Director Amole Gupte and team build 12 badminton courts in seven days in the suburbs for Saina Nehwal biopic; shooting scheduled to wrap up in January
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 25, 2019)

Mirror had earlier reported (October 7) that Parineeti Chopra will kick off the Amole Gupte-directed Saina at a studio in Vasai on October 11. Now, we have learnt that the makers have built 12 sets on the outskirts of the city to recreate the badminton courts from across the globe where Saina Nehwal played key matches of her career. “We have already completed over five court designs. Each court represents a different match, right from Czech Republic to Manila,” Amole informs.

The sets were created by Amit Ray and Subrata Chakraborthy, who have previously worked on Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat and Akshay Kumar’s Kesari. “Amit and Subrata are my dearest friends and have worked with me on Hawaa Hawaai and Sniff. Their experience and wisdom helped widen the vision of Saina. They have created international-looking stadiums. The task is difficult to achieve in a limited time but Amit’s team, especially his art director Bala Patil, have been amazing,” Amole beams.

Amit informs that the sets were created in seven days, adding, “Over a hundred people worked 24/7. Now, we are shooting each match for a couple of days and then working overnight to turn the look around for the next one. It’s like an ant’s colony at work.” The Bhushan Kumar production traces the ascend of the badminton ace to World No 1, traveling across countries and highlighting milestones of her career. The film’s second schedule will wrap up in the next few days. “There’s one more schedule in January and we will be done,” Amole informs.

For her first Valentine's Day celebration after marriage, Priyanka Chopra to host bash in 10 cities around globe; party kicks off in Auckland, ends in LA
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; February 14, 2019)

It's her first Valentine's Day after her fairytale wedding to Nick Jonas last December, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas wants the world to join her in the celebration of love.

Turns out, the actor - in association with Bumble, the social networking-cum-dating app that she backs - has planned an elaborate 24-hour Valentine's Day party that will travel across several countries. Termed the Domino Effect Valentine's Party, it offers users across the globe a chance to party with Chopra.

A source close to the actor informs, "Since it is her first Valentine's Day after marriage, Priyanka wanted it to be special. The actor's team came up with the idea of her hosting a party that begins in one part of the world and ends in another. While the first bash will kick off in Auckland, it will then move to Sydney followed by Manila and Mumbai. The other cities on the itinerary include London, Berlin, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Toronto, with the final destination being Los Angeles. While Priyanka will join the guests at the other parties through live streaming, she is expected to attend the Los Angeles soiree with Nick by her side."

Besides supervising the preparations for the Los Angeles leg, Chopra has also taken a keen interest in the Mumbai do. "The bash will be held at a Worli hotspot and the guest list includes Dino Morea, Manushi Chhillar, Shibani Dandekar and Milind Soman, among others."

The Mumbai bash will be hosted by real-life couple Karan Kundra and Anusha Dandekar. Dandekar says she agreed to be part of the do as the networking site empowers women by giving them the power of choice. "I have believed in pushing women to the forefront to be able to make their own choices. Since the party represents that, it was an immediate yes from my end."

As told to Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 2, 2018)

I grew up in the City of Dreams, schooled at Bombay Scottish and after graduating in Economics from Jai Hind College, did my masters in management studies from the Mumbai Education Trust (MET). I then got started with the four Ps. For those who are wondering about the Ps, let me explain... To understand what a product or service can offer the consumer and plan for a successful product offering, we have what is known in marketing terms as the four Ps — Price, Product, Promotion, Place.

I wanted to be a strategic planner and an implementation buyer so I interned with an ad agency, Euro RSCG, working under V Ramani. After that, I joined Enterprise Nexus Communications Pvt Ltd as a media planner. My boss Hiren Pandit gave me the opportunity to become what I am today.

Media planners analyse data and thinking creatively come up with innovative strategies to help the client reach specific markets and target audience. Depending on the package, the idea is to come up with the most effective media plan. This can take a couple of months and involves hours of backbreaking research, sometimes ending in heartbreaks. If one number changes, you have to go back to the table.

My first account was The Times Of India group. It was exhausting but at the same time exciting to work with one of India’s biggest publishing houses with credentials to match. Meanwhile, when a model didn’t show up for a shoot, I was pushed into taking his place. I ended up showcasing a pair of jeans and became a part-time model.

In 1999, I took part in Maureen Wadia’s Gladrags Manhunt Contest while planning a move to a bigger agency. To my surprise, I was shortlisted for the international Manhunt contest in Manila, Phillipines. I was the first runner-up and magically, the world opened up for me. But when I look back, I realise that had I been an inch shorter, I might never have made it as an international model. At 6 feet 1 inch, I just made the grade and was signed by Carrie Models. I worked in Singapore, Hong Kong, London and New York. Then, I returned home, continuing to make merry.

