Actually sits down for one, and opens up on his professional and personal lives for the first time. Akshaye Khanna unplugged in the latest edition of Sit With Hitlist
Mayank Shekhar (MID-DAY; January 2, 2020)

There are two ways to look at a chat with actor Akshaye Khanna. One, that he is so painfully shy, no matter how hard you try, he's unlikely to dig deep and open up (about his life; or otherwise). That said, for the same reason, anything you pointedly ask is likely to elicit a response you haven't heard before. Because we know so little about him anyway — right down to something as rudimentary as his name, which is what we start this edition of Sit With Hitlist with.

Excerpts from the interview

If you Google 'Akshaye', ending with the letter E, the only person likely to show up is you! Is there a story to your name (is it different from 'Akshay')?
You know, I had asked my father this many times, as to why my name's spelt the way it is. There was a specific reason that he had given me, on two or three occasions. And I can't remember. My mum's gone, and my dad's gone as well, so I don't know who to ask.

Even the mystery around your name persists?
So, it was very logical. It has got nothing to do with astrology, or numerology — so there's no juggling or changing of spellings, or anything later. It is my name on the birth certificate. It does mean something that 'Akshay' does not. And there was a specific reason.

The other mystery: Where do you live?
I've lived at Malabar Hill (in South Bombay) all my life.

You're perhaps the only one in Bollywood who continues to work from South Bombay, which can often be a two-hour commute to where the movie industry is (Bandra northwards)!
No, a lot of people, even from my father's generation, lived in South Bombay — Shashi Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor… Suniel Shetty still lives there. Now with the Sea Link, I can [travel] in 50 minutes. In a couple of years, once the coastal roads come up, there won't be any real distinction between different parts of town. It will be an even easier commute.

Another thing I can't find: Which school did you go to?
I went to Bombay International, which is in Babulnath. Then I went to HR College for a year (for junior college), where I flunked. Then my parents sent me to a boarding school in Ooty, after which I started working. I am not very well educated, and I wasn't very focused on academics.

I'm told you always wanted to be a movie-star ever since you were a teenager. Where did that come from (doing stage in school, perhaps)?
Oh, from much before [my teens], I always knew this is what I wanted to do. But more than that, I never saw myself being able to do anything other than be an actor. I think it was more from seeing my father (Vinod Khanna). I spent a lot of time going to work with him as a kid, which influenced me a lot. I did amateur theatre in school, but I am not a fan. I have huge stage fright. Still do.

Somehow I always felt this [film] was the right fit for me. The first hurdle to cross was telling parents. Once I did that, then it was, kind of, out of my hands! Because dad said he wanted to make a film for me. I have always been naive in life — unable to plan things. Still am. I just go with the flow.

But you were sure of a movie-star career, 'launched' with Himalay Putra (1997), whereas your brother [Rahul Khanna], as anchor, became the face of American MTV in India. Couldn't have been more dissimilar, no?
You'd have to ask him [about that]. But entertainment is a funny industry, in terms of what you can start off with, and end up doing. There're so many who wanted to be directors, ended up being actors; or wanted to be actors, but maybe found love for cinematography, editing or sound design. It is that kind of place. You might know you want to be in this environment. But you don't always know exactly what you want to do [within it].

But you were clear about being the Bollywood star, as it were.
I have been, although it's unusual for me to be clear about anything. And I didn't say I wanted to be a movie star. I wanted to be an actor. But if you are a successful actor, then you're a star!

You're also asking me about what I thought about, a long time ago. It's impossible for me to remember. It's really scary how I can't remember things — events, faces, names, it's very blurry. So anything about the past... If you ask me two years from now what I spoke to you about [here], I wouldn't remember. It's always been that way, ever since I was a child. It's very embarrassing.

Okay, let me ask you stuff from (user-generated trivia on) the Internet, and check if you remember any of it being true. One, that Feroz Khan was supposed to launch you first with the film Prem Aggan, which he eventually did with his son Fardeen. And then, Janasheen, which again, he did with Fardeen. True?
No, he had signed me up for a film called Janasheen, I think. It wasn't Prem Aggan. And at that time Fardeen hadn't told his dad that he wanted to be an actor. He did, maybe about six to seven months after he (Feroze) had already signed me up. So obviously [Feroze] came to my dad and said that he will have to make a film with [his son] instead. So, yeah, that's true.

