Mandira Bedi started her journey in the entertainment industry 30 years ago with the long-running television serial Shanti. The actress went on to feature in several other daily soaps following the success of her first show. She also became a very popular host, and while she really enjoyed that space, Mandira tells us that she missed out on a lot of acting opportunities.

She says, “After nine years of acting in TV shows, I thought of taking a sabbatical in 2003, but coincidentally, the Cricket World Cup was taking place that year and I got an opportunity to host that. It changed things for me. It was nice to break the glass ceiling, but after that nobody saw me as an actor anymore, people only saw me as a host.”

The actress, who was seen in 24 with Anil Kapoor in which she played the role of a cop, says that she still longs to act. “If there’s one thing that I’m really missing, it’s acting. After doing the web show The Railway Men, I realized how much I missed being in front of the camera. People offer me roles to play a cricket presenter or a news anchor, but I turn them down. I want to do a good role, I miss acting. It’s like people have completely forgotten that I’m an actor.”

The actress has been through a lot on her personal and professional journey all these years. However, she is deeply grateful for everything that she has. “I wake up every morning and say thank you. Gratitude inspires me and keeps me positive. I’ve seen a lot of ups and downs in life. A lot hasn’t gone my way, but focusing on that can take you into a downward spiral. I just focus on the positives,” she says.

While reading the script of his next project, Babil gets ready for a photo shoot with BT in his Oshiwara home, where he moved in with his parents, Irrfan and Sutapa Sikdar, and brother Ayaan, when he was 17.

Wearing a blue shirt made from three shawls recycled by his mother, paired with yellow pants, he says, “I’m bad at photoshoots. They are so structured, so I get a little lost.” In a conversation with us, he talks about letting go of the pressure of proving himself as an actor and how his upbringing has influenced his career choices. Excerpts:

Babil firmly believes that an actor needs to find a character within themselves. “It’s a myth when actors say, ‘I’m getting into a character’. I don’t think you can become another person. I feel every kind of person already exists within you. It’s just that you don’t confront that part of you. The moment you surrender to yourself, you can shed parts that are not the character and keep the parts that are like the character.”

The actor who received critical acclaim for his work in the recent web show, The Railway Men (TRM), believes that these projects brought about a positive change in him.

“I cannot depend on any project and hang on to its success. I move on. However, TRM has influenced my self-belief in a positive way. I am more excited about art. Before it, I wanted to prove a lot, but the baggage of proving myself as an actor has reduced a lot now. I have realized that the feeling of proving yourself should not bring you down. Earlier, it would eat me up, but now, wanting to prove myself has become a positive feeling.”

“You can either choose to have a strong character or an easy life,” Babil says during the conversation. The thought sounds intriguing, but does Babil believe he has a strong character? The Qala actor answers, “I was born in a very small family, I don’t come from money as such. I was raised very modestly; I wouldn’t even say we were a middle-class family. When I was born, baba was doing television, and he had to beg producers for his money, and mamma was writing. They were both working parents. I think when I was 12 or 13, they started seeing success and for the first time, I saw comfort in their eyes. They still didn’t give me money (laughs). I don’t take myself very seriously at all. Right now, I have to be very careful with my ego, especially with not having mamma around as she is busy, and I don’t have any friends. So, I spend a lot of time with myself.”

Babil wears his vulnerability on his sleeves. While a certain section states his articulate responses are a publicity gimmick, he reveals that he is often censored by his publicists. He shares, “It does feel like a cage sometimes. But it’s only a cage if you look at it like that. If they don’t do their jobs, I will not be able to do my job. Public perception is a beast of its own, so if they don’t take care of that, and I do that myself, I won’t be able to focus on my art.”

Three films old, Babil is one of those rare industry kids, who have not faced criticism for their background. “When my father passed away, the initial reaction I got was sympathy and positivity. After a point, if I had let go of my values and done things that would not have aligned with my values – like not giving an audition or making certain phone calls – it would have brought me negativity. At home, I have been taught that humanity prevails over any kind of success. That is the real reason why I have been perceived positively by people. I could never go on a set thinking I don’t deserve to be there.”

Rani Mukerji is at that point in her life where she feels ready for a lookback. The actor has written her memoir, chronicling the highs and lows of her 27-year journey in the Hindi film industry, and her life off the silver screen. Penning the autobiography, which is expected to release on her birthday in March 2024, has not only made her relive her glorious run, but also made her look ahead. So, what will be the next step?

Throughout her career, Mukerji has had a keen eye for stories—from Saathiya (2002) to Black (2005), from Mardaani (2014) to Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway. Given her strong understanding of storytelling, has she ever considered turning to direction?

