Showing posts with label Pankaj Parashar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pankaj Parashar. Show all posts
Cancelling a concert is never an option for me-Sonu Nigam
9:16 AM
Debarati S Sen (BOMBAY TIMES; June 24, 2026)
After battling severe pain for nearly three weeks, singer Sonu Nigam is finally on the road to recovery. Speaking to us exclusively from Delhi, where he sought treatment while attending an award function, the singer opened up about the physical ordeal he endured, the challenge of performing through pain, and the overwhelming love he received from fans after a video of him discussing his condition went viral.
‘I WAS IN A VERY BAD SHAPE FOR THE LAST 20 DAYS’
Sonu revealed that a nerve-related issue left him in constant pain, making even the slightest movement difficult. "I was in a very bad shape for the last 20 days. I think it was probably a wrong workout move or probably sleeping at one position for a long time must have triggered the nerve. And because of that, it was so painful that even if I was doing anything, not even moving my head, I was in constant pain."
While doctors initially prescribed painkillers, Sonu says he knew medication alone wasn't the answer. "Initially, for pain management, I took painkillers as suggested by doctors. But that's not an option. You have to heal from your pain and cannot just rely on painkillers. It's not good for your health."
His turning point came in Delhi, thanks to a filmmaker who connected him to a specialist. "I came to Delhi for an award function and when I realized that I couldn't do anything, Pankaj Parashar, the director of Chaalbaaz, put me onto a very good doctor in Delhi who works with cricketers, actors and politicians. He began working on me immediately. He was with me twice a day, for two and a half hours. He literally made me stand up. So, I finally am in a position that I can come back to Bombay now and start working."
‘NO ONE CAN REPRESENT ME ON STAGE’
Despite the pain, cancelling performances never crossed his mind. "Our work is such that I cannot send my secretary to sing on stage if I’m unwell. Agar koi aur business hota mera toh I would tell them to do the meeting without me, or I’d come on Zoom, ya mera assistant meeting kar lega. But this is a job which has to be done by the artist themselves."
For Sonu, performing is a responsibility that cannot be delegated. "If I have a work commitment, I have to do it. No one else can represent me on stage. As artists, this is our job. And that's why, cancelling a concert is never an option for me. I've never done it. I’ve sung even when I’ve had a bad voice or been unwell."
‘IF YOU’VE PRACTICED ENOUGH, THE SETBACK CAN BE FROM 100 TO 90, NOT FROM 100 TO 50’
The singer admits he was concerned that the medication and muscle relaxants prescribed for pain could affect his voice. "As I said, when we are in this profession, we have to perform on our own. And obviously, medication sometimes slows you down. If you are being given muscle relaxant for the pain, then that muscle relaxant will affect your vocal muscles as well."
Yet decades of training and discipline helped him overcome the setback. "But thankfully, if you have practiced enough in your life, then the setback can be from 100 to 90, not 100 to 50."
To his surprise, his voice held up remarkably well on stage. "So yes, I felt that I might be in pain. But in fact, when I went on the stage, I was singing even better than before. In the last one and a half months, I had not done any concert, I only did Riyaz. So my voice was even better. But yes, I was a little frightened that I might not be able to sing properly, but I sang pretty well."
‘SABSE BADI KAMAI HAI YEH’
What moved Sonu most during this difficult phase was the outpouring of concern from fans after he shared a video about performing despite being in pain. “It makes me so emotional that just a single video of me telling people that I'm having pain before a concert and now I have to perform brought in so much concern."
The singer says the response reminded him of what truly matters. "I was showered with so much love, so much attention, which is very special. It doesn't happen to everyone. And this is what makes me very humble. It makes me very thankful to God."
Calling the affection of his audience his greatest reward, Sonu says, "I feel this is the biggest earning. Sabse badi kamai hai yeh. And it comes from luck. It's not that I'm a very good person and that's why I'm getting it. Just my good luck. that I was just showered with love."
Chaalbaaz in London is not a remake, it’s a new story-Pankaj Parashar
8:17 AM
The filmmaker, who had directed the Sridevi-starrer, will also helm the film featuring Shraddha Kapoor
Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; July 25, 2021)
Pankaj Parashar says, “These elements will be a part of the world in which the film will be set. It’ll be challenging to create something in these times, which is at least five years ahead in terms of thought, execution and layering.” The team hopes to begin the film by the end of this year.