You were supposed to debut with [top director] Mukul Anand in 1994?
In 1994? I can't remember that. No, it can't be 1994, because I started [Himalay Putra] in 1994; it took about two and half years [to make]. But [Mukul Anand] died shortly after that. What year did Mukul Anand die? (1997).

According to Karan Johar, you wouldn't step out of your Alibaug weekend home, even if invited to pick up the Academy Award. True?
Yeah. I like my weekends in Alibaug.

You apparently have a laundry list of films that didn't roll after you signed up. One that caught our eye is Farhan Akhtar's Voice From the Sky, that he shelved, to make Don 2. True?
True. I've no idea [why]. You'll have to ask Farhan. I remember, it was a really good script. I would do anything with Farhan. He was really excited and keen to make it. He still hasn't.

[Coming to Farhan], you were originally cast in Aamir Khan's role in Dil Chahta Hai (DCH), Aakash, as against Siddharth, that you played eventually; true?
No, out of all three [lead] actors, I was the first person to hear the script [of Dil Chahta Hai]. When I first read it, the role that I wanted to instinctively play was Aamir's. And that's not the role that Farhan wanted me to play. When [Farhan] heard me out, I think he was a little disappointed.

He went and got the cast that he wanted [in place first], and then he came back to me and said, "I know this is what you wanted to do, but this [Sid] is the role I have written for you, and so will you please consider it again?" I heard [the script] again, and again, and again, until I was convinced that what Farhan was saying was right, and I was wrong. So I did that [role].



Aamir Khan returns to your life with Taare Zameen Par. Director Amole Gupte had actually approached you for the lead role?
[Amole Gupte] was a friend of Aamir's and he had approached him to get in touch with me. He asked Aamir if he could help [introduce him to me, and to make me hear a narration], since he didn't know me, and Aamir and I had worked together in Dil Chahta Hai. Aamir being Aamir said, "You know I can't recommend a script, unless I hear it first. If I like it, I will tell Akshaye."

He liked it [Taare Zameen Par] so much that he ended up doing it! I was once shooting at one of the studios — if I remember right, Mehboob. Aamir was also shooting on one of the floors. I went to his van to say hi. He was like, oh you know what —this happened. I said, okay, no problem.

Was that a miss?
I don't think I would have done a better job than Aamir. He was superb. So it was good that destiny took him, instead of me.

The other thing about your career are the big gap years —at least two or three blocks of them in your filmography.
Having worked continuously from a very young age, not working is the hardest part. It's depression time — not something that I seek, or look forward to. But somehow, destiny has played its cards in such a way that I've taken certain forced breaks in my career. They never have been by choice, and never will be in future. This is rare, especially in the Hindi film industry, because there are such few actors, and there is so much work.

How do you overcome that phase? Other passions you pursue, playing squash at Willingdon Club, maybe?
You don't. You just go through that phase. Can't play [squash] for three years, no? I am not going to tell you what my day looks like, when I'm not working. Why would you even want to know?

You mentioned somewhere that you had a personal reason for the last break that you took.
I wasn't getting the material that I liked. I didn't want to do anything that was offered to me. So I decided to not do anything, as opposed to something that I just didn't find my heart in, simple — nothing really complicated.

You lost your mom last year, only a year after you lost your dad. Did that have a huge impact on you, personally?
Of course, it would impact anyone. It was a deeply sad time. But everybody has to lose their parents at some point. It is tough. And it is always good that it happens that way; and not the other way round —where parents lose their kid. That would be even worse.

We know nothing about your mother (Kavita Khanna). 
That's how she wanted it.

When your father (Vinod Khanna) passed on, the obituaries in the press revealed an incredibly committed yet uniquely free-spirited man. Are there any stories you can recall?
I think once a person who's been in public life for decades is gone, if there is a side of them that they wanted people to know about, they would have managed [to convey] that in their own life, right? So I don't know if there is any aspect of him that I'd like to throw light on, which maybe he didn't [want].

