It was on July 23 last month that I read a report in Mid-Day which caught my attention. It mentioned that Zee5 is all set to release as many as 29 Pakistani shows on its OTT platform! It also led to the relaunch of the Zindagi channel for the Indian viewers.

This development was something that obviously shocked me. After all, the Bollywood film industry was forced to shun all its association with Pakistani actors after the Uri attack of September 2016. The episode happened 40 days before the release of Karan Johar’s film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil was to release. As luck would have it, it starred Pakistani actor Fawad Khan in a supporting role. Post the attack, a section of politicians demanded that Bollywood should boycott Pakistani artistes. Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) threatened Karan that they won’t let his film release unless he removes Fawad’s character from the film overnight. That, obviously, was not possible. Soon, more people joined in this ‘movement’. The ruling party at the Centre, BJP, did nothing to stop MNS from threatening Karan Johar, though KJo resides in a state which was also ruled by them (Maharashtra). The only thing they could do is ‘broker’ peace between the two parties so that Ae Dil Hai Mushkil could release without any problem. The film saw a peaceful light of the day but Karan was mercilessly trolled by self-declared nationalists for his ‘crime’.

The repercussion of this controversy was that Pakistani actors got banned from working in Bollywood. For some weird reason, Bollywood was still ‘allowed’ to have singers from the neighbouring country. Less than a year after the Uri attack, the whole nation got charmed by the recreated version of 'Mere Rashke Qamar' from Baadshaho, sung by Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. A few months later, music lovers fell in love with 'Dil Diya Gallan' crooned beautifully by Atif Aslam, in Tiger Zinda Hai. It’s only after the unfortunate Pulwama attack of February 2019 that self-declared patriots realized that we need to ban singers as well for revenge. Since then, even the singers from across the border have stopped working in Bollywood.

Hence, the decision of Zee5 to launch Pakistani shows was astonishing. I read the article and was sure that soon, there would be a backlash. But nothing of that sort happened. Then on July 31, Zee5 dropped the trailer of its first Pakistani web series, called Churails. Directed by Cake director Asim Abbasi, it stars Sarwat Gillani, Mehar Bano, Nimra Bucha, and Yasra Rizvi. The show revolves around the four women who run a detective agency that exposes the cheating husbands in Karachi.

I saw the trailer and was impressed by its quirkiness and bold quotient. I was scared to scroll down and check the comments as I expected tons and tons of hate, which is the norm nowadays. Nowadays, people are already presumed to be very angry with Indian-based celebrities like Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Mahesh Bhatt and of course, Karan Johar. I can’t imagine the volley of abuses they must have spewed on the actors and team of Churails; after all, they belong to ‘enemy country’.

I gathered courage and finally began to see the comments. And I couldn’t believe my eyes. The discussions and posts made by people seemed very cordial and respectful! Was I dreaming? People can be seen appreciating Pakistani makers and writers for making such path-breaking stuff and criticized Bollywood for not learning from them! I kept scrolling and kept waiting for that one revolutionary person who would have written ‘PKMKB’ or ‘Boycott Churails’ type of comments. There was none.




I kept a tab on Twitter for a few days, next. I was sure #BoycottChurails, #UnsubscribeZee5 or #UninstallZee5 would soon start trending. That didn’t happen, either!

Of course, it didn’t take me much time to understand why the self-appointed deshbhakts have gone into hibernation this time. First, let us understand how these boycott protests actually work, especially in context of Bollywood and web series. There’s a group of influential people with millions of followers, all staunch supporters of right-wing ideology. They have their masters, usually connected with political parties, who instruct them to start these boycott campaigns. In most cases, a time is decided and the hashtag is given in advance in a Google document. Then, at the designated time, millions of followers start using the hashtag in question and hence it started trending. Now, the regular netizens notice the ‘trend’. They feel a spontaneous movement has begun against Bollywood or some actor from the film industry. These people don’t want to feel left out or sometimes they do have a soft hatred towards the industry. Hence, they too start using the hashtag and hence the ‘movement’ grows further.

The next step is to target more gullible people on WhatsApp. As is common knowledge, the messaging app is where most rumours and misinformation gets generated and spread. The same group of people who started the ‘movement’ will create several messages which are provocative and which showcase members of Bollywood fraternity as sell-outs and traitors. They’ll push you to forward the said message in ‘national interest’. There are sensible people who rubbish these forwards and even inform the sender about the lies in the message. But most of the times, people happily share. The ‘movement’ further grows! The ‘movement’ would not have begun had these professional and organized trolls not even started the ‘boycott’ mania in the first place. And most of these movements don’t really make a difference to the lives of the people. For instance, was your life seriously affected because of Pakistani artistes in Bollywood? But you were made to believe otherwise. In short, you became a puppet in the hands of these people and they shamelessly used you for your selfish agenda.

The question that has surely risen in your mind is – why isn’t the right-wing trolls boycotting Zee5 then? The answer can be found in the first 3 letters of the name of the OTT platform – Zee! Zee5 is a part of the sprawling Zee Group, founded and run by a man called Subhash Chandra. He’s known to be a staunch supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is even quite close to him. His biography was launched by the Prime Minister himself, that too from his residence, in a high-profile event. One of the channels of the Zee group is the Hindi news channel Zee News. It openly flaunts its love for the ruling government and has time and again spread lies to favour BJP and show its opponents in negative light. And believe it or not, Subhash Chandra had stopped airing Pakistani shows on Zindagi channel less than a week after the Uri attack, in national interest of course!

Hence, it’s no surprise that Churails, presented by Zee5, has been spared the abuses and boycott campaigns by the ruling party. After all, it’s the ruling party that controls most of these right-wing influencers. And since the party command didn’t instruct the influencers, these professional trolls chose to look the other way when Churails trailers was dropped and even the series got released, on August 11. In turn, you, too, are okay with the development!

I know many of you still can’t believe what I have written here and have loads of questions for me as a counter. Let me pick few ones:

“I was not aware that Churails has released on Zee5. Or else, I would have surely protested”
Yes, it’s a possibility that you didn’t realize that the said show has dropped online. But many did. As of August 15 2:15 PM IST, it’s trailer on YouTube has got nearly 42 lakh views. Moreover, it has not released on any unknown platform but on Zee5, which is one of the biggest streaming portals in India. On YouTube, it has 3.86 million subscribers. It has lakhs of followers on social media websites as well. Churails was well promoted across these websites. Lakhs of people knew about its existence, including the professional trolls and their political masters.

