Showing posts with label The Great Indian Kitchen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Great Indian Kitchen. Show all posts
Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan deserve to be where they are due to the passion that they have for their job-Sanya Malhotra
8:32 AM
Sanya, who has worked with Aamir in Dangal and Shah Rukh in the upcoming Jawan, says their shared passion for craft makes them superstars
Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; June 10, 2023)
Debuting with an Aamir Khan-led blockbuster and featuring alongside Shah Rukh Khan, a few years later, sounds like the stuff of dreams. But for Sanya Malhotra, who forayed into films with Dangal (2016), it’s a reality. The actor’s next, the Atlee-directed Jawan, will see her share screen space with Shah Rukh. Having worked with the two superstars has not only left Malhotra with a treasure trove of learnings, but also given her insight into the reason for their unmatched success.
“It’s the way they conduct themselves on set. They deserve to be where they are [because of] the passion that they have for their job and the films they do,” she says.
Besides Jawan, Malhotra has an eclectic line-up of films this year that includes Meghna Gulzar’s Sam Bahadur and the much-anticipated adaptation of the Malayalam drama, The Great Indian Kitchen (2021). Attempting a retelling of an acclaimed movie can often be tricky. But under director Arati Kadav’s leadership, the actor says that she wants to take the powerful story — of a new bride who feels suffocated in a patriarchal household — to a wider audience.
“We have a very good film in hand. I am confident the audience will love our film the way they loved the original. It’s an important story that has to be told,” she says, adding that the movie’s feminist theme instantly resonated with her.
“It’s a conscious choice to pick such roles. The [gender] politics is always on my mind while selecting films.”
Angad Bedi exits from Sanya Malhotra-starrer The Great Indian Kitchen
8:20 AM
Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; December 13, 2022)
In March, Angad Bedi was roped in opposite Sanya Malhotra for the Hindi adaptation of the acclaimed Malayalam film, 'The Great Indian Kitchen' (2021). The actor was to step into the shoes of Suraj Venjaramoodu to play a patriarchal husband who expects his wife to be submissive and confined to the kitchen. However, the latest on the remake’s front is that Bedi has exited the project due to date issues.
If things had gone as initially planned, the actor would have joined the second schedule of Arati Kadav’s directorial venture in January. “It is a great script, and Angad wanted to be a part of the film. He had started prepping for the role. But the dates clashed with those of his yet-untitled love story opposite Barkha Singh. Since he had already committed to the Jio Studios’ production, the actor decided to honour it and pulled out of the remake,” says a source.
While Bedi is shooting for the love story in Delhi, Kadav has locked a new face to keep 'The Great Indian Kitchen' remake’s shooting schedule on track. The Malayalam original, starring Nimisha Sajayan as a new bride, was widely praised for its feminist theme.
Professionally, anything uncomfortable excites me; comfort scares me-Sanya Malhotra
8:32 AM
Walking into 2023 with four biggies, including Jawan and Kathal, Sanya says she seeks unconventional subjects to keep growing as an artiste
Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; December 12, 2022)
Sanya Malhotra has no time to pause. With four films slated to release next year, she is moving one from movie set to another. Does the frenetic pace get to her? Far from it. “There is no other way I would like it to be,” the actor grins.
“This is something that I had always imagined myself doing. [The shoots] are back-to-back. I had mentally prepared myself to live a life like this.”
Her line-up for 2023 is promising — she has Jawan that sees her share screen space with Shah Rukh Khan, the Hindi adaptation of acclaimed Malayalam film The Great Indian Kitchen (2021), a comedy in Kathal, and a period drama in Sam Bahadur. Malhotra counts herself lucky to be a part of such eclectic stories.
“These films are so diverse, yet rich in their storytelling. To reunite with Guneet Monga for Kathal [after Pagglait], work with Meghna Gulzar ma’am and Vicky [Kaushal in the Sam Manekshaw biopic], and headline a big film like The Great Indian Kitchen — [these films] helped me check many boxes on my wish list.”
In comparison, 2022 was a tepid year for the actor. Though Love Hostel with Vikrant Massey received positive reviews, it failed to attract viewers. Her second release, Hit - The First Case opposite Rajkummar Rao, didn’t make an impact at the box office either. Malhotra, however, is unfazed, continuing to front subjects that speak to her.
