Today ‘Tip Tip Barsa Paani’ from Mohra is considered one of the most sensuous rain songs but it started out as just a peppy, romantic number between Akshay and Raveena. The mukhda tune had been approved by the director, but Anand Bakshi sahab (the lyricist) felt it was a little too lengthy. After arguing for an hour, I told him to forget the tune, give me the lyrics, and I would compose it again.

Finally, he told me to play it one more time and suddenly came up with the line ‘Tip Tip Barsa Paani’. The thing was once Bakshi sahab got the first line, the entire song would be over in 10-15 minutes. When I would play a tune for Bakshi sahab, I would write some dummy lyrics just to give him a feel. The only line he kept from my dummy lyrics was the last one ‘Main Kya Karun’. I think he penned the other lines around it: ‘Teri yaad aayi toh jal utha mera bheega badan, ab tu hi bata o sajan main kya karun...’

It was only after he came up with this line that it turned out to be a rain song and (director) Rajiv Rai thought of picturising it that way. In those times, rain songs were very popular, maybe because of the dance and the sensual element. Take Mr India’s ‘Kaante Nahin Kat Te’, for instance. But the song also has to have some beat. If ‘Tip tip’ only had visuals, why would people still listen to it?

Nowadays, there are much fewer rain songs in films. Similarly, there have been no mujras and qawwalis for many years, maybe because youngsters are not open to that. Everyone wants to play safe, and everything is either Punjabi or rap. Today’s directors say they want “halke phulke words jo logo ko samajh aaye” and insist on some English words. But I think people will listen to a good track.

Everything that you hear in ‘Tip Tip’ — even the tabla — was electronic, created with 12 synthesisers. The only acoustic element came from the violin. We had first tried this approach of going all out with electronic in Tridev in 1989, just to give it a new sound.

Today, even I can’t recreate the opening sound of Tang Nanana Tang Nanana — that just happened and is the life behind the song. It is what people remember. After I recorded it in 1993, many producers would demand this same sound but even I didn’t know what the combination was. If I hear it and try to analyse it, I may come close, but it wouldn’t be identical.

Honestly, I never expected it would still be playing after 27 years. It has been remixed so many times, with another one in a forthcoming film. But it is only the basic arrangement that these remixes change. The singing is nowhere close to Alka (Yagnik) and Udit’s (Narayan).

Now a familiar face in South Indian films, the actor talks about riding the choppy waves of public adulation
Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 15, 2020)

At 58, Suniel Shetty is still built like a tank. He brushes his hands over his salt-and-pepper beard as he settles down for this interaction at his Aaram Nagar office. The actor may have slipped off the Hindi film radar, but he has been making waves down South. In recent months, he’s shared the screen with Rajinikanth (Darbar), Kichcha Sudeep (Pailwaan) and will soon be seen in Mohanlal’s epic period war film Marakkar - The Lion Of Arabian Sea. “The passion to create and love for life” is what keeps him going, he says. “There’s a generation that has forgotten me and a younger generation that respects me for my fitness, rather than for my films,” he says. “They think you’re yesteryear’s [star]… but they don’t know why you’re not working.”

Shetty shares that he was comfortable with his extended sabbatical; he never thought he’d end up working in South Indian films, despite having done cameos in the past [Kalimannu (2013) and Kakkakuyil (2001)]. “I didn’t want to do a negative role and any actor from Bollywood who goes there is offered just that. They believe that you’re a national-level hero, so if any of their heroes can beat you up, it’s the best thing ever.” His recent film choices, he says, were driven by passion and uncertainty. “When you’re back from a long sabbatical, the best work doesn’t come your way and I wasn’t even sure if I can act,” says the actor credited for 128 films.

The response that Darbar and Pailwaan received, however, encouraged him to consider more projects. In the forthcoming Mosagallu, he dons the avatar of a powerful cop, while he plays a 16th century warrior in Marakkar - The Lion Of Arabian Sea. Unsurprisingly, Shetty’s invincible action hero image from the 1990s still has traction. He credits veteran actor Danny Denzongpa for helping him carve this image in his debut Balwaan (1992). “When we were brainstorming on how to make my character seem powerful, Danny Sa’ab suggested that I carry him on my shoulders and then drop him. The last person who had lifted him up in a movie was Amitabh Bachchan in Khuda Gawah. This tip worked like a charm.”

