Rishi Kapoor took stage-exit, just as he'd dived headlong into the most eclectic stage of his career!
Mayank Shekhar (MID-DAY; May 1, 2020)

Actor Rishi Kapoor died young, at 67. If he'd passed on few decades later, he would've still died young. And I don't mean that cliché about being 'young at heart' and all. I mean, literally, young in the head—where it counts.

Think he was between 25 to 30 years old; tops. This infused into his natural persona that casual aliveness of late youth—he's the guy you could chill at the corner-bar with, all through a party, as I did, couple of times. Feel blessed.

It also made him impulsive, tad impatient, moody, on occasion; unreasonable, even. Not an easy man to know and walk around, without care. Also he was therefore (mentally) a decade younger to me, and so there arose the minor/moral dilemma over what to call him! He didn't like Mr Kapoor ("Waddyathink, am an uncle or what?"). Rishi ji wouldn't cut it. He preferred Rishi. I carried on with Mr Kapoor.

In the hierarchy of naam-karan (naming ceremony) in Indian popular culture, the apex of the pyramid belongs to the person the public bestows upon a common nickname, short-form, or epithet. It's not so much a mark of honour as it denotes the level of familiarity the public feels with a public figure!

This cuts across professions. It is most common in films—whether that be Shahenshah or Big B for Amitabh Bachchan; or Baadshah, King Of Romance, King Khan or SRK for Shah Rukh Khan. Tells you something about their image too.

Rishi went by the short, cute sobriquet, Chintu, at best, Chintuji—eternally that boy, at any rate India's first 'chocolate hero', who debuted as the National Award winning child-star of Raj Kapoor's magnum opus, Mera Naam Joker (MNJ; 1970). In fact, if you observed him closely, when he spoke with that impish smile—he still had a sweetly chubby face—it was quite easy to transpose him into the little Raju, besotted by his teacher Mary (Simi Garewal), from MNJ.

Thereafter he held a list of firsts for Bollywood that may not occur to you instantly, if I don't bring them to mind here. For one, up until Rishi's debut as the lead actor in Bobby (1973), he told me, Bollywood's heroes and heroines used to be men and women—holding books and going to college in their 30s and 40s! It's true. Rishi was 21; his leading lady, Dimple Kapadia, after whose character the film is titled, was 16.

While Bobby gave birth to a super-hit romantic pair, Dimple got married, and quit movies altogether. This posed a peculiar problem for Rishi. He was left to swim around a leading ladies' pool—Zeenat Aman, Parveen Babi, etc—that was considerably older, and therefore unfit to be cast as his conventional, romantic leads. There was Neetu Singh, absolutely his perfect onscreen better-half— later his off-screen wife. "But then, how many films could I do with her? So it had to be Neetu, or a new girl," he said.

Don't know if such an entry is allowed into the Guinness book, Rishi held the glorious record of introducing 23 female leads as his on-screen partner in the movies. And even that number he wasn't sure about. Besides that he wished to add even Alia Bhatt (Student Of The Year; 2012), Taapsee Pannu (Chashme Baddoor; 2013), into the list, since they had debuted in Bollywood with him, although he wasn't the lead in those movies.

Did he even remember all those 23 heroines he worked with; was he in touch with any of them? "Don't know where's Kajal Kiran (Hum Kisise Kum Naheen; 1977), Shoma Anand (Barood; 1976), Bhavana Bhatt (Naya Daur; 1978)…" Gah! Would've been a great idea to click Rishi seated in the centre as the good old Gopi surrounded by his debuting leading ladies — an eclectic array, almost stacked up like sardines — to celebrate 50 years of his debut, which falls on September 28, 2020.

A mart is really how the movie business/trade has traditionally perceived itself — setting a price for what sells, and a sell-by-date for what doesn't. This is as true for stars as the image or genres associated with them. In that sense Rishi, although he liked to call himself the "right person at the wrong time", had an absolutely uninterrupted 25-year run at the movies — between 1973 and 1998 (averaging around five to six films a year) — which for its time is also a record of sorts: "Shelf life for a hero then was 20 years; 10 years for heroines."

He said the reason to quit films was also his. He had just got bored of the proverbial dancing around trees. Nothing exciting seemed to exist in the horizon. And so one fine day, he rounded up the four to five producers he owed advances to, and simply returned them their money.

This is when Rishi was 46. Shammi Kapoor, Rishi's uncle, and the seminal singing-dancing star of the generation he took over from, had retired at 37. Amitabh Bachchan, Rishi's older contemporary, left films (to return only much later) at 40. Of course none of these age restrictions/rules for retirement matter anymore. Shah Rukh Khan, 54, has currently taken a break to recalibrate his leading man's career.

Note: I mention Shahenshah, and Badshah or King Of Romance, again! This is because in the pantheon of Bollywood stars, Rishi saw himself sandwiched between the two: "I should've entered films in the '90s," he said. The year of Rishi's debut, 1973, is also when Prakash Mehra's Zanjeer proclaimed Amitabh Bachchan as the 'angry young man'— simultaneously killing that flowery phase of Rajesh Khanna romances; and gently pricking at the bud the romantic Rishi Kapoor from coming into full-potential, glorious bloom.