“I don’t look at choices as risks; I only see them as opportunities. Also, today, I feel everything is mainstream, or nothing is. My journey began with an unconventional character [in Dangal], and what followed was a natural progression. Comfort scares me. In my personal life, I like being easy-going, but professionally, anything uncomfortable excites me because I know those are the areas where I will grow in life. Growth, as it is, is not a comfortable experience. I’m constantly seeking to grow as an actor, and I hope that never stops.”
If I can spend Diwali in front of the camera, it will be magical-Sanya Malhotra
8:05 AM
Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; October 19, 2022)
Sanya Malhotra’s life changed gears over the last two years, with several releases on OTT platforms and a theatrical release earlier this year. She’s currently working on a host of projects, including the remake of The Great Indian Kitchen, Atlee’s next with Shah Rukh Khan and Meghna Gulzar’s Sam Bahadur. In a chat with BT, she talks about how she interprets her roles, some of the unputdownable offers and more. Excerpts:
Diwali is around the corner. After a busy year, do you have plans to head home to Delhi?
I’m shooting non-stop. So, I’ve not really drawn out any plans. But it’s exciting to think that I might spend Diwali in front of the camera. It will be magical if that happens. If I have a day off, I will go back home to Delhi and spend some time with my family, eat ghar ka khaana and participate in all the revelry. My perfect Diwali is being around my loved ones. I love all the shebang — rangoli, decoration, making diyas and the food. If I am not doing this, I’m sure I will be shooting in front of the camera.
The Great Indian Kitchen’s remake went on floors recently. With three distinct films to juggle, how do you switch between the emotional zones of your roles?
I do many things that I keep changing depending on the characters I’m playing. Like I’ve worked in a movie called Kathal, for which I drew inspiration from the interactions I had with actual policewomen in Gwalior. I could understand their approach to life and who they are beyond the uniforms that give them authority and power. They’re human, too. The idea is to get to know characters psychologically and emotionally.
Sometimes, I create memory banks for them. Like I wrote diary entries for Sandhya’s character in Pagglait. I didn’t have any experience or any emotional reference point for her. So, I started writing, and I ended up writing poetry, too, which I don’t write in my personal life. I imagine my character’s daily life, put myself in their shoes and think of what would have happened in their lives before. I love doing this exercise where I go deep into their emotional coffers.
When it comes to remakes, I think of my own way of interpreting the character, matching it with the director’s vision and the space of the film. Like The Great Indian Kitchen is something I was looking forward to diving deep into. The original was fantastic, and Nimisha Sajayan was so good in it. But I don’t know how to improvise on that. And that’s also not the intention. I just want to interpret it well without a sense of competition. I treat it as a new story and character.
What drew you to play Siloo Manekshaw in Sam Bahadur, where Sam Manekshaw will be the focal point of the story? Also, there’s isn’t much information on his wife in the public domain.
I just wanted to work with Meghna Gulzar. And you have to trust a director like her who doesn’t take any character lightly. Each one is important. I knew that I would learn something new when I work with her. It was an unputdownable offer. I’ve started shooting for it, and it’s a different experience to surrender myself to her vision. I know she’ll pull me out of my comfort zone, and I look forward to that.
The industry is in a state of uncertainty, where there is an ongoing discussion and debate over the kind of films that can potentially draw people into a theatre. What do you think about this scenario?
We’re all going through a challenging phase, which means this is the time to explore new things through scripts, new mediums and unique stories. As an industry, it’s important to push one another to do better. No one can survive this individually. It’s time to stand together, and this happens in every business. We have to see what we all can bring to the table. The ecosystem of the industry has expanded and made room for so much that we can do. We need to work on it and good will come out of this. It will pull us out of complacency and push us to experiment. Had I been stubborn about where my films (the platform) were released, my career wouldn’t have been on the upswing. Transition is about being flexible and collaborative. You have to adapt constantly. It’s pretty much like picking up the emotional spaces of different characters at different times. Being flexible pushes me to take up characters that are completely unexpected of me, and yet, people accept what I turn in. People love artistes who push their boundaries.
