The actor says that as a producer, she values a story more than its treatment
Juhi Chakraborty (HINDUSTAN TIMES; June 4, 2020)

As a producer, Anushka Sharma is not afraid to push the envelope and back edgy stories with darker narratives, something which began right from her debut production, NH10 (2015). So it came as no surprise when she chose a neo-noir subject, dealing with the underbelly of crime and politics as her production debut on the web.

“I’ve always been drawn to different kinds of things that happen around us in the world and wanted to present that through a story,” the actor tells us, adding, “(My brother) Karnesh and I always believe that content is everything. The most exciting part as a producer and as a creative person is to do films and series like Paatal Lok, which is different, clutter-breaking and progressive.”

Sharma emphasises that when it comes to backing a project, the storyline has been more important than the overall treatment. “So, we did a film like NH10 which was fierce, we also did Phillauri (2017) that is about a friendly ghost. I feel different, bold and out-of-the-box content has always been our interest,” she says.

Revealing how she decides which project to be associated with, the 32-year-old says the one common thread between everything she has produced so far is that the ideas have been “new and fresh”. She adds, “We’ve always chased unique ideas, that has been something we believed in whenever we took up a story.”

Regarding her involvement with a project as the producer, Sharma reveals she remains involved right from the ideation stage till the final product. “Sometimes, I’m physically unavailable as I’m doing so many other things at the same time. I’m involved nevertheless from the beginning to the end.”

The actor has been in lockdown with her parents and husband, cricketer Virat Kohli in Mumbai. She calls the experience “enlightening” and admits it has made her more aware of the world around.

“The current situation in the world is quite grim and unfortunate, it can make you feel helpless. But, the only thing, you realise that you can do during these times, is reach out to people as much as you can and ease someone’s load,” says the actor, who is making the most of the Coronavirus lockdown “focusing on family time and catching up on shows and films, taking care of my health and baking a bit to occupy my mind”.

Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; January 18, 2018)

Ever since he made his debut with Udta Punjab, Diljit Dosanjh has become a sought-after actor in Bollywood. The Punjabi superstar’s next release will be the biopic, Soorma, based on hockey player Sandeep Singh’s life, directed by Shaad Ali. He plays the lead role opposite Sonakshi Sinha in Boom Boom In New York and has recently bagged a romcom produced by Ramesh Taurani. He is also returning to the small screen with the second season of Rising Star, a show that saw him making his TV debut. Here the actor looks back at his journey in Bollywood and shares his resolve of doing one Punjabi film every year.

What brings you back on Rising Star?
I had an amazing experience last year. At that time, I didn’t know much about TV and its importance, but after the series wrapped up and I had my performance tour in Canada, people who met me didn’t talk about my films or songs, but the show!

That’s when I realised how important the medium is. As for what attracts me to Rising Star, it’s undoubtedly the live format. I was offered many shows after this, but I didn’t take up any as I didn’t find them interesting. It involved shooting for the entire day which, I feel, would get boring. This series, on the other hand, doesn’t bore me, as I shoot for it for only an hour or two every weekend.

Though you are on the jury, you are more like a mentor, as the viewers decide everything with their votes. Don’t you feel it would be better if you take a call on it?
On the contrary, I find this better. One doesn’t have any burden or responsibility of taking a decision. Some people don’t like it when they are told they cannot make it to the next level. And frankly at the end of the day, however much you like a song or film you have done, it’s the audience who decides its fate. So these singers get that training at this stage only, which is good.

How was the experience of shooting for Soorma?
It’s a great responsibility playing a real-life character because the person has reached a certain position after undergoing a lot of things. When Shaad Ali (director) approached me, I knew that Singh was the captain of the Indian hockey team, but I wasn’t aware about his journey. (Singh was almost paralysed and on wheel chair for two years of his life after a shooting accident. He recovered from that grave injury and established himself again in the team). I was shocked to know how such a person not only survived, but also recovered from a serious injury and was back as the team’s captain! I thought to myself if I was in that position, I wouldn’t have been able to do that. That aspect was a huge kick for me — Iss bande ne kaise survive kiya, and created a world record!

Did you find it difficult learning the sport?
No, because Sandeep paaji himself was training me. Even his elder brother Bikramjeet Singh, who is a great hockey player, would teach me. The way they taught me the game, I never felt I wouldn’t be able to do it. Sometimes I would find it very tough and tell them, ‘Yeh mujhse shaayad nahin ho payega’ but they were very positive and would insist I only do it. ‘Koi double nahi hoga,’ they would say and make me do it four-five times and ho jaata tha. They are such positive people, that is why probably their journey is so inspiring.

You were to do another film for Anushka Sharma’s production after Phillauri...
(Cuts in) Yes, we were in talks for another film, I had even heard the story (of the movie), but after that there was no development. 

You have a movie with Sonakshi Sinha that revolves around a film award?
Yes, that has a lot of big stars including Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Lara Dutta, Boman Irani and Karan Johar. I’m playing a small part (laughs).

