Showing posts with label Om Jai Jagadish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Om Jai Jagadish. Show all posts
Taking Tanvi The Great to Cannes a huge kharcha. But I want to put the film on a pedestal-Anupam Kher
8:19 AM
Anupam Kher talks about his directorial, Tanvi The Great, which will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival 2025, and his passion for cinema
Rishabh Suri (HINDUSTAN TIMES; April 16, 2025)
Actor Anupam Kher’s second directorial in more than two decades, Tanvi The Great, will have its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this May. Anupam shares that he wanted the film’s journey to start from “the Maha Kumbh of cinema”.
“I directed Om Jai Jagadish in 2002, but that was not my story. After that, I didn’t direct any film. I wanted it to come from within me, an Indian film for international viewing. I’ve been waiting to direct another film for 23 years now,” says the 70-year-old.
Anupam adds that he has made the film with a theatrical release in mind: “The film has an Indian character, but it’s a universal film. That’s why I am spending money, taking actors there (Cannes) — it’s a huge kharcha. But I want to put the film on a pedestal. You will not ask Martin Scorcese if his film will release in theatres or OTT! I am not comparing myself to these greats, but when you are making a film with passion, uska jo marzi hashr ho, you make it for the cinemas.”
Ask Anupam, who has worked in international projects such as Silver Linings Playbook (2012), whether Indian films and talent are seen differently now, and he says, “It certainly has changed, but I have not made this film as a crusader. It has an international appeal which is why I signed on internationally known people such as (composer) MM Keeravani and (sound designer) Resul Pookutty, both Oscar winners. My DoP (Keiko Nakahara) is Japanese.”
Anupam Kher returns as director: "I’ve seen more life since Om Jai Jagadish"
9:48 AM
Akash Bhatnagar (HINDUSTAN TIMES; March 27, 2024)
Anupam Kher marked his directorial debut with Om Jai Jagdish in 2002. Now, after 22 years, the actor is set to don the director’s hat again for his next, Tanvi The Great. Ask what took him so long to get in the director’s chair, and Kher says, “I was waiting for a story to inspire me and make me feel that I should share it with the world. Om Jai Jagadish wasn’t my story. I was acting at that time and I was just excited about being a part of films in another capacity. But after that, I decided that if I had to direct a film again, the story should come from within.”
The 69-year-old informs that the idea of Tanvi The Great came to him about four years ago and its shoot started earlier this month. Ask how he has changed as a director since Om Jai Jagdish, and Kher says, “I’ve seen more life since Om Jai Jagdish. The kind of cinema that I want to make should have joy and heartbreak.”
The film is a musical that will have Oscar-winning composer M M Keeravaani helming its soundtrack. “We have been working on the film’s music for the last one year. It was around his Oscar win when I called him. In 10 minutes of hearing the script, he said yes,” says the Uunchai (2022) actor, who has been flying to Hyderabad every two months to finalize the film’s music.
He adds, “For me, it was very important to have the music of the film ready before I started shooting. It helps the film stay true to itself. Mr Keeravaani is also doing the background score, because I can’t have a different person doing it.”
My first break came a month after winning when I bumped into Anil Kapoor and Anupam Kher-Dia Mirza
8:00 AM
As told to Ankita Chaurasia (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 10, 2020)
Interestingly, Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein (RHTDM; right) was not the first film I shot for. It was not even the first film I signed. My first break came a month after winning the Miss Asia Pacific title on December 3, 2000, when I bumped into Anil Kapoor and Anupam Kher outside a five-star in Hyderabad, where I was celebrating my victory.It was awkward as I was in a white saree with the crown on my head. They walked up and introduced themselves. I wanted to scream that I already knew who they were and was a fan of their work. Anil informed that Anupam was going to direct a film (Om Jai Jagadish), in which he would act, and that they were keen to sign me. When I told them that I didn’t know if I was ready for films yet and that my parents might not agree, Anupam volunteered to convince them. Even though we would watch every film that released in the theatres and on Doordarshan, my parents didn’t know much about how films worked. Anupam called them up and assured them that I would be safe and taken care of.
Soon after, I was put into a workshop conducted by Feroz Abbas Khan. Twelve days into it, Anupam informed me that the producer of our film, Vashu Bhagnani, was in a quandary as the leading lady of one of his other films had exited last-minute and the rest of the team had already started filming in Cape Town. He asked me if I would be willing to step in. That’s how, with a four-day notice, I flew to South Africa to shoot for Deewaanapan with Arjun Rampal.
As soon as I landed, I was put in costume and make-up, and sent off to an outdoor location to shoot for the song, “Hum Deewane”. I was clueless about what I was supposed to do and simply followed instructions. I loved to dance so the steps weren’t very difficult and I drew from Arjun’s energy. His (then) wife Mehr Jesia and he had been on the judges panel during the pageant.
I heard the script of my first film after shooting the song. During the shoot, I would bombard my director, Ashuu Trikha, with questions about editing, light angles and lensing. Before I completed the film, I landed RHTDM, which got completed and was released earlier. My first shot for that one was where Reena tells Maddy that she thinks she loves him. It was freezing cold but beautiful. Later, in New Zealand, we were picturising songs for both films simultaneously, rushing through costume changes in-between. By the time we were done, I had enough lessons to last a lifetime.
When the director announced a break, I took Waheeda Rehman’s juttis and ran towards her-Amitabh Bachchan
7:54 AM
Stills from Phagun, Trishul
MUMBAI MIRROR (September 6, 2019)
For a recent guest turn on a TV show, Amitabh Bachchan came armed with lesser-known anecdotes from his early days in films. And most of them featured former co-star Waheeda Rehman. The Big B started off by revealing that the senior actress and Dilip Kumar are his two idols.
“The first time I got an opportunity to work with her (was) in Reshma Aur Shera. During the shoot, there was a sequence where Sunil Dutt and Waheeda ji had to sit bare-feet in the desert. I was worried about how she was managing to shoot in high temperature without footwear. So, as soon as the director announced a break, I took Waheeda ji’s juttis and ran towards her,” the 76-yearold actor reminisced, going on to add that she is still the most beautiful woman to him and is the perfect example of an Indian woman.
During the show, Bachchan also shared an interesting trivia about his family. “Waheeda ji has worked with three members of our family and has played the role of mother with all three of us. In Phagun (1973), she played a mother to my wife (Jaya Bachchan), she was Abhishek’s mother in Om Jai Jagadish (2002; right), and worked with me in Trishul (1978),” he said.Waheeda Rehman, who was on the show through videoconferencing, laughed her heart out. “It feels happy and ajeeb (weird) at the same time. If it continues this way, perhaps I will play mother or grandmother to Abhishek’s kids someday!” she exclaimed.
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