Casting director Seher Aly Latif, known for her work on films like 'The Lunchbox' and 'Durgamati', passed away yesterday due to a cardiac arrest, her associate and director Neeraj Udhwani said. She was in her early 40s. The co-founder of independent production company Mutant Films, Latif backed the Netflix series 'Bhaag Beanie Bhaag', starring Swara Bhasker, and 'Maska', a film for the streaming service, which featured Manisha Koirala.

Udhwani, who directed 'Maska,' said Latif was admitted to Lilavati Hospital eight days ago due to kidney failure. “There was some infection, which caused renal failure. She was admitted last weekend. She was on antibiotics and was recovering. But today she suffered a cardiac arrest and suddenly it was all over,” the filmmaker said.

Latif was known for her extensive work as a casting director on projects like mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan’s biopic, The Man Who Knew Infinity, starring Dev Patel, filmmaker Gurinder Chadha’s period film Viceroy’s House and Bhumi Pednekar-fronted drama feature Durgamati.

She was the Indian casting associate for acclaimed international projects like Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty, Julia Roberts-starrer Eat Pray Love, the Netflix series Sense8, season four of the Showtime espionage thriller Homeland and the BBC One/AMC series, McMafia. 

- Latif was attached as the executive producer on films like Shakuntala Devi, starring Vidya Balan, and Akshay Kumar’s Gold.

- Some of her international credits include Dev Patel-starrer The Man Who Knew Infinity, and Eat Pray Love, Furious 7, Viceroy’s House, McMafia and Sense 8, in which she served as the Indian casting associate. 

- Irrfan Khan-starrer The Lunchbox, and Dia Mirza’s Kaafir, were other offering that Latif worked on.

- Maska, starring Manisha Koirala and Nikita Dutta, is among the Netflix projects she was associated with.

- One of the kindest, most loving people Mumbai gifted my life with. Still trying to process this unreal news. Travel on into the light, my dearest, sweetest, Seher. The unpredictable, ghastly shortness of life remains baffling - Nimrat Kaur, actor

- I don’t believe it. Unfair parting with a kind soul and real friend. I hope there is another side - Ritesh Batra, filmmaker

- The heaven will be blessed with your mushy hugs and infectious smile. Still can’t fathom this though. - Nikita Dutta, actor

- Her default expression was a smile. You would always find her smiling. She was one of the nicest, kindest people I ever met. - Neeraj Udhwani, director

Ballsy Vidya Balan on Bollywood and the walk longer than Chembur to Juhu, or Nariman Point to Bandra!
Mayank Shekhar (MID-DAY; August 29, 2020)

There's Sahir's 'Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaaye toh kya hai' kinda quality to the last time actor Vidya Balan felt her thoughts on her professional life totally turn around. On the Sunday after the release of her film Hamari Adhuri Kahani (2015), directed by Mohit Suri — who she says she couldn't "gel with, in an actor-director relationship" — producer Mahesh Bhatt called to say that the film had pretty much tanked in theatres.

This, after a series of back-to-back commercial duds — Bobby Jasoos (2014), the outcome of which had disappointed her the most; Shaadi Ke Side Effects (2014); Ghanchakkar (2013). Unsure of what to do, Balan's husband, producer Siddharth Roy Kapur — a non-believer himself — simply drove her down to the Sai Baba temple in Chembur. Where she just wailed non-stop, totally out of breath. She knew something needed to change about her life.

The penny dropped. "I realised I'd begun to focus too much on numbers. That stress had taken the joy away from what I do — that I like, and enjoy so much!" I didn't ask the exact lane the said Sai Baba temple is in. Which Balan says she used to visit every day of her growing up in Mumbai's eastern suburb.

Glad she brought up Chembur though. For that's where I'm chatting with her (on video) from. She's at her husband's office in Khar, which is also the neighbourhood her parents moved to, while she lives in Juhu. These are heartwarming coordinates for Bombayites, among whom she remains still the 'Chembur girl'.