“I will say Inshallah for everything and leave it to the universe. As a person who has been involved in the film industry for so many years, there can never be a never in my life. I love every aspect of filmmaking. If an opportunity comes by, I will be a part of that process,” she says.

Of late, many actors have segued into digital entertainment. Her filmmaker-husband Aditya Chopra too recently forayed into the OTT world with YRF Entertainment’s maiden series, The Railway Men. But Mukerji has no interest in jumping on the OTT bandwagon.

“I want to focus on being a theatrical film actor because that’s where I started off 27 years ago. It was like an arranged marriage where I was married off to big-screen cinema, but now, I’m completely in love with it. I don’t want to go on to some other love. I want to be loyal to the theatrical medium. I don’t want to jump to the small screen.”

As she reflects on her journey, Mukerji believes that her choice of roles has been the secret to her long and creatively fulfilling career. Going forward, she wants to continue bringing powerful women characters to the big screen. “When people say, I should do more films, I say that I cannot do more films just for the sake of numbers. I would like to be offered movies like Mangal Pandey: The Rising [2005], Veer-Zaara [2004], Bunty Aur Babli [2005] and Black to [do more] work. If I get only one good film, I will do only that.”

Kay Kay Menon had doubts about fronting The Railway Men, and for good reason. The actor had starred in Bhopal Express (1999), which was based on the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, the same subject that forms the backdrop of the Netflix series. What’s new here, he thought. That Yash Raj Films (YRF) was backing it made him all the more wary.

“The project’s casting director told me about The Railway Men. Since it is [produced by] YRF, one thinks the project might get into a mainstream zone. Plus, I had done Bhopal Express earlier. So, I was doubtful about [exploring the subject again],” recounts the actor.

This is where the power of the script, penned by director Shiv Rawail and writer Aayush Gupta, kicked in. “When I read the script, I was floored. I wanted to meet the person who was making it. When I met Shiv, I thought, ‘He’s a kid!’ But when he started speaking, I understood his approach to filmmaking, and when I saw the set, I was happy that I didn’t go by my instinct,” laughs Menon.

YRF Entertainment’s maiden web series—also starring R Madhavan, Divyenndu and Babil Khan—features Menon as station master Iftekaar, who risks his life to save people on the night of the gas leak. Since The Railway Men dropped online over the weekend, its lead actors have been earning acclaim for their compelling performances.

It’s not easy to hold one’s own in an ensemble drama. Yet, each actor shines bright in the limited series. Sure, it has much to do with individual talent. But Menon also attributes it to something bigger—their collaborative nature. He believes that any actor, who desires to create legacy work, can’t afford to harbour insecurity and must approach every project as teamwork.

“Sanskaar ki baat hai. I’ve never felt that I have to step into someone else’s space. The script and the project are greater than me. If that is accepted by the audience, all of us benefit. If that doesn’t happen, nothing else [works]. All of us have different parts to play [in the smooth functioning] of an engine, and if one starts to interfere with the other part, the engine will crash. So, we have to show professional maturity. This approach makes films last for posterity. Otherwise, it’s just a three-day business.”

One doesn’t associate Yash Raj Films with hard-hitting and realistic stories. For the same reason, R Madhavan was initially skeptical about being a part of The Railway Men, which revolves around a group of railway personnel who saved lives on the fateful night of the Bhopal gas tragedy.

“I had skepticism about how it would be treated. Will it be a cosmetic look at the Bhopal gas tragedy? Because Yash Raj is known for classically doing that,” begins the actor, who plays Central Railways’ general manager Rati Panday in the four-part Netflix series.

His doubts were cleared when he read the script penned by director-writer Shiv Rawail and co-writer Aayush Gupta. “When I saw the in-depth research and how Shiv knew everything like the back of his hand, it gave me immense confidence. But I was still unsure about how I’d do it because my character gives a speech, which was initially eight-to-nine pages long,” he exclaims.

In Hindi cinema that leans towards theatrics and dramatic dialogues, speeches run the risk of sounding hollow, or worse, patronizing. Madhavan knew that for the scene to be effective, his words had to sound more personal—a suggestion that he took to Rawail and producer Aditya Chopra.

“I said that in today’s world, if I have to make a speech about men [embracing] death to do something glorious, [the audiences may feel a] disconnect because they have seen so many of those speeches. It has to be a personal journey. I told them I wanted to make it shorter, real and I didn’t want [my character] to stand on a pedestal, I wanted him to be with the guys. I was shocked at the promptness with which they reacted. Adi sir took out those pages, shortened [the speech] and Shiv sharpened it. What came out was so spectacular.” His rousing speech is now one of the most crucial scenes of the Kay Kay Menon, Divyenndu and Babil Khan-starrer.

