Batting for parity for his female co-stars, Arjun Kapoor on why a film no longer belongs to an actor alone anymore
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; May 19, 2019)

Arjun Kapoor gives a glimpse of his new buzz-cut, as he removes his cap. Seated at a suburban five-star, the actor has been, since morning, promoting his upcoming film India's Most Wanted. "How come you don't have a shendi (pony)," I ask him. "It's better to use a clip on. Right now, my hair has grown because I am shooting the climax [of Panipat] in which I am wearing a helmet," pat comes the reply. To douse our excitement, he volunteers to show us the looks of his next - Panipat, a period drama helmed by Ashutosh Gowariker in which he plays a Maratha warrior. Regal gait, royal costumes, and an enviable moustache is all the sneak peek we get of the actor from the film. Over some black coffee, we sit down to chat about gaining perspective from his failures, why he won't tolerate his female co-stars being treated any lesser than him and finally reacting to the allegations of sexual harassment against Dibakar Banerjee, the director of his long pending film Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar.

From a comic role in Mubarakan (2017) to a cop act in India's Most Wanted, are you consciously trying to display your range to keep up with the changing colour of commercial cinema?
When the audience evolves, the material evolves. After 2 States [2014], I was sure I wouldn't take up another romantic-comedy anytime soon because there is no point in dabbling with generic things anymore. But R Balki's [director] Ki & Ka [2016] connected with my heart. I relate to the thought - what if a man wants to grow up and follow in his mother's footsteps? Women in our country don't get their due, nor do they get the right to choose. Social consciousness is very internal for an artiste, but this also operates in tandem with the greed of working with a director, who can teach us to do better. I chose Dibakar Banerjee's film [Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar] because I instinctively felt he could make me a better actor. As for Rajkumar Gupta, it was his idea of depicting patriotism without jingoism. A period film is on everyone's wish list, and I finally got mine. Some projects work, some don't, but I know my reasons to pick a film. It has always been nothing short of a learning experience.

Is this film about the terrorist organisation Indian Mujahideen (IM) because the villain's identity is still under wraps?
The story is about five men. We don't want to emphasise on the identity of the man [Mohammed Ahmed Siddibappa aka Yasin Bhatkal, leader of IM] who killed about 400 people. Through this film, people should discover how terrorists are waiting to get pardoned in this country. It boils my blood that we allow trials and respect even our worst enemies. He doesn't deserve the mercy. I hate that we glorify such men. Instead, let's glorify what this country did to stop the man.

What has been the biggest challenge on Panipat so far?
It's an emotionally draining and equally satiating experience. Just because the world around you is so operatic, it is difficult to not over-perform sometimes, especially with poetic lines and the grand milieu. The heightened performance and theatrical tonality could take away from believability, but Ashu sir keeps the pitch in control. He wanted us to be relatable in spite of the grandeur. Panipat is a patriotic film and every emotion it showcases is relevant even today.

Is the Marathi diction tough to crack?
Not really. I have studied Marathi in school. The language is another prop for authenticity. The film has to have a pan-India appeal, so we can't have a language divide. It has to be understandable [across regions].

What was Kriti Sanon's reaction when you tweeted, 'batting for the film to be referred to as Kriti and Arjun's Panipat'?
We were shooting together when I tweeted it. As a woman, I am sure Kriti has thought of it several times. To say, 'Arjun Kapoor's Panipat to clash with Kartik Aaryan's Pati Patni Aur Woh' is not factually wrong, but it discredits others who make a film happen. It doesn't make an actor any lesser if the female actor's name is attached to the film. This industry isn't about insecurity anymore. Panipat is incomplete without Kriti. The era of making it only a hero's film is gone. Actresses aren't all about song and dance anymore, and even if an actor has a smaller part in a film, it is integral to the plot, like Taapsee Pannu was in Baby (2015). People have to call out this bulls*#t.

Your next film is with Banerjee. In light of the #MeToo movement last year, few past allegations have resurfaced in public domain…
After the allegations were made, he has gone on to direct five films, and no one bothered to discuss it before.

But now, it's in discussion because of the sentiment at large.
The fault lies in everyone collectively. We all must introspect. I did my research after the allegations resurfaced. Whatever had transpired, he spoke about it, so did she [Payal Rohatgi], and the matter was shut [2011]. No one brought it up for the last eight years. I feel he could work and speak openly about it because there is nothing to hide. If he had done something wrong, then justice should have been served to him. Enough and more people have worked with him since then; we have to believe the matter is over and done with. No one took a stand all along so, you have to let go of it because it makes sense to follow the judgement of more sensible people who have worked with him before me. It's convenient to have this conversation now because allegations are one thing, understanding what happened is another and consensual activity is another. There are a lot of layers and I am not talking about Dibakar here. The movement has suffered because complex discussions are being reduced to allegations. Blame somebody and the repercussions can be dealt with later. Every time a man is not proven guilty, the repercussions are far bigger. Unfortunately, the movement is still being understood. And I fairly say this, if there is anything wrong we all must reconsider and take a stand on it.

