With owners abandoning pets fearing Coronavirus, Alia Bhatt, Farah Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez pool resources for the welfare of strays
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; April 1, 2020)

At a time when several owners have abandoned their pets owing to misplaced notion that they can be carriers of the Coronavirus, Bollywood is leading the way in ensuring the welfare of stray animals. mid-day has learnt that Alia Bhatt — a self-confessed "cat lady" who dotes on her pets, Edward, Sheeba and Pica — and sister Shaheen have contributed to the World For All Animal Care and Adoptions (WFA) to ensure that strays don't face starvation. Farah Khan, who became an animal lover after daughter Anya adopted two strays, has joined forces with WFA and mobilised B-Town stars to spread the good word.

Khan says that she became part of the endeavour when Anya highlighted the issue. "Anya has contributed her entire piggybank savings of Rs 5,000 to the NGO to feed stray dogs. I, too, did my bit. Dogs are starving on the streets; in such a situation, we must do what we can. Alia too is a fierce animal lover, and supports [the organisation's] initiatives," says the director-choreographer. She found the biggest cheerleader for the cause in pet owner Jacqueline Fernandez. "I shared the WFA poster with Jacqueline, Tabu and my other friends in Bollywood. Anya is also making posters as she was traumatised when she heard that people are abandoning their pets on the roads."

Taronish Bulsara, president and co-founder of WFA, says the not-for-profit organisation has kicked off a feeding programme, bolstered by the funds coming their way. He shares, "I didn't approach anybody; from Farah to Alia and sister Shaheen, to Karim Morani and his children — all these wonderful people made contributions. Anju Mahendroo, Jacqueline, Tiger Shroff, Kunal Kemmu and Rohan Joshi too have supported the cause." Bulsara adds that the deployed teams go to various localities around the city and feed the dogs. "With their support, we can now feed 400-plus animals in Mumbai. We are also taking care of strays in two villages in Raigad."

Actor Alia Bhatt on how she learnt to deal with bouts of anxiety; and her beau Ranbir Kapoor, who played a huge role in calming her fears
Jitesh Pillaai (TIMES LIFE; January 23, 2019)

Are you a chronic worrier?
Ya, but I’ve calmed down of late. I guess it happened this year.

What gets you anxious?
I want my films to do well. But that’s not my biggest stress and fear. I get stressed if my friend is stressed about something. Say, if something is bothering Ayan (Mukerji) or Abhishek (Varman), it stresses me. Or if I have many things to do and I’m unable to do everything, it stresses me. I have bouts of anxiety every now and then. But I’ve found a way to move around it. You know you will feel low. But that only makes the high feel better.

Have you ever beaten up anyone like Safeena (Gully Boy)?
No. Never. I swear I’ve never had a cat fight. I don’t have that confrontational ability. I’m a chuha (mouse) type of person in real life. I have this need to please people. I don’t want people to not like me. But I do identify with that emotion, that feeling.

What else gives you a high, work apart... your relationship?
No ya. What’s giving me a big high right now is my relationship with myself. It’s another level of connection and a feeling of growing up that I’m experiencing right now. I’ve turned 26 two months ago. I’ve become sensitive to my environment. If I feel an environment will be too frantic for me, then I don’t go out.

How do you keep calm?
You’ve got to constantly tell yourself to calm down. The possibility of the future is so immense, it’s like being a kid in candy land. At the same time, you don’t want to get lost and be separated from your family and friends. So, it’s important for me to stay grounded.

Do you get time to nurture your relationship with yourself?
I do take that time. Even if I’m tired after a shoot, I don’t come and hit the bed immediately. I listen to music, I reflect, I read… I like waking up early in the morning so I can glance through the newspaper. I gather all my thoughts, answer messages, speak to people as to what I can do more creatively. I wasn’t getting this ‘reflection’ time last year. I began to feel like a robot. That’s when I started suffering from anxiety.

Did it take a toll on your health?
Ya, more than anything it affected my mental health. Thankfully, I didn’t fall ill. But I was just so annoyed and sleep deprived.

Have you seen a counsellor?
Ya, I have. I haven’t been depressed but I’ve had bouts of anxiety. It comes and goes. It’s been happening quite a bit since the past five to six months. It’s not like an anxiety attack but I just feel low. Thankfully, I’m aware of it because of my sister (Shaheen Bhatt). She’s fought depression. I’ve read her book. No matter how bad it is, I just let myself feel it. Sometimes, I feel like crying for no reason. Then it passes. Initially, I’d be a little confused.