But at 58 it’s getting tougher to keep up with that image. Of an action sequence shot for Darbar, where he was expected to “fall and throw five kicks and six punches”, he says, “I asked a 19-year-old assistant if he felt I’ll pull it off, and he said ‘Very easily, sir’. Then, I asked him how old his father is, and he said 54. I told him, ‘I am 58, so if your dad can do it, I’ll do it’.”

Shetty made several attempts to shake the image of a brooding, death-defying action star, but it was never “accepted”. “I tried comic and socially-relevant films too, but they didn’t work,” he says. “My producers would only say, ‘Do action scenes aur ek baarish mein gaana daal dena, body dikhake’.” In fact, the feedback he received from his family for his non-action films was just as telling. “I would ask my parents and kids, ‘How’s the film?’ and they’d say ‘Brilliant’ and then later, ask for a Saridon. So, you know where you stand.”

Post Hera Pheri (2000), a milestone in Shetty’s chequered career, many were convinced that he also had the chops for comedy. “And that was validation for an actor who was dismissed by critics as ‘absolutely wooden’,” he says. But there was always a back-up plan. Shetty ran a restaurant and boutique business before films and if acting didn’t work out, he would have to swallow his pride and listen to friends say, “Actor banne gaya tha, wapas aa gaya”. But since he had signed about 14 films even before his debut, there was no looking back.

Later, Shetty decided that rather than struggling to dazzle his audience with his performance, he would startle them with death-defying stunts. “I took on action stunts which were so dangerous, people would say ‘Alag hain’,” says the actor, who remembers that some of them actually lead to serious injuries. “While shooting for Mohra [the 1994 hit], when I lost a ligament, I was told to go for surgery but I couldn’t as 17 films were pending. Kitchen usi pe chal raha tha,” he says. “I would shoot for Mohra during the day and then strap my ankle and go shoot for Gopi Kishan at night. I’d only get two hours to rest — while commuting between Mukesh Mills and Filmistaan.”

Only time will tell if his son, who makes his debut this year with Milan Luthria’s remake of RX100, is cut from the same cloth. While Shetty believes Ahan will be able to handle success, he worries about how he will deal with failure. “There will always be brickbats, and nowadays, any faceless person can take pot-shots at an actor. But I’m sure Ahan will fight back,” he says.

Reflecting on his own experience, Shetty shares that when he started out, he was “barely ready to take on the world”. “We felt personality hain, we’ll wing it. But dialogue bhi bolna hain, naachna bhi hain and both haath aur pao ke saath nachna hain,” he says with a laugh. The actor got a lot of flak for his puppet-like moves and peculiar voice. “Every newbie thinks that you’re the next Bachchan. But then you watch your film and think ‘Sh*t, I really need to learn the craft’,” he says. Incidentally, this was what he told his daughter Athiya after her debut Hero opened to a lukewarm response. “Then, she really worked on her performance and the result can be seen in Motichoor Chaknachoor,” he says of her third film with Nawazuddin Siddiqui.

The actor, who counts Border (1997) as his most gratifying film and credits Dhadkan (2000) for helping him sharpen his craft, learnt lessons of his own along the way, too. “Dharmesh [director Darshan] told me ‘Just really believe you’re the character’. That’s when I realised that the most important thing for an actor to do is to invest 10 per cent mind and 90 per cent heart,” says Shetty, who does not grudge his peers their succes. “I don’t want to compete with the Akshays and the Ajays because you know you don’t stand a chance,” he says. In fact, he appreciates their strengths. “Jackie Dada’s [Shroff] personality is so loving and affectionate that if you give him attitude, he’ll just ignore you; Amit ji’s [Bachchan] humility makes you feel, ‘Amitji aise hain, toh main kaun hoon’, while Salman Khan has mastered the art of commanding attention and respect without saying a word,” he says.

Sangeeta Yadav (HINDUSTAN TIMES; December 2, 2019)

From setting trends of oversized shirts to funny dialogues and dance moves that were later made into memes, Suniel Shetty hogged all the limelight with his double role as a cop and a criminal in Gopi Kishan — the cult comedy that completes silver jubilee today.

Walking down memory lane, the 58-year-old says, “Before Gopi Kishan, nobody was willing to cast me in comedies. I’d only get action film offers. So, when director Deepak Shivdasani offered me the role, I jumped on it. It opened the doors of comedy for me and I went on to do films like Hera Pheri.”