At the box office, Rishi, in many ways, would've been Rajesh Khanna's natural successor. In terms of a female fan-following, he sort of already was — with hordes of women, by his own account, taking their clothes off, so he could autograph their bras! And special 'Bobby buses', matched with theatre timings, plying between Punjab, Faridabad and (what was then) Gurgaon, so people from far-off towns could catch his first film.

Except the phase that followed, especially in the '80s, was full of, as he put it, "B and C centre maar-peet; Lahu Ke Khoon [both mean blood] kind of films, and some skin-show. The ambience, mahaul, was only for action." Rishi, on the other hand, had been secure enough in his masculinity to go drag with Rafoo Chakkar (1975). One such "totally wahiyaat (crappy)" film, he told me about, was called Hawalaat (1987), where he starred alongside the 'action types', Mithun Chakraborty and Shatrughan Sinha. He was of course the "guitar and dafli playing type." When it came to promoting the film, the producer asked him "to pose with a chaku (knife)" for the poster, to draw in audiences!

It is in this backdrop that one has to register the fact that Subhash Ghai's cracker musical Karz (1980) had tanked at the box-office. Ghai recently sold its remake rights for Rs. 3 crore, which is a sum he'd not even come close to with the original. Likewise, Rishi's Tina Munim, Poonam Dhillon, Rakhee Gulzar co-starrer, Yeh Vaada Raha (1982), based on Danielle Steele's novel The Promise, showed no promise either. Neither did Zehreela Insaan (1974). Nor was Ramesh Saagar (1985) quite the Sholay!

The above is merely a short Spotify playlist I'm making for you, so after you're through with the Hum Kisise Kum Naheen medley, you check out the opening riffs of Karz's Ek Hasina Thi, the title track of Yeh Vaada Raha, and the finest R D Burman number, O Hansini, from Zehreela Insaan, or O' Maria from Saagar. These soundtracks have been around us all along. Post Rajesh Khanna, R D arguably equalled Rishi, on screen. R D is very much alive. So will Rishi. Music is the medium through which Hindi movies survive public memory.

Also, only a proper desi film aesthete would be able to tell how Rishi was uniquely gifted at lip-syncing, to perfectly own a song, before the camera. It's called song-acting—a talent that has no use in any another film culture. The first time Rishi was asked to perform a track (Main shayar toh nahin, from Bobby), he recalled, his father, Raj Kapoor, allowed him no choreographer. The logic being the choreographer would give him steps that other stars had already performed to. He would automatically be compared to them!

Even as an actor, it can be argued, Rishi looked and behaved like no one else—of his time, or from the generations before. Let alone other Kapoors. None of whom seemed like shadows of each other — carving niches of their own — while being raised under the banyan tree of Prithviraj, a full-time theatre and later film-studio actor, who began a four-generational legacy that Rishi was a proud and aware progeny of.

Contrary to popular perception — mainly because so many get to take a shot at stardom in the first place — most superstar-kids don't make it in the movies. Comparisons do them in. What separated Rishi from his father Raj, for one, was the lack of being — a word he used himself — the "stylised" actor.

By which you mean certain tics, manners, or andaaz, as it were, that instantly marked out say Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, and others. Rishi didn't have that. And this is what made his return to "character-driven" or more realistic films, at a larger stage, easily possible. Which wasn't the case with most others before him. It's the lightheartedness of his films that rendered him an underrated actor—hardly ever taken seriously by the critical establishment; something that bothered him much. He told me comedian Johnny Lever had a bone to pick with him. Rishi was the only star who'd been around for so long, that Lever couldn't find a way to mimic on stage! Fair point.

In 2017, I had the honour to host Rishi's first (and as yet only) retrospective of films at the Jagran Film Festival. From a filmography of over 150, we had to pick five. This was impossible. Going back and forth with his suggestions, we kept widening the quota. Until we reached a point that we could no longer accommodate more than eight films. And yet, how could MNJ be left out? We decided to play eight and half films in all—the half comprising Rishi's section from the three-part MNJ!

To be fair, an artiste/entertainer's self-perception should be at the core of his fan-base. And for this moment, don't care what Rishi Kapoor gems you've found — let's make it about the jeweller foremost. According to him, besides Karz and Bobby, Rishi's greatest works were—Habib Faisal's Do Dooni Char (2010), Raj Kapoor's Prem Rog (1982), Karan Malhotra's Agneepath (2012), Shakun Batra's Kapoor & Sons (2016), Manmohan Desai's Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), and Yash Chopra's Chandni (1989).

Notice his latent bias towards more recent releases. You can gauge the phase he was enjoying the most — placing his acting chops on display. It doesn't seem as if fate had mortally attacked a man who's young or old — just someone with such vitality and zest for life, that he was looking to soar. That's what hurts far more. Rishi had battled leukemia for two years.

The reason for his return to films, he told me, was a lovers' tiff of sorts that he'd had with his filmmaker buddy Rakesh Roshan, who'd pricked his ego with some loose talk about his career (or the lack of it). The expectedly emotional Rishi reasoned that he had retired from stardom, yes, but not from acting. He decided to stage a comeback — also to prove a point to Roshan, who, along with Jeetendra, Prem Chopra, and his Campion schoolmate, director Rahul Rawail, were known to be his close friends.

