Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; March 29, 2017)

"I have finally become confident of the fact that I can carry an entire film on my shoulders,” asserts Sonakshi Sinha as we meet her to chat about her upcoming film, Noor. The actress, who started her career with Salman Khan-starrer Dabangg (2010) and faced flak for her weight and frivolous screen appearances, insists she has turned over a new leaf. She played the title role in her last film, 2016 actioner Akira, and will once again be seen as the protagonist in Noor.

“Work of many years has led me to have faith that I can pull this [film] off by myself. At one point, I was comfortable doing the films that were working [at the box office]. In the past few years, there has been a marked change in the kind of films being made. I merely adapted to my surroundings. Those were the kind of stories I wanted to try, but couldn’t in the past. This is my time,” she says.

Quiz her about shedding the label of an arm candy and she says, “I am consciously choosing characters that don’t need me to look like an arm candy anymore. I loved the masala movies I have done in the past. I love the absurdity of it all. But now, I would try and do both Lootera and R… Rajkummar (both 2013). Even if I’d received flak for it, I never let that get to me. I took it positively and tried to understand what is expected of me. Choosing ‘woman-centric’ parts wasn’t a result of any pressure on me to deliver ‘different’ content. I won’t do something just because I want to follow in the footsteps of my colleagues. I am doing what my heart wants.”

In the process, Sona has had to lower her box office expectations. But she isn’t complaining. “Experiences matter more than numbers. In Akira, (director) A R Murugadoss pitched me as a full-blown hero, fashioning me like the superstars he has always worked with (Akshay Kumar, Aamir Khan). In the last year, the trajectories have changed; films with strong female leads are doing well too."

Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; November 17, 2014)

Sonakshi Sinha is in a fix. Two of her upcoming films — Action Jackson with Ajay Devgn and Lingaa with Rajinikanth — release back-to-back in December, while Tevar, her film with Arjun Kapoor, is slated for early January. So the actress is currently juggling her dates for the promotions of the three films.

Ironically, Sona had found herself in a similar situation in November last year too when two of her films — Bullett Raja and R...Rajkumar — released a week apart.

Says a source, “ Dividing her time between the promotional activities for her three upcoming films will prove to be quite a task for her. She is trying to juggle her dates as she doesn’t want to pick one film over the other.

The source adds, “ But it will undoubtedly be difficult for her to promote the two films and come up with an excuse for choosing one over the other. Lingaa marks her foray in Tamil cinema, so she will have to keep logging air miles between Chennai and Mumbai.” Over the weekend, Arjun Kapoor was seen promoting Tevar alone in a reality show as Sonakshi had to be in Chennai for the music launch of her Rajnikanth starrer.

At the event, Sona made Rajni blush by humming, “All the Rajni fans, don’t miss the chance, lingaa dance lingaa dance.” Her spokesperson says, “She will be promoting all the three films.”

Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 14, 2014)

The rented apartment is spacious, spartan and lacking the warmth of a home. The owner looks woefully homesick, seeking solace in Tinkle comics which lie scattered on the coffee table, along with a few phone directories. "As a child I used to read Tinkle, Tintin and Astrerix, I still do. Not for inspiration but for entertainment," admits Prabhu Dheva who dropped out of school in the 11th standard, assisted his father, Mugur Sundar, for a year-and-a-half and at 15 became a choreographer himself.

His sons show no signs of following in his footsteps. Though six-year-old Adit Dheva does take him by surprise at times by teaching him a dance step or two, he's happier playing with his buddies. Ditto 11-year-old Rishi Raghavendra Dheva who aspires to be a wildlife photographer.

"It's heart-wrenching to leave them behind in Chennai and come to Mumbai for work," he sighs, insisting it's as big a sacrifice as the one Ajay Devgn made when he gave up food and trained rigorously for two months to lose 17 kilos for a sword fight in his upcoming film, Action Jackson, and a few bare body shots.

"I could have canned them without him going through so much trouble but Ajay sir wouldn't let me shoot. When he finally stripped off his shirt, we were speechless," he recalls.