Suniel further adds, “It was one of the toughest films to shoot. I had to keep changing my look for the double role. I picked up Gopi’s way of pulling his trousers from Director Rajiv Rai’s CFO.”

The film is remembered for its famous one-liner, Mere Do Do Baap. “I never imagined that such simple dialogues would become so iconic. I wonder what the child actor, who mouthed the lines is doing these days,” he says, adding, “Even Athiya, after watching the film, started saying, ‘Mere Do Do Baap’ and I used to tell her, ‘No, no Athiya… it’s not funny.’ She loved repeating it (laughs).”

Suniel says that the 1994 film was one of the first few to begin the trend of remake of movies down South. “It’s one of the first Bollywood films remade from Tamil films. (Gopi Kishan is a remake of the 1990 Tamil film Avasara Police 100). The Haye Hukku song with jeans and oversized shirt became a trendsetter. Choreographer Chinni Prakash knew that I’m not a good dancer, but still he made me match up to Lolo’s (Karisma Kapoor) moves. Some of them have now become memes,” says Suniel.

Not many know that Suniel met with an accident and was limping in the song Chatri Naa Khol Barsat Mei, “That time I used to shoot from 9 pm to 5 am for Mohra and 9 am to 6 pm for Gopi Kishan. While shooting for Mohra, I had a ligament tear. The doctors had advised me bed rest and surgery, but I strapped a bandage on my knee and did the entire song.”

And, if the film is remade now, who would Suniel want to play his role? He replies, “Ranveer Singh or Varun Dhawan. They are brilliant.”

Smita Poojary (DNA; August 31, 2019)

After stunning the viewers with her sizzling dance moves in songs like Dilbar (Satyameva Jayate) and Saki Saki (Batla House), Nora Fatehi has now been noticed for her acting chops in the recently-released track Pachtaoge opposite Vicky Kaushal. Nora tells us that she is happy with the feedback. “I’m used to doing dance-oriented tracks where physically it is exhausting. But this song was in a different zone and required acting skills, too. I didn’t want to come across as overacting, so I tried to be as natural as possible with my performance.” Though she has been cast mostly for club bangers, Nora says that she came to India to be an all-round performer. “I am inclined towards acting and came here to do both. When I’m in the environment of performances and emotions, I feel I’m in the right place. And I’m happy that people have appreciated my work,” says she.

This is the first time that Nora and Vicky have featured in a project together. She tells us that sharing the screen space with the National Award winner (for Uri: The Surgical Strike) was a unique zone to be in. Unlike the usual dance-only environment, it was also about acting. “There was a point where you had to switch on your performance and I could see him do that, and it motivated me to do the same, which for my growth is important,” she points out. Their sizzling on-screen chemistry in the track is also being talked about. “I think for both artistes, the chemistry helps and attracts the audiences. It’s making them want to watch the video more and more. And I think we just did our job right as actors.” Off-screen, she states that working with the Manmarziyaan actor was a fun experience.

“I thought it would be a serious environment on set because he is such an intense actor. But we had a blast, we were joking, telling each other stories about our work and so on,” she avers.

Nora who has been part of two remixes — Dilbar and Saki Saki. The dancer-actress says that she would have loved to feature in the recreation of Tip Tip Barsa Paani (Mohra, 1994) or Helen’s numbers. “Unfortunately, Tip Tip has already been done,” she rues, “If that or Mehbooba (Sholay, 1975) is ever re-recreated, I would love to be a part of it,” she concludes.

MOHRA MOVES: Akshay Kumar is set to do a remake of this song. However, the drenched lady will be played by Katrina Kaif instead of Raveena. (Right below) Alia Bhatt dances to the same tune

Arnab Ray (THE TIMES OF INDIA; July 7, 2019)

As Indian cities struggle with dwindling supplies of water, prompting even Leonardo DiCaprio, the man who died from too much water in Titanic, to tweet about the dangers of too little, it is worth remembering the great film Mohra.

