Showing posts with label Puri Jagannadh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Puri Jagannadh. Show all posts
Tabu returns to South Cinema with Puri Jagannadh's Slumdog – 33 Temple Road
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Samyuktha on finding belonging with seasoned co-star Tabu on the set of Puri Jagannadh’s ‘Slumdog – 33 Temple Road’
Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; March 22, 2026)
Six years after her turn in Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2020), Tabu returns to South cinema with filmmaker Puri Jagannadh’s upcoming action thriller, Slumdog – 33 Temple Road. The pan-India feature, which also stars Vijay Sethupathi and Samyuktha in primary roles, is currently in post-production and will release later this year.
Smitten by the calibre and “confidence” of her co-stars, Samyuktha, who has been observing them on set, shares, “They walk and perform with an ease, and have an effortless way of handling things.”
For Tabu, the project is akin to coming home, as the Bollywood star hails from Hyderabad. Samyuktha shares her excitement about hearing Tabu converse with the cast and crew in Telugu. The actor says her co-star made her feel included, despite it being their first collaboration.
“She is a Hyderabad girl! Being the least experienced person there, I would listen to Zarina [Wahab] ma’am and Tabu ma’am talk in Telugu. I heard so many stories from them. I felt very included. There wasn’t any vibe of ‘You need to be away from us because we’re talking.’ I always felt a sense of inclusivity, which I loved.”
Akshay Kumar always says, ‘jaldi sona chahiye,’ and reminds everyone he doesn’t go to parties-Tabu
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Onkar Kulkarni (BOMBAY TIMES; November 17, 2025)
Twenty-five years after Hera Pheri (2000), Tabu will be working with Akshay Kumar and director Priyadarshan on a new film. Their collaboration, Bhooth Bangla, marks a reunion which Tabu describes as nostalgic, surprising, and oddly familiar all at once.
Speaking about her first day on set, Tabu says, “I didn’t know what to expect. I hadn’t worked with Akshay after Hera Pheri, and we hadn’t even met socially very often over the years. I had stayed in touch with Priyan, so I knew he would be exactly the same person.”
That instinct, she says, was right. “There’s absolutely no change in Priyan. He’s still as impatient, still as vocal about what he feels. He’s still the one-take director. But, of course, time has passed. We’ve all grown in different directions and are now back to work with each other again. In some ways, we’re different people now.”
‘Akshay’s humour and energy are all the same’
Her Hera Pheri co-star, Akshay Kumar, however, seems untouched by time. “His humour and energy are the same. He still wakes up at 4 am, finishes early, and heads home, which is a very good thing for the rest of us. He always says, ‘jaldi sona chahiye,’ and reminds everyone he doesn’t go to parties. That part of him hasn’t changed at all. Of course, we’ve all grown up now, but the essence of who he is – that’s still the same.”
‘South is an intimate film industry’
Tabu did not have any releases in 2025, but she has been shooting for projects back-to-back. She says, “I finished two movies this year – Bhooth Bangla and a Puri Jagannadh directorial starring Vijay Sethupathi, which releases in Tamil and Telugu. Both films will be released next year. I shot for a south film five years after my last movie, Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo. It felt good to be home again in Hyderabad. It’s an intimate film industry. 2025 has been a very satisfying year. I was busy shooting from January to September, and in 2026, I will have two releases.”
After The Kerala Story, people have become very protective of me on social media-Adah Sharma
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Soumitra Das (BOMBAY TIMES; April 19, 2024)
Adah Sharma, who was in Ahmedabad recently, says that she feels “a special connection with the city.” Adah, whose recent releases include the film Bastar: The Naxal Story and the OTT project Sunflower 2, tells us, “A few months back, I shot with Jubin Nautiyal for Raabta, a music video, at a few lovely locations of Ahmedabad’s walled city and I have some very fond memories from the shoot.”
Adah adds, “I was in Vadodara in January for a marathon and it’s always a pleasure to come to Gujarat because the people are so warm. I love Gujarati food and no Ahmedabad trip of mine feels complete till I have undhiyu, which is my favourite. I also love Gujarati dal.”
