Hiren Kotwani (BOMBAY TIMES; May 15, 2014)

When Himesh Reshammiya approached Ananth Narayan Mahadevan to direct The Xposé, his prime condition was to stick to the budget. “Himesh told me that if I couldn't make this film in the stipulated budget, it wouldn't be made. At the same time, he didn't want to compromise on quality," says Ananth.

The two began their professional association over 20 years ago, on the small years ago, on the smallscreen. “I have acted in all television serials produced by Himesh. Later, after he started composing music for films and I entered direction, we worked together in Dil Maange More and Aksar," recalls the director.

So, when the composer-singer-actor approached him with The Xposé, it was like revisiting old days. “When he said it's a thriller set in the Bollywood of 1960s, I was fascinated. Though Himesh has written the story as well, he was open to how I visualised the movie," the director says.

Careful not to spoof on yesteryear actors who have inspired the characters, the cast was made to put in a lot of hard work. “Himesh had to lose 20 kilos. Rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh plays a music composer, so in a way , he was on home ground. Along with debutantes Zoya Afroz (Miss India 2013, Second Runner-Up) and Sonali Raut, workshops were held even for experienced actors like Irrfan and Adil Hussain," says Ananth.

The director is also acting in the film, produced by Vipin Reshammiya. “Initially , Himesh simply suggested that I play filmmaker Subba Prasad. I refused as I didn't want additional burden. But after much persuasion, I agreed," he signs off.

REAL VS REEL
In December 1970, it was rumored that to ensure a successful run for Johny Mera Naam, Gulshan Rai created illwill for Raj Kapoor's Mera Naam Joker. A similar clash will be seen in the film when Chandni's (Zoya) Reena Mera Naam and Zara's (Sonali) Ujjwal Nirmal Sheetal releases on the same day. The former's producer will use black marketeer Alec D'Costa (Irrfan) to sell the latter's tickets at a lesser price.

Apart from a scene inspired by Zeenat Aman in Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Sonali's biggest challenge was to shoot an intimate sequence with industrialist Ranjit Desai (Bharat Dabholkar). Only Ananth and cinematographer Maneesh Bhatt were in the room when the shot was canned. Afterwards, the actress was overheard telling someone, “That was for real. I actually felt him all over me."

Though his character Ravi Kumar is inspired by yesteryear actor Raaj Kumar, Himesh has copied Salman Khan in the way he holds his cigarette.

The film will also remind one of Kamal Amrohi's Pakeezah. The film, which didn't open well, picked up after the untimely demise of lead actress Meena Kumari. Reportedly, a voice message - recorded by Padma Khanna, but passed off as Meena Kumari's last message - also helped the film run to packed houses. A similar method is used by the producer of Zara's film after her death.

The scene of a radio presenter asking Zara about her affair with Kenny Damania aka KD (Honey) is rumoured to be based on Ameen Sayani asking Zeenat Aman about her relationship with Sanjay Khan.

The Xposé, produced by HR Musik, releases May 16.

Hiren Kotwani (BOMBAY TIMES; May 11, 2014)

Who murdered sex symbol Zara Fernandes (played by Sonali Raut)? That’s the mystery that plays out in the musical suspense thriller The Xposé. Set in Bollywood of the 60s, the film shows that everyone who crossed her path — 11 suspects in all — had motive to kill her.

Her bitter rivalry with Chandni (played by Zoya Afroz, Miss India 2013 second runner-up) is reason enough for the latter to be suspected. Eccentric superstar Ravi Kumar (Himesh Reshammiya) holds a grudge against Zara, even as he tries to solve the case. Kenny Damania aka KD (Yo Yo Honey Singh) becomes a prime suspect as his fling with her makes news. His wife Shabnam Rai (Jesse Randhawa), too, is under the radar as she’s aware of KD’s affair with Zara. Her reel director Subba Prasad (played by Xposé director Ananth Narayan Mahadevan) too has a reason to gain from her death. Another suspect is Subba’s rival Bobby Chadha (Ashwin Dhar), who plans to destroy him and Ravi. Caught between his co-star Zara and his ex-flame Chandni, Virman Shah (Nakul Vaid) also becomes a suspect for siding with the latter after the two women get into a catfight.

Underworld don Rajan Anna (Adil Hussain) is under suspicion as he was associated wth her rival Chandni’s film Reena Mera Naam. And blackmarketeer Alec D’Costa (Irrfan in a special appearance) for his association with Zara’s film. Inspector Grover’s (Rajesh Sharma) involvement is doubted after he arrests an innocent man for Zara’s murder. Also under the radar are actor Ronnie Mukherjee (Kunal Thakur), Zara’s matron and landlady Mrs D’Silva (Kanika Dang) and industrialist Desai (Bharat Dabholkar).

The Xposé, produced by HR Musik, releases May 16.