“There’s not much of anger against Pakistan anymore. With time, the anger has subsided”
If only that was true! In June this year, T-Series faced severe backlash (again it was generated) for uploading a song sung by Pakistani singer Atif Aslam. The ‘criticism’ was so immense that T-Series had to remove the track and even tender an apology. I refuse to believe that the ‘anger’ against Pakistan was present till June 2020 but vanished within a month’s time, when the trailer of Churails released. This also makes it clear that if Karan Johar or Bhushan Kumar (of T-Series) or Aditya Chopra had backed Chudails, it would have also become a target of the trolls.

Try as much as you want. Put up as many excuses as you can think of. But the fact remains – you have been played all along all this while by the politicians. They used you. You let them. You didn’t realize they are using you. Instead, you felt patriotic. You considered yourself a ‘warrior’ who fulfilled his duty towards the country by insulting Bollywood personalities. Today, when an Indian channel has released a Pakistani show, the same netas have changed the rules. That’s because the channel owner is their ally and hence, he is immune. And yet, you are silent. You don’t feel cheated or used. Or maybe you do but you won’t accept. Or else, you might argue, “But what can I do?” The saddest part is that if tomorrow, for some reason, a boycott campaign starts against Churails, you’ll happily join in and make it clear that you are at their service for their selfish needs at their beck and call!

Is that what you really are, dear countryman? We have the largest workforce and we are easily amongst the world’s most smartest, creative and hard-working people. The country’s situation is concerning and there’s so much we can all do together. But instead, the government diverts our attention using silly hashtags. It makes villain out of people who are merely doing their job and working day and night to entertain us. Are we still going to give in to their wishes? Or are we going to speak and reject such useless movements that do nothing to improve our lives?

I have often revisited Churails trailer just to see the comments and to see the sanity out there, which has been missing on the internet since a long time. It feels so good to read people’s thoughts at a place where the government hasn’t jumped in to divide-and-rule. But on second thoughts, that’s because the government has chosen to step away to support its founder. I am waiting for the day when the people of this country make it loud and clear that government’s interference and stupid strategies won’t work and they need to focus on the real issues at hand. That’ll be the day when art will totally flourish and where boycott and bans will be relics of the past. This Independence Day, let’s hope that day comes soon!

P.S.: This post is not against Churails or Zee5 and doesn’t support any boycott campaign against them at all. I appreciate Zee5 for taking this initiative. I haven’t seen Churails but I shall watch soon and also looking forward to their other shows. Shailja Kejriwal, chief creative officer — special projects, Zee Entertainment, has hinted that Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan might also be seen in one of their upcoming shows. Bring it on!

MNS chief asks party workers to support her campaign and help unseat BJP
Chaitanya Marpakwar (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 31, 2019)

Urmila Matondkar, the Congress’ candidate from Mumbai North, has asked Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray to support her election campaign. The Maharashtrian actor is pitted against the BJP’s Gopal Shetty and Mumbai North has a significant number of Marathi voters.

A senior MNS functionary said Urmila and Raj were old acquaintances. “They have known each other for a long time,” he said. “He has already directed all MNS workers to help the Congress-NCP combine. The MNS will not openly back the Congress-NCP, but will help and support their candidates indirectly.”

Raj held a meeting of MNS officebearers where he told them to help the opposition defeat the BJP government. Taking queue from Raj, MNS spokesperson Sandeep Deshpande was seen campaigning with the Congress’ Eknath Gaikwad at Shivaji Park on Saturday. The two spoke to morning walkers and urged them to vote for the Congress.

This is the second time the Congress has fielded a celebrity from Mumbai North. The party gave the ticket to Govinda in 2004, and he won. This year, following former city Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam’s decision to move from Mumbai North to North West, the party was finding it difficult to get a candidate for the seat. With Urmila in the fray now, Congress leaders believe they have a winning chance. “She is a known celebrity and a Maharashtrian too. She will give a tough fight to the BJP. Urmila can be a game-changer for the Congress just like Govinda was in 2004,” a city Congress functionary said.

The Mumbai North constituency has a sizeable population of Marathi, Gujarati and North Indian communities. The Borivali, Dahisar, Magathane, Kandivali East, Charkop and Malad West assembly constituencies are part of it. Except Malad West, from where the Congress’ Aslam Shaikh is an MLA, all other assembly segments are represented by the Shiv Sena and BJP. The Congress has asked Shaikh to help Urmila.

City Congress leader Bhushan Patil, who is coordinating Urmila’s campaign, said she is getting an enthusiastic response on the election trail. “We are just starting the campaign and the atmosphere is already all charged up. We are meeting people from various communities and interacting with voters. People are just waiting to see her. Urmila ji is a strong candidate and we are confident of winning,” Patil said.

“People from all walks of life are reaching out to her. We are focusing on people-to-people contact and not on big rallies. We are confident that the response and the crowds will be converted into votes for the Congress.”


MNS spokesperson Sandip Deshpande campaigns for Congress candidate Eknath Gaikwad at Shivaji Park on Saturday

MUMBAI MIRROR (October 5, 2018)

A defamation case has been filed against Tanushree Dutta for her comments about Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray. The case was filed by the Kaij police in Maharashtra's Beed district on Wednesday evening after MNS district unit president Sumant Dhas lodged a complaint, alleging that Dutta had defamed his party chief.

“We've registered a non cognizable offence against Dutta under Section 500 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code and are investigating the complaint. We've also asked the complainant to approach court,” said a police officer.

The 34-year-old actress has accused actor Nana Patekar of harassing her on the sets of the film Horn OK Pleassss in 2008. She recently said that Raj Thackeray wanted to succeed the late Bal Thackeray as the Shiv Sena chief, but couldn't. She had also alleged that the MNS was involved in vandalising her vehicle when she opted out of the film. Earlier, she was quoted as saying that she'd been getting threats from the party, and that two persons recently tried to barge into her home.

The MNS youth wing, meanwhile, handed over a letter to the makers of Bigg Boss on Wednesday, following reports of Dutta participating in the ongoing season of the TV reality show. The party workers threatened violence on the set in Lonavala if she was let in.

Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; March 21, 2018)

Yesterday, the goings-on in the Bollywood film fraternity attracted the wrath of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena found Raj Thackeray. In a bid to urge the opposition to unite for a ‘Modi-mukt Bharat’, the politician not only criticized the government’s decision to accord a state funeral to Sridevi after her death, but also claimed that Akshay Kumar’s recent ventures, Pad Man and Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, were part of a covert propaganda for government schemes. “Akshay Kumar is not even an Indian citizen. He holds a Canadian passport and Wikipedia describes him as an Indian-born Canadian actor,” he said, questioning the actor’s involvement in films that further the cause of Indians.

Pad Man director R Balki, whose film is based on the life of social entrepreneur Arunachalam Muruganantham, says a biopic cannot be part of any propaganda. “My film is based on someone’s life, so it obviously cannot be anybody’s propaganda. I don’t know what he [Thackeray] has stated, but these films are important,” Balki said.

Asserting that the projects led to positive conversation around important topics like opendefecation and menstrual hygiene, the director says that few ventures have “achieved what these films have”. “They have spread awareness about important issues, and have done it in a way that few other ventures could.”

In an interview to mid-day, Kumar had highlighted the importance of using cinema to create awareness about social issues. “I made Pad Man with the hope that families could become aware of the importance of menstrual hygiene. Nobody is interested in speeches or documentaries. They are interested in learning about a subject through films.”

Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; September 2, 2017)

Though Bollywood and Raj Thackeray haven’t been on the best terms since MNS’s ban on Pakistani artistes, industry insiders say there’s another side to the politico. “He is a movie buff,” Ashoke Pandit, former CBFC member, had told mid-day in an interview.

It seems his daughter Urvashi Thackeray has taken after him in this regard. The political scion, 22, has taken baby steps into Bollywood — she served as an assistant director on Varun Dhawan’s Judwaa 2. A unit hand said, “Usually kids with political lineage have starry airs. But Urvashi was down to earth. For most part of the shoot, no one knew that she is Raj sir’s daughter.”

Turns out, David Dhawan was initially apprehensive whether the youngster would be able to cope with the gruelling schedule of a film shoot. However, he soon realised the Thackeray grit runs in her veins too. Talking to mid-day, Dhawan said, “When I first met her, I wasn’t sure if she would be able to cope with the shoot. But, she put her heart and soul into this project. She was grounded, motivated and a boon to our team. For her first film, she has fared very well.”

Rumour has it that producer Sajid Nadiadwala will mentor Thackeray over their next few projects. While Baaghi 2 is in the pipeline, it is unclear whether Thackeray will be associated with the action drama starring Tiger Shroff and Disha Patani. “She is currently relishing the joy of seeing her first film take shape,” revealed a source from the production house.

When we reached out to Thackeray for a comment, she politely declined saying, “I have a long way to go. I am not comfortable with speaking to the press yet.”

Headlinemakers and relationship breakers, love and loss, censor cuts and cross-border bans, here’s what made news this year
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 27, 2016)

A for Aamir Khan: The mischievously edited ‘intolerance’ remark almost got him booted out of the country but the 51-year-old actor kept his cool, joined hands with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to bring relief to droughthit districts in the state, rallied around wife Kiran Rao to give Mumbai a film fest to be proud of, before ending the year on a high note and wrestling back the ‘Mr Perfectionist’ tag with his Christmas release. For Bollywood’s Santa it’s now jingle all the way!

B for Ban: The Uri attacks led to worsened Indo-Pak tension while Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, on ‘patriotic grounds’, spearheaded the demand for a ban on all films featuring Pak talent, including Karan Johar’s Aai Dil Hai Mushkil, and two Shah Rukh Khan starrers; Dear Zindagi and Raees. After hectic political lobbying, the Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association (IMPPA) finally decided to exempt films which had already been shot but debarred Pak talent henceforth. Pakistan retaliated by blacklisting Indian films but falling sales and footfalls lead to Bollywood returning to theatres across the border with Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s romcom, Freaky Ali.

C for Censors: In February, the Censor Board of Film Certification’s decision to release the trailer of Hansal Mehta’s Aligarh with an ‘A’ certificate had the twitterati in a tizzy. The film itself was passed after a long battle with the censors which continued through its satellite premiere, when the word homosexual was muted and some scenes edited.

The Bhatts too had a tough time with Love Games where the CBFC refused to allow a scene of a reformed drug addict snorting and in Raaz Reboot wanted the ‘F’ word count to be cut down from 32 to 16. The Jungle Raaj continued with The Jungle Book getting a ‘U/A’ because the Board felt the 3D effects could scare children below 12, James Bond losing his licence to kiss by 50 per cent in Spectre while Hindi films like Wajah Tum Ho and Befikre went merry with their liplocks.

The irrational demands have filmmakers moving to the Tribunal for ‘justice’. In an effort to appease them, the I & B Ministry appointed Shyam Benegal to head a panel to provide recommendations to better the working of the CBFC. But Pahlaj Nihalani and Co continue to be on the cutting edge.

D for Demonetization: Prime Minister’s notebandi hit Bollywood hard as movie buffs for lack of small change have been staying away from the theatres, cutting into the business of Rock On 2, Force 2, Kahaani 2 and so many one by twos.

E for End of Relationships: Some love stories don’t end with ‘happily ever afters’. So after sharing an apartment together for almost two years, Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif went their separate ways. It was the end of the road for Farhan Akhtar and Adhuna Bhabani who were married for 16 years and had dated for three years before that. Malaika Arora and Arbaaz Khan also filed for divorce after 17 years of marital togetherness, while Sushant Singh Rajput who was gearing up for a big fat wedding by the year-end with steady date of six years, Ankita Lokhande, took to the social media to confirm rumours of a break-up, tweeting, “Neither she was a/n alcoholic nor I am a womaniser. People do Grow apart & its unfortunate . Period!!” However, the most tragic end was Pratyusha Banerjee’s who allegedly after a fight with boyfriend Rahul Raj Singh hung herself. She was pregnant.

F for Foreign Affairs: After lending his voice for Baloo in the Hindi version of The Jungle Book, Irrfan Khan went on to wow his Inferno co-star Tom Hanks while ‘Munshi’ Ali Fazal has bonded with ‘Queen’ Judi Dench and Sonu Sood has been befriending Jackie Chan all year long. Anupam Kher prepares for the Sundance premiere of his 500th film, The Big Sick and after 24 and Modern Family, Anil Kapoor has bought the remake rights of another popular American TV series, Prison Break. Mallika Sherawat fought back intruders in Paris.