‘I still don’t know too many people in the film industry’
Adah, who made her Bollywood debut with 1920 in 2008, has completed 15 years in showbiz. Looking back at her journey, Adah says, “I still don’t know too many people in the industry but feel fortunate and grateful that despite being an outsider, big filmmakers have always trusted my talent. Vikram Bhatt could have chosen anyone for 1920, but he loved my audition and offered me the role. In Telugu, I made my debut with Heart Attack, which was directed by an ace filmmaker like Puri Jagannadh. In Kannada, I have done films with big stars like Puneeth Rajkumar. Sunflower 2 gave me the opportunity to work with Vikas Bahl. So, I have no complaints and it has been a fantastic journey. Having just done an OTT project, I can confidently say that good content is watched irrespective of the medium.”
Adah adds, “I am fortunate that I have not been typecast as an actress, which is one of the biggest fears that an actor has. Be it fiction, films based on real life incidents or interesting OTT content, I have always got to do exciting and different types of projects. Even in my upcoming projects, I am getting to do different stuff and I couldn’t have asked for more. I don’t really understand terms like ‘women-centric films’ because for a film to do well, every character has to be etched well. But we are having these discussions probably because there still isn’t enough representation of women in different aspects of filmmaking. But stronger roles are being written for women now.”
‘The Kerala Story was a big game changer for me’
The Kerala Story, which became the highest grossing female-led Hindi film, was a big game changer for me. Although I have done successful films like 1920 and Commando 2, this movie became a phenomenon and I don’t think there is any movie buff who doesn’t know about it. Also, after this film, people have become very protective of me on social media and I feel lucky. I don’t pay any attention to the negativity on social media because for every negative comment, there are so many positive comments to counter it! It’s overwhelming. People have the right to watch or not watch a film. I have realised that many people who criticize movies and use terms like ‘propaganda film’ on social media have not seen the movies. So, why should I bother about these comments?
‘I am playing a female superhero in an upcoming international project’
It’s true that I am playing a female superhero in an upcoming international project, but I don’t want to reveal too much about it. I am a little superstitious and don’t like talking about projects too much in advance. I want to do projects in different languages, even if it’s just a music video. I had done a music video in Punjabi with Akhil and a lot of Punjabis loved it.
After 25 years, Sanjay Dutt returns to Tollywood with Double iSmart
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Neeshita Nyayapati (BOMBAY TIMES; July 31, 2023)
Almost 25 years after doing a cameo in Nagarjuna’s Chandralekha (1998), Sanjay Dutt is making a return to Telugu cinema, this time in a full-fledged role. The actor is all set to play the antagonist in Puri Jagannadh’s Double iSmart, which will see Ram Pothineni in the lead.
A source from the film’s unit tells us, “Sanjay has shot for an exciting action sequence in Mumbai already and is excited about returning to Telugu cinema after so long.”
The makers released Sanjay’s first-look from the film on his birthday (July 29), in which the actor is seen sporting tattoos and a cool hairstyle. “Given that Ram’s look is quirky, Puri had a specific vision for how he wanted his antagonist to look and behave. And Sanjay is game for it,” the source adds.
Sanjay Dutt took to social media and wrote, “It gives me immense pride to be working with the director of the masses, Puri Jagannadh, and the young and energetic Ustaad Ram Pothineni (sic).”
Puri Jagannadh gets threats over settlement of losses after Liger failure, seeks protection
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HINDUSTAN TIMES (October 28, 2022)
Filmmaker Puri Jagannadh has sought police protection after he allegedly received threats from film distributors, who are planning to protest in front of his house in Hyderabad if he doesn’t settle losses incurred from his last release, Liger.
In his police complaint, Jagannadh, who currently resides in Mumbai, mentioned that the distributors cannot threaten or blackmail him in any manner and that they should have filed a civil case if they felt he or his firm owes them any amount.
Jagannadh, whose last outing featuring actors Vijay Deverakonda and Ananya Panday failed to elicit much response at box office, also stated in his police complaint that as per an agreement, he had paid all dues to distributor Warangal Sreenu. He claimed Sreenu defaulted payments to the sub-distributors, who are now being coerced by him to believe that the filmmaker owes them money.
He further mentioned that he fears Sreenu will instigate violence, enter his house in Hyderabad and harass his family members, which include his 85-year-old mother-in-law, his wife and daughter.
Liger, which also stars Ramya Krishnan and Ronit Roy, was promoted aggressively as a pan-India film, especially after director Karan Johar came on board to back the Hindi version. However, the film opened to largely middling response from the audiences, with some calling the film a “wasted opportunity” for Deverakonda, who had spent three years on the project.
