Eight years away from the big screen, and Preity Zinta is back — with her spark firmly intact. From the recently released Batwara 1947 to the upcoming action-comedy, Vibe directed by Kunal Kemmu, she’s stepping into this new chapter with the same warmth and infectious energy that have made her a fan favourite. When she walked onto the Bombay Times Lounge set, she brought the buzz with her — and her fans lapped it up. Here are excerpts from our chat with her. And yes, the vibe was chilled-out, chatty and very, very PZ!

When I was acting, everything was about me. The whole focus was me. Then I stepped into cricket (owning an IPL team) and learned that it didn’t matter what I was doing, the focus was the game. I’ve been through phases of my life where I’ve gone out, worked very hard for 18-hours a day. When you are 20, you are fine doing that. Now as a homemaker, it’s about focusing on the personal side of my life, where you are not the centre of the universe, your kids are. It’s a lot of work but a lot of joy, too.

I always knew that films were a part of my life, but it wasn’t just that. Also, I think it comes from being a fauji kid. I never grew up thinking movies could be a career. I wanted to study criminal psychology and be a detective. I accidentally got into this industry, and it was more about survival, because I ran away from home and ended up here.

Kunal is very good with comedy. It was a very tough shoot, as we were shooting for 16-17-hour days. I was okay with it because I wanted to finish all my work and go back home to my kids. My first thought when I read the script was, I wanted to do action; the film had that and it is also a funny film. It is actually quite a mad film with a fresh take on spy thrillers. Everyone’s doing these spy thrillers, and this had a little twist to it and a different vibe. So, I said, let’s give it a shot.

Absolutely! Earlier, whatever role you were doing, it was always in shades of white. There was no grey. The hero and heroine were only doing good things. The villain or the other character was only dark. There was nothing in between. Today, that has changed. But even then, people sometimes want to humanize the character and ask, ‘Why was this character like that?’ The hero can still jump out of the eighth floor, give five kicks, kill 10 people and come back and save you and we love that too. But there are also other kinds of films being made.

Yes, it is like in school if you got bullied, you got bullied by 20 people. Today, you’re getting bullied by 20 million people (on social media). Everybody is saying something. So, when I’m back home in America, I post on social media during the IPL, and then I disappear. You don’t just look at the nice comments; you tend to look at the negative comments, too. I don’t want my mental health to be affected by it. There are days when you’re really happy and you’re like…nothing can come in my way. Then there are days when it hits you. Today, everything is online and they’ll never let you forget anything, which is sad, especially for the younger generation. You know, the beauty of youth is that you can make mistakes and learn from them. But this makes it so much harder for them.

I would make the same mistakes in the same way. I believe that life is a chain reaction. If I changed something from my past, then I wouldn’t be here. All that has happened so far had to happen for me to be here. The only thing, if I had to look back and alter, would be losing my dad when I was 14. I wouldn’t want that to happen. But again, if that wouldn’t have happened, I don’t think I would have been an actor.

Well, they’ve travelled to India. I don’t like them being photographed here, and when I get photographed, my daughter gets a little upset and asks, “Why does that person want a picture with you?” A few times, when she has wanted to come with me in the picture, I told her no, and she got a little upset. Hence, I try to find a balance. They haven’t seen any of my movies, and I don’t think I would want them to, because I’m always with another actor, and I think it will be devastating for them at this point to see me with another male on screen.

It’s easy to judge people and I do feel the world has become very superficial. Today, when newcomers come, I feel bad for them because everyone is told they can buy followers and comments. The paparazzi is called and told, “I will be here”, and then there is your red-carpet look, airport look and whatever else. I’m not judging anyone. When I came here from Himachal Pradesh, I knew nothing. Yes, there were film families and their children, but at least it was a level playing ground. Today, you’re telling a new kid to buy likes, comments and followers. For those reasons, I feel really bad for the new generation that’s coming in. If I was starting off today, I think it would have been a much tougher zone.

For Ali Fazal, the past two months were all about two cities and two different stories. Since October, the actor was filming the last leg of Rajkumar Santoshi’s Lahore 1947 in Mumbai and Punjab, juggling it with the Varanasi schedule of Mirzapur: The Film. Last week, he wrapped up his portions in the Sunny Deol, Preity Zinta, and Shabana Azmi-led period drama that is set against the backdrop of India’s partition.

Reflecting on being part of the Aamir Khan production, Fazal said that the experience surpassed his expectations.

“Working under Rajkumar Santoshi sir’s direction has been a masterclass, and sharing screen space with powerhouses like Sunny sir, Preity ma’am, and Shabana ji has been an honour. Each day on set felt like a lesson in humility and dedication to the craft,” he said.

What made the project all the more special is knowing that it told an important story.

The actor added, “Lahore 1947 is rooted in our history, but carries emotions that are timeless and speaks to everyone. This story reminds us of the resilience of the human spirit.”