I’d constantly give reasons that it’s because of work or maybe I’m tired or haven’t been able to meet anyone... The kind of personality I have, I became a little on the edge. I spoke to friends about it. I spoke to Ayan about it, I spoke to my sister’s friend Rohan (Joshi). Everyone told me that you’ve got to realise it will go away. What’s important is to accept it and not say that you’re fine. If you’re not feeling fine, then you should just say you’re not feeling fine.

Why didn’t you seek professional help then?
I wanted to but it’s not obviously reached that place where I’m desperate to speak to someone. So, I guess I’m fine. We’re privileged to be in this business and to be living this life. But a tiredness can seep in and make you feel low. There could be a scientific explanation for it as well. But I’m not shy or scared to accept that I’m feeling low. I just have to let it pass. But the time when it’s there, it’s a bit weird. I don’t know how to explain that.

What about social anxiety?
Yes, I do experience social anxiety. If I’m sitting in a group of 10 to 15 people, who I’m connected to, I’m fine. But if I go for a party or a wedding, I go wild because I don’t know what to talk to people about. I can’t make small talk.

Do you feel judged?
No. Maybe, I’m not judged.

The best advice on life, work or relationships that Ranbir has given you…
I stress about things that are not in my control. I’m an over thinker. I get anxious. There was a period when I was working hard and I was stressed. Ranbir told me if you’re working hard, you need not worry about anything else. Do the best you can and just let everything else be. That helped me. I still stress but it’s easier for me now to let it be. The maximum I can do is put in my 100 per cent. I don’t need to worry about the results.

There’s gossip about your ‘roka’ and wedding?
The only ‘Roka’ I’m going to is the restaurant in London. There’s no roka happening for me. And why are you putting a year to my marriage?

Is being in this relationship tougher compared to your previous ones?
No. It’s not a relationship. It’s a friendship. I’m saying this with all genuineness and honesty. It’s beautiful. I’m walking on stars and clouds right now. The best part is that we’re two individuals who are living our own professional lives in its full form right now. He’s shooting continuously. So am I. It’s not a situation where you’ll see us constantly together. That’s the true mark of a comfortable relationship. Nazar na lage.

How do you tackle someone as difficult as Ranbir Kapoor?
He’s not difficult. He’s a gem. But he’s had a troubled past… How does it matter? It’s part of someone’s life. Aur main thodi na kam hoon.

When did you decide that this was the guy?
When I met him for the first time in my life. Again, let me tell you he’s not difficult. He’s a supremely simple person. He’s such a nice human being that I wish I was as good as him. As an actor, as a person, as everything. He’s way better a person than I am. And about getting married? Well, that’s the only thing that’s irritating right now. Every morning I wake up to the news that I’m getting married. I tell him what the hell. I guess he’s used to it.

Bhat’s first open mic at blueFrog (2011)

Kusumita Das (MID-DAY; January 1, 2017)

Being a chubby kid often meant working harder to not be bullied, or be made fun of. I was always the class clown, and I enjoyed being the one that was liked by all — teachers and students alike. I remember taking part in school debates and realising I enjoyed being on stage a lot. But, I think it all took a definite turn for me, when I first discovered Johny Lever, through one of his stand-up cassettes. I must have been 11 or 12 years at that time. I was so taken in by it all, that I started taping my voice over his lines. I learnt his entire routine by heart and would replicate it word to word. Obsessively. We used to travel around in a family car often, that’s where I would make everyone listen to the jokes, on tape. Then, one Republic Day, there was a building function going on and I asked the organisers to allow me five minutes’ time on stage. I was on. For the next 20 minutes I released all the Johny Lever jokes in me and killed it. You could say, that was my first successful outing.

Through Johnny Lever, I discovered a host of comedians; Jimmy Moses (Johny’s brother) was one them. Much later in life, I saw Rohan Joshi’s G-talk status update one day, that said, “Just did stand-up for the first time in life — ticked off my bucket list”. I couldn’t resist and I hit him up. I was writing for television at that time, but I really wanted to try out a stand-up gig on a big stage. The next week, I was performing at an open mic organised by Vir Das at Blue Frog. I slayed again. Thereon, it was addictive.

I was extremely nervous the first time, as a child, and even now, it’s the same. I think a lot of comics have one thing in common — the need for validation. Although, I also believe that to re-invent yourself, you need to let go of that need (for validation) and do something that scares you from time to time.

MID-DAY (October 29, 2015)

Movie buffs thronging Bandra’s Mehboob Studios attend the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) Film Festival will not only have the opportunity to tune into classic and contemporary cinema, but also interact with people who make and star in movies.