Aamir Khan, Vijay Deverakonda forgoing their fee for Laal Singh Chaddha, Liger is a rare gesture-Raj Bansal
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Niharika Lal (BOMBAY TIMES; September 24, 2022)
Following the dismal performance of Laal Singh Chaddha at the box office, it is being reported that Aamir Khan will not be charging any fee for the film. This could reportedly save the studio Rs. 100 crores as the film’s budget was approximately Rs. 80 crores but it earned only approximately Rs. 60 crores.
Liger starring Vijay Deverakonda and Ananya Panday also didn’t perform as expected and it was reported that Vijay is likely to return Rs. 6 crores from his fee to the producers. It was also reported that Liger’s producer Puri Jagannadh is likely to compensate the distributors.
Trade experts say that as this is a matter between the actors and the studios, hence it may never be revealed which portion of the losses were absorbed or not, but they say that even for A-listers, it is an extremely rare gesture to compensate producers or distributors.
A source shares, “In the last ten years, Aamir Khan has not charged a single rupee as his fee, which also includes his latest, Laal Singh Chaddha. So even if there is a loss, it only falls on Aamir’s shoulders without affecting any of the other partners. However, all production cost borne by both studio and production house of LSC will break-even via all non theatrical earnings itself. Also, we can only discuss the profit and loss of the project at a later stage.”
SHOULD ACTORS PARTIALLY REFUNDING FEES BE A NORM?
With recent flops, it is being discussed that the assumption that A-listers will attract an audience does not seem to hold any longer. And so A-listers should perhaps stop charging enormous fees. Raj Bansal, an industry expert, says, “Who knows what is actually refunded or not as it is between the actor and studio. But this decision is spot-on and is a gesture of goodwill. We can’t dismiss that the film suffered huge losses, and it makes sense to bear the losses together. However, it is extremely rare in the film industry that any actor or producer would return money or their fee because of poor performance of a film. My question is that when Dangal or other hit films of Aamir Khan made hundreds of crores, everyone from the producer, exhibitor to distributor benefited from the film’s success; then nobody said that they are going to pay extra money to Aamir, as the film worked because of him. Then why make Aamir pay for losses now? Aamir is one of the finest actors, and as a distributor, I’m definitely going to back up his next, too, without any hesitation. ”
Girish Johar, producer and business analyst, says, “It is about understanding the value of this chain of producers-distributors-exhibitors. It has sometimes worked out in a manner that the producer would absorb one portion of the loss while the distributor would absorb the other portion. This is done so that this ecosystem doesn’t collapse in the face of financial losses.”
Girish points out that there have been a few more instances when stars refunded 40-50% amount to compensate for the losses. Reportedly, Shah Rukh Khan, who was also the producer of Dilwale, refunded 50% money to distributors. Salman Khan also refunded some portion for Tubelight. Moreover, Akshay Kumar was quoted as saying that he was surprised to find out that Rajinikanth (who was also producer of the film Baba) returned distributors’ money after the film didn’t do well at the box office in 2002.
Bansal notes that these instances of returning money to the distributor are so few that one can count them on their fingers. He said, “In my entire career, I have received money only twice from producers. I had received a cheque and a note twice mentioning that the producer was sorry for my losses (Lamhe and Tumko Na Bhool Paayenge). It is important to point out that nobody asked them to return their money.”
Trade experts say that not taking a fee or refunding distributors is rare. However, it could help other stakeholders.
I have to give Salman Khan a script that matches his level-Puri Jagannadh
8:17 AM
Following his successful run in Telugu cinema, Liger director Puri on shifting base to Mumbai as he returns to Bollywood after a decade
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; August 25, 2022)
A quick look at Puri Jagannadh’s filmography tells you that he swears by masala films. For the director, mainstream cinema is the ticket to keep the industry functioning. “There is more money and employment generated, and it offers three hours of escapism. Everyone wins,” he reasons. Yet, his next, Liger, is releasing at a time when only a handful of films have performed well at the box office.
The Vijay Deverakonda, Ramya and Ananya Panday-starrer bears Jagannadh’s signature stamp, complete with action and dialoguebaazi.
