Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; August 24, 2017)

She has not been seen in a Hindi film since Freaky Ali. The actress is still taking Hindi lessons on Skype while she maintains that she can have conversations in Tamil. However, the savvy girl is crystal clear about what her category is in B-Town, and has been unencumbered by role limitations. While she is doing well in the South and is even part of an Indo-Brit film now, there is a feeling she isn’t serious about Bollywood. In a freewheeling interface with After Hrs, Amy clears the air...

Do you feel that you lose out on a lot of films because of the language handicap?
I think it’s always on people’s minds. That’s why they cast me in particular roles. Obviously, they don’t expect me to do a village belle’s role with perfect Hindi. That’s not my category, I suppose. But the roles that are available aren’t a problem for me.

How do you communicate with South directors? Do you have a translator?
No, I have not done that actually, up till now. I was doing The Villain and that’s a totally different language. I feel at home in Chennai. I can have conversations in Tamil and I can understand everything. So no one can get away with anything (laughs). The Villain is a totally new territory and I am working with Apeksha from Akshay’s (Kumar) team. Akshay spoke in Hindi in 2.0, but it had to relate to the Tamil audience so when they dubbed it, the sync was there. Apeksha helped him on the sets and she was wonderful. I have stolen her and taken her now for The Villain. She speaks five to six different languages. So it’s nice to have that insight from her (smiles).

Are you dubbing for the film in different languages?
Yes, I think so. I guess they even plan to dub it in Chinese and release it there. Obviously, I won’t be speaking Chinese (laughs)! But yes, others languages I will be dubbing.

Are you well-versed with Hindi now?
I am still learning Hindi. I take my classes. I Skype occasionally with my tutor and I am speaking Tamil in 2.0. There, I had my tutor on sets for the dialogues. That was nice. It’s become a routine. So when I’m in Mumbai, I take classes here, otherwise, when I’m traveling, I am learning on Skype.

Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; July 25, 2017)

The last time I met Amy Jackson a few months ago, she was shooting with Salman Khan for Being Human’s apparel range. To my surprise, she remembered that when we caught up over coffee for this interview. Over the next 30 minutes, the actress talked candidly about her upcoming films — 2.0, The Villain and Boogieman, her idea of success, and life as an actress. Read on...

Many Indian actors complain of racism in the West. Have you ever faced it here in India?
This is a problem globally and it’s not just about actors working in different countries. It’s just a general thing. I feel very fortunate that way. I get trolled on Twitter but that comes with the territory. But again, it’s not just happening to actors only.

Do you still face rejection?
A 100 per cent! When you go for castings and meetings, that is a possibility. When I would go for modelling castings and I would not get a call back, I used to take it very personally because I was 15 at the time and my hopes were high. I think my mom used to take it even more personally than I would. But this industry actually gives you a thick skin. As much as it’s good for life skills and life training, you also get to know your worth, and be happy with yourself. For the last 12 months, I have only grown as a person. Rejection is something you have to accept in life and it’s important to say that it’s not personal.

Has your perception about success and failure changed over the years?
Definitely! Success isn’t according to other people. It’s about how you feel. Obviously, I want to be happy and have a great career. I have goals. But in your personal life, to be happy is just as important.

How do you deal with failures now?
I deal with failures much better now, obviously. I do think about them, but I don’t dwell on it. Criticism is somebody else’s opinion and they are entitled to it. But it’s very hard to accept. That comes with growth and confidence. I just want to be better at my work next time.

Do you not get interesting Hindi film offers?
The problem is, all of last year, I had been shooting for 2.0. Shankar is really strict about his dates. Believe me, I missed out on a huge film when I was shooting for I. Unfortunately, that’s the price you pay for working with someone of that stature. I am working with Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar and you can’t change your dates. Last year, 2.0 was my priority. I’m waiting for the next big thing in Bollywood.

What kind of films are you looking at from here onwards?
I would like to keep it very varied. It’s so easy for me to get typecast. I tried to stay away from that. In the south industry, I could stay away from that, I have done a bit of everything. Freaky Ali was great because I wanted to work with someone of that calibre. Singh is Bliing made me realise I can do action. Now that I have done it, I want to continue doing that and have that as my niche because I enjoy it and it turned out well.