Day three of the festival, which kicks off today, celebrate Bollywood and have a mix of industry biggies addressing the audience. While Varun Dhawan will talk about films that changed his life, Deepika Padukone reflect on her journey in Bollywood so far.

Sonam Kapoor will attend a session with standup comic Rohan Joshi on being a celebrity in the times of social media and veteran actor Rishi Kapoor will conduct a masterclass. Alia Bhatt, Arjun Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra, Kriti Sanon and Ayushmann Khurrana will share their thoughts on how they see Bollywood changing over the next five years.

Anil Kapoor, Sridevi, Boney Kapoor and others associated with the 1987 film Mr India have also been invited for a session called Mr India Reunion. Music composer Pritam will share stories behind the making of his top 10 songs. Popular directors including Kabir Khan, Zoya Akhtar and Dibakar Banerjee will attend chat sessions while Rajkumar Hirani and Abhijat Joshi will mentor aspiring film writers on penning a block buster.

Anupama Chopra, festival director, says, “We have dreamt about creating something like this for many years because we felt we should have a ground event to celebrate Bollywood. Somehow, it never worked out earlier because it is an expensive proposition. This is a celebration of Hindi cinema. We have worked a lot and for a long time in chasing the talents and get them on board for Movie Mela. I am glad it is happening finally.”

A rowdy, live stand-up act that signed up filmstars for voluntary ridicule, is proof that Bollywood's newly famous are redefining stardom
MUMBAI MIRROR (February 1, 2015)

The definition of a Roast, for those who are aren't adept in the kitchen, changed when the funny men at All India Bakchod released their AIB Knockout online earlier this week. Roast (v): to cook film stars by direct exposure to deeply offensive insults, especially in front of thousands.

The Roast is a tradition that dates back to 1949, where comics invite guests of honour, who are ridiculed publicly. The goal — to have a good laugh.

Last December, the comedy collective founded by Tanmay Bhat and Gursimran Khamba, went down in comic history for hosting the first Roast of its kind in India at Worli's NSCI grounds before an audience of 4,000. Their meat of choice — Bollywood's new breed of actors; Arjun Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and Roastmaster, director Karan Johar.

The three celebrities, along with film critic Rajeev Masand, and Roadies producer Raghu Ram joined standup comics Abish Mathew, Aditi Mittal, Tanmay, Gursimran, Rohan Joshi and Ashish Shakya to form the panel of Roasters. What ensued was a slew of insult comedy that spared no one, on stage or off it. Deepika Padukone's (she was in the audience) choice in men; Arjun's academic failure; Karan's sexuality and Ranveer's reputation with the ladies were all up for taking. The result — close to three lakh hits in two days.

Tanmay credits the "overwhelming appreciation" to the stars. "Bollywood's young actors and directors share the sensibility of India's youth; they are good at taking a joke," he says.

The idea to host a Roast happened by chance. "In August, we were discussing the possibility of making a video with Ranveer. I met him at a dance studio where he was practising, and we got talking about the Roast format. He said he was in if we ever did it." That proceeds from the NSCI show, minus venue rental and production cost, went to charity, made it easier," says Vijay Nair, CEO of Only Much Louder (OML), a live music and entertainment conglomerate that handled production. "We weren't just taking their pants off for fun. It was for a good cause," smiles Tanmay.

It was Ranveer who suggested AIB approach Arjun, who agreed instantly. "We wanted Karan Johar to be the Roastmaster because he would lend legitimacy. Besides, he is known for his wit and sarcasm," he continues. Once Johar was on board, the date was set.

What the creative team didn't know was who would turn up in the audience.

Actors Deepika Padukone, Sonakshi Sinha, Anurag Kashyap, Sanjay Kapoor and Alia Bhatt booked a seat each for Rs 4,000. "Stars invited their colleagues and friends, but we had no idea who would turn up," says Tanmay, who calls the gang "just four middle-class kids with no connections". "The three stars weren't our first option, they were our only option".

But, over the last two days since the Roast ambushed the Internet, it isn't being celebrated for its stellar content, but for the ease with which stars are lending themselves to be the butt of jokes.

Bollywood enthusiasts will recall an awards function in 2010, hosted by Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan, where Shah Rukh cracked a joke about actor Neil Nitin Mukesh's triple-barrelled name. It backfired, when Neil snapped (his singer-father Nitin Mukesh was beside him), asking him to "shut up".

In 2013, veteran actor Manoj Kumar filed a criminal case against Shah Rukh and Farah Khan, director of Om Shanti Om (2007), in which the superstar had mimicked Kumar. Khan, who together with brother Sajid Khan, had a made a career of parodying old-school Bollywood, had apologised to the veteran. That sort of move, explains Tanmay, "is to avoid going to jail". AIB couldn't follow the no-holds barred approach of a conventional Roast. "As comedians, we had to find the line. In a conventional Roast, it doesn't exist," he says.