Released twenty-five years ago (on July 1, 1994), many scientists blame it for triggering the water crisis that has swept the world. According to legend that was spread over the WhatsApp of the day, during the shooting of ‘Tip Tip Barsa Paani’, a song featuring Akshay Kumar and Raveena Tandon, entire oceans were drained through the action of drenching reporter Roma Singh played by Raveena Tandon, as she danced on the roof under a deluge that would make Noah keep his ark tethered to the shore, while Akshay Kumar, observed the effect of buoyancy and Bernoulli’s equation in real-life fluid conditions, and then decided to become a Canadian citizen. This song, over the course of 25 years, has led to much wastage of wetness, and to this day, remains a popular staple of Bhojpuri orchestra performances where water is poured on the dancer to the tune of this song in tepid simulations of the original, with nary a concern for the environment.

But to limit the scope and impact of Mohra to just this one song is like dismissing Sistine Chapel as just a painted ceiling.

Mohra is a cinematic milestone, the kind of movie that not influences a genre but who you choose to become. Released a month before Hum Aapke Hain Koun...!, which would irrevocably change the face of Bollywood with chocolate, lime juice and “mausam ka jadoo hain mitwa”, Mohra was the last Elaan-e-Jung of the old Bollywood action potboiler, before the Barjatyas, the Chopras and the Johars would flood out the genre forever with their pink slush of fraud NRInostalgic romantic sugar-water.

Inspired by Death Wish 4, Mohra almost had its thunder taken away by an earlier released inspired by the exact same film. Called Bhookamp (Earthquake) it had the legendary Rahul Roy dancing to “Tum jo mile gulshan khile” with Mamata Kulkarni, but for reasons I shall never understand, like how cricketer Devang Gandhi never became Don Bradman, it sunk without a trace.

Mohra though was made of sterner stuff. Akshay Kumar, Raveena Tandon, who was the real hero of the movie and the joker of the pack, Sunil Shetty (then without the “e”), ably backed by Paresh Rawal and Naseeruddin Shah, this was 90s cinema at its very best.

Names like Jindaalll and Tyson and Gibran.

Superhit tunes from the Amit Shah of techno-qawwali, Viju Shah.

Roaring action.

Lyrics like “Subaah se lekar shaam tak, shaam se lekar raat tak, raat se lekar subaah tak, subah se phir sham tak, mujhe pyar karo” which depending on your mood could be a soft romantic song or the tag line for Viagra.

Never-saw-that-coming twists like Pankaj Udhas doing the voice of Sunil Shetty.

The most beautiful description of fault tolerant system architectures I have ever encountered in popular cinema in “Ei kaash kahee aisa hota, ke do dil hote seene mein, ek toot bhi jata ishq mein to, taqleef na hotee jeene mein”

The most poetic excuse for an unintentional breaking of wind in “Chalee kaisi yeh pagal pawan main kya karoon”.

But all of this pales in front of the most bizarre ending of the era, something straight out of David Lynch, with Naseeruddin Shah, the villain, who rather than escaping from the clutches of the hero, chooses to waste precious time trying to humiliate him, first by making him get down on his knees, then slap himself and then finally making him take off his pants, while giving live commentary “Patloon utaar raha hai, Baat accha hai” in the deliriously happy tone of Manjrekar when a player from Mumbai plays well, while all the while Sunil Shetty screams Naheeee naheee, which would inspire years down the road, some of the most iconic sequences of Dhadkan, the last great 90s movie ever made, again starring the two leading heroes of Mohra.

Twenty-five years ago. All of this happened.

Aah how time flies.

Seems just like yesterday, Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast rocked Superhit Muqabla.

Seems just like yesterday a twenty-something with oversized glasses walked into a singlescreen theater elbowing through the crowd steaming with sweat and expectation.

Seems just like yesterday, that watching Hindi films was fun. 

With Akshay Kumar revisiting Tip Tip Barsa Paani for Sooryavanshi, Venus head honcho Ratan Jain reveals why he parted with Mohra song's rights
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; June 20, 2019)

Almost 25 years after he gave Bollywood one of its most sizzling numbers Tip Tip Barsa Paani from Mohra (1994), Akshay Kumar is ready to revisit the song for Sooryavanshi. Matching him step for step in the romantic track will be co-star Katrina Kaif. Interestingly, Kumar played a significant role in ensuring that the '90s ditty found a place in the Rohit Shetty-directed actioner. Turns out, Ratan Jain, the head honcho of Venus that owns the rights of the original number, parted with the song owing to his 30-year-long association with Kumar.