Three decades in an ever-changing industry — and Bobby Deol’s journey feels as personal as it is cinematic. From the wide-eyed debutant of Barsaat to the fierce, magnetic Lord Bobby, who has captured a new generation of fans, his story is one of faith and reinvention. As he marks 30 years in films, Bobby joins us on Philips LatteGo presents Bombay Times Lounge powered by instax FUJIFILM for an emotional conversation — about his ultimate idol and biggest inspiration, the lessons that came with failure, and the joy of finding new ground in a new era of cinema. The full episode drops soon on the Bombay Times YouTube Channel. Here’s a glimpse of how Bobby won over the audience present at the show — with wit, wisdom, and that unmistakable Lord Bobby charm.

I never thought I would be sitting here and talking about completing 30 years as an actor. All I think about is…I want to be sitting here when I am 90 and doing this. I look up to my father (Dharmendra), and I hope I can work for as long as he has. He makes me stronger in many ways, and also, there is no scope for excuses – my father is turning 90 and he still wants to work, just seeing him ups my self-belief. I believe I’m here for 30 years as I have his blessings and so much love from the audiences because of him.

Barsaat took many years to be made, we started with the shooting when I was about 22-23, and the mahurat was on my birthday, January 27. The directors changed: Shekhar Kapur was directing it, and he got an offer from Hollywood for Bandit Queen. My dad told him, ‘My son’s career is as important to me as your career is to you’, so that’s how Rajkumar Santoshi came in to direct it. The premiere at Metro Cinema was one of the most exciting nights of my life. I was really nervous. I had to sit in the car with Twinkle Khanna (her debut film, too) and arrive at the theatre. I told her…Tina just hold my hand, I am feeling very nervous. And she was like, “What nervous?” You know how outspoken she is. It had rained that day (true to the title of the film). Back then it wouldn’t rain in October. It was a huge event and everyone from the industry was invited.

I am lucky that I have a huge family, I don’t need to talk to people besides my family and close friends. But if you ask me, I am friendly with Preity Zinta and Rani Mukerji. I have known them from the beginning. With Preity, I had an argument during the making of Soldier and then we got close. Even with Rani, we had an argument during Bichoo and then we became friends. Akshaye Khanna is also a sweetheart; he is a recluse but such an awesomely talented actor. I call him every year on his birthday.

That was my biggest fear – what would my fans think? Because they mostly want to see the actors they love as the good guy. But now the audience’s mindset has changed, as they are exposed to so much content from around the world. So, when I got the opportunity to do Aashram, they accepted me in that character. I didn’t tell my dad or my brother (Sunny) that I’m doing the show, because I knew they’re from the old school of films, where they believe that if you have a certain image, you have to play those kinds of characters. From the word go, I always wanted to do different kinds of characters, but I didn’t get those chances earlier. I’m enjoying this phase of my career. I think it’s the best time for me as an actor.

He wants to be an actor and he is working on himself right now. I’m just hoping that I get somebody to work with who would launch him.

I think everybody knows me. I’m what I am. I say what I feel, and I think people see that and respect it. I don’t have a defence mechanism or portray something I am not. Sometimes I get carried away with things and I just have to control that. I guess that’s a very real trait, right?

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The shoot of Hrithik Roshan’s much awaited directorial debut Krrish 4 is slated to begin early next year. The actor will take over the reins as the director from his father Rakesh Roshan, the original creator of the popular franchise.

While Hrithik will resurrect his role as the superhero while also directing the film, there has been much speculation over the female lead. Some reports suggested that the film will reunite Rekha, Preity Zinta and Priyanka Chopra, who appeared in the prequels.

A source close to the film told Bombay Times exclusively, “Priyanka Chopra will return to Krrish 4, but there will be another actress as well, whose name cannot be divulged as of now. There is a possibility of Rekha being seen in a cameo, but Preity Zinta’s presence is sheer speculation and not true.” Priyanka starred in Krrish (2006) and this marks her return to the franchise after 19 long years!

The story of Krrish 4 will jump decades since it comes 15 years after Krrish 3, which released in 2013. In his last interaction with us, Rakesh Roshan had told us, “Now is the right time for Hrithik to move ahead and take Krrish forward. Krrish is ingrained in Hrithik, and his vision is of today’s generation. I could not entrust the franchise to a more able creative mind, other than him.”

Preity G Zinta took to social media on Tuesday to launch a scathing attack against those who are allegedly spreading false information about her. The actor-entrepreneur wrote an elaborate post on X, saying that she will start naming all such people going forward.

Preity’s remarks come in the wake of recent reports that the crisis-hit New India Cooperative Bank had waived off her Rs. 18-crore loan. The 50-year-old wrote that she is “going to start naming all these journalists that write articles without following up or investigating the stories”.

A day before, the actor had criticized the Congress party after the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) tweeted that Preity “gave her social media accounts to BJP and got Rs. 18 crores written off and the bank collapsed last week. Depositors are on the streets for their money”.

