Showing posts with label Sandeep Modi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sandeep Modi. Show all posts
Amid merger with Jio Cinema, Disney+ Hotstar prioritizes work on The Night Manager 2
8:46 AM
Amid merger with Jio, Disney+ Hotstar prioritises work on Aditya’s The Night Manager 2; show to be developed alongside its British counterpart
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; March 20, 2024)
Things are moving at a brisk pace on the Jio Cinema and Disney+ Hotstar merger front. Amid this, the top brass at both platforms have agreed to prioritize the development of the second season of The Night Manager, which became among Disney+ Hotstar’s most popular series last year. The Aditya Roy Kapur-led spy thriller is an adaptation of Tom Hiddleston’s British show of the same name. We hear the decision to fast-track its making comes with the aim of strengthening the platform’s library while holding on to the show’s loyal fanbase.
Interestingly, work on the Hindi series, which saw Sandeep Modi as the creator, will coincide with that of its international counterpart.
A source tells us, “The second season of the British series is expected to roll in 2024. It only makes sense that the Indian counterpart too starts work on their next edition. The suits at the platform are keen that the development begins this summer. However, the availability of creators and other logistics have yet to be figured out.”
In the British series, Hiddleston will reprise his role of Jonathan Pine as he takes on a new threat. The source adds, “The decisions regarding the desi offering’s plot points will be made after the writers’ room kicks off. It is unclear whether the makers will follow the same story.”
Using on-screen artillery in films: Kabul Express had real Kalashnikovs; night-vision glasses in Uri were from Juhu Beach
9:15 AM
From the age-old revolver to today’s advanced weaponry — the evolution of on-screen artillery is an interesting chapter in Bollywood history
Natasha Coutinho (BOMBAY TIMES; October 20, 2023)
What’s a good ol’ Bollywood actioner without a gunfight or three? Indeed, the story of how Hindi cinema has depicted arms and armaments is as interesting as the century-plus history of Bollywood itself. The long-barrel revolvers and 303 rifles have been around for decades – see the posters of Dev Anand’s CID or of Sholay, for example – but it’s only in recent years that Hindi films have started matching Hollywood blockbusters bullet for bullet, so to speak.
From espionage thrillers to cross-border wars and gangland dramas, as the scope of the Bollywood action flick grows exponentially, our films now show an astounding array of guns, artillery, tanks, explosions and more. We go behind the scenes to explore how the industry creates all the firepower that is required to make a big bang at the box office.
‘AFGHANS GOT US A TRUCKLOAD OF KALASHNIKOVS IN KABUL EXPRESS’
Action scenes require the maximum planning and pre-production, because there is much at stake in terms of the safety of people involved. Today, with VFX, things have become simpler than what they were 10-15 years ago. During Ek Tha Tiger (2012), we did stunts physically, with 200 foot wooden towers falling from one building to another. In Kabul Express (2006), every gun that you see is real. Those days guns were easily available, and Afghans got us a truckload of Kalashnikovs. We had an Afghan action director, Abdul Basir Mujahid, who insisted on firing a rocket in our honour despite my telling him not to. In the middle of a shot, he jumped off an SUV and fired it and that shot is there in the movie. We were shocked because the whole place resounded with the noise, but Afghanistan being Afghanistan, no one batted an eyelid!
— Kabir Khan, director
‘GOT GUNS FROM SERBIA, BUT THE NIGHT-VISION GOGGLES WERE FROM JUHU BEACH!’
My team and I are particular about authenticity, and when we started prepping in India for Uri: The Surgical Strike, we realized that replicas of original guns weren’t easily available here. There are customs issues and getting the guns may take months. We had a choice between going ahead with the AK-47 replicas available here, or trying something new. Luckily, Serbia had opened up a rebate structure, and getting equipment similar to the choppers, Mirages and guns we needed became easier. However, we also did a little jugaad and the night vision goggles were binoculars with a green light inside from Juhu beach. While shooting in Serbia, we could only afford four stunt people. If you watch carefully, the same people play terrorists and armymen and even come back from the dead to play other characters! — Aditya Dhar, director
‘WE BUILT PROTOTYPES OF MANY GUNS, AND VFX DID THE REST’
The Night Manager was a tricky series because it is the story of an arms dealer. We had to ensure that the arms shown were technically correct and matched the stuff used in modern warfare, apart from being visually appealing. After extensive research, we zeroed in on a wish list. Other than a few assault rifles, not many weapons were readily available for filming. Necessity is the mother of invention. We studied and built prototypes of many guns with our SFX partners and made its impact look cinematically as close to the real ones with ample help from our VFX team.
