Thrilled to bag Anurag Kashyap's Choked, South actor Roshan says he struggled to stay mum about the film
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; June 4, 2020)

Malayalam actor Roshan Mathew shows little signs of nervousness ahead of his foray into Hindi cinema with the Netflix film, Choked: Paisa Bolta Hai. Instead, he is proud to "migrate to another industry" under the able guidance of filmmaker Anurag Kashyap.

"AK has a distinct way of working; he is a mad genius. As an actor, I was used to preparing and drawing out the character's journey. AK is instinctive and impulsive. He only wants you to be present in the moment," shares Mathew.

Best remembered for films like Aanandam (2016) and Koode (2018), the actor caught Kashyap's attention with his performance in Moothon (2019) that was co-produced by the latter. "He told me, 'you are part of my next'. Within hours, he had sent me the script."

That he was part of Choked was to be kept under wraps till the official announcement was made. Mathew admits he was itching to tell the world about his Bollywood foray. "When my friends and colleagues came to know about it, they said, 'You didn't tell us you're doing an Anurag Kashyap film'. I was overwhelmed by the congratulatory calls."

Nishad Neelambaran (HINDUSTAN TIMES; January 6, 2020)

From being a screenwriter in Ram Gopal Varma’s Satya (1998) to turning director with Black Friday (2007), Anurag Kashyap has come a long way. His movies have been appreciated by the critics and audiences alike. With movies such as Dev D (2009), Gulaal (2010), That Girl In Yellow Boots (2011) and the Gangs of Wasseypur series, to his credit, Anurag says that he has evolved over the years. “The young me was idealistic and angry, but then I found sarcasm and humour,” he says. The 47-year-old director, who has always been vocal about his opinions, says that he’s approaching mid-life and “the crisis has kicked in big time”.

He says, “It has started reflecting in my work, my stories and the choice of things that I am trying to do. Now, I think I’m getting more condense and complex. But at the same time, I also simplify the complexities. Earlier, I wouldn’t care about this.”

So does he care about box office numbers? “Everyone cares about numbers. Over the years, I have understood that I don’t want to dumb down to reach out to the maximum, but I want to reach out to enough that it sustains me.”

The filmmaker is all praise for regional cinema. “They are way more braver than us. When you look at filmmakers such as Aashiq Abu, Geetu Mohandas and Lijo Jose Pellissery, the kind of work they are doing is on another level. The way Geetu has handled the subject of Moothon (for which Kashyap wrote the screenplay), I don’t think any male director would have been able to do it. The kind of rawness of Mumbai that she shows in the film, I have never seen anybody do it. I wish I knew any of the south Indian languages. Main udhar jaake (in south India) movies banata.”

About how the digital world has changed the industry, Anurag says, “As a storyteller, my primary job is to tell stories and now I can tell them in an uninhibited way. I am totally anti-censor.”

Moothon was the opening film at the 21st Mumbai Film Festival and turns out to be a one-time watch. The beginning portions of the film are okay and even a bit clichéd, reminding one of similar films in this space. But the second act of the film is excellent. The film changes track here in an unexpected way and are very touching. The pre-climax and finale are a bit unpredictable but not that great. The film ends on a confusing note. The actors rise above the script thankfully. Nivin Pauly owns the film. He rocks both in the flashback as well as present-day portions and also ensures both these avatars are different from each other. Roshan Mathew doesn’t speak a word and rocks the show with his acting, body language and looks. Sanjana Dipu surprises not just with the performance but also with the characterization. Sobhita Dhulipala as always is great. Shashank Arora is too crude as per his character's requirement. All in all, watch Moothon with low expectations and hopefully you’ll enjoy!

My rating - *** out of 5!

Ready to take her bilingual movie Moothon to Toronto film festival, Sobhita Dhulipala on backing content-driven cinema
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; August 17, 2019)

It's turning out to be a good year for Sobhita Dhulipala — if she started 2019 with the widely acclaimed web series, Made In India, her latest cinematic endeavour too is a source of pride. Moothon — which also stars Malayalam star Nivin Pauly — will have its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 11.

