As told to Akash Bhatnagar (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 21, 2020)

I was always inclined towards production and direction, no one ever imagined I’d become an actress. I was in the eighth standard when I started assisting dad (filmmaker Ravi Tandon) during vacations. When I was in the tenth standard, I got a call from ace photographer Shantanu Sheorey’s assistant Amrita Sehgal. They were looking for new models and wanted to do a photoshoot with me. I told her my dad will get back to them and forgot all about it. But she was persistent and promised me a portfolio by Shantanu, which is when I spoke to dad who left the choice to me. And I finally said “yes” to Amrita.

Those pictures went around, and I got my first ad for a shampoo brand. I interned with ad guru Prahlad Kakkar during my summer break and after graduating, joined him full time. I became the in-house model who would fill up for absentees. I was still just a lowly assistant, but everyone would tell me I was made for the screen. I didn’t take them seriously.

Then, one day, while hanging out with friends at a pizzeria, I was spotted by the late director Anant Balani and Vivek Vaswani. They recognised me as Ravi Tandon’s daughter and got in touch with producer G P Sippy saab. I’d done a couple of ads with Salman’s (Khan) friend, Bunty Walia, who was also a model then. A few days later, when I was shooting for an ad in Bandra, Bunty called, asking me to step out of the studio. Outside, he wondered if I’d do a film with Salman, who was also there with him. I was so shocked, I only mumbled that I’d have to ask dad. Vivek and Sippy saab called him and before I knew it, I was signed for Patthar Ke Phool.

I’d been offered a couple of films before that, including Fateh, Heer Ranjha, Jungle and a project by Anwar Ali. I refused all of them and only gave my nod to Patthar Ke Phool because my colleagues were huge Salman fans and told me they would swing by my set to watch him from far. After that, I could quit acting if I wanted to.

Two days after I gave my nod, we had a photoshoot with Sheena, Ramesh Sippy’s daughter. I didn’t even have a stylist and had to wear Sheena’s clothes. I didn’t even get a makeup man and had never acted in my life. They made it easy for me. For the first shot, I had to excitedly walk into the living room with a “Hi Daddy”. It still took five takes to be okayed, but Manohar Singh ji, who was playing my dad, was very sweet and encouraging.

After a couple of scenes with him, they moved on to some songs with Salman. I had no training in dance and only after we started shooting, I joined Kathak maestro Gopi Krishna ji to learn adas and expressions for two months. While I was shooting those songs, I was simultaneously giving my first-year junior college exams. Choreographers Chinni Prakash ji and Rekha still remind me how I’d bring my textbooks to the set and study in a corner.

Salman and I first shot for the skating song, “Tumse Jo Dekhte Hi”, and had our first childish squabble while doing a photo shoot for “Kabhi Tu Chaliya Lagta Hai” over bubble gum.

BOMBAY TIMES (June 22, 2020)

On Saturday, Sonakshi Sinha revealed she has deactivated her Twitter account, to “stay away from negativity” and protect her sanity. In an Instagram post, she shared, “The first step to protecting your sanity is to stay away from negativity. And nowhere more of that than Twitter these days! Chalo, I’m off – deactivating my account. Bye guys, peace out.” This comes after Sushant Singh Rajput’s death by suicide last Sunday. The actor’s demise had ignited a debate on Bollywood’s treatment of those who are seen as “outsiders”, leading to many celebs being trolled. It is being speculated that this trolling could be the reason why Sonakshi, along with several other actors, left Twitter.

Aayush Sharma, who made his debut with LoveYatri, also deactivated his Twitter account, saying he “didn’t sign up for this nasty herd mentality”, while Zaheer Iqbal, who debuted with the Salman Khan-backed Notebook, tweeted “Goodbye Twitter” before deactivating his account. On the other hand, Saqib Saleem, in his last tweet, said that he is “breaking up with Twitter”, saying that “these last few days have forced me to realise that I don’t need this kind of energy in my life, where I wake up to hatred, where kindness is lost”, while thanking his followers for their support. Early this week, filmmaker Shashank Khaitan also quit the social media platform and called it a breeding ground for hate and negativity.

Sonakshi, Aayush and Zaheer, though still present on Instagram, have limited comments on their profile, along with others, such as Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sonam K Ahuja, Ananya Panday and Alia Bhatt, among others.

Meanwhile, Karan Johar has unfollowed most people from the film fraternity on Twitter.
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Tired of endless bullying and trolling on Twitter, actors have left the platform in order to escape the negativity
Rishabh Suri (HINDUSTAN TIMES; June 22, 2020)

Twitter was abuzz on Saturday with as many as five actors deactivating their accounts citing negativity and social media toxicity that was bothering them. Sonakshi Sinha led the pack writing, “The first step to protecting your sanity is to stay away from negativity. And no where more of that than twitter these days!” Saqib Saleem was next to declare, “I’m Breaking Up with you Twitter”. In a lengthy post he wrote, “You seem to have gotten lost in all the hate everyone is so ready to throw at each other… I don’t need this kind of energy.” ‘Soon actors Aayush Sharma and Zaheer Iqbal followed suit. Sneha Ullal, too, hinted that she might also quit Twitter.

