After Hema Malini seeks amendment in government resolution prohibiting artistes over 65 from shooting in the wake of COVID-19, Shabana Azmi, Paresh Rawal question the discriminatory guideline
Upala KBR, Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; July 11, 2020)

On May 31, the state government announced the resumption of film and television shoots, issuing a comprehensive set of guidelines to be followed by the cast and crew. One of the regulations barred artistes and technicians over 65 years from shooting. This has created a furore in the industry that has several senior actors — including Amitabh Bachchan, Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, Dharmendra and Mithun Chakraborty — at the top of their game.

Last week, Hema Malini shot off a letter to Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla, requesting an amendment in the resolution. She cited the examples of Bachchan, Anupam Kher and herself stating that they "will be restricted from completing their previous and recurring projects."

Azmi, who was to film Mughal, her next with Nikkhil Advani, asserts that the rule is discriminatory. "A small portion of Vikas Khanna's untitled film has yet to be shot. What happens to these projects? Why should producers have to sign on younger artistes and make them sport grey hair? Why is this rule applied only to the film industry, and not politicians? Will they ensure that no leader above 65 will attend any political rally," she questions, before pointing out that it affects the livelihoods of countless senior technicians. "They don't run parallel businesses whereby they can make up their losses."

Even as he understands that the guideline has been designed to safeguard senior citizens from contracting the virus, Paresh Rawal, 65, believes the implementation is impractical. "[The sets] should have the necessary safety measures in place, including sanitisation. So many doctors and nurses over 65 years of age are on the field every day. They are exposed to more severe conditions."

Will KBC Be Delayed?
The fate of Kaun Banega Crorepati season 12 hangs in the balance, in light of the government resolution. After all, Amitabh Bachchan, 77, is synonymous with the quiz show. Amid rumours that Sony Entertainment may delay the latest season, a source from the show says, "KBC cannot be imagined without Big B. There is no question of the megastar being replaced. The shoot may be rescheduled." Despite the Coronavirus lockdown, the makers had kicked off the selection process in May.

Prashant Singh (HINDUSTAN TIMES; June 4, 2020)

Every morning, when she wakes up, Farah Khan doesn’t have just her family or loved ones on her mind but also many others, who “are going through unimaginable situations” during the Coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing lockdown. “I have a simple mantra: I must do one good deed every day,” says the 55-year-old filmmaker.

Be it getting sanitary napkins for lady cops, arranging for masks and groceries, distributing water bottles among migrant labourers, helping a lady in Chennai who takes care of street dogs (after reading a story in HT City/Café’s special section Six Shots of Life) or now, “initiating the process of sponsoring” the education of Jyoti Kumari Paswan (the 15-year-old girl who cycled with her father from Gurugram to Bihar’s Darbhanga), Khan has been at it, without break.

“Not just me, there are so many people who want to do good work but don’t know how to do it. But at the same time, I am so proud of my friends such as Sonu Sood (actor), Vikas Khanna (chef) and even Shah Rukh (Khan; actor) — who is doing amazing work through Meer Foundation,” says the Main Hoon Na (2004) director, whose 12-year-old daughter, Anya, has raised ₹3 lakh through her sketches. “Till date, Anya — who is an animal lover — has done about 150 sketches. It’s nominally priced at ₹1,000 per sketch, but people have paid more as well,” she says.

The money has been used to buy groceries for people in slum pockets of areas such as Thane, Kalyan and Juhu Galli in Mumbai. The lady in Chennai was also helped through Anya’s sketch money.

Reportedly, politician and environmentalist Maneka Gandhi even wrote a mail to Khan, expressing how she was “very impressed” by Anya’s work. Ask the filmmaker about it, and she says, “I’ll continue to do whatever is within my capacity. I lived through a poor childhood. Probably, that’s why I’m empathetic towards people, especially the poor. I’ve worked very hard — and also had God’s blessings — to reach where I am today. So, the idea should be to give back to the needy when you have enough.”

