HOUSEFULL 4 and TOTAL DHAMAAL continue to dominate television in the lockdown period with every screening in peak periods fetching a strong rating. HOUSEFULL 4 is now touching 7 crore impressions after seven peak screenings while TOTAL DHAMAAL is at 8 crore impressions after 11 peak screenings. The average of HOUSEFULL 4 after seven screenings is at 99.50 lakh and that is higher than what most films get on their premieres. Only 5 or six films will have topped this number in their premieres last year.

Both films have delivered post release better than any other films in the last decade barring the two BAAHUBALI films. The lockdown period has also seen success for WAR, DARBAR (dubbed) and PATI PATNI AUR WOH.

Three members of the family also saw television premieres in April and late March. The three being CHHAPAAK, SAAND KI AANKH and PANGA and all three failed to register even though they came in lockdown period. The result of the other member THAPPAD of the family is still to come. The impressions for HOUSEFULL 4 and TOTAL DHAMAAL till date are as follows.

Housefull 4
1st - 2,15,42,000
2nd - 1,32,26,000
3rd - 77,93,000
4th - 48,62,000
5th - 55,96,000
6th - 97,84,000
7th - 68,46,000
TOTAL -  6,96,50,000

Total Dhamaal
1st - 1,67,93,000
2nd - 84,58,000
3rd - 73,06,000
4th - 79,84,000
5th- 84,36,000
6th - 52,87,000
7th - 37,41,000
8th - 45,50,000
9th - 60,97,000
10th - 53,28,000
11th - 50,98,000
TOTAL - 7,90,78,000

HINDUSTAN TIMES (February 3, 2020)

Being in the enviable position that she is as a popular actor, Bhumi Pednekar recently made sure that she used her position to empower her spot boy, Upendra Singh. She has helped him start his own vanity van business, which he wanted to for a long time. And of course, the first one he made was for her!

When we reach out to Bhumi to know more about this sweet gesture, she reveals, “Upendra ji has been with me since the last 4 years. I literally started my career with him and he is like family. When we were shooting for Saand Ki Aankh (2019) and travelling, we were discussing things and I asked him why doesn’t he start his own business? He said he had considered building vanity vans as an option, but wasn’t sure how to begin this. He always wanted to start something of his own for his children. I gave him a pep talk about it and asked him to think it through, and see what can we do to work towards it.” Bhumi supported him financially, too.

Upendra says, “Maine vanity van ke business ke baare mein kaafi time se socha hua tha, par jab Bhumi didi ne mujhe motivate kiya iss idea ke baare mein, tab maine apni company shuru karne ka decision liya. That’s what I have thought to do in the future. Main hamesha didi ka naam lunga ki unke support se maine apna business aur apni pehli van taiyaar ki. I thank her from the bottom of my heart, and pray to God that whichever film she does, becomes a super hit.”

The colourful van, with stained glass and pink walls, has been customised with Bhumi’s initials, who adds, “I honestly feel that everyone should get opportunities in life. And Upendra is someone I cannot survive without and whatever little I can do for him, I’ll keep doing. He has now started a company called Akash Vanity (Akash is his son’s name).”

“I am proud of him and hope that what started off with one van, goes up to 100 because he is such a genuine guy. It feels like a personal victory to see him grow in life. I have supported him in whatever way I can. He will be working on more vans and he is looking at renting them out to production houses,” she says.

Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; January 20, 2020)

It took Neena Gupta years of waiting and a social media post to gradually reclaim her place as one India's finest actresses; a point she proved with her performance in the National Award winner, Badhaai Ho. She’s now one of her generation’s busiest actresses. It’s not the screen time that matters to her. It’s what the story is trying to say. Ahead of Panga’s release, she spoke to BT about expressing herself through social media and deriving strength to live life on her own terms. Excerpts...

In an interview, you mentioned that you have a small role in Panga, but you still went ahead and did it. What attracted you to the part?
It’s an important story. The character, though small, is that of a mother and offers an interesting, realistic take. You often hear mothers saying, “Bas, ab hum tere liye kuch nahi karenge.” But, when the need arises, she is the first to jump to her children’s rescue. Yeh aur baat hai ki yeh Jaya ke comeback ki kahani hai; in our country, women are not encouraged to take up sports as a career, especially when it’s something niche like kabaddi, quintessentially known as the guys’ game. That underlying discussion in the film impressed me.

