As told to Hiren Kotwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 3, 2020)

I had already worked in quite a few Punjabi films when, sometime in 2015, I got a call from (casting director) Honey Trehan. He said the makers of Udta Punjab had a role if I’d like to do it. I met Vikramaditya Motwane sir (one of the film’s producers) and Abhishek Chaubey sir (director) and said if the role was good, I’d do it. Stating that it was my kind of character, Abhishek sir narrated not just my role, but the entire screenplay. He didn’t say which role he had in mind for me, but while listening to the narration, I felt Sartaj was a good part to take up. Before that, I had met directors who would only narrate my role, badha-chadha ke, saying how the character was driving the story. I believe that is a wrong approach because the audience comes to see a film in its entirety, not just a role or a character.

My first day’s first shot was a hospital scene, which we shot in Tarn Taran in Amritsar. I had to walk in, slap a guy hard—which even the people outside could hear—and go in to see my brother, who was admitted. Kareena ji (Kapoor) was playing the doctor who comes in for his check-up. I was to say, “Mera bhai toh theek hai. Logon ne bigaad diya usko.” So, my first shot in a Hindi film was with her.

I was quite confident and did my scenes well. Abhishek sir was cool and said even he was getting into the flow and we’d be fine the second day onwards. Prior to beginning the shoot, I had just done a reading with Kareena ji.

A year later, I was called to watch the film. It was in the room where I had heard the first narration. The film was exactly what was narrated to me, not a frame here or there. Usually, when you listen to the script, people narrate it very grandly. But it doesn’t turn out the way it was first presented to you.

As told to Ankita Chaurasia (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 2, 2019)

Sonam Kapoor introduced me to Shahid Kapoor while they were working together in Mausam. The film was our first collaboration. I remember giving him a white tuxedo for a song, he looked really handsome in it. Shahid likes classic cuts and timeless silhouettes which complement his good looks. You don’t have to overdo things with him, including several elements in the attire to play up his looks. Instead we would have fun playing with combinations. I’ve learnt that though dressy, tuxedos don’t have to be serious all the time, nor a shirt-pant or a tee-shirt-chino combo. With Shahid, it was about including one interesting element and keeping the rest of the look clean and uncomplicated.

Shahid has a quirky sense of humour which was reflected in our slogan tees. He also loves sneakers and we stocked up on a lot of them, to pair with different outfits. As a stylist, I keep a few things in mind while putting together a look. First, the body type and what works on it. Second, the personality of the actor, as most A-listers have a distinct identity they have worked hard to create. So, it’s important that their clothes should reflect that rather than my aesthetics.

Shahid is comfort-driven and likes to dress for the occasion. His style has not changed much, even after marriage. He has maintained a healthy mix of classics, casuals and quirky ensembles, and today, has a distinct voice.

Working on his wedding wardrobe was a lot of fun. We were so much in sync, that whenever we went shopping, we’d end up picking the same clothes. It was uncanny! He’s a sucker for tone-on-tone threadwork and I love it too so there was a lot of that. It was also the first time that we played with French knots and they became a huge hit. It was a non-traditional wedding look but worked so well, they set trends. I will cherish the experience all my life, more so because it was the first time I was designing for a wedding.




1. CHUTNEY COMBO: Shahid’s act, with Farhan Akhtar, for this event, was hilarious so we wanted the look to be playful. We did this chutney number in a well-tailored silhouette, and paired it with sneakers for a casual vibe.

2. ‘GROOM’ED: Shahid’s only brief was not to make the look ornamental, maximalist and Air India Maharaja-esque. Not many knew about the wedding, so, only a small team was working on his look. The jacket, with geometric detailing, was more panelled than a regular sherwani. We paired it with classic breach pants instead of a churidar.

3. MAN WITH A BUN: This look was created just when Shahid had started working on Udta Punjab. It immediately drew attention thanks to his man bun and eye make-up. At the time, I wanted to change the way Indian menswear looks, so the open kurta with texture-detailing and dhoop-chhaon thread-work on Patiala pants in a highly-reflective fabric.



