WILL DIL BECHARA MANAGE TO BREAK ALL OTT RECORDS?

The demise of Sushant Singh Rajput occurred around 40 days back. Yet, it has been constantly in the news, unfortunately more so for the wrong reasons. It has reignited the nepotism debate like never before and the way baseless allegations have been put up on many movie stars is astonishing. However, on a positive side, the interest in this case has led to considerable hype for Dil Bechara, which releases tomorrow on Disney+ Hotstar. It’ll be Sushant’s last film. In a heartening move, the OTT giant has decided to make this film available to subscribers as well as non-subscribers. In other words, it’ll be available for viewing for free for one and all.

Dil Bechara was launched way back in October 2017. The film was then untitled and fans only knew that Sushant has been signed for a film which would be directed by casting director Mukesh Chhabra. And also, it was revealed that it’ll be a remake of the Hollywood 2014 tearjerker The Fault In Our Stars. In March 2018, the makers announced that they have signed Sanjana Sanghi as the leading heroine. The film went on floors in July 2018 in Jamshedpur and was then titled Kizie Aur Manny. The shooting halted in October 2018 when Mukesh Chhabra was named in the #MeToo movement. But when no proof was found, he was reinstated back as director by it’s producers, Fox Star Studios. The film, meanwhile, was renamed Dil Bechara, and it’s final schedule probably happened in Paris. Here, it was Saif Ali Khan who joined the unit.

Dil Bechara was to originally release on November 29, 2019 but was pushed to May 8, 2020. It raised eyebrows since the film was ready since a long time. Also, reports came in that the makers are trying to sell this film to an OTT platform since it’s too niche or not-well made. Hence, its box office prospects were bleak as per reports. And when the Coronavirus-induced lockdown came into force on March 25, 2020, Fox decided to not release it in cinemas and instead stream it on Disney+ Hotstar. And when Sushant Singh Rajput passed away, they decided to stream it for free.

The trailer of the film was released on July 6 and got a brilliant response. It emerged as the most liked video on YouTube in 24 hours, surpassing the record held by Avengers. However, it didn’t took much time to realize that most people are doing so because Sushant is no more. A few people pointed out that if Sushant was alive, these same people would have panned the trailer and called it a poor copy of The Fault In Our Stars. And the same can be expected from the film once it releases tomorrow. It’ll get praise from all quarters and those who would express their displeasure over the film would be attacked. Hence, it might be difficult to gauge genuine reactions of people.

However, with immense curiosity surrounding the film, it might end up getting record views. And since it’s available for free, non-subscribers would prefer watching it on the Disney+ Hotstar platform itself, and not on torrent or any other way. Hence, if all goes well, Dil Bechara might end up breaking all OTT records, at least for Indian movies!

Meena Iyer (DNA; December 15, 2018)

Everyone was curious about what would be Abhishek Bachchan’s next film post Anurag Kashyap’s Manmarziyaan. The actor was so good in it that there was a kind of frenzy on what he would choose next.

Momentum built up when AB Junior started talks with director Pavan Kirpalani (of Ragini MMS and Phobia fame). An international film giant agreed to fund the project.

However, talks fell through because when it came to remuneration, Abhishek reportedly asked for big money.

Next, the studio, which was committed to Pavan and the subject, apparently began talks with Saif Ali Khan. The Nawab of Pataudi’s fee was settled on, but it allegedly came with a rider, according to which Saif would have to do a cameo or an extended special appearance in Mukesh Chhabra’s Kizie Aur Manny that features Sushant Singh Rajput and newbie Sanjana Sanghi.

Saif agreed and was about to begin work when Mukesh’s career hit a small roadblock. His name cropped up in the #MeToo Movement that gripped Bollywood. Work ground to a halt on Kizie Aur Manny as the director’s name had to be cleared by the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC).

