Gratitude and joy coursed through Prosenjit Chatterjee when he learnt that he was conferred the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, by the government of India. At the same time, the honour evoked something else in the veteran actor — a yearning for those who shaped him.

“I’m missing my mom [Ratna Chatterjee] because she had a huge contribution in my life,” Chatterjee told mid-day, hours after the January 25 announcement. The actor, one of the biggest stars of Bengali cinema, also remembered his favourite filmmaker, late Rituparno Ghosh. “He gave birth to the actor in me. He made me understand that there was another actor that I needed to nurture.”

Chatterjee termed the Padma Shri “a deeply emotional milestone” in his four-decade-plus career in Bengali cinema. The veteran actor, who has been part of Hindi and Odia films as well, views his win as not just a representation of Bengali cinema.

“I’ve mostly done Bengali films, but I don’t see them as Bengali films alone. At the end of the day, we all produce Indian cinema. This is an honour for everyone who supported me. My entire industry is happy because everyone has contributed to this journey.”

Asked whether he saw the honour coming, he reflected, “In any profession, it’s our dedication, hard work, and discipline that matter. Doing this for 45 years without losing interest is a journey. At the end of the day, when you receive this kind of honour, especially from the Indian government and the Honourable President, it becomes a huge moment.”

After being an active part of Gujarati and Marathi theatre, TV shows and films, veteran actor and now Padma Shri recipient Sarita Joshi says she is open for web series as well. However, she adds that the creators of these series often disappear when they hear the amount she asks for. “Web series mein maine kaam nahi kiya hai abhi tak par mujhe offer aane lage hai. Par main jo paise mangti hoon, toh woh bhaag jaate hai. Par main apni dignity kam nahin karungi. This goes for theatre as well as TV and films. Jisse dena hota hai woh bahut pyaar se dete hai,” says Joshi, who was in Delhi to receive the fourth-highest civilian award.

Talking about the honour, she says her phone didn’t stop ringing for days after the ceremony: “Mujhe itne messages aaye hai in dino mein, main tajjub ho gayi hoon. Mere doctors ne mujhe call kiya hai, jinko main pehanchanti bhi nahin hoon. Main ‘haan haan’ bolke rakh deti hoon phone aur phir yaad karke, phone vapis karti hoon. There are always ups and downs in an artiste’s life and when you get an honour like this, you feel so happy.”

While she realises that web series, films and TV will see her in a specific role of a mother or grandmother, such is not true for a play. “Theatre mein main chahe 80 ki bhi ho jaon, mere around hi play hoga. TV serial mein yeh nahin ho sakta ki mujhe hi lekar woh show bane. But theatre is not like that, I will still get to play the central character. In web series and films, I’ll get maa and daadi roles but the role and money should be good,” she says.

Meanwhile, Joshi says that she has done a lot of theatre in Delhi as well. She explains, “Main Indian National Theatre mein thi with my husband Pravin Joshi aur humare theatre festivals hote the Delhi mein.

Rishabh Suri (HINDUSTAN TIMES; February 22, 2020)

Singer-composer Adnan Sami has had millions hooked right from his first hits, Lift Kara De and Kabhi Toh Nazar Milao. Then followed classics such as Sun Zara (Lucky: No Time For Love; 2005) and Bhar Do Jholi Meri (Bajrangi Bhaijaan; 2015) over the past three decades. So it didn’t come as a surprise when he was given the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian award, this year. However, the 46-year-old had no inkling of the criticism to follow, including that of his father, Arshad Sami Khan, who was a fighter pilot in the Pakistan Air Force. Excerpts from an interview:

You were conferred the Padma Shri recently. What was your reaction to the news?
I was shocked! If I was a cartoon, my jaw would have dropped to the floor. The funny part was my wife was in the other room when I received the call. Seeing me, she said, ‘What is going on?’ When I told her, she was equally shocked. When I told my mother, she asked ‘Beta, you’re talking about THE Padma Shri na?’ She was overwhelmed. It’s such an honour.

Fans welcomed this decision, but some people questioned it. How do you react to this, questions raised over your citizenship and the like?
With these awards there will be a section of naysayers. They unnecessarily politicise something of this nature. Forget about me, look at the sanctity of this award. By doing this, you are insulting its dignity. You should draw the line somewhere.