What's in public domain: a man who left everything at the peak of his career to join Osho. You were probably four or five then. Did you want to know, who's this guy [Osho]?
One doesn't look at it like that at five. Osho had nothing to do with my thoughts about why my dad wasn't there. That came much later. As one grows, maybe 15 or 16, you start learning, listening or reading about the person who…

Influenced your father so much...
To not only leave his family, but to take 'sanyaas' (renunciation). Sanyaas means giving up your life in totality — family is [only] a part of it. It's a life-changing decision, which he felt that he needed to take at the time. As a five-year-old, it was impossible [for me] to understand it. I can understand it now.

You can, in what sense?
In the sense that something must have moved him so deeply inside, that he felt that that kind of decision was worth it for him. Especially, when you have everything in life. And when life doesn't look as though there's much more that you can have.

A very basic fault-line/earthquake has to occur within oneself to make that decision. But also stick by it. One can make the decision and say this doesn't suit me — let's go back. But that didn't happen. And circumstances in America with Osho and the colony, friction with the US government — that was the reason he came back.

Oh, I was given to believe that a lot of people like him got disillusioned with Osho eventually, which led to their return.
From whatever memories I have about my father talking about that time in his life, I don't think that was a reason at all. It was just the fact that the commune was disbanded, destroyed, and everybody had to find their own way. That's when he came back. Otherwise I don't think he would've ever come back.

And you read up on Osho when you became older?
I've read a lot of Osho's discourses and seen hundreds of thousands of videos, I love him.

You could join an Osho commune? They still exist.
I don't know if sanyaas is something that I could do. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy his discourses, respect his intellect, oratory skills, and his way of thinking. I have deep respect for him.



[Back to movies] and trivia list, your favourite director is Priyadarshan. True?
One of them. I've done five films with him. And if you take Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, I'd say Priyan would've done 100-plus films, which is a rare achievement for any director. Some directors like to move on. But he's also tended to repeat actors he's enjoyed working with — Akshay Kumar, Paresh [Rawal], there're many. He has done 30 films with Mohanlal. I always know when Priyan likes an actor. He makes it obvious. When I was doing Aakrosh (2010) with him and Ajay [Devgn], I told Ajay, he'll definitely offer you a couple of films in the future. They did a film together right after.

You tend to protectively advise co-actors about directors, it seems. Saif (Ali Khan on Sit With Hitlist) told us about how you advised him about becoming warm and breaking ice with Abbas-Mustan during Race (2008), and that he was behaving too much like a star!
Did I? If he [Saif] says so, maybe I did. Abbas-Mustan are very gentle people. I've done four films with them. When they direct you, and even in their personal life, they are very soft. You have to be very soft with them, otherwise they clam up. You cannot be loud and aggressive. And Saif, sometimes, can be a little, you know how Saif is... I must have told him something to that [effect], I don't know. But I think they got along fine.

(Audience) Loved your film Section 375. What did you think of the timing of the film's release — coming a year after the #MeToo movement? How do you think it changed the narrative around the movement itself?
The timing was never the intention. Neither was it the purpose of making the film. It was just a great story. It [delved on a] topic of the time. Which it always will be, because there are always people from both sexes, who don't know how to behave appropriately. Having said that, Section 375 is a film that I am very proud to have in my filmography.

Sometimes, box-office numbers of a film are not always commensurate with the quality of a product. This film I will continue to be proud of. It will age well. Take Andaz Apna Apna (1994), it flopped, when it released. It is considered one of the comedy classics of Hindi cinema. Another example: Shawshank Redemption, it was a disaster at the box-office, but it tops all lists of greatest films ever. I'm not comparing Section with Shawshank, but it is an example.