Do you think that not encouraging girls as much towards sports has to do with the societal mindset?
(Cuts in...) It’s a societal thing — a big chunk of society still believes ki ek accha ladka mil jaaye beti ko, haath peele kar dein, bacche ho jaayein, ghar sambhal le. People still think that women are meant for this. In 99 per cent cases, this is the reason a woman doesn’t get the push and encouragement when she needs it. Traditionally, our society has always seen women as homemakers and men as bread-earners. Perhaps, the demarcations are engraved in stone.

But you have never led your life on the basis of these demarcations. Your decisions — whether it was to have a child, get married, or have a career of your choice — have never been dictated by societal norms.
I didn’t do anything with the thought that I want to go against society or bend any rules. This is how I am and in spite of being like that, I pushed my daughter Masaba to get married to her lover, instead of having a live-in relationship. This dichotomy has to do with the way I have been brought up. Even though I did things which were not in accordance with the society’s norms, deep down, I am an orthodox woman. I have changed with the times, lekin khurech ke dekhoge toh, kahin na kahin you will find that orthodox woman inside me. In a way, it’s good because I don’t get carried away with things.

Circumstances are changing for women but it’s scary because men are not changing at the same pace, which can lead to trouble. Women are independent and not taking sh*t from men anymore. When they didn’t have their financial independence, they had to put up with everything the man said. Nahin to kahan jaati woh? That’s not the case now.

It must have been a hard path for you to follow, where do you derive the strength?
From myself! I look after myself, I’m disciplined and honest. I don’t say one thing and do another. You have to put your foot down and reach out for what you want. Life is too short to wait for someone to bring it to you. Today, everyone’s life today is complicated. Nanak dukhiya sab sansar...there’s pain and trouble everywhere you go. I’m happy even with my complicated life. If something untoward happens, I cry for days and weeks, but I move on. It’s not as if I forget my pain, but I move on. It’s a difficult and stressful life that we all lead, but I have learnt to see happiness even in my unhappiness.

Have you passed on some of these lessons to your daughter whose life has been under media scrutiny?
I don’t think I had to pass on these lessons. She’s seen me fighting my own battles throughout. Of course, she is her own person. You know how mothers feel when they see their daughter separating from her husband. At that time, she and I were in pain, but we moved on. Each time that I feel low, I loudly tell myself, ‘Chal aage chal, Neena!’ You have to do that.

Talking about your work, you lend every character, irrespective of screen-time, a certain gravitas. Do you dig deep into your emotional coffers for that?
It comes organically to me. I love acting and I am the happiest when I am playing an interesting character. For me, enacting a part means being in the character’s avatar, feeling the lines that I am saying and listening to the co-actor for actions and reactions. My experiences and observations also come in handy. I make a mental note of things I see and hear around me.

Last year, you won awards for your performance in Badhaai Ho (2018). Did that change your perspective towards your work?
The real difference occurs when people start approaching me with more and better quality of work. That’s the real kick.

You took to social media and wrote to the industry at large, asking for work. That might have seemed odd to many, but do you think that turned things around for you?
Yes, it did. People may have reasons to detest social media, but it gave me a lot. When I wrote that note on my page, and I started meeting people after that, they seemed so moved. They actually felt bad that I could write something like that, sensing the frustration with which I wrote it. Anubhav Sinha was the first to approach me with Mulk (2018). And then, many filmmakers came around and things changed. The last two years have been busy and a lot of fun.

A few months ago, when Saand Ki Aankh was up for release, you again wrote a message on social media, this time about casting older women for older roles. That sparked the ageism debate…
(Laughs!) That statement was taken out of context. Galat samajh liya mujhe. Fact is that there are a lot of roles meant for younger women and far lesser roles for older women. The backstory is that, much before I wrote that post, I had messaged Anurag Kashyap. I had heard that he was making Saand Ki Aankh (2019). I wrote to him saying that it’s a good role for me. He replied saying that even though he would have cast me, the financers wanted younger actors for it. So, it is not me or anyone else who decides these things. So, who am I to take offence? I was only expressing a wish — I meant to say that I wish I could do that film kyunki itne acche roles aur scripts kam aate hain. That was made out to be something else. Bhumi Pednekar and Taapsee Pannu did a fantastic job. Even I did older women roles when I was 28. I’ve been playing older characters for many years. Kya bhool gaye hain sab? Actors find it difficult to get great roles. If I was in Bhumi and Taapsee’s shoes, even I would have jumped at that script. The mistake I made was to put up something that was in my heart on a public platform. You need to be cautious with social media.