— Sandeep Modi, director
‘WE PROVIDE FILM TEAMS WITH AN ALBUM TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT GUNS FROM A PARTICULAR ERA’
The 1980s and ’90s saw several dacoit films and those needed rifles and double-barrelled guns. Times have changed and films now require M4 carbines and AK-47s, Glocks and Berettas. Even if gun models are limited in real life and we have to repeat them, the audience wants something new in each film. That’s why we have custom-made guns like those seen in Don 2 and Lucifer. when the trigger is pulled, there is a sound like gunfire, which is the cue for the actor. Muzzle flash is later added via VFX. When we are approached for a film, we give the team an album, from which they can select guns. We also recommend the gun that should be used for a particular era, though sometimes we take cinematic liberty if the gun looks good on screen.
— Vishal Tyagi, SFX supervisor and armourer
‘WE USED A DRILL MACHINE TO REPLICATE AN ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUN’
Research is an important part of our job, and for Tiger Zinda Hai we had to show Baghdad city, Chinooks and other army choppers. We built the set in Abu Dhabi and since a real Chinook would’ve cost Rs. 30 crore, we created mock-ups. Tubelight had Indo-China war sequences and we had a team that made study models and converted normal cars into tanks. For the upcoming Chandu Champion that shows the 1971 war between India and Pakistan, we required an antiaircraft gun that vibrates. We used a drill machine to get the repetitive movement, while the VFX team added the bullets, and the sound department handled the rest. In the past, we would make a mould of mud and create guns from it; today you can just print a dummy gun from websites and the process is effortless. VFX has also made life easier. For example, we built a chopper for Bade Miyan Chote Miyan without the rotating blade, which will be added through VFX. For blast scenes, we create the smoke, while the fire is added via VFX
— Rajnish Hedao, production designer
‘WE MEET SENIOR OR RETIRED OFFICERS FOR HELP IN RESEARCHING THE RIGHT GUNS’
While selecting guns, we must be careful because Mumbai police firearms are different from those used by Rapid Action Force or the Army. We meet senior or retired officers who help us with our research. It takes us a long time to prep for car stunts because even if the shot shows a car toppling, we have to ensure people inside are safe. The web series Aar Ya Paar has an archer as the protagonist and we got on board a national archery coach to work with the cast. We created artificial bows and arrows lighter than the real ones, so that actors could handle them easily. Our job begins two-three months before the shoot.
— Swapnil Bhalerao, production designer working with Rohit Shetty for 18 years
My film with Karan Johar is a genre bender. It will be a popular film, but it won’t be seedha-Sandeep Modi
8:16 AM
Even as he hopes for The Night Manager crossover with Tom Hiddleston’s original series, creator Sandeep Modi discusses bagging a Karan Johar production for his next
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; July 28, 2023)
Sandeep Modi couldn’t have asked for a better 2023. The creator-director won appreciation for his deft handling of The Night Manager, a show that had the tall order of matching its British original. Even as praise continues to pour in, Modi is busy “manifesting” the future. And it includes a Karan Johar production.
“Karan and I have wanted to do a film since Chumbak in 2017. We have been manifesting. Even before The Night Manager trailer dropped, Karan and I knew we were [collaborating]. The film is a genre-bender. It will be a popular film, but it won’t be seedha,” he grins, adding that the project is currently at the writing stage.
For now, the director agrees that the present is exactly as he would like it to be. His spy thriller—starring Anil Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapur and Sobhita Dhulipala—has become the most-viewed Hindi web series of the year so far, as per an Ormax report. The success tastes sweeter since Modi went through a lot of struggles to make the Disney+ Hotstar series. It was originally imagined with Hrithik Roshan, but over the years, the cast drastically changed. Was it nerve-racking?
“I have a strange analogy that my wife hates—it is that she must have met a lot of people, before settling down with me. It’s not about who you envisaged [at the start, but who you ended up with]. We never write keeping stars in mind. You try out an actor, and then it does or does not work out. I met Aditya Roy Kapur at a time I didn’t expect to. Anil Kapoor agreed in a day. Such is filmmaking; some things take forever and some happen in a day.”