Besides the six-packs, everyone is also raving about Ajay's Elvis moves. "The choice was between Michael Jackson, Charlie Chaplin and Elvis Presley. We settled on the latter. When I demonstrated the steps, Ajay sir said, 'Very good Prabhu, Sonakshi (Sinha) will do them well.' When I told him, they were for him, he was aghast. I assured him he could pull them off and he did--comfortably and stylishly," exults the filmmaker, known as the Indian Rubber Man.

The film was to open in June, it's coming six months later because Ajay wanted a perfect body to unveil. "It happens," he shrugs, nonchalantly dismissing the delay and the fact that a film with Saif Ali Khan hasn't worked out. His film with Girish Taurani after Ramaiya Vastavaiya too isn't rolling soon while another with Ekta Kapoor is still a work-in-progress. These things "happen". What's important is Singh is Bling with Akshay Kumar is on track.

Can Akshay playing a sardar derail the project? "Akshay sir is a Punjabi, he'll make sure no one's sentiments are hurt," Prabhu says confidently, in awe of Mr Khiladi who calls him for a narration at 6.30 am and floors him with his professionalism. "That's how it is with Ajay sir and Salman sir too," he says. "Even Shahid (Kapoor) surrendered to me, starting his day at 4 am, shooting in the 45 degree Wai heat till 8.30 pm, then putting two hours in the gym because R... Rajkumar was his first action film. They're amazing!" B'town believes that it is Prabhu who is man with the Midas touch. Isn't that a pressure? "There's always pressure when a film comes up for release, even after 28 years. I can't sleep or eat, I feel like a newcomer again," he admits.

Talking about newcomers, he feels like one on the ABCD 2 sets, insisting everyone is a better dancer than him. "I ask Remo (director Remo D'Souza) who will look at me with them around," he says, genuinely in awe of his coactors, including Varun Dhawan and Shraddha Kapoor. Will we see him act in other films too? "Where's the time? Direction is my priority. Remo adjusts his time to my schedule so I am learning ABCD again," he flashes his boyish grin that has made many actresses go weak at the knees. The grin turns bashful, "Arrey, after 28 years you think I have time for all this, what will my children think?"

Sarita A Tanwar (DNA; October 15, 2014)

Before we begin talking about Shahid Kapoor, we chat about Finding Fanny. I gush about his dad Pankaj Kapur and just how brilliant he was in his scenes. I complain about how he never replied to the long katha I sent him to which I never got a reply, he says sheepishly that his dad is really bad at social interaction.

The best reaction you've got for Haider...
There a lot of very good ones, but the best one happened even before the film released. When my dad, who had already seen it, saw it again with me when I was in Delhi showing it to some family people. Mom saw it a second time, too. So, my dad and I always sit and like... spend time together after he sees a film of mine and I always ask him what he thinks, if I missed out on something and if he thought I could have some scene done differently. He is somebody whose point-of-view is really important…. 

So... what WAS his reaction?
I've never had my father look at me and say, "I think you have got it all". I have never got so many reactions in my life. I never had so many people asking me whether I expect a National award and I am like, 'Just calm down.' Vishal Sir has been forwarding me so many mails and texts and it's just been an amazingly special 10 days since the release. The reactions started with screenings we started having three or four days before the film released. Everybody was telling us that we were committing suicide by releasing it with Bang Bang because that's such a big, expensive, commercial film. And we were a very niche film in our appeal and in every way. But we always kind of felt like it's a period which can accommodate two films and Haider is a kind of film which provides you something which, honestly, no other film can really provide you. It is a unique experience and somehow, we all had a lot of faith in the film and eventually, when you have a good product, you really believe in your product -- and by that, I don't mean a film that you have calculated is going to do well, but a film from your heart you truly believe in -- it gives you a lot of confidence that cannot be explained. Maybe people who are seeing it from the outside, might not get it and feel it was very stupid, but all of us as a team just had this really really strong faith and pride in the film. We were all very proud of the product we made because it's definitely a very difficult film. (Someone comes in)