The now popular term 'outsider' refers to first-generation professionals in the film industry. And they're in huge numbers — lead actors aren't all there is to the movies. Still, there are in fact far fewer 'insiders' of Bombay, who are but outsiders to Bollywood, than you'd imagine. Despite the unmatchable geographical/real-estate head-start.

Especially among heroes, if you may. Even Govinda, the 'Virar ka chokra', is a producer's son. Off-hand one mainstream Bollywood hero from Bombay, but with no family connections to films, I can think of, is Balan's super-hit Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007) co-star, Akshay Kumar, who grew up in Sion, quite close to Chembur: "Shilpa [Shetty] was three years my senior in school [St Anthony's], although I didn't know her personally then," Balan points out.

"But it's such a valid observation, I wonder why," she asks, as an answer. "There are various levels of being an insider-outsider, in any case. This debate has left me confused. It's different for different people, right? Also family/financial support makes it easier, if you are not operating from a space of survival. Think it's about how hard you're willing to work, once you get that break. And even how much you're willing to wait out for that break!"

Speaking of which, one of the instant inspirations/reasons to invite Balan over for this edition of Sit with Hitlist was in fact music composer Shantanu Moitra, who recently spoke at length on the reality show Times Of Music, about how Balan had auditioned 75 times for her debut film Parineeta (2005). It was while she was in the front row of a Bryan Adams concert that producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra finally called to say she was on.

Hearing it from the horse's mouth, Bryan Adams has turned into Enrique Iglesias. The number 75, Balan feels, is way off the mark. But yes, Iglesias was playing her favourite track Hero. Chopra insisted she step out of the venue to take her call. She heard the sweetest music to her ears, "You're my Parineeta." Up until then, Chopra had wanted Aishwarya Rai for the part: "He was putting in a lot of money, I was a newcomer, and the film was called Parineeta [after the female protagonist] for God's sake!"

She only has to thank, first, the persistence of her ad filmmaker-mentor Pradeep Sarkar (Dada), who had written the role, based on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel, keeping Balan in mind. She'd performed in a series of Sarkar's ad films, plus music videos, starting with Euphoria's Kabhi aana tu meri gully.

She had even assisted him on a Fanta commercial, with Rani Mukerji in it, and where she "learnt nothing on the set". Because the crew, knowing that she was Sarkar's future leading-lady, was too busy taking care of her instead!

"Before my last test for Parineeta, I went to Dada, and said whatever happens, this is also your first [feature] film —just make it with or without me. His wife was there. He looked at her and said, 'Tell her something, tu kya keh rahi hai?' He had more belief in me than I had in myself." Evidently, beyond talent, you need somebody to appreciate it, and offer you a job, basically —just as it takes a village to make both a film, and a star.

Having not formally trained in acting per se, Balan credits Naseeruddin Shah, for instance, for texting her during the shoot of Milan Luthria's The Dirty Picture (2011) that she learn to leave behind her character on set, before heading home. The film remains still her most iconic, and that took everything out of her. Kahaani (2012), in comparison, she suggests, was a breeze, because she had all along been part of the writing process as a sounding-board for director Sujoy Ghosh.

The Dirty Picture, inspired by the life of south siren Silk Smitha, is also iconic because of the line, 'Filmein sirf teen cheezon ki wajah se chalti hain: Entertainment, entertainment, entertainment. Aur main entertainment hoon!" It's an obvious take on hotelier Conrad Hilton's famous quote about three things you need to run a successful hotel: Location, location, location!

"Now, it is my introduction at every event I go to. I had no idea it would become so popular. There were other lines that I thought would. It's all in Rajat Arora's [dialogue] writing." The one I love from one of her films the most though, while not her dialogue, is the tag-line, "Tumhara ishq, ishq; aur hamara ishq, sex?"

