Showing posts with label The Myth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Myth. Show all posts
A-lister heroes refused to work with me as I wouldn’t compromise, says Mallika Sherawat
8:23 AM
Rishabh Suri (HINDUSTAN TIMES; August 1, 2022)
Mallika Sherawat always has a no-holds-barred approach to answering questions. And that’s why the actor doesn’t hesitate to admit that the existence of casting couch did impact her career in the Indian film industry. “All the A-lister heroes refused to work with me, because I wouldn’t compromise,” she reveals.
Elaborating further, she adds, “It’s very simple — they like actresses who they can control and who will compromise with them. I am not that, my personality isn’t that. I didn’t want to subject myself to someone’s whims and fancies,” says the 45-year-old, most recently seen in the film RK/RKay.
We probe her further to clarify what she means by compromise, and she replies, “Sit, stand, anything. If the hero calls you at 3 am and says, ‘Come to my house’, you have to go, if you are in that circle and if you are doing that film. If you don’t go, then you are out of the film.”
Sherawat is best known for her breakout role in Murder (2004), but over the years, she cut down on the number of Hindi films. When we ask her the reason, she says, “I tried to do my best. I tried to find good roles. I made some mistakes, like all of us do. Some roles were good, some not so good. It is part of an actor’s journey, but overall, it’s been fantastic.”
The actor went on to do international projects, such as The Myth (2005), Hisss (2010), Politics of Love (2011) and Time Raiders (2016). “I am from Haryana.. I got to do Murder, which was so popular that Jackie Chan (actor-filmmaker) cast me in his film! I met the then US President Barack Obama twice,” she remarks, reflecting on her almost two decades in cinema, and seems happy with the opportunities that came her way.
Bullying prompted Mallika Sherawat to head West
8:27 AM
Titas Chowdhury (HINDUSTAN TIMES; October 24, 2021)
After working in various international productions, actor Mallika Sherawat returned home and marked her digital debut with The Story followed by Booo Sabki Phategi and Nakaab. Sherawat, who turns 45 today, is shooting for yet another web show now. “The digital space is revolutionizing Indian cinema”, notes Sherawat, who reveals that she moved to the West because she faced “bullying and harassment” here.
“I was the first Indian actor to do a film with Jackie Chan (The Myth, 2005)... But I felt no one was feeling happy seeing a small-town girl, who came to Mumbai to make her career, travel abroad for film festivals. There was some bullying and harassment from certain sections of the media too. I thought it’s best to leave the country.”
She says that she has evolved now and is happy doing what she loves the most, shooting. “I don’t want to do loud roles. I want to play some real characters. But I want to [continue to] work in both Indian and international cinema.”
Kalaripayattu trainers talk about teaching the art to Jackie Chan, Deepika Padukone, Kunal Kapoor
7:29 AM
With Bollywood actor Kunal Kapoor being the latest to be trained in Kalaripayattu, Malayali gurukkals recount the training sessions with actors including Jackie Chan and Deepika Padukone
Anjana George (BOMBAY TIMES; August 13, 2016)
Bollywood actor Kunal Kapoor
has undergone several months of vigorous Kalaripayattu training to
perfect his movements required for his role in a regional film, Veeram. He is
the latest in the list of actors being trained in Kalaripayattu by
Malayali gurukkals. Last year, the much-lauded action sequences in Bajirao Mastani showcased Kerala's own martial art with the stars Ranveer
Singh and Deepika Padukone being trained by these gurukkals (local
parlance for gurukul). Here's a lowdown on what went be hind the screen
to get the actors prepped for their roles: BAJIRAO, MASTANI LEARN KALARI
Sunil Kumar, a Kalari exponent, has choreographed Kalari sequences for more than 25 non-Malayalam movies including Asoka and Raavan. Bajirao Mastani is just the latest in the list. “The film had a lot of action sequences, and director Sanjay Leela Bhansali wanted perfection, so the sessions went on for almost a year in Mumbai. Both the actors were devoted to learning Kalari and even practised the craft when they were not shooting,“ says Sunil, adding that his crew had travelled with the stars during the shoots in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
CAPSULE KALARI FOR CELEBS
According to martial art experts, mastering Kalari takes nearly a decade. For celebs, the Gurukkals devise crash courses based on the requirements of the script, explains G Sathyanarayanan, who has trained the likes of Jackie Chan, Mohanlal and Mammootty. “We vet the scripts and then plan the training,“ he explains. “It is essential for the actors to develop the body language of a Kalari practitioner. So, we first teach them a bit of basic chuvadukal so they get the postures right to train for the action scenes,“ he explains.
TEACHING JACKIE CHAN
This was also the method used to train Jackie Chan for the Hollywood movie The Myth in 2004. Chan was apparently impressed with a video clip featuring Sathyan's Kalari performance and invited the Trivandrum-based master to act in the film as well as train the actor. “I was in Shanghai for 30 days,“ he says. “We had limited time to train Chan. He was well-versed in martial arts such as kung fu and wing chun but they are totally different from Kalaripayattu. He, however, quickly learnt the moves. He is talented when it comes to delivering even a small move dramatically.“
Bollywood actor Om Puri too receives similar praise. The actor had trained under trainer Shivakumar while working in Lenin Rajendran's Puravrutham. “We trained in the forests of Wayanad, where the movie was shot. What made the experience unforgettable was that Puri was adamant about learning Kalari from its basics so it doesn't look like he was acting. He valued and enjoyed each lesson,“ Shivakumar explains.