A trade source says, "Ratan Jain and Akshay go back a long way with the producer's Khiladi [1991] proving to be the latter's breakthrough film. They have delivered some of their biggest hits together, including Main Khiladi Tu Anari [1994], Garam Masala [2005] and De Dana Dan [2009]. When Rohit and Farah [Khan, choreographer] were discussing possible chartbusters that could be reprised for Sooryavanshi, it was Akshay who suggested Tip Tip Barsa Paani. He then called up Ratan ji to request him for the rights. Rohit and Akshay were also toying with the idea of revisiting another song from the '90s — Bholi Bhali Ladki from Sabse Bada Khiladi [1995], but finally zeroed in on the Mohra track."

Speaking to mid-day, Jain says that he was glad to help his favourite actor and frequent collaborator. "The primary reason I parted with the rights is because Akshay is doing the song again. I have the highest regard for him as an actor and a person. I would not have given the song to any other producer. Having said that, it's not a complete transfer of rights. I have parted with the song for a particular period, after which the rights will be reinstated with us." Quiz him if the makers will be able to do justice to a number that has gained a cult status in Bollywood over the decades, and he says, "It's a big film, and they will definitely take care of the quality of the song."

MUMBAI MIRROR (June 15, 2019)

Mirror had earlier reported (June 13) that Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif would kick off the Hyderabad schedule of their upcoming cop-drama, the Rohit Shetty directorial Sooryavanshi, at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad with a romantic song. It has now emerged that the song is a remix of Akshay’s 1994 chartbuster “Tip Tip Barsa Pani” which also featured Raveena Tandon, from the film Mohra.

A source close to the development reveals, “The reprised version is composed by Tanishk Bagchi while Farah Khan has come on board to choreograph Akshay and Katrina’s moves. It is a sensuous romantic song like the original, and Farah has already discussed her vision of the track with Rohit.”

Incidentally, in 2008, Akshay and Katrina had featured in the song “Gale Lag Ja” in the film De Dana Dan, which was reportedly an ode to the original Mohra song. “Since Akshay and Katrina are teaming up after almost a decade, the idea is to give a different spin to their chemistry,” the source added. After the Hyderabad schedule, the team flies to Goa later this year for a brief stint before calling it a wrap.

The Rohit Shetty directorial, which was gearing up for an Eid 2020 release, was recently pushed ahead to March 27. For his last film, Simmba, featuring Ranveer Singh and Sara Ali Khan, Rohit had recreated another 1990s number, “Aankh Marey”.

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 2, 2019)

Everybody’s talking about the sizzling chemistry between Salman Khan and Disha Patani in the “Slow Motion” song from the Ali Abbas Zafar directed Bharat. The actress surprisingly bears a striking resemblance to Helen and Ashley Rebello, who has designed Disha’s look, confirms that along with other actresses of the swinging ‘60s like Nanda and Asha Parekh, the club dancer from the Teesri Manzil chartbuster “O Haseena Zulfonwali” and “Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu” from Howrah Bridge was on his mind. “We borrowed a lot from these songs, from the tassles to the hair-styles. Ali was very clear her look should be sensuous and classy rather than overtly showy,” says Ashley, who also found references from Hollywood films and the Russian circus.

Disha plays a trapeze artiste in the upcoming Eid release and in a recent interview to Mirror, she had said that she enjoys doing such peppy, massy numbers. Ashley says she loved the outfit and has been sending him thank you messages for the compliments that she has been receiving.

“Disha is a pleasure to work with, the only thing she ever said is that she knows she is in the hands of professionals who know their jobs and will make her look good,” he smiles.

Was Raveena Tandon’s sunny yellow saree from Mohra’s rain-drenched “Tip Tip Barsa Paani” also a muse? “We had initially planned on a yellow and red saree but eventually settled for yellow. No, Raveena’s saree was not on my mind, This is more of a dhoti saree, contemporary with a flair of the ‘60s,” he signs off.

As told to Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 16, 2019)

Months into the film industry, I realised that action is my strength and I trained as a martial arts professional. There were many other actors doing the same and to stand out from the crowd I started watching videos of Chuck Norris, America’s action star known for films like Way Of The Dragon, Good Guys Wear Black, The Delta Force and Missing in Action franchise. He inspired me to master spin kicks and punches which I used in films like Rajiv Rai’s Mohra. I pulled off 18 spin punches in Mohra, and that move has now come to be called the ‘Suniel Shetty punch’. Martial arts is one thing, making it dynamic is another; I learnt this from Mr Bachchan. Be it firing with guns in both hands or a horizontal back-flip on the stairs, every action sequence in Mohra was influenced by martial arts.