The last four years have seen celebrity restaurateur Vikas Khanna face his biggest loss and most meaningful gain, all between Vrindavan and Varanasi. How did a Michelan star chef make a film that's made it to the 2019 Best Film Oscars nomination list
Aastha Atray Banan (MID-DAY; January 19, 2020)

It was in 2011 when chef Vikas Khanna was in Vrindavan to celebrate Holi when he first encountered the widows who live there, cast away by families. He was there to shoot for a show. Just as he was being rushed out from the backdoor exit of Bankebhai temple to avoid the rush of onlookers who had gathered, he walked into a street lined by hundreds of widows lining both sides, watching the Holi festivities from afar. "Until then, I hadn't thought about them. When I was growing up, there was an aunt who was always at home, beautiful, not allowed into any family function. We [Indians] consider it normal. A boy walking behind me was trying to explain, 'Inko mat dekhna, apshagun hai [don't look at them; it's inauspicious]'."

Khanna remembers making eye contact with a 90-year-old. "I smiled at her, organically. And she looked happy for that, that someone had acknowledged her," Khanna narrates over an early 8 am breakfast interview at an Andheri five-star.

The chef and restaurateur says that smile broke his heart. He put pen to paper on the flight back to Delhi, and began writing a short story about his experience. His first line, which he wrote in Punjabi, was: the country which is famous for its colours, has daughters who are colourless".

It as in that moment that Khanna had turned into a filmmaker, and the seed for his debut movie, The Last Color, was sown. Unveiled last year at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, it travelled to Cannes where it won Best Film. But the recognition everyone is talking about is about making it to Best Film final list of Oscar 2019 nominations.

The journey, Khanna calls, life changing. He mailed the story he wrote on the flight to magazines that he thought might be interested in publishing it, "The New Yorker". There was no reply. Khanna went back to his life and his Michelin star New York restaurant. "I had money riding on me, I couldn't be following crazy dreams," says Khanna, who hails from Amritsar. Junoon, the restaurant that has been bagging a Michelin star every year since 2011, is among many responsibilities, including authoring cookbooks, and anchoring Masterchef India and UTSAV - A Culinary Epic of Indian Festivals.

But, when he came across an NPR story on Vrindavan's widows titled, 'For India's Widows - a riot of color, an act of liberation', he returned to his short story and decided to hire an agent, who told him that the story needed a narrator. But the universe, the wily ways of which Khanna believes in, had another plan, and it started with a tragedy. In 2015, his father, Davinder Khanna, passed away. "I couldn't believe the news. I told my sister-in-law, 'you are joking!' Dad handled everything for me, my contracts, paper work. I am terrible at handling money. I went into hiding."

After putting all projects he had on hand on hold, he found himself in Varanasi, cut off from the world except for contact with his mother, Bindu. He would spend his days ambling in the streets, and nights, sleeping on a boat on the Ganga. It was here that he met a girl, who walked the tightrope, a drama commonly played out on India's streets. She told him that with the money she made, she would go to school, and become a police woman. She wanted to escape the trouble she got into with the police. Khanna had found his narrator. "My boatman told me that I had to tell the story of the girl. She was the daughter of Ganga, and I might have an old debt to pay the holy river. The universe had led me here," Khanna says, overwhelmed.

The story of The Last Color is about the uncommon friendship between a widow, played by Neena Gupta, and a little girl, who vows to colour her on Holi. She can't fulfill her promise, but leads a movement that promises to reform their lives. Khanna has directed and written the film, composed the music and designed the costume for the film that has been four years in the making. "I don't know where it all came from!" he laughs, "I would type, 'qualifications required to be a music director' and search Google. I didn't know anything!"

And that's ironical because those who watch it and give it a standing ovation, including at a recent screening at the UN, don't believe it is made by a first timer whose real talent lies in the kitchen.

Khanna can sense he has won us over with his genuine positivity. He is no stranger to adulation, especially from women. But he accept attention gracefully and says modestly, "I am grateful for the love I get from women of all ages. I feel it's about taking food to the next level, and they all gravitate towards that. I try and share my story with them."

As he waits for the film to hit streaming sites, he has begun work on his next feature, but he won't tell much. "It's fun to work in secret."