Have you been inspired by Akshay to do a stunt scenes in The Villain. Your director Prem had a stunt double ready, but you did it yourself...
I shot that a few weeks ago. We were in Bangkok and I felt confident about doing the action scenes. I love doing it. My job doesn’t feel like work anyway. But when I have to learn the language, it’s a lot of effort and hard work, but action comes naturally to me. For Singh is Bliing, too, they had this lady who had come from Bangkok as my stunt double. We didn’t use her, we didn’t need to. So, they had another girl in Bangkok. We didn’t need to use her either. I was like, ‘No, I’ll do it’. (Smiles)

Do you think the industry is opening up to the idea of having a female action hero?
I would like to think so. There are more female-oriented scripts and I think the actresses are more demanding. With the likes of Deepika Padukone or Priyanka Chopra, who are strong women and won’t tolerate anything less. The rest of the industry expects that too. Open-minded directors and writers are getting inspiration from the talent in the industry.

How much does screen time matter to you?
The role matters. I want to be remembered, not get lost in the crowd. I don’t think about screen time, but about the impact it can have. In his first film, Brad Pitt’s had a legit five minute cameo on a horse. From there, he went on to become a superstar. That’s what’s important — what you come across to the audience as. You can be there for two minutes or two hours, but if you are boring and have a rubbish role, people won’t like you.

A‘nervous’ Mithun Chakraborty returns to the arclights with a comedy show on TV and a handful of films after a forced two-year hiatus following chronic health issues
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 12, 2017)

In an interview to Mirror earlier (December 21, 2015) Mithun Chakraborty’s son Mahaakshay, following rampant speculations surrounding his father’s health, had revealed that the veteran actor was laid low following a bout of sickness.

In 2008, Mithun was shooting for Soham Shah’s action-packed thriller Luck when a daring stunt-gone-awry left him with a back injury. While the spasms eased up after a while, the back ache returned in 2015. The same year, a bout of fever forced him into a brief hibernation and last year, he flew out to Los Angeles for treatment.

The 67-year-old actor ended the two-year hiatus last Wednesday when he arrived on the sets of Krushna Abhishek’s upcoming comedy show, The Drama Company, in which he plays the role of Shambu, the owner of the company. Interestingly, it has reportedly been conceptualised as a potential rival to Kapil Sharma’s comedy show which airs on the same channel, Sony.

“I’m completely cured but the doctors have warned that my health now will depend on the lifestyle choices I make hereon. I was bedridden for a long time but I have recovered and hopefully have learnt a lesson from the past,” Mithun admitted.

Besides this show, he has signed a handful of films and has begun shooting for them. “I am doing Geher with Ram Gopal Varma and Anil Sharma’s Genius. There’s also Anup Jalota’s Saahas and a Kannada film, The Villain, which features Sudeep and Shiv Rajkumar. They wanted me desperately so I took them up on the offer. Except Anup’s film, all the others are on the floors. I don’t think I can handle more work at this time,” he added.

While he has judged a dance-based reality show in the past, the actor believes a comedy series will be a challenge for him. “All the actors on this show are established names and have proved themselves in the field of comedy while I have been doing only dance shows so it’s more difficult for me. I have shot for two episodes and their talent has left me speechless. Their timing is fantastic, I’m the one who’s nervous,” confides the actor, adding that his character claims to know American President Donald Trump and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and promises to take the others on a trip around the world for five dollars. “I doubt it will ever happen though,” he signs off with a laugh.

Asira Tarannum (MID-DAY; March 22, 2014)

If sources are to believed, the last schedule of Mohit Suri’s upcoming film, The Villain, has been pushed ahead by a few days as Kamaal Rashid Khan (popularly known as KRK) is not free on certain dates.

According to a source, KRK was supposed to shoot for the film this week onwards, but he has not been able to do so due to other business commitments.

