Showing posts with label Shashi Tharoor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shashi Tharoor. Show all posts
I love being known as Ananya’s dad or Bhavana’s husband-Chunky Panday
8:41 AM
Iti Shree Misra (BOMBAY TIMES; September 9, 2025)
From his unforgettable comic timing as Aakhri Pasta in Housefull to early hits like Tezaab, Apna Sapna Money Money and Aankhen, Chunky Panday has carved a niche in Hindi cinema with a career that has seen many turns. In Manali shooting for his upcoming film Rahu Ketu sometime back, Chunky, in an exclusive conversation with us, talked about his new project, a long-lost film that never released, his experience working on The Royals, and watching the women in his life, wife Bhavana and daughter Ananya steal the spotlight in their own ways.
‘My first film shot in Manali, based on Shashi Tharoor’s book, never got released’
Chunky spent considerable time shooting in Manali in the early monsoon for his new film Rahu Ketu. Telling us about his time spent there, the actor said that this was his second film shoot in Manali, the first one never being released.
“I came back to Manali after ages to shoot. I had done a film here 35 years ago, and I was so excited to come back here for this film. That film, based on a novel by Shashi Tharoor called Bollywood: Show Business, never released,” recalled the 62 year-old actor.
The actor also shared his experience of shooting Rahu Ketu in Manali. “Manali is beautiful, I’d love to come here in winters when it snows. The weather was perfect then in June-July. It was crowded at that time, but very beautiful. It is sad to see how badly it is affected due to floods. I hope and pray that people there are safe. They were so good to us when we were there.”
‘In Paris, a group of tourists asked me to click a picture of them with Bhavna!’
Lately, Chunky has been happily soaking in the success of the women in his life. Speaking of his wife Bhavana, who found fame after her stint in Fabulous Lives Of Bollywood Wives, he shared, “I was with Bhavana in Paris after the show released. A group foreigners stopped and wanted a photo with her. They were so excited to see her and actually handed me the camera to take a picture of them with her. I was so happy seeing that fandom for her and thought to myself that ‘this is like the ultimate moment’.”
“First I was Chunky Panday, then I became Ananya’s dad and now I’m known as Bhavana’s husband. So I’m loving it. I think I’m enjoying Ananya’s success and whatever success Bhavana is getting now more than I’ve enjoyed my own success. When I was successful, I was too busy working to enjoy it. But this is something I really enjoy. I love being known as Ananya’s father or Bhavana’s husband, it makes me so proud of these women in my life, who have an identity of their own,” said the Don actor.
‘Ananya’s tribute stunned me’
Speaking of a cherished moment that came from a tribute and not a trophy, the actor shared one of the most emotional moments during an awards function in Mumbai. “The whole theme was fan moments where actors paid tribute to someone they had always admired. Ananya came on stage, did a little number and said she wanted to pay tribute to someone who always made her laugh. I whispered to Bhavana that she’s probably going to call out SRK’s name. But she started the segment with a Neelam song, and I thought maybe it’s for Neelam. But then, she broke into my songs one after the other. I was just stunned with the realization that my daughter was paying a tribute to me,” said the actor.
‘I love to be stereotyped’
Seen in the web show The Royals, Chunky again portrayed a flirtatious comic character, one which he has often portrayed on screen. When asked if he views being typecast as limiting he said, “On the contrary, I love to be stereotyped! I’m flattered, in fact. Yes, there definitely is a comfort in playing roles that one can master well. However, I felt so nice doing The Royals. I felt like a star doing it..”
He went on to add, “When I did the character Aakhri Pasta in Housefull, everyone just wanted me to do similar roles. Similarly, when I had done a Nepali character, many people wanted to cast me as a Nepali in their film. It’s very flattering when that one thing clicks. But, I always try to break the image and give a little different taste to the audience. And that’s why in Rahu Ketu, I’m playing a villain.”