4. GO GRUNGE: This was for a dream sequence song in R... Rajkumar. We incorporated layers of manly grunge for this kadi jacket with real kadis on the pockets. We used darker colours to complement the starkness of the Rann of Kutch.

5. MIX N’ MATCH: Shahid wore high-waisted pants and a kurtashirt with a cropped jacket for a show. He was sporting a stubble then and white looks good on him when he has the rugged look. We gave Mira an androgynous red co-ord set.

6. PIN-UP BOY: For Padmaavat promotions, we chose this black pinstriped kurta-shirt in handwoven handloom fabric. We teamed it with a churidar. An Indian look, with a global silhouette. We would work with a lot of blacks, whites and grays. Colours were in muted, washed out tones.

Niharika Lal (BOMBAY TIMES; August 19, 2019)

Take a look at this — ‘Use of certain expressions in this film are purely for dramatising the performances’, or ‘This film does not support the use of expletives’, or even ‘Under the Hindu Marriage Act polygamy is illegal in India’. These detailed and explanatory sentences are disclaimers that have been carried with films recently. From the standard disclaimer, ‘All the characters and events depicted are fictitious…’ to those like the ones mentioned above, disclaimers in films seem to have entered a new territory.

In the beginning of Batla House, a disclaimer states that the film is “based on events and information only available in the public domain”. And that the film is “not a documentary and is not intended to accurately reflect events”.

Be it Kalank, which had three to four frames just of disclaimers, to last year’s Padmaavat, which had a disclaimer for every aspect of the film, disclaimers seem to have become long-form writing, with detailed ones for every topic — social, political, religious — that might spark an outrage. They are no longer a few lines, disclaimers have now become lengthy paragraphs — there can be even five-six disclaimers — covering every possible aspect, that can “hurt sentiments”, thereby leading to protests and landing filmmakers in trouble.


‘DISCLAIMER’S A MUST FOR FILMS THAT ARE BASED ON HISTORICAL INCIDENTS’
Currently, each film carries around three to four disclaimers. A Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) official tells us, “The CBFC panels do not ask the producers to add any disclaimers without watching the film. We suggest disclaimers only when a film has a historical/research-based/non-fiction premise, because sometimes ,filmmakers simply write ‘inspired by true events...’ which is vague. However, it differs from case to case.”

Last year, when Padmaavat was banned in multiple states as protests ensued regarding the depiction of Rani Padmavati and the Rajput history in general, the filmmakers issued seven declarations and clarifications through full-page newspaper ads even before the film released. Also, the film had one of the longest disclaimers ever, including explanation of the dance forms and clothes in the film not claiming historical authenticity. Another film that was banned in several states was Ashutosh Gowariker’s Jodhaa Akbar (2008), again for allegedly depicting wrong history of the Rajputs. Ashutosh was reportedly quoted as saying, “There’s a disclaimer about the Rajput queen’s name at the beginning of the film. But to see that, the protesters have to see the film.” The said disclaimer clarifies that historians do not agree with Jodhaa’s name.


‘DEPENDING ON THE SUBJECT, FILMS CAN HAVE FIVE-SIX DISCLAIMERS’
Some CBFC officials complain that filmmakers put lengthy disclaimers to get away with anything and everything. A CBFC member says, “These days, lengthy disclaimers are used frequently in films so that filmmakers don’t get into unnecessary trouble. They don’t want any ‘hurting sentiment’ arguments to halt the release of the film, which is why they add them.” Last year, before the Akshay Kumar, Rajinikanth-starrer 2.0 released, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) sent a legal notice to the film’s producers, alleging that the film has “obscurantist and anti-scientific attitudes towards mobile phone, towers and mobile services”.

But a disclaimer in the film was added even before the objection, stating, “The theme of this film is based on an article that appeared in various newspapers and social media platforms. The characters and events depicted in this film are purely a work of fiction.”

