Of late, soaring production costs due to the large entourages that accompany film stars has become a cause of concern for filmmakers. “I find it astonishing that producers pick up these crazy tabs,” says Shabana Azmi, comparing the scenario with the West, where the producers have a lot of control over such things.

The actor adds, “In Hollywood, I have never seen anything like this except for personal trainers. The main dress designers, hairdressers and makeup artists are all appointed by the producer’s team.”

Recently, film bodies, including the Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association and the Producers Guild of India, met with other film bodies and talent management agencies to discuss the soaring film budgets. A major area of concern was the large entourages accompanying actors.

Azmi recalls the time when she would travel in buses: “During the 1970s and 1980s, I only had a three-member team — a hairdresser, a makeup artist and a driver. In low-budget films, we had nobody. I would use my own clothes at times, the unit’s hair and makeup person and stayed at the same hotel as the unit.”

The 73-year-old goes on to recall an interesting incident from the shooting days of her 1983 film Mandi. “I remember (late actor) Smita Patil and I were given separate cars for the shooting of Mandi. In two days, we gave them up and travelled in the bus with all the actors, because they would have so much fun together, singing and playing games,” Azmi ends.

Five decades in the movies – and what a glorious journey it has been for Shabana Azmi. “But then, acting can’t be taught in 15 days or a month, that’s not even touching the tip of the iceberg. The greatest resource for an actor is life itself. Getting into the world of the character is not an easy task, just learning your lines is not enough,” she says.

It’s a 50-year career marked with several milestones, from winning a National Award for her debut in Ankur (1974) to choosing to play a queer character in Fire (1996). Here are five movies from her 50-year career that she exclusively spoke on during an hour-long chat.

I had started shooting for Faslah and Parinay, but it was Shyam Benegal’s Ankur that was my first release (Shabana won the Best Actress National Award). I was an urban, city-bred girl who spoke English and had never gone to a village. Then, Shyam Babu got Lakshmi’s costumes ready and we started working on what her gait would be like. It was interesting working with Shyam Benegal and I told my mother that it was like shooting a Satyajit Ray film. We went to the Berlin Film Festival and it was so glamorous. We got special treatment because Satyajit Ray’s film had been screened there in the past and were widely appreciated. Richard Dreyfuss and I were announced as the talented newcomers. The journey afterwards was a dream, and I was lucky as I faced no struggle.

One could give up an arm or a leg for my role in Arth. Mahesh Bhatt and I were friends and he excited me as a director. It’s like he would press a button and I would become the character. When the film released, people said it was nice, but objected to the ending – how could a woman not forgive her husband when he was apologizing? We said that we had made the film with that specific ending in mind and thank god for that! I won the National award, and it was a big hit. Even today people tell me that the film changed their lives and gave them courage. It was a small-budget film and many of the clothes I wore were my own. It didn’t have a bound script and kept developing even as we were shooting. One day, I was shooting for another film and Bhatt asked me to come over for 10 minutes. When I reached, he started shooting the important telephone call scene, with just one technical rehearsal. I started trembling, but today I’m glad it turned out that way and I did not over-prepare.

There was no question of saying no to Shyam Benegal and I gave 40 days for Mandi. My secretary was baffled and told me that I could’ve finished more films in that time. Most people on set were from FTII or NSD and we had a great time. Smita and I were given cars, but we gave it up to travel by bus with the others. Ila Arun would keep us entertained with her songs. I visited three brothels to understand that world. Faaroq Shaikh took me to Peela House and I noticed the girls were not garishly dressed; they wanted to look like film stars. Amrita Singh’s mother Rukhsana Sultana took me to GB Road, Delhi, that had tawaifs. Shyam Benegal took me to Heeramandi, where the madam asked one girl to perform on Dil Mein Tujhe Bitha Ke (from Fakira, that stars Shabana opposite Shashi Kapoor). Afterwards, she went back to being the person she was, a woman who had to support a family of eight. Pankaj Kapur had one scene but Shyam Babu would like the actors to be around. So he built a volleyball court and a carrom space so that we wouldn’t get bored.