Ask if he would change anything about his career trajectory if given a chance, the Tezaab actor shared, “If I went and changed the course of my career, maybe the chances were I would not meet Bhavana, and the chances are that Ananya and Rysa wouldn’t be born. So, I would not want to change anything in my life,” he said.
‘I was a very last-moment addition to The Royals’
“I was a very last-moment addition to The Royals. They called me up and asked me two things: ‘are these dates available? And do you know horse-riding?’ And I lied about both,” he chuckled. “I was a horse rider in my first film. But it had been almost 40 years since I got onto a horse. And here I had to play polo with Ishaan Khatter, who had been practicing it for two months. I was surprised that the role fell into my lap. I hope they consider me for a second season as well. My character is a very integral part of the story,” he added.
Govt examines OTT regulations in foreign countries
8:29 AM
THE TIMES OF INDIA (January 21, 2021)
New Delhi: Growing instances of content on social media and Over The Top (OTT) platforms running foul of public and political sentiments has prompted the Centre to examine regulatory mechanisms for OTT in other countries.
The review has been prompted by complaints ranging from adult content to runins between BJP supporters and platforms over alleged “misrepresentation” of religious, and social issues.
With India emerging at one of the largest consumers of OTT content and fastest growing market in 2020, an analysis being studied by the Centre underlines that regulation of digital media, including OTT platforms and intermediaries is a global trend. In India, the need for regulation is prompted by the need for a level playing field for content across platforms, an idea also considered by the Shashi Tharoor-led panel on IT. The panel considered similar issues with members pointing to regulations in other countries.
Sources said the panel discussed why TV channels must adhere to a programme and content code, and print media be regulated by a Press Council while there is no regulation for OTT platforms. The government, they said, also examined the near redundancy of the IT Act, 2000, and the “misuse” of safe-harbor protection offered under it to significant social media intermediaries like Facebook and Twitter that have “censor(ed) and regulate(ed) content on social media”.
A note said Australia has ensured that revenue earned by Google and FB through advertising on news websites is shared with newspaper publishers. “We can have a discussion on the unfair advertising practices on these intermediaries and how this is causing an adverse impact on the indigenous newspaper industry,” it said.
OTT: Parliament panel seeks to balance creative freedom with ‘reasonable’ curbs on content
8:13 AM
Swati Mathur (BOMBAY TIMES; January 14, 2021)
New Delhi: The parliamentary standing committee on information technology on Wednesday discussed the challenges of protecting creative freedom and imposing reasonable restrictions on content on overthe-top (OTT) platforms.
The panel considered how content regulation may be achieved, considering the sheer scale of sources from which it is received and curated on different OTT platforms.
CBFC chief Prasoon Joshi, appearing before the panel, defended the board’s role as a “censor” and said filmmakers were happy to alter or “cut” content when the board brought to their notice any concern about their content running foul of Indian laws, or if it were likely to hurt sentiments.
Sources said he told the panel that Shyam Benegal committee report on censorship was now largely redundant given the huge advances in technology and arrival of OTT platforms. They said members felt the 2013 Mudgal committee report, which advocated the need to move from censorship to certification, would now be more relevant.
The Shashi Tharoor-led panel accepted that policymakers would have to walk a fine line, but also agreed there should be parity in rules that apply to cinematic content released in theatres and those released on online platforms.
Sources said BJP MP Sumalatha was a strong votary of creative freedom for cinematic content online and suggested that the way forward should be for streaming devices to give clear disclaimers and age-related classifications and to qualify content containing nudity, drug use or abusive language.
Another BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, however, emphasised the need for some degree of regulation, given India’s diversity and wide-ranging sensitivities.
I wanted to burn every print that existed of my film Kama Sutra-Mira Nair
8:16 AM
From matar paneer to the movies, that sweet taste of Indian-American success from another age
Mayank Shekhar (MID-DAY; November 21, 2020)
Mira Nair's journey as an Odisha-born/bred filmmaker in America will seem greater to you, if you consider the first thing she did, landing up as an under-grad student at Harvard in the mid '70s. She went over to her course-mate from Bombay, Sooni Taraporevala, desperately to check on who the other Indians around were.