Depending on the subject of the film, the number of disclaimers can go up. An Information and Broadcast Ministry (I&B) official tells us, “The number of disclaimers can go up to even five-six — it depends upon the subject of the film. There is a disclaimer for the subject being fictional, against consumption of nicotine products, for animals not being hurt etc. As per I&B’s 2016 circular to filmmakers, if a movie has rash driving scenes, filmmakers also have to add a disclaimer stating that ‘Performing such scenes by the audience may violate traffic laws/rules hence should not be emulated’.”


‘COURTS ASK FILMMAKERS TO ADD DISCLAIMER TO PROTECT THEIR ARTISTIC FREEDOM’
“There have been instances where the courts have asked films to include a disclaimer, so as to protect the filmmaker’s artistic liberty,” says an I&B official. In one such instance, in 2012, during the release of Chakravyuh, Bata India Ltd moved the Calcutta High Court, objecting to the lyrics of the song Mehangai. The lyrics were, “Birla Ho Ya Tata, Ambani Ho Ya Bata, Sabne Apne Chakkar Mein Des Ko Hai Kaata.” The Calcutta HC refused removal of the song, but asked the filmmakers to add a disclaimer to the song. The disclaimer, which appears in the beginning of Chakravyuh, states, “Use of the names in the song are merely as example. No injury or disrespect is intended to any particular person or brand.”

One movie in which a disclaimer was inserted after its release was Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai (2010). The Lucknow Bench of Allahabad HC directed the makers of the film to add a disclaimer before the start of the film, stating that the character of Rehana, played by Kangna Ranaut, has no resemblance with the ’50s actress Rehana. Anurag Kashyap’s 2016 release Udta Punjab was again in trouble with the censor board as the CBFC had asked the makers to remove Punjab references. The Bombay HC ruled in favour of the film, but asked to change the disclaimer. The modified disclaimer reads, “...Punjab has been a highway of drugs and not the end consumer”. In fact, the film had four frames of disclaimers, all revolving around the use of expletives and drugs.

SOME DISCLAIMERS THAT ARE SEEN IN FILMS CURRENTLY

Padmaavat: The film Padmaavat is inspired from the epic poem Padmavat, written by Malik Muhammad Jayasi,which is considered a work of fiction. This Film does not infer or claim historical authenticity or accuracy in terms of the names of the places, characters, sequence of events, locations, spoken languages, dance forms, costumes and/or such other details. We do not intend to disrespect, impair or disparage the beliefs, feelings, sentiments od any person(s), community(ies) and their culture(s), custom(s), practice(s) and tradition(s)

Chakravyuh: Use of the names in the song are merely as example. No injury or disrespect is intended to any particular person or brand

OMG: OMG Oh My God! is the journey of the protagonist who discovers his faith through the happenings and occurrences in his life and goes from being a non-believer to a believer. The film is meant for entertainment purposes only and we do not intend to hurt the sentiments of any individual, community, sect or religion

Gangs Of Wasseypur: Wasseypur is an actual place located in Dhanbad, a district of Jharkhand (esrtwhile Bihar). Though the film is based on real incidents, reported widely in media, it is a fictionalised account of the same. Names and timelines have been changed and the related incidents have been fictionalised for dramatic purposes. The film has NOT been shot in the real locations of Wasseypur

HOLLYWOOD RELEASES IN INDIA

In 2009, when Avatar was to be released in India, a religious group asked James Cameron to attach a disclaimer at the beginning and end of the film, explaining that it has no relationship with Hinduism or its concepts

In 2006, Sony Pictures had rejected a CBFC notification, which stated that a disclaimer had to be put at the beginning and end of the film The Da Vinci Code to clarify that it is a work of fiction, which eventually delayed its release

As told to Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 9, 2019)

How do I prep for a film? Well, the first thing I do as an actor is to get into the head of the filmmaker I am working with as it is eventually his vision that needs to be interpreted and his world that I must inhabit and represent. This process also gives me the opportunity to learn, observe and create new material which comes from the script and in most cases, is written by the director himself.