What stood out for you in the film?
I had actually no perspective of myself because unlike most parts, this one… felt like it was beyond my capacity. Honestly while doing the whole film, I constantly kept feeling like I am going to fall short and not be able to portray the serious facets this character needs to, because it's a very complex part and we didn't shoot it linear. We were shooting it in different kind of spaces, especially the portion where Haider is very silent, refuses to accept that his father is dead. And he finally discovers that his father is dead and after that, the portion where he kind of goes mad…

What made you accept Haider?
Haider makes this strong decision not to take revenge, which is why I actually did the film. I did the film because of two lines. One being that "Hindustan mein bhi azadi lathiwala laya tha, bandukwala nahi " and the second line being "Intiquam se sirf intiquam paida hota hai. Jab hum apne intiquam se azadi nahi paa lete, koi azadi hame azad nahi kar sakti." I think these were the two lines why I did the film. And for Haider to take that decision... then he obviously wasn't completely mad... he obviously had some sanity somewhere, right? So to play that guy who is mad, but not completely mad, was tricky and we were not shooting it chronologically (because the bald portion had to be shot at the end), it was all over the place. I was very worried whether it would come out smoothly...

When you saw the film, you felt you got it right...
You know, it was not so much about myself, but I just felt very proud of the product that we had made when I saw the film, because I generally feel everybody is outstanding in the film whether its Tabu Ma'am or Kay Kay, even Shraddha for her fifth film is very good. Everybody else is kind of established as actors and so correct in everything they do, that she brought this energy, I found very endearing. I thought she brought this really nice innocent quality to the film. I felt it added a layer to the film, something the other actors were not able to do... you know, that little imperfection, that little bit, I kind of liked that.

Everyone has an opinion on the film - political cinema or otherwise. When you were doing the film, did you realise it would end up being so controversial?
I had felt uncomfortable when I read a few things in the film and I wondered whether it was true.... First of all, it's a work of fiction. It's a movie, it's not a documentary. So we are not claiming that we are depicting something that has happened. It's an interpretation and it's a point-of-view.

But you went in knowing that this movie was going to have strong reactions from everyone.
Ya, we expected reactions and I am actually very overwhelmed with the fact that I have never got so much appreciation and positivity for a film. Of course, there is a section I am aware, has got put off by certain parts of the film and I respect their opinion and I have nothing against them. But a much larger part of the audience has connected with the human journey in the film. There are political angles in the film, but they are not really the film. The film is actually about, 'WOW, somebody has the guts to make it in India.'

I think we underestimate our audiences..
Look... at the time we made Haider, the only kind of films that are apparently working, I would say this in inverted commas "are supposed to be commercial are the ones which don't have a story, don't have any original characters, which are just structured into formats which will make good promos" and then audiences will come in and in the first four days, the collections will happen, everyone is happy, and that's it. And here is a filmmaker whose last two films have not done well. He's going out there and saying, 'I am not trying to run after commerce, I am trying to find who I am and make a film that I truly believe in.' And the result is Haider, which is such a special film because he went back to who he was rather than trying to listen to everybody around him. Actually, Vishal had three films in mind when Haider was being made, and he discussed all three with me. Kaminey 2 was one of them. There is another film called Julia, which he has been wanting to make and Haider was the smallest and the most non-commercial film, actually. But when we were talking about Haider, he just had this expression in his eye every time, and as an actor I just felt that he really wants to make this film. I asked him, 'Sir, which one do you want to make the most?' He said yaar somehow my heart is in Haider and he asked me, 'Will you do it?' I said yes. And he said, 'You will have to go bald,' and when he told me why, I was like, 'Okay, let's do this.' I guess that's all that he needed you know. He had an actor and that was at a stage where he hadn't started writing the script. But he wanted to make that film as it was a subject so close to him.