G for Gold: On October 11, 1991, when Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu had rung in their silver wedding anniversary, veteran actress Shammi had presented them with an inscribed silver frame with a photograph of the. “May silver turn to gold,” it read. Saira had laughed at the thought then, but this year, when they quietly celebrated a 50-year run, she thanked God for the beautiful moments and memories they had made together.

H for Hrithik-Kangana: The war of words between Hrithik Roshan and Kangana Ranaut was a feeding frenzy for the media with both actors indulging in public mud-slinging. It started when reacting to incessant rumours about their breakup being responsible for her ouster from Aashiqui 3, Kangana said, “I don’t know why exes do silly things to get your attention.” The next day, Hrithik set the record straight. “There are more chances of me having had an affair with the Pope than any of the (I’m sure wonderful) women the media has been naming. Thanks but no thanks.” The actor then retaliated by demanding an apology and accusing Kangana of stalking him online by sending up to 50 e-mails a day, some of them explicit in nature. The actress who went on to win the National Award for Tanu Weds Many 2, struck back alleging he’d hacked into her email account to delete mails that could have complicated his divorce proceedings with Sussanne. But the confrontation took a serious turn when legal notices were slapped and the case was forwarded to the Cyber Crime Cell.

And soon everybody from Sussanne Khan and Adhyayan Suman to Aditya Pancholi had an opinion on the supposed affair.

While Hrithik has zipped up on the subject, Kangana continues to take digs at her ‘ex’, one of which had her noting, “Hrithik is a 43-year-old man, why should his father rescue him?”

I for Iulia: A Romanian tabloid has already dubbed 36-yearold Iulia Vantur, “Doamna Khan’ or ‘royal Mrs Khan’. While the wedding date is yet to be set, the TV presenter-model who has been a permanent fixture in the Khan home over the last two years, is gearing up to be launched as a pop singer by beau Salman Khan with a six-track album.

The actor recently dropped in at choreographer Ganesh Acharya’s dance academy unannounced when Iulia was rehearsing for the music video of her first single, suggested some changes, and left with her.

For naysayers who’d insisted this cross-continental love story was over when Iulia took off to Romania for two months while her work visa was renewed, the prem kahani continues, break ke baad!

J for Jokes Apart: Krushna Abhishek’s ‘Roast’ on Comedy Nights Bachao managed to offend several A-listers, including Akshay Kumar who wasn’t amused when his Housefull 3 co-star Lisa Haydon was called a ‘Kangaroo’ and a ‘black African’, Tannishtha Chatterjee walked out over constant digs at her skin tone, and John Abraham was less than tickled funny when ridiculed for his acting skills and past flops. With few willing to bail it out, the show is heading for a curtain call in February.

K for KRK: Vikram Bhatt sent a criminal defamation notice to Kamaal R Khan for disseminating fabricated, and derogatory information about him on Twitter and YouTube. KRK had also made personal attacks on the filmmaker and his leading lady Meera Chopra while reviewing his 1920 London. The notice translated into a social media war between the two with KRK finally apologising.

KRK then went on to figure in the Diwali clash between Karan Johar’s Ae Dil... and Ajay Devgn’s Shivaay, an ugly twist after Ajay shared an audio clip of a phone conversation between his business associate Kumar Mangat and the self-styled film critic who had inadvertently let slip that he’d been paid Rs 25 lakh by KJo to launch a smear campaign against Ajay’s film. KRK retaliated by saying that he hadn’t taken any money and only used Karan’s name as an excuse. “I don’t deny that I take money to promote films. I run a website and have to pay salaries of 15 people. I took money from One Night Stand, Shorgul, Desi Kattey and Teraa Suroor but I don’t review the movies I promote.”

KRK continues to review films but Ajay’s wife Kajol’s friendship with KJo is over.

L for Leaks: A high definition print of Indra Kumar’s adult comedy Great Grand Masti made its way to the internet three weeks before its release as a result of which the opening was pushed ahead from July 22 to 15. Nagraj Manjule’s Sairat, the highest grossing Marathi film of all time with collections of Rs 50 crore only in its second week, was also leaked online in its third-week, as was advocate Samruddhi Porey’s Marathi biopic Dr Prakash Baba Amte—The Real Hero, three weeks after it hit the theatres.

Two weeks before Leena Yadav’s Parched opened on September 23, a clip from the film featuring actress Radhika Apte leaked online. The actress who would go on to relive the real-life horror on screen in Bombairiya, was subjected to another leak this year when a few seconds of a nude scene from a 20-minute short film directed by Anurag Kashyap started doing the social media rounds.

M for Marriage: Preity Zinta finally decided that her American beau, Gene, was a Goodenough match for her and made their relationship official. Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover’s wedding was a week-long affair while for Yuvraj Singh and Hazel the celebrations moved from Chandigharh to Goa and Delhi. Asin and Rahul Sharma tied the knot in January and Arunoday Singh and Lee in December. Amrita Rao married RJ Anmol and Kabir Bedi got hitched to Parveen Dusanj.

N for ‘No Means No’: Amitabh Bachchan’s line from Shoojit Sircar’s courtroom-drama Pink has become the catchline of the nation with reference to consensual sex. For all those who before its release were sniggering over the title, Pink toasted girl power and how!

O for Online: While short films online offered a new lease of life to indie filmmakers, Bollywood studios jumped into the fray too owing to the platform’s commercial viability and lack of censorship. Filmfare Awards’ 2017 edition introduces a segment exclusively for shorts.

Meanwhile, streaming giant Netflix has tied up with Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainments to showcase over a dozen of his films; Anil Kapoor will soon start work on the Amazon original, The Book of Strange New Things, and on the home turf, TV czarina Ekta Kapoor is branching out with her own app, ALT Balaji.

P for Padma Shri Priyanka: From being announced as UNICEF’s Global Goodwill Ambassador to featuring on one of the six US covers of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of the world, the actress-singer-producer is reliving her Miss World glory days. She became the first Indian actress to present an Oscar while her Alex Parrish in Quantico won her a People’s Choice Award, with the second season being aired in 56 countries. She made appearances on every popular talk show in the West including Ellen, made heads turn at prestigious events like the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, the Global Citizen festival in New York alongside Chris Martin and with Hollywood heartthrob Tom Hiddleston at the Emmys.