Tell us about the romcom with Ramesh Taurani.
Taurani ji called me and told me about this story jo kamaal ki hai. I have liked it, but I don’t know who the other actors are and when it will  go on the floors.

How do you look at your journey in Bollywood so far?
I’m very happy. Main shayad deserve nahi karta itna, which I have got in the last two years. I’m saying that because I don’t know many people in Bollywood, yet I get offers. I haven’t put in much effort to get work here. I got offers, some of which I took up, some that I turned down. Even Udta Punjab just came my way. In contrast, I have had to work really hard for Punjabi films, bahut mehnat ki hai sab haasil karnke liye.

Will you be juggling Punjabi and Hindi films?
Yes. I will definitely do one Punjabi film every year but Hindi movies kitney karunga pata nahi. In March, my Punjabi movie  based on World War I is releasing. I’m planning to release it in Mumbai also with subtitles. It was my dream to do a film about Sikh soldiers who went to England during the war. Not much has been done on them in cinema. When I go to England, I meet several people who tell me stories of their bravery. Being a turbanator, a Sardar, I felt I should do this film — if I don’t do it, who will? I’ve been wanting to work on it since the last four-five years and it finally happened last year.

What about your career in singing?
I started my career with singing and that’s something I will always follow. In fact, I’ll release my album next month.

Despite being in the so-called ‘modern era’, it’s not uncommon to find the most educated of people believing in superstitions. When it comes to marriage, for a lot of people, one of the top questions on their mind is whether the boy or a girl is ‘manglik’. If the answer is in affirmative, it can cause pandemonium. The solution for it is equally bizarre and Phillauri deals with this aspect. However, things go awry for the ‘manglik’ boy leading to some unexpected circumstances. The idea is novel but the film sadly turns out to be an average fare!

The story of the movie: Kanan (Suraj Sharma) returns back from Canada to Amritsar after completing his studies to marry his childhood sweetheart Anu (Mehreen Pirzada). He’s told that since he’s a ‘manglik’, he’ll have to marry a tree (which would be later cut) and only then he should tie the knot with Anu. Sadly, a ghost Shashi (Anushka Sharma) resides in the tree with which Kanan is married to. Shashi hence gets into Kanan’s life which wreaks havoc since only he can see Shashi. He’s already unsure of marrying Anu so soon in his life and the entry of Shashi further causes damage.

Phillauri begins with a psychedelic dream sequence that seems very unconvincing. Thankfully, the dream ends soon and from here, the film begins to make a mark. The family members are neatly introduced and the fun moments in between raise laugh. The fun begins once Shashi makes an entry and scares the daylights out of Kanan. There’s a parallel track going on as well, when Shashi is alive and is in love with Phillauri (Diljit Dosanjh). The beginning of this track and setting is lovely but after a point, it fails to really engage. The romance between Shashi and Phillauri is not something that will really involve the audiences. On the other hand, the track of Kanan and Anu also begins to go off track. What exactly is Anu’s predicament is hard to decipher. The causes are laid out but there should have been some reason behind it which is not given. The film however is saved by the climax. The last 15-20 mins is when the unexpected happens and that really is quite gripping. The final scene is touching but it is stretched too much and that again hampers the impact.

Performance wise, Anushka Sharma gives a very restrained and effective performance. There have been friendly ghosts in the past in our films but Anushka manages to stand out from all of them. Even when not playing a ghost, she is lovely as the Phillaur village girl with big dreams. Diljit Dosanjh has a late entry but leaves a huge impact with his style, smile and overall performance. There’s something about him that makes him very endearing. Here’s hoping he continues to do a lot of Bollywood films! Suraj Sharma plays his role with elan. At some places, however, he overplays the grumpiness and the fault lies with the director more than him. Mehreen Pirzada gives a confident debut performance. She looks stunning and can go a long way. Nidhi Bisht (Shashi’s bestie), the TVF girl, gives a fine performance. The other actors that leave a mark are the ones playing Shashi’s brother, Phillauri’s friend and Anu’s alcoholic grandmother. The actor playing the househelp Piyush is fabulous and rocks the first 20 minutes of the film!

Shashwat Sachdev and Jasleen Royal’s music is quite soulful. But except Sahiba, no other song has a great recall value. Sahiba is the soul of the movie, beautifully blended and plays a crucial part in the narrative. Sameer Uddin’s background score is impressive. Vishal Sinha’s cinematography is neat. Meenal Agarwal’s production design is very praiseworthy, especially in Shashi-Phillauri track. The props of the bygone era add a great touch and also, not many period films show these items. VFX by Red Chillies also deserve lot of praise. Shashi the ghost is wonderfully presented on screen. Special mention should also go to Jallianwalla Bagh sequence - A great work by the entire team! Anvita Dutt’s story is quite nice but the screenplay is not very tight. Also, there are unconvincing moments that spoil the show to an extent. Anshai Lal’s direction is fine and he makes a nice debut. But at some places, he could have done better in engaging the audiences. Hopefully, he’ll do better in his next flick!