Working on The Railway Men was particularly enriching for Madhavan because it’s one of those rare subjects that commanded his attention. Having worked for more than 25 years across languages, he believes his true success lies in being able to choose projects that align with his artistic beliefs.

“People underestimate the power of money and success. I don’t use acting to make money, I use money to help me act [in projects that resonate with me]. I don’t have to take up all the projects that come to me. That money helps me sustain when I’m not getting the kind of subjects I want to take up.”

It’s an enormous responsibility to retell the story of the fateful night of the Bhopal gas tragedy. The responsibility is only doubled when the project marks the foray of Yash Raj Films (YRF) into digital entertainment. But as The Railway Men drops online today, director Shiv Rawail says he didn’t feel apprehensive as he had the best guide in producer Aditya Chopra.

Rawail says Chopra took two years, nurturing and perfecting every beat of the script before the R Madhavan, Kay Kay Menon, Divyenndu and Babil Khan-starrer went on floors. “The one thing I know about my mentor, Aditya Chopra, is that he would never make anything that is not compelling enough for the audiences to watch. I think this is why YRF has managed to influence pop culture and shape the content choices of people for so many generations,” states the director.

Set against the backdrop of the Bhopal gas tragedy, the Netflix mini-series is inspired by the true stories of courage shown by a group of railway workers to save lives in the face of the world’s worst industrial disaster. Chopra first heard of the story during the shoot of Befikre (2016), on which Rawail served as the first assistant director.

“Adi hand-picked The Railway Men to be the first series that YRF makes for [the web]. We worked on the script and pre-production for over two years before Adi decided to even greenlight the series. He was that particular. His reason was simple—he wanted the values of YRF to reflect in the projects of YRF Entertainment, its OTT arm. He wanted to recreate Bhopal of 1984, scaling up the feel and aesthetic of the times. Adi was willing to wait and better it constantly till he was confident that we were putting our best foot forward.”

With The Railway Men, the team wants to celebrate the unsung heroes and the indomitable spirit of humanity. The messaging was sacrosanct to both Rawail and Chopra. The first-time director shares, “The series brings to life one of the most important subjects that every Indian is aware of. So, we had to be sensitive. Our series had to showcase how humanity exists within us, even when we are individually at risk.”

Shah Rukh Khan is known to be a generous producer, often showering his directors and co-actors with gifts. It wasn’t different on the sets of producer Aditya Chopra’s Pathaan that marks the superstar’s return to the big screen after over four years. After he wrapped up the shoot of the spy thriller, the actor gifted books to some members of the technical team —including production designer Rajat Poddarr, cinematographer Satchith Paulose, and associate director Abhishek Tiwari—as a mark of his appreciation.

Each book was chosen personally by Khan, keeping in mind the taste of the technician. Poddarr, who had previously worked with the actor in Yes Boss (1997), reveals that he was gifted The Cinema of Satyajit Ray penned by Bhaskar Chattopadhyay. “When the team was celebrating my birthday during Pathaan’s shoot, I told SRK that I first worked with him in Yes Boss, and showed him a picture [from the set]. SRK was so thrilled that he showed the picture to everyone on the sets. Since I am a Bengali and a fan of Ray’s work, he chose this book for me. I found it a thoughtful gesture coming from a superstar like him,” says Poddarr.

The production designer goes on to reveal that Khan penned a personal inscription for him, thanking him for standing by 'Pathaan'. Poddarr reveals that when they were filming 'Jhoome Jo Pathaan' in Spain, he got a call from YRF informing him to go to Bhopal to work on their other project, 'The Railway Men'.

“Siddharth [Anand, director] and I share a comfortable rapport. He didn’t want me to go, so he told SRK about it. Shah Rukh, in turn, told me, ‘Dada, how can you leave us at this time?’ Such was their appeal that I stayed back in Spain.”

The actioner, starring Deepika Padukone and John Abraham, is a visual spectacle. The leading man’s favourite sequence is the train scene with Salman Khan. “We had to construct multiple parts of a train, including a burnt compartment, one with a broken roof, and a broken bridge. That set took a week to be built. When Shah Rukh told me that he found my finishing excellent, I was surprised. I wondered when he had the time to observe the details. But he spoke so specifically about the set that I knew it was observed keenly by him.”

Bhopal: A lawyer for two of the convicts in the Bhopal gas disaster case has served a legal notice on Yash Raj Films asking it “cease and desist” from showing anything in the web series The Railway Men on the 1984 tragedy that relates to causes of the leak, directly or indirectly, reports Ashutosh Shukla.