Apparently actor Shiney Ahuja had responded with these words after being narrated Ishqiya's script by director Abhishek Chaubey. It stuck. Arshad Warsi finally played the part — vying with uncle (Naseer) for Balan's attention: "I was just amazed by how Arshad mouths a lot of throwaway lines, like it just came out of his head! That's the beauty of his delivery."

Yet, so far as shock value of a film is concerned, towering over The Dirty Picture might well be Paa (2009), with Balan playing Amitabh Bachchan's mom: "[Before shoot] I kept chewing [director] Balki's brains to set up a reading with Mr Bachchan. Mother and son have a very physically comfortable relationship. I just can't hit him on the head, or instinctively pull his cheeks. You normally do that with a child. He is Amitabh Bachchan! We were shooting from Monday. Balki called me to Mr Bachchan's house for a look-test on Friday — to be [finally] followed by a reading. Abhishek [Bachchan, who plays the husband] and I were ready with our costumes, waiting for Mr Bachchan to emerge from the make-up room. When he came out, I told Balki, I don't need a reading. I saw a 13-year-old Auro. Something happened. I'm getting that same feeling [recalling the moment]!"

And these are generally the instinctive/immersive moments that Balan has managed to create, movie after movie. The last time we saw her on screen was as the math wiz Shakuntala Devi. The film had to drop online — instead of releasing in theatres — due to the pandemic. Her film before that Mission Mangal (2019), with a female ensemble cast, plus Akshay Kumar, had her headlining the act — surpassing Rs 200 crore, touching Rs 300 crore, at the box-office.

By all accounts, Shakuntala Devi was equally well-received on Amazon Prime, although nobody knows its viewership figure. Personally, what's the difference that she's discovered between success online, and in theatres?

She says, "The reactions come staggered — well after the date [the film drops]. With movies in theatres, after the first weekend, all conversations are centred on numbers. Also, unlike with Mission Mangal, where my character was fictionalised, Shakuntala Devi was a real person. And so, people read more and more about her, and kept getting back with responses."

To pick a few, I cite mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik, who argued in his mid-day column that Shakuntala Devi's husband actually being gay was conveniently/unfortunately touted as hoax in the film. Balan gently counters, "Shakuntala Devi's daughter [from whose perspective the film has been written, and who partnered on the project] has been very transparent talking about her mother. Why wouldn't she do the same with her father?"

Some people who'd actually met Shakuntala Devi had found her to be reserved, even if witty; rather than boisterous as Balan played the part in the picture: "Maybe they met her at a time when she was not very boisterous for whatever reasons. Maybe she was going through something, I don't know."

Also, there was a phony element of contestable astrology/numerology mixed with her skill with numbers that the film hardly touched upon — let alone debated — from Shakuntala Devi's life: "It is a two-hour film. We wanted to definitely focus on the maths, which is what got her worldwide recognition. The politics, astrology and all of that came much later in her life."

To be fair to Balan, who's not the film's writer, but as she puts it, "People will have various opinions, especially because it is a real person that we're talking about. And I respect that. But then, it would have been a different film. This is the film we chose to make!" Point taken. Possibly applies to a lot of arguments around biopics, actually.

Where Shakuntala Devi does follow a seamless narrative — a natural extension of sorts — is actually in Balan's own current filmography — if you also consider Tumhari Sulu (2017), right before Mission Mangal. What's common to these films — besides feminist subjects — are the roles of almost impossibly secure and sweet men by her side. Whether it's Shakuntala's husband Paritosh (Jisshu Sengupta), Tara's Sunil (Sanjay Kapoor) or Sulu's Ashok (Manav Kaul). There seems to be a feminist film in the Balan mould, developing into a sub-genre of its own. Or too soon to tell? "I think that is my world view. The men in my life have been the same. They have just accepted me and the women around for who they are. I feel that's where it comes from."

Really? No jerk boyfriends, ever? "Yeah, well, it's literally a rite of passage. Unless you go through… I'm trying not to use harsh rude words here. But you know, you have to sift through life to get the real deal!"