On the whole, Phillauri begins and ends well but the in-between portion is where it falters. Anushka Sharma and Diljit Dosanjh deliver great performance while the song Sahiba is highly soulful and well placed in the movie. The film however is too long, stretched and unconvincing at places and this is surely going to impact the word of mouth!

My rating - ** ½ out of 5!

Subhash K Jha (DNA; March 24, 2017)

Anushka Sharma’s second production Phillauri has encountered roadblocks at the censor board. The film satirises superstition and blind faith by showing an NRI being married to a tree, and a ghost stalking the NRI thereafter.

According to CBFC guidelines, superstitions are not to be promoted through cinema. However, the film has been passed with one notable cut and with an U/A certification.

CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani defends the decision. “In my opinion it’s not the CBFC’s job to sit in judgment on the content of a film. We can only make amends in the presentation of the content. Not propagating superstition and blind faith falls in the jurisdiction of the State government. If we sat judgement over films on ghosts then we’d have to question why classics like Mahal, Gumnam, Woh Kaun Thi and Lekin were passed.”

The CBFC has asked the producers of Phillauri to add a lengthy disclaimer at the beginning saying they do not subscribe to any of the superstitions shown in the film nor do they believe in ghosts.

Also, a lengthy sequence showing actor Suraj Sharma reciting the Hanuman Chalisa in the bath tub in a ghost’s presence has been asked to go from the supernatural satire. The CBFC is said to have found the sequence incongruous since ghosts are supposed to be eradicated not pacified with the recital of the Hanuman Chalisa.

“This amounted to hurting of religious sentiments,” says a source adding, “The CBFC has asked for the Hanuman Chalisa to be removed from the soundtrack. All the audience will hear now is Suraj long droning chant which would be inaudible.”

The CBFC also seems to be sympathetic to snakes. It has asked the makers to insert a scroll in a sequence featuring a snake to indicate no real snake has been hurt in the sequence, that it’s all computer graphics.

WILL THE FRIENDLY GHOST WORK ITS MAGIC?

Anushka Sharma always prefers to go low key with her film productions’ shoots. Hence, she and her team won’t share on the set images, videos etc that is common nowadays. She also doesn’t reveal much about the film beforehand and hence the first trailer always comes up as a surprise. It happened with NH10 and now the same trend was repeated with Phillauri. Everyone knew she was doing this film but nobody knew that she plays a ghost. And no, she won’t send a chill down your spine. This ghost is friendly and will tickle your funny bone and teach you a lesson or 2 about love.

Phillauri, besides Anushka stars Diljit Dosanjh, Suraj Sharma (of Life Of Pi fame) and debutant Mehreen Pirzada. From the trailer, it seems that two tracks, based in two different eras, run parallel with Anushka being common in both these tracks. The film also deals with the controversial ritual of manglik’s being compelled to marry a tree before their actual marriage. Songs are lovely especially Sahiba. The way Anushka as a ghost is visually presented is damn good and makers claim it’s a first for a film of this genre.

Phillauri unfortunately will appeal to a niche section of audience. However, it’s hatke and quite interesting from the promos and hence, it is expected to take an average-to-decent opening. With the last week’s releases (Aa Gaya Hero, Machine, Trapped) not really setting the cash registers ringing and the super-hit film Badrinath Ki Dulhania too having done its majority of business, Phillauri couldn’t have come at a better time. Co-incidentally, NH10 also released in March (2015) at a right time and the solo release and open weeks ahead ensured it turned out to be a commercial success. Whether the same happens for Phillauri remains to be seen!

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE PHILLAURI AND WHY? DO LET ME KNOW!

Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; March 23, 2017)

With just three days left for its release, Anushka Sharma’s Phillauri found itself in legal wrangle as Bhojpuri actor-producer filed a copyright infringement case against the rom-com in the Bombay High Court. The court, however, did not entertain the complainant, Dashrath Rathod, and, in fact, slapped a penalty of Rs 5 lakh for the last-minute move.

In a declaration suit, Rathod claimed Phillauri is a copy of his 2013 trilingual film, Mangal Phera, and also demanded a stay on its release. A source informed, “The court did not find any prima facie case and dismissed Rathod’s call for a stay. He has now filed an appeal against the order.”

Advocate Nagesh Mishra, who appeared for Rathod, said, “We feel it [the order] is not justified. Once we get a copy of the order in hand, we will appeal to the court for a hearing.”

Lawyers Bhavik Patel and Kiran Desai, who are representing the Phillauri makers, refused to comment on the case. The film is Anushka’s second production venture after NH10 (2015), and stars Diljit Dosanjh, Suraj Sharma and her in lead roles.

Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; March 23, 2017)

I walk into Anushka Sharma’s office and she Snapchats the moment and captions it: “He’s promised to finish the interview in three minutes.” She laughs at my shocked reaction. But then, we end up chatting for close to an hour. Eventually, her pet cats come knocking on the glass door to remind us that the clock is ticking. During that time, the actress talks about her upcoming film, her ideas behind production, her strategies as an actor and producer, and more. Read on...