Tom Hiddleston, who led the British original of the same name, was impressed by the adaptation after watching it at a London screening in April. Since then, rumours have been rife of a crossover between the two shows.
Asked about it, Modi says, “The producers are the same. John le Carre’s [who wrote the original book] sons are [among] the producers. I keep pushing them, and it might make for a great crossover. Singham entering the world of Sooryavanshi is fun, so this could be too.”
Going for another spy role would be a trap-Aditya Roy Kapur
8:12 AM
Aditya Roy Kapur is thrilled that The Night Manager has given him his breakout role and changed the audience’s perception, Aditya now wants to revisit romantic dramas
Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; July 6, 2023)
Sometimes, it takes the right role for the industry and the audience to take notice of an actor’s potential. For Aditya Roy Kapur, The Night Manager gave him that role. “People have been saying to me, ‘Everyone is seeing you differently now!’ I don’t understand this because I have always seen myself like this,” he laughs, buoyed by the praise coming his way.
Only days ago, the second instalment of the Kapur, Anil Kapoor and Sobhita Dhulipala-starrer dropped on Disney+ Hotstar, replicating the success of its opening part. With The Night Manager, creator-director Sandeep Modi has adapted the 2016 British original of the same name, giving us a stylised spy thriller that sees Kapur’s character Shaan bring down an arms dealer. The actor credits the series’ detailed writing and Modi’s vision for the change in audience’s perception.
“I have always believed that the right element will always be there in the right part. [If you see] the tonality in the writing and the way Sandeep mounted it, I hadn’t got to do something like that in a theatrical release.”
Considering the industry has a habit of repeating a success formula, will we see the actor in more brooding, intense roles now?
“Going for another spy role would be a trap, which I want to be away from. But if I get to do something in a similar space, writing-and presentation-wise, I’d be happy to do it. The idea is to get this kind of love for future work as well. But I don’t want to only fight on screen. I want to do more romances.”
Kapur’s wish is being fulfilled by Anurag Basu, who is reuniting with his Ludo (2020) actor for Metro... In Dino. He is thrilled to be back on the set with the filmmaker. “With Dada, it’s always a trip. Every day is a new day. Just be ready to have fun.”
Even if I have four scenes in a film, or a cameo, I feel that I am the leading man-Anil Kapoor
4:54 PM
Anil, who is gearing for the second part of The Night Manager, explains how his craft and choice of roles have helped him survive 40 years in the industry
Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; June 29, 2023)
It’s his last interview in what has been a long day. So, is Anil Kapoor tired? “I’m just warming up,” he quips, ready to chat about the second part of The Night Manager. Perhaps, it is this relentless spirit that has aided his 40-year run in an otherwise fickle industry.
Over the past decade, the senior actor has carefully picked strong roles, shining as bright as the protagonist. It’s all in the mind, he says. “Even if I have four scenes in a film, or a cameo, I feel that I am the leading man on that given day. Of course, I don’t overstep the boundary. I give due respect to people who, in that moment, are responsible for the film to have a certain positioning. But internally, I do my best to not feel inferior to anybody. I don’t try to prove anything to anyone unless someone steps on my toes,” he shares.
Regardless of his screen time, Kapoor is dependable as ever—be it as the selfish father in 'Jugjugg Jeeyo' (2022), or in his latest Disney+ Hotstar offering. In the adaptation of the British original of the same name, he plays the antagonist, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with leading man Aditya Roy Kapur. Kapoor, however, credits creator Sandeep Modi’s vision and the writing for the series’ well-rounded characters.
“When the script and book [from which the show is adapted] are fantastic, you can add nuances to a character. Sometimes people don’t work hard, and expect great results. If you don’t prepare well, you might do good work, but not the kind that has happened in this show.”
That said, the senior actor is quick to admit that the crime drama came with some risks—ones that he was willing to take, given his faith in the material.
“There are some boxes that a project has to tick—the story, the script, my character and so on. With 'The Night Manager', I took a chance on a few things. For instance, I was working with the platform and Banijay [production house] for the first time. Sandeep is a [relatively] new director, who had co-directed 'Aarya'. I have worked on an adaptation before with 24, but I was also a producer on that project. Here, I was just an actor. Fortunately, all these [risks] paid off.”