Like not going to the lengths of criticising your father?
That was as silly as it gets. By all means, criticise the hell out of my music. It’s a free world. But suddenly going to the third party zone and saying, ‘His dad was this’… Excuse me? He was doing what he had to do, for his own country, and with honour. As a professional, respectable soldier, that was his life, I respect him for it. As much as he respected me when I told him I wanted to be an Indian citizen. He could have said, ‘How can you become that? I was a soldier’. He just said, ‘Beta, I have lived my life, these people (Indians) have loved, respected you. You have my blessings.’ The fact is, he loved India.

Do you feel getting embroiled in such controversies takes away from your creative liberty and art?
Nahin. Main inko itni lift nahi karata! (laughs) Let's say 100 people raised (objections). I've got 1.3 billion people loving me! There will be people who are going to be nasty. I just go 'Nanana na na'! (laughs)

Ekta Kapoor on why she is determined to not let her Padma Shri win get to her head and how her soaps of the early 2000s gave Indian women a voice
Anjana Vaswani (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 18, 2020)

“Life happened to me, I think,” says Ekta Kapoor, reflecting on her showbiz journey almost a month after she received the Padma Shri, the nation’s fourth highest civilian award. An incredible validation on all counts, the honour assumes special significance for Ekta. For her, praise for churning out massively successful small screen productions, since she was but a teenager, has been peppered with a generous dose of criticism. More than once, it has crossed over to her personal choices.

In January last year, the TV czarina-filmmaker welcomed son Ravie, born via surrogacy, as a single mother—a decision that raised eyebrows. “But now I meet so many young women who say their parents feel it’s okay that they aren’t married and point to me as an example. It makes me very happy, because, in this country, the pressure to conform—particularly on girls—is so high,” she notes, adding, “Even I feel it.”

She goes on to share that she has been often asked, ‘When will you settle down?’ “Which is odd, because I feel I’m very settled. But such questions are raised. And, if people can find strength by looking at my life, then I’m delighted,” Ekta says, adding that she was told she’d have to re-organise priorities when she became a mother. “But I don’t see it that way. I love my job, and if I stop, I’ll regret it later and blame my son—when he never asked me to give anything up.”

The defiant streak has also driven some of Ekta’s key career decisions. By her own admission, she had received a lot of criticism for her daily soaps. She acknowledges that those shows—like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Kkusum, which catapulted her company to success in the 2000s—were heavily stylised and melodramatic. “But they actually gave Indian women a voice,” she argues. “There’s research that shows that after cable penetration, from about 2001 to 2005, which is when my shows ran, India, for the first time, saw women take decisions on family issues. This had never happened before, and it was directly linked to the fact that we made the women in our shows do this.”

At the same time, she concedes that some things could have been done differently. “There was a song in Kkusum, for instance, called 'Beti ke Roop Mein Beta Mila'. In hindsight, the very idea that a bread-winning woman should be compared to a man reeks of patriarchy, but at that time, we were fighting a different war: We wanted to gain acceptance for the idea that it’s fine for girls to support their parents financially,” she informs.

With two decades of experience, Ekta knows what she needs to do to avoid the pitfalls of film-making. But parenting is a whole new ballgame, and it helps to have a strong support system, she points out, talking about the guilt that’s every mother’s burden. “My brother Tusshar is amazing,” she says. “He is a fantastic father to his son, and never hesitates to include my son in his plans. And he always has good advice to offer, whether it’s about parenting apps or how to teach Ravie to walk.”

And while she loves exploring new themes and formats at work, her at-home persona is far less adventurous. “My family calls me Velcro because I hate shifting from any place I am comfortable in,” she says. Her bedroom may still be the same shade of yellow it was when she was 15, but Kapoor says she’s certainly not the same person. “I’m a lot stronger, and I think I’m a better person, and I have prayer to thank for that. Otherwise, it’s quite a lot for a 20-year-old to read articles saying, ‘You’ve arrived’ and three years later, articles that say, ‘You’re finished’.” Which is why, while being cognizant of the tremendous honour that comes with a Padma Shri title, Ekta is determined to not let it get to her head. “The people who put you on a pedestal can be as quick to pull you off. So, I don’t want to be on a pedestal. I just want to be heard.”

Anshul Chaturvedi (BOMBAY TIMES; February 3, 2020)

Adnan Sami’s Padma Shri ran into controversy on two grounds. One, does his body of work merit it? That, however, is a question that comes up each year for one or more recipients, irrespective of the regime in power. The second question, however, is not so common — should a man whose father fought against India in a war be feted by the Indian state? When Adnan spoke to us last year, he recurrently emphasised the point that he was “loyal to India because of what my father taught me”. We ask him to comment on the recent outrage.