There were only two — studying film. One of them, a gentleman named Anand Mahindra; the industrialist, whose surname carries the massive fleet of automobiles on Indian roads. "Anand was a really talented filmmaker. He's still an artist in his soul. I'll never forget the wonderful thesis-film he made, following a holy man up a mountain," Mira remembers.
Screenwriter Sooni and Mira of course became great friends and colleagues thereafter — collaborating on notable productions like Salaam Bombay (1988), Mississippi Masala (1991), and The Namesake (2006). Anand was the "big brother, who'd encourage everyone to move back to India [once done with studies]." As he did, taking over his family empire.
Speaking of famous associations from unrelated fields, a picture that once got widely circulated online was of Mira as Cleopatra and Shashi Tharoor as Mark Antony, in an inter-college Shakespearean production from the '70s. Mira was a student at Delhi University's Miranda House then; Shashi Tharoor, the undisputed star of St Stephen's College.
She's been asked about this picture on occasion during interviews. And I gauge from her responses before — it doesn't seem like she liked the college-kid Shashi Tharoor much! Did he throw big words at her? "Oh no, I just didn't like kissing him [in the play]. Back then, you know how it was — even if you got slightly physically close to someone, people would start cat-calling. It was ridiculous."
As for the Tharoorosaurus bit, "Well, we used to tease Shashi [who hadn't lived or been abroad yet] about where he had got that accent from. We used to say that his mother flew over England, when she was pregnant, and you know, wahaan se thoda atmosphere aa gaya! But he's always been a sport. He used to take it well!"
Which instantly reminds you of Vivek Gomber's character Arun Mehra from Mira's A Suitable Boy, who has similarly never set foot in England, but throws a thick British twang, chiefly to denote class: "Arun Mehra, of course, is [straight] from Vikram Seth's novel [of the same name]." On which the six-part series is based.
In fact the language/diction has been a pet peeve for a lot of people who have dissed the show. In her defense, Mira says, "I feel like we were very nuanced with the language [back then] — trying to be 'angrez', and we were taught to be so. But it is a world that people literally don't know now. They don't hear that world."
To be fair, you do hear that over-intonated, cleanly clipped British-English in old clips, especially of Indian statesmen or women from the time — say, Nehru, or Sarojini Naidu, whose black-and-white video pops up quite often on social media feeds.
"I don't get that [dialogue/language] comment from people of my mother's generation. Because that was the world familiar to them. I tempered a fair amount of dialogue that I could, during the making of A Suitable Boy — primarily, getting 20 per cent of it back into Urdu/Hindustani and Awadhi. Which wasn't the case before."
"They didn't even think of it. Anyway, so I know that it is new and different to the ear. But I stand by it. Of course, it was from the get-go written by someone else [Andrew Davies]. It could be different. But the book is what we largely followed."
For its setting (early '50s), and set-up (BBC production, streaming on Netflix), Mira has in jest described A Suitable Boy as 'The Crown in brown, within a fraction of the budget!' It is by no means her most loved work, even while rants and raves are subjective by nature. One wonders if, after over 40 years of being an active filmmaker, she cares so much for all that's written about her latest film, or debut series, as in this case?
"That I am always creatively absorbed in another world provides a protection. So I am not waiting to hear your words; what's the point? And social media is a weirdly interesting space, where I just kinda get a vibe, than actually read a full review. Especially if there is something nasty in the headline," she laughs, flipping her fingers, as if quickly turning pages!
Taking away nothing from the fact that Mira remains still one of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers — for a majority of her filmography. A creative slump/dissatisfaction, if one may call it that, is something she attributes only through self-introspection. Which is how she felt after Kama Sutra (1996): "I wanted to burn every print that existed of that film!" It's not something you'll hear many directors publicly admit, even in hindsight.