Back home PeeCee was honoured with the Padma Shri and was the highest paid Indian actress on the Forbes list. Her Marathi film, Ventilator, was one of the highest grossers. She’s set for her big screen Hollywood debut next year with Baywatch and should sign Sanjay Leela’s Bhansali’s gangster movie in February.

Q for Quit: Unhappy with the stepmotherly treatment meted out to his show after the launch of Krushna Abhishek’s Comedy Nights Bachao, Kapil Sharma ended his three-year association with Colors and moved to rival channel, Sony.

While The Kapil Sharma Show remained in the top 10 list, sometimes even nudging its way into the top five, Kapil’s contract has been renewed for another year, reportedly for a whopping Rs 110 crore.

R for Real to Reel: In 2016 we saw so many real life heroes come alive on screen, from Neerja Bhanot (Neerja) to Professor Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras (Aligarh). Mohammad Azharuddin (Azhar) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Dhoni: The Untold Story) played the field while Sarabjit Singh (Sarbjit) made hearts bleed. RGV’s Veerappan ruled the (onscreen) jungles.

S for Sequels: It has also been a year of Part 2, Part 3 and reboots. But with the exception of Houseful 3 none of them packed in a decent house. Ekta Kapoor’s sex comedy, Kya Kool Hain Hum 3, is no longer cool and both Raaz and the 1920 franchises have ended. Even with Priyanka Chopra, Jai Gangaajal was a no-go and Ghayal couldn’t bring back the Sunny days. There was no ‘masti’ in Great Grand Masti and even Rock On 2 failed to rock it.

T for Taimur: That was the name on everyone’s list all of last week ever since yummy mummy Kareena Kapoor delivered her son around 8 am on December 20, and dad Saif Ali Khan promptly announced that he had been christened Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi. Instantly, a Google alert was sounded and the history of his Mogul namesake was dug out. Opinions flew fast and furious online, mixed with death threats and dark prophesies. Taimur’s parents were unfazed, celebrating with a Christmas bash, leaving it to Kareena’s uncle, Rishi Kapoor, to slay the trolls.

U for Udta Punjab: While Abhishek Chaubey’s directorial was one of the most critically acclaimed Hindi movies of 2016, it was also the film with the highest number of recommended cuts. CBFC had first asked the makers for as many as 94 cuts. The movie was eventually passed with just one cut and an ‘A’ certificate after the makers knocked the doors of the High Court. It went on to win Alia Bhatt accolades galore for a no holds barred performance.

V for Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma: The actress went all the way to Australia to catch her beau in action during the semi-final clash against hosts Australia in ICC World Cup 2015. Kohli flopped and Anushka was slammed. The incident outraged celebs and liberals who described it as “sexist” and the couple broke up a month later.

“Shame on people for trolling @ AnushkaSharma non-stop. Have some compassion. She has always only given me positivity (sic),” Virat’s tweet in March 2016 became the most retweeted post of the year, and led to the couple reuniting. Anushka now refuses to talk about Virat, but last month they posed for photogs at Manish Malhotra’s 50th birthday bash and matched steps at Yuvraj and Hazel’s wedding celebrations. While everyone waits for the skipper to put a rock on his ladylove’s slender finger, Anushka has wrapped up Imtiaz Ali’s romcom, The Ring.

W for Wrestling Mania: Even though there were two films on cricket, kushti ruled the box office with two Khans—Salman and Aamir—pulling in the audience with Sultan and Dangal respectively. Now, there’s talk of a Dara Singh biopic while Olympian Sakshi Malik wants to tell her story on screen as well.

X for xXx: After her Bajirao Mastani co-star Priyanka, Deepika Padukone is gearing up for world domination with her own Hollywood debut in a dominatrix-style avatar. All through her time on the sets of the Vin Diesel film, Dippy made headlines with her camaraderie with co-star Ruby Rose and her exotic turns on the red carpet.

Y for yesteryear hits: It was new wine in old bottles with Amar Arshi’s Bhangra hit, “Kala Chashma” recreated for Baar Baar Dekho and Bombay’s “Hamma Hamma” remastered for OK Jaanu. Amitabh Bachchan’s “Sara Zamana” from Yaarana returns with Kaabil and Urvashi Rautela, while Sunny Leone is swinging to Zeenat Aman’s Qurbani track, “Laila O Laila”.

“Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas” from Blackmail and “Mahi Ve” from Kaante couldn’t boost Wajah Tum Ho’s box-office collections. Ditto Rekha Bhardwaj’s “Teri Fariyad” in Tum Bin 2. “An Evening in Paris” and “Aaj Jane Ki Zid Na Karo” made it to Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil while Sadma’s “Ae Zindagi Gale Laga Le” was remixed for Alia Bhatt’s Dear Zindagi.

Z for Zeroes: The year’s biggest dud was undoubtedly Ashutosh Gowariker’s Mohenjo Daro, which was weighed further down by historically inaccurate details like leading lady Pooja Hegde’s headgear and ‘hero’ Hrithik Roshan’s battle with a CGI crocodile. Fitoor also couldn’t live up to the Great Expectations following Rekha’s exit as the desi Miss Havisham and no one wanted to see Kat’s next even once, forget Baar Baar Dekho. Sonakshi’s one-woman army, Akira, also took a beating at the box-office while Mirzya was all art, no commerce.

Dear Mr Shah Rukh Khan,

I have always been your hugest fan. I was dejected when Dilwale and Fan didn’t meet the desired expectations. I whole heartedly stood by you when your comments over intolerance were criticized. I read each and every interview of yours with rapt attention because I know that it’ll not just entertain me, but also enlighten me!

I was so happy when I saw the first day first show of Dear Zindagi as the movie turned out to be a great fare. My joy knew no bounds when the trailer of your upcoming film Raees was unveiled! It is terrific to say the least! However, just days later, I learned about your meeting with Raj Thackeray at his residence. The meeting was not just another meet between two public figures. It was held to pave the peaceful release of Raees. Just less than 2 months ago, Raj Thackeray had harassed Karan Johar as his Diwali release Ae Dil Hai Mushkil starred Pakistani actor Fawad Khan and that too in a 10 minute role. Finally, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis acted as a kind of a mediator and allowed the release of the film. There was a price to it – Rs 5 crore. You on the other hand had a bigger problem since Mahira Khan, also from Pakistan, is the leading lady of the film. Also, you unfortunately are seen as someone who has a soft corner for Pakistan – some people still believe that you did some charity show for Pakistan flood victims, courtesy Shiv Sena. And not to forget, you are a Khan. Hence, perhaps, you decided to solve the problem much in advance so as not to get harassed a la KJo. Also, you skipped the mediator and met Raj Thackeray directly. The idea worked and Raj Thackeray ‘allowed’ the peaceful release of the film.