It all started when Kriti Sanon recently, lashed out at social media toxicity calling it “FAKEST. If you haven’t posted RIP or said something publicly, you’re considered not to be grieving”. She posted this after the death of her Raabta (2017) co-star Sushant Singh Rajput, post which, social media turned into a playground for trolls to bully Bollywood stars, blaming them for Rajput’s death.

A week ago, filmmaker Shashank Khaitan also deactivated his Twitter account, while filmmaker Karan Johar, who’s being massively trolled, after Rajput’s death, for promoting nepotistic culture in Bollywood, unfollowed everyone on Twitter, except eight handles.

A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD
Ad guru Prahlad Kakkar explains what social media toxicity entails. He says, “I’ve stayed away from social media because there’s a lot of negativity, and trolling. It has empowered a lot of useless people with an opinion, without any repercussions.”

Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar, 51, calls it a “double-edged sword”, especially for public figures wherein if they comment or post, or even if they don’t, nasty feedback comes their way. “Social media is toxic. You get rattled mercilessly, even a spelling mistake gets one trolled. You post something and think ‘maine barabar kiya na?’, and check again, because you fear being trolled,” he says.

TOO MUCH PRESSURE
Another trend on social media, is to expect celebrities to post about whatever is the current issue. Echoing the sentiments Sanon highlighted, Bhandarkar adds, “I agree with Kriti. When you are close to somebody who passed away, you’re not in the frame of mind to say anything, you lack words, and want to mourn. People expect you to tweet, that becomes validation of the fact that you grieved.”

CELEBS’ talk
Actor Nimrat Kaur says she has never been one to take any pressure. “Many times, I choose to be silent, and know that you don’t need to add to the chorus. I really don’t give a damn about what people think. I don’t write or post anything to garner a reaction, or to become part of the hashtag club,” she says.

Actor Amit Sadh, 37, on the other hand, feels social media also has parts that are not toxic. “Unfortunately, as human beings, when we’re engaged with provoking and uncomfortable things, it’s human psychology to want to shut the door, and call it toxic. You can always decide what part of social media you want to engage yourself in,” he says.

As the Ramayan re-run top TRPs and classic shows return to TV, we look at what’s making them audience favourites all over again
Prashant Singh (HINDUSTAN TIMES; April 5, 2020)

Back in the day, when TV shows such as Ramayan, Mahabharat or Shaktimaan had their original runs, they were the talk of the town. Now, history seems to be repeating itself. Many of these classic TV shows have hit the airwaves again and people are clearly lapping them up. For instance, the re-run of Ramayan on Doordarshan got the highest ever rating for a Hindi GEC show since 2015, when BARC started measuring TV audiences.

Not just Ramayan, thanks to the high demand, other shows such as Mahabharat, Shaktimaan, Circus, Byomkesh Bakshi, Shrimaan Shrimati, Buniyad, Dekh Bhai Dekh, Chanakya and Alif Laila too are back. So, what’s driving this demand? “Now, (due to Coronavirus lockdown) people have a lot of free time, which is also stress-free as far as regular work is concerned. Plus, there’s a nostalgia attached to these shows, as it reminds all of their carefree days,” says TV producer Shashi Mittal of Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai and Karn Sangini fame.

For trade analyst Taran Adarsh, old shows “will always be very entertaining and engrossing”. “Plus, they impart great teachings too. Now, thanks to these re-runs, our young generation can also watch them,” he says. Ad guru Prahlad Kakkar has a simple, straightforward reason: “Due to the Coronavirus lockdown, there is no new content or episodes. So, re-runs have to fill those slots. And today, viewers also don’t have many choices.”

For the shows’ actors/makers, the “relevance” of their work stands intact even now. “The content that came during the ’80s and ’90s is better than any saas-bahu serials… our show has always been educative. And that’s why Shaktimaan is relevant even today,” says its actor-producer Mukesh Khanna. Adds actor Rajit Kapur of Byomkesh Bakshi fame: “People who’ve watched the show 20 years ago are now showing it to their children. It’s pure, clean and wholesome entertainment. What appeals to people is that it’s simple to understand and, sometimes, simple is more effective.”