Payal Rohatgi talks about how she was harassed by filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee in 2011 and the way it affected her career
Lasyapriya Sundaram (BOMBAY TIMES; October 23, 2018)

In 2011, actress Payal Rohatgi had alleged that filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee had sexually harassed her. At that point, she had held a press conference to talk to the media about her ordeal. Seven years after the incident, the actress recounts her experience and says that she stands by her allegations even today. Payal also stressed on the fact that, because she came out in the open and spoke about being sexually harassed, her movie career suffered immensely.

Payal says, “I faced a lot of backlash when I spoke about being sexually harassed by Dibakar Banerjee. Not directly, but indirectly, I was boycotted by the entire fraternity that supported the director, because it is a male-dominated set-up. It’s only recently that female filmmakers are having a say. Today, many women are speaking up about their ordeal, and the reason I am bringing up the 2011 incident again, is because I don’t want people to think that what I said back then was a made-up story. The allegations I made in 2011 were true and I stand by them even today. To give courage to others who are speaking about it, I am willing to share my story again.”

There is no need to retreat from the war front because people are against you. I spoke about my experience when it had happened with me, as I didn’t think about the repercussions. I wasn’t scared when I held a press conference to talk about my ordeal, because I felt hurt and humiliated. I was already an actress working in the industry and had done a couple of small budget films. I had done films like 36 China Town and Dil Kabaddi opposite actors like Paresh Rawal and Irrfan, respectively. I was doing well for myself and wanted to play different roles and not just be happy portraying glamourous characters. As an actor, I would directly connect with the director or producer to express my desire to work for that banner and director. Dibakar Banerjee comes across as an intellectual filmmaker. That is a deception. He told me that he had a role for me in Shanghai, for which I would be perfect. However, he also said that I should give an audition just for the heck of it. I was keen on giving an audition for the part and I did. I was staying alone at that time. Considering the fact that he had given me a chance to audition and had verbally committed that he’d give me the role, he thought that he could get away it. I felt that something was not right. Also, he had come over to my house. In such a scenario, it gets difficult to get rid of that person, because you are trying to understand what’s happening. I was called mad by an entire group of filmmakers, because they all had to stand by their brother. That was the modus operandi, because they were married men, who were trying to have affairs. Dibakar molested and harassed me when he visited my home on the day that I had auditioned for his film. He thought that he could get away with whatever he did at that moment. He felt that I would agree to it, because of the audition that had happened that day. I never looked at him with that perspective. He was just a friend and a director. I met all these directors looking to work in their films and not to become their girlfriend or to have an affair with them.

I wanted to take the legal route after I addressed my ordeal in the press conference, but I was intimidated by everybody and my family and friends told me that what I was setting out to do was wrong. I was told that I should not have called for a press conference and that they will finish my career. My voice was nipped in the bud so that others wouldn’t speak up. I was from a middle-class family and didn’t have the funds to go ahead and fight a legal battle. I was intimidated and then I backed out. In fact, I had never imagined that seven years after my ordeal, the #MeToo movement will start and that I will be talking about it all over again. This is nothing but karma. Dibakar has directed six films, even though I didn’t get any films after I went public with my allegations. I have my conscience to answer and he has his.”

BT reached out to director Dibakar Banerjee for his response, but he didn’t revert till the time we went to press. The director is currently working on the film, Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar.

With the #MeToo movement gathering momentum, Payal Rohatgi urges YRF to relook into sexual misconduct allegations against Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar director Dibakar Banerjee
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; October 22, 2018)

Bollywood has exercised a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual harassment allegations over the past few weeks, as several alleged offenders — including directors Sajid Khan and Subhash Kapoor — were dropped from their respective professional assignments. Actor Payal Rohatgi had accused director Dibakar Banerjee of sexual misconduct in 2011.

Rohatgi points out that despite her seven-year-old accusations against him, Banerjee has walked away unscathed and finds himself helming a prestigious project in Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar. "Dibakar did six films after that. He doesn't look like a villain, but that doesn't take away from the fact that he used his sob story of a bad marriage to make a move. I didn't file an FIR against him because I was intimidated. In the wake of #MeToo, I hope things will be different. I don't know if YRF [Yash Raj Films, producer of Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar] will take a stand. YRF knows about Dibakar," says Rohatgi.

For the uninitiated, the actor had alleged that Banerjee had tried to take advantage of her in lieu of offering a role in one of his upcoming movies. She claimed that he had asked her to "lift my shirt and show him my stomach." While she had called him out then, Rohatgi says she was punished by the industry for speaking up.