Most ghost stories are scary. Phillauri isn’t.
We don’t know how ghosts behave, so we can take the leap of faith and decide that this one is a friendly ghost. Phillauri is definitely an interesting take on ghosts. It’s in a fun space. I did find that different and exciting.

Did you deliberately make a fun film because your first production (NH10) was hard-hitting and intense?
As producers, we just want to tell stories. Sometimes, it might be a thriller, or a film like Phillauri, which is a complete family entertainer and sometimes, it might just be a scary horror film. There are no pre-conceived ideas about what we want to do next. We just react to stories. That’s about it.

Do you like watching ghost films?
I do like watching them but I like thrillers more than ghost films. I don’t remember too many. The Conjuring was scary. The Exorcist was amazingly scary, too.

Do you get scared while watching a film?
Who doesn’t? If someone says they aren’t, they are lying. When you watch these films, you get scared, you close your eyes, watch it through the gaps of your fingers. And my brother Karnesh and I always used to watch the show called Woh like that. Do you remember? It was so good.

Reports suggest Phillauri is similar to The Corpse Bride...
Absolutely not! The only similarity is that there is a ghost and there’s a man and the marriage that happens between them. Our concept is about a man who gets married to a tree, which is an entirely Indian concept. Then, there is a love story of the ghost. In The Corpse Bride, the ghost forces the guy to get married to him because she wants marriage. This is completely the opposite. Here, the ghost is as scared as the guy.

The films you are producing might not be women-centric but they’re always from a female protagonist’s perspective. Does that play in your mind when you select scripts?
How you are as a person, what your sensibilities are — these things are parameters on the basis of which you will decide things in life. You will always get attracted to things that match your desires and sensibilities. So who I am as a person matters a lot when I say yes to a film. When I am narrated a story, I won’t relate to something which is regressive or isn’t the right portrayal of a character or a girl. That’s how I deal with my choices as an actor and a producer. In fact, even more so because my brother and I both strongly feel about this. It’s about our upbringing and the way we see the world that plays an integral role in the scripts we pick. And for me, I want my characters to have a voice. If I’m playing a character where I don’t have a perspective, a point of view or have anything to say, then I don’t understand what I’m doing in the film.

There’s a huge disparity in the wages of men and women in the industry. As a female producer, does the same disparity happen with investors and budgets?
I think you are addressing what Sonam said on the same issue. Honestly, I don’t know what the budget of her film is. So I won’t comment on it. But yes, I just know that with the success of NH10, it was a lot easier to get Phillauri greenlit. Also, I am in a different and I would say, in a better position in my career than what I was when I did NH10. So it depends from film to film. I don’t know what a male actors’ contract is with the studio when they make a film. But if there’s disparity in general, I’m sure it will be there in this equation. Exactly what it is, I don’t want to be careless and make a comment. But just knowing the way things are, it is possible. I also think that while we speak about all of this, which is correct and everyone should speak about, we should choose and do things that help change the system. And helps in making the stand of female actors stronger. Our choices should lend its way to doing all that and that will be the way forward. That is why I feel very empowered as an actress when I’m producing a film. It’s a bigger sense of responsilibility and ownership. The possibilities are so much more of what things can be and where you can take it to.

But had NH10 not worked, do you think situations would have been different now?
It’s a hypothetical question and I really don’t know. I am a very instinctive person and I react to everything. So I don’t know how I would have reacted had it not worked. I was quite confident of the film honestly and how the film would go on to do. I knew we had a great film in hand which will be respected. The fact that it made money as well is a big thing. So I didn’t think about the flip side of it. There’s no point also. I mean why? How would it help? I don’t think about a film’s failure that I have signed up for. It’s stupid. The time that you took to make a decision of whether to do it or not — that’s the time when all these questions should be answered within you. That itself is going to be the deciding factor. If you have chosen the film for wrong reasons, without enough understanding the potential of the film, then you can be worried about it. But when you choose a film with conviction, you go on the sets, do your best and then uske baad worry karna is mindless. As a producer, I am doubly sure before I do a film. With Phillauri, we have been involved with it since the inception, we know what we have in hand. But then again, it might not work because nobody really knows the hit formula for any film. But content driven films with unique subjects always do well and we have seen that in the past as well.

