Mumbai: A day after Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray said the state government would not tolerate the “forceful shifting” of Bollywood elsewhere, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, on an overnight visit to Mumbai for the listing of the Lucknow Municipal Corporation municipal bonds on the Bombay Stock Exchange, said he had not come to Mumbai to snatch away any investments.

“No one can take away what belongs to another. This is not a purse that you can put your hand into, take things and walk away. We are not doing anything to steal other (state’s) investments,” said Yogi Adityanath.

Addressing a press conference at a hotel in Mumbai on Wednesday, Yogi Adityanath said he was keen to create social security in Uttar Pradesh and hence was meeting leaders from various sectors to create a roadmap for the state’s development. “We have created world-class facilities. Those who wish to avail of these facilities will come. We are not in Mumbai to snatch anything. Why is everyone so worried?” he asked. The UP CM said the Noida film city will be located six km away from the upcoming international airport at Jewar and added this will be well connected with Delhi, Agra and Mathura.

Yogi Adityanath said he had met a delegation from the film industry which included Boney Kapoor, Manmohan Shetty, Subhash Ghai, Anand Pandit and others. On Tuesday, he had met actor Akshay Kumar, besides several industry leaders and a delegation of defence manufacturers.

To draw investors, the UP government has hammered out several sectoral policies and development picked up pace over three years, including the pandemic months, and the government has the intent to encourage investments, Yogi said.

The Shiv Sena, however, continued its aggressive stand on what it termed as an attempt to move Bollywood out. Sena leader Sanjay Raut questioned whether Yogi Adityanath would meet film producers from other states as well or if he had a problem only with Mumbai (Bollywood). Raut also asked Yogi Adityanath about the current status of the film city set up in Noida (UP) and claimed that shifting Bollywood to other states was not an easy task.

Raut pointed out that there were film cities in various states, including West Bengal, Punjab, Andhra and Karnataka. “Will Yogi ji also visit all these states and meet film producers and actors? Or does he have a problem only with Mumbai?” he asked. Raut added, “Will he (Yogi) be able to move bungalows of film stars to Uttar Pradesh?”

Raut said, “How many movies have been produced at the Noida film city, what is the status of film shootings? He should come to Mumbai and inform people here. Moving the film city from Mumbai is not a joke. It has a vast history, and many have worked hard to establish it.”

They look different, they think different. But when it comes to work ethics, producers Pooja Shetty Deora and Aarrti Shetty jam like no other. Giving it our all is how they describe work on the soon-to-release The Zoya Factor
Aastha Atray Banan (MID-DAY; September 15, 2019)

Pooja Shetty Deora and sister Aarrti request that we meet at Juhu's chic members-only club, Soho House. They are going to be at a song location recce prior. The two are producers on Sonam Kapoor's upcoming film, The Zoya Factor, based on Anuja Chauhan's bestseller. "Pooja is so out of place at these recces," Aarti says. "It's dirty, it's hot, it's dusty, she thinks. The choreographer told her, 'please, leave. You are too posh for these surroundings'." Pooja has a rebuttal. She thinks the younger sister is equally awkward during financial discussions. "I tell her, please stay quiet. She can't talk money to save her life!"

They are daughters carrying forward the legacy of Manmohan Shetty, the man who founded Adlabs Films Ltd., a films processing studio that at one point was handling 90 per cent of Bollywood's business. He eventually expanded to film distribution and is remembered for setting up the city first IMAX dome screen. Shetty was instrumental in kickstarting Mumbai's multiplex culture, and later went on to produce hits like Munnabhai MBBS. It's at his firm, Walkwater Media Ltd. that Pooja holds the post of managing director and Aarti heads the creative division.

As students of Maneckji Cooper and Jamnabai Narsee schools, Pooja and Aarrti would head to the lab every Saturday in a bid to spend time with their father, who kept odd hours. "He'd buy us classics like Raj Kumar's movies and The Sound of Music. So, movies were always a part of our lives," says Aarrti, who went on to assist Ram Gopal Verma, Shimit Amin and Karan Johar on their productions. "I think the movies we want to make should have some twist, offer a glimpse into a world that the audience may have never seen before. For example, with Zoya, it's the world of cricket but like never before. I don't think we can make total commercial or masala films. You need a skill for that, and we are aware of our limitations. We are still very young in the journey," Pooja admits.