Basically the Rishi Kapoor I observed from a private quarter was no different from the Rishi Kapoor one experiences from a distance, in public. Meaning, what you saw is what you got. No overt agendas as such. This often cofounded political coteries on social media, with a lot of his tweets driving traffic to the Right, and then swerving conveniently to the Left-Liberal, as they say!

Guess if you've lived your adult life entirely in the public eye, you'll either always fake it, or just stop caring beyond a point. Of course he also had a socially well-connected, mature, adult side to him, with an eye on the lay of the land. But for the most part, it seemed, Rishi kept it real.

With personal disclaimers, he had no qualms admitting to the world he'd frickin' bought the Filmfare Award, for Bobby! He wrote it in his book, and explained further at an interview with me before a live audience. What're you gonna shame him for?

As a Bollywood star, he didn't think twice before drunk-dialing me past midnight, referring to how I had obliquely compared his son Ranbir's performance in Rockstar (2011) to Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan — "Abey, beta toh mera hai!" True.

He could get childishly excited even about wearing a delegate-badge at a film festival, given that he said, surprisingly (for me), he'd never been formally invited to one before. But then again, despite his first and only retrospective being held across 16 cities over three months, he could bail out a day before the all-important closing ceremony, for a conversation before a packed house.

Because? He had an issue with an absolutely random cartoon published in Mid-day, about the fire at R K Studio. No, you couldn't console him. Just couldn't. That was Rishi. His friends say the same. Everyone loved him just the way he was though. Good luck God. And thank you, Mr Kapoor.


Bobby (1973)

Madhureeta Mukherjee (BOMBAY TIMES; January 22, 2020)

Varun Dhawan is clear that he wants to be a pan-India actor and that is what drives his choice of films. That means, being the star of the masses, too. He says, “My pulse is massy.” No wonder then, that a film like Street Dancer 3D features him in the lead, along with Shraddha Kapoor. He stresses that it is not just a dance film, but will help our cinema step up in this area and show us moves and grooves like we have never seen before on our silver screen. The actor talks to BT (while breaking into a rap, too), about cinema, his obsessions, heartbreak and how he loves the soul of our films. Get the beat? Read on…

Lately, we have seen that our cinema has been upping the expertise in the action department and other technical areas. Do you think a film like Street Dancer 3D will take our cinema notches higher in the field of dance?
Yes, there has been an evolution in the dance space ever since ABCD 2 (2015) released. There are groups from India that have won world tournaments and international recognition. The dance that actors are doing in our movies today is not what the young generation is doing. Their level of dance is way higher. I had a tough time matching up with the rest of them. To make a film like this is also not easy, I give it to Bhushan Kumar (producer) for backing a project like this and our director Remo D’Souza for the discipline he instilled in all of us. This film will take dance to another level in our cinema and here, the dance sequences are not the kind where a blower is making the hair fly and people are dancing. It’s raw and real.

Dance as a genre in movies, has a lot of potential and it hasn’t been tapped as much; would you say that? After all, our movies are known for their songs and dances, in our country, and around the world…
Yes, that’s true. In recent times, ABCD (2013) started the trend, ABCD 2 took it ahead. However, I think Street Dancer 3D is not just a dance film, as there is a reason to dance and win, and it is not just about personal gains. My character Sahej, like many millennials, is obsessed with success. I only talk about... Jeetna hai, jeetna hai, jeetna hai! There is nice rap by Bohemia, which says, ‘Kiss kaam ki hai jeet jeet jeet, nasha jaam bhi hai jeet jeet jeet, sala haram bhi hai jeet jeet jeet.’ Sahej’s journey in the film is also something like that.

Jeet, jeet, jeet…does this reflect your state of mind, too?
I think at one point I was like that; in fact, we all were like that. I remember when Student Of The Year (2012) released, Sidharth (Malhotra), Alia (Bhatt) and I, we all were obsessed with winning and success, but over time, it changed. As you start working, you realise that this is not what work is all about. The purity of work is what we should chase. Yes, of course, everyone likes to win and achieve their goals, but if your journey is good, then the audience connects with that. So far, my journey has been kickass.

You have said that you are interested in every aspect of filmmaking and film viewing. Do you think that given the massive influence of digital content that we see today, it is the need of the hour to raise the bar in our film industry in various departments — whether it is visual effects, action, writing, dance et al…
Totally! Technically, action, writing, acting… all of it needs to go levels higher. However, I don’t think that we should leave behind or change what makes us what we are. We should not leave our identity to ape another industry. We are our own industry and we are special for a reason. That’s our soul. I know that all movies don’t have songs and dance, but if you see most of the films that are doing well, even the socalled critically acclaimed big-content hits have songs and dance. I think anyone saying, ‘Yeh chhod do aur inki filmein dekho, is wrong, kyunki songs and dance unki films mein bhi hai. In our society and culture, we dance at weddings, we dance when a child is born, we dance at birthday parties, aur jab India cricket match jeetta hai, tab bhi hum dance karte hai. So, these are our real-life situations, which get reflected in our movies. Why should we change that?

Who are your inspirations when it comes to dancing?
I think Prabhudheva without a doubt, also NT Rama Rao Jr and Govinda.