Veteran actor Waheeda on pursuing her hobby as she hosts wildlife photography exhibition
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; December 16, 2019)

It’s never too late to discover a new passion. Waheeda Rehman will vouch for it — after decades of romancing the camera, she is equally happy behind it. The yesteryear actor has turned a wildlife photographer as she recently held an exhibition of her pictures from her safaris to Kenya, Tanzania, and wildlife reserves across India.

“I always loved taking pictures. When I was young, I would carry a small camera with me on the sets. I recently met Himanshu Seth [curator of the show] who asked me to pursue my hobby and came up with the idea of having an exhibition. I wasn’t too keen to display my pictures as I didn’t think they were great, but my friends and family persuaded me,” she smiles, adding that what started out as a mere hobby has now become “an addiction”. “When it comes to wildlife photography, you need to have luck and patience.”

She may be 81, but it is evident that Rehman is unstoppable as she discusses her bucket list. “I want to learn scuba diving,” she shares, before revealing that she is working towards it. “Prahlad Kakkar’s son runs a professional training company. I will discuss my health condition, and will try my hand at it.”

Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; August 29, 2019)

The upcoming season of Naveen Kasturia's web series, Kiska Hoga Thinkistan, has a new addition to the cast — Kabir Bedi. Ready to dive into the digital world, the senior actor will be seen as Danish, the owner of a leading ad agency, in the Neil Bhoopalam and Mandira Bedi starrer.

If the first look of the actor is any indication, it appears that the makers did not look too far for inspiration — with the long, grey hair and facial fuzz, Bedi's character seems modelled on the talented ad filmmaker, Prahlad Kakkar.

A source close to the project says, "The series is based on the rise of the advertising world in the '90s. The audience will be able to draw parallels between Danish and real-life ad guru Prahlad Kakkar."

On his part, Bedi says the role made him revisit his early days in the city. "I came to Bombay to become a filmmaker, and I worked in the field of advertising for five years. The story of this web series brought back many memories. I play the owner of the ad agency whose way of dealing with crises is compelling," he says.

As told to Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 8, 2018)

My father had instilled in my brother and I a sense of self-reliance. Even during vacations, we were expected to earn our pocket money doing odd jobs, like cleaning the car or arranging the wardrobe for which we would get paid Rs 10 to Rs 20. So I started working when I was really young and looked forward to growing up and earning some big money.

When I was in the eighth standard, I assisted my dad (Ravi Tandon) on a movie he was making during the school holidays. I was on a threemonth break after my 10th standard board exams before enrolling for college and joined Prahlad Kakkar at his ad agency. Around the same time I got a call from ace photographer Shantanu Sheorey’s office saying he was on the hunt for new models and wanted to click me. I didn’t take that offer seriously because I was plump then, wore glasses and my hair in a long plait, and didn’t think I had the look of a model. So I started working on prep and post-production with Prahlad.

I would take bus No. 231 from Juhu to Santacruz and then a train to Mahalakshmi from where I would walk to Prahlad’s office at Everest building. Even after college started, I continued working with him, attending lectures from 7am to 10.30 am after which I would leave for work and return home only around 11pm because ad shoots can be erratic. If it got extremely late, we called Mohammed bhai, who had a private taxi to drop the girls home. Sometimes I would take a lift with my friend Farah Khan Ali, Sanjay Khan’s daughter, who was also interning with me and had her own car.

At the office I would even sweep floors. There was this huge sign underlining the fact that we were not Prahlad’s workers but his slaves. In today’s day and age it’s a politically incorrect declaration but back then we took it as a joke.

Once, Aftab Shivdasani, who was about 10 then was shooting a chocolate ad at the office. He had to keep eating chocolate and after the 24th or 25th take he got sick. I had just swept the floor and was standing with a clapper board waiting to announce the next shot and give the clap.

Suddenly I saw Aftab gag not once but twice, and realising that if he threw up I would have to wipe the floor clean, I chucked the clapper board and started desperately looking for a bucket but couldn’t find one. Prahlad’s lips were quivering in slow motion, “He is going to puke.” I didn’t know what to do and helplessly spread out my hands. Aftab puked on them and I ran to wash them.

I initially worked for Prahlad for free as it was an internship, then he started paying me a salary of Rs 1,000 a month. He used to keep telling me, ‘You are not meant to be behind the camera, you are wasting your time.' When I got Patthar Ke Phool, Prahlad said ‘Just go ahead and say yes.’ I didn’t even take any acting or dance classes, I just signed the film and next day I was on set shooting.

I’m yet to collect my salary from Prahlad because once I got busy with movies, I forgot all about it. But I do remember I once did an ad for noodles for which I got Rs 500, my first paycheque, and bought a tape recorder for my mother. She used to love listening to the radio and would turn it on when she woke us up for school so a tape recorder was the best gift for her.