"I was working opposite actors like Irrfan and Paresh Rawal. But after I held the press conference, no one called me for an audition again. I stopped getting films. So I had to move to television. I kept myself alive with stage shows. It was a case of one brother backing another. According to Anurag [Kashyap], I was having an affair with Dibakar. But if I were hypothetically having an affair, that still doesn't make Dibakar right; he was married at that time," she fires back. Though empowered by the change in the industry, Rohatgi doesn't intend to pursue the matter anymore. "I don't want to put Sangram [Singh, fiance] and my family through the earlier turmoil. I have moved on."

mid-day reached out to Banerjee, but failed to receive a response.

Hiren Kotwani (DNA; September 30, 2018)

In the wake of Tanushree Dutta’s allegations that Nana Patekar reportedly ‘sexually harassed’ her during the shooting of Horn OK Pleassss in 2008, a number of celebrities like Kangana Ranaut, Farhan Akhtar, Sonam K Ahuja and Anurag Kashyap have come out in support of the Aashiq Banaya Aapne (2005) actress. Tanushree also revealed that filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri allegedly told her, ‘Jao jaake kapde utaar ke naacho’ during the shooting of Chocolate (2005).

After Hrs spoke to Payal Rohatgi, who had, in 2011, accused filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee of reportedly trying to take advantage of her in lieu of his then-upcoming film Shanghai, for which she had screen-tested.

Having worked and interacted with Tanushree in movies such as 36 China Town (2004) and Dhol (2007), Payal says, “As a woman, I want to believe her and want her story to be heard. It’s similar to my story when I spoke about a director’s inappropriate behaviour with me. But many people believed that since he’s a good filmmaker, he’s a good human being as well; forgetting that profession and work ethics are different from what one is as a person. Back then, directors like Anurag Kashyap and Sudhir Mishra called me mentally unstable. And, now, Anurag has spoken in support of Tanushree. However, when the name of director Vivek Agnihotri came up, I felt this was getting a political colour.”

Probe her further about ‘the political flavour comment’ and Payal states, “Feminism in India is very fake. People hold placards to protest against a rape allegedly in a ‘Devasthan’, but those same feminists don’t speak against the rape of a nun. Just because of the #MeToo movement in Hollywood, after Oscar-winning actresses including Angelina Jolie came out and spoke against Harvey Weinstein, we also want to talk about something that has been happening in Bollywood for long; like several years ago, Mamta Kulkarni had spoken against filmmaker Rajkumar Santoshi.”

Recalling how she was shred to pieces when she had raised her voice against Dibakar, Payal says, “It did affect me, but I didn’t give up. I didn’t do films for a few years, instead, I took up reality shows. There are a lot of criteria when people want to support you and when they don’t want to. I fail to understand why the #MeToo campaign in India didn’t gain momentum when Malayalam actor Dileep was arrested after an actress was abducted and assaulted or when Telugu actress Sri Reddy was banned for talking about sexual harassment. These instances were more deserving of the #MeToo movement than anything else.”

Coming back to Tanushree’s allegations, Payal sums it, “We should be talking if an incident like this happens, but we should treat all such instances equally, not selectively.”

No smoking, no phones, no wasting food... these are some of the rules on the sets of TV shows. Those who violate them have to pay a fine or treat the cast and crew
Saloni Bhatia (BOMBAY TIMES; March 12, 2015)

NO WASTING FOOD ON THIS SET
While people can't bring non-vegetarian food on some sets, on others, they have to finish all their food even if they're full. On the sets of Ek Rishta Aisa Bhi, the actors have come up with a rule that anyone found wasting food will have to pay a fine. Rahul Sharma, the male lead of the show, says, “We have a rule on the sets that we don't waste the food on our plates. If does so, they have to pay a fine of  Rs 100 and treat the entire cast and crew to cold drinks. In case the quantity of food wasted is large, the fine also increases. There were some actors who had to pay a heavy price for wasting food, because they were fined Rs 100 and were even asked to treat everyone to cold drinks. However, now, many have fallen in line because they don't like being penalised.“

Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; February 11, 2015)

Subhash K Jha (DNA; January 7, 2015)


The lethal game, says Sangram, will only leave one of the two players in the ring on his feet at the end of the game. “Serious injuries are very likely. I’ll be pitched against the world wrestling champ Joe Legend for the ‘last man standing’ match. When I played for this match last time I broke my nose and ribs. This time anything can happen. Hence the ‘Death Contract’ which means if anything happens to me, no one is to blame,” says Sangram.

The wrestling champ says he also wants to help other wrestlers financially. “I will use the money that I make from the ‘Last Man Standing’ match to help my colleagues. There are dozens of promising wrestlers in the country who can’t afford proper training. I want to use my name and money to help them.”