People still talk about Fire. It was Nandita Das’s first film but she had the courage to sparkle. We shot in a small house in Lajpat Nagar in Delhi and I knew there would be different reactions. People would be disturbed and overwhelmed, as these subjects were generally shoved under the carpet. The final confrontation between the characters played by Kulbhushan Kharbanda and me, where I talk about desire, was memorable. Deepa (Mehta) described my character as a ‘centred woman’ and for me, that’s when the penny dropped in my head. I don’t like directors showing how to act; one has to inspire the actor – not make them imitate. Having said that, the director is the most important person on the film, it’s their vision. But actors get more credit because we are on camera.

Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani was a very different world for me. Karan Johar would just say ‘trust me’ and I was happy to surrender. Karan has kept up with the times and also wanted to bring in the world of Yash Chopra. The film raises such important points on gender roles. On one side I was playing Jamini and on the other side I was shooting for R Balki’s Ghoomer, I was also shooting for Shekhar Kapur’s What's Love Got To Do With It? In the same period.

It was not love at first sight for actor Yami Gautam Dhar, instead it was friendship with filmmaker Aditya Dhar that bloomed into a bond which she will cherish for her entire life. Staying true to their private selves, the couple managed to escape the spotlight and surprised people in June with the announcement of their wedding.

Ask her when did this love story start, and she reveals, “It all started It during the promotion of our film Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019). That’s when we started talking. I wouldn’t call it dating, but yeah, that was a time when we started interacting with each other and became friends.”

She feels lucky that they managed to keep the affair a secret, adding, “I received so many messages that ‘We just don’t believe that’. We are very private individuals.” She admits that they couldn’t keep it a secret alone, and had some friends guarding this news. “I have a lot of respect for the few common friends (who knew) and respected our privacy. It meant a lot to us,” says the 32-year-old.

A month after their wedding, she hasn’t got much time to spend with husband due to work. “I wish we could spend more time together, but we have an entire lifetime to share it,” she muses.

Now, she’s enjoying her happy bubble with Dhar, doing simple things. “When we’re back home, we know this is our time. We use it to be with our family, have meals together or watch something nice. We’ve found happiness in this routine,” she says.

When it comes to her secret wedding infused with the essence of Himachali traditions, Gautam maintains that she wouldn’t have had it in any other way. “The wedding was exactly how we both wanted. It wasn’t planned. As they say, things happen when they are meant to happen. And they were just meant to happen while the pandemic goes on,” she tells us.

From wearing her mother’s sari, her nani’s dupatta to the traditional ‘pahadi nath’ and having her sister Surilie as her one-man army, her wedding was infused with a personal touch which she will cherish for life. “I wanted to feel the warmth of our traditions. Surilie was with me. If it was not for her, it would’ve been so difficult. In the evening, we used to review in the living room me trying mom’s dupatta and jewellery. My brother and father have captured all these moments,” she concludes.

When Yami Gautam tied the knot with director Aditya Dhar on June 4, her wedding was exactly as she had pictured it — an intimate affair with a nod to her Himachali roots. The actor looked radiant on her big day, dressed in a deep red and gold saree, sporting traditional gold jewellery and a pahadi nath. The two-day festivities took place at her farmhouse in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh.

Wedding planner Gitesh Sharma, whose company Royal Caterers and Tent Decorators organised the celebrations, reveals that he had the task of arranging a star’s wedding on a one-day notice. “Yami’s father contacted us a day before their wedding ceremonies [sangeet and mehndi] began. The Gautams brought their own family pandit [priest] from Bilaspur or Hamirpur for the rituals,” he says. The nature-lovers that Gautam and Dhar are, they wanted their saat pheras to be conducted in the lap of nature.