Your films PK and Sultan both did 300 crore business. Does it put more pressure on you to deliver with your other films?
I won’t say there’s pressure but obviously, you want to deliver at the box office with all your films. It is not a burden. I don’t take it as one because as a person, I don’t take myself too seriously. I am very practical about things. If I have taken a decision to produce, I have to be very confident about the content I have. Uske baad, how much the film does, no one can profess. But me being a bankable actress today or with the success of the films that you’ve mentioned, helps and allows me to get film greenlit if I’m in it. So it’s easy for me to make those films. The responsibility then is to make profits from it because there’s a studio involved in it. It is a business at the end of the day which you are working towards. But I don’t take baggage of some other film for this film. That’s why we call it Clean Slate Films. There’s no prejudice or baggage. We treat each film differently. This film has its own journey, life and its own audience. It’s a different space altogether. You don’t know what will happen because such a film has not been attempted before. Even I’m excited to find that out. The idea is to make your films financially viable and according to me, you do that by offering strong content, something new and extraordinary to people. See, Khan films are huge films because they are huge stars and they have been that over generations. That guarantees them a certain audience. Today, when you have access to so much with Netflix and all on your laptop, if you ask audiences to come and watch a film, you really have to offer them something very extraordinary or unique for them to increase footfalls at the theatre. We are creating that to intrigue people. That’s what I am doing. I won’t compare the success of some other film which is in a completely different space with this one.

When you are producing a film on a limited budget and getting big returns, is it more satisfying then doing a big with big budget and big numbers?
People don’t really understand the term ‘return on investment’ well. People only relate to a film doing so much money whether it’s 100 crore or whatever. Of course, Sultan and PK made a lot of money for the producers too. But I’m just talking in general. When people talk about films ki yeh film ne 100 crore kama liya, nobody is actually talking about how much the film is made for. It’s very fashionable to say it’s 100 crore film but what’s more important is the return on investment. That’s what we are interested in. NH10 returned on investment. How much it was made for and how much it made — that’s what is important and that’s our way of working. Sultan, PK, Dangal they obviously had made that much money and also in terms of ratios, they had higher returns. But then, there are also films where that is not the case. Only perception is created that these films are actually huge. I guess, with medium budget films, if they are made right, as we have seen in the past, the ratio of return on investment is much more.

In an interview, Kangana Ranaut said actresses who work with Khans don’t have longevity. You have worked with all of them. Your comment?
I cannot comment on what Kangana said because I don’t know what the context was and what she actually said. But I also have the same belief that I won’t just be a showpiece in a film. Just like Kangana thinks, rightfully so. I wouldn’t have done the film if I was just another showpiece. The fact that I’ve done the film is because I had a role to play and a contribution to make to the film which was recognised and stood out. So I won’t completely agree with that.

You have decided not to talk about your personal life...
I am not comfortable talking about my personal life and that’s completely my decision. It is not about actor or actresses. I might be an actor, but I am also a person with life principles and according to me, being open about my relationship is not something I feel I need to do. I’m guarded as a person and I have always been like this.

There was a time when people wrote about Virat backing your banner financially. Do you think people today don’t like watching a strong independent woman?
I think it comes from there — a very, very deep rooted misogyny. Where people feel that if a girl is doing something great on her own, obviously she has got some help. People who speak this way have no spine. All working women know this by now that we will experience such things because whenever there’s a change or you do something different from what people are used to, they will react this way. They are not used to a girl doing something on her own because they might not have ever done something like that. And then, suddenly they see a girl who is independently getting into something, obviously it is going to disturb them. When people are used to something and that is challenged or changed, it disturbs them. I think all of us should accept that this will happen. I felt sad, angry but I’m not going to let them get in the way. I believe that whenever you will do something good, there will always be someone to pull you down or make you feel like s**t. You just have to ignore it. Don’t give a damn and keep walking. And as you go further and further on the road, the noises become quieter and quieter.

Because of these rumours, would you never ask Virat for help, even if it’s not financial? Maybe just to avoid such stories?
Nobody needs to help me financially. I am very, very independent financially and I’ll be that for the rest of my life. I will never change the way I am because of what people expect or think of me because if I’d done that, I wouldn’t have come so far in my life. I don’t need any financial help from anybody and I don’t say that with arrogance, I say that with pride. It’s just that I have reached so far, on my own accord and nobody can take away my credit away from me.

Madhureeta Mukherjee (BOMBAY TIMES; March 21, 2017)

Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; March 20, 2017)

Reza Noorani (BOMBAY TIMES; March 19, 2017)

BOMBAY TIMES (March 19, 2017)

Life Of Pi actor Suraj, who makes his Bollywood debut with Phillauri, says Lion star is making Hollywood take note of Indians on screen
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; March 18, 2017)

While Indian actors generally use their Bollywood outings as a ticket to Hollywood, Suraj Sharma’s career headed in a different direction. After an acclaimed debut in Ang Lee’s Life Of Pi (2012) , the 24-year-old is now set for his maiden Hindi film — Anushka Sharma's Phillauri.

Parallels are being drawn between Suraj, and Indian-American actor Dev Patel’s journey, and the former is delighted about it. “It is a gift since it places me alongside him [Dev]. I hope I at least bag as many roles as he does. I like him as an actor, and love him as a person. We often catch up and talk about movies and life. Just like me, he doesn’t like the idea of fame, and both of us feel the burden of being brown actors [since we are] always typecast,” Suraj says.