As she puts it, "It was also dovetailed with me moving to Cape Town with my husband [Mahmood Mamdani], who was heading the African Studies department at the university. Our son [Zohran] was six and I didn't want to leave him. It was a dove tailing of all those things. I didn't quite know how to work it. We made this film in two months, My Own Country [1998], which Sooni and I wrote after. That was good. I have to keep doing/making things. It was in that wandering that I found myself making a [documentary] film, Laughing Club of India [2001], in my state of malaise." What happened with the shooting of that film in the rain, using old Hindi movie songs? "On its own, it became the seed for what became the style of Monsoon Wedding [2001]. That's what I share with people — to be fallow is also important."
Mira is formally trained in cinema verite — art/technique, mostly associated with documentary filmmaking, intended to convey realism. Well before Reese Witherspoon in Mira's costume/period piece Vanity Fair (2004); even before Denzel Washington, a top-draw Hollywood star, who said yes to her mixed-race romance, Mississippi Masala (1991) — struck by the Oscar-nominated Salaam Bombay (1988) — the main muse for Mira's realistic lens was in fact the city of Bombay itself.
Which is where I'm speaking to her from, and where Laughing Club of India is set (in Malabar Hill, to be more precise). So are her two early documentaries: Children Of A Desired Sex (1987), on gender-determination foetus tests. And India Cabaret (1985), following lives of two Bombay strip-club dancers, before dance-bars became a thing (and thereafter became illegal). And anybody had thought of Maximum City, or Slumdog Millionaire!
I watched India Cabaret recently (on YouTube). And the warm yet brutal gaze still holds. As with Salaam Bombay, that it subsequently inspired: "It was not a pretty Bombay for sure — pigs careening in the mud; cruelty and violence over how men treated women…. In that type of filmmaking, you don't take holidays. It is about what is happening around you. I remember going to see Shekhar Kapur, who is an old friend, but I almost had no language to understand his Juhu life — after living the life I was, back in 'Antophi' (Antop Hill)! Most days, I would just go to a beautiful handloom shop called Kasab, which is still there on Napean Sea Road, and sit there for hours [for mental peace]."
"Now they can call me a New York-based filmmaker in Bombay, but the fact is that not many saw Salaam Bombay, right under their noses. It was a life around us. When you live in it all the time, you can't see it well — having numbed yourself to it."
This seamless transition from documentary filmmaking to fiction — something that writers of non-fiction find harder to be equally adept at — Mira admits, has helped define her work. And you can still sense strong stamps of it, even in later movies like Queen Of Katwe (2016; set in a slum in Kampala, Uganda), or the otherwise 'unfilmable' conversation she turned into the movie version of Mohsin Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012).
"Cinema of truth [cinema verite] sounds a little pretentious. It is very real, in the sense that you don't script everything. You just have to be humble enough to enter the world. Just be there. Of course your presence is shaping [the moment] to some extent. But it is also about being an observer to the situation, and eliciting things from [actors] — as they feel them, rather than you telling them what to say."
What this has also led to since her celebrated debut feature is — film after film, an established practice of casting 'real' people, as it were, or non-professional actors, alongside trained actors/stars, in the same frame. And watching this unique alchemy come to life on screen.
For instance, Mira discovered Sarita Choudhury, who played Denzel Washington's love interest in Mississippi Masala, biking on a street in Cambridge once. She found Tillotama Shome (Alice in Monsoon Wedding) in the corridors of Delhi's Lady Shri Ram College. Even better, she picked up Kamini Khanna for a typically Delhi-Punjabi Shashi Aunty in the same film — spotting her on the walking track of a South Delhi park. Does she think everyone is essentially an actor then?
"Not at all! It's about several things, but mostly instinct. I can tell immediately if the camera will love you or not. Or sometimes it doesn't matter if the camera won't love you, but can I use that in a way? Like [Pedro] Almodovar and his ladies are fantastic. And they so destroy the notion of what's beautiful before a camera. But the roles need that. So it depends on the role, of course."