“They were clear that they didn’t want a larger-than-life, glamorous wedding. Instead, they wanted the ceremonies to be conducted in a natural and traditional way, as it happens in their hometowns. They got married in front of a deodhar tree. The mandap was decorated with marigold flowers and banana leaves, with a gold-and-white theme running across the décor. After the wedding, there was a small reception in the evening with family members. The mehndi was held in the courtyard.”

The shaadi was followed by an elaborate lunch or Mandi dham, a traditional feast prepared in Himachali style and served during joyous ceremonies. Sharma adds, “The dham [comprised] the sepu badi [urad dal dumplings in spinach gravy], kaddu aur chana khatta, and badana for dessert.”

Aayush Sharma, 24, and Arpita Khan, 26, may come from different backgrounds, but both belong to families that are affluent and well known. While Arpita is more emotional, sensitive, straightforward and outgoing, Aayush is more reserved and diplomatic and while both have strong likes and dislikes and are strong-headed and opinionated, Arpita is more forgiving than he is. Both think that they are difficult to live with and emotionally dominating, but they are finally best buddies who give into each other. While Arpita makes the choice on holidays and food, Aayush gets to decide on the movies they watch. They feel blessed with all the love and attention they got during their wedding and are currently enjoying their honeymoon period. They have travelled to London, New York, Dubai and now Maldives, but their most special outing remains with Salman Khan in Mandawa, where they spent a week with him. While much is known about Arpita due to her superstar brother Salman Khan, not much is known about the reserved boy Aayush, who is equally affluent as her and comes from Mandi's first political family. We bring you excerpts from their first ever interview post marriage.

CONVERSATION WITH ARPITA KHAN SHARMA:

What made you cry at your wed ding during your speech?
For me, it was very emotional obviously. I was moving into another family, but at the same time, my family is my family. When I saw my brothers and my father crying all around me, then there was nothing that I could do. While I could see them all crying, everybody was looking down as no one wanted to have eye contact with anyone else. I didn't want to cry, which is why I didn't do a bidai ceremony, but kept it to a modern wedding.

How does it now feel to manage your own house?
Not very stressful as I used to manage my mother's house for the longest time. Today, my mother manages more or less my house, so, there is a lot of give and take between us and there is no your house or my house. I have a great back-up system so I have nothing to worry about.

Any memories from the marriage?
During my wedding from the pheras to the party, we had another venue, but it started raining. Everyone said it was auspicious, though at that time it didn't seem very auspicious for me as my whole venue had to change. But it was with all the blessings we got.

When did you and Aayush meet?
We met through a common friend and then lost touch in the middle and then again met about two years ago and then started dating.

What do you like the most about him?
He is a very chilled out and sorted person and just lets me be who I am. He is simple to be with. I am a very difficult person to be with as I am not a normal conventional person. I am very strict and stuck to my ways. I am very family-oriented and for me, it is important that everybody has to respect my family.

Who is your biggest support?
My dad is my backbone, Salman bhai's the person who makes me believe that I can walk over this world and nothing can happen to me. Sohail bhai is my protector and my friendly brother. My mum, who has gone through too much, but who always smiled for us to go through anything. And Aayush, the person who has taken on this kind of pressure in marrying me. It's not easy to marry someone who comes from this family.

Were you both overwhelmed with all the attention and love you got during your wedding?
It was quite shocking and overwhelming and you didn't know whether it was intrusive or nice. We belong to a society where a section of people are our well wishers and there is a bunch that is jealous. We also are human beings who feel hurt when people say nasty things on social media. They are comments not called for and I wish people just live and let live and don't keep judging you. My family being filmi are more well known and have a larger than-life image, but without knowing about the other person's background, don't say nasty things. They would say things like, 'Oh, he is married to her because of this or that.' How do you know? May be I have married him for another reason? I don't approve of it and find it disgusting and hurting that you take a dig at somebody, not knowing where they come from. You put up a picture of a holiday and someone says, 'Oh, you are living off her.' That's so regressive and uncool. They forget that he comes from an affluent family, just that they are in politics and not in films. If pictures of where we are travelling, what jewellery we have, what cars is bothering you, don't look at us or follow us, but why comment? Don't look at our blessings as something wrong. They will ask Aayush on Twitter how much money he makes. Well, he is not going to file his income tax returns on Instagram, right?