And so, they had to stick to script. The team of six comics wrote all 300 jokes that made it to the show. After thinking of 60 jokes a day for more than a fortnight, they had a bank of 1,000. Following which, it was the question of sifting to stay with the best.

The grammar of a joke means they needed to allow for all permutations and combinations — for instance, jokes that were about Karan, a rebuttal from him, transitions that could mean taking a joke forward later, etc. After the material was ready, it was sent out to the stars for vetting, unlike in a traditional Roast where no one has a clue of what's coming at them. Jokes that a star wasn't comfortable about were deleted; these included those that a star believed would upset someone else in the fraternity. "For the online video, another round of editing was put in place because some stars didn't want all of it going out," explains Tanmay. This included jokes that played on ruling politicians and party.

Of the Roastees, Karan, says Tanmay, encouraged AIB to go all out. "We were surprised when he later said his mother and maasi were going to be in the audience. He was a great sport."

The point of a Roast, he says, is consent. It is not the same as picking on someone on Twitter.

After vetting, the players could prep themselves on delivering humour with comic timing. This made things simpler for Rajeev, for instance, who was nervous about his bit. "I wanted to explore humour, let people see a side of me they usually don't on TV. I knew what they would be going for; being fat, being paid for reviews, etc. I wanted to see how good I was at giving it back to them," he says, adding, "But nothing prepares you for what happens on stage."

What industry observers are asking is if the young stars have, in effect, defanged their critics and hecklers.

The trend was set, say some, by the Alia Bhatt Genius of the Year video which was a game-changer. After becoming the butt of jokes when she wasn't able to name India's President on the rapid fire round in Karan Johar's chat show, in August last year, she collaborated with AIB to silence Internet bullies with a video that showed her taking IQ classes. With self-deprecating humour as tool, the 21-year-old, six-film-old actor, silenced her detractors. It's also likely that no one will joke about Arjun's battle with weight and nepotism after this. "That was a shrewd move," says Rajeev.

Filmmaker and critic, Raja Sen, says, with this, the demystifying of stardom is complete. Other than Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif, almost every star is on social media. They are accessible, available to fans, killing the established practice of a star talking to a select few. "There used to be so many holy cows in the industry. This show managed to do away with quite a few. Even if it was scripted and they were all role-playing, this kind of role-playing was important," he says.

But, offering themselves to the mercy of a punch line isn't everyone's choice. When one of the guests met Priyanka Chopra after the Roast, curious if she would have participated, her answer was, no. "Why would I subject myself to this?" she asked. Those who know Shah Rukh and Saif say that the two are game at laughing at others, but they wouldn't enjoy it if the joke was on them. Rajeev agrees that the old guard would rather steer clear.

It's definitely not hurting business, though. "Bollywood has helped open up the scene to a wider audience and more people have discovered the Indian English comedy genre," believes Nair.

While the Roast went off smoothly, to a standing ovation, in fact, the challenge for the AIB team came after.

"A Roast is filthy, offensive, hilarious. The point isn't just to shock but also make people laugh. I expected more backlash, but fans have taken it well, except a few. But then, taking offence is our national sport," says Tanmay.

Audience reaction can be difficult to judge. "For instance, I think Mr Bachchan may have a spectacular sense of humour but the audience might be offended. It's a weird culture where supporters go crazy, saying, 'how dare you!'"

How does one top a show like this? "Mr Bachchan would be a spectacular Roastmaster," is all Tanmay will say.

With his documentary on stand- up comedy in India, I Am Offended, director Jaideep Verma hopes to break stereotypes and capture an exciting, new scene in India in its nascent stage
Deepali Dhingra (MID-DAY; February 1, 2015)

Before he started work on India’s first documentary on stand-up comedy, I Am Offended, Jaideep Verma had never watched a stand-up comedy show. But for the 47-year-old director — who earlier made documentaries such as Baawra Mann, based on Sudhir Mishra’s life and Leaving Home, based on music band Indian ocean and even a film titled Hulla in 2008 — humour has always been paramount.

Verma was piqued by stand-up comedy when he heard about stand-up comics Andy Zaltzman in London and Varun Grover in Mumbai, who happen to be his good friends. “While shooting a show for Andy in Mumbai in December 2012, I discovered Gursimran Khamba, Tanmay Bhat and Aditi Mittal and liked their work. So I decided to explore the scene further,” he says.