The filmmaker is aware that there will be comparisons with the cult classic. “When I made Chaalbaaz, I knew there were films like Seeta Aur Geeta and Ram Aur Shyam before it,” he says, adding, “They were immensely successful films and comparisons were inevitable. Chaalbaaz is a part of Sridevi’s legacy now, and hence, we have a tremendous responsibility on our shoulders to live up to the word ‘chaalbaaz’. I cannot rule out comparisons, which people will draw between Shraddha and Sridevi. But when they see the film, they will know that there was no need for that.”
For Pankaj, making Chaalbaaz In London is also a personal challenge. He shares, “We’re not remaking the previous film, but we are attempting a new story in a completely different zone with a new set of characters. It will have a lot of action and a very intense emotional track. As a filmmaker, I love the fact that I have big shoes to fill. Even 30 years later, people have Na Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai on their playlists. I have some sort of a name to live up to, and I happily accept the challenge.”
All of us remembered Kundan Shah a lot that day-Sudhir Mishra
7:57 AM
Clockwise from left: Ketan Mehta, Saeed Mirza, Pankaj Parashar, Sudhir Mishra, Amit Khanna, Govind Nihalani, Manmohan Shetty and Vinay Shukla; Kundan Shah (inset)
Sudhir Mishra who met his filmmaker pals for lunch, reveals that middle of the road cinema, FTII and their late friend who made Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro dominated the conversation
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 23, 2019)
Filmmakers Saeed Akhtar Mirza, Sudhir Mishra, Ketan Mehta, Pankaj Parashar, Amit Khanna, Manmohan Shetty, Govind Nihalani and Vinay Shukla met for lunch at a suburban restaurant recently, and Sudhir quipped afterwards, “Hum zinda hain, hum aur filmein banaenge! Anybody have a problem with that?” Soon, Nikkhil Advani, Goldie Behl and Tigmanshu Dhulia were enquiring if they could assist Sudhir and friends. The lunch was Amit’s idea and lasted for three hours. “All of us have worked together. We spoke about films and old times,” Sudhir tells Mirror.The topics of discussion included their days at Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). “Ketan, Pankaj, Vinay and Saeed studied at the institute and I consider myself an unofficial student as I stayed on the premises with my brother (Sudhanshu) for three years and have worked with many FTII graduates. Even today, I narrate all my scripts to Saeed, Ketan and Amit,” the filmmaker confides.
At another point, Saeed reminded Sudhir that he had fallen off the roof while working on Saeed’s Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho. “Today, you have 20 people for one job, back then, we did everything alone. On Kundan’s (Shah) Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, I was the writer, assistant, peon and even assistant editor. I am not saying that today’s filmmakers aren’t passionate, but we were mad and still are,” Sudhir exclaimes.
He points out that Govind’s Ardh Satya ran for 25 weeks in Mumbai and Om Puri was a star. And Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro ran for 56 weeks in Delhi. “So, when people say that the audience has changed and become more accepting, it is an insult to the audience of the time of Ardh Satya. Today, many middle-of-the-road films are influenced by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Basu Chatterjee and Basu Bhattacharya; that genre worked then and still does. Independent cinema didn’t begin today, it began with Guru Dutt,” Sudhir asserts.
Kundan Shah, who passed away in 2017, was a big part of the conversation. “All of us remembered him a lot that day. Saeed is writing a book which is a kind of a conversation with Kundan. We worked for three days at a stretch during Jaane... actors slept wherever they could and I’d wake them when they were needed for a shot. Those were the times,” Sudhir concludes.
Everything that Salman Khan does is for somebody else-Atul Agnihotri
8:11 AM
Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; March 12, 2014)
Atul Agnihotri, 45, is a family man whose wife Alvira is his best friend. He not only looks up to his father-in-law Salim Khan as his father, but also respects him for setting the right hierarchy in his house where there are no favourites and every decision is taken collectively. Ahead of his upcoming production O Teri, the actor, producer and director spoke to Bombay Times about the selfless Salman Khan, his spiritual wife Alvira and his regret of not having a backing when he started. Excerpts:
How did you become an actor?
We are Brahmins from Punjab. I was born in Delhi and brought up in Mumbai as my dad Rohit Agnihotri came to Mumbai to become an actor. He did a few films, none of which did well, so, he got into outdoor hoardings and was among the first few to start making cardboard corrugated boxes. We were just okay, but not well off. It so happened that my first cousin Rati Agnihotri, who debuted with South movies, shifted to Mumbai and lived with us for two years. I did a role as a child actor with her and started doing theatre in college. It was at that time that my dad fell ill and I needed to pick up a job, which was very difficult. Fortunately for me, Pankaj Parashar was looking for an assistant to replace his assistant Sanjay Gupta, who had moved on to direct his own film. I started assisting Pankaj. I was in first year junior college at that time and have worked ever since, without taking even a day off. I assisted Pankaj for four years and debuted as Sanjay Dutt’s younger brother in Sanjay Gupta’s Aatish. I also got a role in Mahesh Bhatt sahab’s Sir. I was just 23 and at that time, for me, it was only about being able to pay my bills and it seemed great then. In hindsight, I realise that I went in without any preparation. My dad had passed away so my debut was never really a debut. I was a brother in one film and was a boy singing a song in the other. I had no backing and the only reason for choosing a film was that I needed the money.