“The film is part of the special section at TIFF. When I first read the script many years ago, I was blown by it. Now, I am glad that it is getting its due. I am looking forward to showing this film to people at the festival, interacting with the international press and movie aficionados,” says the actor of the Geetu Mohandas-directed venture that revolves around a young child in search of his elder brother.

The bilingual drama (Hindi and Malayalam) has also been selected as the opening film of Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI) 2019. Anurag Kashyap, a co-producer on the project, is working on the Hindi dialogues, hoping to meet the October deadline. Stating that the movie beautifully flits from being a crime thriller to a surreal fantasy, Dhulipala adds, “The script is a winner at the Sundance Screenwriters Lab, so the story is credible. These movies deserve a variety of audience and not just a remote release in Kerala.”

Does she feel like a crossover star considering she juggles web series with films across diverse languages? “I am a Vishakapatnam girl who has come to Mumbai. I have learnt Hindi to belong here. Today, we are mix of influences as there is greater inclusivity. The idea of a crossover star is dated. I am neither crossover nor a star yet,” she smiles.

The actress is gearing up to feature in a period-drama that is slated to roll next year
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 27, 2018)

Sobhita Dhulipala, who made her Bollywood debut with Anurag Kashyap’s Raman Raghav 2.0 and featured in the Saif Ali Khan starrer Kaalakaandi, has bagged her first international film. The yet-untitled British period-drama is gearing up to roll in mid-2019.

“My first experience of meeting filmmakers from across the globe and understanding their craft happened when we went to Cannes with Raman Raghav 2.0, which was selected in the Director’s Fortnight category. I met a filmmaker and we got talking about a project,” the pageant queen-turned-actress informs, adding that her training in Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam helped her bag the part.

Sobhita, who grew up in Visakhapatnam learning the dance forms, is quick to inform that she hadn’t taken it up with the intention of joining films in future. “It was more of a cultural thing in my family, but I am happy that it’s coming in handy now,” she says.

The self-proclaimed history buff is looking forward to work in a period film. She begins prep closer to the shooting date. “The British history includes a lot of Indian history as well, and I play an important part in the film,” she informs, tight-lipped about the details.

Prod her on the two-year gap between her first and second film and Sobhita attributes it to censor-related issues. “They were sitting on the edit table for two years because of the censors, among other things. But then a Telugu spy thriller, Goodachari, which relessed this year became a blockbuster. I have also shot for Moothon, directed by Geetu Mohandas, whose Liar’s Dice was India’s official entry to the Oscars in the Best Foreign Language Film category,” the actress reveals.

She’s also found a mentor in Anurag. “We speak often and are good friends. He works towards what he believes in, which is inspiring. We also keep making fun of each other on Instagram. But when I face uncertainties in terms of scripts or need guidance, he is the one person I trust,” she admits.

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 22, 2018)

After Raman Raghav and Kaalakandi, Sobhita Dhulipala will play the leading lady in Malayalam filmmaker Jeethu Joseph’s Hindi suspense-thriller, a remake of the 2012 Spanish film, The Body. Emraan Hashmi plays the male lead in the film. The original, directed by Oriol Paulo, was a critical and commercial success.

The 25-year-old actress kicks off a four-day shoot in Mumbai today and will take off to Mauritius next week for a start-to-finish schedule. The film is expected to wrap up by July end. “We will be filming both indoors and outdoors but my portions have a little more to do with staying inside. It’s a gripping film which unravels over one night, narrated through several flashbacks. I was so hooked, I read the script in one hour,” she says, adding that co-producer Sunir Khetrapal was instrumental in bringing her on-board.

“I’m yet to meet Emraan but I’ve seen his work and he comes across as a sincere actor. I’m looking forward to working with him,” Sobhita says. Pointing out that Jeethu’s repertoire boasts of the award-winning Malayalam thriller, Drishyam, Sobhita calls him a “talented filmmaker who has a way of keeping his audience hooked to the story”. “The Body is not so much about fear as about mind games and word play. It keeps you guessing throughout. There is a lot of talent crossover from the south, which is great. I am a geek off-screen and it will be enriching to work with people from different cultures,” she says.