One gets the feeling that you were still trying to find your space. And you did R... Rajkumar because those films were working. But post that, you you seem to have decided not to run run after what is working do films that feel right. Like Haider?
To be honest, I have kind of become the kind of actor now who adapts to my filmmaker's world and I have started enjoying doing that a lot. Otherwise I don't think I could have done these two films – R… Rajkumar and Haider -- back-to-back. It's not possible. You have to completely surrender and submit to the filmmaker's world, sensibility, beliefs.. and I did that in both films. But I have said this before, I have always grown with this thought that the actor in me is going to make me the star. Being my father's son, I have always grown with that thought and it keeps creeping back into my system every once in a while and it keeps nagging me, 'Listen, you wanted to act, remember, star? All is great, but you wanted to act. Are you acting? Are you doing something which is challenging as an actor?' The biggest learning that I had, was actually my biggest fear and I feel very liberated that that's changed in the last two-three years… I used to always try and make the right choices, I used to always try and do the things which everybody thought would work because I was from a very middle-class family. I had gotten a break and fortunately, things had worked for me, but I didn't have any camp backing me. I had no security blanket behind me that if I made a mistake, somebody would sort it out for me and I would get another opportunity, so I always tried to make the right decision. And when I made those decisions, I realised that I was not being original anymore because originality can only come from unknown places. If you are doing something you know is already working, you are not being original. You are just copying somebody else, you are just following what everybody is doing.

I am very surprised because I always thought that you did films that you believed in.
No, I think now is the time when I'm truly doing films fearlessly as opposed to earlier. I still used to take very calculated decisions and I think I am being more fearless in my choices now and Haider was one of the most fearless choices that I have made. To do a film which is in every vein, it's against any cliché and against any norm which is supposedly followed by the commercial pundits or whatever you want to call them.

How is it different working with Vishal this time?
Very different from the last time. In Kaminey we had this good actor director relationship but during this film he became more than a director. There is a lot of warmth, faith, and sharing. He tells me whatever he feels like. I think of all the film makers I have worked with in my entire life. I trust him more than anybody else because of what he has done for me in these two films. He has pretty much shaped my career. I mean Kaminey and Haider are the two most definitive films in my career and he is responsible for both of them. I have this amazing amount of love for him and gratitude actually because if he hadn't given me these two opportunities, may be people would have never seen this side of me as an actor.

Also Jab We met.
Yes, In fact, Vishal Sir cast me in Kaminey only after Jab We Met. He said to me, 'You played your character and you didn't try and change it even though you didn't have so much to say, you just stuck to your part,' and he liked that.

What part of Haider do you identify with?
All of it. Not that I have ever had a journey similar to Haider in my life. I can understand everything about him because he is so human, so imperfect.… To me, Haider is the most vulnerably perfect characters that I have played. I love how he is not a hero. He is actually just a student, who turned into a killer. There is nothing right about his journey, but there is everything human about it. And when I played the character, I actually felt like may be if I was in Haider's situation, I'd probably not even be able to react as well as he does. He is at least trying to think and take the right decision. So many people have met me and told me that when he holds the gun to the uncle, they wanted him to kill him. And I probably would have thought the same way, but the beauty is that he doesn't and that's the message that he wants to give.

The guy who played your younger self looked a lot like you. I thought maybe he was your brother..
Ya, I was surprised that they didn't even tell me. I was like, who is this guy? My brother looks quite different. First of all, he is 18, taller than me, and he has very curly hair so he can't pull off being me anywhere. I don't want him to also, I want him to find his own personality and be himself. He is a better dancer than me, though.

No, shut up!
Hundred times better. I swear, I'll show you videos. Hundred times better than me. He is outstanding, like he makes me feel embarrassed when I look at him dancing. Then he looks at me and says, 'Bro, see you are not practising enough, that why.'

At one time, there was a lot of stress between you and Salman and you guys are like buddies, the chemistry you have with him on Bigg Boss – last year and this year -- is so amazing.
I bumped into him yesterday. There was this Box office Award and I was in the gym when he walked in. He was talking to me and we were chatting. I have always been a fan. There was some misunderstanding long back, but he has been very warm and we have had great fun whenever we met.

You guys should do a movie together.
I wish we do. We did a scene together, actually. We had a lot of fun when we did that one scene in Phata Poster Nikhla Hero. We did a day's shoot. It was a lot of fun.

Shahid, this thought just came to me... have you ever thought of producing a film?
They wanted me to be co-producer on Haider...

Then why didn't you do it?
No, yaar! I didn't feel I had done anything to earn that title... so why should I take it?

RAPID FIRE

A director you'd want to work with again?
Imtiaz Ali.

Your favourite film of 2014:
Haider.