Did you just realize that you have set a dangerous precedent? Tomorrow, any party or a group of people can stall the release of any film on any grounds, mostly patriotic, since it stirs up feelings and they begin to look at the ‘ban’ of the film as a justified move. Is it so difficult to fight Thackeray and their ilk? You are one of the most influential people of the world, forget the country. Couldn’t you have taken a stand? Yes, some people would not have supported it but they anyways hate you and would never praise you. But there’s a vast section of people who would have stood by you like a rock.

But on second thoughts, I understand why you compromised. What’s the guarantee that rebelling against Raj Thackeray would have worked? The last time he created problems, for Karan Johar, the Chief Minister of our state, instead of arresting Thackeray for threat and teaching him a lesson, turned into a ‘mandavli bhai’ and helped in settling the matter. Even during My Name Is Khan’s release, when Shiv Sena created problems, the government did help you in releasing the film but didn’t touch the influential officials of the Sena. Whether it’s BJP or the Congress government ruling the state, they have always been spineless when it comes to taking action against the Thackerays. In such a situation, what choice did you have? If the MNS had created problems, it would have affected Raees collections in Mumbai and all the places in Maharashtra where they have an influence. The police surely would have taken swift action and arrested the troublemakers (only to release them in a few hours/weeks as is always been the norm), but the damage would have been done. The fear would have been spread. Moviegoers obviously would have stayed away. By the time the situation would have normalized, the crucial first weekend would have passed and collections would have been affected. Not just you and co-producers Excel Entertainment would have suffered but even the distributors and exhibitors would have borne the brunt. Theatres would have been vandalized. After all this, if the government would have arrested Raj Thackeray and extracted compensation from him, the risk would still make sense. But sadly, as we all know, that never happens. It’s the people associated with the film who would have suffered.

Hence, although I am angry with your actions, I feel what you did was in the best interests of the movie. I just hope that maybe significant people of Bollywood like you, Aamir Khan, Mahesh Bhatt, Salman Khan etc can come together and decide on what should be done in future if such a situation arises. You guys collectively can pressure the government so that no Raj Thackeray later on dares to play petty politics by threating any Bollywood fraternity member.

I hope, if this letter reaches to you, it is taken in the right spirit.

Yours Faithfully,
Fenil Seta

BJP’s spokesperson Shaina NC agrees with the opinion that Pakistani artistes should, at this delicate stage of escalated tension between the two countries, stay away from Bollywood
Shaina NC (DNA; December 14, 2016)

Shah Rukh Khan’s meeting with MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Monday to assure him that the Pakistani presence in Bollywood would be nullified effectively has not gone down well with many of his fans who feel the superstar has succumbed to political bullying.

BJP’s spokesperson Shaina NC agrees with the opinion that Pakistani artistes should, at this delicate stage of escalated tension between the two countries, stay away from Bollywood. “If Pakistan is exporting terror and terrorism to India we cannot import their artistes. It’s out of the question. I feel Pakistani artistes should willingly stay away until border issues are resolved as these issues concern people in both the counties,” says Shaina .

However, she admits that the embargo on Pakistani artistes doesn’t apply in retrospect. “If a Pakistani artiste agreed to be part of a Hindi film contractually and he or she had the relevant papers to be in this country, I don’t think any element has the right to stop that artiste from coming to India.”

However, Shaina feels there is no need for Mahira Khan to be in India to promote Raees. “The film can be marketed and promoted easily without Mahira. Why is there a need to even contemplate on her presence in India to promote the film when Shah Rukh Khan is the film’s hero? What did SRK hope to achieve by meeting Raj Thackeray?”

She doesn’t approve of Shah Rukh meeting with Raj Thackeray. “I don’t know what assurances Shah Rukh has gone to give Raj Thackeray. Because it is not in Raj Thackeray and his party MNS’ hands to control Indian outrage against the Pakistan presence in India and Bollywood. This is a matter for the Indian government to handle. Why should Raj Thackeray be consulted about it?”

MID-DAY (December 12, 2016)

Shah Rukh Khan spent most part of yesterday at his home before stepping for an important meeting with Raees co-producers Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani. A source informed, “They are obviously scared about the film’s fate. The public won’t forget the wounds left by the Uri attacks in a hurry.”

In an elaborate meeting (read: damage control exercise) with Raj Thackeray, chief of the political outfit Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), last evening, sources say, SRK requested that his film doesn’t run into trouble like Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil did: “Shah Rukh is clear that he won’t have any Pakistani players in his IPL team, Kolkata Knight Riders. But, he has requested Raj to allow the release of his movie without any hurdles. He doesn’t want Mahira’s presence to be blown out of proportion.”

Ameya Khopkar, president of MNS cine wing, says, “Shah Rukh informed Raj that he will not be inviting Mahira to India for any promotions for the film.”

It maybe recalled here that Sidhwani, during the trailer launch of Raees, had asserted that the Pak actress could fly down to India to take part in the film’s publicity campaign, if needed. Thackeray told the media posted outside his residence, “He (SRK) had come to tell me that rumours about Mahira Khan promoting Raees were false.”

Sources close to the production house, however, say, "Raj and Ritesh know each other rather well, given that Raj regularly visits Light Box, the Santazruz preview theatre that Ritesh owns, to watch movies. Ritesh was meant to meet up with Raj at his home anyway; this time he decided to take SRK along as well.”

Inputs by Bharati Dubey

Shabana Azmi is displeased with the understanding reached for the smooth release of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil
Subhash K Jha (DNA; October 24, 2016)

Shabana Azmi is shocked and disappointed by the deal that Karan Johar seems to have struck with Raj Thackeray for a smooth release of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (ADHM). Says Shabana, “ADHM has been passed by the Censor Board. Home Minister Rajnath Singh promised safe passage for the film’s release. The matter should have ended there.”