Since the scene required him to shoot along with Riteish Deshmukh, Siddharth Malhotra and other actors, his absence meant that shoot had to be postponed by a week.

While director Mohit Suri was not reachable and producer Ekta Kapoor remained unavailable for comment, KRK confirms the story.

He says, “I was supposed to shoot from March 18 onwards but I had other business commitments to take care of in Delhi. I will now start shooting from March 29.” The Villain is an upcoming action romance film directed by Mohit Suri. It features Siddharth Malhotra, Riteish Deshmukh, Shraddha Kapoor and Amrita Puri in lead roles with Kamaal Rashid Khan playing the antagonist.

Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 11, 2014)

On March 8, Sidharth Malhotra announced that the Mauritius leg of The Villain had flagged off with a shoot next to a serene waterfall. His co-star Shraddha Kapoor followed him, expressing her excitement at shooting for the Mohit Suri film in the island country. What the duo didn’t tell the world is that they were going to be exploring the water world too.

Sidharth loves the beach and spends a fortune renting out a sea-facing apartment in Mumbai. But he got the goose bumps when the mention of an under-water sequence was made as the Delhi native had never tried his hand at diving before.

But he had to take the plunge, literally, and learn the ropes, or rather the strokes, of scuba diving in Mauritius.

It wasn’t easy but Shraddha was around to soothe his frayed nerves. Despite her porcelain doll looks, the actor is an adventure sports junkie who is a certified scuba diver.

But while her ‘hero’ learned the basics, she decided not only to keep him company but also do a refresher course.

“I am a licensed scuba diver but I trained with Sidharth to revise my skills. It is a lovely experience to swim with the fishes,” Shraddha admitted.

Meanwhile, Sidharth has taken to water like a fish and the duo are now waiting to shoot the actual sequence.

Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 24, 2014)

It was supposed to be a reel confrontation between Sidharth Malhotra and Riteish Deshmukh but the crowds played villain on the sets of The Villain recently. And caught in between the mob and the police was Balaji CEO Tanuj Garg’s chauffeur. On Thursday night, Tanuj got the fright of his life when his employee was injured in the fracas at Reay Road where the film, produced by Ekta Kapoor, was being shot. The incident occurred when Siddharth and Riteish were shooting on the Reay Road Skywalk for Mohit Suri's upcoming film. An eyewitness said, "The shoot started at 9 pm and caused a major traffic jam as a large number of people thronged the area to see the two actors. The production house had trebled the security cover for the artistes whose vanity vans were parked in the adjoining lane, just a few minutes away.” “But the crowd was soon out of control and the shoot was put on hold while the cops arrived to restrain the mob. The cops had to resort to lathicharge and Tanuj’s driver was caught in the mob. After a few hard knocks, he locked himself up in the car and stayed there till it was time to go home."

Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 12, 2014)

The price of success for Mohit Suri is an imposter on a social networking site who has been posting updates on a fake profile inviting aspiring actresses to audition for a role in Awarapan 2. The director got to know about this when he started getting calls and messages from friends wondering why he was casting in such a dodgy manner. Mohit who plans to approach the authorities to deactivate the fake account says, “I was shocked, I guess after Aashiqui 2 that launched so many careers it’s easy for people to believe that I want to work with newcomers. But there are no plans for an Awarapan 2 or Aashiqui 3. After The Villian I will start work on Hamari Adhuri Kahani which Bhatt saab (Mahesh Bhatt) is scripting.”

The love triangle which rolls in September-October, stars Emraan Hashmi, Vidya Balan and Rajkummar Rao. Mohit describes it as an “emotional drama” or an “endless, timeless love story which needs a third person to complete it”.

 Pointing out that despite being only 31 he has an “old soul”, he says that for him "love is selfless, self-sacrificing, with an old-world charm". Saying he’ll bring back the eternal love stories of the 60s and 70s like Kaagaz Ke Phool and Kati Patang in a more contemporary package, He promises a more mature Emraan as opposed to the naughty boy on the streets we’ve been seeing.

Mohit is also in talks with Saif Ali Khan but says he haven’t zeroed in on anything concrete yet. “But its not Race 3. Right now I’m only interested in love stories, Even The Villian is essentially one,” says the director.