Maybe I'm just trying to locate/shame some douches of Chembur she grew up with! Or let's go back to my current Auro-like obsession: Why aren't there so many Bombay-born/bred superstars from outside Bollywood families? Could it be that Bambaiya Hindi is no good? Compare, say, Cyrus Broacha to Nawazuddin Siddiqui in a Hindi picture, if you may (no knock; just kidding Cyrus!).

Balan laughs. In her case, because she was clear she wanted to be an actor from a young age, she made sure her Hindi was perfect: "My parents have an accent, I don't." Besides, she can speak fluent Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Urdu, Bengali, English… What language does she think in? "In English. But on the set, at work, it's weird — only Hindi. I recently did a Telugu film (the NTR biopic), and I had to keep translating Telugu into Hindi in my head first."

If it wasn't for a string of bad luck, which ironically led her thereafter to be considered jinxed — having debuted opposite Mohanlal, and with around multiple Malayalam films signed up, on that account alone, Balan was once all set to kick off her career, between 2000-03, as a South Indian star. The Mohanlal movie, after being extensively shot, got shelved. All other producers backed off.

In the Tamil industry, Balan had been signed up by veteran K Balachander for two films. Subsequently, dropped from both. There were two other films that she got replaced from, after having shot for their first schedules. She also walked out of another, realising on the set, that it was a sex-comedy: "I got sued at 22!"

It reached a point that her parents landed up in Chennai at the office of one of the producers who had fired her. He simply remarked: "Just look at her; does she look like a heroine?" "For six months, I didn't look into the mirror. Broken, I once walked in the scorching heat from Nariman Point to Bandra, like a [revelatory] scene in a film — just to clear my head." That's 18 kilometres straight.

She did travel a much further distance, only few years later though. After Rajkumar Hirani's Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006), she bumped into the same 'look at her face' producer at the airport, who right away offered her a film [opposite Kamal Haasan]. "I said sure, speak to my manager!" Kamal Haasan called later. She couldn't do the film: "My father felt a great sense of vindication. They've brought us up to feel the world's fair."

It rarely is. It also depends on how you look at it. Behind all the 'Miss Congeniality' exterior, if you observe her 15 years as a movie star, Balan comes across as one of the ballsiest in Bollywood. And yet never making a lamenting event of herself — almost disarmingly turning on its head the simplistic grammar/binary of victim and oppressor.

She's had a fair share of trolling — mainly body-shaming, style-policing online, and in the mainline press — a reason, I'm told, she rarely reads anything about herself. Whether any of this targeting has to do with groupism/favouritism, it's essential that this bullying aspect of the profession is being brought to light. As it has been, lately.

That's one of the reasons an old video-clip of her at a film-award show, being called out by hosts Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, for her tacky costume in the film Heyy Babyy (2007), started doing the rounds online. She looks visibly pissed in that moment. Such shows are typically scripted with celebs in the audience told in advance about what to expect for an impromptu engagement/act. Not the case?

"I'm a sport, and I was fine with it actually. But when I went there, I realised there were a couple of other contenders [for the worst dressed] award as well. They said they couldn't give it to them, because so-and-so, and the people around them, will get upset. I felt cheated and angry. I thought, now, that is a clear case of — and it didn't occur to me then, because I don't look at the world through that prism… I don't know, what is it called, nepotism?" Balan laughs.

We ask experts about the feasibility of OTT-to-theatre releases
Rishabh Suri (HINDUSTAN TIMES; August 27, 2020)

When will theatres reopen is the big question on everyone’s mind in the film industry. Shoots have resumed, actors are ready, but what about the venue that showcases their work? Many filmmakers have opted to release their ready films on OTT platforms instead — Gulabo Sitabo, Shakuntala Devi, Gunjan Saxena - The Kargil Girl, to name a few. While speculation is rife that September might see theatres getting back to business, makers are likely to remain apprehensive about theatrical releases, considering the audience might be scared to venture out. Could these OTT releases be used again to test waters?