The duo bagged the rights to Chauhan's 2008 novel from Shah Rukh Khan's production firm Red Chillies Entertainment, where it had been lying locked for three years. The film, scheduled to release this month, stars Dulquer Salmaan, Malayalam superstar Mammootty's son. He plays a cricketer while Kapoor is a successful advertising executive who turns into a good luck charm for India's cricket team during the World Cup.

After their first release via Walkwater, Tere Bin Laden (2010), the Shetty sisters say they realised the importance of being hands-on. They apply this philosophy to the movies and Imagica, the 130-acre theme park in Khopoli, they run. "If you are not there for every stage [of the business], the results are not [in line with] your vision. When the park was being set up, we were there all day, coming home slathered in mud. We didn't have a life, but that's how we work," says Pooja. Aarrti has learnt from the sister. "I once had a problem with a script and let it go. Later, I told myself, I will never let that happen again. Sometimes, Pooja joins me at creative meetings, and says, we have been talking about one scene for two hours. We have to, because it's not resolved."

When they are not collaborating on movies, they are Netflixing. But that's only when Pooja is not busy playing a mother. She and husband, politician-entrepreneur Milind Deora became parents last year to a daughter through surrogacy. "Sleep has reduced," she laments, "and so has socialising. I see my friends once in three months. I slot film meetings only after lunch. My mother helps out a lot. There is a room in fact, at my maternal home in Juhu, that's done up exactly like the room I have for my daughter at our Worli residence. I can't take on any more work, because I love my sleep, and don't get enough. But, I want to do both, be a parent and a professional." Aarrti calls this fiction, arguing, "But you are always sleeping! I sleep half of what she sleeps."

And Pooja isn't afraid to bring work home. Milind is around when she wishes to discuss films, and she has an opinion on his political career. "It's a crisis for sure," she says candidly about the Congress party's future following the Lok Sabha election debacle and its leader Rahul Gandhi's resignation. "It's been a hard couple of years. We often talk about what we can do next."

What next, in the immediate short term revolves around The Zoya Factor, which she calls a hatke comedy. And you know it matters to the both of them when Pooja says, "Not all movies work. But you have to put in your best, and be invested in every way possible. Otherwise, what's the point?"

Clockwise from left: Ketan Mehta, Saeed Mirza, Pankaj Parashar, Sudhir Mishra, Amit Khanna, Govind Nihalani, Manmohan Shetty and Vinay Shukla; Kundan Shah (inset)

Sudhir Mishra who met his filmmaker pals for lunch, reveals that middle of the road cinema, FTII and their late friend who made Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro dominated the conversation
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 23, 2019)

Filmmakers Saeed Akhtar Mirza, Sudhir Mishra, Ketan Mehta, Pankaj Parashar, Amit Khanna, Manmohan Shetty, Govind Nihalani and Vinay Shukla met for lunch at a suburban restaurant recently, and Sudhir quipped afterwards, “Hum zinda hain, hum aur filmein banaenge! Anybody have a problem with that?” Soon, Nikkhil Advani, Goldie Behl and Tigmanshu Dhulia were enquiring if they could assist Sudhir and friends. The lunch was Amit’s idea and lasted for three hours. “All of us have worked together. We spoke about films and old times,” Sudhir tells Mirror.

The topics of discussion included their days at Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). “Ketan, Pankaj, Vinay and Saeed studied at the institute and I consider myself an unofficial student as I stayed on the premises with my brother (Sudhanshu) for three years and have worked with many FTII graduates. Even today, I narrate all my scripts to Saeed, Ketan and Amit,” the filmmaker confides.