By the time his name was finally cleared and the shoot for his romantic film was supposed to resume, Saif’s dates were committed to Sacred Games season 2. Hence, the Nawab had to request for a fresh set of dates for his cameo in the Sushant-starrer, failing which he had to be let off.

Now, the studio was adamant that they couldn’t relieve him. Instead, it is strongly rumoured that they went back to AB Junior, who agreed to be a part of Pavan’s film. Apparently, he got away with asking for a fat pay cheque, too. A source says, “When Saif learnt all this had happened behind his back, he was furious. He called the studio bosses and told them that it was unprofessional on their part to deal with another actor without keeping him in the loop.”

The studio heads, of course, reportedly mumbled excuses and put the blame on another reputed filmmaker. They claimed he suggested them to ditch Saif and go back to Abhishek. Once again, there was commotion. The Sacred Games hero confronted this filmmaker, who also happens to be his friend. The director-producer, in turn, asked the studio why his name was dragged into the controversy in vain.

Guess while all this was playing out, Pavan felt he had suffered too much grief over his movie and decided enough was enough. Our source adds, “Pavan felt the studio and everyone concerned was treating his passionate project with too much disdain. So, he decided to step back.”

We messaged Pavan to ask whether this information about his backing out of the Saif/Abhishek project was true? And whether he was doing something altogether different now. He read our SMS, but chose not to respond till the time of going to press.

Manoj Bajpayee on why he initially turned down Tabrez Noorani’s directorial and what makes a fi lm about a police constable exciting
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 11, 2018)

It’s not easy getting Manoj Bajpayee to give his nod to a role. When the makers of Love Sonia, David Womark who had earlier produced Life of Pi and director Tabrez Noorani, approached him for a special appearance, to play Faisal who trafficks young girls, Manoj turned them down pointing out that the role had no shades of grey and a stark black or white character is of little interest to either the actor or the audience. “But they kept returning to me through Mukesh Chabbra (casting director) who is a dear friend and after I offered my opinion, agreed to certain changes I suggested to make the character more real and believable as a human being rather than someone from another planet,” informs the National Award-winning actor who continued adding and subtracting even on the sets. “Though he is trading in human flesh, Faisal treats it like a business. He can be a father, brother, mentor and friend to these girls he sells, but if you mess with him, he will come after you because he has to safeguard his products,” Manoj explains with practical calm that is chilling.

Basking in the appreciation he’s getting for his just released film — “the kind of compliments I got during Aligarh” — Manoj has his hopes pinned on the upcoming Bhonsle which will have its world premiere at the Busan Film Festival. He plays a retired, terminally ill head constable trying to find purpose in life and the film revolves around his new-found relationship with his neighbour, a young migrant nurse. “It’s a relationship which cannot be defined in words as it’s neither romantic nor sexual. I’ve been a part of the project since the script came to me almost five years ago. I’m one of the many producers and with Bhosle, I’m taking baby steps in this field. We will take it to all the festivals, it’s a beautiful film,” he says.

The actor who is currently in Leh shooting a show, The Family Man, has just returned from a month-long vacation in Los Angeles with wife Shabana and daughter Ava Nayla. “I managed to combine family time with some meetings,” he informs. Any new Hollywood film in the offing, you wonder, and he laughs, “Nothing to make headlines about right now.” And what about the Satyameva Jayate sequel? He surprises you by saying he doesn’t know anything about that. “Anyway everything depends on the script, it all begins and ends with that,” he says

Pihu Sand waxes eloquent about the actor’s energy; discusses challenges of putting on 20 kg
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 16, 2018)

Twenty-year-old Mumbai girl Pihu Sand plays Anil Kapoor and Divya Dutta’s daughter, Lata Sharma, in the upcoming musical-drama Fanney Khan. Lata dreams of becoming a star performer while battling fat-shaming. The actress admits that when she auditioned for casting director Mukesh Chhabra, she had never imagined she would land the main role in a big Bollywood film which is primarily a father-daughter story.