You really seem to have taken a liking to social media. Your pictures and videos in a glamourous avatar have surprised many simply because it’s not something that most women in your age-bracket might do.
I was always like this — one moment in a saree and the next moment in a pair of shorts (laughs!). People have not seen me like this because of the work I was doing. Remember, I was playing older characters? I was always clad in saris or salwar suits. Social media has given me a chance to show the world that this is also something that I can do.

Did your daughter, Masaba, have a role to play in this?
Sometimes, I wear Masaba’s creations or take her inputs, and sometimes, I wear my own outfits. Like the yellow dress I wore in the video posted on January 1, is my own. I just believe that there is no harm in flaunting what you know is good about your body. Like I know I don’t have a bikini body, so I won’t flaunt it. The surprise in seeing me in a certain way has to do with years of conditioning.

Rishabh Suri (HINDUSTAN TIMES; January 14, 2020)

She isn’t one to shy away from stepping out of her comfort zone and take up roles that make her push the envelope. Divya Dutta, be it in Delhi-6 (2009), Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013), or Badlapur (2015), has always managed to leave an impact on the audience, even if she had a small role in the film.

Ask her, however, if initially she had plans to become a commercial, mainstream film actor, which people aspire to be, replete with drama and dance, and she quips, “Yes! I realised however, after Veer-Zaara (2004), that the significance of a role is not just about being glamorous. What you give to a role is what’s integral to the story. Now everything is so story and character-oriented. In fact, one of my directors told me ‘you know that big heroine? She wants to do your role’.”

She goes on to add that she has seen actors turn down roles because they were ‘small’. “Earlier, we used to say ‘chhota role nahi karenge’. I never said that, but I’ve seen girls say it. Now, they say ‘chhota hai, koi baat nahi, impactful hai na?’”

We also mention the debates that arise around casting, such as Bhumi Pednekar and Taapsee Pannu playing older characters on screen (instead of old actors being cast), and Bhumi being made to change her skin’s colour for her role in Bala (2019).

Divya herself had to colour her skin for Delhi-6. “You had Anupam Kher play an old man in Saraansh (1984), Nargis ji played Mother India (1957) at the peak of her career… it’s not about who is playing it, it’s how you play it. The film you mentioned, if something was questionable, it was makeup and VFX. I once lost a role because I was told I am fair. They were looking for a village woman with a darker skin tone. They told me ‘you suit the role completely’. I asked ‘then why am I not doing it?’ They replied ‘you are too fair for the role’. I felt a little cheated at not being able to do something because of skin colour. But I am an actor. I was darkened for Delhi 6. I used to go on set at 4 am, mera mazaak udta tha for the call time. I used to take so long to get ready. But here was a director (Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra), who interested me with a role. I saw Saand Ki Aankh, I thought the girls did a good job. Thodi der ke baad main bhool gayi (that they are younger actors playing older characters),” says Divya.

Titas Chowdhury (HINDUSTAN TIMES; December 22, 2019)

Actor Viineet Kumar has been working continuously. “Yes, I haven’t had time off since August, 2018,” says the actor, who has shot for seven projects over the last one year. So, the Gangs Of Wasseypur (2012) actor had recently flown to Goa for a mini vacation with his sister. “After shooting for the Hindi remake of Thiruttu Payale 2, I headed to Goa. It was my sister’s birthday and we had a small celebration there. The last few days of the shoot drained me completely as I couldn’t get enough sleep. I was mentally exhausted as well,” he says.

The vacation proved to be therapeutic for the actor. He shares, “I wanted to go to the mountains because they are very peaceful. But I had to listen to my sister. I spent my time at the beaches of Goa, watching sunsets and gazing at the starry skies at night.”

He further adds, “For the past year, I had been working on Bard Of Blood, Aadhaar, Saand Ki Aankh, Tryst With Destiny, Betaal, Gunjan Saxena – The Kargil Girl, and the Hindi remake of Thiruttu Payale 2. And so, I wanted to slow down the momentum, contemplate on life and prepare myself for the road ahead.”