Dev’s excellence as an actor, says Suraj, will only enable more Indian-origin artistes bag roles in the West. “From his amazing acting in Slumdog Millionaire (2008) to bagging a Supporting Actor nomination at the Oscars for Lion (2016), Dev’s achievements are prestigious for us. They raise our expectations of bagging good roles. Dev has put us all on a pedestal for Hollywood to take note of.”

An array of Indian actors has created waves on the international turf with Priyanka Chopra leading the pack. Yet, brown actors, Suraj feels, continue to face discrimination during auditions. “It’s not racism. It is an ideology so deep-seated that people in Hollywood don’t even realise it. It’s a constant struggle and [we are] often [called to] audition for stereotypical situations,” he adds, and is quick to point out that the growth of independent cinema in India and US is creating a positive change by breaking moulds.

In Anushka’s second production, Suraj will be seen as an NRI, who arrives in Punjab to get married, only to discover that he is a manglik. Ask him if he is superstitious and he responds with a firm no. “But I believe in ghosts! Even though my mind tells me they don’t exist, there is an element of doubt. I have been in some ‘this is not normal’ situations,” he chuckles.

When younger, Anushka Sharma would find her brother Karnesh irritating. Today, they have teamed up to create magic on screen
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; March 12, 2017)

Our conversation begins with some guy talk. Anushka Sharma's brother, Karnesh, enquires about the mid-day mate. "I remember it used to be popular," he says. A shocked Anushka is clueless about what her brother is talking about. When told it is a photograph of a sexy girl in a bikini, she quickly says, "Why isn't there a picture of a man too?" It's a hot afternoon and we are at Anushka's home in Versova. In a tete-a-tete with the siblings, who are ready with their second production Phillauri, we talk about filmmaking and bonding.

Your first production venture NH10 (2015) was a thriller which was critically-acclaimed. Did people approach you with scripts of the same genre?
Karnesh: Yes. It was not only newcomers, but established directors and writers as well who pitched women-centric thrillers or about a woman avenging her husband's death.
Anushka: It's funny because people should understand we will not make a film on the same subject again. Even as an actor, I do not. NH10 and Phillauri are such diverse films. We're trying to create different and new content.

What comes to your mind when people say womencentric film? Do you identify with the term?
Anushka: I don't identify with it because stories are about people. It can be a male or female protagonist. Phillauri is about a ghost; it is her love story. A woman-centric film is not always about strength, substance or fighting society.
Karnesh: It is only here that we talk about woman-centric films. It doesn't happen in Hollywood or European cinema. People are aware of telling stories with women as the protagonist; that's why there is a debate about women-centric films.

Phillauri deals with mangliks who are considered unfavourable for marriage? Do you believe in it?
Anushka: Karnesh is a manglik and I told him to get married to a tree for the film's promotions and he refused [laughs].
Karnesh: Not for film promotions [laughs]! On a serious note, I don't believe in it.

Anushka, do you find your brother annoying?
Anushka: There was a time when I would get irritated, but it was when I was younger. We would complain to our parents, but today we respect and accept each other.
Karnesh: I like how we are today, and not when we were younger. I am enjoying what we are doing. I wish it had came a little earlier in life, but probably we wouldn't have had the same understanding of each other. So, I guess everything has the right time.

How were you as kids? Anushka, being younger, would you always get away with tantrums?
Karnesh: I had more tantrums than her.
Anushka: I remember when I was seven, he coaxed me to ask my parents for a video game as a birthday gift. I was least interested in it. He told me, "Bahut mazza aayega saath main khelenge." I never saw the joystick of the game even once.
Karnesh: I have been manipulative, but now I am making up for it.

Karnesh, you were in the merchant navy. What made you get into film production?
Karnesh: I got bored of sailing. People think it's a cool job and you get to travel the world, but that's not the case. There were times when I was working for almost 20 hours a day. I thought if I continue, I will remain alone all my life. Maneesh Sharma was directing Shuddh Desi Romance (2013) and he suggested I should try it out with him.
Anushka: Maneesh directed me in Band Baaja Baaraat (2010). Whenever I make friends, I make sure they meet my brother because I don't know how to carry on friendships [laughs]. I am socially inept. Whenever Maneesh would write a script, he would call Karnesh as he has good judgement and gives an honest opinion. In fact, Adi [Aditya Chopra] has called him on several occasions too.

Anushka, you have starred in both your productions. Would you plan a film without starring in it?
Anushka: Of course. By God's grace, I am doing well in my career, so I don't need my production house to make films for myself. If I don't fit into the scheme of things, I will not.
Karnesh: Scripts are not written keeping Anushka in mind. We don't write scripts keeping any particular actor in mind.

What are your plans for the future?
Anushka: To be able to make the kind of films we want to. We have great ideas and plans. We don't look for other people's mistakes and what our action should be.
Karnesh: We are pursuing our dreams and we aren't going to change our plans according to others.