Aditya Roy Kapur, Anil Kapoor didn’t know what prep the other has made-Sandeep Modi
8:04 AM
Aishwarya Vasudevan (HINDUSTAN TIMES; June 24, 2023)
After working on the first season of the Sushmita Sen-starrer Aarya, an Indian adaptation of the Dutch series Penoza, director Sandeep Modi’s next project was The Night Manager (TNM), which was also an adaptation of the Tom Hiddleston-starrer of the same name.
What is it about adapting international projects that attracts him? “There are a few stories that everyone keeps moving around. Here’s one such story, which had a good run and was told well. It’s like a Shakespeare story that is relevant in India and the world even now. That becomes an interesting factor for me,” the filmmaker says.
The second part of TNM will be out soon. Not “resting on our laurels”, Modi admits that splitting the season and releasing part 2 after a long break was a “huge responsibility”. “I was worried that people were going to get so angry about this thing (splitting the show). Even if they like the show, what if they don’t like the idea of the way we’re presenting it?” he shares, adding, “Now that the bar has been raised, you have to try to beat it, or in the worst case, you have to match it.”
The filmmaker adds that for him, “OTT is a hybrid of films and television”. “You can either think of it like a film, where you watch the whole film together (in one go), or you can think of it like television, where you tell a story over a period of time. We have, so far, been used to the idea of watching it like a film,” he shares.
The show brought back Anil Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur onscreen together, after their first collab in the film Malang (2020). Talking about pitting actors from different generations against each other, Modi states, “They have their own specialties and it’s a joy to work with two diverse personalities.”
For the prep, the actors had separate workshops on set, so “it was like a boxing game”. Modi elaborates, “Both of them didn’t know what prep the other has made, so that they are on top of their game and their antennas are up.”
I wanted to take the risk and see what happens if I don’t allow the audience to binge The Night Manager-Sandeep Modi
8:36 AM
Admitting that it was a risk, The Night Manager maker says series was split into two parts so that audience could feel its complexities instead of just bingeing it
Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; June 21, 2023)
Ahead of The Night Manager’s première in February, people assumed that the team would feel pressured about the inevitable comparisons with the popular British original of the same name. But creator-director Sandeep Modi had different concerns. The team of the Disney+ Hotstar series had decided to split the Anil Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapur and Sobhita Dhulipala-starrer into two parts, with the second instalment dropping online months after the première.
“Will people have emotional memory of the show? That was my first question,” recounts Modi.
His second doubt was whether the Indian audience was ready to consume a series at a slow pace, in contrast to the bingeing fashion synonymous with OTT. “Some stories need to be seen in a certain way. This is the story of a man, who has seen the death of a little girl and has succumbed to his powerlessness. He wants to take on the powerful, but that [transition] would require some time to be felt. [Initially], I tried to watch the show in entirety. But after some time, I felt I needed a break to savour it. So, I recommended that we do a weekly episode. The team said that the model wasn’t suitable, and they wanted to split it. I wanted to take the risk and see what happens if I don’t allow the audience to binge it,” he explains.
Evidently, the risk has paid off with viewers awaiting the second part that drops online later this month. Casting Kapur, mostly known for his romantic roles, as a brooding man was another gamble. Modi says the leading man did a month-long workshop to slip into the role.
“Aditya is a hungry actor. Also, his intent with the character was the same as mine. He understood that we were not going to use the 20 standard tropes that an actor develops over his journey. We did a month of workshops to find the character, someone who doesn’t speak much but conveys his intent through his eyes.”
One of the criticisms about the first part was that Dhulipala’s character seemed under-developed. Modi reveals he had pre-empted this response.
“When we decided to split the show, I called Anil Kapoor and Sobhita Dhulipala, and apologized to them. I thought the first four episodes did slight injustice to them. But surprisingly, I got a call from Mahesh Bhatt who asked about Sobhita. He said, ‘Who is this actor? There is a whole story about her silences.’ People praised Anil sir as well.”
Women aren’t trusted enough to handle action, says The Night Manager co-director Priyanka Ghose
8:29 AM
Lamenting that action has long been a male bastion, The Night Manager co-director Priyanka on how she fought stereotyping and detractors to enjoy helming the genre
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; June 16, 2023)
Call it the Hindi film industry’s bias or what you may, but action movies are always associated with men. Which is why Priyanka Ghose co-directing The Night Manager could be viewed as an anomaly by many around her. When we sit down to chat with her ahead of the thriller’s second part dropping online this month, Ghose states matter-of-factly, “[Action offerings] are a male bastion.”