Talking about Govinda, you will be back with a comedy with Coolie No 1, (adaptation of the 1995 film starring Govinda and Karisma Kapoor). Your father, David Dhawan directed the original, and he’s helming this one as well. It is a mammoth task to revisit your own film as a director...
It’s a tough film to do, but the good part is that it’s a completely new film, it is not a remake. It’s a tough role for me to pull off, too. Govinda was so effortless, but that does not mean that it wasn’t a tough role for him. What I loved about the original was that it had an amazing screenplay and story, it was a remake of a South film. The dialogues were written by Kader Khan and the screenplay by Rumi Jaffrey. There is so much stuff going on in the film that you don’t get bored for a second, I like such movies.

Not many in your generation have been able to make a mark in the comedy space, and like you had said in an earlier interview, ‘It is the toughest thing to do.’ Would you say that your father has played a huge role in making you believe in comedy, which often does not get the stature it deserves?
Yes, my dad had a huge role to play in it, but I always wanted to do it as I love watching comedy as an audience. People dissuaded me from doing comedy a few years ago, and they still do. I don’t know what people’s problem is with laughing. I feel that such films work.

I guess their concern is that you could be seen as a comedy actor, though I don’t think that the audience cares about these tags and brackets we put actors in...
Yes, they don’t and neither do I care about what people are saying. Today, the audience know what they want to watch. Films like Total Dhamaal and Housefull are huge hits and that means people have gone to watch these films. You can’t take away from them.

The team of Kalank owned up to the fact that the film did not shape up as imagined. Did you all discuss what went wrong with it?
I think everyone has done their own introspection in their own way and learnt from it. I think there was no lack of effort, but the story did not connect with the audience.

After a string of successful films, did Kalank’s failure come as a huge shock? Was it heart-breaking?
I expected it, I knew it was coming. When the film didn’t work, it made me go back to the basics. It made me go back to being who I really was. The failure made me press the reset button in my life. I was also moving too fast during that time; I was maybe flying too high. I might be putting too much meaning into it, but I needed that grounding. I needed that something to knock me out and put me on the ground. Recently, I met Saif (Ali Khan) and he made a lot of fun of me about this. He said, ‘You can’t be so affected by it, just relax and chill’, which is a good way to look at it, too.

In an interview with us, you had said, ‘Earlier, I would see films in terms of box office, now, I see films in terms of footfalls.’ So, all your choice of films now is driven by that goal — you want to increase your footfalls?
My choice of films is pan India, and there are certain things I have learnt that does not work with the audience, so I will try to avoid those. My pulse is massy. These are the films I can contribute to really well. I get very inspired by kids, by the way they behave and what they like. Currently, the biggest song for me in the world is Baby Shark as my little niece keeps hearing it.

So, has working on this film made you a better dancer?
Yes, you could say that. Now, I can pick up the steps and moves with more ease. I have also started following the beat a lot more. In dancing, being on the beat is the most important. And like in dance, in life, too, I want to be on the beat.

You must have had close interactions with your team of dancers, because in this film, the dancers and the dance sets are the soul of the story, right? Working with such fabulous dancers who come from different backgrounds must have been a huge learning experience, professionally and personally?
Yes, totally. Some of them live in faraway places in Mumbai, and no matter what, they were always there on set, on time. Just seeing how committed and focused they were in spite of their hardships, was such a learning experience. We always told each other, ‘We need to push harder’. I don’t want to let them down. There are 12-16 newcomers in this film. The film needs to do well, as a lot of people’s future is at stake here. When ABCD 2 happened, a lot of dancers like Dharmesh, Raghav, Punit, Sushant got recognition and today, they are household names.

Onkar Kulkarni (BOMBAY TIMES; November 12, 2019)

While most of Sidharth Malhotra’s films have had him playing a dapper dude, his next outing, Marjaavaan, sees him in a rugged avatar, full-on Bollywood style. The film, which is an out-and-out massy fare, showcases him as a larger-than-life hero, who is likely to remind the audience of the leading men from 70s, 80s and 90s. In a chat with Bombay Times, the actor spoke about playing the quintessential Bollywood hero, working with another ‘student’ Tara Sutaria, his equation with Karan Johar and more. Excerpts...

Marjaavaan is a typical masala movie, where you are doling out seeti-maar dialogues and fighting goons in filmi style. In today’s time, when films and characters are all about being real, you took this turn to play a typical hero?
It feels great to play a hero who is so powerful. Those who dream of becoming an actor, often envision themselves doing larger-than-life heroic things on the screen. In my seven-year career, this is the first time that I am playing a quintessential hero, and that’s what attracted me to this film. Through this movie, we want to present an intense, action love story, with flavours of the 70s and 80s. I was born in the mid-80s and grew up watching 90s cinema. This was my opportunity to live in that era. Milap (Zaveri, director) is convinced that there’s an audience for this kind of cinema. I think in the South, they make this kind of cinema really well and even blend in social messages and relevant issues. Here, fewer filmmakers explore this genre.