Not yours
It is, it honestly is. (A little later) Ok then, Queen.

A role of your contemporary you'd have loved to do
So many choices... Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Barfi!.... And I have not seen the film, but also, PK. I am very curious... I'm dying to see that film. It's going to be amazing. Unbelievable.

One actor you want to share the screen with
I want to do a film with Irrfan Sir. Just those three scenes we did together, it was amazing to just observe him. He is a very different kind of actor. He has got a very different take on acting and it's so amazing. So yeah, I would love to do a full film with him.

Arjun, Sushant, Varun, Sidharth, Ranveer... who comes closest to fitting in the Shahid Kapoor role?
They all are very original. Wouldn't really ever want to…

Come on!
I really like Varun because he is a good dancer. He is fit, which I love about him. Also, he has a very positive energy and I get very good vibes from him. I think his entire family is very warm and that they are very nice people. Whenever I have met his brother Rohit or his dad, they just have very good energy. I really like all of them.

Hiren Kotwani (BOMBAY TIMES; February 11, 2014)

Hollywood Studios are increasingly active in watching what Bollywood is up to these days. And it’s not just the concept and stories they are possessive about. even if Bollywood registers a title similar to that of a western film, it is proving to be dangerous.
 
On top of mind is the example of a Hollywood studio asking Gordhan Tanwani, the producer of Action Jackson to change his title or reportedly face the consequences for title infringement because they had registered it for the Indian market as well.

Shekhar Suman acquired the copyright to remake Awake before starting work on Heartless. Obviously, he didn’t want last minute litigation like the producers of Jodi Breakers, who were sued for copying the French film, L’Arnacoeur aka Heartbreakers. Or like the makers of Knock Out who also faced a litigation for copying Phone Booth, a few days before its release.

Before Action Jackson, the makers of R… Rajkumar were issued a notice whereby they had to take out the name ‘Rambo’ from their title. And stick to a plain R...Rajkumar. Calling this title battle a new development, Gordhan says, “My title has been in public domain for about a year. Warner’s Indian company has also made films here after registering their titles with our film associations. When they’re working here, they work as per association norms. If they had any problem, they should have referred it to the association. Why send a letter through their California-based lawyers and give 48 hours to reply?”

Ravi Chopra, who was making Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai with Govinda, Lara Dutta and Tabu had a tough time dealing with the copyright case by the producers of the Hollywood film, My Cousin Vinny, who claimed that the Hindi filmmaker had copied their content.

Producer Ratan Jain concedes that it is wrong to copy western films without acquiring the rights. However, he feels that the foreign studios should not extend their vigilance to Hindi film titles, “When an association registers a title for a Hindi film, if the same title being used by a Teugu film for a different subject, it’s okay. Because it’s a different ball game in a country like India. If English titles are copyrighted, then what will our producers do? Not just Hindi, but many films made in South Indian and other regional languages have English titles.”

Another producer concedes that title tattles are no big deal. “If copyright has been infringed by plagiarising content, then it is a case. Just having a title for a film doesn’t mean that no one can use it for life or you need someone’s permission. There’s no compulsion here that American laws have to be followed in India. It’s up to the producers to decide whether they want to contest the Hollywood studio’s claim or give in.”

Gaurav Dubey (MID-DAY; February 4, 2014)

Looks like the film R...Rajkumar has given Shahid Kapoor more than one reason to be thankful. Not only has the film fared quite well at the box office, now it is being said that Kapoor and Sonakshi Sinha, both of whom starred in the film, are in love.

Sources say that their relationship blossomed on the sets of the film. One source says that when Sinha was approached to be a part of Karan Johar’s talk show, Koffee With Karan Season 4, she allegedly demanded to be invited alongside Shahid.

Onlookers at a recent awards function seem to agree. It is said that at this function, Sonakshi chose to stay on till Shahid was done performing. “And even though his was the last gig, she patiently waited for him. Besides this, they have been stepping out together at several occasions and events,” says an eye-witness.

MR JOE BHI CARVALHO is a disaster with first week collections of around 3.25 crore nett. The collections came down rapidly in the weekdays after a dull weekend.