So, when she got the opportunity to helm the Anil Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapur and Sobhita Dhulipala-led action series, she “ran with it”. “Over the years, female directors rarely took up action. It could be a mix of both — a lack of interest from their side, and they are not trusted enough to handle it. I got the opportunity here, and had a lot of fun doing the action extravaganza. There are elaborate set-pieces directed by me. All it takes is one man to trust you, and Sandeep [Modi, showrunner-director] trusted me. He saw value in my interest in the genre,” she says.
However, there were different issues on the ground level. Stunt crews are male-dominated, and Ghose heading them was out of the ordinary. The trick, she says, is to know your job so well that those around start respecting you for what you bring to the table.
“I studied the process of [setting up fight sequences] and understood their technicalities early on in my career. I knew my edit beforehand, I knew how to budget it correctly. At the end of the day, if you know the craft, the technical crew will respect it. Our action director Paramjeet Dhillon has worked with me a lot. But sometimes, there would be a local line producer, who would think, ‘Arre, isey kya pata hoga?’ But I was so thorough with my homework that no matter what they threw on the table, I knew how to solve it.”
Having a woman at the helm benefited the Disney+ Hotstar series, which is an adaptation of the Tom Hiddleston-led British series of the same name, in many ways. A case in point being the depiction of women.
“During the London screening, many studio executives told me that the female characters were stronger in our adaptation than in the original. It was heartwarming to hear that. During the pre-production, we did a lot of back and forth on our female characters. I would keep changing things, saying that women don’t talk like this. I ensured that Lipika [Tillotama Shome’s character] did not come across as a feminist propaganda mouthpiece.”
Her belief was only reaffirmed by Hiddleston who, at the London screening on March 17, couldn’t stop raving about the adaptation. “He spent the evening discussing scenes and asking us how we did a certain sequence. He felt that Aditya was better than him in certain parts.”
So, do we see a crossover soon? “We’re talking of a multiverse set-up. I hope we get enough love to pursue that route.”
People said that making The Night Manager be the end of my career-Sandeep Modi
8:30 AM
Even as many dissuaded him from adapting The Night Manager, creator Modi says the idea of retelling the popular show ‘consumed’ him
Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; February 25, 2023)
You’d think that the Hindi adaptation of The Night Manager would be viewed as a prestige addition to one’s filmography. But Sandeep Modi, who has served as the creator of the Anil Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur-led thriller, remembers being dissuaded by many from taking up the project.
“I got so many calls from people saying, ‘Are you mad? Are you going to remake a classic? Don’t touch it.’ They said it would be the end of my career, which is [taking off] after the success of Aarya’s first season,” begins Modi.
The creator-director couldn’t be happier to have taken the chance on the Disney+ Hotstar series, which has been praised since its release. It is an official adaptation of the 2016 British series of the same name, fronted by Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie. Modi shares that he let go of a movie he was making at the time. “I liked the idea of [retelling] this story, and gave two-and-a-half years of my life to this. I stopped working on the film, and the advertisements I used to make. I got consumed by this tale.”
The spy thriller tells the story of a night manager at a luxury hotel, who is recruited to infiltrate the inner circle of an arms dealer. The pressure of remaking a popular global show can be immense. Modi spent months cracking the crux of the story, and the characters’ motivations. He shares,
“I grew fonder of the tale after the first six months. I enjoyed it more when I realised that it is a universal story. I didn’t need to borrow from Jonathan Pine and Richard Roper [Hiddleston and Laurie’s characters respectively]. These characters are people around me, if I look at them closely. The moment I found out why a guy, who works in a hotel, would turn into a spy, everything came together for me.”
During the two years of lockdown, I decided to take up my first love, acting-Ravi Behl
8:19 AM
Ravi Behl on returning to the screen with The Night Manager and rebooting dance show Boogie Woogie
Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; February 14, 2023)
The hibernation is over. Ravi Behl, who became a household name nine years ago, courtesy his reality talent show Boogie Woogie, is returning to his “first love, acting”. “ It feels like I am back home,” starts off the actor, who will be seen playing the character of Jaiveer Singh in the Disney+ Hotstar series, The Night Manager. The actor says that his return to the screen with the Hindi adaptation of the popular British series of the same name was by chance, not design.