“We had to go through a five-day workshop in the final round of audition and we were given some stage acts to perform which were recorded. During the last two days, Atul Manjrekar sir (the film’s director) gave us some scenes to improvise on and I guess that’s what got me the part. I auditioned for nine months and just when I was beginning to get angry, they told me I was on,” she reminisces, saying she identified with Lata because she was over-weight too. “I had to put on another 20 kg in six months for the role and the prep included planning Lata’s look, makeup and even her haircut. The fringe is an important part of the character.”

She goes on to explain that the character had to look innocent and vulnerable yet confident; someone who doesn’t really care about looks and is more focussed on her talent. “She dresses up oddly but can pull it off even when she overdoes it,” laughs Pihu.

Speaking about her transformation, the actress reveals that she reached 98 kg, which is the heaviest she has ever been. “Being fat was lovely because I am not shy about my body and everybody made me comfortable. Yes, I did have some health issues, but it was worth it because it was for something I love,” she asserts.

Quiz her on body-shaming remarks and Pihu admits that when she was in school, some of the boys would tease her and sometimes made her cry. “I was fat because of a medical condition. I gained weight after 12 years and I still don’t understand why being fat or thin is not okay. I connected with Lata because a few similar things happened to me in real life too,” she says, refusing to dwell on them.

She didn’t get to work with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Rajkummar Rao but describes her on-screen daddy, Anil Kapoor, as a “field trip, very educational”. “Mr Kapoor and Divya are like schools of acting who made me feel like family. We did some readings at his place and he was so warm I immediately felt like his daughter,” she smiles, raving about his youthfulness which is tough to match. “He’s like a bomb that’s always going off. He’s so passionate and so am I but while I’d get tired sometimes, he was always fresh in front of the camera.”

After heartbreaks, low phases and going off-track, Manisha Koirala says she has now made peace with her past
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; May 15, 2017)

She's back on the B- Town scene after — as she puts it — facing death and no more of taking your health for granted. When we meet Manisha Koirala at a suburban club at a little after 9.30 pm, we see no signs of exhaustion although she has been giving back-to-back interviews for the past few hours for the promotions of her upcoming film, Sunaina Bhatnagar’s Dear Maya. Manisha has two more projects lined up — Rajkumar Hirani’s biopic on Sanjay Dutt in which she essays the actor’s mother, Nargis Dutt, and Bombay Talkies 2 in which she features in the segment directed by Dibakar Banerjee. As she sits down for a chat, she keeps wiping her face with a wet tissue. Excerpts:

Do you find the pace of promotions hectic now?
It is indeed hectic. I am doing it after a gap and things have changed. I consider myself old-school, but I am keeping up with the times. But, I do not want to overdo things that can take a toll on my energy. I want to strike a balance. I am doing whatever I can for Dear Maya. There is so much competition now. The audience has too many choices; they could rather be watching a movie on Netflix [instead of your film in theatres]. We have to push little harder to lure the audience.

How do you look at the new phase of your life?
I am grateful for a new lease of life. My battle with cancer opened my eyes to several things. In the last five years, I had a lot of time to introspect. I consider myself in a better space now. I don’t want to look back. I have had my bad times. I have had heartbreaks, low phases and gone off track, but it has been a learning phase. I am content with life and have made peace with many things including my relationship with my parents. What matters to me is that I remain happy. I know it is not going to be easy. I don’t want a man in my life now. I don’t want to shake up my life again.

What were your apprehensions about a comeback?
I was coming back after a break, so I was keen to get it right. I was conscious about the decisions that I needed to take. The script, producer, director — everything had to be right. At the same time, I didn’t want to push myself. I want to enjoy my work and don’t want to do what I did in my 20s. I have made compartments in my life; I want to enjoy them all.