SHOLAY 3D grossed 8.75 crore nett in week one as it held steady in the weekdays. The collections are actually very good for a re-run and a decent return for a 500 approx screen release but the makers spent a quite a bit on the conversion and release of the film therefore misjudged the potential of a re-run film.

Due to high ticket rates, only 15-20 new films find an audience every year. So the potential for re-runs is hardly there. Although there is no precedent, it can be safely said that the 12 crore nett lifetime that SHOLAY 3D will do is easily the limit for a re-run film.

DHOOM 3 grossed around 19.50 crore nett in its third week taking its three week business to around 258 crore nett. The film is probably looking at a 270 crore nett finish with a phenomenal distributor share of around 145-150 crore.

The film is the most expensive Hindi film ever made but it will be the first film in history to have a recovery of over 300 crore from all revenue sources. The film has hit new benchmarks in most circuits with upto 40% more business than the previous record holder in some circuits.

The only circuit that may struggle to hit a new record is Mumbai and it could be the only circuit worldwide where DHOOM 3 does not put up a new record. It will be an unusual scenario that the film smashes all records left right and centre by huge gaps but falls a little short in the biggest circuit of them all.

Lastly, R...RAJKUMAR is still collecting decent figures in single screens in Maharastra. It was has been revived at some single screens of CP Berar over the last two weeks.

SHOLAY 3D held steady on Monday with collections close to the 1 crore nett mark. The film showed a very limited drop from Friday and the collections in four days are around 6-6.25 crore nett. The film should gross around 8.5-9 crore nett for the week.

The other release MR JOE B CARVALHO went down on Monday with collections around 30-35 lakhs nett. The film is likely to continue to fall and will finish the week at around 3.25 crore nett or at best 3.50 crore nett.

DHOOM 3, meanwhile, collected around 2 crore nett on its third Monday taking its third week total to around 14 crore nett. The week will finish in the 19 crore nett range so it will be either the second or third highest third week ever as YEH JAWAANI HAI DEEWANI also grossed around 19 crore nett. 3 IDIOTS leads at around 33 crore nett.

The film has had a fantastic run over the first two weeks and so it is inevitable that the collections will slow at some point and that is what has happened in week three. Still the film has emerged the biggest grosser of all time by a distance and will be the first Hindi film to do a recovery of 300 crore with nearly around 50% of this coming from domestic theatrical with a final share for the Hindi version in the 145-150 crore range. CHENNAI EXPRESS held the record before with a share of 115 crore approx.

R...RAJKUMAR, lastly, is still doing well in the CP Berar area. The film lost a lot of the single screens showing the when DHOOM 3 released but has been revived on many single screens in CP Berar over the last ten days or so.

Roshni K Olivera (BOMBAY TIMES; December 14, 2013)

Prabhu Dheva believes in getting first-hand audience reactions, for which he quietly visits theatres after his films release and this time too, he did the same. In a chat with Bombay Times, he talks about the audience’s response to R...Rajkumar, critics’ comments and why he believes that his genre of films will never die. Excerpts:
 
Critics panned R...Rajkumar, but the audience has given it a thumbs up... I can understand some people like a film, some don’t and I respect everyone’s views. But there was a lot of criticism when the film had just released. Then Friday, Saturday, Sunday saw a good response at the box office and then, when the film was holding well even on Monday, Tuesday and thereafter, we felt why was there so much criticism, especially in Mumbai. If a film is really bad, even we can make out with our years of experience. But here, the audience is clapping, whistling, laughing... I was so thrilled when I quietly went to the theatres and saw it for myself. For us, the audience is God. We make films for them and they have proved once again that they love entertainment. I feel that if people write about a film, then they should also write about the audience response. The claps Shahid Kapoor gets during his entry and then throughout the film is amazing and for me, it’s important that my hero is accepted because the rest will follow.
 
What are the kind of films that you like to watch? Spider-Man, The Avengers, Mission Impossible, The Terminator, Predator, Rambo, Lord Of The Rings...  

So, it’s action all the way for you? Actually, it’s entertainment. In my films, they say the action sequences are very local and not international. But why should I copy from English films? I want it to be Indian and our audience is also happy with it. A Korean or an Iranian film gets recognition worldwide because they show what’s happening in their land.
 