You have refrained from repeating yourself so far in the work that you choose to do. Isn’t it challenging to keep doing that?
That’s my biggest fear and kabhi na kabhi aisa hoga that I will end up being in a space that I have been in before. Woh main kabhi bhi karna nahi chahti. People say that I’m making unconventional choices. It has been a conscious move to not fit into a box which would’ve been easier to do. There’s so much advice that comes to me from various corners on how to dress a certain way or put things out on social media, which I’ve never followed. I work with a fabulous team that advises me, and there are seniors I reach out to periodically, but eventually, I listen to my gut. I’ve been consistently doing that for the five-six years that I’ve been here. One shouldn’t blame anyone else for anything that goes south, right? I wanted to do every kind of film and character and I have stuck to that. I’ll never put myself in a box, and no one can do that to me.
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This year, Sanya Malhotra will be celebrating Diwali with her filmi family, and she has no qualms about it
Sugandha Rawal (HINDUSTAN TIMES; October 19, 2022)
This year, actor Sanya Malhotra will be celebrating Diwali with her filmy family, and she is pretty excited about it. She says being on set is nothing less than a celebration for her, as it reminds her of the passion she has for acting.
The actor will be shooting for the Hindi remake of the critically acclaimed Malayalam movie The Great Indian Kitchen (2021) on Diwali.
“I am very excited to spend this Diwali on the sets of my film because I absolutely love my team and I am having a blast shooting this film. On set wali Diwali will be a very special and a new experience for me,” Malhotra says.
The 30-year-old continues, “This is only because I’m working with such nice people. I am not homesick, but rather I feel at home. I love being on the set. But it’s not that I don’t like being around my family. I get very excited to work on holidays and festivals for some reason. I think it’s because being on set is nothing less than a celebration.”
“I feel extremely grateful around this time. No matter how cliché and cheesy it sounds, but it’s hard to believe that my dreams have actually come true and I’m living my dream life right now,” says the actor, who was last seen in HIT: The First Case.
However, this is not the first time that she will be spending Diwali away from her family. Earlier, while shooting for Dangal (2016) in Ludhiana, she had to be away from her closed ones during the festival. “You find that feeling of solace and being at home only with the people that you’re working with. I’m really looking forward to spending this festival with the team that I’m absolutely loving, and I know that I will have lots of fun,” says the actor.
When not working, her ideal way to celebrate the festival is to spend some time with her family during Diwali and gorge on some home-made food and sweets.
“I’m a homebody. So whenever I’m back in Delhi, around my family and friends, I don’t usually step out. I have a very close circle in Delhi. I just love being at home and around my people. It’s the most grounding thing for me as an actor because I’m constantly working and hopping from one set to the other,” she says, adding, “My perfect Diwali is around my loved ones, eating rajma chawal and mithai, which my mother makes every Diwali”.
Remake of The Great Indian Kitchen, starring Sanya Malhotra, goes on floors today
8:21 AM
Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; October 10, 2022)
In February, it was announced that Sanya Malhotra will lead the Hindi remake of the much-acclaimed Malayalam film, 'The Great Indian Kitchen' (2021). Eight months on, Arati Kadav, who previously helmed Cargo (2020), is ready to go behind the camera for the drama. mid-day has learnt that the film will go on floors today in Bhandup.
A source reveals, “A major chunk of the Malayalam film played out in the interiors of the house, particularly the kitchen as the protagonist is seen devoting hours, making meals for the family. With the adaptation being imagined in the same vein, a set of a house has been built at Limelight Studio in Bhandup, where Arati has lined up a 15-day schedule.”
Written and directed by Jeo Baby, The Great Indian Kitchen had a quiet OTT release last year. The movie soon captured the audience’s attention with its honest depiction of a newly-married woman who slaves away all day long in the kitchen, thus showing the suppression and inequality that women have to deal with in our patriarchal society.
For the Hindi adaptation backed by Harman Baweja, Malhotra steps into the shoes of Nimisha Sajayan, while Angad Bedi plays the dominating husband, essayed by Suraj Venjaramoodu in the original.