Preity clarified that her loan was paid off over a decade ago. Expressing her shock, she said that the party was “indulging in vile gossip & click baits using my name & images”. In response, the KPCC said that it’s “glad to accept mistakes if we have made any”. They also requested her “to clear the air with proof once and for all and raise your voice in their (depositors) interest, too”.

Be it the authentic depiction of the uniforms, ranks, operation procedures or avoiding over-the-top dialogues, Lakshya remains that rare Bollywood war film that manages to escape stereotypes and create a subtle yet impactful war narrative. “Lakshya is not loud, it doesn’t have jingoism. All the details are accurate, be it the uniform or the operations procedure.It also explored the impact of war on a soldier and the people around him,” said Brigadier (retd) Gautam Ganguly in an earlier interview

As Lakshya completes 20 years, we reflect on this film on Kargil war and how it has stayed relevant over the years.

Soon after Dil Chahta Hai, Farhan Akhtar was deliberating about what to do next and had a discussion with his father Javed Akhtar about some of his ideas. Javed shared that he was working on a story about a young boy who joins the army, not just professionally, but in an attempt to find his true calling and understand who he is through that process.

Farhan says, “This was just a story idea, but the core of it really spoke to me. In a large way, that’s what filmmaking did for me. Until I started making movies, I didn’t really know that it is what I wanted to do. I started it when I realized that my love for filmmaking is tremendous. So the germ of that idea was something that I could connect to. Of course, he sat down and wrote the screenplay, which is there for everyone to see. But it really started with a conversation.”

“We were scouting for locations, and I had expressed how I’d like to do the shoot. After Humayun’s Tomb, we moved to Hauz Khas and then to Tughlaqabad Fort. Since these were tombs and forts, we could not play the song out loud. The actors had to lip-sync. In the morning, nobody knew we were shooting, but by evening, the crowd arrived, knowing that Hrithik and Preity Zinta were shooting. We wanted to take a shot of Hrithik dancing in the sunset, but it was not possible due to the crowd. To this day, people come to me and say, Oh! You did Agar Main Kahoon,” says Vaibhavi Merchant who choreographed the song.

“Films or any pieces of creative work are created at a particular time in a person’s life, within a specific societal context, and (according to) the cinematic environment of that period. To gauge anything by the standards of 20 years later is always, I think, a mistake. Having said that, I look back at it with the fondest memories. It was extremely challenging and difficult to put that film together. We had some kind of youthful exuberance inside us as filmmakers, and Hrithik and Preity as actors. None of us had done this kind of film before, and that energy translated on screen.” — Farhan Akhtar

- Hrithik asked gentlemen cadets to teach him how to execute training shots and what to look out for.

- While the hairstylists were not on board with the Hrithik’s haircut initially, Farhan insisted that he wanted Hrithik’s hair cut same as the other cadets. Farhan wanted Hrithik to look like one of the cadets from the IMA.

- A major chunk of the film was shot in Ladakh at 13,000 feet altitude.

- All the actors attended a boot camp in Ladakh and the movie was filmed for five months in Ladakh.

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Years ago, actor Suchitra Pillai was accused for being the reason behind the breakup of her now husband, actor Lars Kjeldsen, and actor Preity G Zinta. But in a recent conversation with television host and presenter Siddharth Kannan, Pillai clarified that she began dating Kjeldsen only after the latter separated from Zinta, who has been married to financial analyst Gene Goodenough since 2016.

“Preity and I were never friends. Yes, Lars did date her for some time but they broke up before he met me. I didn’t come between them, they split up for a totally different reason,” she told Kannan.

Pillai, who tied the knot with Kjeldsen in 2005 also revealed how she was labelled as a “boyfriend snatcher” for her ties with Andrew Coyne. “I was called a ‘boyfriend snatcher’ on the cover of several magazines. At that time, headlines read, ‘Suchitra Pillai is a boyfriend snatcher’.”

“It was because I started dating Coyne, who had started Star Television in India. This was the relationship in question, but it was not because of me that Andrew and his partner, model Achala Sachdev fell apart,” she added.

Along with boasting some big names like Aamir Khan as producer, filmmaker Rajkumar Santoshi’s next Lahore 1947 will also see the father and son, actors Sunny Deol and Karan Deol collaborating on-screen for the first time.

Talking about adding Karan to the cast, Santoshi says, “I always saw promise in Karan. I spoke to Aamir, and he said yes to auditioning him. Karan, too, came out with flying colours. I am confident that he will deliver and will stand strong opposite Sunny Deol [in the role].” So does that mean the two will have a face-off on screen? “Yes,” says Santoshi, adding, “There are some dramatic situations [between the two] in the film.”

Santoshi also tells us about papa Deol’s reaction to casting Karan. “Sunny has faith in my abilities as a director to extract a good performance from my actors. It’s important to bring Karan’s potential in front of the audience, so Sunny was very happy,” says the filmmaker.