While casting for Monsoon Wedding, she recalls, a newbie Vijay Raaz's face had caught her eye: "He'd walked in from the train station to Uma's [Da Cunha's] house in Churchgate. I don't know how I even remembered his name. Paresh Rawal, whom I admired a lot, had approached me for P K Dube's part. We had a workshop in Delhi, which Paresh couldn't join. So then I had to take Tillotama [Alice] back to Bombay to rehearse with Paresh [Dube]."
"Naseer bhai [Naseeruddin Shah] had given us space above his flat for rehearsal. The door opened, and my eyes fell out. Paresh had gained 30 to 40 pounds. He looked like Alice's father, and this was supposed to be a love-story with him as a tent-walla! He said, 'I'll just lose [weight].'"
"But we were shooting in literally four days! I just thought of the bald man with long ears and the widest mouth in the world, Vijay Raaz, and called him. I had not auditioned him, but I loved his look." The role expanded as Raaz came on board, killing it along the way. (This conversation between mid-day and Nair took place a day before Raaz was summarily arrested and subsequently bailed over a molestation charge on a movie set.)
He's had a solid career since. Several Indian actors in the Bombay film industry similarly owe their first frame on the big screen to Mira. Right from Nana Patekar and Irrfan in Salaam Bombay. Late Irrfan, she always felt, was cut from a different cloth from Bombay's leading men in the '80s and '90s. He delivered, arguably, his finest work with Mira in The Namesake (2006).
Or Randeep Hooda and Ram Kapoor, for that matter. They were debutants in Monsoon Wedding; bona fide stars now. Why, even Kamini Khanna! She's played multiple versions of Shashi Aunty in every other Bollywood movie. This contribution to the Bombay film industry in particular, I suspect, isn't acknowledged enough about the New York and Kampala-based filmmaker.
Even more than a keen head-hunter, Mira is an all-encompassing aesthete, wholly invested in cinematography, literature, production design, colours, costumes, the craft of moulding actors/characters… You can dive deep into her 'independent filmmaking' process on an expensive app called Masterclass.
A trait that unites Mira still with the time-honoured tradition of mainstream Indian filmmakers is her exquisite ear for desi poetry and music — whether that be L Subramaniam's musical interludes in Salaam Bombay, or the Monsoon Wedding soundtrack, that melodiously travels from Anu Malik to Farida Khanum. As do the poetry of Daagh, Mir and Ghalib set to ghazals in A Suitable Boy, or the sitar maestro Shujaat Khan showing up on the small screen.
The song playing in my head all through, talking to Mira (and while writing this excerpt) is the haunting Mehfil barkhaast hui by Kavita Seth in A Suitable Boy. Similarly, Susheela Raman's ear-worm version of Mukesh's Yeh mere deewanapan hai had invaded my brain for a full year after The Namesake: "It plays on the suhaag raat, which isn't like any another, because these are Diaspora kids. So there is jazz and blues, with echoes of their roots! They have seen Bollywood stuff and simply want to be stars on their honeymoon night," Mira reasons, before humming the song delightfully herself.
Surprisingly Susheela would simply not sing that track, when she once performed in Bombay, despite repeatedly loud requests from the pit right under the stage. Mira says that could be "because she must have been shy, to sing it in India, in that [British twang]! Even my husband, who is older and knows the real song, says, 'Yeh kya hai?' He can't take it!"
Given the résumé and musical references seeped into her work, besides an army of previous recruits from among top Bombay actors, I'm almost amazed that in all these years, Bollywood folk haven't ever attempted to co-opt Mira with a grand scheme/project?
"I am not looking for that either. But I have really lovely friendships. Yash Johar and I were very close. He was the production manager on one of my films, Buddha, with Warner Bros, in 1990-91. We travelled the whole country location-scouting. I really respect Aditya Chopra's mind. I had taken him on an idea — not for me to do, but for us to work together on. But, no, I don't think so. I think they think correctly — that I just make my own movies!"
