After battling back pain and countless rumours about a serious illness, actor returns as a guest on a TV show; has given his nod to a film which rolls in July-August
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 16, 2019)

For a while now, Mithun Chakraborty has been away from the public eye and there have been rumours that he is battling a life-threatening illness. In April, the actor’s youngest son, Namashi, had informed that the only thing ailing his father is back pain. “Whenever dad travels to Los Angeles, people assume that he is sick. He is currently in Kerala undergoing therapy for his back and will be in Mumbai closer to the release date of The Tashkent Files. Ninety per cent of the pain is gone. He’s waiting to return to work,” Namashi had told Mirror (April 8).

Earlier this week, the actor turned up as a guest on the dance reality show, Super Dancer Chapter 3. Now, we have learnt that the original Disco Dancer has given his nod to a horror-comedy titled Bhootiyapa. To be directed by Manoj Sharma, the film stars Madhoo and also features comedians Krushna Abhishek, Sugandha Mishra and Rajiv Thakur and will go on the floors in July-August.

Dismissing reports of a health scare, Manoj said, “Dada is absolutely fit and all these rumours are false. I met him for a couple of meetings at his Madh bungalow earlier this month. He agreed to be a part of my film soon after listening to the narration. Eighty percent of the film will be shot in Lucknow, while the rest will be filmed in Mumbai.”

In the film Mithun plays royalty who invites three stand-up comedians to his mansion for a private performance. “What follows is the story,” Manoj added. “He has worked with them earlier and he’s coming up with lots of interesting suggestions.”

The actor confirmed the news saying, “I loved the script in the first narration itself and accepted the offer on the same day. Yes, I am doing the film Bhootiyapa.”

However, he will not be dancing in the film as the narrative doesn’t demand it. “But I will try to create a promotional track where we can get Dada to shake a leg,” laughs Manoj.

Meanwhile, Super Dancer Chapter 3 judge Geeta Kapur who’s had a long-standing equation with the actor since their Dance India Dance (DID) days, said he looked “hale and hearty” during his turn on the show which also features Anurag Basu and Shilpa Shetty as her co-judges. “Dada has been wearing a waist band since the time we used to shoot for DID because of his back problem. But other than that he is not grappling with any serious medical issue. If he was, I don’t see any reason for hiding it. He even danced on the show with us and was so full of energy. It was so much fun,” exulted Geeta.

She added that Mithun doesn’t take phone calls, nor is he active on WhatsApp or the social media. “The only person who I am in touch with is his wife (Yogeeta Bali) so to have him on the set was a happy day and he left it singing a song that made me really emotional. I cried for a long time, I don’t know why. Perhaps because I also don’t know when I am going to see him next.”

According to a source from the set, Mithun exited teary-eyed, crooning a few lines from a Bappi Lahiri-Asha Bhosle duet from his 1989 romantic drama Prem Pratigyaa, “Yeh Pyar Kabhi Kam Nahi Karna, Koi Sitam Kar Lena, Mar Jayenge Aashiq Warna…” 

Madhoo, who is making a comeback to Hindi films after eight years with a horror-comedy, explains the reason behind the hiatus from Bollywood
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 15, 2019)

Madhoo, who made her acting debut alongside Ajay Devgn in Kuku Kohli’s 1991 actionromance Phool Aur Kaante and followed it up with Mani Ratnam’s National award-winning romantic-thriller Roja opposite Arvind Swamy, was last seen in a Hindi film eight years ago with Love U... Mr. Kalakaar. Now, Mirror has learnt that the actress is making her comeback to Hindi films with a horror-comedy titled Khalli Balli. Directed by Manoj Sharma, the film rolls on Friday.

Explaining how the new project came her way, Madhoo says, “Before Love U...Mr Kalakaar, I had taken a sabbatical as my children were young and I wanted to focus on them. But after that film, I had hoped that I would be working constantly. But that didn’t happen for a few more years. Then, Goldie (Behl) came to me with his TV show Aarambh. That really boosted my confidence. I shared a great rapport with my co-star Rajniesh (Duggall) and after it ended we were hoping to work together again. When Khalli Balli came his way, he suggested my name too.”

The actress will begin shooting for the film in Mumbai, from where the story goes to Lucknow through a road trip. “The horror part is treated very beautifully, and my character is not doing anything senseless or slapstick. The story is inherently funny, so much so, that I agreed to be a part of it on the day it was narrated to me. It’s an interesting script and since the genre is horror I can’t reveal much about the story, but I can tell you one thing… main bhoot nai hoon,” she laughs.

Madhoo admits it was the TV show that gave her the push she needed but Hindi projects were few and far between. “After Aarambh, I never stopped working and have done several South films, three of which have released in the first few months of this year. However, to tell you the truth, apart from Goldie and some other TV shows, nobody really came to me with offers and I didn’t want to do the latter because it would mean working every day of the month, which I wasn’t comfortable with,” she asserts.

When asked about the reason behind it, she explains that it could be because “people seem to believe that I am not working, I have settled abroad or down South, or I am not interested in working at all. That’s not true. I have always been living in Mumbai, I love working in films… and I love working in Hindi films,” she signs off. 

MUMBAI MIRROR (December 14, 2016)

A man identified as Manoj Sharma, who was the head of the unit security team on Akshay Kumar's upcomign film, Toilet Ek Prem Katha, in Mathura, was run over by a moving train on Monday evening while he was trying to disembark at Mathura junction. According to the station master, the Agra resident was on his way back from his hometown after a break from work and was trying to de-board the moving Karnataka Express when he lost his balance and came under the train, dying instantly.

Normal, a play by Now Group (presented by Thespo at Prithvi), is a shocking, thrilling and quite entertaining and keeps viewers gripped for full 80 minutes. It deals with the infamous serial killer of Germany of 1920s, Peter Kurten, and his interactions with his defense attorney Dr Justus Wehner. Then there’s also Mrs Kurten and Eva who add to the intrigue and shock element. The writing is excellent and the play goes all out in putting its point forward. And that’s the victory of the play – the makers don’t care a damn whether a section of audiences will get offended by some of the dialogues. Direction is great but gets slightly confusing towards the second half. However, performances are exemplary and will surely linger in one’s mind for a long time to come. Yogendra Vikram Singh obviously leaves the maximum impact as the serial killer. Manoj Sharma too rocks and his dialogue delivery is splendid. Jaspreet Kaur looks beautiful and is a talent to watch out for. Special mention to the work of the crew as well! The play will next be staged in Lucknow. Don’t miss if it’s held in your city!

My rating - **** out of 5!