Lahore 1947 also marks actor Preity G Zinta’s return to Bollywood. Having shot with her for 25 days, Santoshi is all praise for her: “Preity is coming back after a gap, and she is a wonderful actor and has performed well.”

Sahil Rasheed has trained Janhvi Kapoor and Dhairya Karwa, Robin Behl has trained Kriti Sanon, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Kiara Advani, Ibrahim Ali Khan, and Adarsh Gourav. Pics/Instagram

Robin Behl: I interacted with Kriti Sanon in the lockdown when she had to lose weight post Mimi. Her management team had been training with me, and they introduced us. We started connecting virtually, and today she’s a partner in our company.

Deanne Pandey: Preity Zinta was a very close friend, and she was working on Salaam Namaste. She had to wear tiny skirts, and flaunt a flat midriff, so she began to train with me. Even today, she tells me that that was the fittest she has ever been. She was the first Bollywood actor I trained.

Sahil Rasheed: My first client was Patralekhaa, who came to check out the gym I was working at. I was [asked] to show her around, and she subsequently began to train with me. Thereafter, she introduced me to Rajkummar [Rao], and that’s how my clientele built up.

Robin: They have no time, because they’re filming for 12 hours a day. They’ve got 100 things to do, and they need to train and maintain. So, one needs to build a relationship with them. If they don’t trust you, it’s not going to work out at all, especially due to the erratic schedule. I try to understand their physical, emotional, and mental needs. They keep doing so much to their bodies, that it can be tough to cope—one look for one film, and then another for the next. So, it’s not like they’re constantly in a particular shape. You need to manipulate the sessions to keep them interested. 

Deanne: Many years ago, people didn’t exercise regularly. It wasn’t part of their lifestyle, like it is today. Back then, they’d just train for two months before a movie would go on floors. So, we needed to accomplish a lot in limited time—address their nutritional needs, conduct medical tests, and train to achieve desired results. But, they were always disciplined. Bollywood has always been very aesthetic and body-centric. Even 30 years ago, I always practiced in a holistic way. Even if the window was short, I kept a check on their sleeping patterns, and stress levels. 

Robin: Yes, because it’s not only about the training—it’s also about the dance, acting, diction and speech. Their attention is divided because there are so many aspects that need to be addressed. So, only when there’s mutual respect will things be smooth sailing. 

Robin: The sessions we had with Adi [Aditya Roy Kapur] for The Night Manager were different, if not crazy. He was shooting for 14 hours a day, and I’d be in his room at 5 am to wake him up to train, and would be waiting for him right after he wrapped up too. I knew he was so exhausted that if he sat down to rest, he wouldn’t get himself to train. So, we’d train before he could [call it a day]. It’s not an easy thing to do because acting is physically draining too, and we were in Sri Lanka, where the temperature was not favourable. He’d be pissed off with me, and I had no chill, but we had to get it done. 

Three days prior [to the climax scene], we cut out salt from his diet. But, if I felt he needed [a boost], I’d give him a bit of dark chocolate or do something to keep the energy up. Every time we meet, we talk about how we wouldn’t want to go down that route again. 

Robin: That they are super difficult. They’re not. Or that you need to be at their beck and call, which also isn’t true. If you have a structured approach and a good understanding, that’s enough to train a celebrity. Another one is that you can train only one celebrity at a time. That’s also not true. I’m working with Siddhant Chaturvedi, Kiara [Advani], Kriti, Ibrahim [Ali Khan], and Adarsh [Gourav].

 

Sahil: It’s not a level-playing field. Understand that celebrities have access to a lot of specialists, including physiotherapists. So, even if they have a small niggle, we need to get the green signal from the physio before proceeding. So, there’s a lot of change in the programme. This is also due to occupational hazards. When I was training Janhvi Kapoor for Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, she had been training with a person from the military, and had developed some back issues. So, we had to address those. Creating a plan that is practical for the actor, regardless of the character she is set to play [is also vital]. Also, often, they have to achieve a lot in a short span of time, and that requires one to understand the emotional toll that the process can take. When I trained Shriyam Bhagnani for Sumo Didi, we had a short window to train an 85-kilo actor to do a split and nab strength training. Often, she’d cry during the process. But, she got better as we went along. 

Robin: It was important for me to travel with Aditya, because a major part of the shoot involved body-shots. If it’s not a body-shot, I don’t travel. We also have a team. So, I may send somebody with a brief. I have programmed everything. They just need to execute it. Also, now we can train individuals virtually. Cell phones and gyms are accessible.

I had no idea that Camilla would become such an iconic cameo. Even now, when young girls bump into me, they sing her background track, She Wants your Money! After a 16-hour flight from Mumbai to New York for the shoot, my bags did not arrive. I had no time to shop for clothes or essentials. By the time I got to the hotel, Karan’s (Johar) mother, Hiroo aunty, ensured my room had all that I might need — clothes, toiletries, skincare.