Upala KBR (DNA; February 11, 2014)

It’s inevitable. With so many films releasing in a year, there are bound to be more than one release every Friday. Because there are just 52 Fridays and hundreds of film release every year. Recently a trade newspaper reported that Sidharth Malhotra’s third film The Villain and Varun Dhawan’s third film Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania are set to release on the same day — July 27, 2014. It has now come to light that the two films are not releasing on the same day; but a month apart from each other.

Although Sid’s second film released before Varun’s second film, the Dhawan boy will have his third film release on June 27, exactly a month ahead of The Villain. While both the films belong to different genres — The Villain is a revenge drama while HSKD is a romcom, the boys are being keenly watched. The two newbies have a lot in common; their debut film, hot abs, a huge female fan following, the same mentor — Karan Johar, and they even made a debut on his show KWK together. Right now they are both running neck-to-neck but all eyes are trained on them to see who moves ahead quickly in the race.

So do the boys feel a sense of competition? Varun whose second film Main Tera Hero releases on April 4, seems to be supremely confident, “My film is only 50 per cent complete. The rest of the shooting will take place in Chandigarh now. The films are not clashing. Sid and me would never let our films clash at the box-office but if they still do, it is not in our hands. Since we debuted together, we share a very strong bond and are in touch. I feel everyone should go and watch Hasee Toh Phasee as Sid is amazing in the film!”

Reacting to Varun’s statement, Sid says, “Yes, that’s the love we have for each other’s films and that’s how it will always be. It’s like family! We guys are very close and have kept in touch all throughout with each other.”

Sidharth Malhotra created a stir with his debut film Student of the Year . But with Hasee Toh Phasee , he is being tagged as the sensitive guy who knows how to pull on everyone’s heartstrings
Itee Sharma (MID-DAY; February 9, 2014)

Sidharth Malhotra has yet to come to terms with the new development in his life — his Student of the Year (SOTY) tag has changed to the Hunk Of The Year label. But the handsome actor reveals that female attention makes him a bit awkward and discloses that his first director Karan Johar is like a possessive parent, who he hopes to make proud with Hasee Toh Phasee and Villain.

Since Karan Johar launched you with SOTY, does he always want to know what you are up to?
No. He lets us (Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt and me) make our own decisions and learn from our mistakes.
But he is like a possessive parent.

Your Hasee Toh Phasee co-star Parineeti Chopra calls you ‘mental’ in real life as well. What have you done to earn this title?
You will have to ask Pari that. Initially, she thought that I didn’t speak much, but I do have a sense of humour, which she came to know later, and was surprised. It is very easy to make her laugh.

Between Alia Bhatt’s Shanaya in SOTY and Parineeti Chopra’s Meeta in Hasee Toh Phasee, who is your ideal girl?
I would definitely not want to romance Parineeti but someone like Alia’s character in SOTY . Parineeti’s Meeta is very mental. But I bond with Pari a lot in real life.

Like Varun and Alia, Parineeti too has an industry connection and is more up-to-date about industry happenings. Do you feel that you lag behind?
No. After one film everybody is equal. It is up to us to be updated in the industry. It took me time to let the feeling of actually being an actor sink in but the scale and grandiosity of SOTY made me realise the impact of the film industry. But nothing beats experience. I now have a sense of belonging. I know I am different but I have become more relaxed and aware in the way I behave on the sets. I want appreciation as an actor. I have done the goodlooking guy act in SOTY . Now, I want to do different films.

Have your sensitive-guy looks ever backfired?
Yes. Sensitivity is very attractive to women and sometimes they look for much more. My sensitive looks have backfired a lot of times.

Are you playing the title role in Mohit Suri’s The Villain ?
No. I am not playing the title role in The Villain. It is a dark love story that talks about everybody’s dark side, not just mine.

What is the most villainous thing you have done?
I have done some action with hardcore intensity in Mohit Suri’s The Villain .