Hiren Kotwani (BOMBAY TIMES; May 10, 2014)

After their recent catfight, debutante actresses Zoya Afroz (Miss India 2013 Second Runner-Up) and Sonali Raut have decided against jointly promoting The Xposé, which will release on May 16. The two had clashed while shooting for Kapil Sharma’s television show Comedy Nights With Kapil, as part of the film’s promotional campaign. Lead actor Himesh Reshammiya tried to broker peace, but in vain.

Interestingly, the girls had first locked horns while shooting a similar scene for the movie. Back then, Himesh had managed to calm them down. This time around, we hear, Kapil is also attempting a truce between Zoya and Sonali. “He is planning to host a dinner for them so that they can resolve their differences,” says a source.

While Kapil remained unavailable for comment, Zoya maintains, “Kapil’s show was the last instance where Sonali and I promoted our film together. Henceforth, I’ll only be promoting it with Himesh. I’m not interested in patching up with Sonali.”

Hiren Kotwani (BOMBAY TIMES; May 6, 2014)

Sonali Raut and Zoya Afroz (Miss India 2013, Second Runnerup), who are making their Bollywood debut with The Xposé, came to blows while making a promotional appearance on Kapil Sharma’s television show, Comedy Nights With Kapil.

It seems the two have a history — the situation had apparently turned ugly while shooting a catfight sequence for the film, featuring Himesh Reshammiya and Yo Yo Honey Singh. But back then, they were pacified.

Matters heated up once again when the two came face-to-face during the TV show. Says a source, “Sonali confronted Zoya in the makeup van and reminded her about their earlier tiff. She also asked her to behave well, saying she would otherwise hit Zoya.”

An infuriated Zoya apparently slapped Sonali, who retaliated. The source adds, “Himesh immediately intervened and brokered peace, but the two girls hate the sight of each other.”

While Sonali says, “I’m not scared of anyone,” Zoya is clear that she doesn’t want to comment. “Sonali should know how to behave,” is all she had to say.

Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 14, 2014)

Back in the ‘50s, while filming a fire sequence for Mother India, the wind changed direction and Nargis was trapped in a raging blaze. Without a thought for his own life, Sunil Dutt, who played her wayward son Birju, dashed in with only a blanket to ward off the flames and carried her off to safety. He ended up with painful burns and the love of his life, as within a year Nargis became Mrs Dutt.

“The hero rescuing the heroine for real is like a fable, the stuff movies are made of. But then Sunil Dutt saab was like a lion in many ways,” says director Ananth Narayan Mahadevan who met the veteran actor many times. “He’d talk to us about his years as a radio announcer and his initial years in films. We cajoled him to speak about the famous fire rescue but since Nargisji was gone by then, he’d brush it off.”

In his forthcoming thriller, The Xpose, Anant has recreated the incident as a twist in the plot. The scene revolves around Himesh Reshammiya (he plays superstar Ravi Kumar) who notices flames and smoke coming from an adjacent set. He strolls across to see actress Chandni (Zoya Afroz) trapped in a circle of flames.

“While others are shouting for the fire brigade, Ravi rushes into the inferno and headless of the pillars crashing around him, mounts the platform on which Chandni is standing,” informs Ananth.

Now for the fiery twist in the real story. Even though Ananth had booked the entire studio floor for the day and action director Ali Abbas Mughal had taken every safety precaution, there was a leak in one of the gas pipelines used to build the fire.

“There was a sudden explosion and huge flames leapt towards Himesh’s face and almost caught hold of Zoya’s billowing gown,” Ananth reminisces with a shudder. “Fortunately, they had the presence of mind to fall backwards and run towards safety. But for a moment it was touch and go.”

Like Himesh, Ananth too had a lucky escape when a fire broke out on the sets of the tele epic The Sword of Tipu Sultan. He was sitting outside the set at Mysore’s Premier Studio when the fire broke out, killing three and seri injuring Sanjay Khan. A few minutes before, Ananth had been inside the set before being told by Khan to check out the mahal where he was to shoot the next day.

“It was traumatic. I had quit my job with an ad agency as Tipu Sultan was a two-year shoot. After the accident I was without work,” says Ananth. “This fire brought along a feeling of deja vu.”

This time the fire was quickly brought under control and the shoot which had started at 7 am wrapped up close to midnight.

So have Himesh and Zoya fallen in love for real? “That would be too much of a coincidence. Sameer has penned a beautiful song, Dard dilon ke kam ho jaate, main aur tum jab hum ho jaate which brings back the romance of Nargis and Sunil Dutt's real love story,” he concludes.

Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; April 11, 2014)

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is at it again. After blurring out Sunny Leone’s cleavage in Ragini MMS 2, this time, it is a bikini shot of actress Zoya Afroz that has run into trouble with the censor board. In one of the scenes from the film’s promos, Afroz, who plays an actress modelled after Parveen Babi, wears a bikini as she shoots for the film, Yeh Nazdikiyaan. It seems that the CBFC has objected to this shot and it has asked the filmmakers to blur Afroz’s cleavage in this scene.

A source from the censor board says, “We have asked them to blur it out as too much skin was being shown. In another scene, a brand name was really prominent, so we have told the makers to blur that too.’’

Rakesh Upadhyay, the film’s creative producer, says, too much skin is a subjective matter. “It is difficult to justify such a scene in a three-minute promo. It also depends on who in the censor board committee is certifying the promo. What works for me may not work for others. As far as the brand name of the alcohol bottle is concerned, making it conspicuous was a mistake on our part and we have rectified it by agreeing to blur it,’’ he says.

Seeking inspiration from the film industry of the 1960s and 1970s, the film, Xpose, stars Himesh Reshammiya, Yo Yo Honey Singh, Irrfan and Sonali Raut, along with Afroz.

The film is slated to release on May 23.

Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 2, 2014)

Himesh Reshammiya’s The Xpose revolves around a death that takes place in a fivestar hotel after a gltizy awards night. It is the trigger for the film’s narrator, Alec D’Costa, played by Irrfan Khan, to expose the dark underbelly of the Hindi film industry and unmask its larger-than-life superstars.

Himesh, who lost 20 kg through a year of organic dieting and workouts, plays Ravi Kumar. He is a former cop thrown out of the force following an accidental death in custody, who goes on to become a charismatic and enigmatic star who supposedly bears an uncanny resemblance to Raaj Kumar.

The characters of two actresses, Chandni, enacted by a former Miss India Zoya Afroz, and Zara, brought to life by another debutante Sonali Raut, are reportedly inspired by Parveen Babi and Zeenat Aman, who broke away from the image of a stereotypical heroine to set the benchmark for Bollywood’s sex symbols. The rivalry between the two exploded in several catfights, including one at a city hotel when they almost came to blows. This incident along with other real-life references, are believed to have found their way into the film’s script.

Director Ananth Narayan Mahadevan is tightlipped on this, but admits that there’s a song sequence which is a tribute to Raj Kapoor’s Satyam Shivam Sundaram with Sonali in a white half-sari which is almost a replica of Zeenat’s iconic get-up. “We created a set of a temple in ruins at Filmistan Studio. There is no roof and hence the rain streams in, soaking Zara to the skin as she pours water over the Shivling while singing the title track of a film being shot within the film. Ujjwal, Nirmal, Sheetal is a classical number composed by Himesh but on the lines of Satyam Shivam Sundaram’s Bhor bhaye panghat pe,” elaborates Ananth.

He admits that they spent weeks trying to source the exact material for the sari, then waited for Sonali to overcome her inhibitions. “We’d shown her the original picture and pointed out that this was her opportunity to recreate Raj Kapoor and Zeenat’s iconic scene in her very first film. Initially, Sonali came out in a body suit but then went back and returned without it. The sequence has been shot very aesthetically,” asserts Ananth.

Besides Ujwal Sheetal Nirmal, another film is being shot within the film, Reena Mera Naam. The Xpose itself abounds in several colourful characters many of whom may seem familiar. Popular singer Yo Yo Honey Singh plays Kenny Damania, a suave villain with shades of Pran while Adil Hussain’s Rajan Anna is supposed to have drawn from underworld don Vardha Rajan. Ananth clams up again only saying, “The ’60s was the most glamorous, sensational and musical era in Hindi cinema with stars who were the stuff legends are made of.”

Hiren Kotwani (MID-DAY; January 20, 2014)

Himesh Reshammiya will play an ex-copturned-superstar in his next, The Xpose, which is a thriller set in 1960s’ Bollywood. The composersinger-actor has shed 20 kilos to fit into the role of Ravi Kumar, which is inspired by the late actor Raaj Kumar.

Himesh, who weighed 77 kilos when he started preparing for the film five months ago, adopted an organic diet to go with his training regimen. And now, he weighs 57 kilos. Along with shunning carbohydrates, he also stopped eating between 9 pm and 9 am. Himesh is pleased with the results and is working towards getting six-pack abs in a month. Says he, “I have some superb music coming this year with Humshakals, Action Jackson, All Is Well and Kick. And there’s The Xpose, whose director Ananth Mahadevan is doing a wonderful job.”

The negative character played by Yo Yo Honey Singh apparently is inspired by Pran. Irrfan Khan also makes a special appearance in the film, which introduces Zoya Afroz (Miss India 2013 second runner-up) and Sonali Raut, who are playing characters inspired by Parveen Babi and Zeenat Aman, respectively.

The Xpose, produced by HR Musik, releases May 16.