I was living with Imposter Syndrome for three years-Sanya Malhotra
8:23 AM
Sanya, who has a promising line-up in Kathal and The Great Indian Kitchen remake, discusses overcoming self-doubt after Pagglait
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; June 7, 2022)
One would imagine that Sanya Malhotra was on top of the world after her Pagglait (2021) won glowing reviews and the audiences’ love last year. Yet, the reality was different. The actor was struggling to give herself due credit. “Of the five-and-a-half years I have worked in Bollywood, I was living with Imposter Syndrome for three years. I believed I didn’t deserve the opportunities coming my way, and that my work wasn’t good. I was harsh on myself,” she recounts.
It was only months after Pagglait’s release that Malhotra could channel the validation in a positive way. “Now, when I sit back and reflect on it, I am able to finally give myself my due. Yes, I have worked hard, and I deserve the work I am getting.”
Armed with the newfound self-love, the actor has reunited with Pagglait producers Guneet Monga and Ekta Kapoor for Kathal. Set in a small town, Yashowardhan Mishra’s directorial venture revolves around a local politician whose prized jackfruits go missing and Malhotra’s police officer character has to solve the bizarre case.
“When you wear the khaki uniform, you have to be responsible — not as an actor alone, but the writing has to be right, too. The credit for this film goes to its writing. Hindi films tend to dramatise cops. But in reality, they are human. Yasho has highlighted that in his script. When you say something through comedy, people understand it easily. I am looking for stories that have a subtle message. I want to pick up characters that inspire me and other young women.”
Up next, she has the remake of The Great Indian Kitchen (2021). Adapting a celebrated film comes with its pressures, but the actor is excited. “When I first saw the film, I remember thinking I wish I were a part of it. It is crazy that Arati Kadav [director] decided to cast me in the remake.”
Harman Baweja’s The Great Indian Kitchen remake to be headlined by Sanya Malhotra
8:17 AM
HINDUSTAN TIMES (February 23, 2022)
The anticipation around the Hindi remake of the Malayalam film The Great Indian Kitchen (2021) is already high. Now coming in is the news that would leave cinema lovers across the nation super excited — actor Sanya Malhotra has joined the cast!
Creator-producer Harman Baweja has been thrilled to work on the project ever since the acclaimed Malayalam film released last year. And he has finally roped in Malhotra to headline the challenging narrative, with acclaimed director Arati Kadav at the helm.
Malhotra says, “As soon as I read the script of The Great Indian Kitchen remake, I knew I had to be a part of this world. The entire universe of the project is so powerful that it engulfs you. I am super excited to collaborate with Harman and Arati.”
Talking about the project, Baweja shares, “The message of the film is something that stays with you long after it. The challenge was to adapt it for the pan-India audience while maintaining the right balance of an entertaining yet thought-provoking film, a conversation starter. I feel very lucky to begin this journey with two powerhouse women — Sanya Malhotra and Arati Kadav.”
In a similar vein, Kadav says, “It is a proud moment for me to be associated with The Great Indian Kitchen remake as a director. Every filmmaker waits for a defining script like this. I have always been an admirer of Sanya’s work, and I truly look forward to making a beautiful film with such a wonderful team.”
While more details around the rest of the cast and the project are still under wraps, it will be exciting to watch the magic of Baweja Studios’ next, the highly anticipated The Great Indian Kitchen, produced by Harman Baweja and filmmaker Vicky Bahri.
Meanwhile, Baweja is also gearing up for the big-scale rescue mission film, Captain India, with producer Ronnie Screwvala and filmmaker Hansal Mehta, starring actor Kartik Aaryan.
How South India is conquering the OTT universe as Hindi content remains dormant
8:07 AM
Releasing on Netflix on June 18 is Dhanush’s Jagame Thandhiram, the story of a clever, carefree gangster. In the freezer since 2020, the Tamil film will now also see dubbed versions in Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada.
Yes, we are talking Malayalam, but so is much of the OTT content universe, where cinema from the South is smashing popularity records among pan-India audiences. And with Hindi content in sleep mode, viewers are saying, subtitles zindabad!