“See, if you have been indoctrinated with a particular belief or principle... it’s like this... once you have learnt engineering after that you apply that skill to a Maruti or a Mercedes, the principle is the same, right, because the education that you got was basically for an engine. So the indoctrination that I got from my father of the concept of loyalty, patriotism etc... he used it in his capacity, in his life for the country that he belonged to and he instilled those principles in me. Today, I am an Indian and the DNA of my upbringing and the principles that have been indoctrinated in me — I am using exactly the same principles but adopting it to my country. And so my sense of loyalty is absolutely intact, but for the country that I belong to,” he explains.

Adnan was born in the UK, his spouse is German. We put a question to him, hoping for insight: During and after WW2, nations in Europe fought bitterly, even viciously, and political and ethnic boundaries were drawn, erased, redrawn. Yet, they have been able to function collectively, even build an EU that is close to borderless – even after Brexit – without the fallout of the hatred and killing in the 1940s. How did they reintegrate while the subcontinent still simmers in the animosity of the 1940s?

“It’s a very interesting question, which I have pondered over.” He pauses for a bit.

“And I think, I mean it’s just my opinion... When Germany finally woke up and realised the horror of what their leaders had done... you see, the Nazis and Hitler, in particular, with the level of oratory skills that he had, had managed to convince the masses of their superiority, the Aryan race and the white supremacy that he had advocated and the illusions that he had created that we are going to take over the world — all of that came tumbling down at the defeat. And thereafter, with the entire world teaming up against Germany and telling them what a horrid leader they had, and the horror that he inflicted upon humanity and so on, somewhere the Germans realised ki yaar humne waaqyi bahut zyadti ki hai. Therefore, they were on an extreme back foot and they admitted defeat, they accepted humiliation and with that acceptance, they went and sought forgiveness. And when that happened, you know, humanity is such that when you do have that closure whereby the other person has admitted their mistake, things settle... If you speak to a German and you start talking about Nazis, the average German is gonna feel very embarrassed because of his history. I know this because I live there... live in the sense that I have got family there and as a result I have German friends. I know this. Today if you mention Hitler, they will feel very ashamed because they’ve realised what a monster he was. Now, in comparison, yahan pe there has been no such thing. Nobody has accepted defeat, nobody has accepted their mistake, nobody has turned around and made any apologies. Every time there has been a possibility of a handshake, the Pakistan Army decides to step in and do a Kargil or whatever in order to sabotage any possibility of reconciliation. It doesn’t suit them to have a reconciliation because then it’s going to have repercussions on their economy.”

Even his Padma award became a discussion about India and Pakistan. “When has there ever not been a discussion of India-Pakistan?” he laughs. “That is a perpetual discussion going on ever since Partition; it’s not a new phenomenon”.

That may be true, but Hindu-Muslim, majority-minority has perhaps not been as much of a perpetual discussion as it seems to be presently. As someone who moved from a ‘majority’ status to a ‘minority’ one by choice, what learnings and experiences does he have to share with us? How has his association been with those not of his faith after he moved to India?

“When it comes to my relationship with people in India, I have, frankly speaking, never been able to differentiate in my day-to-day dealings with people from different walks of life. I am not even able to sometimes tell what faith they belong to unless somewhere in the conversation or at the end of the conversation, the person turns around and says Allah hafiz or Khuda hafiz. I will only then get to know that he might be a Muslim. I have so many friends who are Hindu but they will say Khuda hafiz to me. There is no difference ki main goodbye kahoon ya namaskar kahoon ya Khuda hafiz kahoon, mere liye ek hi hai.”

And that does not make either of the two parties traitors to their respective cultures, does it?

“Of course not, of course not!” He exclaims. “The most beautiful thing in our country is that a Hindu will celebrate Eid with me, I will celebrate Diwali or Holi with him and all of us collectively will celebrate Christmas. Mere bahut saare dost joh Hindu hain woh Eid ke dauran aake kehte hain, ‘achha yaar sevaiyaan bhej rahe ho na?’ ya ‘biryani bhej rahe ho na?’. Aur hum unki Diwali ki mithaai bade shauk se khaate hain. And now that Medina (his daughter) is with us, I was telling my wife that next year we must have a Christmas tree in the house. It’s just such a beautiful thing for the child.”

What faith will Medina grow up to embrace? Will she be able to celebrate both Eid and Christmas or is that no longer politically correct in the times the world is living in?