You said that you are a fan of the Hindi films of the 80s and 90s. Which actors have you drawn inspiration from?
While growing up, I had a cassette of Hum (1991) at home. I loved Amitabh Bachchan’s style. The way he would come on the screen, ruffle his hair that had a white streak, and scream ‘Bhaktaaaaawaaaaar…’ I would love it. I was a kid back then, and for a long time, I thought ‘Bhaktawar’ is an abuse. I would scream it out loud just like Bachchan saab did. My parents would laugh at that. In this film, we have drawn references from Amitabh Bachchan of that era, Sunny Deol from Ghayal (1990) and Ghatak (1996), and Sanjay Dutt from his films from the 90s.

While actors of the earlier generation were accepted in larger-than-life roles, today, actors opt to play characters that the audience can relate to. Do you think they will be able to accept you in this avatar?
Well, the senior actors have a huge body of work, but I am sure they, too, had their firsts. It is all about taking the initiative. I am in that zone, where they were some years ago. I worked hard to get that rugged look, for which I had to gain weight and grow my hair. We also worked on the character’s style, and to give him a grunge vibe, I wore a bandana and a jacket. Even though I don’t smoke in the film, you will see a matchstick in my mouth. I have taken the plunge, so now, let’s see what the audience thinks. If the audience likes me, I would like to do more of such films.

The film reunites you with your Ek Villain (2014) costar Riteish Deshmukh. This time around, too, you are pitted against each other. He plays a dwarf in the film; how did shooting for scenes with him pan out?
We have used chroma effect to do these scenes. While shooting, Riteish would stand, or sometimes sit on his knees. The latter was easier because when he stood up, I had to maintain my eye level and say my dialogues looking at him waist down (laughs!).

You started your career with Student Of The Year (2012) directed by Karan Johar, while Tara Sutaria starred in the second film of the franchise, Student Of The Year 2, directed by Punit Malhotra. How was it working with a ‘student’ from a different batch?
I met Tara for the first time at a Diwali party, which was much before we started shooting for Marjaavaan. I remember asking her whether the campus of Saint Teresa College (from Student Of The Year) has become bigger and cooler? Later on, we realised that we are neighbours. I was very excited to know that she’s a trained singer. In this film, however, she plays a girl who is speech impaired.

How is your equation with your mentor, Karan Johar, today? There were rumours of a fallout between the two of you. Is there any truth to it?
No, there’s no truth to it. I have immense respect for Karan Johar. The production house has given me everything. In fact, Shershaah is being produced by them. It’s a project that I took to them, and they really liked it. It’s exciting to work with them again. We just shot in Kargil for 50 days and are almost done with the shoot. About our equation, we all have matured and branched out, and that’s a natural progression. This will happen in the future as well because we all have to find our own path. Eventually, it is my journey. With Karan, it’s more like a friendship now. Whenever I meet him, it is like meeting a senior person from the industry.

Sidharth Malhotra also plans to set up his own production house
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 8, 2019)

According to Milap Zaveri, the director of your upcoming film, Marjaavaan, your character is modelled on the heroes of the ’80s and ’90s, including Amitabh Bachchan from Deewar. What are your memories of the ’75 action-drama?
Well, yes, Marjaavaan is an intense love story of today, with the flavour of those decades in its drama, dialogue, action and larger-than-life characters. I grew up watching video cassettes of films featuring Sunny Deol, Sanjay Dutt and Bachchan saab. I saw Deewar much later, but I recall Hum, whose climax had Bachchan saab holding the rope anchored to Anupam Kher who’s in a helicopter whirring at high speed. Also, of him hollering, “Bakhtawar”. I was around six then, and thought “Bakhtawar”, which was the name of the film’s baddie Danny sir (Denzongpa), was a gaali and I’d run around the house shouting it at my cousins. Bachchan saab’s characters from Shahenshah to Coolie, have all been iconic, with flair and style. We’ve incorporated some of that in my Raghu, from the long hair and the leather jacket to the simmering anger. Hopefully, it will bring back some retro trends.

It’s been a decade in showbiz for you…
(Cuts in) More like seven years as an actor, though it would be close to a decade if you count back to when I came to the city.

How has the journey been so far?
When I started out, it was all about early morning call time and sleepless nights, long days taking care of a 100 people in the background and lots of physical exertion. As an assistant director on My Name Is Khan, I was seeing stars like Shah Rukh (Khan) and Kajol in person and finding out that they had family lives too. It was all very new and exciting, but exhausting too. But since I was a lowly assistant, I wasn’t paid too well and had to model part-time to pay the rent. Then, I landed Student Of The Year and with the opportunity to be in the movies, the excitement doubled as did the nervousness. Karan (Johar) is a prolific director and I was debuting with a big film with lavishly-mounted sets and songs. I felt lucky and blessed, totally in awe of the camera which I was facing instead of toiling behind the scenes. My introduction, my song, my close-up, there was so much happening…

And then?
Then, there were more films which brought not just excitement but anxiety too, over whether they’d work. But having pretty much seen all the highs and lows, there’s less fear of the unknown now. I’ve understood that even mega stars go through this, and since the success-failure ratio is so uneven and unpredictable, there’s only so much an actor can do.

So, what advice would you give a new ‘student’ like Tara Sutaria, who’s paired with you in your next?
I don’t think any actor needs advice today, and someone like Tara definitely doesn’t. She’s been performing on stage since she was a child. She’s a trained singer and has dabbled in TV too. What can I tell her? Our schools, St Teresa’s, may have been the same, but our teachers were different. Punit (director Punit Malhotra) is much younger than Karan. And for a new student, Tara did a fab job.