How is the shoot of Bombay Talkies 2 coming along?
I feature in one of the segments directed by Dibakar Banerjee. I play a mother of two who loves the water. I was a jury member at the Dubai Film Festival where his 2006 film Khosla Ka Ghosla was screened. Dibakar is a new-age director with new vision. I was hoping to work with him one day, and now I have got the chance.

Initially, you had reservations about playing Nargis Dutt in the Dutt biopic?
When casting agent Mukesh Chabbra called me for it, my first reaction was, ‘What? I have to play Baba’s (Sanjay Dutt) mother now?’ We have done several films (Yalgaar, 1991; Sanam, 1997; Kartoos, 1999). I was always a tomboy on the set when shooting with Baba. I had my reservations as I would end up playing mother’s roles. I know how the industry functions. I pondered over it for a while and then said yes. I thought to myself, when will I get to play Nargis Dutt again. When I told my mother, she was excited about it. She told me about Nargisji and her trademark white sarees. I am looking forward to the film.

Have you interacted with the Dutts recently?
No, I am going with Rajji’s [Hirani] vision. I had once met Priya Dutt on a flight to New York where I was headed for a medical checkup. I have always admired the work she does for Nargis Dutt Cancer Foundation. Last month, she invited me for a cancer survivors event, I told her, ‘now tell me about your mom’. She handed me a book, Mr and Mrs Dutt, (co-written with sister Namrata Dutt Kumar).

Your brother Siddharth Koirala has disappeared from Bollywood.
He is back home in Nepal and into politics now. He is married and has a daughter.

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 10, 2017)

Actor-singer Ayushmann Khurrana is turning producer with wife Tahira Kashyap directorial debut, a short film titled Toffee. Ayushmann will be co-producing the film with casting director Mukesh Chhabra.

Set in the nineties, the story follows two girls around the age of 11 who chase a conspiracy theory prevailing in Punjab at the time. The 15-minute film has been shot in Basti Sheikh, a small town in Jalandhar, in guerrilla style by DoP Vivek Shah.

Raving over his wife, Ayushmann told Mirror, “Tahira who is already an author, has written a really good script, one that deserves to be seen by people. She’s written scripts for our theatre group and has directed plays before and its time she directed a film now. Despite being a short film, Toffee, will have the look and feel of a feature film.”

The debutant director admits that she’d have loved to have her husband act in the film too but the story did not allow that. “It’s about two young girls. I know Ayushmann loves challenges, but this would have been too big a challenge,” Tahira laughs, admitting that the first time Ayushmann told her that he loved the script, she didn’t believe him. “Both of us are extremely critical of each other’s work. So when he said that he loved it, I actually asked him to repeat it again.”

Tahira points out that even though she liked the way the characters she scripted unfolded on stage in her plays, she never imagined that one day she would actually direct a film. It was only recently that she focussed all her thoughts and actions into directing a short. “I want to direct a full-length feature film some day too, but I need to earn that opportunity. I am confident, I will in due time, with experience and validation,” she signs off with a smile.

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 12, 2016)

After playing the bad guy in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Aks, Rajat Mukherjee’s Road and Amit Sharma’s Tevar, Manoj Bajpayee will be seen playing the antagonist in Tabrez Noorani’s directorial debut, Love Sonia, which also features Demi Moore, Freida Pinto, Richa Chadha and Anupam Kher in pivotal roles. According to the 47-year-old actor, this is the most brutal character he has ever played.

“It’s an out-and-out negative role of a businessman for whom everything is a transaction. I believe there is good in everyone but I couldn’t find any redeeming qualities in this character. Though I don’t judge the characters I play, I felt a little disgusted with this one at times,” Manoj told Mirror, adding that he was approached by Tabrez and filmmaker David Womark through casting director Mukesh Chhabra.

Love Sonia, inspired by real events and written by Ted Caplan and Alkesh Vaja, is about a young Indian village girl, Sonia, whose life changes irrevocably when she gets trapped in a global sex trade network. The film features a smattering of Mandarin and English. However, Manoj who shot for his part earlier this year in Mumbai had his dialogues in Hindi.