Viineet says that the vacation was a stress buster for him, as some characters that he played took an emotional toll on him. “After playing certain characters, you feel completely drained. A break helps one maintain their sanity and helps strike a balance between personal and professional lives,” says the Gold (2018) actor.

He, however, wishes he could’ve extended his stay in Goa a while longer. “Soon, I started getting calls and I had to go back to reading scripts. I don’t know when leisure turned into business. After Mukkabaaz (2017), I was reading scripts for six months without taking any break. I wanted to experiment with my films and characters and I ended up committing myself to too many projects. So, leaving one character behind and moving on to the next became a taxing process,” he signs off.

Bhumi Pednekar, adding she is here for the long run
Suktara Ghosh (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 29, 2019)

Not many leading men and women of Bollywood can rival Bhumi Pednekar’s resume. The actor, armed with a kitty of six films, has proven her craft as well as her mettle in only four years. From piling on nearly 30 kilos—quite unheard of in this part of the world—for her debut Dum Laga Ke Haisha (DLKH), to playing a 60-year-old in Saand Ki Aankh, and soon a 19-year-old in the upcoming Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare, Bhumi seems to have already done it all.

2019 indeed, has been a special year. She’s had three releases, of which two are hits, and a fourth film, Pati Patni Aur Woh, is set to release on December 6. “I’m still processing it, but I’m more confident about my choices as an actor now,” says the 30-year-old.

Bhumi, in fact, oozes confidence. “I’m very ambitious, I want it all,” she says. And when she opens up on her craft, one doesn’t need to make much of an effort to spot the clear eye and steady head at work. Quiz her on the recent flak she received for playing a shooter double her age and using makeup to play a dark skinned lawyer in Saand Ki Aankh and Bala respectively, and she retorts: “By that logic, a naturally fuller woman should have played Sandhya in DLKH.”

“I’m an actor. It’s my job to transform into different characters,” she points out. “I respect people’s opinion, and I did take a step back to think about what they were saying. But I think I will continue to pick such roles because I like challenging myself. And let’s not forget that there simply aren’t enough meaty roles written for women.”

Bhumi though, seems to find her way to those that are. She almost hops with excitement while talking about Dolly Kitty…, Alankrita Shrivastava’s upcoming film co-starring Konkona Sensharma. “It’s a celebration of womanhood and I had a blast filming it,” she says. She’s also consciously looking to impart some of her real-life glam to her onscreen avatars. While she’s tight-lipped about how she’s prepping for Karan Johar’s magnum opus Takht, she has thoroughly enjoyed playing Vedika in Pati, Patni Aur Woh. “She is a strong woman who’s very aware of her beauty and the power she has over the opposite sex. I want to do these glam roles too. I have grown up on ’90s Bollywood… I love all the dancing and nakhras!” she laughs.

But it’s in her rooted-in-life roles that the actor undoubtedly finds her mojo. “My life has become infinitely more enriched since I began acting, and it’s because of these roles,” Bhumi says. “I realised I am so privileged that I can’t even imagine not having access to a toilet. Or take what Chandro and Prakashi Dadi have achieved—that is real feminism.”

Working with directors such as Abhishek Chaubey (for the hard-hitting Sonchiriya; incidentally, her only film that failed at the box office) too adds to her actor’s arsenal. The avant-garde filmmaker asked her not to emote through her eyes while playing a rape survivor in brutal Chambal. “It was very tough but it taught me a new tool,” she says, adding that she facetimes with the child actor, Khushi and 500 other kids, who are cared for by a Madhya Pradesh NGO, every Sunday. “They have become a huge part of my life.”

Given that most of her characters are from heartland India, Bhumi works hard to ensure their authenticity. “I read, do workshops, watch videos, try spending time in that region, talk to locals, read their literature, try learning songs,” she shares. “It’s a lot of homework. But the moment you start thinking like the character, a lot of things automatically fall into place.”

Her biggest school, however, was her time behind the camera—she began working as a casting director at 17 with one of B-town’s leading studios before switching sides. “The first thing you learn is that every person on the set contributes to your work. Actors are usually full of themselves, and think they are the fulcrum of a film. That’s not true,” she says. Those six years also taught her to be a professional. “I absolutely hate being late for work commitments. I’d get up at 2.30 am to get ready for the long makeup schedules of Saand Ki Aankh and Bala because I didn’t want to be late,” says the self-confessed workaholic, who feels guilty about not working one Sunday.