Having been an actor for over 20 years — with Section 375, one sensed that you were totally stepping out of the usual tropes and mannerisms that we've of course admired you onscreen for. Would you agree?
On the contrary — to be able to engage an audience purely through dialogue, without other things, itself is not easy. And it's a combination of how you are directed, and how you perform. But the direction side is more important. That's why I felt very satisfied, creatively, with the way Ajay [Bahl] directed Section 375. It's very easy for a director to impose direction on an actor, when it's really not required. And I think Ajay has a very good sense of when to direct an actor, and when to not direct. That's very important. I don't know if I am making any sense.

Yes, you are.
Acting has been primarily one thing — being in the moment. Like, in the last few years, I've been noticing that we always do photo-shoots for a film's poster and publicity material. I just don't like the quality of photo-shoots — no matter how good the photographer or subject is. Since everything is digital now, a great alternative is you remove a frame from a scene of the film. It is always more honest. Eyes are more honest. The actor is acting. That 'being in the moment' doesn't come across in the photo-shoot. You understand what I'm saying?

Would you say that about dubbing as well, as against sync sound?
I wouldn't compare it with dubbing, no. But I know what you're saying. Sync sound is way more honest than dubbing. It has to be, right? It is like real life is more honest than fiction.

Saying this because Dil Chahta Hai also got credited with reviving sync sound in mainstream Hindi films in a way.
Yeah, the realism of sync sound was lost to Hindi cinema for many decades. I think millions of performances that have been dubbed for so many decades would have lost a certain edge [as a result]. I've worked the majority of my career dubbing in my films. Only in the last 10-12 years, we've been spoilt with sync sound. I really feel bad for actors who never had sync sound. Not that they knew the difference, because they never experienced it, but I still feel bad for them.

Do you closely follow latest releases/films?
Yeah. I primarily watch at home. I might wait three months for it to come on one of the platforms, but I will watch it.

Two back-to-back releases in 2019 were Bala, and Ujda Chaman (by the same producers as Section 375). Did you get to watch them?
Haven't watched yet. But will, when it comes (on web platforms).

They were both on premature balding, and how it affects confidence levels. You've had that situation in your life. Is it such a big deal?
Well, because it started happening to me at such a young age, it was like a pianist losing his fingers. It almost felt like that to me, in those days. Till you really come to terms with it, and then it starts bothering you less. It's like, I suppose, waking up one morning and saying, "Oh shit, I can't read!" So it would affect you, right? Or you get up in the morning and your knees are paining, and the pain just won't go away. You take a Combiflam for pain relief, and you might realise you need a knee surgery at a very young age. And you might be a sportsperson, so it is heartbreaking. You might lose a year or two of your career. So, as I said, it is like a pianist losing his fingers. Because the way you look as an actor is very important.

And especially this part (pointing to the face upwards). [Balding] at 19 or 20 is devastating. It can mentally like kill you. But, as I said, it is like anything else — someone needs glasses, someone needs something else... It's up to you, and what you are comfortable with doing [about it].

Did it affect your confidence levels as an actor at some point?
I think it did affect my self-confidence as a young actor — more than I'd like to admit, actually. Definitely.

(Audience) Lot of actors these days interact with their fans through social media. Do you ever intend on doing so?
Can't say for the future, but right now, whatever I hear from my colleagues, especially my friends on social media, I've never got a sense that it is something constructive. It just doesn't serve any purpose. I am not comfortable with it.

(Audience) Do you think you resonate more with the scripts being offered/churned out today than, say, 2001/2002?
People's memories are short. So they kind of think that what I'm doing now, is what I have always wanted to do, but never got those opportunities before. That's never the case. Your current choices in films, at least for me, are very instinctive. They are not well planned, or thought out. And some of those films might not appear to be hardcore commercial cinema.

But when I view myself as an actor, I see myself as a very hardcore commercial actor, given the choices of my films, right from the beginning of my career. I do understand, especially since I have started working more regularly in the last two to three years, that my choices have been a little cerebral — if that's a word you could use for, say, even Mom, Ittefaq, The Accidental [Prime Minister], or Section [375]. But that is just some choices of films. I don't intellectualise it. And neither should you.

Are there films you've seen lately that you wished were offered to you?
When I watch most films I always feel that the person who has done those parts has done them better than I could.

