DNA (February 6, 2019)

Bobby Deol, who recently turned 50, feels one should never look back at one’s career with regret. In fact, the actor feels whatever career choices he made were a part of his destiny. He says he finds it hard to choose his good work from his indifferent work, but of course, certain films come to his mind immediately.

1. WISH DILLAGI HAD FARED BETTER
For example, Bobby loved the 1999 film, Dillagi, which was directed by his brother, Sunny Deol. “I wish Dillagi had done better. My character in it was one of my favourite ones,” says Bobby, while talking about the film which had Sunny and him falling for the same girl — Urmila Matondkar.


2. RANI AND PREITY ARE CLOSEST TO ME
The Race 3 star also remembers Guddu Dhanoa’s Bichhoo (2000) with fondness where he co-starred with Rani Mukerji. He says, “Bichhoo was nice, but I didn’t want my character to die. It was a remake of a French film; but back then, there were no issues of copyrights.”

He recalls, “I remember shooting with Rani, I used to call her ‘Dedh Footiya’. There were two people I used to have arguments with, Preity (Zinta), my Soldier (1998) co-star, and Rani. From all the people I’ve worked with, they are the closest to me. During Bichhoo, Rani had so much energy, I remember, when I used to pick her up for a scene, I used to ask her, ‘Tu khaati kya hai?’ Then she lost weight after that.”

He further continues, “In her first film with Karan Johar, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), she was so petite. However, she is a good eater. Being a Bengali, she loves food and would get great stuff from home. She also got all of us some great home cooked fish.”

3. MANISHA ATE CHHOLE AND ONIONS BEFORE A SONG SHOOT
Recalling the shoot of the Rajiv Rai thriller, Gupt (1997), Bobby says, “I wish Rajiv didn’t have to leave the country after Gupt. I liked working with him. I wish he had stayed back and continued making movies once the unpleasantness of the bad incident had blown over.”

He adds, “I had a broken a leg when I had to shoot a song for Gupt. So, I had only hand movements, and couldn’t dance because of my broken leg. I remember I underwent a surgery after that.”

Reminiscing about the suspense thriller, he says, “Another instance people remind me of is the time when Manisha (Koirala) came to the set for a song, after eating onion with chhole. For a scene, she had to bite me, and I was like ‘How can I get romantic with her after smelling onions on her breath?’”

Bobs is quick to say that ‘it was fun’ working with Manisha. “She was quite mad. I have learnt to respect her now. She’s been through so much in life. What an amazing actor she is! She just went another way. Everyone has their own destiny,” he trails off.

Varun Dhawan to put up his dancing best with hip-hop, krumping and Bollywood at upcoming IIFA gala
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; June 13, 2018)

Stealing time out from the shoot of his much-anticipated venture, Kalank, Varun Dhawan is set to kick-off rehearsal for his act at the upcoming International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA). A source close to the actor tells mid-day that he will replace his workout sessions in the forthcoming 10 days with dance training instead. "The shooting schedule for Kalank is hectic and he needs to attain a beefed-up physique. But, he will start practicing for IIFA soon. He has a flair for dance, so he will mix multiple forms for his act," says the source of the June 22 gig, set to be held in Bangkok.

The actor tells mid-day that on the schedule are performances that are certain to evoke nostalgia. "I am kicked about Bobby Deol's performance on songs of Gupt (1997) and Soldier (1998). Rekha ji will take to the stage after 20 years. I know a bit about her act and we are all excited about it. I will do a live act with the audience at a market place. It will be something that I have never done before," Varun Dhawan says.

On the playlist for his 10-minute-long performance are tracks like Jee Karda and his songs from ABCD 2. "He will perform freestyle hip hop and krumping on them. The second part of the act will see him groove to a mash-up of Bollywood numbers, including Sau Tarah Ke, Aa Toh Sahii and Tan Tana Tan. But the highlight will be the song High Rated Gabru, by Guru Randhawa, which he has already started work on," the source says. Dhawan, the source says, has been toiling to get the steps of this number right, putting in four hours each day for it.

While Dhawan admits that memorising steps has not been difficult for him, the challenge, this time, will be to learn multiple styles. "Looking effortless will be difficult. Also, live acts are physically demanding, so keeping the momentum intact will be a tough feat. We will use technology in my act, which requires persistent preparation."