She also credits her parents and her growing up years between Juhu and Jaipur—where she spent idyllic holidays with her grandparents—for her intuitive understanding of people and characters. “My sister and I have been brought up in a secular, empathising environment. I’m a people’s person too. I used to chat with the didis and bhaiyas in school. I talk to my staff or people I meet along the way—it’s who I am,” she shares.

And does her empathy ever collide with her privacy? Bhumi says she enjoys her stardom and knows what comes with the territory. But she did find herself floundering when a fan began clicking selfies without asking her as she sat crying outside her grandfather’s hospital room in Chandigarh. “I was a mess. My nose was running, I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t know how to react. I simply walked off,” she says.

Bhumi has, by and large, managed to steer clear off the other bane of a celeb’s life these days—trolls. That is, till she started an online campaign to raise environmental awareness. “People tell me some very nasty things,” she laughs, adding that it’s her way to do a little bit for the world. She has brought in small changes in her personal life as well. “I used to be a shopaholic and loved hoarding makeup, for instance. Now, I know how much of our resources go into making these, and I’m really ashamed,” she says.

The actor also feels she has become a better person. “I’ve matured a lot, I take responsibilities and have de-cluttered my life. The people I have met have widened my horizons.” And what does the ‘future leader’ in her Twitter bio signify? “I want to be someone who has enough sensibility and brains to be emulated.” This girl’s sure got places to go.

Flexcia Dsouza (BOMBAY TIMES; November 23, 2019)

Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar, who participated in the Master’s Social Perspective at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, also plans to take out time to visit his ancestral Lakshminarasimha Temple in Mardol. But, before taking off, he spoke to us about his Bollywood journey, casting age-appropriate actors and more. Excerpts:

Recently, there was a controversy over casting age-appropriate female leads in Saand Ki Aankh. Your films have always had very strong women characters. What is your take on this?
It depends entirely on the filmmaker and who he wants to cast. There have been so many instances when actors have played older characters. Rakhee- ji and Amitabh ji did that in Kabhie Kabhie, when they were at the peak of their careers. It differs from one filmmaker to another and is ultimately about every individual’s conviction.

How would you assess your journey in Bollywood?
I am not here to analyse what people think about my career. I am very happy that I have received National Awards and the Padma Shri, and my films have received critical acclaim and box office success. Even my actors have received National Awards for their performances. The industry and the audience have been very fair to me. And people want to know which issue will Madhur Bhandarkar touch upon in his next film. I don’t belong to any lobby and have had an independent journey. From Chandni Bar to Indu Sarkar, it has been a great experience.

What is your take on censorship of creative content in the country?
I am very happy that the censors have been liberal and moderate and their perspective has changed. Censor is a very strong pillar. A lot of things in today’s movies, which wouldn’t have been passed earlier, is now given a U/A certificate.

What’s been your best memory at IFFI?
We had a great masterclass where I could share my experiences. The students asked a lot of good questions. It was great connecting with the youth and upcoming filmmakers. I look forward to IFFI each year – to watch movies, attend masterclasses and interact with people. I have seen IFFI evolve over the last few years, and this has been a great year, too.

Actor Bhumi Pednekar says she’s not against item numbers but won’t do roles outside her ‘moral comfort’
Sangeeta Yadav (HINDUSTAN TIMES; November 15, 2019)

She calls herself the “queen of heartland cinema”, and in a short span of four years, actor Bhumi Pednekar has carved a niche for herself in the industry. An overweight girl in Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2015), a woman fighting for her rights in Toilet - Ek Prem Katha (2017), a 65-year-old in this year’s Saand Ki Aankh or a girl with dark skin in Bala, Bhumi hasn’t shied away from off-beat and unconventional roles.

Her career, Bhumi says, is only getting better with time. “Every character that I play is only getting more challenging and making me a better actor. Every time I think about what’s next, some amazing writers and directors come with path-breaking parts for me. It’s only the start and I keep telling people that Saand Ki Aankh and Bala are only my fifth and sixth films (respectively). My journey has been very short and beautiful, and I have a long way to go,” the 30-year-old says.

Bhumi believes she has always pushed the envelope with roles outside her comfort zone. She explains, “Be it playing a fat person or an aged person. I don’t think it has anything to do with the way you look on screen, but how honestly you are telling the story.”