Shabana wonders what was the need to negotiate with Raj Thackeray. She says, “The role of the Maharashtra Chief Minister was clear. He had to ensure that law and order is enforced. Instead, he brokers a deal between the producers and Raj Thackeray who places a price of Rs 5 crores for display of patriotism?” She spares no empathy for those who participated in the negotiations. “What a shameful state of affairs and such a blatant expression of double-speak for which the Sangh Parivar is notorious!” she says.

Shabana feels the Maharashtra CM owes an explanation to the BJP. “The BJP should demand an explanation from Devendra Fadnavis for disrespecting the Home Minister’s words.” She expresses shock and disbelief at the way the MNS was allowed to muscle into Karan Johar’s film’s release. “Is Raj Thackeray going to decide whether I am patriotic or not? I abide by the Indian constitution. Raj Thackeray does not. His patriotism should be up for questioning.”

No Pak Artistes, Promise Producers; Pay Rs 5Cr To Army In Penance, Says Raj; Oppn Slams CM's 'Surrender' To Raj, Smells BJP-MNS Conspiracy
THE TIMES OF INDIA (October 23, 2016)

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena backed down and called off its protest against Karan Johar's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, which stars Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, on Saturday following a truce brokered by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

To pave the way for a “safe and smooth“ release across all states on October 28, film producers reiterated at the tripartite meeting that they would not engage with Pakistani artistes under the prevailing circumstances. During the negotiations, the CM urged film-makers to “respect“ popular sentiment following the Pathankot and Uri killings of Indian soldiers. Fadnavis suggested that a slide, offering tributes to Indian soldiers killed in the attacks, be shown on screen at the start of ADHM. Johar and Mukesh Bhatt, who heads the film producers' guild, agreed.

MNS leader Raj Thackeray later called a press meet at his house to claim that producers who have cast Pakistani artistes had agreed to the MNS demand to donate Rs 5 crore each to an Army fund as “an act of penance“ and “this is our victory“. Both the CM and the producers denied that any such demand was made or that a particular sum was mentioned.

The conciliatory talks and the resolution to the dispute came just days after the MNS threatened to escalate its campaign against the film. Thackeray and Fadnavis sought to project the meeting as a success while the opposition trashed it as a “sellout“ to the MNS. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis's decision to invite MNS leader Raj Thackeray for talks with film producers won him brownie points from the film trade, but the Opposition said the negotiations had set a wrong precedent and would encourage extra-constitutional players to dictate terms in future.

Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said it was the regime's responsibility to provide security for the release; instead, the CM had succumbed to pressure from MNS. “Fadnavis surrendered before political goondaism, it has damaged the image of the state,'' he said.

NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said the CM had given undue importance to a man known for his inconsistency, but it was with a view to prop him up against the Shiv Sena. “He is giving undue importance to Raj. In Lok Sabha elections too, it was the policy of the MNS to defeat Shiv Sena and accordingly, MNS worked. In fact, Fadnavis is directly controlling Raj. We have reasons to believe that BJP and MNS are hand in glove,'' Malik said.

The MNS stir began a month back with the party issuing a 48-hour ultimatum for Pakistani film artistes to leave Mumbai. It held a protest outside Johar's residence, which critics dismissed as a stunt organized with an eye on upcoming civic elections.

The party kept up the pressure until single-screen cinema hall owners buckled under and agreed not to release Johar's film. Johar and other producers sought to appease the protestors saying “the country comes first“ and that they would not engage with Pakistani artistes “under the circumstances“, but MNS leaders dug in their heels.

Police stepped up security for movie halls and arrested some protestors after Bollywood delegations met top officers. Union home minister Rajnath Singh also promised producers that he would ask Fadnavis “to look into the matter“.

The resolution to the month-long fracas comes as a relief for the industry amidst the festival season when box-office collections peak. “Any film featuring a Pakistani artiste that is complete or under production will sail through. But going forward, directors and producers will not sign a Pakistani artiste for a fresh film beginning now,“ said Mukesh Bhatt, president of the Producers Guild of India who was present at the meeting at the CM's residence along with Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta, CEO of Dharma Productions, Vijay Singh of Fox Star Studios, director-producer Sajid Nadiadwala and Siddharth Roy Kapur, the next Guild president.

The Guild will soon call a meeting to pass a resolution on not working with Pakistani artists in future, a written copy of which will be sent to the information & broadcasting ministry and the CM.

During his press meet, Thackeray stressed that the Guild had accepted MNS's demand that producers who have cast Pakistani artistes should donate Rs 5 crore each to an Army welfare fund. Dismissing his claims, Bhatt said: “No transaction was made and no figures were discussed or agreed upon by us. Karan and some other producers have of their own accord decided to contribute something to the martyr families. The CM made it very clear that there was no compulsion.“ “...how to donate the sum d to who, will be worked out and to who, will be worked out between the CM and the producers' guild,“ Bhatt said: “Why should we publicise our donation? It's in bad taste.“

Single-screen halls not ready to lift ban

The Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India (COEAI) said on Saturday that they stand by their decision of not allowing films featuring Pakistani actors to release in single-screen theatres. Nitin Datar, president, COEAI, said, “MNS is not the only party that can cause damage. We don't know how other local parties or NGOs might react. Why couldn't they postpone the film release by a few more weeks until things cooled down?“

-------------------
Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; October 23, 2016)

Chaitanya Marpakwar (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 17, 2016)

Subhash K Jha (DNA; October 6, 2016)

Salman Khan’s statement that Pakistani artistes are not terrorists and that they should be allowed to work in India if they’ve proper visas, has raised a furore in some circles. However BJP spokesperson Shaina NC states, “Salman was asked a question. He answered it.”

In retaliation to the actor’s liberal comments about the Pakistani presence in Bollywood, MNS chief Raj Thackeray has threatened to ban Salman’s films and told him to get a work permit in Pakistan. Retorts Shaina, “This is a totally uncalled-for reaction. One shouldn’t piggyback on Salman’s stardom just to get noticed.”

About Salman’s father Salim Khan stepping in to defend his son Shaina says, “Salim saab is someone whose views I respect immensely. And I see nothing wrong in him giving his opinion as he is highly regarded both within and outside the film industry. And really, all argument as to what Salman meant by his remark ends with the question: Are we going to provide visas to Pakistanis in the near future? Clearly not! We gave visas when there was room for dialogue between the two countries. Now, there there is absolutely no room for interaction. Now, with Pakistan currently in denial mode, we see no room for any communication, at least not at the moment, on any level, economic, political or cultural.”

