Showing posts with label Marzi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marzi. Show all posts
Why should I play the protagonist’s girlfriend or a character that is not taking the story forward?-Aahana Kumra
11:18 AM
Deep Saxena (HINDUSTAN TIMES; September 21, 2022)
Actor Aahana S Kumra is looking forward to take up shows that she can carry on her shoulder. “I want to dig into meaty roles. Why should I play the protagonist’s girlfriend or a character that is not taking the story forward? I’ve already done that, so no more! I think I have the potential to headline a show. I tested it with the web series Marzi,” Kumra says.
While she’s happy that shows with strong women protagonists, like Delhi Crime or Maharani, happened, they were “few and far between”. “We still have [many] series with either male protagonist or with a male perspective. I am not okay doing it. But it’s not easy to say no... Also, budgets have gone down [for women artistes], but for a male protagonist, they will pay a high amount, which is not okay. I have refused shows for this reason, too,” says The Accidental Prime Minister actor.
She urges makers of shows based on politics, sports or crime, to go with female protagonist or antagonist. “For women, they tend to make party-type shows, where the characters are chilling out or busy with relationships... My mother was a cop, and I can pull off such roles,” says Kumra.
She adds, “What happens with us (female actors) is that once we do a project, we get offers for same role in five shows. For instance, after I did a negative role in Avrodh 2, everyone is offering me similar roles! I’m trying to be mindful that I don’t repeat characters.”
Bold and edgy: OTT breaks sexual taboos
7:54 AM
The digital space is revolutionsing the portrayal of female sexuality by exploring its varied dimensions
Sugandha Rawal (HINDUSTAN TIMES; March 27, 2021)
For decades, female sexuality has remained a hushed topic onscreen, with no focus on the demands, needs or pleasure of a woman. But not anymore, as the OTT space is scripting a change in the narrative, while stripping off the taboo around such subjects, changing mindset – one show at a time.
“Female sexuality is finally being acknowledged in storytelling. This is a positive change. Women are finally being acknowledged as sexual beings and not merely as objects of male desire,” says actor Rasika Dugal, who received acclaim for her role of a sexually dissatisfied wife, who starts a relationship outside marriage in web series Mirzapur.
There was a time when the subject of sex came with a bundle of awkwardness, sometimes wrapped together with suggestive lyrics or visual metaphors like brushing of flowers. Yet, sex was hardly a female affair, and that is what the filmmakers are out to change now. Be it a story of four friends exploring their sexuality in Four More Shots Please!, or the importance of consent in Aahana Kumra’s Marzi, or a more complex look at sex play in recently launched, Bombay Begums.
And filmmaker Imtiaz Ali is pleased by this positive change in the way these subjects are being explored. “OTT platforms allow the point of view and the duration to look at women in a more multi dimensional manner,” says Ali, creator and writer of She, adding, “Sexuality is something that in our society is often used as a weapon to repress people. And being able to make a story about that was very interesting”.
Interestingly, now, the focus is not just on sex, but on exploring one’s sexual identity and owning it up without any hesitation. If there are women indulging in acts of self-pleasure, then there are also women struggling with their orientation. Some examples of redefined portrayal include shows such as Lust Stories, A Married Woman, Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare, and Made In Heaven.
Dugal finds it encouraging that “scripts are now exploring and celebrating femininity”; however, she has her concerns. “Filmmaking is a visual medium and there’s a long journey between the written words and the visual. Sometimes, even the most well-meaning scripts end up with sexualised images or visuals. Even with the best intentions we’re finding it hard to break away from those,” she rues.
Actor Shweta Tripathi Sharma, whose introduction scene in Mirzapur showed her character indulging in an act of self-pleasure, feels it’s time to normalise the conversation about women having desires. “This happens, there’s no point shying away from it. Let’s not be hypocritical,” she says. Recalling her introduction scene, Sharma says, “I didn’t think it was a big deal. But there were so many journalists who asked me about it, and I was like ‘Come on.. As actors, we put ourselves out to tell a story... toh iss ko itna bada mat banao.”
For Sharma, the intent of a story is more important than the act. “As long as that intention is correct, it should definitely be explored,” she says, adding, she’ll never associate with a scene which is done just to catch eyeballs. “We have huge responsibility as actors and as storytellers, and we shouldn’t exploit the power... Our moral compass should be in the right place,” she shares.
Director Abhishek Pathak feels that “the way the content is perceived by the audience has also changed in a positive way”. To this, Sharma adds, “The more educated we are, the better it will be. I think the audience is definitely more aware.”