Datta Dave (left) and Chaitanya Hegde of Tulsea. Pic/Nimish Dave


The Jerry Mcguires for film writers, Chaitanya Hegde and Datta Dave of Tulsea, on what it takes to give the written word its due on celluloid
Aastha Atray Banan (MID-DAY; December 18, 2016)

As we chatted with writers and directors at NFDC's Film Bazaar this year in Goa, we heard talk of Tulsea and its founders Datta Dave and Chaitanya Hegde. "Oh, Datta is like the Jerry McGuire for writers!" was how we were introduced to Dave by an upcoming writer, to which he replied, "The difference is that Jerry had only one client." Our writer then quipped, "Then that would mean you are the Ari Gold for writers in India." We were curious to know why Dave and Hegde, who own the media and content management company, were being compared to fictional characters, known for being tough negotiators, who got their clients the best deal possible.

We are sitting sipping chai and talking about the Hindi film industry in Bandra on a warm December afternoon. Both Hegde and Dave seem amused at the comparison to Jerry and Ari, but say that maybe it's true that they could be seen as real-life versions of the reel-life agents. "Yes, we do take care of all kinds of negotiations. I think when we met each other in 2009, we realised that writers especially needed somebody to figure all this out for them. It's not just that they need a business acumen, but they need to know who to connect with, how to connect, and then most importantly, how to pitch a story," says Hegde.

Tulsea, which began in 2010, now represents writers such as Juhi Chaturvedi (Piku), Sudip Sharma (NH10) and directors Navdeep Singh (NH10) and Vikramaditya Motwane (Lootera). The firm is now working with production companies like Anushka Sharma's Clean Slate and Ritesh Batra's Poetic License. Recently, among other things, three Tulsea writers formed the writer's room for Netflix's first Indian local production, Sacred Games; Stan Lee and Vikramaditya Motwane come together to develop Indian superhero film, Chakra; their writers are writing shows for Amazon Prime; and have partnered with Clean Slate Films and Fox Star for the co-production of Phillauri.



Dave was a management consultant in Los Angeles, and then was business manger to director Shekhar Kapur before he started Tulsea, whereas Hedge was in advertising and then worked with filmmaker Rakesh Omprakash Mehra.

"In India, you still have to play hardball to get writers their due. Yes, not that it's unheard of a writer getting a crore for a movie, but most times, the studio head will say 'it may be a great script and he is a superb writer, but it's his first film, so why should we pay him that much'. Nothing is really according to merit in this industry, you know. They may also say that 'he wrote this and that, but nothing materialised', but the release of a movie is dependent on many other things than a script!" says Hegde. Dave adds, "But things are changing. People have realised that content is important. We have around eight stars, and now people know not everyone can make a movie with them. Then content does become king, and that's where good writing comes in."

Both say that they have made their contacts in the industry from scratch, and they push their talent to do their best, also because they want to them to get the best deal possible. "If we are representing you, we want to make sure the product is stunning. So we work with the writers all the time. We are available all the time — you can call us if you have questions or writer's block…" says Hegde. They are now working on getting even regional talent onboard, who may have great stories, but may not be able to articulate them well enough in English, which is the preferred language for scripts these days. "We are against narrations, and this industry used to work on that. Because sometimes what is narrated doesn't necessarily get translated into the movie. And many writers are not great storytellers which a narrator needs. We would rather studio heads read the stories, and that's started happening now," says Dave.

Ask them what they think is working right now in the industry, and they say that's a near impossible question to answer. Where a Piku worked, so did a Sultan, and we get what they are trying to say. "The good thing is people want to do something different now. We now get references like 'Oh we want a Before Sunset', and so we know that the format is changing," says Hegde. But doesn't that hamper creativity, and Dave says, "This happens in LA too. It usually doesn't mean you want the same movie. It could mean the vibe. It could mean the genre. The frame-by-frame copying doesn't happen anymore, as now you can buy the rights and remake movies." For now, they are happy that the writers they represent are getting a chance to finally start seeing their name on screen. Their parting tip for all budding writers is an easy-sounding one, even if it may be hard. Hegde says, "Even if you are getting work or not, keep writing. And keep reading. There's no better education."

Anushka Sharma on surging ahead as a producer with Phillauri, why she is okay with her films not making money right away and how she’s factoring that in
Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; December 14, 2016)

It’s not easy being a female producer. Ask Anushka Sharma and she laughingly admits, “I can’t expect studios to give me a budget for my films, which they might give an Aamir Khan.” Run by Anushka and her brother Karnesh, Clean Slate Films is ready with their second release Phillauri, which releases next year on March 24. And when Anushka decided to jump into production, she had only one word in mind: content. Here, Anushka talks about being a young producer and the daily struggles that come with it. Over to her...

Is it difficult to produce content-oriented small budget films and release them?
Definitely. I did NH10 without charging a fee. I couldn’t. The film had to be budgeted well and that’s why it went on to be a profitable venture. I’ll explain it to you. See, if I am a studio and Rajkumar Hirani wants to make a film with Aamir Khan, obviously I will give up my entire life’s savings knowing well that the two of them will come up with something incredible. But when it comes to a newer director, situations are different. Since NH10 did not have commercial elements, for that film to work, I had to produce the film. For it to get a greenlight from the studio, we had to go all in.