Does he worry about his movie’s fate, given the current scenario? “After the pandemic, the audience has become picky. If they don’t like your trailer, they won’t come to see your film. It’s scary. People say, ‘You make masala films. Tell us what is going wrong.’ But frankly, I don’t know. This is a cost-intensive movie. We needed to [rope in] foreign stuntmen and fighters, be it fight master Kecha from Thailand, or Andy Long from Germany. The scale is magnanimous. I am confident of the film we have made. It is a rooted story about a mother and son; they are the classic underdogs. Liger is among the biggest movies of my career.”
While his Telugu offerings have inspired remakes in Hindi — from Wanted (2009) to Simmba (2018) — the filmmaker’s last Hindi project, Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap (2011), didn’t charm the audience. Over a decade on, Jagannadh is ready to make the transition to pan-India cinema. “I have wanted to do Hindi films for the past 10 years. I’ve worked with all the big heroes in south. I wanted to broaden my horizons, work with new [set of] actors. But I had to honour my prior commitments down south. Now, I have signed a few more films [in Hindi]. I finally shifted to Mumbai and set up an office here three years ago. I am still adjusting to the new city.”
Many speculated that he would collaborate with Salman Khan, given the success of Wanted, which was a remake of Jagannadh’s Pokiri (2006). Did they meet recently? “I love Salman. After Wanted, we met. Salman bhai and I started chatting one morning and went on till the next morning. He told me to come to him with a good script. I have to give him a script that matches his level.”
It took us two years to sign Mike Tyson for Liger-Charmme Kaur
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Liger maker breaks down how the team pursued Mike Tyson through the pandemic and finally shot with the boxing legend in his Las Vegas home’s backyard
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; August 22, 2022)
Liger was originally envisioned as a south film — to be made in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada — with Vijay Deverakonda in the lead. But when the final draft of the script landed on the table, the leading man, director Puri Jagannadh and producer Charmme Kaur instinctively knew that it had the potential to be bigger. Deverakonda got in touch with Karan Johar, who soon came on board, and the film quickly graduated to a pan-India project. Of course, the biggest scale-up happened when boxing legend Mike Tyson agreed to be a part of the actioner, also starring Ananya Panday.
Casting the boxing heavyweight was a long process, says Kaur. “It took us two years to sign him on,” she smiles.
She began the discussion with his legal and managing teams in 2019. “We sealed the deal after months of numerous Zoom calls. And then, COVID-19 happened. India was in the red zone. Tyson’s teams told me it’s a deal-breaker. They didn’t want to travel all the way to India, and we couldn’t have travelled [to the US] either. It was heartbreaking [that things fell apart].”
But Deverakonda, Jagannadh and Kaur were not quite ready to throw in the towel. When the situation improved after the first wave, Kaur resumed the conversation with Tyson’s teams in late 2020. “I again got hold of everyone. I made calls at 5 am IST. This went on for a year, after which Mike Tyson said, ‘Fine. Come to my backyard and shoot.’ We created [a small] team and went to shoot in Las Vegas for a month.”
Shooting with the legend was the easiest part of the process. The producer describes him as “a kid on the set.” “He is at peace with his life. His wife Kiki Tyson is amazing, and was always on the set with us. He is a family guy. After every shot, he’d ask Puri sir if the shot was okay. Whenever Puri sir said it was amazing, he would jump around in childlike glee, saying, ‘I am an actor!’ He loves Indian food. One day, he told me, ‘I want to eat chicken tikka masala with garlic naan and gobhi.’ So that was our staple order every day.”
I am not insecure about Vijay Deverakonda because seeing him get that love makes me happy-Ananya Panday
8:47 AM
Having won praise for 'Gehraiyaan', Ananya Panday says it gave her the confidence to be uninhibited in a masala film like 'Liger'
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; August 20, 2022)
In some ways, 'Liger' is an opportunity that doesn’t come easily to a young actor — to be able to debut all over again, this time, in multiple languages. But four-film-old Ananya Panday is assured as she, along with Vijay Deverakonda, fronts director Puri Jagannadh’s multi-lingual that will introduce her to a wider audience across the country.
“Deciding to do the film was daunting,” she admits, right at the start of our chat. “I was stepping out of my comfort zone, and learning the tropes of a new set-up and film vocabulary. Puri sir and Vijay held my hand throughout. Thankfully, my character is speaking in Hindi mostly, so the language wasn’t much of a barrier.”
When you’ve got Deverakonda in the cast, the attention can tilt towards him, given his fan following. Does she worry about being overshadowed? “Oh, you should hear it when he enters a venue,” she laughs, clearly delighted with her co-star’s popularity.