I’ve used the same techniques again in Priyadarshan’s period drama Marakkar - The Lion of Arabian Sea which I wrapped up recently. Since I play a warrior in the film, a lot of prep went into costumes, posturing and the look which has me sporting long hair and a beard. It also required me to master my riding skills and learn to fight with double swords. This was where my kick-boxing background helped because it requires you to be light on the feet.

There’s a scene in the film with a lot of smoke and rain. With experience, I have learnt that when a sword cuts through the rain in circular motion, the scene looks elegant and stylish on screen. I’ve kept that in mind in Marakkar. There was also a fight in clay. Clay can quickly suck you in, like quicksand, and demands a particular kind of footwear. I have the rhythm and a penchant for action, so despite the challenges, I’ve pulled off these scenes.

Another tough role was Main Hoon Na in which I played former army captain Rahavan Singh Dutta, a rogue para commando who was court-martialled for killing innocent Pakistani citizen claiming they were spies. He’s passionate about his country and at the same time angry about losing his son in the war. Everything he does is with the mixed emotion of a proud soldier and a vulnerable father. Once again I sported long hair and beard, and was dressed in fatigues. Here the challenge was to ensure that my body language was that of an army officer.

On the face of it, Gopi Kishan was a comedy, but the fact that it was a double role with the gullible Gopi balancing out Kishan, a hardened criminal, made it a tightrope walk. Those days I was completely into action, and not accepted in any other role. For the innocent Gopi, I found a role model in Rajiv Rai’s production head. The film helped me establish myself as a comic actor, and producers started realising I could break out of the tough guy image if needed. And that helped me land Hera Pheri.

We had plenty of workshops and mocks before the shoot. All of us wore limited make-up to look poor. Priyan (director, Priyadarshan) used to make us sleep on the floor so we’d look tired and dishevelled. Our clothes weren’t ironed nor did we comb our hair. I had to totally cut myself off from the macho image because Shyam was an innocent, speaking in a high-pitched voice and crying all the time irrespective of whether he was happy or sad. Raju (Akshay Kumar’s character) was the flamboyant rascal. We have done two films in the franchise and will soon return to a third.

Before I wind up, I’d like to mention Border, the most special film of my career, in which I played a soldier called Bhairav Singh. Since he was from Rajasthan, I had to work on the dialect and feel connected to the soil. I would be in uniform the whole day and spend time with the army to understand how they thought. I quickly realised they cared about just two things—country and family. In the film, I would turn mellow and emotional during my conversations with Akshaye (Khanna) and Sunny (Deol) about our families but would be instantly on alert the minute talk turned to the army and the nation. It’s these small character traits and attention to details that made Border an iconic film.

Rajiv Rai, the maker of films like Gupt, Tridev and Mohra, is back after 15 years to direct an action-thriller
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 25, 2019)

Rajiv Rai is all set to return to Bollywood, 15 years after the release of his action thriller, Asambhav. “It’s been a long time but I’m looking forward to directing another Hindi film. I have been working on several ideas over the last few years and have finally zeroed in on the script of my next,” states the writer-director-editor of films like Gupt, Tridev, Vishwatma and Mohra.

The son of producer-distributor Gulshan Rai, Rajiv made his directorial debut in 1985 with the Anil Kapoor-Tina Munim-Jackie Shroff starrer Yudh. He married actress Sonam, whom he had directed in Tridev and Vishwatma, in 1991 and two years later, their son, Gaurav, was born. He fled India to live in the UK after a failed assassination attempt in 1997, returning after four years with the romantic drama, Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat. It bombed, but in 2004, Rajiv was back at the marquee with Asambhav featuring Arjun Rampal and Priyanka Chopra. Shortly after its release, his father passed away after a prolonged illness, and Rajiv disappeared again. He only made news three years ago with the news of his divorce. There have been speculations about his return since 2015 which he rubbishes but admits he is ready to roll with a film soon.

“I have been working on this film for over a year, it’s the best script of my career so far,” he asserts. Prod him for details and he adds, “It’s essentially an action thriller, but there is a lot of drama and emotion too. I’m in the process of locking the final draft.”