Any script you can remember saying no to, which turned out to be a pretty good film?
Yeah. Saif's role in Parineeta (2005). I didn't do it for some reason. I don't know why. After the film released, I called up [producer Vidhu] Vinod [Chopra] and said I really enjoyed the film, and wish I had done it. You know how Vinod is. He said, "Yeah, I told you, you should have; you're such a b******, d***, and this, and that!" I was, like, fine.

There are times you could be in a bad mood, when you hear a script. There could be so many things that influence your decision. So, yeah, sometimes things slip out of your hands. And sometimes things fall into your lap, which you never expected.
For example, I did an out-and-out negative role in [Abbas-Mustan's] Humraaz (2002), which I believe five or six major leading actors were approached for, and they'd said no to. But when I heard it, I loved it. That was one of the first negative roles I did. So it happens all the time.

Last question: You might be the only person in Indian showbiz to take a stand on an institution, and say that you'll never get married! And that you want to live alone "forever".
I have always known instinctively that I would very much prefer to live my life without someone by my side all the time. I find that suffocating. That's the only reason.

Do you go on dates?
All the time. But to commit to a lifetime of togetherness is virtually impossible for me.

Serially monogamous — is that what it would mean?
No, it means knowing oneself reasonably well enough to not ruin somebody else's life!

Okay, final question: Are you (mentally) exhausted (after this interview)?
No I loved it, really enjoyed it.

Medha Shri Dahiya (HINDUSTAN TIMES; December 22, 2019)

Ma Anand Sheela or Sheela Biernstiel is one of the most popular millennial icons of our times. In the series Wild, Wild Country, she comes across as a redoubtable stateswoman who kicked up a storm in the media with her witty and provocative one-liners. But when you meet her, her warmth, calmness and soft words melt you. In the ’80s, she had the media chasing her. Cut to today, you have filmmakers wanting to make films on her. But what does she want? Here’s what the 70-year-old has to say:

We heard you want Alia Bhatt to portray you on screen. Have you seen any of her films?
I saw bits of a film that my sister was watching, and I thought I looked like her when I was young. I asked my sister, ‘Did I look like her when I was young? Do you remember’? And she said, ‘Yes, you do’. I feel she has the spunk in her that I had. Spunk is very necessary and it is very natural, it is not artificial, not cosmetic, it is genuine.

After Priyanka Chopra Jonas announced that she’d star in a biopic on you, you sent her a legal notice. Is that true?
I told her I do not give her permission to do [the] film because I have not chosen her... In Switzerland, we send legal notices very simply. I sent her an email which is accepted there as legal.

Have you heard back from Priyanka or team on that?
No, never. Not even a courtesy letter that they received my notice but that’s not an issue, maybe she never had the opportunity to meet me or make time to meet me and it is no big issue... not everybody has the time to meet me.
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Ma Anand Sheela, who lives in Switzerland, visited India after 34 years. And one has to be living under a rock to not know who she is. The Vadodara-born was spiritual guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, or Osho’s, personal secretary and the brain behind the ambitious Rajneeshpuram, a commune established in the 1980s in Oregon, USA, by and for his followers. It’s impressive to note that even in the ’80s, she had the guts to live life as she wanted to and totally own her story with all its vagaries including prison time and controversies.

“You all have to create your story and you have many ways to create it,” says Sheela, who was in India for Sipping Thoughts and the NGO Humans for Humanity. But living life on one’s own terms is not easy, is it? “Not easy is not a good excuse either... To not live life on your own terms is a very cowardly way to live. I know millennials are not cowards,” says the 70-year-old with conviction, adding, “Life is tough, baby. Life’s not easy. You have to go through your crisis, don’t look for easy, don’t make it easy for yourself. Easy is for cowards. Be brave. What you have to do, you must do — easy or different. Whatever difficulty comes, say, ‘Ah! I can do it’.”

But how does one stay calm in the midst of a storm, how did she manage it? “I don’t blame my crisis and catastrophes onto others. I take responsibility of my crisis, I try to analyse it, understand it, and I don’t put my burden on others,” she says. And if given a choice, would she change anything about her life? “No” she says, “I can tell you I love my life.”