Why do you follow people to discredit the relationship and abuse and assume that we are so stupid that we have allowed us to make such an ass out of us. I follow Beyonce and am really fond of her and one day I noticed that she too gets bad comments and that made me feel good. Coming from where she does, given that she has achieved so much, there were people who were nobodies still finding fault in her. It's really not needed.

Since Aayush is still training for his Bollywood debut, who runs your house financially?
My father-in-law supports us and he has given us a budget to run our house in. It is so sweet of him to support us and for even having allowed Aayush to have got married at 24 despite him not being settled yet. We have had everything easy on a platter, but he wants Aayush to make it big in his life and not become complacent, so, he has put some restrictions on us. Again, I am very spoilt and have been brought up a certain way and if I don't think it is right to ask my husband for something, I can get it from own money or can get it from Salman bhai. Aayush and me don't look at things as his or mine. It's ours.


CONVERSATION WITH AAYUSH SHARMA:

Talk about your political background.
My grandfather Pandit Sukh Ram was a veteran in Congress and represented Himachal Pradesh from a time when it was not even an influential state. The people of Mandi have loved us so much that past 50 years, we have never lost an election there. My grandfather was the man who got cellphones to India. My father Anil Sharma too is a politician and is currently the Cabinet Minister in Himachal Pradesh for Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Animal Husbandry. Our family conversations have always been about politics. I have grown up with dos and dont's in public and how to behave in your constituency. We have always been taught that in politics there are no friends and so my family is very reserved. They may not interact with media as much, but they are very conscious of what people think of them. It's easier for me to walk in Mumbai as no one knows me here, but in Mandi, they all know us.

What made you choose Bollywood over politics?
I have always felt that politics is a thankless job. I won't say that I will never join politics, but not for now at least. When I first told my parents that I wanted to become an actor, they did not take me seriously. They felt it was just a phase that would pass. But then after completing my Class XII from DPS RK Puram in Delhi, I moved to Mumbai alone to do my graduation at Jai Hind and had decided that I wanted to become an actor. I wanted to move out at a certain age to learn and handle things myself. And while my parents knew that it would be much easier for me to join politics over wanting to become an actor as no one from my family had done that, they were always supportive towards me. My father doesn't say much, but he has always been there for me. He has never discredited me for choosing this profession or put a time frame for me to be successful. He always says, 'Take your time and learn whatever you can.' He has not made me very comfortable as he does not want me to become complacent, but is still my biggest security.

How different is Bollywood from politics?
People are always judging in both as both are public personalities. They both have power, name, fame and people's admiration and responsibility towards society. The difference is that while in films, you can have friends, in politics, there are no friends.

What do you like the most about Arpita?
She has her opinions and is strong-headed and is not a typical Indian girl and that is good for me. She knows so much about the world and she is my backbone. I love that she is crazy and is more like a guy. She is very caring and that is something she shares with Salman bhai. She is fine and likes to pretend that she is difficult, which she is not. She is selfless and that is very important as I am very selfish. I am a very difficult person to be with. I am very impatient. If I want to do something, I want to do it. I tend to get bratty with her as she pampers me. I was leading a complete bachelor's life before her, where nothing was organised. I can't talk to my father about movies, but with Arpita I can talk about anything. We love each other because we are friends. I sometimes even call her bro. It's like sitting with a guy friend and not being judged. She is also very overtly-protective about me.

Do you have a favourite member in her family?
I have a different equation with each of them, but I have spent a lot of time with Sohail bhai as we used to go to the same gym and I have known him even before I knew Arpita.