My first ad campaign was for a soap brand. I was the Cinthol Man. Sabal Shekawat gave me my first break and I recall running through the jungles of Mauritius, 20 top models, including Madhu Sapre and Diandra Soares, chasing after me. It was a memorable shoot!

Along with modelling assignments, I also started featuring in music videos, going on to collaborate with popular singers like Hans Raj Hans and Pankaj Udhas. I’ve never forgotten Pankaj’s “Chupke Chupke” whose music video Anubhav Sinha had directed. It was a sweet, innocent song which went on to become all the rage then and is still remembered today. Then, Bollywood beckoned...

I got two film offers from two Bhatts. Vikram Bhatt offered me the role of a baddie in Aetbaar while Mahesh Bhatt approached me to play the antagonist in Jism, an erotic-thriller his daughter Pooja was producing for which he wanted a new face and not a star. The agency didn’t want to lose me but my closest friends insisted I give films a go. My family has always supported me in everything I’ve done and encouraged by their confidence I took the plunge into showbiz.

It was a challenge because as a model you are just a face and a body, endorsing a brand, but as an actor you play a character who can be your polar opposite. It needs a mind and takes you places.

In 2003, I appeared on screen in my first feature film, Jism, as an alcoholic lawyer who gets caught up in an extramarital affair which destroys him. Fifteen years later, I am not just acting in but also making my own movies, from Vicky Donor and Madras Cafe to Rocky Handsome, Force 2 and the recently released Parmanu. The era of the supermodel which had yielded the likes of Milind Soman, Arjun Rampal and Dino Morea ended with me. And I ended up in the movies but the media planner in me still touches different aspects of my life. I plan my life and investments and position my films in a way that they reach the audience in the best possible way, calling into play all that I have learnt about GRPs, TRPs and OTS. I even strategise on my football team’s (he has 90 per cent stakes in NorthEast United Football Club which plays in Indian Football League) jersey, brand positioning and ticket sales. Once you enter the market, you are there to stay. But that’s not enough for me, I want to ensure I am always at the top of my game.


A still from Pankaj Udhas’s ‘Chupke Chupke’; John in his early days (top)

Sushmita Sen visits the city after 23 years. First as Miss Universe, and now to judge the pageant
Upala KBR (DNA; January 28, 2017)

After 23 years, Sushmita Sen will be in Manila, Philippines again. She was chosen as 1994’s Miss Universe in this city and she soon returns there for the grand coronation pageant on January 30. Her win was the first time India brought home the title. Comedian Steve Harvey is hosting the event and model Ashley Graham is hosting it backstage, while Filipino-Hawaiian vlogger Bretman Rock will be the Miss Universe red carpet host. In an exclusive chat, Sush shares her thoughts on visiting Manila 23 years on and more...

From a winner in 1994 to a judge this year, it must be an emotional return to Manila...
For me, the deciding factor was not just that I was being invited as a judge, but the fact, that I was being invited back to Manila, Philippines, to judge the competition! As I’ve mentioned on Instagram, this is ‘life coming full circle’, bringing us back together to celebrate ‘where it all began’. It’s been overwhelming to receive messages from Filipinos around the world, welcoming me back. This will be one emotional homecoming.

Why haven’t you visited Philippines in the last 23 years?
It has indeed taken me 23 years, despite the fact that I am someone who loves to travel, loves to dive — and Philippines has some beautiful diving sites — and yet somehow, hasn’t happened! I think that life, God’s plans and just the process of this journey of Miss Universe had to complete itself in this beautiful fashion, where I went from being a participant, a winner, to now a judge and it was all destined to happen in the Philippines! It is my home away from home.

Please continue…
It is the one place that has given me love, respect, adulation and this deep sense of belonging, for two decades now, transforming this generous foreign land into my second home. I often say this, that if one has the honour to win the ‘Miss Universe’ crown, there ain’t no better country than the Philippines to win it in, because you will be remembered and cherished and celebrated by generations to follow. I am living proof of that! I am very, very excited!

Are your daughters Renee and Alisah travelling with you?
No. I would have liked that, but I am a hands-on mother. I don’t have nannies running around my children looking after them. If my children travel with me, they come first.

Do you plan to stay back there for a short holiday?
I would have liked that, but this is an official visit. I will definitely go back for a more social visit with my kids at a later stage. On our next trip, I look forward to introducing my children to the country they feel very connected with.