I can’t believe it has been 20 years [since the film released]! I have lovely memories associated with the film, which was anchored by Karan Johar. In fact, Karan was involved with my character to another level. He knew what my look would be, what colour my saree would be, how my hair will look, etc. He was guiding me throughout, even though he was not the director of the film. I still remember, when Saif Ali Khan got to know that I will play the role of his mother, he refused to believe it. I had to make him believe. As for the song Gujju, I think it worked because it was something fresh, funny and colourful.

Kal Ho Naa Ho was the biggest and the best thing that ever happened to my career. I am sure there were lots of people who wanted to be in my shoes, but I got the part and I am grateful for it. People still remember my character, despite the film featuring big names such as Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta and Saif Ali Khan. Sweetu is a character that will stay with me forever; it started my career in films. In school, Karan (Johar) and I were in the same age group. We were in different schools, but we used to participate in inter-school elocution competitions. When Karan introduced me to Shah Rukh, my hands were cold. I remember an incident when we were on the boat and my scarf got tangled, it was disturbing me. Shah Rukh effortlessly helped me and that made it to the final cut!

When I was offered the role, I thought I was entering the film industry at the age of 46 or something. As a supporting actor, you didn’t start your career at 46. My husband was like, ‘Don’t be silly, you are good at drama and emotion, and it is a fun group’. That’s when I decided to do it. We had a lot of fun making the film in New York. The biggest thing is that people still remember me for the line ‘jism ki bhook’. I don’t remember the lines, but whoever I meet remembers them. The makers asked me if I had seen Jism before I started rolling, and I hadn’t, but decided to do it my way. The best memory was working with Shah Rukh Khan. I didn’t have a big role, yet people remember me so well.

Mumbai: Actor and entrepreneur Preity Zinta has purchased a super-premium apartment in Rustomjee Parishram tower in Mumbai’s Pali Hill area for more than Rs. 17 crores.

The transaction for the apartment, spread over nearly 1,721 sq ft on the 11th floor of the under-construction tower, values it at over Rs. 1.15 lakh per sq ft on the basis of a carpet area of 1,474 sq ft. As per the deal, Zinta has also got two car parking slots of combined area, topping 90 sq ft.

The actor has paid more than Rs. 85 lakhs as stamp duty for the registration of the deal that took place on Monday, as per documents accessed through Indextap.com.

Zinta has bought the property from developer Rustomjee Group’s listed entity Keystone Realtors. The project, which involves redevelopment of a housing society, is spread over nearly half an acre. The 22-storey tower in Bandra suburb has 17 habitable floors.

An email query sent to Rustomjee Group chairman and managing director Boman Irani and text message to Zinta remained unanswered till the time of going to press.

Actor Hrithik Roshan has locked the script of the fourth part of his superhero franchise, Krrish. A source tells us that the script has been written by the actor’s father, filmmaker Rakesh Roshan, and modifications were made after Hrithik went through it.

“He (Hrithik) wanted to be super sure about the story as they are reviving the franchise after a long time and don’t want to get it wrong. He went through the script and introduced some changes. The script is now locked,” an insider says, adding, “He is ready to start shooting in February or March next year.”

The actor, we have learnt, has almost wrapped up the shoot of Siddharth Anand’s Fighter and is in prep mode for Krrish 4. He is expected to undergo a fitness transformation for the role.

Meanwhile, the makers are in search of an international destination to shoot. “They might revisit Singapore for some important sequences. But the focus is on shooting in a place where they get the best subsidy,” says the source.

The franchise kicked off with Koi... Mil Gaya in 2003 that also starred Preity G Zinta and Rekha. The makers might reach out to actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who was seen in the last two instalments of the franchise. “There is no chance for Zinta to return, but the makers want Priyanka to revisit her role and are planning to reach out to her soon to check about her interest. The team is hoping to seal the deal with her,” the insider shares.

As Rakesh Roshan’s Koi... Mil Gaya marks its 20th anniversary today, Hrithik Roshan and Preity G Zinta share special memories attached to the sci-fi film that was loved by the audience and went on to become a huge success. Read on...

Hrithik: Koi... Mil Gaya, as a concept, was never done before in Indian cinema. A film based on a developmentally disabled man and a friendly alien encounter set against a sci-fi background, complete with emotions and then, Jaadoo bestowing Rohit (Hrithik’s character) with his powers as he departs from earth – this premise was unheard of. When there is so much freshness in a subject, you do not have reference points to consider while making a film, or for the audience to set expectations. It was a worthy risk that we were undertaking, but there was no pressure.

I remember that I was irritated with Hrithik for being late on the first day of his own film. Suddenly, someone tapped my shoulder and when I turned, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was Hrithik dressed as Rohit. He had been on set all along, but I wasn’t able to recognize him. At that moment, the entire movie made sense to me. He had done a lot of hard work to not be the sexy guy, but a simple boy.

Through the conceptualization process, everyone around us was very encouraging. But when the teaser came out, a lot of people expressed their apprehension about me playing a developmentally disabled character and felt that it might prove to be the end of my career. However, I was very confident as I had put my heart and soul into Rohit. He was an unseen, vulnerable side of me and when you are projecting a part of your true self honestly on-screen, it can never go wrong.