“The credit for my return goes to the lockdown. After Boogie Woogie, I didn’t do anything. During the two years of lockdown, I [decided to] take up my first love, acting,” says Behl, who then reached out to his friends in casting, which led him to the Aditya Roy Kapur, Anil Kapoor, and Sobhita Dhulipala starrer.
Behl shares he was excited to be a part of Sandeep Modi’s adaptation, since he has been an avid viewer of the original series. “Sandeep and I sat for over two hours [discussing the character]. I wanted to understand his vision for Jaiveer Singh, so I purposely didn’t revisit the show,” says the actor, adding that he wanted to give his own spin to the character without being influenced by the original.
In his second innings, Behl aims to pick quality over quantity and is in no rush to take up everything that comes his way. “I have worked too hard in my life to be insecure about anything. [I have] seen the highs and lows; the waves continue. I am calmer now, more chilled out and in a better zone,” he says.
Behl also hints at the revival of the iconic dance reality show, Boogie Woogie. “We guys are still there and are very relevant. You never know what the future holds and if it happens, it will be beautiful. Whether it happens on TV or OTT, that’s a [question for a] later stage.”
Anil Kapoor says his long-delayed Abhinav Bindra biopic with Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor will roll next year
9:40 AM
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; July 15, 2022)
When we catch up with Anil Kapoor, he is neck-deep in the universe of 'Captain', the Indian adaptation of 'The Night Manager' (2016). The actor, 65, also has 'Animal' with Ranbir Kapoor, and 'Fighter' with Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone in the pipeline.
Tell him that’s a busy line-up, and he says he wouldn’t have it any other way. “There are times when you look at someone’s work and admire it. I am looking forward to working with Ranbir and Sandeep [Reddy Vanga, director] as I liked 'Kabir Singh' [2019]. I liked the story that Sandeep narrated to me. It was the same with Siddharth Anand’s 'Fighter', and 'Captain'. 'The Night Manager' has been wonderfully adapted by Sandeep Modi [showrunner-director] and Priyanka Ghose,” says the senior actor.
These three projects may be ambitious, but it’s the fourth offering that has Kapoor consumed. In 2017, he had announced a biopic on Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra, with actor-son Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor playing the rifle shooter. Five years on, the film — adapted from Bindra’s autobiography, A Shot At History: My Obsessive Journey To Olympic Gold And Beyond — has yet to roll. Though rumours were rife that the project has been shelved, the senior actor clears the air.
“Bindra was always happening, but it is a tough film to make. It needs a lot of planning. All good filmmakers work on scripts for years to make them happen. The pre-production work is on in full swing. I plan to start the film by 2023.”
After 'Thar' and 'AK vs AK' (2020), the father-son duo will reunite for the project, with Kapoor senior on double duty as actor-producer. A producer’s job, he says, is the toughest. “Producing is a thankless job. Being a producer’s son, I give a lot of credit to [those in the field].”
Hrithik Roshan to begin shooting for The Night Manager remake in April?
8:48 AM
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; January 22, 2021)
Last August, mid-day had reported that Hrithik Roshan was in talks with Disney+Hotstar to make his digital debut with an official adaptation of The Night Manager (Hrithik to give desi twist to The Night Manager?, Aug 5). Five months on, looks like Roshan — arguably the perfect choice to slip into Tom Hiddleston’s role, courtesy his sex appeal and acting skills — is gearing up for the spy act. It is heard that he will kick off the espionage drama in April, under the supervision of Aarya co-director Sandeep Modi.
A source reveals, “Hrithik is looking at a packed 2021. The production house, Banijay Asia, has charted out a two-month Mumbai schedule for the series. The international stints will naturally have to be held off until the travel restrictions ease.” The source adds that in the second-half of 2021, the actor will reunite with his War [2019] director Siddharth Anand for Fighter. "His co-star Deepika Padukone will wrap up Pathan shoot by then."
mid-day reached out to Roshan’s team, who didn’t respond till press time.
We wish to make five seasons like Penoza, Sushmita Sen-led Aarya co-creator Sandeep Modi
8:03 AM
Encouraged by the thunderous response to Sushmita Sen-led Aarya, co-creator Sandeep Modi reveals team working on subsequent editions referencing its Dutch original
Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; June 29, 2020)
Sushmita Sen could not have asked for a more powerful comeback vehicle than Ram Madhvani's Aarya. The web series, an official adaptation of the Dutch crime drama Penoza, has been widely applauded for its strong performances and deft direction. Even as the team is basking in the appreciation, talks of developing subsequent seasons are underway.Sandeep Modi, who co-directed the Disney+ Hotstar series along with Madhvani and Vinod Rawat, reveals, "We wish to make it across five seasons, like Penoza. We are blessed because it is an adaptation of an [international] show, so we know how the story will be moving forward. The plot points are in our head, and now, it has to be put on paper. Let's hope it gets greenlit soon."