“But it doesn’t make me feel insecure. He is kind, humble, and different from his on-screen persona. Our conversations have led me to believe that I have found a friend in him. I am not insecure about him because seeing him get that love makes me happy. He deserves all of it. On the first day we shot together, he re-shot a complex fight sequence only to help me perform my scene better. That’s an honest artiste right there!”
Panday, who started the year with 'Gehraiyaan', was praised for bringing restraint to her character in the relationship drama. Shakun Batra’s film, she says, has empowered her as an artiste. “People liked my character and performance. It’s all thanks to Shakun. Being in a massy film like Liger requires a lot of confidence and [a lack of] inhibitions. With 'Gehraiyaan', I overcame the fear of being judged, and that showed in 'Liger'. I don’t want to be scared of judgment. I have started young, and I don’t want the audience or myself to get bored of my work. When you start early, you are unprepared for the love you’ll get or the hate you’ll see. I was 18 when I began, and the hate hit me then. I felt lonely and isolated. But I have realised that to keep doing good work [is the answer]. Nothing speaks louder than that.”
I don’t think I ever want to feel I’ve arrived and become complacent-Ananya Panday
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Ananya Panday talks about a busy 2021 with two releases
Rishabh Suri (HINDUSTAN TIMES; January 2, 2021)
A year-and-half into her acting career, with three film releases and two in the pipeline, Ananya Panday’s career is shaping up well. The year 2020 affected her film Khaali Peeli’s theatrical release, but it received attention via pay-per-view and drive-in theatre release. And this year, the 22-year-old is looking forward to the release of Shakun Batra’s untitled next with Deepika Padukone and Siddhant Chaturvedi, and Fighter, starring Telugu actor Vijay Deverakonda. Excerpts from a chat:
You have two releases for 2021, even in uncertain times like these. Does that make you feel more excited than nervous?
It’s a mix... Shakun’s film is what he calls a domestic noir. I’m very excited to be working with him, Deepika and Sid, we’ve all become really close. Plus, the shooting experience in Goa, it feels like I have another family on that set. Working with Puri (Jagannadh, director of Fighter) sir was a completely different experience. It’s an out-and-out masala action comedy. It’s a pan-India film, releasing in four languages.
How much of a challenge is making a pan India film?
It’s like entering four industries at the same time! I have the same thoughts: ‘Will I be accepted? Will people like me?’ I hope I find a place in those industries as well. We will shoot it primarily in two languages simultaneously — Telugu and Hindi.
How would you sum up 2020 as a year, where your film’s (Khaali Peeli) release got affected?
If I’ve to use one word, it will probably be ‘growth’. Initially, it felt like everything has come to a standstill. Just sitting at home, there was a lot of personal growth, I learnt a lot about myself. The kind of work I want to do… I don’t think I spent so much time just with myself and my thoughts. Earlier, I had no time to sit down and be grateful. Khaali Peeli was a very special film for all of us involved. Even though it had an OTT release, it had fun elements like drive-in theatre release.
Given your success, is there a sense of having arrived?
I don’t think I ever want to feel I’ve arrived and become complacent. I feel there’s something more to do and achieve. It keeps motivating me to do better. I’m blessed to have three films in a short span of time. The acceptance makes me feel overwhelmed, especially from kids; it makes my heart really warm.
Ananya Panday is Vijay Deverakonda’s first Bollywood co-star
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Actress is expected to start shooting for the film, which went on the floors in Mumbai last month, by early April
Akash Bhatnagar (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 12, 2020)
Recently, reports speculated that either Janhvi Kapoor or Ananya Panday could be roped in for the female lead in this Puri Jagannadh directorial, which has Karan Johar on board as a presenter and production partner. Now, Mirror has learnt that KJo’s Student Of The Year 2 protégée has bagged the part.
According to a source close to the development, the makers wanted to cast a young actress opposite Vijay. “Ananya is eager to work with Vijay and is expected to start start shooting mid-March or in the first week of April,” revealed the source. The film marks Ananya’s third collaboration with KJo after her debut and the upcoming Shakun Batra directorial, which also features Deepika Padukone and Siddhant Chaturvedi.
While speaking to Mirror recently (January 21), cast member Ronit Roy had informed that the film will be shot in six months in Mumbai and abroad. Ananya is currently shooting for Khaali Peeli with Ishaan Khatter and starts work on Shakun’s film by the month-end. The actress recently signed another film with Siddhant. It also features Saif Ali Khan in the role of her father.