You are known as the masala king... What is this masala king? (laughs). I make films for people to smile, laugh and have fun. When there’s a song, they should feel like dancing, when there’s comedy, they should be a part of it. Basically, after watching the film, a person should come out feeling all charged up and that’s what people say they are feeling after watching R...Rajkumar. Tomorrow, if I make a horror film, even that will be full-on entertainment. We are all very happy with the response... the producer, Shahid, Sonakshi, everyone.
 
With the audience’s taste constantly changing, do you see a market for your kind of films always? There have been so many James Bond movies, Spider-Man films, Mission Impossible series etc. Is there any difference in the basic story? Yet, each time there’s a release, people are excited. That’s because even though the premise remains the same, it’s packaged differently. Tom Cruise, for a long time, has been doing action movies, but nobody asks him, ‘Sir, what will you do if this genre dies?’ Why then do we ask that here? There’s space for all kinds of films if they are made well. A Vicky Donor runs, Barfi runs, so also Rowdy Rathore and now R...Rajkumar.
 
Ironically, the first Telugu film you directed did not have action at all? It was in fact an out-an-out romantic film. Actually, even R...Rajkumar, which is a two-hour-20-minute film, has only 12 minutes of action. The remaining is only about love.
 
Are you a romantic? Who is not? You, me... we all are. Of course, I can’t be one on the set (laughs), but yes, my thoughts are reflected in my films. Romance is also about being happy, feeling good. I tell everyone to take it easy and live in the moment.

R…RAJKUMAR IS A SUCCESS!

Shahid Kapoor hasn’t had a huge success since quite a few years. Actors who debuted much later went on to become bigger stars. Shahid has a huge fan following on his side but the wrong choice of films proved detrimental. Thankfully, it seems that things will change for the better for Shahid as R…Rajkumar has proved to be a success! What’s more, it has generated an amazing response among single screen audiences which is a good sign for any actor. Moreover, Shahid looked great while playing a typical action hero. In fact, it’s easily one of his best performances and even one of the best performances of the year!

R…Rajkumar will not end up being in the famed 100-crore-club. In fact, commercially, it might not even be a Hit and would at best be an average or above average grosser. Yet, it’s a huge feat for Shahid considering the fate of his previous films. Also, his films have never crossed even the 45-crore mark and R…Rajkumar would be the first film to do so (it is expected to reach till 60-65 crore mark). R…Rajkumar, sadly had a weak second half and was not as good as Prabhu Dheva’s Rowdy Rathore. Otherwise, R…Rajkumar would had been an even bigger success. Here’s hoping Shahid signs some really nice and well-made scripts in future and that his films earn big time at the ticket window. After all, he deserves it totally!

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WILL SUNNY LEONE FACTOR HELP JACKPOT? 

Jism 2 failed but its huge opening had stumped many. This was because it was a rare film that opened well on the strength of its actress’ (Sunny Leone’s) popularity! Now, her second film, Jackpot, is all set to hit theatres tomorrow and has once again caught attention thanks to her sizzling avatar in the film. At the same time, Jackpot seems more of a thriller. It is directed by the Boom and Bombay Boyz guy Kaizad Gustad who has shot the film beautifully in Goa in monsoons. Naseeruddin Shah features in an interesting role that has Sachiin Joshi in the main lead. Trailers seem interesting and the film can work if response is positive.

The other 2 releases are What The Fish and Lucky Kabootar. Promos of both films were interesting but not extraordinary and promotions too failed to do justice to their respective films. Hence, both films will surely have a tough time at the box office though What The Fish can excel if response among moviegoers is positive.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE JACKPOT, WHAT THE FISH OR LUCKY KABOOTAR? DO LET ME KNOW!

With Mubashir Lucman vowing to keep up the fight, the fate of R…Rajkumar, which is releasing this Friday, hangs in the balance

Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 30, 2013)

The man who is turning out to be the nemesis of upcoming Bollywood films in Pakistan, Mubashir Lucman, claims his petition, that led to a local court ruling that no Indian film can be censored or released in the country, was not an anti-India stance. He had raised his voice against tax evasion prevalent in the industry. 