Once I have understood that, the second step for me is to work on the physicality of the character, including his hair, body, body language, attitude and the overall personality. As an actor, I try to change my silhouette as often as I can, and that, in fact, is one of the reasons for my choice of films. I don’t feel comfortable if I am too comfortable about how I am going to play a certain character as this means it’s in my comfort zone and so obstructing me from finding and attempting something new.

For my just-released film Kabir Singh, I had to create three different silhouettes, one of which needed me to be out of shape. My normal weight is around 71-72 kg, I had to add on over five kg, going up to 76-77 kg, a lot of it fat, and look destroyed in those scenes. It was challenging but also, I admit, very exciting at the same time.

The part I was apprehensive about was the one in which I had to portray a younger avatar. At 38, I was expected to play a boy of 25. Today’s audience is much evolved and won’t overlook any discrepancies in appearance, knowing that I worked hard to get my look right.

I play a surgeon in the film, and here I must mention that my director Sandeep Vanga who is a qualified physiotherapist himself was of great help. I did my basic R&D too, but beyond that, I wanted to find the character and not just focus on his profession.

Another challenging film was the 2009 caper thriller, Kaminey (right), directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, and my first double role, which had me playing twin brothers Charlie and Guddu with speech defects. While one lisps, the other has a stutter. As a part of my homework, I met people with speech disorders. I was very sure I was not going to mock them, rather I wanted the viewers to feel for the character and spent some time getting it right.

Strangely, I have not needed a coach for any of my films, except for the one that I have for my work-outs, to oversee my physical prep. Only for Abhishek Chaubey’s Udta Punjab, in which I played Tommy Singh, we had a dialect coach on the set. Now that I think of it, I had one for a scene in Kabir Singh too where I speak Punjabi. It was to make sure that I am not mispronouncing anything and that my lines would flow naturally and organically on screen. Being a Punjabi myself, I know and understand the language well, but since I have grown up speaking in English and Hindi, I am not too fluent in it. So, I spent a few hours working on my dialogue delivery before facing the camera.

A film I had to train a lot for was my father’s (Pankaj Kapur) directorial debut, Mausam (left). I played an Air Force pilot in the film and had to go through three-four months of flight simulator training. The flight simulator is a device which artificially re-creates an aircraft flight and the environment in which it flies, for pilot training, design and other purposes.

I also had to be in great shape as one has to be in prime fitness to get into an Air Force aircraft. Back in Mumbai, I used to train three times a week. Funnily, I don’t like flying. I do it as a part of my job, but for me, the sky is not my favourite place in the world. However, once I started training, I had a lot of fun.

Imtiaz Ali’s Jab We Met is still remembered 12 years after its release. I had to play the guitar in one of the scenes and I specifically learnt how to do that so that when I played, it would look believable on screen. It took me around a week to 10 days to get it right. I want to learn how to play a musical instrument for real, also, martial arts. I also want to play more sports, but I don’t get the time to do these things and more. Having said that, I really enjoy my job and I am happy with it. As part of my prep, I learn so many new and different things.

Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; June 20, 2019)

Shahid Kapoor stars as the brooding Kabir Singh in director Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s upcoming Hindi remake of his Telugu hit, Arjun Reddy. While the original was widely appreciated, the central character drew varied opinions, owing to the unapologetic portrayal of his anger and self-destructive passion. In an elaborate chat with BT, Shahid explains his interpretation of the character, why he refused to judge him and why our flaws make us more real. Excerpts:

You started off as a hero with chocolate-boy looks and great dancing abilities, who could pass off as a guy-next-door. Have you consciously tried to break away from that image by opting for complex, edgy characters?
It was a big struggle for me to fight the things that people thought I should be doing. They can only analyse you based on what you have already done. You need to look for directors who will offer you something different. I am always searching for people who will bring something new to me, and something that I have never done before. I am an actor at heart. Yes, stardom is important to me. It’s important to be a star as it gives you the platform to be able to do different types of work. You need to reach out to a wider audience, but if that starts limiting you, then you feel caged. Such a scenario, makes me feel claustrophobic, and I don’t like it. Some years ago, I had a few reservations that as an actor yeh hona chahiye, woh nahi hona chahiye.