Do you regret not having had that backing?
I was fairly popular and not that I would have been a superstar, but yes, I do feel that I could have had a better career had I been told certain things. I am launching Bilal Amrohi in O Teri. Bilal’s parents are friends of Alvira’s entire family for the longest time and Bilal has been with me from the time I started producing and directing my first film. His mother and Salman’s are like sisters and he has always been a part of all Salim uncle’s family functions. There is a Chinese saying that even if you lose the race, don’t lose the lessons. So, with Bilal, I consciously try to tell things that nobody really tells you, even though, it’s so easy to actually do that. I had friends in the industry, but no one really stops you when you are doing the wrong things. And in that sense, I missed the guidance. I was very attached to my dad, but lost him all of a sudden to a heart attack. A father is someone you can confess to, someone you can complain to, someone who forgives you. I missed having my father. We would get paid just 2-3 lakh to do a movie. Today’s actors get paid so well that the money they make in one movie may be more than what we may have made in our lifetime, as a result of which they make more sound decisions. We would be working multiple shifts to just keep our life going. Apart from being the producer on O Teri, it’s my passion to get it right for both the boys Pulkit and Bilal.
How has your journey been as a producer-director?
Pankaj Parashar was an ace ad filmmaker and under him, I learnt both production and direction. Once I started getting lesser roles in Hindi films, I did a Gujarati and a Bengali film and then TV, till I felt I should direct, which is when I directed Dil Ne Jise Apna Kahaa and Hello. I had encashed too many favours in Dil Ne Jise Apna Kahaa and was not able to reciprocate and felt emotionally miserable till I produced Bodyguard when I redeemed myself and made money. But whatever money I made in Bodyguard I have put back in O Teri and so, in that sense, nothing has changed really for me. My father-in-law (Salim Khan) so beautifully said to me, ‘There are no marks for good handwriting, only the content matters.’ I have tried to apply that. From the age of 16, it’s always been about paying for putting the chicken on the table and it still is. I am still not thinking about myself and I want O Teri to work for these two boys.
How did you meet your wife Alvira?
I was modelling for a paint commercial for Kailash Surendranath and met her there as she was assisting him on that commercial. We became friends and remained friends meeting at the RG’s and 1900 as there were no mobile phones at that time. When I got into the movies, we started talking a lot more. Ours was a friendship that grew so much that you wanted it to be a permanent relationship. And since the last 18 years of our marriage, it has always felt like a great companionship.
What is she like?
She is damn honest in her approach to life. I like that side of her. Her being able to be principled, having no vices whatsoever and still being able to be the life of a party. Her relationship with God most importantly. She is a good person and is my only emotional anchor. I admire her progress as a human being. Her ability to be able to hold on to her faith. Because of her, I also pursued spirituality. It is true that today things are better. And what you need, you get. But looking back at my life, it has not been glorious at all. But still I don’t have that many complaints. That is something I learnt, but it is something she always knew. And that is the difference between us. She is also a good mother and meditates a lot.
Who in Alvira’s family do you value the most?
Salim uncle. First time, I remember when I met him, there was this great pressure, given who he is. He was sitting in his balcony, reading the newspaper. Alvira told him, ‘Dad, this is the boy I like.’ That was the first time she had told him about me. He looked up and just said, ‘I like him too.’ That was it. For me, he replaced my father.
Talk about Salman?
Apart from the fact that he is Alvira’s older brother, I have also acted with him in two films. It’s a vast relationship with him and our relationship is very thick. It’s many things. I think he is selfless. He is not in the movies because he is ambitious or he has a goal. Everything he does, he does for somebody else. He did the title song of O Teri for me or Alvira or for Bilal or Pulkit or for all of us. But his reasons are always larger. The beautiful part of Salim uncle’s family is that there are no favourites there. Salman loves each of his siblings equally. Because of my father-in-law, the hierarchy is correct. Sohail is more babylike, Arbaaz is more mature, Salman has always been most responsible, Arpita is the baby and Alvira having grown up with the boys, is really one of them. Their family takes collective decisions and I admire that and preach that.
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