About Fawad Khan being wrongly accused of making anti-India statements Shaina says dismissively, “Who the hell cares what he said or didn’t say, as long as he had the decency to speak up against terrorism?As someone who has been working in India, he needs to condemn all acts of terror. By doing so, he wouldn’t be condemning his government.Why should he keep quiet about an act of terror in a country that has given him his identity?”

Shaina feels it’s time for healing. “Pakistan needs to pay heed to pressure from the world community and what it’s doing to its own country. There is no normalcy in Pakistan. And they need to accept that.”

Sanjay Raut suggests Salim Khan should put Salman under house arrest after actor expresses solidarity with Pak artistes
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; October 2, 2016)

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Saturday slammed film actor Salman Khan for his statement that Pakistani artistes are not terrorists. Reacting to Khan’s statement Raut said, “Salim Khan is a true Indian. But, Salman has not learned anything from his father, it seems. Salman keeps getting his father and other family members in trouble by making controversial statements. Salim Khan senior should lock Salman at home to avoid controversies,” Raut told mid-day.

Post the Uri attack, Raj Thackeray-led MNS and the Shiv Sena had demanded that Pakistani actors should not be allowed to work in Bollywood. Reacting to political reactions, on Friday, Salman Khan stated that art and terrorism shouldn’t be mixed. “There is a difference between terrorists and actors; Pak artistes come with permission and a visa issued by Government of India. I guess this will have some reaction, it would have been better if we tried to have peace,” Salman had said.

Raj retorted by saying, “Jawans are fighting for us at borders. What will happen if they decide to put down their weapons? Who’ll guard the borders? Salman Khan? Bollywood? These artistes [Salman Khan] should realise ‘Nation first’. If they have so many problems, we will ban their movies too.”

The Central Board of Film Certification Chief, Pahlaj Nihalani, spoke to us, saying, "This is not the time for entertainment. It is the time for being united for the nation. I wouldn't want to comment specifically on what a certain superstar said, but before we talk about how we target art and culture, let's take a moment to think about it pragmatically. I feel every citizen of Pakistan should be banned. The Government of India is gracious enough to give them work permits. But henceforth, there should be a clear stop from the Centre on this. Are our artistes allowed in Pakistan? Do all our films get official release there? Most of the time, movies are exported via Dubai and shown illegally there. We are fighting against terrorism; art and culture is not relevant at the moment when a bigger issue is staring us in the face. We as Indians must have one goal, one mission. A film releasing or not is secondary right now. We must follow the Government’s diktats, whatever they decide, unquestioningly.”

Though many came out in support of the superstar's vociferous views, his father decided to stay silent. “I am not interested in commenting on the deeds and misdeeds of my son,” he told us.

But BJP MP Yogi Adityanath Offers Support
Ambarish Mishra (THE TIMES OF INDIA; October 2, 2016)

Censor Board demands that references to Raj Thackeray and Rabri Devi in Neetu Chandra’s upcoming production be lopped off
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; October 19, 2015)

Actress-turned-producer Neetu Chandra’s upcoming project, Once Upon A Time In Bihar, is having a tough time securing certification. The socio-political drama, written and directed by the actress’ brother Nitin Chandra, revolves around the 2008 attacks on migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in Mumbai.

However, the Censor Board wants references to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi to be deleted. It has also asked the makers to mute cuss words and dialogues that apparently project politicians in poor light.

Last week, Nitin had met Censor Board chief Pahlaj Nihalani, but was asked to either send the film to the revising committee or follow the suggestions to obtain certification.

Says Neetu, “I am surprised that the Censor Board had no objection to a film like Kaminey where the title is an expletive, but the use of ‘saala’ in our film. How do we show the political scenario if we do not use names of Raj Thackeray and Rabri Devi? The film is based on real-life incidents. I feel the censor folk should reevaluate the film and help us make an impact on society.”

Nitin says the two scenes that the Board is objecting to includes a newsreader quoting Thackeray after the attacks and the other is an insinuation to Rabri Devi’s literacy level. “I do not understand the logic behind expunging what political leaders had said at that time since all that was reported and widely discussed,” he adds.

Milind Soman on whether his character in the J Dey biopic is modelled on Raj Thackeray
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 26, 2015)

"Just before the elections, I want two riots. I'll back the non-Hindus but also target them," these lines delivered by Milind Soman in the trailer of Jaypraad Desai's upcoming crime thriller Nagrik, has YouTube buzzing. According to the grapevine his character is modelled on Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray. But quiz him on this and Milind guffaws, "Raj lives a minute away from me. He is practically my neighbour." Then, clearing his throat, he adds, "I play a politician yes, and if there is any similarity between Raj and my character it's only because of our schooling, upbringing, a particular political ambition and of course, my look in the film."

Two decades after he first featured in the Alisha Chinai music video, Made In India, the actor has been in the news mostly for his health initiatives. But he's quick to dispel notions that Nagrik, based on the life and death of senior crime reporter Jyotirmoy Dey, is his comeback film.

"Just four months ago, I worked in a Marathi film, Astu, about a retired Sanskrit professor suffering from Alzheimer's who goes missing while travelling with his daughter. But no one talked about the film or wrote about it. But the makers of Nagrik are leaving no stone unturned to promote their film and I've now come to understand how important and difficult publicity is," he admits.

Nagrik marks the comeback of 87-yearold veteran Dr. Shriram Lagoo who plays Godfather-like character. "We have some intense scenes together. He is the silent sort and his character, much like the film, explores how little we really understand Indian politics thanks to the infotainment news channels offer," he points out.

The 49-year-old actor has also been filming with Sanjay Leela Bhansali for his upcoming period-romance, Bajirao Mastani. Quiz him about his villainous role in the magnum opus and Milind twirls on his handlebar moustache, "The rumours that I am playing the 'big villain' are completely incorrect. It's a unique character, that of a fun-loving Maratha warrior. Honestly, in a love story about two lovers how much of a role can a third wheel have?"

Incidentally, it was Milind's Maratha lineage that charmed SLB. "Yes, I am Maratha and the way I look adds to my character in the film," he grins. "But I haven't asked him if that was why he cast me in his film."

Ambarish Mishra (THE TIMES OF INDIA; March 29, 2015)