Vijay Deverakonda to storm Bollywood with multi-lingual action film titled Fighter
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Vijay Deverakonda’s multilingual actioner goes on floors in Mumbai, to be shot in the next six months and also features Ronit Roy and Ramya Krishnan
Akash Bhatnagar (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 21, 2020)
Telugu actor Vijay Deverakonda made an instant impact as the leading man of Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s 2017 directorial, Arjun Reddy, which was adapted last year in Hindi as Kabir Singh. With Shahid Kapoor stepping into his shoes, the film was one of the year’s biggest hits and made Vijay a household name. A month later, Karan Johar shared a picture with him and announced that he had acquired the Hindi remake rights of the South actor’s Dear Comrade, opening in theatres three days later. This fanned speculations that he would launch Vijay in Bollywood with the Hindi remake.On Monday, KJo finally announced that a film directed and produced by Puri Jagannadh has gone on the floors with the actor as the lead and him as a presenter and production partner. The film also features Baahubali actress Ramya Krishnan and Ronit Roy.
Last September, Vijay and Karan were snapped outside Manish Malhotra’s residence along with Kiara Advani, the female lead of Kabir Singh. Two months later, the actor was present at the filmmaker’s house party for American pop star Katy Perry during her India visit. Soon after, Vijay had announced at the International Film Festival of India in Goa that he will be making his Bollywood debut, preferably with an action or romance film. More recently, he flew into Mumbai for a look test.
Speaking to Mirror, Ronit revealed that the project which has just rolled is titled Fighter. “It is a pan-India action film that will feature a lot of mixed martial arts and will be shot extensively in the next six months,” the actor informed, adding that besides Mumbai, they will also be shooting in some foreign locations and the movie will be released in all the South languages.Vijay, whose character stutters and sports a six-pack, underwent rigorous training and followed a strict diet as part of his prep. He also flew to Thailand to learn mixed martial arts and other fight forms.
My debut Hindi film was fun yet conveyed to everyone that I can act and fit in both worlds-Taapsee Pannu
7:49 AM
As told to Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 22, 2019)
I was working in films down South when I got a call from Mumbai. David Dhawan was remaking Chashme Baddoor and wanted to know if I would be interested in being a part of the film. They were looking for a girl like Preity Zinta for the role of Seema and going by the character sketch, Telugu director Puri Jagannadh recommended my name for the role. When I first met David sir in Mumbai, I wasn’t sure if I was in contention but by our second meeting, we had mutually agreed on the film and I was given an idea of the script, my scenes and my look. David sir had a particular look in mind and we experimented with my hair, clothes and styling. Our third meeting was in the city for the shoot.I was super excited because I was going to be speaking in my mother tongue on camera for the first time. Since I was entering the Hindi film industry, it took longer than the usual time to get ready as I was being extra cautious. Even after I was all prepped up, there was a long wait as I had to enter the scene at a certain point, Ali (Zafar), Divyenndu and Siddharth who played Siddharth, Omi and Jai respectively, were done with their lines. I think the scene came before the interval and I had just one short dialogue. I was already nervous and as I waited for my turn, my anxiety escalated. I have no clear memory of my first shot even though I remember everything that happened before and after it. I don’t usually look at the monitor, but on that day, the team insisted I check out my performance, hoping it would calm my nerves.
My family doesn’t usually accompany me on a film set either. I am an extrovert and the unit becomes my extended family. In this case as well, I went out of my way to be comfortable with everyone and vice versa. This, over the years, I’ve realised is the only way to remain sane and happy at work.
It took some time for it to sink in that I was actually doing a Hindi film because I had just stumbled upon the offer. So initially, though I was speaking my lines in Hindi, I was performing like it was a Tamil or a Telugu film. The approach is the same, but then, I told myself that this being my language, I could do much more with the scenes and slowly started to improvise, adding personal touches and giving unscripted reactions during the filming.
I think Chashme Baddoor was the perfect Bollywood launch for me. Had I started out with a film like Baby I would have landed up with only small supporting roles while a Pink would have typecast me as a serious and off-beat actress. My debut Hindi film was fun yet conveyed to everyone that I can act and fit in both worlds.