When I was 16, I was offered a jeans ad. At Film City I met this young, handsome guy who was modelling with me. He looked at me and exclaimed, “You should be doing movies!” He repeated this to my mom and I snapped, “I don’t want to do movies.” He later admitted that even he was not interested in modelling and wanted to be a designer. That man was Manish Malhotra.

A year later, I was shooting for a magazine cover after signing my debut film Patthar Ke Phool with Salman Khan and Manish was designing my clothes.

He is making a debut, eight years after debuting. Making peace with a complicated family life, drug addiction and career flops. Prateik Babbar is an actor who is not giving up
Aastha Atray Banan (MID-DAY; April 24, 2016)

Prateik Babbar sits across the room from us at his public relations firm’s Andheri office, appearing like a debutant gingerly discussing his first film. He smiles shyly when our photographer calls out to him, talks softly, making an effort to leave a good impression. After all, he is trying to make a comeback.

For the last three years, Babbar, 29, hasn’t acted. Issaq, his last film released in 2013, a story of love in the time of sand mafia ravaged Benaras. It didn’t ring in well. Just like Ek Deewana Tha the year before, with actor and former girlfriend Amy Jackson. Professional setbacks have been only one of his headaches. Drug and alcohol addiction is the real bugbear.

He has been in and out of rehab multiple times. But now that he is celebrating a couple of months of being sober, the only way he sees himself getting back into the limelight is to tell the truth and hope for the best.

"For the last five years, only the substance mattered. Nobody else — family, friends — even came close. It was about running away from every kind of emotion. I was disgustingly addicted," he says straight-faced.

Babbar’s struggle was possibly scripted before his time. The only child to parallel cinema’s stars, Smita Patil and Raj Babbar, he was brought up by his maternal grandmother, Vidyatai Patil, and aunt, Manya Patil, after Smita passed away a month after his birth. Babbar was married to veteran theatre personality Nadira Zaheer Babbar with whom he had two children, when he met Smita. As a man in love with and married to two women, he led a complicated life. Its crushing burden on Smita, she once described as ‘private hell’. After her death in December 1986, Babbar returned to living with Nadira, who had accepted Smita in a strange ménage a troi arrangement, and their kids.

"My parents’ relationship always was a source of confusion. Why were things like this? If mom had just lived longer and dad would have spent more time with me…" he trails off before gripping the thought, "things could have been, actually, would have been, different."

Prateik grew up with grandparents grounded in nationalist ideology. Shivajirao Patil, one of Maharashtra's tallest leaders of the co-operative movement was member of the Rajya Sabha and twice elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Council. Vidya, too, was involved with the socialist movement. Manya, their youngest daughter, who has a degree in fashion from New York, has been Prateik’s custodian in a sense, both personally and while managing his career.

The Patils, says Prateik, were clear that Babbar was responsible for Smita’s pain. It didn’t help that he was hardly around, busy with acting and political commitments. "I was brought up believing he was the bad guy. They told me what he had done, and how my mother was lonely. So, I distanced myself from him."

Drugs seemed a convenient balm. His first brush with substance abuse was at 14. It was marijuana with friends. As he grew braver, he moved to miracle mood changers. Ganja remained a constant.

The other constant was a girlfriend. "It was about rebelling. With drugs, I also needed relationships. I thought if I didn’t have anyone with me, I’d fall apart."

Perhaps to prove that relationships and marriage can work, he wanted to wed every woman he dated, including Jackson. "At 14, I engraved a girl’s name on my hand with a lit cigarette. I am very careful about falling in love now," he says.

A stint at a rehab centre in Mumbai was followed by relentless counselling. Most psychotherapy experts arrived at one conclusion — he was trying to fill a void. "I never believed that, though. But it was true. It makes me glad then that in the last three years, I have stayed away from a relationship. The break gave me the chance to face my problems alone, even if I was facing them when high."

Babbar wanted to launch him in a film, but when he turned 25. Instead, Prateik joined Prahlad Kakkar’s production firm as assistant director. Kakkar, a friend of the family, even had firm named by Smita. "Dad kept saying, wait, but I didn’t want any of it. I was pushing everyone away."

The going solo obsession made him symbolically severe ties with his father. In 2011, he announced that he was now simply, Prateik. He said in an interview during promoting Dum Maaro Dum in 2011 that he regarded actor Abhishek Bachchan as his elder brother, prompting half-brother Aryan Babbar to blame him for "doing all kinds of things for publicity". "I didn’t want to have anything to do with them. After advertising, I auditioned for Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na."



The 2008 romantic comedy produced by Aamir Khan to launch his nephew Imran, had critics single out Prateik as ‘the guy to watch out for’. Unusually natural on screen for a debutant, he won a Filmfare for the role in 2008.