She goes on to explain that she has no reservations about item numbers. “I love dancing and I’m not against item songs,” she says, adding “I don’t have a problem with women wearing bikinis on screen. In fact, I’ll be wearing one on screen someday. But when women are made into objects of glamour, that is something I don’t want to do. Today, a hero or a heroine is a person that inspires anyone to be or do better. I don’t think it has anything to do with the way you look.”

And when it comes to not playing a particular kind of role, Bhumi sets the record straight once and for all. She says, “I’m not comfortable doing a film where the hero is smacking a girl’s bu** and the nation is celebrating it. I can’t be a part of a film that is anti-feminist or women bashing, or something that is out of my moral comfort.”

Bhumi also believes that her work should not only entertain but also contribute to the society. “If the audience takes back something good after stepping out of the theatre, I will be happy,” she signs off.

Playing a small-town girl again in Pati Patni Aur Woh, Bhumi Pednekar argues her characters have been distinct despite a similar milieu
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; November 9, 2019)

Bhumi Pednekar has had a busy year with as many as three movies hitting screens. While each film has underlined her acting prowess, detractors have argued that she rarely goes beyond the small-town woman act. A case in point being the upcoming Pati Patni Aur Woh that sees her as a Lucknow-based homemaker.

Point this out to Pednekar, and she says that the coincidence hasn't missed her notice. "I am a desi girl and I will celebrate it because, in my real life, I am nothing like my characters. So, I am proud that I can transform myself for these roles. I have played a 70-year-old woman in Saand Ki Aankh, a 20-year old in Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare, and a 28-year-old mother in Sonchiriya. In Pati Patni Aur Woh, my character breaks the stereotype of how a patni is shown on screen," she reasons, adding that she has chosen parts that are markedly different from one another despite a similar milieu. "As of now, the audience hasn't found it repetitive. The day that happens, I will have to rethink [my choices]."

For now though, Pednekar is enjoying her moment in the sun. While Bala is being lapped up by the audience, Saand Ki Aankh continues to find takers in its third week. The Tushar Hiranandani-directed drama came alongside two Diwali releases, but has managed to hold its own at the box office.

"[I am overwhelmed] by the love showered on Saand Ki Aankh. I am not a trade analyst, but I have observed that despite its rocky start, the film's collections are slowly and steadily rising. It's a motivating factor for me."

Women over 40 have always had a tough time getting anything but a mother role but a youth-obsessed entertainment industry may be slowly waking up to their talent
Sonam Joshi (THE TIMES OF INDIA; November 3, 2019)

In 2017, frustrated by the lack of good roles on offer for someone her age, actor Neena Gupta shared her wish for “good parts to play” on Instagram. Two years hence, the 60-year-old has landed several meaty jobs, including Masaba Masaba, a TV series based on her and her daughter’s life, a sequel of Shubh Mangal Saavdhan and a thriller called Gwalior. She’s also working on a mysterious new project, where “I will give myself the role I want to play.”

That’s a rare luxury for older women actors in India who fear being thrown into the rocking chair — or worse, the scrapheap — while their male contemporaries continue to romance actresses half their age. And while it may be too soon to say that India’s film and TV industry is embracing the forty-plus female actor, the seasoned silver brigade seems to be getting more opportunities to play more vibrant characters.

If the world re-discovered Gupta through her character of a pregnant middle-aged woman in Badhaai Ho, Shefali Shah made a comeback with Delhi Crime, based on the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case.

Shah, 46, who played older characters quite early in her career, admits she was typecast into the role of the mother. “The kind of work I was being offered was not anything apart from a mother or a grandmother — like a rocking chair in the house that you dump your clothes on. I worked hard to break that image but had to wait a lot. Delhi Crime has broken that for me.”

Shah, who was applauded for her performance as a frustrated homemaker in the YouTube film Juice, and as a widowed restaurateur finding romance in Once Again, says that OTT platforms are leading the change. “Yes, there is definitely ageism. (Male) Actors can play the lead forever and forever but there are very few lead roles for women in this age group,” she says.

This toxic combination of sexism and ageism isn’t just restricted to Bollywood or Hollywood. Anna M M Vetticad, author, The Adventures of an Intrepid Film Critic, says India’s three biggest film industries — Tollywood, Bollywood and Kollywood — are united by their misogyny. “Films like Jackpot (Tamil) and Mahanati (Tamil and Telugu), where plots revolve around women, are uncommon,” she adds. According to her, the ageism directed at older women is exemplified by the casting of Rajinikanth’s female romantic leads who range in age from being old enough to be his daughters and young enough to be his granddaughters. “Women of Rajinikanth’s age are not deemed worthy of being romanced on screen by Rajinikanth,” she says.