With Phillauri, has that struggle ended?
Phillauri is a more commercial film than NH10. It’s a fun film with comedy and romance. So we definitely have a better budget for the film. Anshai is a new director. You don’t know anything about him and people can be sceptical about it. But when an actor backs a film like this, the studio feels more confident about it. Today, as an actress, I feel I have that bankability because of the films that I have done, that a studio feels some merit in the films I do and would readily okay a certain budget for it. That’s the reason why they would back a film like Phillauri. Because if I’m coming with something, I’m coming with content. It’s not going to be an empty film. It will be properly prepared, worked on and the script too will be checked before presenting it to anyone. That’s the way we will work. It’s difficult because we are new players. If people are basing their judgment just on the people attached to it, then it’s a problem. But if they give value to content and then me being a part of such a film adds more value to it, it becomes easier to make a film happen.

Recently, Sonam Kapoor said that women don’t get a certain budget for their films which probably a male actor does, which is why the scale of her film has dropped and she and Kareena have had to slash their prices. Comment...
See, I am not going to comment on that because I have absolutely no idea about what Sonam has said. I don’t even know the budgets of each of these films, so it will be a very careless comment if I make it. But only from my point of view, I will talk. Literally, I am making Phillauri with just a big heart. That’s the only way I would have been able to make the film. Every film has a different story and different challenges. This film is a VFX-heavy film so we needed a certain budget for it. We didn’t want to compromise on that in any case. So if that means that I have to compromise on my fee to make that film, I would readily do it.

Please continue...
See the thing is at the end of the day, my brother and I look at our company like a start-up. We can’t be making money right away. On the table, we don’t think we can make money, but we can with the success of our film. So if we feel there is potential in a film, we do it. We believe films like NH10 and Phillauri will rake in a certain money for us. I will not get into what the system the industry has in place with other people. I literally don’t know the paperwork that’s involved. If I knew that, I would have been able to comment on that. But in general, because there’s a huge disparity in your wages, so when you are making a film, you tend to keep that factor in mind. So if there’s a difference in what you want to pay an actor and an actress, then you would also bring in that difference in the budget of your film. That could be one of the reasons why it works out differently but I had to slash my fee, too.

And you’re okay with that?
That’s a decision I wanted to take because I wanted to make a film happen. For me, producing a film at this point is far more important because I am anyway making money acting in other films. So this is how I am going to work my way around. If this is the way the world and the industry is, right now, you have to find a way of working in it. So my contribution in changing the situation would be by producing and making films like Phillauri which are going to be commercially viable enough for studios for them to give the same kind of backing to women also.

When is Kaneda happening?
We are going to make an announcement soon. And yes, I will be acting in it.

Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 17, 2016)

Mirror had earlier reported (October 17) about composer-singer Shankar Mahadevan judging the upcoming reality show on Colors, Rising Star. Now, we have learnt that Punjabi singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh who made his Bollywood debut in Abhishek Chaubey’s drugs-drama Udta Punjab in June has come onboard too. “Singing is more of a passion for me than profession which I have been nurturing for the last 11 years. The show is an enabler through which I hope to share my passion with the country’s budding talent,” Diljit told Mirror about his Hindi telly debut, adding that he believes its critical to have a good voice as well as a performer’s personality.

Diljit is all praise for his co-judge. “I am excited to collaborate with a superlative singer like Shankar Mahadevan for such a unique concept. The show’s format is really intriguing,” he told Mirror.

Meanwhile, the 32-year-old Punjabi star’s next Bollywood project is Anushka Sharma’s home production, Phillauri, in which he will be seen sharing screen space with the actress-filmmaker. “It was wonderful working with Anushkaji and the team. She is a great co-star and producer,” Diljit signs off.

Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 2, 2016)

Anushka Sharma talks about her new role, career decisions and the way ahead
DNA (April 28, 2016)

Actor-producer Anushka Sharma is the queen of transformation. With Sultan (in which she plays a wrestler) and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil releasing this year, she is ready to show her true grit. What follow are excerpts from her interview in Vogue India’s May 2016 issue: “I pick a film that has a strong plot. I’d never pick one to piggyback on a big actor or director’s name,” she says.

Her decision to turn producer with NH10, an unconventional, dark action-thriller, speaks volumes about her intrepid nature. “People asked why I was doing it in the prime of my career. But we only say this about actresses because we assume that they need to do it to find work towards the end of their careers. I’m not into production to make films that glorify me or to replicate films that have worked at the box office; I’m doing it because I want to create quality cinema,” she argues.

She doesn’t seek validation in awards either. Despite portraying strong leads in films, Sharma, so far, has only won awards for supporting roles. “I genuinely don’t believe in awards. It’s rewarding enough that a film like NH10 (2015) got the response that it did, and that because of its success, I’m now producing a film, which is funny, romantic and poles apart from NH10,” she says about Phillauri, which stars Life Of Pi actor Suraj Sharma and Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh alongside her.