Divided opinions
Shibasish Sarkar, CEO, Reliance Entertainment, says it depends on the choice of the platforms. “When a producer has sold the rights of his movies, they lie with the OTT platforms. If they want to release, they may... Unless it’s not in the contract, it’s not the producer’s choice,” he tells us.

Earlier this year, Baaghi 3 had just released when the Coronavirus outbreak hit the country and theatres had to be closed. Actor Tiger Shroff had told us then that they were hoping to come back to theatres, even after it came on an OTT platform. “The bigger picture is the safety of people... Let’s see once the situation settles; perhaps we may re-release,” he had said.

Meanwhile, producer Anand Pandit, who has decided to release his film The Big Bull on OTT, says he is up for re-release of such films theatrically. “Why not? It depends on the contract you have, and also whether it’s viable... But you have to do your analysis. If your films is more B- and C- centric, single screen type, then it is a good thing to consider; they might not have seen it on OTT,” he reasons, adding, “Producers could also buy back the rights, but not at the same price.”

Director Tigmanshu Dhulia, whose film Yaara released directly on a digital platform recently, says chances look slim. “It depends on when theatres will open, and how much content is there to exhibit... There might be some chance of these OTT films releasing, but it’s slim. So much money will have to be put on marketing,” he says.

Theatre owners, on the other hand, are apprehensive if OTT-to-theatre releases would work. Manoj Desai, executive director of G7 Multiplex and Maratha Mandir cinema, Mumbai, says, “If people are getting to watch films in their bedrooms, why would they come to theatres? The public won’t come to theatres in the beginning when theatres reopen as everyone is scared. Also, we don’t know what kind of [social distancing] guidelines we’d get, like seat people keeping one vacant in between. How will a couple sit? They would prefer to watch it comfortably on digital... I have three theatres with a capacity for 1,000 people; it will come down to 450. How will I accommodate everyone? I will have to incur charges on air conditioning and maintenance, too.”

As stay-at-home period runs into its sixth month, viewership tracking firm reveals Dil Bechara, Special Ops have emerged most popular film and show
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; August 26, 2020)

In a domino effect of sorts, the Coronavirus lockdown caused a shift in the entertainment consumption patterns of the Indian population. A country that has had more than its fill of dramas about shape-shifting serpents and family feuds turned to digital entertainment, thus discovering the grim journey of Hathoda Tyagi or rooting for Sushmita Sen as the unlikely queen of a drug cartel. As we enter the sixth month of lockdown, it is only fitting to determine which series and direct-to-web releases grabbed maximum eyeballs and dominated the mainstream consciousness.

Refusing to divulge numbers, Shailesh Kapoor, CEO, Ormax Media, reveals that direct-to-web releases, though a recent phenomenon in the Hindi film industry, found an eager audience. "Dil Bechara has been the top film by a wide margin, followed by Gulabo Sitabo, Extraction, Shakuntala Devi and Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, in that order. These are based on estimates," he says. The results are arrived at basis the social media buzz generated by each offering, its reach and appeal.

Even as Paatal Lok captured the imagination of the country post its May 15 release and Jitendra Kumar sealed his position as an Internet star with the endearing Panchayat, Kapoor reveals that it is, in fact, an espionage thriller that tops the list of the most-watched Indian web series. "Disney+ Hotstar's Special Ops fared the best. Amazon Prime's Paatal Lok comes second, followed by Voot Select's Asur." Amazon Prime's Panchayat and Disney+ Hotstar's Aarya round off the top five shows.

He observes that TV consumption increased by 40 per cent during the lockdown, with viewers tuning in to news on a daily basis. The top five television offerings between April and June, when old shows were being rerun, were Ramayan (Doordarshan), Mahabharat (Doordarshan), Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah (Sony SAB), Mahabharat (Star Plus) and Shri Krishna (DD). "With fresh episodes being aired from July, Kundali Bhagya has become the most-watched show followed by Taarak Mehta..., Anupamaa, The Kapil Sharma Show and India's Best Dancer."