For a while, things seemed to be going well. But during Ekk Deewana Tha, love did him in. His co-star, British model-turned actress Amy Jackson, who’d once told a magazine, most girls would be "happy dating Prateik", grew tired of his obsessive ways and packed up. When she returned on work from England next, the intricate tattoo on her forearm, Mera Pyaar, Mera Prateik, was gone.

"I could be called a romantic, but it’s not a good love when you ignore yourself and make it all about the other person. I forgot I existed. I was jealous, possessive… crazy. Think of a bad adjective, and I have been all that in five years. I don’t blame her for leaving," he says.

And then, Vidyatai Patil passed away last year. The woman who turned mother again in her 60s to take care of a month-old baby, the grandmother who Prateik petitioned from Ajmer’s prestigious Mayo College so that he could return, pleading, I can’t live without you, was gone.

Prateik says he lost track of reality, right and wrong. Without her watchful support, he took to what made him feel better, drugs and alcohol. "I was back to relying on it. It was my number one priority."

He knew he had hit rock bottom again. He decided, he’d return to rehab. "In an attempt to tell the world to f*** off, I was hurting myself the most." He also had his anger to deal with. But isolated, he turned to his only parent.

"I looked at my father and realised, this is the only parent I have — my biological father. And I suddenly didn’t want to care about what happened, and what he did. I wanted to love him. I couldn’t let the past, something I have no control over, destroy me." And so began one more long walk to normalcy.

Called "spontaneous" for his acting by Vidyatai, Prateik, who famously quit Subhash Ghai’s acting school in a day, now keeps himself busy at The Jeff Goldberg Studio where he is learning method acting. "I have never trained in it. It’s proving to be cathartic; to play a character different from who I am is helping me cope."

He has built a bridge to Nadira and the kids, calling their relationship "a hundred per cent normal". "I go and hang with them at home all the time".

Second chances don’t come easy. His day now starts at the gym, followed by class, meeting people and auditioning. "It’s not going to happen overnight. People will be wary, but I am positive that good things happen. I have to keep at it. Keep calling, keep reminding others that I’m here. There is no other life for me. This is what I do."

A few happy things have happened. He shot a commercial with MS Dhoni, recently starred in Aatish Dabral’s The Guitar, and his crossover movie, Umrika, which has done well on the festival circuit, will release later in the year.

Kept away from films and the industry when growing up, he knows his talent is inherited. As is his pull towards the gritty, indie scene. "I know! I keep thinking about that. It’s her [Smita] genes, and my father’s. A freaky coincidence, right?"

But complete redemption is still some time away. Coming clean on addiction in an industry famously expert at running for cover, is his way of standing out. "I want to say, yes, I was bad. Now, I want to be good, and do good. I hope it doesn’t backfire."

Veteran director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra shares his movie mantra with aspiring filmmaker Vinoo Choliparambil
Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 19, 2014)

Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; June 9, 2014)

After being a part of the film industry for nearly two decades, Sushmita Sen has now signed a Bangla film.
Sen will be making her Bangla film debut with Srijit Mukherji’s Nirbaak. hitlist caught up with the actress….

What took you so long to do a film in your mother tongue?
I always wanted to be part of a good Bangla film and whenever I was offered a project, I always wanted something better. But when Nirbaak came my way, I found the story so gripping that I said yes right away.

You make appearances at charity events and fashion shows, but it’s been a while since you played the lead in a Hindi film…
None of the scripts that came my way interested me. My ability to say no to them is the reason why you did not see much of me on the big screen.

So many of your contemporaries are now married. Some have come back to start their second innings… 
Like I said earlier, the scripts did not interest me. As for marriage, I am saving the best for last and when it happens, it will be beautiful.

There were reports about you playing Benazir Bhutto in a film. Is it happening?
No, that film was shelved a long time ago. But I do know that the people of Pakistan would’ve loved to see me as Bhutto.

Do you star alongside Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Prahlad Kakkar’s film?
Looks like she and I will star together in the film. It’s a matter of time before the film starts rolling. I look forward to it.

The last time Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was at Cannes, she was criticised by Indian and international media; this time, they loved her on the red carpet. Comment.
It’s a story of every celebrity. We all get targeted at some point or the other and then people’s perceptions change. One should not worry about what the world thinks.

You are a single mother who has lived life on her own terms. How difficult has it been?
It’s not easy but it’s beautiful. Being a mother is a 24x7 job. But the highs are amazing and one does not pay attention to the lows. When I go away, the world will remember my two beautiful daughters, who I believe will make me stay on in the minds of the people.

How do you spend your free time?
I play the joker for my kids. Raising children is about playing a part at different times of the day. I am also an entrepreneur, a daughter and a sister. There is so much to do beyond films; I am living my life. I’d like to own a chain of destination spas some day.