While talking to Mirror, the talk show host said: “I am not against any Indian film, or for that matter, any film from any other country.” 

He went on to explain his decision to file the petition saying, “My only grouse is that most films that are imported to Pakistan dodge the taxes. Why should this happen? Why can’t the film business be done legally?” 

Lucman stressed that he is in no mood to give up the fight: “I shall continue the campaign until it reaches its legal and logical conclusion.”

The next hearing is on Monday. “It is doubtful whether the court will resolve the matter soon. And this makes the future of all upcoming Indian releases uncertain in Pakistan,” said a source.

The next casualty, after Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Saif Ali Khan-Sonakshi Sinha starrer Bullett Raja, might just be the Prabhu Dheva film starring Shahid Kapoor and Sonakshi, R…Rajkumar, which is scheduled to be released this Friday.

Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 21, 2013)

The last time Shahid Kapoor had a hair moment was with Vishal Bharadwaj’s Kaminey when his character Charlie’s messy long hair becoming a much demanded salon staple across the country.

Ironically, his next collaboration with the same director will see him without hair. It’s official, Shahid Kapoor is going bald.

According to recent reports, Shahid and Vishal have been debating the drastic transformation for Haider, the director’s adaptation of Hamlet. Now, Shahid has confirmed to Mirror that the duo have decided to go ahead with the bald look.

The 32-year-old’s last film Phata Poster Nikla Hero, met with a tepid response, but when we met him on Tuesday evening, the actor seemed unperturbed, even as he ran his hand through his mane on every cue.

It is surprising that Shahid is not worried about losing his thick crop in the coming months. “I knew it five months ago when Vishal started discussing Haider with me. All my hair is going. But it’s fine. The role is so good that I don’t mind shaving off my head completely.”

Ask him if it is necessary to go bald for the film and Shahid, replies: “I cannot tell you the exact reason because that would give away the story. The protagonist in Hamlet may not have been bald. But Haider is an adaptation.”

Come December 6, he will have another test at the box office, Eros International's R… Rajkumar directed by Prabhu Dheva whose films have not failed at the turnstile.

Interestingly, Shahid had only seven days to make the switch from R… Rajkumar, where he plays a singing-dancing goon, to Haider, a dark revenge drama set in Kashmir. “Yes, I was nervous. But I am an actor. And fortunately, I had worked with Vishal Sir in Kaminey and I have read Hamlet. If I had to switch from Haider to R…Rajkumar, it might have been more difficult because I didn’t know Prabhu Dheva’s world,” he says.

He adds, “Prabhu Dheva’s style is very different. He doesn’t want you to come prepared to the set, whereas Vishal Sir wants it otherwise. The two filmmakers are like North and South. It is important to understand the vision of a filmmaker, surround yourself with knowledge and then decide how to go about it.” 

Though Shahid is one of the finest dancers in Bollywood, Prabhu Dheva’s intricate choreography forced him to rehearse for a couple of days. “And I have also done so many stunts for the first time. I did not use body doubles but it wasn’t easy. I must give full marks to the film’s action director Ravi Verma. My body hurt a lot and a physiotherapist was constantly with me to take care of niggling injuries and sprains.”

While Prabhu Dheva is all about spontaneity, Vishal made sure that his lead actor came well prepared for the Shakespearan flick which will release next year, Shakespeare’s 450th birth anniversary. “A local actor from Kashmir stands by to correct my dialect. For example, Kashmiris don’t say ‘ghar’, they say ‘gar’. We are taking every minute detail into consideration,” says Shahid.

Till he shaves off his head, he is of course going to remain as possessive about his hair as always. A leading actress (on request of anonymity) had once told this journalist that Shahid runs his hand through his thick crop every five minutes. “I love my hair, but no problem. I’ll get them back again,” smiles Shahid.

Going back to his bald look, he says, “The shaving will be done in Kashmir. I have threefour looks in Haider. We shall complete the ones which require me with my hair first and then move on to the look which does not. It is going to be fun,” he says with an impish smile.

As the interview ends, Shahid once again, languorously runs his hand through his hair.