Raat Akeli Hai and Shakuntala Devi's background score composer, Karan Kulkarni says to do what he does, you need to love movies as much as music
Aastha Atray Banan (MID-DAY; August 2, 2020)

"Making background scores… it all happened by accident," says Karan Kulkarni. A fortunate accident it would seem, because Kulkarni is the man behind the scores for Abhishek Bachchan-starrer Breathe -  Into The Shadows, and now, Amazon Prime's upcoming film Shakuntala Devi and Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai. Both released this Friday. The Punekar, who moved to Mumbai to make it as a musician, tells us why he shifted tracks.

"I would have liked to do songs, and I have done many, but things are so controlled in the Bollywood music industry, that only a few directors manage to get their songs into movies. So here, I am, doing background music," he laughs, adding, "I guess, it's best to adapt."

Since Kulkarni moved to Mumbai nine years ago, he has given music for a short film directed by Vasan Bala. This was after he returned from Australia where he signed up for a music production course. He then started assisting music director Amit Trivedi, but it was with Bala's Peddlers in 2012 that his career truly kicked off. "That movie never released, but it gave me the chance to do something. Then I did Aligarh and Shahid, and it all took off from there."

He also may have been well accustomed to the wily ways of the music industry, and thus, started composing jingles for brands like Amazon and Flipkart. "I did Tumhari Sulu and Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota, but as I said, it's all very controlled here—how much work a person actually gets [depends on other forces]. Web series have opened up the floor, and the bar is raised high, since you are competing with the best in the world. For example, Stranger Things, which has a great background score, is available to watch on the same platform as my work," says the 34-year-old.

Ask him what makes a music composer different from one who makes background scores, and his answer is deceptively simple. "You need to love movies! Otherwise, how will you know what fits with what? You also need to be able to tell a story through music—and be aware that change is constant, as emotions keep changing. So your music has to based on what's happening on the screen."

Keeping this in mind, Kulkarni's score for Breathe is more "psychological", with character themes for everyone. For Raat Akeli Hai, which is a murder mystery starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Radhika Apte, the music had to be darker. "For Shakuntala Devi, everything was more upbeat and positive. There is a certain brightness to it."

Personally, Kulkarni is inspired by music that is technology-driven, so composers like Trent Reznor are high on his listen list. After all, who can forget the brilliant score Reznor gave for Social Network, where the piano melody harbours the power to give rise to an emotion. And Kulkarni has made good use of technology this Coronavirus lockdown. He and his team completed the full score for Shakuntala Devi in four months of lockdown, sometimes going to a studio, but mostly working out of their bedrooms. "It was quite tricky, but we managed. We exchanged samples, and put it all together. It has been a lesson."

Here on, Kulkarni has decided to take on less work. "There are a few projects that have come up, but I am going to take it slow. I am utilising this time to study. I am practising guitar, and also working on the tabla, which is a brand new instrument for me. After a very long time, I am a student again, and I am completely enjoying it."

Directors feel a film on a true story shouldn’t over-dramatise real incidents
Juhi Chakraborty (HINDUSTAN TIMES; August 18, 2020)

The recently released web-only film Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl courted controversy after the Indian Air Force (IAF) objected to the portrayal of its work culture in it. They said that in a bid to glorify the screen character of ex-Flight Lt Gunjan Saxena, the film “presented some situations that are misleading and portray an inappropriate work culture, especially against women in the IAF”. Another recent project, Shakuntala Devi, too drew criticism about how the over-the-top drama overshadowed the brilliance of the legendary mathematician.

Thus arises the question that when it comes to real-life stories and biopics, how much creative liberty should a director or writer take?

Tigmanshu Dhulia, who helmed the biopic Paan Singh Tomar (2012), says it’s subjective, adding it should be fine as long as one is not deviating or changing history. “If a film is on a person or an event which not many know of, then I could take a lot of liberties because nobody knows about that person. But fictional elements should be minimal. You may fictionalise a private moment, but beyond that one should not, as then it becomes unethical,” he says.