Upala KBR (DNA; May 10, 2014)

According to recent reports, Shraddha Kapoor who is a trained diver and Sidharth Malhotra who loves scuba diving, shot for seven hours continuously underwater, while shooting the Galiyan song for Ek Villain. The actors had French divers carrying oxygen cylinders following them. However, experts say that it is not possible to stay underwater for so long.

Prahlad Kakkar, Ad filmmaker, certified diver and owner of diving school in Andaman
One can stay underwater maximum for 30-45 minutes depending on what mix of compressed air you are using. The longer you stay, the more bits of nitrogen your body absorbs and because you are under pressure the nitrogen becomes soluble in water as opposed to land where it can’t enter the body as it is not soluble. The more the atmosphere becomes deeper, the more soluble nitrogen gets. Your body becomes like a soda water bottle with bubbles in it. The longer you stay, the more bubbles you develop and if you don’t come up and allow the pressure to release you may develop ‘Divers Bend’ or de-compression sickness where everything turns painful from your nervous system to your joints. That’s why you have to train your breathing. To say that one can stay for seven hours underwater is stupidity! When you report inaccurate stuff, problem is someone may try it out and could even die. When you are underwater for a long time there is a big artificial chamber with a little decompressed capsule bed on it with oxygen and normal air. To reduce the pressure and let it gently come back to normal after saturation, the divers must keep going to the decompression chamber for little breaks. Or one can carry air tanks with a compressed air mixture of oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide. The oxygen turns toxic at 10 minutes and the oxygen cylinder can kill if you use up the air and will stop breathing. One can stay underwater for longer hours if one uses store-filled bottles one day before and keep changing them but it’s not safe and highly risky. Workers/divers who work for three-four hours underwater and don’t come up to the surface, take a month off every 15 days.

Sumer Verma, Certified diver and underwater photographer
The story sounds exaggerated. It is possible to stay in shallow depths for longer hours but one can get exhausted and dehydrated. Also, what they were carrying are not called oxygen tanks but air breathing apparatuses. I have shot in pools from 8 am to 8 pm, but even in shallow waters people do come up. I guarantee that they couldn’t have stayed underwater for seven hours and were forced to come up to take breaks even if they were shooting at depths of one metre. It wasn’t as if there was no need to come up for air.

Upala KBR (DNA; April 4, 2014)

I am meeting Sushmita Sen after almost a decade and everything is the same. Her warmth, her smile and her demeanour. She’s still as articulate and spontaneous as ever. Some of the new breed of actresses could learn so much from her. Sush’s an actress, mother of two lovely girls — Renee and Alisah — and an entrepreneur. She multitasks without a frown on her forehead. She has just signed two films — one in Bengali (her mother tongue) and another in Hindi to be directed by Prahlad Kakkar and co-starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Here she talks about her return to Bollywood after three years, motherhood, and ex-boyfriend Randeep Hooda.

You have signed a Bengali film. Your first in your mother tongue?
Yes, it’s called Jodi Emon Hoto. This one just made my heart skip a beat when I read it. My director Rupali Guha is going to kill me for saying so much but it’s a fabulously-written script about the equation between a man and a woman. The idea is ‘jodi emon hoto’ which means what if it had happened? It’s engrossing, moving and overwhelms you.

Sounds exciting…
I have got the Hindi rights for the film so we are processing some changes because Rupali has written it around the Bengali culture. I will make the Hindi version for sure because it has a universal connect. I love the fact that my fans have waited so patiently for me to return to films and I don’t want to disappoint them. I want to come back with films I believe in. You know, I am not made to be an actor my entire life. God bless people who are, but before I take a bow I want to give my fans a chance to say, ‘That was what we were waiting for from Sush and she delivered!’

Both Aishwarya (Ms World) and you (Ms Universe) seem to have retired prematurely while older actors like Juhi and Madhuri are still acting in films. Why is that?
I am so happy for Juhi and Madhuri. When I came into the film industry in 1996 it was unheard of for married actresses to come back to films. But if you look at the global film world, that’s not the case. I think films are being written for characters of multiple ages. They have gone past college love stories, boy-meets-girl and 40-year-old men who act like college students. The scope is increasing and newer kids are going into writing and even directors are allowing themselves to experiment with smaller-budget films and it’s working like magic.

Any other projects on the anvil?
There’s another film that I am excited about to be directed by Prahlad Kakkar. We are working on it currently. It will be an outstanding film provided we have all the right numbers in place. It’s a drama and a very sexy thriller. It’s a complete jump from a realistic film like JEH. I am finally excited to be back!

Bored of people asking you why you stopped acting for three years?
Yes. I am bored of people asking me where have I disappeared... I appreciate the fact that people have been concerned about the fact whether I am okay, but I will not just walk away like that. Sometimes you have to wait for the right things to come. Fact is, when there is an army of young actresses, filmmakers are always pitching those exciting, finely nuanced films to them and to the older lot which is my category, has to do the best with what I get. A film has to be worth your time, if that means I have to wait and polish my art till the right film comes along.