Before Sobhita jumps into her third Hindi film, the actress has wrapped up a Hindi–Malayalam bilingual, Moothon, co-produced by Aanand L Rai and Alan McAlex, with Hindi dialogues by Anurag Kashyap. The film’s script by Geetu Mohandas won the Global Filmmaking Award at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, and Geetu shot it in 2017 in Mumbai, wrapping it up last month in Lakshwadeep.

“Moothon’s dialogue are 70 per cent in Hindi and 30 per cent in a rare Malayalee dialect from the islands. It’s an adventure-fantasy with tsunamis, mermaids, drug-pedalling and prostitution. I am proud that I was a part of this project alongside the fantastic actor Nivin Pauly (Bangalore Days, Neram, 1983),” says Sobhita. The film will now be traveling to a couple of prominent film festivals before it hits screens in India.

Sobhita insists that she’s not “star-crazy” and isn’t chasing fame or money. She recently began an Economics course at the University of Oxford and has begun dabbling in painting too. “There’s no rush. I am in a happy space. It’s a great time to be young,” she says with a smile.

Currently busy with his upcoming web show, Gangster Newton, Shashank Arora on why it’s important for filmmakers to be passionate about craft of storytelling
Letty Mariam Abraham (MID-DAY; May 15, 2018)

Shashank Arora is a man who dons many hats, and each one, with panache. Currently filming for actor Nakuul Mehta’s production, the web show Gangster Newton, the writer, music composer and actor is now set to explore direction too. Apart from his upcoming Indian project, Manto, starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Purab Kohli and Paresh Rawal, Arora is also awaiting the release of Songs Of Scorpions. The latter features Golshifteh Farahani, Irrfan Khan and Waheeda Rehman and is set to release next month. When we meet him at his Goregaon apartment, he talks to us about juggling multiple roles, and turning down big projects. Edited excerpts from the interview.

Your upcoming web show, Gangster Newton, has an unusual title. Tell us about it.
It’s about a young Maharashtrian boy who fails to find a job despite being an IIT topper. He has struggled all his life, and despite being studious, doesn’t get a job. He never made friends or fell in love, because he wanted to study and be an achiever. In the end, a garage owner gives him a job. He later realises that there is something sinister going on in the garage and they [the workers] are part of a mafia gang. He kills everyone and rises to the top [to be part of the mafia circle]. He has no physical strength, and only uses his mind to make his move. He uses mathematics to fight and calls himself Newton.

What is the status of the project?
We are yet to shoot the entire series. Since everyone got busy with other projects, this one took a backseat. But, we will wrap it up this year. We don’t have a The Big Bang Theory [American show, based on geeks] here. We don’t have to copy them, but the effect it [the show] has had on the population is brilliant.

Is the show expected to have violence?
There will be a bit of it, but ultimately, it is a story of a boy and his use of maths. Every episode is based on a [real-life] scientist and that is more than I should have said. There is nothing like it in the web space right now.

Are you consciously choosing non-commercial projects?
My decisions have been organic. I have refused conventional roles since Titli (2015) released. I refuse to do films where I can’t bring something to the table or grow as an actor. I want to serve the audience with something good.

There were reports of you turning down some big-ticket projects. Were those decisions easy to take? 
I did feel scared and worried that if I gave the wrong impression, I would be ignored in the industry. But it depends on how you say no. If you have a legitimate reason, the person will understand. I never let the producers feel there is something lacking in the project. I ask two questions before I agree to take up a role: ‘Why does this person want to tell this story’ and ‘do they like telling stories’. If a filmmaker is making a film for money alone, they will not be able to tell the story. Money is important, but it is not my primary motive.

But not all projects you take up can be successful, take the example of Rock On 2 (2016).
I liked the script [of Rock On 2]. It was a story of a band that was trying to make people aware of the plight of farmers. But certain films don’t turn out the way you expect them to. [Even today] I don’t see Rock On as something I wouldn’t be part of.

You’ve dabbled in various fields. What part of the business comes naturally to you?
Music and writing comes easier than acting and direction.

Are you composing anything new?
I am composing for a Malayalam film called Moothon, which has been written by Anurag Kashyap. It stars Nivin Pauly and sees me as the villain. It is about a boy who comes to Mumbai in search of his brother. It was shot in Kamathipura, Dharavi and Andaman. We are expecting a year-end release.