It is very difficult to imagine Wanted 2 without Salman Khan-Boney Kapoor
8:12 AM
Boney Kapoor, who has just won a 7-year plagiarism case against a writer who claimed he had written the original script, now plans a sequel
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 11, 2017)
In 2009, a local court in Meerut booked producer-director Boney Kapoor, his wife Sridevi, filmmaker Prabu Dheva and actor Salman Khan in a case of alleged copyright infringement and plagiarism for their action-drama, Wanted.
Petitioner Birbal
Singh Rana, a local writer-director, alleged that Kapoor’s production
house, BSK Network and Entertainment, had stolen his original script,
Raja Bhai IPS, for their film. Birbal, in his petition claimed, that he
had submitted his copyright script to the company in 2004, but it was
rejected and later re-created for their own project.The Wanted team denied the allegations, but in August 2010 the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, B D Bharti, directed them to be present before the court on November 22. When they failed to appear, a non-bailable warrant was issued against them, after which Boney took matters into his own hands and decided to seek redemption from the Allahabad High Court.
Seven years later, Boney has won the case against Birbal Singh Rana. On Tuesday, the Allahabad High Court acquitted the 61-year-old-filmmaker of all charges. It was also revealed that Birbal had been blackmailing Boney, demanding an out-of-court settlement of Rs 75 lakh. “This kind of extortion is becoming a practice by miscreants who target high-profile celebrities. There is no copyright violation of the idea, subject matter, theme, plot or historical or legendary facts. The applicant (Boney and Co.) are innocent and have not committed the present offence,” stated the Additional Government Advocate, RD Yadav, ruling in favour of the filmmaker.
When Mirror caught up with Boney ahead of the Justin Bieber concert, which he was attending with wife Sridevi and daughter, Jhanvi, he pointed out that he was among the first Indian producers in Bollywood to bring in the concept of Hindi remakes of regional films. “I have legally bought the rights to and remade 16 films. In the case of Wanted, I not only bought the rights from Prabhu Dheva who had directed the Tamil version, and eventually the Hindi remake, but also from Puri Jagannadh, who was the original creator and producer of the 2006-Telugu film, Pokiri,” he informed. “I was shocked when I got the first summons, more so when the lower court in Meerut accused us of copyright infringement without proper verification of the script. The petitioner then started harassing and blackmailing us, trying to extort money for no fault of ours.”
He goes on to add that this has happened to various producers, directors and actors who have been dragged to court on false charges. “Sometimes it’s just plain mischief and sometimes there are ulterior motives involved. It is sad because there have been genuine cases of deceitful filmmakers who have copied portions from other films unofficially, while others said they were inspired and such cases went unchallenged,” he grouses.
Wanted went on to become the second highest grossing film of 2009, bagging Vijayan Master the Filmfare Award for Best Action. A year later, Boney had announced his desire to spin a sequel. Buzz is, leading man Salman had also asked Prabhu Dheva to come up with a script for Wanted 2. He had also revealed that Prakash Raj who had played the baddie in the Tamil and Hindi versions, would be a part of the sequel.
Ask Boney if the impending court case roadblocked Part 2 and he exclaims, “No way! I would never let a case like this hinder the sequel. I will roll with Wanted 2 whenever I have the right script for the film. It is very difficult to imagine Wanted 2 without Salman,” he signs off.
Salman Khan urges Puri Jagannadh to write commercial film along the lines of Wanted for Sooraj Pancholi?
8:11 AM
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 11, 2016)
In 2009, Prabhu Dheva's
Bollywood directorial debut, the action-packed Wanted became one of the
earliest films to make it to the Rs 100-crore club, successfully marking
Salman Khan's comeback to the big league. The film which marked a
turning point in the then 44-year-old actor's career was the official
remake of the Telugu hit, Pokiri, which was directed by Puri Jagannadh
who also wrote the story and screenplay of the Hindi adaptation.Ever since, Puri who is a huge Salman fan, has kept in touch with the actor, calling him often and even meeting him at times, trying to coax him to foray into Telugu cinema. Salman who is extremely fond of the filmmaker has laughed off the suggestion but promised Puri that he would remake at least one more of his Telugu hits.
Earlier this year, Puri revealed that he had written an action-thriller with bhai in mind and wanted to discuss it with him. Last month, when Puri approached Salman, the actor surprised him with the suggestion that he take his 'Hero' Sooraj Pancholi instead. “Salman already has a packed slate with back-to-back projects lined up till the end of 2017 and has no dates to spare. So he urged Puri to write a commercial film along the lines of Wanted for his protege Sooraj,“ reveals a source close to the development.