The nine-part thriller traces Sen's character Aarya who is compelled to take over the drug business after her husband is killed. Point out how the narrative seems to have reached its resolution at the end of the season, and the director says they deliberately did not resort to cliff-hangers. "Even though the series continues, we ensured that there was a sense of completion in this season. We did not want to leave the audience hanging."
Adapting a story to a particular milieu comes with its challenges. Modi credits Madhvani for transforming a Dutch show into one that seamlessly fits in Rajasthan. "When Ram had gone to shoot for Satyamev Jayate, he saw a field of flowers and was told it was opium. That's when he thought of setting the story against the backdrop of the opium business. We could have set it anywhere in India, but Rajasthan has an air of royalty that added to the show."
Modi believes Sen elevated the series with her stellar performance. "She is not only a sharp actor, but also has high respect for the written word. She contributed so much to her character with her suggestions," he concludes.
Akshay Kumar makes his Marathi debut as presenter with Swanand Kirkire's Chumbak
8:09 AM
Actor is gearing up to present, co-produce writer, lyricist, actor Swanand Kirkire’s upcoming film
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 12, 2018)
Akshay Kumar has come on board as presenter for the Marathi film Chumbak that has writer, singer, actor and lyricist Swanand Kirkire in the lead role. Akshay’s production house is also co-producing the film. The duo had earlier collaborated on R Balki’s Pad Man.
Speaking about the development, an excited Kirkire told Mirror, “It was a coincidence that I co-wrote Padman with R Balki (Akshay had played the lead and also produced the film). The producer of our Marathi film, Naren Kumar, was the executive producer on another Akshay starrer, Jolly LLB, and happened to show our film to him. Akshay oved it. As soon as I finished Pad Man, I started shooting for Chumbak and had no idea we would be collaborating again so soon. It’s great that Akshay is lending his name to the film.”
He asserts that a Bollywood star coming on board gives regional films a boost. “The film gets validation. Marathi cinema is content-based so Hindi film actors feel proud to associate with them,” he reasons.
The lyricist-actor shoots down rumours that Akshay is making a special appearance. “No, he is not acting in the film. It’s the journey of a child and a 45-year-old man played by me. We are introducing two new actors — Sahil Jadhav and Sangram Desai,” Kirkire signs off.
----------------------------------------
Chumbak director Sandeep Modi on why the superstar agreed to present his Marathi film
Soumya Vajpayee Tiwari (MID-DAY; June 12, 2018)
Swanand Kirkire-starrer Marathi film, Chumbak, has caught Akshay Kumar's attention. The star tweeted a video yesterday, stating that he will present the film. Director Sandeep Modi says that the script appealed to the superstar.
"Akshay sir stands for cinema that is content driven and rooted, yet entertaining. He has never given his name to a film before. After watching Chumbak, he was moved and said that he wanted to have the film under his name, and not his company's," says Modi, who believes that Akshay Kumar's association will boost the film's box-office performance. "I'm sure when people realise the trust Akshay sir has on the film, they will watch it."
Chumbak hits theatres on July 27 and is a story of friendship between a restaurant waiter and a village simpleton. Getting Kumar on board wasn't a tough nut to crack for the makers. "Swanand worked with Akshay sir in Pad Man (2018), and our producer, Naren, had worked with him on Jolly LLB 2 (2017). So, he was aware of Chumbak when we met. Akshay sir is a man of few words, but when he watched the film, he was moved. Over the next few days, he organized a screening for his school friends and Marathi teachers. During the screening he told us that he wanted to present the film so that it reaches all cinema lovers."In the video, Kumar says, "Few days ago, I saw a movie which has been etched in my mind. I do not know what made this film stick in my mind."
Came across something very honest and pure...it has been stuck in my head like Chumbak, thought of sharing it with you all. हे पहा, मला तुमचा फक्त एक मिनिट हवा आहे. @ChumbakTheFilm @SwanandKirkire #ChumbakTheFilm pic.twitter.com/YIykGeuZ0m— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) June 11, 2018
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)