But today, I have zero reservations. I can go for anything. I believe I can do different things. I am not afraid. I have also been fortunate to work with some fantastic filmmakers like Vishal Bhardwaj. They helped me discover myself as an actor. I wouldn’t be who I am today, and my career wouldn’t be what it is today if it wasn’t for Vishal sir. He is special. I appreciate every filmmaker who offered me a role that I hadn’t done before.

When we see you and Vishal Bhardwaj collaborate, it often makes us wonder why other filmmakers couldn’t tap into your talent like he did…
He is number one on that list, but I have done Udta Punjab. Today, I am doing Kabir Singh. There will always be somebody who will discover you for the first time and see something in you that even you didn’t see. That’s Vishal sir’s biggest quality. He always goes against the tide. His vision helps him to shock the audience as you get to see an actor in a new avatar, and that adds value to the subject. He did that with me repeatedly, and because of that, other filmmakers come to me today and give me opportunities. Vishal sir helped me prove to the world that I can break away from the trappings of the boy-next-door, gooddancer image.

Alia (Bhatt) once jokingly told us that though she’s 25, she still looks 12. In your case, too, you look younger than your age. For an actor, that’s a great compliment, but at times is it a hindrance, too?
I don’t look 12 (laughs!). The key word for me is transformation. If you can transform on screen, you are an actor. If you can’t, you are just a star. I am a medical student and a debauched self-destructive surgeon in the same film (Kabir Singh). If I hadn’t pushed the envelope to try and achieve something beyond my visual appeal, I wouldn’t have gone beyond that. You have to break your own barriers and limitations and take risks.

Arjun Reddy evoked polarising views and is perhaps one of the most debatable screen characters in recent times. He’s a man of extremes. On the one hand, you empathize with him for being extremely passionate to the point of being self-destructive, and on the other, he bullies people and manipulates his girlfriend into doing what he wants. How did you perceive this troubled character, who follows the ‘my way or highway’ principle?
I loved him for the good and the bad in him. I felt it was cinematic and original. He has a lot of heart. The character is extremely powerful, effective and vulnerable at the same time. It’s that dichotomy that makes him so intriguing and exciting to portray. I never judged him. If we start judging characters, we can’t make movies that are real. Everyone is flawed. We all have some good and bad within us. Also, every human being goes through different phases in life, where we feel we are falling apart and we don’t know what to do with ourselves. I think that’s what’s most appealing about this character. Even though he is so flawed, he is vulnerable, attractive and there’s something about him. No matter what he does, he has a good heart. He is self-destructive, aggressive, angsty, but he loves purely. He wears his emotions on his sleeve. He is real. I could relate and connect to those things. We all have been through those phases. We all become self-destructive at some point in our life. Our weaknesses come to the fore when we go through that phase. It’s about learning to deal with that.

Do you think that the lead actor slapping his girlfriend because he loves her, subconsciously justifies a certain kind of violence that stems from anger?
Didn’t Vijay Raaz slap his wife in Gully Boy? But nobody asked him this question. Why does this only happen when a mainstream Hindi film actor plays a character with grey shades? Don’t people do things that aren’t justified? One man’s meat is another man’s poison. That’s how life is. Films have to be a reflection of life, and life is complex. There are no straight lines. Nothing is perfect. It’s like asking Al Pacino, why did he do Scarface or asking my father why did he do Maqbool or why did Kamal Haasan do Nayakan? These are some of the finest performances of their careers. Also, the audiences are adults who have the power of discretion. They have the intelligence to tell the difference between right and wrong. When I watched Arjun Reddy, there was a part of me that could relate to the misgivings and imperfections of the character, and I could see moments of my life when I have been there. It was cathartic for me to see that shown on screen. It helped me deal with my own issues, which might have been present at some level. That’s what films are all about. It helps you deal with things even when it happens to someone else. You have to represent everyone as long as you are not giving a wrong message in a film. Arjun is actually a nice guy. He doesn’t have control over his emotions, but he has a good heart.