“My child will grow up just like me. She will be able to embrace all and respect all faiths because that’s the way I have been brought up. When I was studying in England, in boarding school, the day used to start with the entire school going to the chapel. I grew up with all of those different faiths. My upbringing instilled in me to respect all faiths because at the end of the day, if you look at all faiths, the basic teaching of every faith is the same, love thy neighbour, don’t do to others what you wouldn’t have done to yourself. Which faith turns around and says that make sure that you sleep with your belly full while your neighbour is hungry? So these are the principles with which I intend to bring up Medina and that’s the way it should be.”

How do these principles play out in real life, beyond the words?

“I had gone to Israel just last year and I went to Jerusalem, I visited Masjid-E-Aqsa, I visited the Wailing Wall, which is for the Jews, and I also went on the ziyarat of Jesus Christ and paid my respects in all of these different places with the same sanctity. So that’s the way I am. Jab yahan pe Ganpati hota hai toh humein har taraf se daawatein aati hain ki please come and visit us and we go. The point is that you respect all faiths. You may have your own principles or your own beliefs, but that doesn’t mean that you cannot respect somebody else’s beliefs. To each his own. That’s the way I have been brought up and that is also the most beautiful thing about our country that we respect this,” concludes the expressive musician, who often reiterates that art is beyond politics.

Flashback 2019 (Mar 5)

“Even though my father was originally Afghan, but because of the fact that he became part of Pakistan by default because of the Partition, his blood or DNA said that I will have to now show my allegiance to this country. Because that’s the Pathan way — this is the country that I’m in now, I will show my allegiance to this country. So therefore today, I have my oath to India to honour. This is a very important thing in our blood that we honour our zabaan, our oath. If I have sworn allegiance to you, by god, I’ll give my life to you. For a Pathan, his zabaan is a very important thing, ghairat is a very important thing. Aapne agar allegiance show kar di hai... he would have said to me that you better be true to the oath that you’ve taken. He was very clear about those things. And so today, if I am patriotic or nationalistic or whatever you want to call it, it is because of the upbringing that I have from my father, and the fact that he placed so much emphasis on loyalty, allegiance and honour...”

Flashback 2018 (Aug 14)

WHAT ADNAN TOLD US:
“I have been granted citizenship under a very special clause, and that is Section 6 (1) of the Citizenship Act 1955, in which the Government of India has discretionary powers to grant citizenship to any individual who they feel has extraordinary talent or exceptional talent in various fields such as science, art, culture, and they can do so at will.”

WHAT SECTION 6 (1) OF THE CITIZENSHIP ACT, 1955 SAYS:
Section 6 (1) in the Citizenship Act, 1955 deals with citizenship by naturalisation and provides for fast-tracking of the citizenship process of an applicant based on their contribution in the field of arts and sciences. It states, “Provided that, if in the opinion of the Central Government, the applicant is a person who has rendered distinguished service to the cause of science, philosophy, art, literature, world peace or human progress generally, it may waive all or any of the conditions specified in the Third Schedule.”

Karan Johar on fulfilling late father Yash Johar’s dream with this national honour and not letting past skirmishes with film folk get in the way of work
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 29, 2020)

What was your first reaction to the Padma Shri?
I was shocked! I was trying to call my mother to speak to my kids while scouting for locations for Takht in a forest in Italy but couldn’t get through. I walked around exasperatedly in search of reception when suddenly, the phone rang. I don’t usually answer calls from unknown numbers but thank God I answered this one. It was from the ministry. I couldn’t believe this was happening to me. I managed to thank them but after the call ended, I went numb. I was standing there alone, when this news dropped. I called my mother despite the terrible network. She broke down when I told her I’d got the Padma Shri.

It must have been an emotional moment for her…
For both of us. When Kuch Kuch Hota Hai bagged a National Award (for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment) in 1998, we got the call at home and my father (late producer Yash Johar) turned to me, saying, “Ek din main chahta hoon tu Padma Shri jeete.” I’d protested then, saying I was too young to know where my life would go and asking him not to give me this kind of stress. But papa reiterated it, saying it was his desire, and while he knew he would not win it in his lifetime, he wanted his son to get it one day. My mamma reminded me of that conversation. It’s the fourth most prestigious civilian award in the country and my heart is bursting with pride. A national honour brings a little more responsibility which I am willing to shoulder.

Did you feel your father’s presence that day?
I always believe that when you lose a parent, you gain God. Every night, I talk to my father like I am praying. I tell him about my fears, excitement and reservations. I have a conversation with him every day and that day, too, I told him, “Papa, we did it together.” Just as I made my father proud, I hope my kids will make me proud one day.