Any special memory for you from your wedding celebrations?
What was most special was when they finally announced that she was officially Mrs Sharma

Annu Kapoor, 58, may have dropped out of school after Class X, but he is extremely well-read and agnostic, after having read the Vedas, the Upanishads and even the Quran, as many as 14 times. He is emotional, loyal and aware and feels strongly for his family, society and country. Over an hour-long conversation with Bombay Times, ahead of his upcoming film The Shaukeens, he talks to Bombay Times about his beginnings as a nautankiwala, his big regret in life and why he would never cheat his wife Anupama. Excerpts: 

How did you come into films?
I was born in Bhopal. My father was a Punjabi and my mother, a Bengali Brahmin. My father originally comes from Peshawar, Pakistan, and motivated her to learn Urdu, Persian and Arabic and ultimately, she became a teacher of Urdu and retired like that. At that time, the Punjabis would write in Urdu, be it Prem Chopra sahab, Dharmendra or Gulzar sahab. My grandfather Dr Kripa Ram Kapoor was a doctor in the British army and my late great grandfather Lala Ganga Ram Kapoor was hanged by the British government as he was a revolutionary. My maternal grandfather served the state of Tikamgarh as the pradhan. A friend of my father made him get into the glamour world by getting him to invest Rs 25,000, that was very big money in 1947, and he started a folk theatre company, even though he otherwise had no connection in theatre. We were seen as nautankiwalas and our family was ostracised and people looked down upon us.

My dadi chucked him out of the house. So, my mother always tried to keep all her four children away from theatre, art or culture. Hence, I wanted to become a surgeon or an IAS, but never an actor. Due to our financial crisis, I had to quit studying after Class X. The social ostracisation that we had to go through was not a good feeling. There was no stability of income, no thikana about roti there, and a lot of uncertainty about life. We kept shifting from one place to another place, living the life of a gypsy. My mother's salary was just Rs 40. She had just two saris in which she would travel 13 kms, walking to and fro from school to teach and earn her salary. Life was very tough. I then ran a tea stall, sold churan ke note for a while, ran a fire cracker shop with just Rs 42, post which I started selling lottery tickets, when my babuji said, 'If there is nothing else happening, join my company.' And I joined his theatre company. My mother cried a lot and perhaps, I also felt sad for myself. But I started doing theatre every night. It was not amateur theatre, but was hard -core professional theatre. If you didn't perform on a particular night, people would not come, and if they didn't come, there would be no money and therefore, no food. It was as simple as that. My older brother Ranjit Kapoor then joined NSD and he asked me too to train in drama, given that I was anyways doing theatre. I joined NSD in 1976. From there, my brother did a play in which I was there, playing a character of an old man and we brought this play to Mumbai that was sponsored by Shabana Azmi's IPTA. Mr Shyam Benegal saw that play and when I went back, he was kind enough to send me a letter saying he was making Mandi and was thinking of casting me in it. In the meantime, my brother had moved to Mumbai and asked me to come here. On June 25, 1982, I gave my friend Rs 100 to buy me a ticket to Mumbai. On June 29, 1982, I landed with my bag and baggage at Borivili station. Mandi was the first film. Since then, it has been 32 years.

What are you like?
I have the realisation of how great a fool I can be. I am emotional. I am rational and am aware of the mistakes I have made. Josh ke saath, mujh mein hosh hai. And this hosh I have not only for myself, but also for my country. I am very passionate about my motherland and my society. The feeling of nothingness is the major achievement one can have. One fine day, the disciples of Socrates approached him and said, 'Master, there is an oracle from the temple of Delphi that has pronounced that Socrates is the wisest man on this earth. Master, what do you think?' Socrates said, 'The oracle from the temple of Delphi is right. Socrates is the wisest man on this earth, as he knows that he knows nothing.' I know nothing.