Oh! We have to ask her, why is she not on Twitter? After the series, everyone tried to connect with her, and look her up on social media. She shares, “I belong to the old generation, I don’t understand this social media, I don’t understand computer even today.”

After Netflix's Wild Wild Country, sources say Pankaj Tripathi's character in Sacred Games 2 inspired by controversial godman
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; July 25, 2019)

With only three weeks to go before the second season of Sacred Games drops online, fans are eagerly waiting to see the road ahead for Saif Ali Khan's Sartaj Singh and Nawazuddin Siddiqui's Ganesh Gaitonde. While the Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane-directed season had fleetingly touched upon Pankaj Tripathi's character, Guruji, the recently released trailer indicates that the character will enjoy a prominent run in the upcoming edition. Interestingly, it has been heard that Tripathi's godman character has been loosely modelled on Rajneesh Osho.

A source close to the actor reveals, "Pankaj Tripathi's styling is almost similar to Rajneesh Osho, whose so-called religious movement was at its peak in the '80s. In terms of the writing too, Guruji's character seems to be woven like the cult figure." It may be recalled that the controversial godman was the subject of Netflix's popular documentary, Wild Wild Country.

For the uninitiated, Acharya Rajneesh, who had then acquired the moniker Bhagwan Acharya Rajneesh and Osho, had risen to prominence in the late '70s as a spiritual guru and the leader of Rajneesh movement. However, the controversial godman was later banned by several countries, including the US, when he and his followers were charged with a litany of crimes.

MUMBAI MIRROR (January 31, 2019)

Priyanka Chopra will be essaying the role of spiritual leader and Osho’s disciple Ma Anand Sheela in her next project. The actress shared the news about her project, which she is also producing, during an appearance on recently. “I am developing a feature with Barry Levinson. He is an iconic American director. We are developing it (from the perspective of) Sheela who is this guru who originated from India,” Priyanka was quoted as saying. “She was his right-hand woman and she was devious. She created a whole cult in America. He was called Osho. I don’t know if you’ve heard of him. It was amazing. I am developing that next for me to star in and produce,” she added. PeeCee made an appearance on Ellen’s show to promote her upcoming Hollywood film, Isn’t It Romantic, which is produced and fronted by Rebel Wilson and also features Liam Hemsworth and Adam DeVine.
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Sources say Priyanka Chopra to kick off Barry Levinson-directed film on godman Rajneesh Osho's closest aide Ma Anand Sheela only by end-2019; writing team likely to fly to Pune for research
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; January 31, 2019)

Months after the Netflix series, Wild Wild Country, brought the spotlight back on controversial Indian godman Rajneesh Osho, Priyanka Chopra Jonas announced on The Ellen Degeneres Show yesterday that her next production will revolve around his closest aide Ma Anand Sheela. To be helmed by Oscar-winning director Barry Levinson, the movie will mark her foray into Hollywood as a producer.

mid-day dug a little deeper to find out that Chopra, who will play the protagonist, intends to take the film on floors by the year-end. A source reveals, "Priyanka has been reading up on Ma Sheela and the international commune she built with Rajneesh Osho, to understand the character's psyche. While the research team is collating information from public domain about Rajneeshpuram, they have also reached out to Ma Anand Sheela in Switzerland."

"The writers may fly down to Pune mid-year to visit the Osho Ashram. The film will chronicle her transformation from a fine arts student to the right-hand person of a godman, who is eventually convicted of attempted murders."

Amid rumours that the Rajneesh Osho project is on hold, Aamir Khan likely to headline the T-Series founder's biopic
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; September 8, 2018)

Though the Gulshan Kumar biopic has been through its fair share of upheavals, looks like the project is now in safe hands. While Aamir Khan had already come aboard as the co-producer of Mogul, the latest buzz in the corridors of the production house is that the superstar is likely to essay the role of the music baron too. This development comes in the wake of reports that the project based on the controversial Indian godman, Rajneesh Osho, has been put on hold.