Preity: I was excited because it was a very different film. But once the initial excitement faded, I realized that it was an equally difficult film as well, because we weren’t playing the usual hero and heroine. It’s an innocent, pure relationship based on friendship. I had to do a lot of things differently, I cut my hair short, sometimes went without make-up and even wore clothes from my own wardrobe, so that Nisha looked like an ordinary girl. It was also challenging because we were filming with Jaadoo.

Hrithik says, “Jaadoo is my father’s brainchild and was designed based on his brief to Australian artists James and Lara. He gave them specifics that Jaadoo should have big expressive eyes and of a height similar to the kids. His vision was clear that he wanted Jaadoo to be amiable and someone that kids would take an instant liking to. It was an animatronic prop that was operated with a remote. Shooting a single scene with Jaadoo would often take hours, because many details had to be precise, like matching his eyes with his hands.”

“I devised my own process to get into the skin of Rohit’s character. I would walk in circles listening to Forever Young by Alphaville, until I got the posture and walk right for Rohit. For his laughter, I delved deep into the snivel when one cries, if you observe there is a little sisak in his laughter. In so many ways Koi... Mil Gaya remains to be a film full of self-discovery for me,” he says.

"While transforming into my character, my physique was muscular as I had been shooting for other films. So, I was made to wear baggy clothes that covered my biceps up to my elbow. I opted for a haircut that would make my look rounder. In the second half, once Rohit receives powers from Jaadoo, I just had to go back to looking like my real self. The whole process was rather liberating, I was free to express and emote to the best of my then-novice understanding. As an actor, I felt completely free."

"My favourite song was Idhar Chala Main Udhar Chala. We shot it over a couple of nights in Mumbai and it was hot, and our song had heavy rains! The title track is amazing, and I still play it when my kids don’t go to sleep, it helps calm them down."

"I was very excited because it was a very different film. But once the initial excitement faded, I realised that it was an equally difficult film for me as well, because we weren’t playing the usual hero and heroine. I hope to show the film to my kids and I think all kids should watch it. I’m so proud of the film and happy that it has been re-released, so that everyone can relive the memories with us. This film touched your heart and that’s what made it really special."

I am deeply satisfied with what I have done,” starts off Arjun Rampal, as he sits down to talk all things Dhaakad. The actor plays the sinister Rudraveer, the antagonist to Kangana Ranaut’s Agent Agni in Razneesh Ghai’s directorial venture. To Rampal, the spy thriller is the beginning of a conscious shift he is making with regard to projects.

He explains, “I liked the director’s vibe. The friendship is key to making the film better than we had envisioned. The movie gets so much right — from the brilliant camera work to the styling, and the scale of action. Another important reason for me [to say yes] was that it’s a female-led film. We have seen men do action all the time. But have we ever seen a woman do it? A female star is never given this kind of opportunity.”

It’s not often that leading men step aside to have the spotlight shining on their female counterparts. Yet, Rampal is comfortable in his skin to do that. After Dhaakad, he will join Konkona Sen Sharma in another woman-oriented story, The Rapist. His decisions are influenced by his need to create a gender-neutral environment for daughters Mahikaa and Myra.

“As a male actor and father to two daughters, I want to make this industry more conducive to women. I would love it if male actors support my kids if and when they decide to be in the movies. Plus, my support system was my mother [Gwen]. She made a lot of sacrifices for me. I have done several women-oriented subjects — Dil Hai Tumhaara [2002], which was Preity’s [Zinta] movie more than mine, or Tehzeeb [2003] led by Urmila [Matondkar]. I have seen the period in Bollywood when women didn’t have a voice. I have a responsibility to back movies like Dhaakad.”

At this stage, the actor says he is doing films that speak to him. “I don’t want to make a point or please people. Now, I want to do characters that appeal to me, and I am happier for it.”

Singer Kanika Kapoor’s latest single Buhe Bariyan has found itself embroiled in a plagiarism controversy. On Thursday, Pakistani singer Hadiqa Kiani shared on her Instagram Stories that the ballad was originally sung by her and penned by her mother, poet Khawar Kiani.

“Another day and another shameless rendition of the song my mother wrote. No one asked for my permission, no one has given me royalties, they just take the song that my mother wrote and I recorded and use it as an easy money making scheme,” Kiani wrote.

She further alleged that the song from her 1998 album Roshni was also used in Hindi films. “So far, it’s been stolen to be used in multiple Bollywood films starring the likes of Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta. It’s been stolen by every other singer who sings on stage while earning. And of course, by many singers who produce full music videos, some of these cover videos have received almost 200 million views on YouTube. The latter gives me “credit” by saying “original song: boohey barian by hadiqa kiani” (sic),” Kiani added.