Alia Bhatt’s character breaks a bottle on Kalki Koechlin’s head in Gully Boy because she loves Murad (Ranveer Singh). Her violent streak came as a surprise. So, It’s not really about the gender, but the justification of the behaviour or anger that could evoke a discussion...
So, should we now start making films that don’t showcase violence? When heroes are hitting 20 people in these masala films and they are bleeding through their noses, how come that isn’t questioned? Why does this question only come up for certain movies? I think we shouldn’t interpret a character unidimensionally. We can’t say that because so and so is a feminist, she should or shouldn’t do certain things. There could be a violent person, who happens to be a feminist, or a calm person, who happens to be very confident from within. There are all kinds of people in life. Our job is to go out there and play complex characters. It was the year of Game Of Thrones; I think we need to get over this.

Do you think your reclusiveness is often misconstrued as arrogance? One often hears things like… Shahid has an attitude problem...
I have worked on that. I think I have become a lot better. I have realised that being reclusive as an actor might not necessarily be the right thing. When you are a star, as it is, you are a bit inaccessible. On top of that, if you are reclusive, it becomes difficult for people to reach out to you or connect with you. It’s important to drop the barriers so that people know who you really are. I am making far more effort today to achieve that than I did earlier.

You are known to be someone who gets obsessive about getting every shot in front of the camera perfect. So, after the director says cut, do you leave your character behind and go home without any baggage whatsoever?
I am not obsessive. I am extremely passionate. I am all in or all out, and I don’t know any other way. I can’t be practical about anything. I don’t have a method. I have never been to any film schools like the NSD (National School of Drama) or the FTII (Film and Television Institute of India). I don’t have any formal training or education in the field of acting, so I am instinctive. The parts that I have played are complex, so people think there must be a method behind it. Let me confess, there is no method for me. It’s all experimentation. About taking my work home, I need to hold on to myself or else it wouldn’t be possible for me to be a father, husband and a crazy guy like Kabir Singh at the same time. When I go home, I need to be who I am with my wife and children. I can’t be affected by the work I do. It is challenging. For instance, when I did Udta Punjab, I was single, living alone, didn’t have any kids. So, it was relatively easier to surrender myself to a role, but when I did Kabir Singh, it was difficult. I had so much to come back to, so I had to be more responsible.

Has marriage and fatherhood changed your perspective on life and people?
I feel once you are married and have children, it changes you from within. That does reflect on your work as well. You become a new person. Your wild side gets domesticated. It’s good. I love having family around.

Arjun, aka Kabir, feels he is highly misunderstood as a person. Did you relate to that aspect of his character?
There are some who are a people’s person, and they know how to maintain that image. But I always liked people who could be rough around the edges but are real. You can take them at face value. I don’t look for perfect people. I look for real people. I am not like Kabir Singh at all in real life, but only in this sense, I guess I am like him.

Fake modesty or self-assured personality? What do you think is more admired or accepted in the film industry?
Being self-assured is never appreciated because it’s perceived as intimidation. I think people get intimidated with those who are not afraid of being different. It’s easier and better to be less strong. If you are fluid, then people find that more comforting. I am learning to be a good balance of everything, but I don’t want to be someone I am not. Deep down, I am a simple person. I think there are some who find simple people to be complex, as they feel it can’t be real. Those who are close to me understand that and those who aren’t, probably don’t get it.