“For my prep, I stuck to my director’s brief as he had researched a lot for the film. I shot for around 12 days. It was great shooting with Freida and Richa. I have been getting some great feedback from the edit room in Los Angeles,’ Manoj beams, further informing that while his characters in Tevar and Road had shades of grey, reiterating that the audience “will hate this guy’s guts after watching the film.”

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 11, 2016)



In a still from 'Cloud Atlas'


On the set in Ladakh

Now, Sobhita Dhulipala has signed a three-film deal with Phantom films
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 13, 2016)


Eight years ago, a tomboyish Sobhita Dhulipala, who was planning to backpack her way out of her hometown, Visakhapatnam, would have laughed off anyone suggesting that she'd join the movies. She did move to Mumbai at 19, but only to enrol at city college. And to validate herself as a 'cool chick' she auditioned for the Miss India beauty pageant. She bagged the title of Miss Earth India 2013 and three years later went on to make her Bollywood debut with Raman Raghav 2.0. Today, the small town girl is Anurag Kashyap's favourite leading lady and has a three-film deal with his home banner, Phantom Films, which has set tongues wagging.

The 24-year-old, whose idea of make-up was wearing lip balm, had walked into casting director Mukesh Chhabra's office to audition for her first role, doing an intimate scene with a complete stranger (Vicky Kaushal of Masaan fame) without knowing which film it was for.

She was never a movie buff and had watched no more than 20 films in the last two decades. After that first audition, she left for home. It was Ganesh Chaturthi and the roads were clogged with people. "It was invigorating!" she recalls, speaking to Mirror on a rainy afternoon. "Twenty minutes later, I got a call asking me to return to Mukesh's office. When I arrived, I found Anurag Kashyap sitting there. That was the first time I saw him."

The next two hours were memorable. Anurag took Vicky and Sobhita to the Phantom office where she also met Nawazuddin Siddiqui. By the end of the day, she had completed the look test, locked the dates and signed her first film. "That day with Anurag was surreal. I remember walking back home from Aram Nagar, crying. When Anurag said "action" on the first day of shoot, it was like homecoming," she reminisces.

Sobhita candidly admits that Phantom Films has been extremely bullish about her since the very beginning. "I am lucky to have found an artistic companion in Anurag, there is a sense of belonging," the fan girl exults, adding, "Yeh alag hi duniya hai, yaar. It's like finding a new universe, Aram Nagar zindabad!"

Point out that some industry insiders, critics and many of his die-hard fans have written off Anurag following back-to-back box-office duds, Bombay Velvet and Raman Raghav 2.0, and Sobhita argues that Anurag is the man who gave us Black Friday and Gangs of Wasseypur. "No one can run down his passion or talent. I trust him blindly, he is too passionate a man to ever be written off," she asserts.

Sobhita lives alone in Mumbai, often meeting her sister who lives in Pune or flying back to her parents in Vizag when she gets homesick. "But Anurag's been warm and welcoming and Phantom is family," she says, unfazed by any rumours that could be going around, now that she's a celebrity. "I don't take any of these link-up stories seriously. Hell, I don't even take myself seriously! I am like a little child lost in this big, bad, yet fascinating Bollywood mela, jo hona hoga, ho jayega," she signs off.

He rather cast theatre actors says casting director Mukesh Chhabra, who held a theatre festival last week
Aastha Atray Banan (MID-DAY; January 17, 2016)

When we search for Mukesh Chabbra’s bungalow in Aram Nagar, Versova, we are told that it’s the one with all the young people standing in a bunches outside, waiting to be auditioned. Chhabra’s own office is covered with film posters, as, perhaps, any casting director’s walls would be.