Lamenting how Bollywood films, which claim to be on real life, lack research, director Ananth Mahadevan says many get carried away. “I took the pain to do so much research when I made films such as Gour Hari Dastaan (2015) and Mee Sindhutai Sapkal (2010). Bollywood directors somehow feel it is okay and well within their rights to romanticise the subjects they pick up, whether it is a sportsperson or an Air Force pilot or mathematician,” he says, adding, “They feel it’s alright to go over-the-top and over-dramatise situations. They don’t care if something is authentic, they think creative liberties can be stretched.”

No stranger to dealing with real-life stories, the man behind films such as Shahid (2013), Aligarh (2015) and Omerta (2018), Hansal Mehta says, “When you make a true life story it is about the intent of the filmmaker. It should be to actually tell a story and to let the world know of the person in a better way.”

Filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar says there are two types of films, one inspired by real stories which can be fully fictionalised, and others completely based on reality which go on to become biopics. “I think as a filmmaker what is important is to have that clarity of thought. If you dabble in something in hardcore reality, I think you need to be 100% authentic to the story. If you are making something loosely based [on real life] then, as a writer and director, you can take the liberty of making a film which has combination of fact and fiction,” he says.

Echoing the sentiment, director Vivek Agnihotri says while there is no written rule about how much is too much when it comes to creative liberty, there is some restraint one should show while recreating a real-life story. “One can take leeway as long as it does not tamper with the original story. A bit of tweaking is fine with dialogue and scenes, but it should be in tune with reality,” he shares.

We figure out whether OTT platforms are overshadowing production houses on their own projects, and how much of it is fair
Juhi Chakraborty (HINDUSTAN TIMES; August 12, 2020)

The Coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent shutdown of theatres have resulted into a beeline of films releasing on OTT platforms. And even before this present crisis, several films that were released on OTTs were either tagged as their presentations or called originals. This brings us to the question whether a project’s creative team takes a back seat when a film releases on an OTT? Has it become now more about the platforms and less about the films?

Ajit Andhare, Chief Operating Officer Viacom18 Studios, whose digital content brand- Tipping Point, has produced a number of ‘originals’, says from a makers perspective, you would want due credit being given.

“Not just on platforms but also on various marketing collaterals such as the trailer, posters, the visible assets that you have created. The platforms will argue they are building their ‘original’ branding. The idea is to place it in front of consumers as what the platform is offering. That’s the lens through which they look at it. I think we should find a way of co-existing because I don’t think by giving credit to makers you’re taking away anything from the platform. I think proper representation of that collaboration is the responsibility of people in control of these decisions,” he shares

There is a way one can deal with this, feels Siddharth Anand Kumar, Vice President - Films & Events at Saregama India Ltd which owns Yoddlee Films, whose recent productions Axone and Chaman Bahaar released on an OTT platform.

“The onus of building a brand is on us. Of course, when a film releases on OTT, the platform does its own marketing and a production house does its own marketing, so that should not stop. If a producer does not drive for his brand for an OTT release then they are being myopic and they will get wiped out. They won’t be able to sustain,” Kumar muses.

A lot of actors’ films, originally meant for theatres, made its way to the OTTs in the last few months. Actor Kunal Kemmu, whose film Lootcase skipped theatrical release, says that it is too early to say whether OTTs are indeed overshadowing films.

“There are certain films that are made for platforms and they are going to be part of the platform’s creative content, while there are now films which are acquisitions of OTTs. So, it remains to be seen what happens when we get out of the current situation,” the actor says.

Producer Anand Pandit feels that there is no question of a producer ever taking a backseat when it comes to their films. “There are two aspects to this — from a creative ownership point of view, from the time a project is conceived till the time it releases and even after, it remains the producer and team’s creative product. That never changes. The other aspect is the success of the film — for box office or OTT the one thing that assures eyeballs is awareness and recall,” he says, adding that for OTT since there are no ticket sales, word-of-mouth factor is huge and so is awareness, therefore one has to remain involved at every point.