Referring to this episode as the “thieft of Pakistani music continues”, the singer said that she has nothing personal against Kapoor. “Almost every time I have covered a song, I have bought rights to the song, asked permission of the artist or paid royalties to the artist because that’s the ethical way to do things… I have nothing against this singer and the other singers who have sang my songs. I’m just upset with the way that they all seem to go about the process,” she shared.

It was Gurinder Chadha’s 2004 romantic drama Bride And Prejudice, an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride And Prejudice starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Martin Henderson, that got a woman living in Illinois interested in Indian film stars. So much so, that she reached out to a local video store that stocked a vast collection of films in all languages, courtesy a major international university in the town, and borrowed the DVDs for two films, one of which was Mujhse Dosti Karoge (2002), starring Hrithik Roshan, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Rani Mukerji.

Beth Watkins says, “I definitely did not understand it very well. The best thing in that film was the song medley, and although I did not know any of those references, it was fun! I still love Rani Mukerji and Kareena Kapoor.”

Watkins, 47, who works with the exhibits and education department at the Spurlock Museum of World Cultures at the University of Illinois, began her love affair with Indian cinema with the launch of her blog, Beth Loves Bollywood. Here, she would talk about the films, often from a critic’s perspective. But her interest in Indian films went beyond Bollywood. Watkins claims to have watched 1,101 Indian films, out of which 850 are Hindi, 175 Bengali, and the rest a mix of Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada.

How do we know she’s right? Because Watkins keeps a spreadsheet. “I started doing that very early on because I just couldn’t keep up the names of people—I would watch a film and recognize an actor and have to look them up again,” she shares. It was the same reason why she started making detailed family charts of the popular film families in India, including the Kapoor khaandan. This one recently went viral when she added Alia Bhatt to it, after she was married to Ranbir Kapoor in a dreamy wedding at their Bandra residence.

This Kapoor family chart by Beth Watkins went viral on social media. It goes back to patriarch Prithviraj Kapoor, and its latest addition is Alia Bhatt, after she married Ranbir Kapoor last week

What catches our attention in particular in the Kapoor family chart is the mention of all the former lovers named alongside their present partners, a heart denoting a love affair. In an email interview to mid-day, Watkins talks about her fascination with Indian films and why complex family trees help her make sense of the massive soap opera that is Bollywood.

Edited excerpts from the interview.

It began when I first read Madhu Jain’s book about the Kapoor family [The Kapoors: The First Family Of Indian Cinema]. It featured a family tree, but I had to add so many notes to it because I was unfamiliar with a lot of the names—I then knew only the current generation members like Kareena, Karisma, maybe Rishi and Neetu, besides Raj [Kapoor].

People keep asking me about them! It’s because these charts aren’t actually about genealogy—they’re about relationships, power, influence, and access. We all know that nepotism is about more than biology. These are structures of power that exercise control over who can access what opportunities and resources. This is not to say that everyone in a film family is a deliberate villain determined to deny any outsiders access, nor are they guaranteed any talent or success. But it’s true that film families have opportunities, both to start out and to try repeatedly, that other people do not have.

Because these charts started as a way for me to make sense of what I’m learning and help me remember, they feature complex families like the Gangulys [Kishore Kumar, Ashok Kumar], the Mukherjees [Joy, Deb, Shomu, Kajol, Rani] and the Samarth family [Tanuja, Nutan]. These were obviously an important one for me to wrap my head around. The Ganguly family chart was connected to the Kapoor family [Shammi Kapoor’s first wife Geeta Bali’s niece Yogita Bali was married to Kishore Kumar before their divorce in 1978]... and it also connects to Satyajit Ray [Kishore Kumar’s first wife was Bengali actor and singer Ruma Guha Thakurta, who is the niece of Satyajit Ray’s wife Bijoya Das]! 

I’ve also mapped the Irani/Akhtar/Azmi families and the Feroz Khan and Roshan group. 

I think many people who grow up in Indian cultures have a sense of a lot of these connections even if they don’t know all the exact particulars. But I didn’t when I started watching Indian films.

Usually, it is just me noticing news on Twitter and deciding to add it. I don’t think I had updated the Kapoor chart for over a year, but obviously I had to when Alia and Ranbir got married. I actually don’t pay much attention to film star news that isn’t about what projects they’re working on, but if people share a fact with me, I try to incorporate it before I forget.

Oh gosh, that’s hard. My taste is all over the place. I love Satyajit Ray’s films, especially the early ones like Charulata, Devi and Nayak. I love the 1950s and ’60s Bengali films and their stars: Suchitra Sen, Madhabi Mukherjee, Soumitra Chatterjee, Uttam Kumar. I love Hindi masala, especially from the ’70s and early ’80s and the stars of that era—Rekha, Shashi Kapoor, Neetu Singh, Vinod Khanna. I also love Dibakar Banerjee’s films and can’t wait to see whatever he does next. Of the current and more recent crop, my favourites are Shah Rukh, Rani, Konkona Sen Sharma, Sridevi and Saif Ali Khan. I also wish Akshaye Khanna and Preity Zinta were still acting—I miss them!

