rocked the show in Whiplash also features in the film but don’t expect much as he’s hardly there for a couple of minutes. La La Land releases in India on December 16, 2016 – do go for it. This musical deserves to be enjoyed on the big screen!

My rating - *** ½ out of 5!