Over the course of one year, between 2012 and 2013, Verma worked on the 102-minute documentary that presents Indian stand-up comedy in the overall context of humour and the culture of offence. Featuring prominent stand-up comics such as Johny Lever, Vir Das, Raju Srivastav, Varun Grover, Gursimran Khamba, Ashish Shakya, Rohan Joshi and legendary literary humourist PL Deshpande among others, the director says he hopes to capture an exciting, new stand-up scene in its nascent stage in India, one that challenges the status quo in many ways.

Through the course of the shoot, Verma made a few discoveries of his own. “These stand-up comics are extremely bright, even when it sometimes does not show in their performance. Sometimes, they make choices after second-guessing the audience or because they get too self-conscious and that falls flat. But they are quick-witted enough to turn it all around." In an anecdote that standup comic Varun Grover shared with him in the film, he mentions a corporate show where things turned ugly because the company’s management was second-guessing the audience there. “Comics learn to treat corporate shows as stints where they experiment with their ‘safer’ material,” he says.

The documentary releases on February 5 on the YouTube channel, Being Indian original, as part of its launch.
Verma hopes to break a few stereotypes — including one that most stand-ups here are clones of Russell Peters. “Many artistes are far superior to Peters. I hope it comes across in the film,” he says. As for the title of the film, he says that Indians have the propensity to take offence. “But when they’re not looking over their shoulder to see who might be getting offended, they enjoy that same humour, which is strange,” he smiles.

MID-DAY (August 26, 2014)

Ever since Alia Bhatt sputtered out Prithviraj Chavan’s name when asked about the President of India in the show, Koffee with Karan, she has become the butt of all jokes. But to her credit, Alia has never taken it seriously. Recently when asked about it, she had said, “At that moment, I was in a hurry and I blurted out the name that came to my mind. Now my dad (filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt) asks me to be careful and read up on general knowledge before I go somewhere.”

Recently, this spunky actress cocked a snook at her detractors by appearing in a video that makes fun of her intelligence in an intelligent way. The video has gone viral and Alia’s open acceptance of her goof-up and her ability to laugh at herself has suddenly made her uber cool.

Rohan Joshi, one of the members of the team, All India Bakchod (AIB), that made the video, says that it was just a five- line idea when they approached Alia to act in it, and she readily accepted it. “ We (Joshi, Tanmay Bhat, Gurusimran Khambha and Ashish Shakya) thought of this idea and we went to her with a rough sketch. She agreed immediately. We have known Shakun (Batra) for a while now and when he heard the script, he offered to direct it. New people in the industry thankfully understand this kind of humour and are also open to this digital medium. It is the one space free of censorship and you get maximum creative freedom. So that’s how things clicked,” says Joshi.

Alia says that she loved shooting for the video. “I believe in crying for people and laughing at myself. The AIB team is really talented and we just wanted to have some fun. All credit to them and Shakun,” she says.
Interestingly, some people have accused AIB of taking money from Alia’s PR team to do it, to which Tanmay Bhat responded sarcastically, “Just drowning in the sea of money Alia’s PR team has given us. Just, drowning. Swimming in it in fact. Buying an island any moment now.”

Rohan too laughs off these allegations. He says, “We did it for fun. People want to make snide remarks about everything. But it is heartening to see youngsters have a sense of humour. We were apprehensive of calling Arjun Kapoor Gareebon ka Wolverine, but he loved it.”

Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 24, 2014)

A lot has been written about Alia Bhatt's liaisons (last heard, she was still seeing Arjun Kapoor) but not much is known about her sister and Mahesh Bhatt's elder daughter, Shaheen Bhatt. However, now Mirror has learnt that Shaheen is dating stand-up comedian Rohan Joshi, who is part of the famous comedy group, All India Bakchod. Shaheen met Rohan at one of his gigs and he wooed her with his wit.

Revealed a source, "Shaheen even went on a holiday to London with Rohan recently. Alia and her mother, Soni Razdan, accompanied the couple. Rohan also gets along well with Shaheen's dad Mahesh Bhatt, and shares a great equation with Alia. He's part of the family now."

However, marriage is not on the cards yet as both want to pursue their respective careers. "They are passionately in love and have been seeing each other for four years, but shaadi is still a long way off," added the source.

The couple couldn't be reached for a comment but Shaheen's father Mahesh Bhatt confirmed the news saying, "Rohan is an extremely bright guy and his humour is original. I wholeheartedly approve of him and we get along well. As for marriage, I don't lay too much emphasis on the institution, so it is up to the two of them to decide how to take the relationship forward."