On social networks, Mira goes by the rather odd handle, Pagli: "Don't forget the 'Ji'! Pagli is my nickname from childhood. I did weird things as a kid; still do. My son made me get on social media, when we were opening The Reluctant Fundamentalist. He asked, what's the name, ma? I didn't want my name on it. I thought I'd get hounded beyond belief. So I just said Pagli, yaar. And because people called me ji-vi and all that, usko bhi laga diya, Pagli ji — an honoured mad person."
That we can see in person in India, when she brings down Monsoon Wedding, as a stage musical, once pandemic ends, and hell freezes over. A film that would've brought Pagli ji back to Bombay — her early muse, and that too with Johnny Depp —was the adaptation of Gregory David Roberts' Shantaram.
Regrets — that the film fell through? "I only regretted that I gave one-and-a-half years of my life to it. And we really had a good thing going. Not, otherwise. They were starting it again, and I was not interested!"
Mira also famously let go of directing the fourth Harry Potter film, for the sake of The Namesake. She declined The Devil Wears Prada, going by the same measure of what interests her — and what she can do, better than similar directors on hire.
"I am very nihilistic like that, I suppose. I just turned down something also very huge few days ago. That's when I fell down into a khadda [a ditch on the street]," she says from her Manhattan apartment, nursing a shoulder pain.
Exuding power, all right, in an industry that when she entered it — doing theatre in New York during day, waiting tables at night — there were barely any coloured people around, let alone desis, or women. It's a world very far away from the one with M Night Shyamalans and Mindy Kalings that we know.
Mira first got on the road, splitting rent for an editing suite at a basement collective for offbeat artistes in New York. This is after she had shot Salaam Bombay. Which she knew the West had no similar reference point for.
Spike Lee, same age, also editing his film, would pay the other half of the rent! "I also used to work at a restaurant called Indian Oven, when they really didn't know how to spell India. I'd explain cottage cheese balls fried in gravy mix of peas — for a 'matar paneer'." They get her now.
I called Shashi Tharoor's landline number until he answered-Sapan Verma
8:41 AM
Sapan Verma discusses how he gave shape to One Mic Stand, which has been nominated in the Best Comedy (Non-Fiction) in the upcoming mid-day and Radio City Hitlist Web Awards
Letty Mariam Abraham (MID-DAY; February 16, 2020)
How do you rope in five celebrities from different walks of life and convince them to give a go at stand-up comedy uninhibitedly? It's easier said than done, believes Sapan Verma, who spent four years on his brainchild, One Mic Stand, graduated from the storyboard to an Amazon Prime Video offering. "I don't think the comedy scene was evolved enough to pull off a show like One Mic Stand. We didn't have [lavish] budgets on the Internet, [until a few years ago]," he explains.With Shashi Tharoor, Taapsee Pannu, Richa Chadha, Bhuvan Bam and Vishal Dadlani as part of the line-up, the stand-up comic pulled off a casting coup with the maiden edition. Mention that Tharoor was a revelation on the show, and Verma says the politician's willingness to try his hand at comedy took him by surprise. "While I had known [the other participants] from before, I had never met Shashi Tharoor. I simply went to his website and dropped an email regarding the show. An hour later, his manager responded saying that Dr Tharoor watches my videos and wanted to know more about the idea," recounts Verma incredulously. What followed was a two-month chase to lock Tharoor's dates. "I kept on calling Tharoor's office landline number until he answered. The first time he got on a call with me, I froze. Once he heard the pitch, he asked me when the shoot was scheduled and when it would air," he says, adding that the MP—known to have a way with words—was the fastest learner of the lot.
Bringing celebrity guests also had its share of pitfalls. "One actress who agreed to do the show. So, I went to her house with a female comic [who would mentor her] and discussed possible topics for her set. But she had to back out when she bagged a big film," laughs Verma.