Did you miss being in the film circuit?
The truth is that for three years now I haven’t come across scripts that were good enough to get me to say, ‘let me stay away for six months from my children and other commitments to do this. I did have the option to say, ‘I have to stay visible, people can’t forget me (because this is how the industry works)’ and I must continue to be in circulation. But that’s not me. I was very excited when three scripts came along at what I believe is divine timing. This year is a turnaround year. Films will happen for me and now I have made up my mind, the body has to follow! Then I can take a bow.

Has your career taken a backseat for motherhood?
Yes. Alisa was just one-and-a-half months when I adopted her and even too young for me because I had Renee come into my life when she was six months... Alisa was so little. I had to learn about parenting again. I was in the middle of three films when Renee came into my life and it was very hard to spend time with her and most days I ended up taking Renee to the sets and that is not the right atmosphere to raise a child. This time I was very firm not to do that with Alisa.

People feel you are going the Rekha way — elusive
It is not true. First of all it is unfair to stand in judgment of ‘the Rekha way.’ Ma’am Rekha has her own life and the choices she has made. Because I mind my own business I am known as elusive. I choose where I want to spend my time so if this is showing up at Shilpa’s party it’s not because I want to be photographed but because she’s a friend. And if I am going to Shah Rukh’s Eid party it’s because I have a blast with him. If I am going for the Republic Day parade it’s because I really want my daughter to be patriotic. There is no other reason for me to hang around. I know a lot of other people in this business who because of their level of insecurity have to walk-in-at-a-certain-time to get photographed-at the-right-places with the right people. But that’s not me.

Please continue..
I am very happy taking the back door because whatever is written for you, you will find it backstage also. This is my core belief. I must not look back and say that I wasted so much time lobbying for a role. And patching up with people I don’t know or who don’t care about me just for a role. Nah. I am not reclusive — I just choose my time wisely. I am always there for friends because they matter to me and I am always creating things. Even if you don’t know that Sushmita Sen created it the very fact that I enjoyed doing it gives me happiness. And also I have a very full-time committed mum job. I have a 14-year-old and a four-year-old daughter and time flies. I have no guilt about not being there for them. And now as I come back to do selective work, both my kids are in an amazing place where both don’t feel the lack of mom not being around. They have had too much of their mom and are like, ‘can you do something else and give us some space now?’

Amongst the current lot of films which is the one you would have loved to do?
Queen. What a film! I took my whole little gang including Alisa and Renee to watch the film. Kangana Ranaut has just gone back to being a child and I say that because actors age on screen whether they like it or not. Also, actors who have been in the business for so long have that intelligence in the eyes which they can’t cover up. This girl has done it. I kept looking at her eyes for that one moment of acting and she just didn’t give it away. That’s superb acting. I am so proud of her! I am in love with Lisa Haydon! I just wonder why this girl hasn’t done more films. She looks amazing and what a fabulous actress she is.

Are you content with life?
Yes, totally. I am very blessed that way. I can’t believe in these 20 years of me winning Ms Universe I have defined, redefined, evaluated, re-evaluated the concept of being successful.

You were one of the first actresses to produce films. Why did you stop after one?
Because at the time when an actress became a producer people assumed that she was giving up acting. When I announced my banner, the worst kind of recession was happening. I am stubborn and I know that a lot of people thought that I had completely lost the plot wanting to make a Rani Lakshmibai. I story boarded the entire film, put everything together including arranging the money, buying Jayashree Mishra’s book rights... If I want it to be a crossover film it has to be able to make its journey like Joan Of Arc makes it to us. The western world made Troy, I can’t do that by giving them a soap opera version of it. So I said dig your heels in, bite your pride and shelve the film till I am ready to make it. And I did just that. It’s too close to me to just throw it away.

And then?
It was a good time to have stopped. I started banking scripts which was another productive thing we did and that has held us today because we have an incredible line up. Again from a medium small to a large scale film we can produce anything — from a big studio to a small scale equity founder wants to fund, we are ready. Today after evaluation I understand how the front and back end of a film works. I was tired of being a satellite film. My films would bomb at the BO, go on TV and people would tell me the film was so wow so why didn’t it work? Today I know there is an equation of the marketing of the film which I never was interested in. Today, it’s a primary concern for me. I want to know how the film will be marketed and if they don’t have that plan I won’t do the film no matter how great the script is. All this learning came late.

Do you watch a lot of films? Who are the promising newcomers according to you?
I do watch English and Hindi films. I like the fact that we are slowly coming closer to a global world in terms of storytelling. Anushka Sharma, I feel has great potential because she has a wonderful energy about her. I like her very much. Even Alia Bhatt who has been taking wise risks has lot of potential.