Neena Gupta agrees that it will still take more time to break the mould. In fact, she recently pointed out that the roles of two sharpshooting grandmothers in the film Saand Ki Aankh, which were played by Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar who are both in their early 30s, could have gone to actors her age. “I don’t mean that the actors who did the film are bad, but that there are fewer roles for older women and I wish it wasn’t so,” Gupta says.

Going deeper into the reason for this reluctance to cast older women, Gupta says finally it boils down to what makes commercial sense, and the role of an older woman in our society. “She still doesn’t have any value. She is only required for domestic chores.”

Seema Pahwa, who had found fame in the 1980s TV show Hum Log, points out that though she is still playing mother, the character is more layered and nuanced. “The industry doesn’t write many roles for women above 50, so our fight is to find a way to make the existing ones better. But thank god we have reached the stage where the mother’s role is considered important and is more than a passing shot,” says Pahwa, 56.

She recently turned director, with her debut film Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi inspired by her real-life experiences. The film has an ensemble cast but one of its central characters, the widow of Ramprasad, is essayed by Supriya Pathak, 57. “She is the protagonist and it is about her awakening,” says Pathak.

Two new films shine a light on the emotional lives of older women as well. Director Tanuja Chandra, whose recent documentary film Aunty Radha, Aunty Sudha, focuses on her two eighty-plus aunts who live together in an Uttar Pradesh village, says older women deserve to have many more stories told about them. “For me, it was crucial to have a record of the lives, thoughts and emotions of my aunts and the people with them. That world may soon be lost to us.”

Debutant director Kislay’s Aise Hee follows an elderly Allahabad resident named Mrs Sharma after she loses her husband at the age of 72 and decides to live life on her own terms, building relationships with the women working in a nearby salon and a tailor who teaches her embroidery. The character is played by veteran TV actor Mohini Sharma, who has acted in TV serials like Shanti and films like Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda. “Usually when old people are shown in films, they are very cutesy or modern or cliched. We didn’t want to fall into these traps,” Kislay says.

The film marks Sharma’s return to the big screen after nearly 25 years — and to her surprise earned a special jury mention for best actor (female) at the MAMI film festival. “I’ve waited many years for a good film and said no to many roles of the hero’s mother and later grandmother,” recalls Sharma, 73. “My question to them would always be to tell me about my character. I don’t want to be the central character but it has to be important — not just standing in the background shedding tears. With this film, I felt satisfied as an artiste.”

Taapsee Pannu on the high of receiving praise from family and veteran actress Shabana Azmi, a new sports film and an interesting line-up
Ankita Chaurasia (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 25, 2019

Taapsee Pannu is minutes away from catching a flight back to Mumbai after a whirlwind promotional tour of her just released film, Saand Ki Aankh, in the capital. Encouraged by the positive response, the actress reveals that they began screenings for the press a week before release because they were confident of this real-life story of the Revolver Daadis, Chandro and Prakashi Tomar. “We didn’t want our little film to get lost in the noise that other bigger releases would make. After all, it isn’t a conventional festival release, what with two non-glamorous ladies running the show,” she reasons.

She was particularly thrilled when Shabana Azmi lauded the film. “I had invited her for a screening but didn’t know she was attending till the last minute. I was nervous and by the time I reached, the film was coming to an end. Shabana ji was wiping tears when she came out. She hugged us, saying how much she had liked the film and promised that she would tell everyone to watch it. Coming from a veteran actress, especially after the ageism debate, that’s a word-ofmouth that matters,” she avers.

Having dedicated the film to her mother, Taapsee also watched it for the first time with her, and a few days later, with her father and extended family. “My parents don’t say much, but these days my mother says that I can finally act. She cried while watching the film while my father was grinning from ear-to-ear. So, I assume they liked it,” she smiles.

While the actress admits the promotions have been hectic, she is also thankful for her busy schedule which didn’t allow her to suffer from “terrible” withdrawal symptoms post the wrap-up of Anubhav Sinha’s next, Thappad. “I had to know my character Amrita closely and though it was only 31 days of shoot, I felt claustrophobic getting into her mind. It was so emotionally taxing that I wanted the film to end, and at the same time, not quite,” she shares.