A still from (L to R) She, Bombay Begums and Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare
There is nothing wrong in making masala films, provided it has a good story-Aahana Kumra
8:54 AM
Aahana Kumra talks about shooting for her first mainstream movie Khuda Haafiz
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; August 13, 2020)
Aahana Kumra has no qualms admitting that she was apprehensive about playing an Arab agent in Disney+ Hotstar's latest offering, Khuda Haafiz. Recounting her first meeting with director Faruk Kabir, Kumra tells us, "He was clear that this is not the cinema I am usually associated with." Known for her work in Lipstick Under My Burkha (2016) and Voot Select's Marzi, the actor is often labelled 'indie actor' — a tag that often comes up in meetings with producers. "When I was offered this role, I was told this isn't an indie film. That comment stunned me, but there is a perception that I only do independent cinema," says the actor.
"During the narration, it sunk in that this is a different universe," introspects the actor, adding that the typical Bollywood masala films were never offered to her. "People don't look at me as someone who is commercially bankable because I have never done the song-and-dance routine. There is nothing wrong in making masala films, provided it has a good story. With Khuda Haafiz, I had that satisfaction."
Walking into this world post Netflix's Betaal, Kumra admits that she suffered from a mental block. "Everyone around me was confident that I could pull it off, except me. The film had hand-to-hand combat, I didn't think I was physically strong to do the part. At one point, I almost let go of the project." The Vidyut Jammwal-starrer is a reminder that she is a shape shifting artiste who is capable of pushing herself to do more. "Faruk's faith in me pushed me to work harder. I even went through dialect training to get the Arabic twang to my Hindi."
OTT platforms witness a sharp spike in viewership due to Coronavirus lockdown
8:29 AM
OTT platforms witness six to 20 per cent boost in viewership due to lockdown; rejig their slate for the next two months
Mohar Basu, Letty Mariam Abraham (MID-DAY; March 24, 2020)
As the lockdown has left people homebound, OTT platforms have witnessed a sharp spike in the consumption of content. On one hand, with shoots across the country suspended, digital projects that were on floors are bound to be delayed. On the other hand, as they enjoy the undivided attention of viewers sans the competition posed by television that is churning out reruns of shows, some streaming platforms are considering advancing the release of their series. So, how are the big players charting the uncertain waters of the coming weeks?
Netflix and Amazon Prime are adhering to their India slate for the time being. A case in point being Manisha Koirala's Netflix film Maska that drops this Friday. Ask director Neeraj Udhwani how he completed the post-production in the current scenario, and he explains, "I delivered the film to them in the first week of January. As a rule, they ask for the material in advance because it then goes for an entire round of subtitling across the countries it is releasing in."
While the release of a project being advanced seems unlikely, there is a possibility that the April and May offerings — despite being complete — could be pushed ahead. An insider at Netflix India, requesting anonymity, shares, "Maska's promotional work was done in early March, so its release seems viable. But with the marketing team working from home now, the next month's line-up could change if the situation doesn't improve post March 31. It would be unwise to release a project without promoting it adequately."
At Amazon Prime, all eyes are on the second season of Four More Shots Please. The marketing team is devising a virtual promotional plan, thereby ensuring that the release is not deferred owing to low buzz.
An insider from the production team informs, "Combination dates from the leads of the show have been procured, and telephonic interviews have been lined up. All the video interviews have been called off for now, and will be pursued later over video call. Individually, the cast is promoting the show on social media."
Meanwhile, Zee5 — which has seen a six per cent rise in viewership — has ALT Balaji's Baarish season two and Who's Your Daddy lined up for next month. An insider informs, "However, the bosses at ALT Balaji and Zee5 have had to push the March release of Bebaki as its patchwork shoot could not be completed due to the suspension of shoots."
Hungama Play has seen a 20 per cent rise in viewership and a change in the watching patterns over the past month, says Siddhartha Roy, COO, Hungama Digital Media. It is arguably the only streaming platform to have advanced the release of a few shows to make the most of the period. "We had planned to release Comedycha Rada, a Marathi stand-up comedy special, in the second half of April. However, we are now bringing that forward to early April. We are also looking at the possibility of launching another show, Bhootatlela, a horror comedy in Hindi and Marathi, next month."
Ferzad Palia, head, Voot Select, acknowledges that the platform has witnessed an uptake of subscribers. But he believes that the new offerings also have a role to play in the rise in subscribers. "Our new content like Asur and Marzi have received a positive response. So, the growth could be attributed to the new content as well as the current situation. We have three Hindi originals and five regional shows [which are] ready for release."
Netflix's Maska
Voot Select head Ferzad Palia says new shows like Arshad Warsi-starrer Asur have received positive response and the growth in the subscriber base could be attributed to it
The second edition of ALTBalaji's Baarish is likely to release online next month
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