BOLLYWOOD NEWS SERVICE

Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 21, 2014)

Sidharth Malhotra’s upcoming film, Hasee Toh Phasee will be out a week before Valentine's Day and the eligible young actor will undoubtedly be a much-sought after date. “But since there’s just one me and lots of Valentines, it would better if we kept our date at the theatres!” chuckles the actor, tapping to a Punjabi wedding song that is playing in the background.

However, marriage is the last thing on his mind, insists the 28-year-old. “Thanks to Student Of The Year, I’ve landed a great opportunity to belong here and I can’t let it slip away. I don’t have anything else to fall back on,” he says.

So is it all work and no play for Sid boy, while his co-students, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt, are painting the town red? “Maybe I’ve just been lucky or intelligent,” he quips. And we wonder about the kind of girl who can make this workaholic actor’s heart thump. “Someone without pretence and with no hidden agendas. Someone with whom I can have a conversation on the beach…and maybe some activity,” the actor says with a hint of mischief.

An ocean lover at heart, Sidharth lives in a sea-facing rented apartment and that’s one of the luxuries he indulges in. “Mumbai is an expensive city and it will take me at least three years to be able to afford a spacious bachelor pad. Buying a bungalow is still a distant dream,” sighs Sidharth, who having grown up in Delhi, is used to a lot of open spaces.

Their Punjabi upbringing and non-filmy background helped Sidharth and Parineeti Chopra bond instantly. “The chemistry is great,” he says. So, how many kisses will we get to see? “See the film and find out,” he quips.

While Alia and Varun have moved out of the Karan Johar camp, with the exception of The Villain, Sidharth is sticking to his mentor’s production house. There is a project which will be directed by Remo Dsouza and produced by Dharma that promises a lot of action on the motor racing track. But before that there will be a romantic flick again with the same production house that will roll by the end of this year. So, is he contractually bound to the company? “All three of us are Dharma talents but not bound by an exclusive contract. I’m doing The Villain with Balaji. Having launched us, Karan feels responsible and doesn’t want us to disappear in the crowd. Usually we take our own calls but if we are in trouble, I know Karan will be there for us,” he says.

It seems, this is one student who is no hurry to leave his alma matter any time soon. But quiz him on the SOTY sequel, and he points out, “I think Karan would go with new faces if a sequel is made. After a while it’ll get difficult for the three of us to pull off the student look.”

Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 11, 2014)

Sidharth Malhotra has been doing a lot of action sequences for Ekta Kapoor’s The Villain, which also stars Riteish Deshmukh and Shraddha Kapoor. During one such sequence yesterday, a part of the crane came crashing down and cinematographer Vishnu Rao ended up injuring his right arm when he failed to move out from harm’s way.

Rao was setting up a scene featuring Sidharth and Riteish and the actors were waiting in their respective vanity vans. Five minutes before the actors were to be called in for the shot, the top half of a crane, which was not operational, started to swing menacingly.

An eyewitness told Mirror, “There were many crew members on the sets and they spotted the violently oscillating crane. People started to run for cover and there was a pandemonium. Unfortunately, a part of the equipment fell on Rao’s hand, almost crushing it. He was immediately rushed to a hospital.”

When contacted, Balaji’s CEO Tanuj Garg said: “What happened is unfortunate. Yes, our DOP (Director of Photography) Vishnu was injured. Thankfully, there was not more damage.”

The Villain is expected to hit the theatres on June 27, 2014.

Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; December 9, 2013)

We were the first to tell you that Shraddha Kapoor was taking bike lessons for her role in Mohit Suri’s romantic thriller, The Villain. The film is being shot in Goa, where we caught the lead pair Sidharth Malhotra and Shraddha riding a bike. While girls riding a scooter is common, it was interesting to see Shraddha not just riding a bike, but a male-oriented one. As much as Shraddha was comfortable riding a bike and plans to buy one herself, she would loudly say, ‘Jai Mata Di’, every time Mohit said ‘action’ for her to ride her bike alone. Of course, at times, when Sidharth was sitting behind her, she felt far more comfortable.

Shraddha Kapoor gets candid about mohabbat, movies and death by chocolate cake.
Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 27, 2013)