I love his films because of their very generous spirit of entertainment and thought. Even if the plots are formulaic, the way the plot unfolds, and the way the story is told, are not. Those films are always creative and surprising. I love how complex they are!

 

On an average, I look at film-related tweets or emails and articles for about half-an-hour a day and probably watch one film a week. Yes it does get challenging. I love to do freelance writing about Indian films when I can, but often, I just don’t have the mental energy to write at the end of a work day.

 

I have been to Bombay several times. On one of these visits [in 2013], a friend and I were lucky to get to say hello to Shashi Kapoor outside Prithvi Theatre and tell him how much we love his films. On my last visit [2016], I actually got to meet Sushant Singh Rajput and Rajkummar Rao briefly. I told Sushant how great I think Detective Byomkesh Bakshy is. He looked genuinely pleased to hear it. You may laugh to hear that I’ve stayed at the Sun n Sand [Juhu] because I know it from old Hindi films. Sitting by its pool to eavesdrop is fun.

Actor Preity G Zinta and her husband Gene Goodenough surprised their fans on Thursday by announcing the arrival of their twin children via surrogacy. The actor took to Instagram to share a picture of herself with Goodenough, to share the happy news and reveal the names of her kids, Jai and Gia.

“Hi everyone, I wanted to share our amazing news with all of you today. Zinta & Gene are overjoyed & our hearts are filled with so much gratitude and so much love as we welcome our twins, Jai Zinta Goodenough & Gia Zinta Goodenough, into our family,” the actor wrote.

The 46-year-old also expressed her gratitude towards the medical staff for helping them start this new chapter in their lives. “We are very excited about this new phase in our lives. A heartfelt thank you to the doctors, nurses, and to our surrogate for being part of this incredible journey. Loads of love and light-Gene, Preity, Jai, & Gia,” she added, along with hashtags gratitude, family, twins, and ting.

Soon after the news, Zinta’s comment section was flooded with congratulatory messages. Actor Nargis Fakhri wrote, “You’re so cute,” while Rakul Preet Singh shared, “Omg!! Congratulationsssssssss.

Zinta got married to her long-time partner, Goodenough, at a private ceremony in Los Angeles, USA in 2016. Following her wedding, she moved to LA, but kept on visiting India for personal and professional reasons

Mumbai: Bombay High Court on Thursday dismissed an appeal by actor Preity Zinta (45) and her mother, Neelprabha, and directed her to hand over share certificates of three flats at Union Park, Bandra (W), to Ace Housing & Construction Ltd, which had bought them from her for Rs 7 crore in 2016. “Zintas cannot take advantage of their wrong and plead the bar of any law to frustrate proceedings before court,” said a bench of Justices S J Kathawalla and Vinay Joshi in a March 18 judgment.

The judges said, “Zintas have admitted receipt of entire sale consideration and they stand by the sale transaction.’’ Following a 2016 deed of transfer, the judges said, “Zintas also signed share transfer forms in favour of Ace. The certificates must be handed over to Ace.’’ The actor had challenged a judge’s January 28 order in a suit filed by Ace for transfer of flats’ share certificates, in custody of HC prothonotary (senior-most officer on administrative side). The firm also sought recovery of over Rs 1 crore it paid for Rs 90 lakh it claimed to have paid on her behalf towards refund of a security deposit to her 2015 licensee in the flat.

The judge had directed the HC officer to hand over original certificates to Ace and directed the housing society to transfer shares to Ace.

Zintas mortgaged the flats earlier with a bank and Ace said the sale amount was to be used to close the loan and hand over a ‘nodues letter’, so it would have a clear title.

Last year, Ace approached HC, apprehending the bank may take steps against the flats in case of default and Zinta filed an affidavit saying the “no-dues letter” was received in May 2018 and the loan was closed. Hence the new owner, Ace, sought the original title documents from the actor. Zinta opposed it and HC had last November directed the certificates be deposited with the prothonotary.

Her counsel said original papers could not be given when the dispute (time-barred) was pending. Ace’s counsel said the claim for Rs 90 lakh had no link with the transfer deed and was ‘interestfree deposit’ paid by it on behalf of the actor to her licensee, residing at the time. HC noted, “Ace bifurcated its claim.’’

HC said it was clear that Rs. 90,00,000 in regard to interestfree security deposit was unconnected and not interlinked to sale consideration paid by Ace to Zintas. The actor’s argument that Ace was seeking refund of sale consideration “must fail’’, said HC. It said, “Even today, Zintas have per se not opposed transfer of shares. Zintas have no claims against Ace… Zintas cannot indirectly retain charge of flats they have sold to Ace under validly executed and registered deeds of transfer, under which Zintas received entire sale consideration.’’ Her arguments of the suit against her being barred by limitation did not appeal to HC.

HC said Zinta can raise written arguments of her grievance against Ace’s claim when its suit is heard.