Aastha Atray Banan (MID-DAY; June 6, 2021)
Why is a Malayalam film that released in theatres two years ago, being watched now across India, including by those who can’t make sense of it without subtitles? The makers of Kumbalangi Nights are all but making notes in their gratitude journal. The story of a dysfunctional family of four brothers, the feature looks at their strained relationships with care, and traces their journey to a moment when they realise the importance of family. Lead actor Fahadh Faasil is now part of drawing room conversation in Mumbai and Delhi after the film dropped on Amazon Prime Video last year during the lockdown, with English subtitles. “It’s not even new!” exclaims Shailesh Kapoor, founder and CEO of Ormax Media, a firm that track trends in the Hindi and South Indian film industries. “Urban audiences across the country are getting a taste of South Indian cinema because OTT platforms made it readily available. The language barrier is all but gone. It also helps that Hindi films are not releasing at the same frequency.”
The competition to Hindi cinema post Coronavirus pandemic is not just from Hollywood films, dubbed or otherwise, it’s from content that’s being produced in our backyard. The frightening appetite for regular and new content created by the hours in the day that the pandemic induced lockdown freed up for most viewers who were working from home, and not distracted by leisure options outside, has meant that Indians have gone beyond the comfort of Hindi and English. Korean dramas have been the rage for a while, and Spanish shows like Money Heist have trended over a year. A mind-bending German show like Dark, has also found takers. So, why wouldn’t films made in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam, attract the viewer? Interestingly, the curiosity perhaps piqued by grand dramas like the Baahubali franchise is now traversing more nuanced terrain as smaller, breakaway films are finding fans. “What works for Malayalam cinema is its realistic portrayal of life. On the other hand, the grander Tamil and Telugu movies are also doing well. We have been tracking social media and doing online reproach and realise that a lot of the good word is being spread between friends. Word of mouth has been critical in the popularity of regional cinema,” he adds.
This, coupled with a generous marketing push by the platforms, has been key.
One of Amazon Prime Video’s most recent popular offerings has been The Great Indian Kitchen, a Malayalam film that follows the monotonous life of a young progressive dancer, who marries into a prestigious traditional family and encounters deep misogyny and patriarchy. Director Joe Baby portrays this, largely through the glorified Indian tradition of cooking. Soorarai Pottru, a story of a young man with lofty dreams of starting his own airline service, has also done well. Netflix has got titles like Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (Telugu), Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal (Tamil), Kappela (Malayalam), and Uma Maheswara Ugra Roopasya (Telugu), that have made it to the Top 10 list based on viewership across India.
Hotstar has offered its members Tamil blockbusters like Sulthan, and the romance, Thozhanda. It even has it’s own Hotstar special Tamil thriller, November Story, starring Tamannaah Bhatia.
Mumbai-based YouTube movie reviewer Sucharita Tyagi puts it in perspective when she says, “I started watching regional movies firstly, because there hasn’t been a Hindi release for a while, and we have all this time on hand. Secondly, a lot of my audience includes cinephiles, and when they began suggesting that I watch South Indian cinema, I did. The Great Indian Kitchen blew my mind. I have watched many more since then, and even though I had no knowledge of them being around before the lockdown, I am now enjoying the process of watching and reviewing them.”
This flip to South cinema has been helped by the stunning growth of OTT platforms in India in the last two years. In 2021, according to consultancy firm Omdia (which excludes subscriptions from bundled offers), as of December 2020, Disney+ Hotstar had 18.69 million subscribers, a big jump from 5.36 million in 2019. Amazon Prime Video had 5.83 million subscribers—up from 4.34 million in 2019—while Netflix added more than a million paying users to reach 3.08 million subscribers in 2020. The subscriber count of Zee5 and Sony Liv stood at 2.7 million (up from 1.99 million) and 1.81 million (up from 6.5 lakh), respectively, in 2020. With numbers as high as these, if new Hindi content isn’t available to support and pump up viewership, the platforms are only going to look elsewhere.