Shaadi to long-time girlfriend Payal Rohatgi has been pushed to November. “I want to see how the ‘Last Man Standing’ match goes. I want to concentrate on wrestling throughout the year. Payal and I will marry in November.”

Farah Khan is gearing up to host a popular reality TV show, adds that her next is a 'small, Rs 50-crore film' starring Shah Rukh Khan
Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 3, 2015)

It's a 'Happy New Year' for Farah Khan again. No, it's not time for "action" yet. She has no idea when her next project, "a small, Rs 50 crore film" will start. "I don't have a script yet, I'm going to enjoy myself for a month or two, then the idea will come to me," she says.

Any chance that she will make this one with another Khan? Salman maybe? "No, it'll star Shah Rukh. We've been discussing it for some time now. I don't see a film with Salman happening in the near future," Farah asserts.

However, she has accepted the baton from Salman to host a new series of her favourite reality show. Starting Sunday, Bigg Boss Halla Bol will pit the five champions of Season 8 against five challengers from the past, with a grand finale on January 31.

A self-confessed fan of the show, Farah insists that the new concept is her brainchild. She argues that except for Urvashi Dholakia and Gauahar Khan, many of the winners were too goody goody for her liking. Farah says, "It was the Rakhi Sawants, Sambhavana Seths, Dolly Bindras, Pooja Mishras, Mahek Chahals and Rahul Mahajans who gave the show its masala. I've always wondered what it would be like to watch Dolly and Rakhi in the house together," says Farah who is looking forward to having her old favourites, like Rahul Mahajan back. "He'd have won, had he not run out of the house at midnight. I'll ask him about the massage he gave Payal Rohatgi," she deadpans.

She has vivid memories of Dolly's fights, Sambhavana pouring water on Raja Chaudhury's bed, Vindoo "crying more than her triplets did when they were one" but doesn't remember the controversial Kamaal R Khan.

She has hosted many reality shows but this one is different as the repartee will come from how the contestants behave during the week. "I want punches, fights and love," she says, admitting she could spend one night in the house but beyond that, sharing a toilet or a bed with someone else is unthinkable.

The most disconcerting thing to happen to Farah so far was when she heard last year that a gangster had threatened to kill Shah Rukh, Mahesh Bhatt and her. "Now, I'm worried about Salman's crazy fans," she laughs.

She is taking over from the actor for a month and says it's like "going to Disneyland". But Farah insists she's only doing it as Salman is "unavailable", adding that Bigg Boss is synonymous with him, like KBC and Amitabh Bachchan.

"Mr Bachchan (Amitabh) was very good and the season he hosted had an interesting mix of contestants. But his personality is such that they were intimidated by him," she reasons. "They are more open with Salman. He's so involved, takes things personally and his opinions-good, bad, ugly and some which I don't agree with-are his own. With him it's all about being human, no pun intended, and not about being Salman Khan, the star. He says what he feels and that works for me as a viewer."

Who's she betting on this season? "I was all for Gautam Gulati who has that 'hero' quality, but now that I''m the host, I have to be impartial," says Farah who is looking forward to enjoying the perks of two years of hard work while hubby Shirish Kunder rolls with his next film.

"I'll spend more time with my family and clean my cupboard," she concludes.

Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; February 25, 2014)

After living in for about two-and-a-half years, wrestler Sangram Singh and actress Payal Rohatgi have decided to make their relationship official. The couple, currently in Ahmedabad where Payal’s father resides, will get engaged there on Thursday, on the occasion of Mahashivratri. The ceremony will be a low-key affair, with only a few family members attending it. The wedding is slated to happen this November and will be held on a grand scale.

Sangram said, “A lot of people told Payal that I’ll change after coming out of Bigg Boss. But my family values are intact. I don’t look at relationships as timepass. There is nothing wrong with live-in relationships, but given the kind of values that I’ve grown up with, marriage is important. My parents are happy with the decision.” He further joked, “Payal proposed to me. Maine socha, agar main Payal ko ab jhel sakta hoon, toh aage bhi jhel loonga.”

Payal added, “Many people thought since we met on a reality show and lived together, this could be one of those frivolous relationships, but we always knew that’s not true. However, the engagement came as a huge surprise. I am yet to do the shopping! We are in Ahmedabad to help my father out with a property deal. The men talked yesterday and it was decided that we get engaged on this very trip! My parents are getting old and everyone wants their children to settle down.”

About the proposal, Payal confessed, “I was the one who wanted to be with Sangram. I was the one who said, ‘I love you and let’s be together’. More than three years ago, we did a reality show, during which we spent some 45 days together. During that time, I realised that he is a man of his word. My parents were living separately for 16 years… he brought them together. Besides, I am hyper, while he is laid-back. He is the calming influence in my life. He is not fake and it’s rare to find someone like that in a city. We are very different as individuals, but we complete each other. Living together helped us know each other better. With him, I don’t have to pretend to be something I am not.”