What’s the next five-year plan?
To make films which cater to a larger pan-India audience, like Marjaavaan and SherShaah. I’d have loved to produce the latter, the biopic of Kargil martyr Vikram Batra. I worked on it for two-and-a-half years. In the next five years, along with challenging myself as an actor, I want to set up my own production company.

What kind of movies would you like to produce?
I’d like to spin a superhero franchise and act in it too. I am a big fan of the Marvel series. This is one genre that intrigues me, more so because we have so much existing material in our country’s mythology.

Many actors have moved to the digital space, with even movies premiering there. Will you make the transition too?
At the moment, it doesn’t interest me. As an actor, I want to experiment with different genres and when I’m already getting enough variety in the movies, why look elsewhere. Even the numbers on the digital platforms aren’t as big in India as compared to other countries. It’ll take a few more years for them to increase.

When Marjaavaan was first announced, many believed that it was Ek Villain 2, following Milap’s tweet, “Get ready for a new kind of villain as Riteish plays a 3.4 feet dwarf/midget.” Now, Mohit Suri is scripting a sequel to his 2014 action thriller. Excited about returning as Guru?
I don’t wish to speak about the future. Let’s stay in the present and enjoy Marjaavaan.

Sidharth Malhotra on his hits and misses at the box-office, living the dream of an actor, and why he is not keen on a digital debut yet
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; August 4, 2019)

After making his debut in 2012 with Karan Johar's Student Of The Year, Sidharth Malhotra often referred to as the chocolate boy of Bollywood, has tried to experiment with his choice of roles and scripts. While romance seems to be his forte, the actor, 33, says he likes to add layers to his characters. In a conversation with mid-day, Malhotra talks about his choices, his views on box-office failures, why he is not ready for the web and his dream role.

Edited excerpts from the interview.

It has been seven years since Student Of The Year released and you made your debut in Bollywood. You've had a few hits and misses over the years. How do you see your journey?
I had an amazing launch [with Student Of The Year], experienced the high of hits like Ek Villain (2014) and some that didn't pan out as expected, but that's what we call experience. None of the superstars that I grew up seeing have had perfect a record of hits. They have also experienced ups and downs in their career with respect to their movie choices. That is how I would describe my career as an actor as well—some films will work and some won't. In every generation, there have been only a handful of actors who have been accepted by the audience; and I am lucky that despite being an outsider, having no godfather in the industry, people have accepted me as a lead actor.

You've made some interesting adaptations to don the character of Abhay Singh in Jabariya Jodi.
Abhay Singh is the stark opposite of what I am in real life. I won't say that I have a business of 'picking up boys', I may have picked up a few girls in the past (laughs), but I was excited to do a character that is far removed from my past and personality. He is a colourful yet strong character, who wears a baali [earring], chews paan [betel] and smokes chillum. For roles like these, you cannot come unprepared on set because that will show on camera, so I put in a lot of prep work. I had a tutor train me in the language for two months. I am all about trying new things. From the styling of the character to the body language, colouring my hair and even getting used to wearing a gamcha was like adding layers to my character. I got to explore a lot playing this character.

Hypothetically, if you fell in love and circumstances were not ideal, would you kidnap or elope with her?
[Laughs] Hopefully, I will be suitable enough to get everyone's permission. Most parents like me, so I might charm my way into my future in-laws' homes and hearts. I don't think that nowadays, especially in cities like Delhi and Mumbai, with the lifestyle we lead, parents would want to go against their children's wishes. Yet, if I was born and raised in a different state, city or village, depending on how strongly I feel for the girl, I would think and react accordingly. I might fight for her.

Despite the highs and lows, you have often experimented with your choice of roles.
I have always plunged into a script from the viewpoint of the story and character, whether it's Ek Villain, Brothers (2015), Ittefaq (2017) or Jabariya Jodi. The decision was never based on whether it suits me as a hero or not. I have given a bit of myself to every character I played and often challenged myself in new situations. While some worked in my favour, a few didn't. My conscious decision has always been to do something that will encompass a much larger audience like with Jabariya Jodi. The film is a massy entertainer which caters to the issue of pakadwa vivah [groom kidnapping], the drama and also showcases a love story.

From playing Abhay Singh in JJ to Captain Vikram Batra in Sher Shah how do you flit from one character to the other with such ease?
That's what I enjoy as an actor and what drew me to the profession of filmmaking [Malhotra worked as an assistant director to Karan Johar in My Name Is Khan]. I grew up watching Shah Rukh Khan romance in the '90s, and [Amitabh] Bachchan Saab doing action in the '70s-'80s; now, I am living the dream by portraying similar characters—be it romancing in Jabariya Jodi or doing action in Marjaavaan [film with Riteish Deshmukh and Tara Sutaria]. It's exciting for someone like me to be able to don varied characters.