Pratiksha Rao is Director-Content Acquisition, Netflix India. She tells mid-day that, in addition to Hindi films, the channel has noticed that members have discovered and fallen in love with non-Hindi language features. She specifically mentions Paava Kadhaigal (Tamil), Pitta Kathalu (Telugu), to Nayattu (Malayalam), Mandela (Tamil) and Cinema Bandi (Telugu). “We are excited to bring Dhanush- starrer, Jagame Thandhiram, to our members on June 18, which will be soon followed by the highly anticipated anthology film, Navarasa, helmed by Mani Ratnam and Jayendra Panchapakesan,” she reveals, saying that subtitles and dubbed versions have both helped regional movies find new viewers.
Women centric films are particularly popular, she adds. “This golden age of entertainment in India has opened up lots of opportunities and inspired writers and directors to build stories around female characters. It has also empowered more women creators to bring their unique perspective to the stories they want to tell. Our members have been inspired by complex, strong, layered female characters in the Netflix Tamil anthology Paava Kadhaigal (Tamil), and our Telugu anthology Pitta Kathalu.”
Telugu actress Lakshmi Manchu, who starred in Pitta Kathalu, which got together multiple stories about a variety of brave women, is now working on producing a Telugu movie, directed by a Malayalam director. She says it’s all happening because of the OTT boom. “Everything has become more accessible. It would have been very tough to go watch a regional movie in Mumbai before the pandemic. You would have to find a single screen that was showing it, and that too only for a few days after it released. Now, we [regional talent] are everywhere. It has opened up avenues for actors as well. Tamil and Telugu productions have typically catered to those who like drama, while Malayalam films have appealed to an audience that digs cerebral content. What this new access is also doing is giving the rest of India an entry and insight into our culture.”
Like Manchu, Parvathy Thiruvothu hopes that OTT platforms continue to offer space for regional movies to thrive. Her Malayalam movie Aarkkariyam, released on Amazon Prime during the lockdown, and was about the lockdown. “It was well received. I think good movies are finally getting the viewership they deserve. This movie, which is set against the backdrop of the lockdown, and has a meditative quality in its treatment, released across seven different platforms!”
Entertainment industry tracker Ramesh Bala reveals that platforms are spending big money on advertising regional cinema, using gimmicks like Twitter emojis to go along with the release. “These days, people are watching one movie a day, and they have long moved on from their own mother tongue. As I track social media, I see many reviewers talking about south Indian cinema, and audiences [outsider Southern states] sharing their experiences. People have become brand minded and since moves are freely available in dubbed formats as well, they are experimenting. This will become the norm.”
Along with mainstream platforms, even smaller apps, have seen a rise in subscription. Suriya Narayanan, vice-president, ARHA MEDIA, the firm that owns Aha, a video app for Telugu movies, says they launched in February 2020. “We have also begun dubbing Malayalam movies for our Telugu audience. We have gained subscribers across India, and overseas too.”
Their focus is on acquiring smaller, quirky movies. “For example, we had Colour Photo, which is about a dark man who loves an upper class girl. That specific film got us three-and-a-half lakh subscriptions. We now have one million subscribers. With respect to quality Telugu content, we are now equal to Amazon.”
But does the Hindi entertainment industry really have anything to fear? For Vikram Malhotra, who produced Vidya Balan-starrer Shakuntala Devi and her next, now soon-to-release Sherni, it’s all for the collective good. “Big South Indian films have always done well in cities like Mumbai. That being said, what streaming platforms have done is that they have taught Indian audiences to get used to subtitles. After all, they have been watching so many shows in other languages [through the lockdowns]. I personally see it less as competition, and more as a trend that increases the pie share for everyone. Of course, we should up our game, but now for the first time, even talent is moving seamlessly—be it movies, writers or actors.”
Film exhibitor Akshaye Rathi dispels fears when he says that just like television channels did a decade ago, streaming platforms are now smashing language barriers. “SetMax for instance, did it a long time ago. OTT platforms are taking regional cinema right into urban homes. But the difference between an actor and star defines the divide between OTT platforms and the big screen. A star is still defined by the box office draw, and a big theatrical release. Dhanush tweeted about his upcoming movie but after making sure he had said that he would have preferred a theatrical release. The bigger Hindi production houses are still making movies to give audiences the theatre experience that can’t be replicated at home. So, eventually the big game will be played in theatres alone.”
Colour Photo on Aha app is about a dark man who is in love with an upper class girl
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