According to a source, the film in question will go on the floors by September, but Rajiv will not be drawn into a confirmation. “It’s too early to discuss the shooting schedule,” he says shortly.

Buzz is, the film in question is the sequel to his 1997 thriller, Gupt, which featured Kajol and Bobby Deol and Manisha Koirala. The director refutes the rumours, saying, “I was working on an idea that had the potential to be a Gupt sequel, but somewhere, I wasn’t satisfied with the way it was shaping up and shelved the idea. There is no point making a sequel just for the heck of it. My upcoming film is definitely not a remake or sequel to Gupt, Mohra or Tridev. It is a completely fresh subject and different from what is being made in today’s time. It is more significant than anything I have made in the past.”

Rajiv was recently spotted on the sets of Ali Abbas Zafar’s Bharat, featuring Salman Khan, with his producer-friend Shabbir Boxwala. Ask him if a film with the actor is on the cards, the director smiles, “No, I have not approached him for any film. Salman is an old and dear friend, I have known him since long before he became an actor. It was just a social visit.”

Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 26, 2018)

It was nostalgia central on the sets of Madhuri Dixit’s dance reality show Dance Deewane on Monday when Raveena Tandon turned up for a guest spot. The actress joined Madhuri, fi lmmaker Shashank Khaitan and choreographer Tushar Kalia on the judges’ panel.

A source from the sets reveals that both actresses shook a leg to the chartbuster “Makhna” from Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, in which Raveena was paired with Govinda, while Madhuri made a special appearance in the song. They also danced to Raveena’s sensuous “Tip Tip Barsa Paani” from Mohra, with the other judges joining in. This was followed by an impromptu whistling competition between the duo, wherein they entertained everyone by whistling in different styles and Raveena remarking that both were pretty good at it.

Meanwhile, Tushar grabbed eyeballs with a pole-dancing act. Raveena cheekily pointed out that Tushar looks good dancing shirtless, sending everyone into peals of laughter.

Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; January 31, 2018)

Interviewing actors can sometimes be a tricky job; especially when the subject doesn’t believe in censoring his words. In today’s day and age, Naseeruddin Shah represents the endangered species of celebrities, who unabashedly speak their mind, endorse frank thoughts and indulge in self-deprecation. In a conversation with BT, the actor delves into what makes Akshay Kumar’s choices smart, the insatiable desire for stardom that’s common in the industry and why hits and flops have never decided the course of his career. Excerpts:

You will soon be seen in Neeraj Pandey’s upcoming film, Aiyaary. The last time you collaborated with him was for his debut, A Wednesday, which was a decade ago…
Yes, Neeraj didn’t need me all these years. He found Akshay Kumar (laughs!)

Well, they have delivered some good films together…
I’m not denying that. Akshay is a smart guy, he was intelligent enough to realise that the audience had seen enough of his acrobatics and he has to change. He has done some decent movies in recent times and grown as an actor.

In one of your earlier interviews, you had mentioned that casting a star in a realistic role doesn’t work. Looking at Akshay’s line-up of films in the last few years, would you change that stance?
No, I still stand by what I had said. Airlift and Jolly LLB 2 succeeded, but I do think that those people, whose orientation into acting is as a star, find it difficult to move away from stardom. Most of them are not real even in their real lives. Only someone like Mr Bachchan (Amitabh Bachchan) with exceptional skills can manage that. His orientation into cinema was as an actor and not as a star. Stardom for him came much later. That’s the reason I was impressed with Akshay, because after having been a star for so long, he could impart authenticity to the roles he has played lately. He picks relevant topics. Varun Dhawan is also pretty good at what he does and is hard working. Alia Bhatt, to me, is an exception. She was crying a bit much in her first film, but that girl is something else. Girls like her, Kalki Koechlin and Swara Bhasker are among the finest actresses we have today.

But Alia, like several others brought up in the industry, has found a lot of support from the fraternity’s big-wigs, which actresses like Kalki and Swara lack…
(Cuts in) This industry is a pretty incestuous place. It doesn’t work for everyone. You need to have the talent for someone to back it. If one doesn’t have the ability and the drive to do well, the backing is of no use. It’s terrific that girls like Swara and Kalki, despite not being embraced by the industry, are doing well. They must not hanker to become stars.