With Bollywood moving the digital way, have you considered experimenting with a web series?
I haven't really ventured or thought about it because there's so much I am already getting to do in films. Web shows still have a long way to go in India. It is a new phenomenon and our audience base is not as big as the west, neither are the characters or the budgets of these films. While the growth is evident, it will still take a while for showrunners to provide us with attractive characters and stories that will compel us to make the switch. Right now, I am very happy with my line-up of movies and scripts I am working on.

Deepali Singh (DNA; May 4, 2019)

At 5 feet 8 inches, Ananya Panday stands tall. And when you meet the 20-year-old, who’s making her debut with Student Of The Year 2, you realise there is a lot more to the newcomer than just being Chunky Panday’s daughter. The way she took on the nepotism topic head-on in Koffee With Karan was certainly refreshing. And the pretty young lady has no qualms about reiterating her viewpoint. “I’m well aware of my privilege. I feel there are so many people out there who are so deserving. I’m lucky I got this opportunity; I hope that audiences like me and accept me. But this has been my dream my entire life and I don’t think it’s fair for anyone to tell me that I don’t deserve to be here,” she says. Yes, nepotism exists, she agrees but adds that it’s there in every industry. “Like any other 20-year-old, I have my dreams and I’m lucky I’m getting to live it. Now, my work will speak for itself and I hope I justify people’s faith in me,” she says. The debutante, who will be seen opposite Tiger Shroff and sharing screen space with another newbie, Tara Sutaria, talks about her first acting experience...

How’s the response been to the trailer?
We are getting a lot of love. I think people are liking this bubblegum film, it’s a much-needed break from other kinds of movies. Obviously, there is trolling, but I deal with it like my dad does. He is always the first one to laugh at himself and knows how to take a joke super well. I think that’s how I’m going to take it. Whenever people put up a meme, I’m the first one to like it and put it on my Instagram stories.

You knew you wanted to be an actress for a long time?
I was always sure this is what I wanted to be in life. I remember I was 14 and my parents were going to watch Student Of The Year (2012). It was a late-night show and I begged them to take me along. I had to sit on the floor and watched Alia Bhatt on screen as Shanaya, and I was like, ‘Wow! This is what I want to do and this is what I want to be’. So, acting has been my dream. But I didn’t groom myself for it. I was studying and then got into college. I thought I’d start auditioning once college was over, but luckily, I got the chance earlier, so there was no time to prepare. I learnt a lot on set.

In a way, you and Tara are stepping into Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra’s shoes. Isn’t it a big responsibility?
And they are some big shoes! No, it’s not a pressure because I sent this out to the universe. To chicken out now is not happening! I’m trying to be the best version of myself, so there is no time to be scared.

Your director, Punit Malhotra, told us that you abused him a lot on the sets...
Excuse me, I didn’t (laughs)! Honestly, when I used to come for workshops to this office, I was a mouse. I was always loud in front of my friends but in front of Punit and Karan, I would get scared. My character in the film is how I am in real life, and Punit said I needed to open up. So, he was the one who made me scream and abuse. He said, ‘I can’t imagine you abusing and yelling.’ I asked him if he was sure because I’m like a tap — open it once and it won’t stop!

So he made me start and it helped me in my acting. I was scared and inhibited earlier. I had a lot in me but I was scared to show it to people. When he took those fears away, I had nothing to lose. When I went on the sets, I was not shy or confused.

How was it working with Tiger? Did you get any starry vibes from him?
Not at all! He would forever be chilling on the sets with us. He’s such a huge star and has so many fans, especially kids, but he’s so normal and I love that about him. It’s so easy to get carried away at our age, but when you are working with people like Tiger, who are such big stars but so humble, it really inspires you.

Are Tara and you really BFFs, the way everyone is making it out to be?
I wouldn’t say we are BFFs — that’s a very flowery word. But we have a special connection. It’s our first film and only we know what’s going on inside of us. Having someone on set who’s going through the exact same emotions as you, created a unique bond. Also, we are completely different as people but we are similar in age, so there are some things common between us.

This is your debut film but you share the limelight with another newcomer. Did that ever bother you?
No, I’m not an insecure person at all. If I like a script and I am with 10 other people, I will still go ahead and do it. And there is less pressure on me because there are so many people sharing it!

As Twitter pans Tiger Shroff's latest song from Student Of The Year 2, choreographer Remo D'Souza argues it's not similar to Radha from the first instalment
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; April 26, 2019)

You can't blame netizens for drawing comparisons between the latest track of Student Of The Year 2, and Radha from the first edition. After all, like Radha that had Alia Bhatt grooving with the two male leads at a sangeet, Mumbai Dilli Di Kudiya sees Tiger Shroff shaking a leg with the leading ladies - Tara Sutaria and Ananya Panday - at a sangeet.

What's more, at the song launch, director Punit Malhotra too alluded to the likeness, saying, "They [Student Of The Year team] had Radha Teri Chunri, we have Mumbai Dilli Di Kudiya. The music of the films are in tune with their respective stories, but this song is in that space." Since then, Twitterati has been having a field day labelling the song a throwback to the 2012 dance number.

However, Remo D'Souza, who choreographed the latest offering, feels the comparisons are "incorrect". "There is no similarity between the two songs. They both have different tunes; even the setting and themes are different. So, it doesn't make sense when people compare the two just because they're from the same franchise. Radha was choreographed beautifully by someone [Farah Khan], and I have done my best to suit the need of this song." The choreographer goes on to heap praise on Shroff. "Tiger is a phenomenal dancer. Tara and Ananya meticulously rehearsed for the track too."