One Mic Stand has been a learning experience for the creator-host. "I was involved in everything—from figuring the title of the show, to the [background] music, to [overseeing] the edit."
More About One Mic Stand
- Verma was keen to rope in Shah Rukh Khan
- Dadlani said he was comfortable performing for a crowd of 20,000, but a setting of 50 makes him nervous
- Cast Your Vote For The Hitlist Web Awards
- One Mic Stand (Sapan Verma, Amazon Prime) has been nominated in the Best Comedy (Non-fiction) category.
The other nominees are:
- Going Downhill (Stand-up special: Neville Shah; Amazon Prime)
- Sushi (Stand-up special: Biswa Kalyan Rath; Amazon Prime)
- Jestination Unknown (Vir Das; Amazon Prime)
- Comicstaan 2 (OML Entertainment; Amazon Prime)
There are 14 categories that the public can vote for. Log on to www.hitlistwebawards.com to cast your vote.
You can also vote via SMS. Send HITLIST <space> category name <space> your choice (a/b/c/d as on the website) to 57575.
Voting lines close on March 8
Mary Kom teaches that even when the odds are against us, we can achieve anything we want
7:41 AM
BOMBAY TIMES (September 5, 2014)
Debutant director Omung
Kumar's film, Mary Kom, with Priyanka Chopra in the lead, that
celebrates the never-say-die spirit of the five-time World Amateur
Boxing Champion, has found appreciation among the sports fraternity.
Says ace badminton player Saina Nehwal, “Mary Kom is an emotional joyride. As a sportsperson myself, her journey resonated with me.“
Former national hockey captain Sandeep Singh states, “It's a poignant film that presents Mary's life as an inspiration for every Indian.“ Archer Deepika Kumari admits, “Priyanka's portrayal of Mary Kom has won me over. I felt everything - her joy, her anguish and her triumph while watching the film.“ In the same vein, India's top trap shooter, Ronjan Sodhi enthuses, “Watching Mary's life unveil on the big screen was interesting. Priyanka's immersive performance was the soul of the movie.“
What makes the biopic special is that it sends across a strong message.As footballer Baichung Bhutia puts it, “The film teaches us that we can achieve anything we want, even when the odds are against us.“
Other famous personalities who are impressed with the movie are Shashi Tharoor and Naveen Jindal. Tharoor says, “I'm not a fan of boxing, but I liked the film as it's the story of a woman's courage and her commitment to the sport. And Priyanka has reincarnated the character beautifully.“ Jindal adds, “It's a truly inspirational movie.“
Mary Kom, produced by Viacom18 Motion Pictures and Sanjay Leela Bhansali, releases today.
Says ace badminton player Saina Nehwal, “Mary Kom is an emotional joyride. As a sportsperson myself, her journey resonated with me.“
Former national hockey captain Sandeep Singh states, “It's a poignant film that presents Mary's life as an inspiration for every Indian.“ Archer Deepika Kumari admits, “Priyanka's portrayal of Mary Kom has won me over. I felt everything - her joy, her anguish and her triumph while watching the film.“ In the same vein, India's top trap shooter, Ronjan Sodhi enthuses, “Watching Mary's life unveil on the big screen was interesting. Priyanka's immersive performance was the soul of the movie.“
What makes the biopic special is that it sends across a strong message.As footballer Baichung Bhutia puts it, “The film teaches us that we can achieve anything we want, even when the odds are against us.“
Other famous personalities who are impressed with the movie are Shashi Tharoor and Naveen Jindal. Tharoor says, “I'm not a fan of boxing, but I liked the film as it's the story of a woman's courage and her commitment to the sport. And Priyanka has reincarnated the character beautifully.“ Jindal adds, “It's a truly inspirational movie.“
Mary Kom, produced by Viacom18 Motion Pictures and Sanjay Leela Bhansali, releases today.
