Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; July 29, 2017)

Akshay Oberoi is gearing up for the release of his next, Gurgaon, that has him playing a dark and menacing character. It was when he was shooting for Fitoor that he was approached for Gurgaon. “Ajay Rai who has produced films like Quila and Nil Battey Sannata was the line producer of Fitoor. Casting director Mukesh Chhabra was with me on the sets when Ajay spoke to him. Later, he handed me the script. When I read the script, I was scared as nobody had come to me with a character like that. And, I decided to do it,” shares Akshay.

The actor had been part of a campaign ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ against domestic violence with Madhuri Dixit that got him noticed. “The director of Gurgaon had seen it and wanted me in the film. The movie required me to learn Rohtaki Hindi for which I got a diction coach Prakash Bharadwaj. He had coached Aamir Khan for PK and Dangal. I used to sit with him for four hours every day for two months,” he says. The actor plays the complex character of Nikki Singh, who is a neglected child of a wealthy landowner. While it is common for fathers to pass on their business to the sons, it doesn’t happen in Nikki’s case and he decides to stand for himself. Akshay did not need much preparation to play the character despite the fact that he had to show his dark side. “I was going through a difficult phase, professionally and personally. I could project all that pain in the character. I let everything out, and it was therapeutic. After that, I felt fearless. What I took away from the character is one should just work your butt off and love what you do.”

As for the film clashing with Shah Rukh Khan’s Jab Harry Met Sejal, he says, “How can there be any competition? His film will earn in crores, and even if we earn around Rs 40-50 lakhs it will be good!”

Sunny Leone is currently learning how to cry on cue without glycerin, says her new teacher Prakash Bharadwaj
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; November 14, 2016)

For a news channel interview earlier this year, Sunny Leone had been asked if she thought Aamir Khan would ever work with her, among a series of inappropriate questions with reference to her former career as an adult film star. "Probably, never," she had replied back then.

Almost 10 months down the line, the star not only invited Sunny to his Diwali bash, but has also lent his acting coach, Prakash Bharadwaj, to her. By her own admission, the actress spends the better part of the day with Bharadwaj. "My acting-cum-diction coach takes up most of my mornings. I follow it up with dance rehearsals, something I never miss. Whatever is left of the day is devoted to work-outs," says Sunny.

Bharadwaj has been working with Aamir since his 2006 film 'Rang De Basanti' and proudly claims to be the reason behind his impeccable Haryanvi accent in 'Dangal', which hits screens next month. "I have worked with Katrina Kaif, Preity Zinta and a lot of other actors. I come from a theatre background. For me, it doesn't matter where a student comes from. I am a pakka teacher who trains each student depending on his/her flaws. I don't follow a particular formula, but work according to each individual's talent and projects," he says.

During their first few meetings, the coach understood Sunny hasn't been flexible with roles in her four-year Bollywood career. "She is hard working and dedicated, and made my work a lot easier. We started working together from early July. She shared her scripts and the initial process included understanding the hurdles she faces. I found out she isn't a fan of emotional scenes, and that needed work," Bharadwaj explains.

Sunny is working with Arbaaz Khan on a film that had an intense scene for which she trained for weeks at a stretch, he says. "Now, she manages to feel the emotions in a story and cry without glycerine. She also has a comedy film with Manish Paul. Her sense of humour is wicked and on screen, it looks even better now. She has always been bright, but is now able to find confidence in her craft."

Though her Hindi continues to be a problem area, Bharadwaj says she is improving by the day. "She understands the language well, but was not comfortable speaking it. I insisted that she included more Hindi in her daily conversations. Her homework includes writing her thoughts down in Hindi. She makes fewer grammatical mistakes now," he adds.