Tara Sutaria describes fellow ‘student’ Tiger Shroff as the “biggest brat on the set”
MUMBAI MIRROR (April 13, 2019)

At the trailer launch of Student Of The Year 2 (SOTY2) on Friday, when new student Tiger Shroff was quizzed on how different Part 2 was from its predecessor which had launched Varun Dhawan, Sidharth Malhotra and Alia Bhatt in 2012, he quipped, “You will get to see a bit of Tiger-ism in the film.” He added that one would also see kabaddi in a Bollywood extravaganza. Given that Kangana Ranaut will play the sport in her next, one wondered if another ‘panga’ was on the way.

The camaraderie with Punit Malhotra was evident, as Tiger joked that their director was a covert actor and so would rehearse with them on the sets. Punit retorted, saying the campus drama is co-directed by Tiger whose ‘good boy’ image is the “biggest scam”. Fellow students endorsed the opinion. “Tiger is sweet and naughty,” Ananya Panday laughed while Tara described him as “the biggest brat on the set”.

SOTY 2 showcases another battle royale and when asked which of the alumni from KJo’s university he’d like to challenge, Tiger said he’d take on Varun in a dance competition and athletic Sid in a kabaddi duel.

Nazia and Zoheb Hassan’s “Disco Deewane” was recreated for the original, this time they’ve borrowed Randhir Kapoor’s “Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani” for a face-off. The SOTY franchise will always have a retro track, producer Karan Johar promised, and Tara, a professional opera singer, crooned “Lag Jaa Gale” from Woh Kaun Thee. Ananya while wishing she could go to a school like St. Teresa’s in the film, acknowledged that a “larger-than-life school like this doesn’t exist”


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As he takes Student Of The Year franchise forward, Tiger Shroff says he strived to make sequel distinct from Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra original
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; April 13, 2019)

It can't be easy to headline the sequel of a film that gave Bollywood three promising stars in Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra. But Tiger Shroff is unperturbed by the comparisons that will be made as he takes the Karan Johar-backed franchise forward with Student Of The Year 2.

If the trailer is any indication, the film - with its generous dose of dance and action - plays to Shroff's strengths. The actor says he has added his own interpretation to the campus drama directed by Punit Malhotra. "There is definitely some flavour of Student Of The Year [2012], but I have added to that by bringing in what people know me for. I have brought in a little 'Tigerism' to my character. The credit for that goes to my director, who gave me the scope to express myself the way I want."

If Shroff has taken the baton from the original trio, the director too has the responsibility to match Johar who had helmed the 2012 hit. He points out how Malhotra put his signature stamp on the second instalment in the smallest of details. "I don't want to compare the two films as we have made a completely different movie. For instance, one of the sporting activities shown in the film is kabaddi. I believe this is the first time that the sport is being explored on celluloid," he adds.

The coming-of-age drama also marks the debut of Chunkey Pandey's daughter Ananya, and Tara Sutaria. Heaping praise on his two co-stars, he says, "They are so spontaneous, it never felt like I was working with two newcomers."

Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; January 6, 2019)

Alia Bhatt has had a great 2018 with her only release Raazi becoming a Rs 100 crore hit and making it to the IMDB list of top 10 movies. Her spy act in the film not only got her rave reviews but she has also been sweeping awards as the best actress. The 25-year-old young achiever, who has a huge fan following among the youth and kids, was voted as the favourite actress at the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards 2018. Here, Alia tells us what makes this award different from others, the cartoon characters she enjoys watching and whether she will star in a film made for children...

How does it feel to win an award that is chosen by kids?
It feels great. It gives you a great sense of responsibility that even your smallest actions are watched by these kids and it makes an impact on their impressionable minds. Also, I always have a huge blast performing for children.

Would you do a film that is targeted at children?
Definitely. I would love to do a project if I get the opportunity. I feel kids connect with me through the various projects that I take on. I would like to think that most of my films like Student Of The Year and Dear Zindagi are such that they can be enjoyed across age groups.

Growing up, which was your favourite cartoon show and why?
My all-time favourite and stress-busting cartoon is Tom and Jerry! It always manages to cheer me up after a long day.

Bollywood hardly makes any films for kids. What is the reason?
The times are changing I believe and I hope that more films will be made for kids. We have gifted directors like Nitesh Tiwari, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and Amole Gupte striding this genre. Also, I believe movies for kids need to be made responsibly, which takes a while.

What kind of movie would you recommend for kids to watch?
I would say movies that are not just going to entertain but also empower them, give out a message and prepare them for important phases of life. It could be films like Chillar Party, Nil Battey Sannata and Taare Zameen Par. Also, the historic period dramas would be a really interesting genre for them to explore. I really hope to see more films to be made in this genre.

Your last release Raazi made it to the top 10 list of IMDB of 2018...
Raazi will always hold a special place in my heart! When you’re playing or depicting a character which has done something magnificently great and in silence, you carry their weight of personality, character and their life. I’m delighted to know that we pulled it off really well and Sehmat’s story is now known and heard by millions.