The makers of recently OTT released film, Shakuntala Devi feel that there is no point cribbing about it as it is a win-win for both parties. “I mean we don’t see a problem with it. We are releasing a film on an OTT, it still remains our film. As a platform which is taking the film forward to the audiences, they will have some right over the film,” says Vikram Malhotra, CEO of Abundantia Entertainment.

With Avrodh depicting the 2016 surgical strikes, Amit Sadh says he is unfazed by comparisons with Vicky Kaushal's Uri
Letty Mariam Abraham (MID-DAY; August 4, 2020)

It has been a busy month for Amit Sadh. After Breathe -  Into The Shadows, the actor had three more releases — Shakuntala Devi, Yaara and Avrodh: The Siege Within — all in a span of four weeks. "When I didn't have work, people complained that they don't get to see me. So, I'm sure my fans will be thrilled to see my work back-to-back. All I did was to submit to the masterplan that the universe had for me," grins the actor.

His latest series on Sony LIV, Avrodh, a retelling of the 2016 surgical strikes, is based on a chapter from Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh's book, India's Most Fearless. The nine-part series, which was conceptualised after eight months of research, was ready since late last year. "I was offered this role when I was lean and weighed about 72 kilos, and was filming my cameo in Super 30. The director [Raj Acharya] gave me pictures of men in Special Forces who had big builds. That is when I took the challenge [of bulking up]. My brother, who is in the Indian Army, introduced me to someone in the Special Force units. Their training protocol, manner of functioning, orders and responses are quite different from regular armed forces."

Before facing the camera as a Special Force officer, Sadh read India's Most Fearless as part of his prep. "I have read both their books [in the series]. Their research in the books has been accepted by the army chief, and several others in the armed forces." The actor reveals arrangements are underway for a screening of the series for the army personnel.

The 2016 Uri attacks has already been depicted on the big screen with the much acclaimed Uri: The Surgical Strikes. Comparisons with the Vicky Kaushal-starrer do not bother Sadh. "I am like Arjun with my eyes trained on the target. We didn't make Avrodh keeping such comparisons in mind. Uri was a great film and I am a fan of Vicky's work. I will be thrilled if Vicky watches the series," he says.

While Abhishek Bachchan-fronted Breathe 2 has its share of fans, the series was panned by critics for its contrived storytelling. Says Sadh, "I have only read the audience's reviews, and they have loved it. I only consider the views expressed by the audience, my director, and the studio. With due respect, I will not [pay heed] to criticism by five people, who are doing the job of giving star ratings. I prefer to know whether my fans liked my work or not."

Playing Anupama Banerji in Shakuntala Devi, Sanya Malhotra discusses bringing the unusual mother-daughter relationship to screen
Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; August 1, 2020)

With Shakuntala Devi, director Anu Menon introduced us to the woman who had a way with numbers. But where she has celebrated Devi's achievements in the field of math, the director has also deftly showcased the protagonist's difficult relationship with daughter Anupama Banerji. Sanya Malhotra, who plays Banerji in the Vidya Balan-led film, says she was fascinated by the unconventional mother-daughter relationship.

"I was excited to understand her psyche because she must have gone through various experiences as she grew up with a famous mother. As a child, she used to often travel with her mother to the shows. I was intrigued by those years and how she rationalised it all. Anu helped me in prepping for the character; we developed a backstory to her. I also met my friends who shared a similar relationship with their mother," says the actor. Malhotra, who traded her signature curls for fringes, believes the styling and make-up brought her closer to inhabiting her character.

In her first collaboration with Balan, the actor notes that they wonderfully fed off each other's creative energies, thus bringing a spontaneous quality to the mother-daughter equation. "Initially, I was nervous about sharing screen space with Vidya. But the nervousness disappeared on the first day of shoot; she is a brilliant co-actor who has the ability to ground you with her energy."