Talk about your wife Anupama?
She is from America and 13 years younger to me. We are both contrasting people. While she is an American, I am a desi ghaati aadmi. But I guess there is attraction in that only. I am very emotional about her and my kids. As a male chauvinist Punjabi, you want to marry a girl who is wife material. You need to feel comfortable that she will not leave you despite your 10 mistakes. Joh tumhari dus galtiyan maaf kardegi, par saath todke nahi jayegi. I can forego the world's most beautiful women for her. I once asked my wife, 'If someday, you find me doing a mistake with another woman, what will you do?' She said, 'I will be shattered.' But then she added, 'But I will not be able to leave you as I love you so much.' This was 17 years after my marriage. She saying this was enough for me. That was her nobility, her kindness and believe me, it is better to die than to cheat her. I am loyal and can be short tempered, but I am an open book and there are no complications in my life. I am a seedha simple person and I know that my wife likes me for my honesty.

Which was your lowest period in life?
Regrets bahut hain life mein, magar abhi tak zindagi mujhe bojh nahi lagi. The son of the famous Dr Christiaan Barnard (the first surgeon to transplant the heart), Dr Andre Barnard, who was also a famous pediatrician himself, committed suicide. And Dr Barnard said, 'Zindagi jeene ke liye hoti hai, dhohne ke liye nahi.' And I firmly believe in that. The day I feel I am dragging my life and that life is a burden, I will stop living, and that is why I am in favour of euthanasia.

Do you have friends in the industry?
Lot of people betrayed me not just financially, but also emotionally, so let us not talk about friends. Main achcha aadmi hoon. I am a Punjabi Jat and if I commit myself as a friend, I am committed for life.

How was your experience working with Abhishek Kapoor in The Shaukeens?
All five of us, be it Anupam Kher, me, Piyush Mishra, Abhishek Kapoor (director) or Tigmanshu Dhulia (the writer) are all fruits from NSD. There was no one-upmanship between the three of us actors and each one of us was in our character. No one tried to over shadow the other and it was a lovely experience.

Talk about your mother?
In the summer of 2010, I was going to Europe with my family for holidays from Montreal, when Jenny from my office called and told me about an Antakshari show in Jaipur on May 20, 2010. She said, 'Sir, do the show no. It will take out the expenses for your holiday. Madam can be there. You come for the show and then go back.' So I took a flight and reached Jaipur on May 19. Now came May 20. I did rehearsals and post lunch, at 3 pm, I went to rest telling my assistant to wake me up at 6 pm. The temperature was 47 degrees centigrade. Look how destiny had pulled me to come there. My mother stayed 300 kms from Jaipur in a town called Jhalawar. When I got up, I called up one of our family friends called Farhad bhai just to ask him how he was and he said, 'I am okay  but didi (my mother used to be called didi by all as she was a teacher and poetess) is not okay.' I asked him who is with her and he said, 'Noni (my younger brother Nikhil) is with her.' I was in Jaipur and she was about to board the train from Kota Junction and I called my brother asking him about her and he started crying, as she had gone. He told me that his AC had conked off while bringing her from Jhalawar to Kota station, so on reaching the station, she told him, 'I am not okay. Make me sit somewhere.' She was so fit that she could walk 5 kms even at her age. She sat on the chair in the waiting hall of the station and she passed away without giving trouble to anyone. She died very peacefully. After maa expired, I felt like an orphan. You realise the importance of your mother only when she is not there. She was my mother and I owe everything to her. I could not look after her as much I would have liked to and will always have the regret that main unki seva nahi kar paya. There can be nothing greater than a mother. But it gives me happiness that she was very happy that I did good work, that I didn't do vulgar work and that through the medium of Antakshari, I got to promote the positive side of Indian culture and civilisation. I come from a family of patriots. Patriotism is not a perfume for me that I wear while going for a party. India is my motherland. I belong to this country. And be it the sign-off on my show or wishing my makeup man for 18 years, I am proud to say Vande Mataram.