In a career replete with awards, did you ever feel that this one was overdue?
There’s a right time for success, achievements and accolades. There is no award that you should have received. If you didn’t get it earlier, maybe it was because you didn’t deserve it. Maybe I don’t deserve this today, but it has come my way and I should be grateful for it and protect its sanctity.

Controversies have already cropped up about Adnan Sami also being given the honour...
We are a democratic country, so everyone is entitled to their opinion. But Adnan has contributed strongly to the music industry and we must respect the authorities for honouring him.

Ekta Kapoor, a fellow filmmaker and a close friend, has also been honoured with the Padma Shri…
It’s bizarre how our journeys are almost karmically connected. Both our career highs happened at the same time—mine with KKHH and hers with Kyunki...Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi—both of us are Geminis, single parents and have named our sons after our fathers. Now, we will receive the Padma Shri on the same day.

And Kangana Ranaut as well…
So much has been said about Kangana, me and some kind of rivalry or simmering tension. But at every public event we’ve met, we’ve greeted each other graciously. Whatever may have been said or insinuated in print, I think I’m too old and wise to hold any kind of malice in my heart for anybody. As a filmmaker, I respect Kangana’s talent, craft, and what she brings to the table. She is an actor who has proved her mettle and is deserving of the honour. Besides Ekta and Adnan Sami, I am honoured to receive the Padma Shri alongside Kangana.

Can we hope to see the two of you collaborate on a project?
Years ago, a lot was said about Anurag Kashyap and me in print. But when Kurbaan was being made and Rensil (D’Silva, director) told me Anurag was the best person to write the dialogue, I called him up. He was surprised but I felt if he is the best for the job, we should get him. A lot too was written about Ram Gopal Varma and me, but I rang him up for the title Bhoot and in one second, Ramu said, “Take it, Karan.” He was so large-hearted, I respect him for that. Tomorrow, if I have a film for which I need Kangana, I will pick up the phone and call her. Whatever the problem, whatever may have been said on social media, is irrelevant to me. I’m a filmmaker and she’s an artiste and no amount of personal bias should come in the way of that relationship. I believe in that and will stand by it.

Buzz is, you are returning as a director in March.
Yes, I start Takht, my most ambitious project, in March. I did recce in India and Europe all through January. I’m excited about the content and terribly nervous about the execution. I can’t wait for this ensemble cast to come together.

And when is Brahmastra arriving?
You will hear about the release date of Brahmastra Part 1 very soon.

Have you simultaneously been working on Part 2 and 3?
Yes, Ayan has got the structure of both parts ready and the writing material is firmly in place. He has been working on it every single day since the last five years. It’s his brainchild completely and has got terrific support from the cast, including Ranbir (Kapoor), Alia (Bhatt) and Mr (Amitabh) Bachchan, who have worked tirelessly. For five years, I have seen the boy struggle and create something that Indian cinema has never seen.

The only thing Shah Rukh Khan shot for last year was a cameo in Brahmastra...
I don’t want to reveal his role but Ayan, Ranbir, Alia and I will be eternally grateful to him for coming on board with his vision and inputs. The energy Shah Rukh Khan brings with him when he walks on to a film set is unparalleled.

What is it like, as a producer, to nurture talented young directors like Anurag Singh (Kesari) and Raj Mehta (Good Newwz)?
I’m proud of the fact that we have introduced so many first-time filmmakers amid all the nepotism talk. Out of nearly 20 filmmakers, 16-17 are from outside of film families and have been given an opportunity to create something special. I have then leveraged these opportunities. Our next film, Bhoot: The Haunted Ship, is directed by Bhanu, while Colin D’Cunha is making Dostana 2; both debutants. Shershaah is Vishnuvardhan’s first Hindi film. We are proud that as a film company, we extend opportunities to not just actors but technicians, too. As a producer, I can tell so many stories and cover so many genres. It’s a great run into a new decade.

How does it feel to go on the floors with the Dostana sequel, 12 years after the original?
We struggled for a decade but couldn’t come up with an idea for Dostana 2. Finally, Somen Mishra, our project development head, cracked it, and we decided to go ahead with it. To put a No 2 next to a title is always a big responsibility and I didn’t want to come up with a sequel till we had a story to tell and now we do. It’s a young, brave film; a film that tells it like it is.

Meanwhile, you took Fighter on the floors last week…
We are yet to give the film a title, but I am excited to work with Puri Jaggannadh and Vijay Deverakonda on a fun script. We aim to make it a pan-India film in every way. A Baahubali has brought the crossover phenomenon to India. The idea now is to get stories from all over the country under one big umbrella of Indian cinema. The mantra at our production house now is high-content or big-event films.