What’s your normal day like?
Extremely busy! Over the last four years I got introduced to the corporate world. I am still in touch with a lot of companies who worked with me at different levels during the pageant. I am learning the tricks of the trade from them which I will utilise for my other businesses, hospitality, fitness and lifestyle. I am reading scripts to act in. I am still waiting for another one to trigger like these two did. I watch films a lot, mornings and afternoons is about Alisa and weekends are for Renee who is at a boarding school. I also have the I Am Foundation which has its affiliations and annual budget meetings. The brand-building exercise for Inhale is just starting. I work out early in the morning.

Are you happy?
One can’t be happy all the time but I just decided to put mind over matter. These days whenever I feel low I go on Twitter and ask people to send love and that energy is awesome! That reminds me — that I am better than that

Are you in touch with your other heroes?
Salman I bumped into after a while at the Republic Day Parade. He’s a sweetheart and he was the first one to remark ‘what have you been doing man, you are looking f_g ripped!’ He’s always there encouraging you. I am not in touch regularly but I keep bumping into people at various places.

Any friends in the industry?
Bhattsaab had said that there are no permanent friends and enemies in the film industry and quite honestly he is right. We are all so busy and as long as you are doing a film together, the connection is there. Afterwards... it’s not like actors don’t try. They have get togethers and try to stay in touch but despite that it’s not possible to have friends as you have to draw a line between your professional and personal life. Otherwise it becomes very messy. Also, friends who are from outside keep your reality check going beautifully. You can be a star for the rest of the world but for them you are a normal person. I have five friends, all outsiders, who without a blink would give their life for me. Only one kid, Dia Mirza, and I call her a kid. She has been a true friend through my journey, no questions asked she has always been there for me.

Are you in touch with Manisha? At one time you were close.
That’s what happens when you do a film together (wryly). She was producing Paisa Vasool and I was acting in it and we would often hang around together or party together after pack up. No, I am not in touch with her but I am very proud of the way that she has dealt with her life after it has gone from one extreme direction to the other. More power to her!

Randeep Hooda is suddenly the flavour of the season while he was a struggler when you were together. Are you in touch with him?
No. I am happy for him and that’s about it. (Long pause) It’s important in life to focus on things that are good for you. Somewhere in the past, Randeep went a little too ballistic talking about things that were unnecessary. I had hoped that being dignified is the one thing he would have learned while he was with me... I have nothing more to say. I am happy for him professionally because now he can focus on something that is a lot more constructive.

No special men in your life?
They are all very special (laughs) or they wouldn’t be in my life. I have been linked to many people but when I am linked to a 22-year kid in life I wonder? I mean, really! I have far superior tastes in life but then people who don’t know me will never get that, right? Unless you hear me say that most probably it’s a load of crap but if you believe it – hey! How can I stop you? Believe it!

Are you in love?
No I am not in love. If I were, THAT you would know from the rooftops! But that doesn’t mean I don’t love yet — I do.

Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 27, 2014)

Soon after Aishwarya Rai gave birth to her daughter Aaradhya, speculations about the actress’ comeback have often been suggested in many entertainment dailies. She has reportedly shown interest in adman Prahlad Kakkad’s directorial debut, Happy Anniversary, where, if all goes by the plan, she will be seen starring opposite her real life husband Abhishek Bachchan. The duo is currently going through the script of the film, to be produced by Gaurang Doshi, and is soon expected to sign on the dotted line. In a recent development, Kakkad has approached Sushmita Sen to play a substantial supporting role in the same film. A few days ago, he met the actress and according to sources, she has loved the part offered.

Confirming this development Kakkad told Mirror, “If all goes well, we should have Sushmita in Happy Anniversary. It will be a pleasure to work with her.” One of the most talked-about cold wars of Bollywood was that of Sushmita and Aishwarya’s. It dates back to 1994, when Sushmita won the Miss India crown beating the strong-favourite Aishwarya and went on to win the Miss Universe title, while Aishwarya, the first runners-up, was adjudged Miss World. But according to a source close to the film, the rivalry is long over. “If both are satisfied with the length and quality of their respective roles, they won’t allow their personal equation to come in the way,” a source said. Kakkad will give Sushmita the script next week. “She wants to read it and judge the role for herself. Fair enough!” he quips. Her character is that of a woman caught in a bad marriage who eventually breaks free. Aishwarya's character starts off as a 21-year old and the story unfolds over the next eight years. The film will later also see her pregnant with twins. Happy Anniversary deals with marital issues and will be largely shot in South Africa. Aishwarya is currently trying to lose a few more kilos before facing the camera. And according to a friend, could start shooting for a Mani Ratnam film soon.