Anirban Roy, the Mumbai-based counsel for J Mukund and S P Choudhary, has said that his clients have appealed the 2010 trial court order holding them guilty and the verdict itself didn’t arrive at any categorical finding on the causes of the leak that killed and maimed thousands.

With the appeals pending and being an extension of the trial, it can’t be said that the trial court order is the last word on the subject, Roy has said in his notice to Yash Raj Films. Mukund and Choudhary were serving as officials at the Union Carbide India Limited when the poisonous gas leaked from the factory in Bhopal on the night of December 2 and 3, 1984.

With Coronavirus cases in the city dropping to 3,500 a day, filmmakers have heaved a sigh of relief. Work has resumed on major productions, which had been stalled in the wake of the rising cases. mid-day has learnt that Ajay Devgn kicked off the shoot of Bholaa, the official adaptation of the Tamil actioner, Kaithi (2019).

A source reveals, “The shoot began late last week. Meanwhile, filming of Excel Entertainment’s Yudhra, starring Siddhant Chaturvedi and Malavika Mohanan, is continuing in Marol. Yash Raj Films had called off the shoot of their maiden web series, The Railway Men, in December when the cases started showing an uptick. Now, the team feels confident to pick up where they had left off. Stricter protocols have been put in place to protect the cast and crew, including regular testing.”

Some filmmakers, however, have decided to wait out the wave before they return to the sets. The source adds, “Most big-ticket ventures, including director Nitesh Tiwari’s project with Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor, and Kartik Aaryan’s next with director Sameer Vidwans will roll in March. Vicky Kaushal-starrer Sam Bahadur too is slated to kick off then.”

After Company (2002), Bunty Aur Babli (2005), Khosla Ka Ghosla (2006), Chak De India (2007), and Rocket Singh (2009), writer-director Jaideep Sahni has turned exclusive creator for Yash Raj Films’ OTT venture. The filmmaker, who often collaborated creatively with Aditya Chopra, will now be an exclusive creator for YRF Entertainment — YRF’s digital venture.

A trade source tells mid-day, “Aditya Chopra wants to create shows for global audiences. He roped in Jaideep Sahni, who has always wowed everyone with his scripts, [with the hope] to create genre-defining content.”

The production house recently announced their maiden OTT project The Railway Men — a story about the untold heroes of the Bhopal gas tragedy that rocked the nation in 1984. The R Madhavan-starrer is being helmed by Shiv Rawail, while Sahni is penning the script for the production house’s second outing. 

“Jaideep will create a genre of his own in the Hindi content space with his first project for YRF Entertainment that is set to roll early next year. Aditya and the team at YRF [will begin] casting next month,” the source added.

In November, mid-day had reported that Yash Raj Films, one of Bollywood’s premier studios, was gearing up to set foot in the field of digital entertainment (YRF goes OTT, November 12). Through his web offerings, head honcho Aditya Chopra wanted to take stories rooted in India to the world, and he has remained true to his vision. For YRF Entertainment’s debut OTT series, the makers have gone back to one of the bleakest nights in Indian history — The Railway Men offers a retelling of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy with the focus on the railway workers at Bhopal station who saved countless lives.

Revisiting the world’s worst industrial disaster will be an uphill task. Chopra has placed his faith in debutant director Shiv Rawail, son of veteran filmmaker Rahul Rawail, for the job. The limited series will be headlined by R Madhavan, Kay Kay Menon, Divyenndu and Babil Khan. A source reveals, “While Yash Raj movies are known for their star-studded cast, Adi knew that the show, given its subject, hinges on rock-solid performances. After months of discussing names, the team zeroed in on Madhavan and Kay Kay, two of the finest actors we have today.”

The narrative will take viewers through the late hours of December 2, 1984, when methyl isocyanate gas leaked from the Union Carbide Corporation’s pesticide plant, injuring more than half a million people and claiming over 5,000 lives. The series — mounted on a budget of Rs. 100 crore — went on floors yesterday in Kalina, Mumbai, where a large set has been erected.

Yogendra Mogre, producer of House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths, will creatively supervise the project. Currently serving as executive producer at YRF Entertainment, Mogre says, “We won’t leave any stone unturned to ensure that The Railway Men reaches out to worldwide audiences so that they can understand the devastation that this tragedy caused in India.”

The series will mark the first of five OTT projects slated for 2022. Akshaye Widhani, senior vice president, Yash Raj Films, adds, “This is our tribute to the unsung heroes of the tragedy who, despite saving thousands of lives, are unknown to people across the world.”

The drama is slated for a December 2, 2022 release, with the makers currently locking the streaming platform.