At another point, Saeed reminded Sudhir that he had fallen off the roof while working on Saeed’s Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho. “Today, you have 20 people for one job, back then, we did everything alone. On Kundan’s (Shah) Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, I was the writer, assistant, peon and even assistant editor. I am not saying that today’s filmmakers aren’t passionate, but we were mad and still are,” Sudhir exclaimes.

He points out that Govind’s Ardh Satya ran for 25 weeks in Mumbai and Om Puri was a star. And Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro ran for 56 weeks in Delhi. “So, when people say that the audience has changed and become more accepting, it is an insult to the audience of the time of Ardh Satya. Today, many middle-of-the-road films are influenced by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Basu Chatterjee and Basu Bhattacharya; that genre worked then and still does. Independent cinema didn’t begin today, it began with Guru Dutt,” Sudhir asserts.

Kundan Shah, who passed away in 2017, was a big part of the conversation. “All of us remembered him a lot that day. Saeed is writing a book which is a kind of a conversation with Kundan. We worked for three days at a stretch during Jaane... actors slept wherever they could and I’d wake them when they were needed for a shot. Those were the times,” Sudhir concludes.

Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; July 25, 2017)

While no one 'officially' spoke about Govinda's ambiguous ouster from Anurag Basu's film Jagga Jasoos, the talk finally began when the actor posted his clarification on social media, a week before its release. The filmmaker then sounded apologetic about the incident, but there was no closure. It was Rishi Kapoor, who finally took the onus of mentioning the incident in a recent interview and blamed Anurag for his unprofessional behaviour. Govinda, who chose not to escalate the matter beyond a brief social media tweet, did it solely for his love for the Kapoor family. The actor is thankful that Rishi Kapoor stood by him. Now that the film has released, when asked, he told Bombay Times, "I want to say, 'Thank you Rishi sir. At last you showed concern. Good blood never speaks wrong'."

After a brief pause, he added on an emotional note, "I didn't react much because I have huge respect for the Kapoor family. Also, I truly feel that it's the director's (Anurag) call to do what he wants to do with his film, but a little professionalism is expected. I had no clue what they were up to. They were busy with their own things and I wasn't even informed about it (his ouster from the film). This, despite me doing the film without even charging for it. I was unwell and on drips, but I still travelled to South Africa for the shoot as I didn't want people to feel that I am unprofessional or making excuses. After doing all that, what I got in return has made me realise that I need to be more frank from now on. I shouldn't be sensitive or emotional when it comes to work. I should make changes in myself as this is how the world functions."

On why he didn't go to town explaining his take, he said, "If I had said something, it would have been perceived as a complaint. They did what they thought was right and I didn't want to interfere. I am not here to fight. If Anurag offers me a film again, I might still do it as we all are professionals. But this was petty and I no longer get affected by all this as I have seen this kind of behaviour for a while now. I don't want to wallow in self-pity, but when you are going through a rough patch, you tend to get used to this. My bungalow is close to (Manmohan) Shetty saab's in Juhu. So many filmy parties happen there, but no celeb even bothers to say hello to me. Log mujhe dekh kar avoid karte hain. Har kisi ka time hota hai. I am content with the fact that the public still likes me and mobs me wherever I go. That is what I have earned over the years."

Speaking of his love for the Kapoor family, he explained, "I have utmost respect for the Kapoor family, as I can never forget the love that the legendary Raj Kapoor saab showered upon me when I was just a newcomer. I can never forget the time when he invited me and my mother to one of his parties and touched my mother's feet when we entered. He treated us with so much love and respect. He was indifferent to my social status. I lived in a Virar chawl and at that time, I was nobody. I don't look at individuals when I see the Kapoor family. I look at them as one and I look up to Rishi sir and Raj saab. I respect my seniors. These are the qualities that I have imbibed from my mother and I will always stand by them."

When asked if he will be more careful when it comes to doing special appearances henceforth, he concluded, "There might not be a second time as I might only do it for the Kapoors or Salman Khan's family. Not that I don't think the others are less important, it's just that these families are special for me and I hold them in high regard."

Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; September 16, 2015)