KALARI TRAVERSES BORDERS
Incidentally, Kalari's popularity is surging worldwide, say experts. “Hollywood star and Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano (of Zatoichi and Thor fame) often flies down to India to train in Kerala's martial arts form,“ says Sunil Kumar.
Bollywood stars and their barely memorable Hollywood outings
9:28 AM
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; April 4, 2015)
Why do Bollywood stars devalue themselves and make a beeline for now-you-see-it-now-you-don’t roles in Hollywood projects?
When the seventh instalment of the 'Fast and Furious' franchise was announced in 2013, there were rumours about Deepika Padukone and Sonam Kapoor having been approached for the action-thriller. The buzz eventually petered out as the fresh-faced Ali Fazal landed a role in the film.
The actor, who had then been riding high on the success of 'Fukrey' (2013), seemed quite excited about his Hollywood debut. But as 'Furious 7' hit the theatres on Thursday, we saw him in a miniscule role — in just a couple of scenes before and after interval — although he shares screen space with the lead cast. He essays the character of Safar, a garage owner.
This brings us to this question: should Bollywood actors be more concerned about the length and weight of a role rather than the sheer excitement of being part of a Hollywood project? Ali says, “The experience and the process was far greater than the stuff you will see in the film. At first, I was a little bummed out because my race sequence with Vin Diesel got cancelled. But the project became a beautiful tribute to Paul Walker, so I am happy I could be part of it. Ever since the film released, I am surprised at the response I have been getting from all my fans here and new fans in Los Angeles. I didn’t expect it to strike a chord and stand out the way it has.”
In the past, several B-Town folk have spoken about their Hollywood outings with great pride and enthusiasm, but things have not always turned out as expected. But many of them believe that being part of a Hollywood film will propel them onto the global stage.
Love interrupted
Bipasha Basu ventured into Hollywood films with 'The Lovers' (formerly called 'Singularity'), directed by Roland Joffe, which released last month, three years after it was ready for theatres. The movie was panned by American critics. It released in the US on VOD and iTunes and in select theatres. The Bong bombshell simply retweeted what the makers had said about the film’s release. This was a far cry from the fanfare that was created about her Hollywood debut while the shoot was on. Bips was even romantically linked with co-star Josh Hartnett four years ago. Set in the backdrop of the first Anglo-Maratha war, the actress played a warrior in the period drama. From her horse riding lessons to her daredevil stunts, there was a continuous buzz about the film. Even as Bips’ rendezvous with cinegoers was delayed, news kept pouring in that it would “soon” see the light of the day. The buzz gradually died down and no wonder, the film had a quiet release.
Greek tragedy
In 2013, Neetu Chandra had lots to say about being roped in for a Hollywood film, 'Island of the Blue Dolphins'. The film was to be directed by Joe Johnston (of 'Jumanji' and 'Captain America' fame.) The actress was said to have auditioned for the movie through Skype. It was later discovered that there was no such film as some fraudsters had conducted fake auditions online. Later, Neetu did a Greek film 'Block 12' and there was buzz was that she was mistaken for a Spanish actress while shooting for it. 'Block 12', however, could make its presence only on the festival circuit.
A tad too short
Anil Kapoor, who had a significant role in Danny Boyle’s 'Slumdog Millionaire' (2008), went on to be a part of the international TV series, '24', and 'Mission: Impossible —Ghost Protocol' (2011) in which he had a blink-and-miss role.
While Mallika Sherawat starred alongside Jackie Chan in the 2005 film, 'The Myth', in a miniscule role, but her plans to go big with Hollywood fizzled out as she landed forgettable roles in films like 'Hiss' (2010) and 'Politics of Love' (2011).
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan was seen in the period drama The Great Gatsby. Although his screen time lasted less than 5 minutes, the character was talked about at many important junctures in the film.
In 2006, while participating in a stage musical Bombay Crush in South Africa, telly actor Gaurav Chopra landed a role in 'Blood Diamond' which starred Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou. As the film was to be shot in South Africa and Mozambique, a local agent had put him on to the makers, who cast him as an Indian journalist called Sanjay. While shooting for the film, Chopra had then stated how cool and chilled Leonardo was and he thought that Gaurav was from Brazil. Jennifer, on the other hand, asked him about astrology and numerology. Gaurav was seen in just one scene.
Exception
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan have done several international films and she thankfully had a meaty and important part to essay in The Last Legion (above) and The Pink Panther 2 (below). While the former bombed, the latter did moderate business at the box office
Coming soon
R Madhavan grew a beard and gained the pounds for 'Night Of The Living Dead: Origins', produced by Simon West of 'Con Air' and 'Lara Croft: Tomb Raider' fame. It is a remake of 1968 zombie film, 'Night Of The Living Dead'. He has reportedly said Hollywood makers feel that Indian actors grab more eyeballs which is why they are roped in. Nargis Fakhri let go of a Bollywood offer for her Hollywood debut in Paul Feig’s 'Spy'. These two films are yet to be released.
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