Neena Gupta in The Last Color


Aqsa Siddiqui in The Last Colour 

Neena Gupta on her eye-catching Cannes debut and how a post on the social media last year has changed her life for the better
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 14, 2018)

Last Friday, National Award-winning actress Neena Gupta made her first appearance at the Cannes Film Festival where the first look of her next film, The Last Color, directed by celebrity chef and author Vikas Khanna was unveiled. She wore designer-daughter Masaba Mantena’s creation — a crushed ivory saree teamed with a hot pink blouse in tribal vase print and Suhani Pittie jhumkas. Masaba mentioned that Neena’s brief to her was not to “overdo it” and the veteran actress is grateful to her daughter for doing a good job with her clothes.

“I am not as young as the other actresses and didn’t want to copy them. I have my own space and wanted to keep my dignity and integrity intact,” asserts Neena whose daughter advised her not to carry any woollies as the days are usually hotter there.

Reminiscing about her first day in the French Riviera, Neena says she didn’t have any makeup or hairdresser with her, so she trotted off to a small parlour near her hotel to get her makeup done. “But I was looking like someone else so the next day I stuck to just the basics — a touch of lipstick and rouge. I just wanted to be myself,” she laughs, adding that she went to all the meetings and went to some parties too.

Speaking about her film she admits that she’d known there are many widows in Vrindavan and Varanasi, but didn’t know they can’t play Holi, wear colour or mingle. “While listening to Vikas narrate his story, I had tears in my eyes. I had no role model for my character Noor so I decided to speak and walk slower. But then a day before I started filming, when I’d gone on the sets to meet everyone, they gave me my costume — a white saree and a blouse — every morning, the minute I put them on, I became Noor,” she says.

Last year, Neena had posted on Instagram, “I live in Mumbai and working am a good actor looking for good parts to play.” Soon after, Anubhav Sinha offered her a role in his social thriller Mulk. She’ll also be seen in Dibakar Banerjee’s next, Junglee Pictures’ Badhaai Ho with Ayushmann Khurrana and Sanya Malhotra and plays Sonam Kapoor’s mother in Veere Di Wedding. How does it feel to be working again? “It’s like a dream. I posted that because I was angry with people for thinking I’d moved to Delhi, but thanks to it my life changed completely,” she admits, adding that she’s impressed with the films being made today where even an actress of her age has a substantial role. “The young directors are so good that you cheat even a fraction of a second and you are caught instantly.”

On Mother’s Day, she posted a picture with Masaba and wrote, “I am her mother and she’s my daughter, and sometimes she’s my mother and I am her daughter, this is how it is when they grow up.”

Neena isn’t actively involved in Masaba’s business but her daughter always reaches out to her for feedback when she is working on something new. “We hardly meet these days as she is busy and so is her husband (filmmaker Madhu Mantena) but the connection is strong. I was telling someone that the only person I am scared of is Masaba,” she laughs, “We share a beautiful friendship.”

A chef’s struggles, ala Vikas Khanna, are yet to be explored in Hindi cinema, says Divya Khosla Kumar
Letty Mariam Abraham (MID-DAY; October 5, 2016)

After two romantic films, Yaariyan and Sanam Re, director Divya Khosla Kumar is readying for her next. This time round, it’s likely to be a biopic.

A source close to the director says, “Divya is keen to make a biopic on chef Vikas Khanna’s life. She has discussed it with him, and they have agreed on the idea.” Vikas, who is a famous face on television and runs Junoon, an Indian restaurant in New York, is currently in India to judge the current season of cooking reality show, MasterChef India. “Apart from being a chef, he is also a humanitarian and filmmaker. Divya and Vikas spoke about his journey at a recent charity function in Mumbai where they met,” says the source.

Vikas feels the way India now views chefs is different from earlier times. “There is a drastic change. I am glad Bollywood directors believe the food industry makes for a significant subject,” he says.

Born in Amritsar, Vikas suffered a mild disability in childhood, confining him to his home when kids his age would be outside, playing. He has said in interviews that it was then that he observed his grandmother’s cooking, and was inspired to create magic in the kitchen.