Taapsee is now prepping up to acquire an athlete’s physique for her next, Ronnie Screwvala’s Rashmi Rocket. While she was to kick off the new year with the film, she will now start shooting only by the end of February. “It would have gone into summer anyway. There are portions in the film for which I have to transform my body and there was no way we could have done it all during the winter,” she explains. But, by then, won’t it get really hot in the Rann of Kutch, where the film is based? “We had a choice between shooting in the heat versus shooting in January, during the Kutch mela, when there’s a lot of chaos around. We chose the former,” she informs.

Buzz is, she rolls with a Vinil Mathew-directed romantic-thriller in January. She refuses to comment on this, but admits 2020 will be a busy year. “I have some interesting projects lined up, but let the makers announce them first,” she says.

For now, she will be spending Diwali with her parents in Mumbai. Then, she plans to go on a vacation. “It will be either after Diwali or later in November. I am yet to decide where to go, but it will certainly not be a cold place as I hate the chill,” she pulls a face.


Pavail Gulati and Taapsee Pannu on the sets of Thappad

WILL ALL THREE DIWALI RELEASES BE ABLE TO SUCCEED DESPITE CHALLENGES?

The Diwali festival is round the corner and like every year, it'll be one of the important times of the year for Bollywood. This time, not just one but three films will try it's luck. And it's a bit of a gamble as two of those films are moderately budgeted but not exactly ideal for Diwali. And moreover, this year, Diwali is on Sunday. So for the first two days, the collections would be affected as viewers generally stay away from cinemas since they are busy with shopping, cleaning etc. On day 3, the collections will fall even further from afternoon as people would be attending puja. Hence, the collections will rise only from day 4.

My analysis on the three films releasing tomorrow:

1. HOUSEFULL 4: It is the fourth part of the popular Housefull franchise and stars Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Bobby Deol, Kriti Sanon, Kriti Kharbanda, Pooja Hegde, Rana Daggubati and Chunky Panday. This time the scale has been upped as it is also a reincarnation saga. But still it promises to be a funny ride. The film faced roadblocks last year when director Sajid Khan was named as one of the prime accused in the #MeToo movement. Hence, he was asked to step down and was replaced by Farhad Samji. The trailer is entertaining and the film seems like a great ride. As for songs, 'Bala' has worked very well while other songs have been noticed but aren't chartbusters.

A film like like could have taken a Rs 30 crore plus opening if it had released on holiday day. But now it'll open at around Rs. 19-20 crore. If response is positive, the first three day collections would be around Rs. 50-55 crore and then day 4 would be around Rs. 30 crore. If the film gets slammed, it won't crash on Monday but collections would be affected a bit.

2. MADE IN CHINA: It has an excellent star cast of Rajkummar Rao, Mouni Roy, Boman Irani, Sumeet Vyas and Amyra Dastur along with Paresh Rawal and Gajraj Rao in special appearances. It is directed by Mikhil Musale, who made the award winning Gujarati movie Wrong Side Raju. The trailer is strictly okay and has lots of double meaning dialogues. Before the promos were out, it seemed like a clean film that can work big time in Gujarat as it seemed like a film that celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit of the state. Hence there was hope that families in Gujarat would throng to see this film. However the fact that the film is about a man who is selling products to solve men's sexual problems is something that family audiences would not like to see, especially in Diwali. The opening would be around Rs. 2 crore and then it can grow a bit on Monday if reports are positive.

3. SAAND KI AANKH: It stars Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar in leading roles and is about the real life story of Chandro and Prakashi Tomar who became expert shooters after turning 60. It marks the directorial debut of writer Tushar Hiranandani. The trailer is great and the film is made in a very entertaining way. However the film has plenty of challenges. Firstly the make up has been criticised. Secondly the buzz for the film is very less and on top of that, it's clashing with two films that seem far more exciting. Not to forget, the first three day collections would be disastrous, especially on Diwali day. If reports are positive, then it can have a good run from Monday. There's also a possibility that its Tuesday to Thursday collections would be in the same range. Day 1 earnings however would be around Rs. 1 crore or Rs. 1.50 crore at best. And if reports are not positive, then it'll emerge as one the biggest flops of the year.

WHICH FILM WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE AND WHY? DO LET ME KNOW!