Do you think that most actors eventually want to become stars?
Everyone wants to become a star. There is no doubt about that, but you have to outgrow that phase. When I was 20, even I wanted to be a star. Eventually, when I went to drama school, I was sure I won’t be dancing around trees. And what do you know? The next thing I was doing was dancing around trees. It was thrust upon me. I wanted commercial success very badly and I never got it, but it didn’t kill me. It hurt me, but I realised my strength is elsewhere. The sooner you realise it, the better it is. I realised it after my first song-and-dance role, but I continued to do it for some more films after that. I finally cracked the naach-gaana formula with The Dirty Picture. Thirty years too late?

What do you think of actors like Rajkummar Rao and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who started out with small roles in big films and have now begun to make waves as leading men in commercial cinema?
It’s great that actors like them are getting such films. I think Irrfan Khan has also handled his career very well. I was a tad afraid when he did something with Rakhi Sawant in the past, but look at his choices now. Rajkummar and Nawaz’s success gladdens my heart, but I also have my apprehensions. Will they continue to back the kind of films that have brought them this far? Or will they jump the ship and do the Rs 100-crore movies? That’s a choice they have to make because it’s difficult to straddle both worlds. Nawaz is becoming a tad repetitive, but I still look forward to his films.

Over the last two-three years, you’ve restricted yourself to fewer films — some like Irada (2017) which failed at the box office, Nude (yet to release), which has run into controversies, and Welcome Back (2015), which got a lot of flak. So, what keeps you going?
No one watched Irada and it wasn’t a good film. Nude, I thought, was an important film and that the situation of these women must be highlighted as they lead a tragic life. Ravi Jadhav (director) also made Natrang, which was a beautiful movie. Through the last year, I did very little work — Nude, a Gujarati film called Dhuh and a small role in Aiyaary. I didn’t feel like doing the rest of the work that was offered. It wasn’t interesting.

There aren’t too many actors who say that they have done a bad film. Like they say, there’s some audience for every film...
Sure. Some people also told me that Zinda Jala Doonga (1988) was great. People couldn’t stop raving about Karma, which I can’t stand. So, a few people did say that Irada’s subject was good and the acting was fine, but it was a dreadfully-made film. The directors (Aparnaa Singh and Nishant Tripathi) knew nothing about their job. I lost hope for that film while shooting it. When I work on films like this, I do it in the hope that it’s an important film and a good subject. But it’s like the throw of the dice: it may turn out to be Irada or A Wednesday. I did just one scene for Zoya’s film (Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara), because I like her and the script. You can have different reasons for doing different things.

What was your reason to work in a film like Welcome Back?
There were millions of reasons to do that film. Why did you have to watch it? The reason these films get made is that they end up making money at the box office. What do you do about that? I enjoyed working with Anees Bazmee, though some people don’t like him as much. So many actors, cars, camels and dancers in the middle of a desert and yet, he was in control. You need some ability to do that.

Often, decisions to make a film’s sequel are driven by commerce. Is that the reason one might never see another edition of Ishqiya, though there were many who liked the film?
The second one (Dedh Ishqiya) failed at the box office, so Ishqiya may not have another sequel. What else other than money can drive one to make a sequel here? Unless you are Francis Ford Coppola, creative satisfaction is not the reason you back a sequel that didn’t make money the last time around. And here, there are many Francis Fraud Coppolas.

But lately, a lot of small, concept-driven films seem to have worked with the audience. What do you make of that?
It’s become easy to make films with smaller budgets, but releasing them is still a cumbersome task. There are some 35 films of mine which are rotting somewhere. I’m sure when people ask, ‘Hero kaun hai?’ and they’re told ‘Naseer’, they know where to look. Coffin Maker has been in the cans for more than four years now. So, money makes the mare go around. A Wednesday released because the producers saw money in it. Otherwise, despite its content, it would never have released.

Doesn’t this situation frighten you as an artiste?
Doing the work is more important than these things. I did a commercial hit like Tridev, but it did nothing to my market value, or my attitude, or the movies I did after that. I wasn’t flooded with offers even after Mohra’s success. Instead, I had a steady stream of roles that no one would do, because people felt I can deliver the goods. Not that my name adds anything to a project, but the failure or success of my film doesn’t make any difference to me either. I did Welcome Back, but after that no offers man! And I’m fine that way. My career has gone off very smoothly. No turning points, no sudden showers of fame and money and no sudden dips. The best part is that I don’t need to lose my sleep over how my next film will do.