Ritesh Sidhwani throws a star-studded birthday bash
8:14 AM
It was Independence Day eve but the city's gliteratti did not wait till the stroke of midnight to ring in the celebrations...
Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 16, 2014)
Ritesh Sidhwani hosted an early birthday bash on Thursday night (August 14) as the producer will be flying to Poland to join the unit of his upcoming film Bangistan. However, there was another reason to celebrate: wife Dolly had just ventured into apparel design with her own label. The couple toasted the night with friends from the film fraternity and the business world. There was even a politician around, the suave but controversial Shashi Tharoor.
Kangana Ranaut was one of the first guests to arrive. Socialite Parmeshwar Godrej and MP Tharoor, were also in by midnight.
But the real party began at 2 am when most of the stars guests, including the unlikely trio of Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone (who came straight from the trailer launch of Happy New Year ) and Anushka Sharma took charge of the dance floor. Keeping them company was Malaika 'Munni' Arora Khan. They swayed to Bollywood hits till the early hours, when the raucous party finally wound up.
A little after the clock struck midnight, Anurag Kashyap quietly slipped in, with an arm-candy in tow. Priyanka Chopra, Aditya Roy Kapur and Sidharth Malhotra were other late entries.
Like in most parties, the hottest spot was the smoking area and there was a lot hapenning there behind the smoke screen. After they stubbed out their cigarettes, the guests headed straight to the bar or the dance floor. Even Farhan Akhtar, shook a leg while Sohail Khan stuck to the bubbly. Needless to add that everyone was in high spirits!
Queen Kangana Ranaut made a blink-and-miss appearance, staying close to Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti. Understandable, given that she's in Reema's next.
Arjun Kapoor, along with his Finding Fanny co-stars, Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone, grooved the night away. He had company in Nargis Fakhri, who after the Devil song, is B-town's new dancing girl!
Deepika Padukone is no Cinderella. Dressed in a racy cut-out number, she hung around till 4 am, cheering loudly for beau Ranveer Singh who created history on the dance floor.
Tharoor and his ladies
Shashi Tharoor was the surprise guest and had a smile for all the ladies, from a stylish Anu Bose and a glittery Anushka Sharma to a sexy Shilpa Shetty. He didn't stay for too long. Just as he was stepping out, he bumped into Shilpa who came in with hubby Raj Kundra and sister Shamita Shetty. Shilpa, a close friend of his late wife Sunanda Pushkar, asked him if he was doing fine. He nodded and walked out.
The couples
While Arbaaz Khan stood with his drink in a corner, saying it wasn't a night for him to let loose, wife Malaika burned the dance floor. Vivek Oberoi and wife Priyanka took a rare break from baby duty.... And stayed on till the wee hours.
Leaving their little bundle of joy, Imara, home for the first time, Avantika and Imran Khan looked every inch the proud parents.
Abhay Deol and girlfriend Preeti Desai made a midnight entry. Dia Mirza and fiance Sahil Sangha came together but left separately; she at 2.30 while he stayed till the end.
Samir Soni and Neelam hung out with Maheep Kapoor, Nandita Mahtani and Amrita Arora.... And a hungover Sohail Khan.
Richa Chadda and Kalki Koechlin, who are currently doing a play, Trivial Disasters, walked in arm-inarm. After posing on the red carpet with Adhuna Akhtar and Sarah Jane Dias, they entered the party. They were soon joined by Kalki's estranged husband Anurag Kashyap and his buddy, filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane. The foursome stuck together and were spotted having an intense conversation, till they left the bash at around 3 am. Nargis Fakhri walked in solo, but was in the mood to let her hair down, literally. She sizzled on the dance floor.
The socialites
Nandita Mahtani had Mozez Singh, not steady date Dino Morea, as her plus one at the party while Parmeshwar Godrej colourcordinated with Tina Ambani in shades of ivory.
The red carpet was a flurry of activity and this man, carrying a guest's purse, was caught between Elli Avram, Anil Kapoor and Prasoon Joshi.
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