“Believability,” says Chhabra dressed casually in jean a tee, his typical Delhi diction endearing him to us right away, “is the most important thing I look for in an actor. I need to know that they can become the character. I am famous also for telling people that they can’t be actors, especially when they give up engineering or medical careers to pursue acting. I say ‘don’t do this’. I am known for my bitterness — I tell them not to waste their time. I’d rather give someone who has actually gone through the struggle, and done some theatre.”

It’s his love for theatre that was the push behind his firm Mukesh Chhabra Casting Co. organising the Khidkiyaan Theatre Festival last week. Produced by his father, TC Chhabra, the festival, that was attended by the likes of directors Imtiaz Ali and Anurag Kashyap, it featured four brand new plays.

“I wanted to give all the actors who don’t get a chance in Bollywood ya! I see so many people walk in every day and they teach me so much, especially patience. I also wanted to spread the culture of theatre. It’s not about just venues like Prithvi. Unlike Bhopal and Delhi, Mumbai lacks quality of shows. I am trying to do my bit.”

His interaction with theatre in Delhi introduced him to actors of different calibres, and he has never had a problem finding people to cast. “I knew good actors before I got to Bombay, and so it started off easy, as I just called them up.”

The 35-year-old from Delhi, who studied acting at the Shri Ram Centre for Performing Arts, had also done a six-year acting and teaching stint with the Theatre in Education Company that is affiliated with the National School of Drama. It was his father who introduced a young Mukesh to theatre. “Instead of movies, we went and saw plays,” says Mukesh.

After assisting in casting for Rang De Basanti (2006), he decided to move to Mumbai and take up casting full time. “It was a field where not many people were doing anything good. This space was empty. I wanted to bridge the gap between the director and the actor.”

His first big break was when he cast the unusually talented ensemble of Gangs Of Wasseypur in 2012 and its sequel. He then went on to cast for Kai Po Che, Shahid, Ugly, Haider, Highway and Tamasha among others. Looking at his roster, you know he has an eye for picking the understated actor. The man who brought to the screen talent like Sushant Singh Rajput and Rajkummar Rao, says the Andheri myth of being “discovered” in a coffee shop is true. “I saw Sushant at Chai Coffee in Versova, and told him to come meet me. He had that something. Rajkummar I knew since my Delhi theatre days, and I knew he would fit into Wasseypur 2. And then I cast him in Shahid and Kai Po Che. Only one in 1,000 make it.”

It’s all about authenticity for Chhabra. “If I am casting a movie like Wasseypur, doesn’t it make sense to go to the north and get actors from there? I can’t cast a Bandra boy in that role.”

He feels that the way he casts and auditions is what sets him apart from the rest. It’s about being real and giving the actor the environment to act and react. “There will be two actors building up the scene. There’s a person behind the camera, and another giving background music. When I am auditioning, I am actually directing. It’s like shooting a film scene. In a way, I keep polishing my own directing skills, as I want to make a movie. This is the only practice I have,” he smiles. In fact, Sanjay Leela Bhansali has agreed to produce his directorial debut, which he is in the process of writing.

Chabbra also laughs in the face of rumours of the casting couch, that resurface every now and then. “It’s simple. When big directors are making movies, why will they resort to the casting couch? They are putting their money in the movie and they won’t just cast someone like that. Their reputation is on the line.”

It’s not an easy task being an actor, even harder, perhaps is to be the one who dashes their hopes or makes a career. A casting director today is the fine line between a struggling actor and stardom. “I see the anger in these people. Some have been coming here every day for five years. They keep me going,” he says. But, they also stress him out, he smiles. And that’s when he realises the lure of Bollywood. “They have very high hopes. In Bombay, your life can change overnight. This field attracts you like none other does — you like the fact that people like you. That keeps them going.”

Though he does say that he likes giving the serious actor a chance, he also says he knows within two minutes if you have it in you or not. But what is the “have” he needs. “Honesty. Am I believing what you are saying? Don’t impress me. Just be.”