When we reached out to Divya, she said, “Chef Vikas’ story is great for a biopic. Not many people are aware of the kind of struggle a chef in India goes through. It takes immense courage to follow your passion, beat the odds, and become the global icon he is. His story is that of a common man’s rise to stardom.”

Now, what we are waiting to find out (you’ll hear it first from us) is who will play the dishy chef who has been leaving women contestants on the show with jelly knees.

Anirban Das (MID-DAY; September 9, 2015)

If the latest buzz is to be believed, a film is being planned on the life and achievements of award-winning chef, Vikas Khanna and Nawazuddin Siddiqui has been approached for the film.

The actor is currently in his hometown, Budhana, in Uttar Pradesh, and will go through the script once he is back in the city. An industry insider says, "He is happy that he is being considered for another biopic after 'Manjhi: The Mountain Man', which released recently. But, he has not read the script yet. He will give his nod to the project only if he finds the story appealing." Apparently, a couple of other filmmakers have also approached the actor for solo-lead films.

Nawazuddin and Vikas Khanna were unavailable for comment.

A lover of street food, Taapsee Pannu swears by desi delicacies
Urmimala Banerjee (MID-DAY; April 19, 2015)

"Anyone who’s going to Delhi and wants some know - how or where to get the best street food, should come to me,” says Taapsee Pannu. The Baby actress hates diets and laughs when we ask her whether she loves Danish cookies or not. “I love Danish pastries,” tells Taapsee who’s loves Indian food the most. Describing her appetite as one of an ‘engineering student’ who has deadly food cravings, Taapsee takes us through her gastronomic preferences...

Hunting for taste
My best food memories are of my school and college days. My friends and I would gather after our classes and head to some part of Delhi to eat something. Chole, biryani, shawarma or momos — every day was marked with one item. Even now, when I go home, I visit various parts of the city to binge on my favourite delicacies. I love the chole puri, kachori and papri chaat that’s made in the city.

Balancing act
I exercise on a regular basis and don’t mind spending some extra time at the gym. I just can’t diet and sustain on leaves, juices, etc. If I eat an unhealthy item in a day, I try to balance it out by eating something healthy as well. I have a light dinner. This diet plan works well for me and I don’t intend to change it (laughs).

Daily diet
I avoid eating anything heavy post 7 or 7.30 pm. My breakfast is like that of a king. I love parathas, bread pizza, French toast or puris with aloo sabzi for breakfast. Lunch is normal Indian food — rotis, dal and sabzi. Dinner is usually sabzi and dal with or without rotis. Or else I will have a soup or salad. My mom makes this amazing salad with mixed sprouts and crushed peanuts. My dinners are always light.

Kitchen call
I can prepare the basic items. My specialty is my rotis. Every roti I make puffs up nicely (smiles). At home, I make rotis for my sister and myself. I can also make rajma chawal. When I set up my home in Hyderabad, I invested in non-stick cookware and the works. I love the small ceramic jars, wooden spoons and other knick knacks.

Insect experience
I ate fried grasshoppers in Europe. I found them tasteless. For me, it was like papad, too flaky. I don’t like having adventures on a dinner table. My choices are quite safe when it comes to food.

Romantic meal
I feel a romantic meal has to be cooked by either one of the partners. It has to be something light and presentable. People should be able to eat it with fork and spoon. Getting one’s hand messy in rice, dal and curries would be kind of unromantic (laughs).

Chef crush
I found Vikas Khanna quite cute when I spotted him recently at an event. I am surprised he’s a bachelor (laughs). I feel a chef makes an ideal partner for girls who love to eat.

Bread Pizza

Ingredients
>> Two slices of bread (white or whole wheat)
>> A bit of semolina
>> Fresh milk cream
>> Chopped capsicum, tomatoes, onion and coriander (one cup)
>> Salt
>> Black pepper coarsely ground
>> Chilli powder
>> A pinch of garam masala

Method
Mix all the items from the semolina to the garam masala in a bowl. Check for salt and spice quotient. Spread it on the bread slices.

Put a little oil in a tawa and place the bread on it. Cook it on a low flame for three-four minutes. Once, the bottom side is done, flip the slice. Remove once the toppings get a little brownish. Serve with ketchup or green pudina chutney.