Sooraj who made his Bollywood debut opposite Athiya Shetty in September 2015 in Hero directed by Nikkhil Advani has yet to sign a second film. He was to feature opposite Parineeti Chopra in Bosco Martis's directorial debut, Circus, in which he was to play a trapeze artiste, but after Pari dropped out, the film has been put on hold. “For Salman Sooraj is family. The two even partied together during Diwali when Salman was at a new resort in Goa with his family. He is a part of all his family gatherings and he wants the boy to get back into action, asap,“ the source added.
It seems excited with the proposition, Puri has jumped into action too. He is currently scripting a film which will be produced under Salman's home banner. Puri's last Bollywood outing was Bbuddah... Hoga Tera Baap in 2011 with Amitabh Bachchan in his Vijay avatar. Puri has however not given up hope of working with Salman. He hopes to cast him in the Hindi remake of his recent super-hit, ISM, the Telugu action crime-thriller which released in October. “The original featured Kalyan Ram in the lead, Puri wants to remake it with Salman in 2018 when he has wrapped up his current commitments,“ informed the source.
Kajal Aggarwal loses Aur Devdas to Aditi Rao; but replaces Shruti Haasan in Puri Jagannadh's film?
7:41 AM
MID-DAY (October 9, 2014)
Sudhir Mishra’s upcoming film, Aur Devdas, has gone on the floors but with a major change — Kajal Aggarwal, who had been signed on to play Chandramukhi’s character, has been replaced by Aditi Rao Hydari.
A source close to the project revealed that Sudhir Mishra had earlier finalised Kajal Aggarwal in the multi-starrer film. However, due to date issues, she had to opt out and that’s when Aditi stepped in. A source says, “Everything was finalised and Kajal was on board but she had some date problems and was in talks with the makers over certain other issues. However, things were set on the production side and the shooting was scheduled to start. A lot of actors are involved in the film and their dates were worked out accordingly. The shoot couldn’t have stopped for one person. Aditi was initially being considered for the role and so, she was finally cast.”
Mishra is credited for launching Aditi Rao Hydari in his film, Yeh Saali Zindagi. She will soon be seen in The Legend of Michael Mishra.
Meanwhile, Shruti Haasan was supposed to be a part of Puri Jagannadh’s upcoming Telugu film, tentatively titled Kummestha, which stars NT Rama Rao Jr. However, the latest buzz has it that she has been dropped from the project with Kajal Aggarwal replacing her. A source says, “Shruti was initially approached for the film and she agreed to do it as she liked the script. The process of signing on the dotted line and other formalities had been completed. But, we were recently told that she is no more a part of the film and Kajal Aggarwal has been brought on board.” It is being said that the Shruti was not allotting proper dates to the makers, which led to her being shown the door.
Reportedly, the actress was being considered for an item number in the film but sources suggest even that is not working out. “Shruti recently did an item number, which went on to become quite popular. That is why the makers were planning to cast her in the item song. However, for that too, she could not devote time and finally, they went ahead with newcomer Nora Fatehi.”
Puri Jagannadh quashed the buzz about having initially approached Shruti for his film. “It is not true. Shruti was never a part of my film,” he said.
Shruti, on the other hand, remained unavailable for comment on the buzz.
S Sreesanth likely to debut with a love story in Telugu
7:35 AM
Elina Nayak (BOMBAY TIMES; August 11, 2014)
Cricketer Sreesanth put
spot-fixing allegations and his subsequent arrest behind him when he
made a public comeback in Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa.
While still hoping to play for India in the World Cup 2015, Sree, at the moment, is busy finalising projects in the Telugu film industry. Recently , he met directors Puri Jagannadh and Madhura Sreedhar in Hyderabad, resulting in fruitful discussions. Talking to us about the film with Madhura, he said, “It's not based on my life, but is a love story about a middle-class cricketer. I was approached to play the lead. I can't reveal more as I want him to announce it. All I can say is that you'll see me acting soon. The purpose of my visit to Hyderabad was to meet industry people, and tell them that I am here for work and am ready to do a good job."
He is also composing music for the Telugu-Tamil bilingual Anbulla Azhage. Says Sree, “I've composed six to seven songs. I used to compose in school, but had to leave it for cricket. Now that I'm away from cricket for some time, I want to do this."
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