A source close to the development reveals, "Aamir and Bhushan Kumar [producer] have constantly been brainstorming about who should play the lead. Since the two haven't been able to zero in on an actor who fits the bill, Aamir is now putting serious thought into slipping into the role himself. The film's final draft is currently being written, with him monitoring its progress and giving inputs wherever needed. But right now, his top priority is Thugs Of Hindostan. Once he wraps up the post-production work on the film, he will read the final script of Mogul and take a call."

While it was earlier suggested that Khan will train his sights on the Osho biopic after Thugs Of Hindostan, the plan seems to have undergone a change. "After undergoing several look tests, Aamir felt that he wasn't able to look the part of Osho. So, he has decided to forgo the project for the moment. Though he is also committed to the long-drawn Mahabharata series, Mogul is likely to be his next project. He will make an announcement by year-end," says the source, adding that the team is hoping to take the Subhash Kapoor-directed film on floors by January. Bhushan Kumar and Khan have booked Christmas 2019 for the release date of the saga. Khan's spokesperson as well as the production house remained unavailable for comment.

Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; August 18, 2018)

While Thugs Of Hindostan is being touted as this year’s big-ticket Diwali bonanza, there’s a lot of curiosity about what Aamir Khan will sign next. Recent reports suggest that the actor already has a project on his mind. And this time, it’s a Hollywood film that has caught his fancy.

While the superstar is co-producing the Gulshan Kumar biopic with Bhushan Kumar, he’s not acting in it. There was talk that the Dangal actor might play Osho aka Bhagwaan Rajneesh in a film to be directed by Shakun Batra (of Kapoor & Sons fame). However, a source tells us, “Work on that has been currently paused. The team is reworking the script on Aamir’s advice. There are several parts of the storyline that he had not agreed upon.”

The source adds, “He is interested in remaking a Hollywood movie, which was produced by Paramount Pictures. Aamir never spills the beans about his projects till all the details are chalked out. No wonder, he is keeping the name of this film under wraps. It will be revealed only when everything is finalised as talks are currently underway to acquire the rights.”

Sources say Aamir Khan meeting prosthetic experts to check if he fits the part of spiritual guru Rajneesh Osho
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; July 10, 2018)

Given his perfectionist streak, it's not surprising that Aamir Khan is doing due diligence before giving his nod to Shakun Batra's film that revolves around controversial guru, Rajneesh Osho. It has been heard that the superstar has begun meeting prosthetic experts to discuss the transformation he will have to undergo to slip into the role.

A source reveals, "Though he has liked the script, Aamir wants to be completely sure before he signs on the dotted line. He has been meeting prosthetic experts to understand whether he will be able to look the part of Osho. He will also be required to sport a semi-bald pate for a portion in the film. Aamir will sport four different looks in the drama, which will begin with Osho's rise as a spiritual guru in India to his setting up base in the US. Considering the Netflix series, Wild Wild Country, piqued curiosity among cinephiles about Osho, Aamir is keen that they remain authentic to the subject."

Though it's rumoured that Alia Bhatt will be seen as Ma Anand Sheela, Osho's closest aide, the final announcement is likely to come only after the release of Thugs Of Hindostan.

MUMBAI MIRROR (May 15, 2018)

Filmmaker Subhash Ghai has joined hands with an Italian production house to back the upcoming biographical drama Osho: Lord Of The Full Moon, which is based on the life of late spiritual leader Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh.

The film, which was announced at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival on Sunday, will be structured as a large-budget India-Italy co-venture, reported The Hollywood Reporter.

Rajneesh, who died in 1990, proposed alternative rules for living and self-improvement which over-rose conventional religions in India. His 600 books remain popular best-sellers, and he was recently the subject of a six-part web series Wild, Wild Country.

The narrative film will contain action from the time that India gained independence from British colonial rule, as well as more poetic flashbacks. Beside Rajneesh, the other main character of the film is a female TV journalist who puts her career at stake trying to discover if the guru is a conman, or an enlightened genius.

The film will be directed by Italy-based Lakshen Sukameli from a screenplay by Sukameli and Kamlesh Pandi.