"I can’t recall any one instance of my flirty days; probably, there are too many" – Vidya Balan
January 24, 2010
All the girls are gossiping about her. All the women want to be like her. And all men want a piece of her. Welcome the Obsession the Year: Vidya Balan. At the moment, she’s like a meat ready to be snatched by anybody. But for the moment, it’s a fight between the mean men, Arshad Warsi and Naseeruddin Shah, as to who will take the first bite. So let’s call her ‘A beauty with a bite’. Next in line are the directors and the producers. She’s got the whole nation after her. Thanks to her successful spree with Paa and her current most talked about boldness in her upcoming release, Ishqiya, Vidya is feeling those January highs already. Me too! After sending Balan a text which read: “Let me enjoy my hot jalebi’s and think about the even hotter Vidya”. And then I question myself: “Am I a ch****m sulphate? UK’s Harrow Observer columnist and Bollywood Babes’s London correspondent Devansh Patel falls in love with Vidya Balan….and the Ishqiya follows….
All the girls are gossiping about you. All the women want to be like you, and all men want a piece of you. Shall we call you the ‘Obsession the Year’?
(Laughs out loud) Kya baat hai! That’s very flattering. Thank you so much. I don’t know how to react to that but it does pay off to be a bad girl sometimes.
I can’t recall any one instance of my days when I used to flirt. Probably, there are too many I feel
And it pays off to be a good mother as well (in context to Paa)…
Yes, that’s true. And they are two completely different individuals. Personalities so diverse that you’ll be shocked.
Can you recall your flirty days?
Oh yes! I think flirting is a very healthy way to any relationship. I can’t recall any one instance of my days when I used to flirt. Probably, there are too many I feel (laughs).
Vishal Bhardwaj or Vidhu Vinod Chopra, both eat, drink and breathe cinema
That’s a nice getaway. Now you do this sudden disappearing act and then do two films a year and everyone goes ga-ga about you.
Firstly, we should talk every day I feel (laughs). The way you’re asking me questions, it boosts my ego levels. No, it’s not deliberate from my side to be doing less films. I choose work and do it if it excites me, which is why people think I do this disappearing act. I get mentally switched off from everything else once I’m doing a film. Maybe I’m just too bad at multi-tasking and that’s why I become too inaccessible sometimes (laughs).
But I feel you’re a director’s actor. What do you feel?
You may be right. I think I’m fortunate to work with people who are as passionate about their films as much as I’m passionate about acting. Maybe, much more. If you’re talking about Vishal Bhardwaj or Vidhu Vinod Chopra, both eat, drink and breathe cinema. I’m not saying this as a quote but everything else for them is incidental. That is the beauty of it. And thus a good film is made by them every time they are behind the camera. So yes, you are a directors actor when you work with them lot.
Have people suddenly woken up to this kind of a genre after Kaminey?
This is my take and I take responsibility, that Vishal Bhardwaj has made everything Indian very, very cool and up-class. Speaking in Hindi was considered pretty un-cool once upon a time. What Vishal has done is that he has kept his films rooted but yet they still are very classic and appeal to today’s mass. It’s not about the reality what he’s showing you but you identify with it. You understand. Vishal has made everything Indian very accessible. Indian cinema isn’t just about metro and catering the NRI’s. It’s gone beyond that. You see so many college guys and girls saying that Vishal Bhardwaj is the coolest thing in India.
You’re right. The day won’t be far when you’ll see boys applying kaajal and standing outside their college campus.
(Laughs) Yes, for all you know. The definition of ‘cool’ is changing. I’m sorry I’m going into this in detail. At one point we used to watch cinema because of its fantasy element. They transported you to a different world. Then it became too real and you didn’t want to go and watch a film like that. But there are some who could bridge both these elements beautifully – Rajkumar Hirani, Vishal Bhardwaj and Vidhu Vinod Chopra does that. There are words that are being used in the promos of Ishqiya which were beeped but people forget that that’s how the small town people speak.
So you show the real thing but still make it sound unreal
Not really. The context is different because it’s set in a small town and you feel that you can’t identify with what these people are going through but when it comes to emotions, may you be in any part of the world, it’ll connect with you. We are no longer in denial.
Now do not deny this question…but if you were to choose between Arshad and Naseer saab?
(Laughs) Oh my God! You’re going to put me in trouble.
OK, Lets make it simple for you. You like older men or younger men?
Naseer saab is way older. He is very cool and I don’t dare say anything about him. And Arshad is a dear friend (laughs). So how do you expect me to answer this one?
Well, there’s me. How about that?
(Laughs out loud) Absolutely. Your Facebook profile would make more sense now (My FB profile read – When I fell in love with Vidya Balan)
Your sarees are too mesmerising and you carry it off so beautifully, in the film, on the red carpet or at home. So has Vidya Balan re-defined the word ‘beautiful?
This is getting too flattering (laughs). Thank you so much. I don’t really know how to comment on this one. I’m overwhelmed on your comment.
You have been written off many times Vidya. But then how seriously do you take the media who again sings your praises?
To each their own. I think compliments are always welcome. Because some media might have written me off is the reason that I’m out here today. If people didn’t like me, I wouldn’t be getting work. It’s all about faith and each one has their own opinion. I am not affected by anything what the media or people say about me. I focus more on the positives, really.
Because some media might have written me off is the reason that I’m out here today
Naseer saab is like wine. He gets better with age. Is that right?
Yes. When you work with an actor like Naseer saab, you end up doing so much better. Acting is about reacting. If you have an actor like that in front of you, it just brings out the best in you.
And what about Arshad?
He is a good friend. We were giggling about something I remember. We had to do a lot of intense scenes together, excluding all the passionate ones, that sometimes we start cracking up because we know each other so well. Intensity can get funny. Arshad is one of the most under-utilised actors of our industry. He is so effortlessly supreme that even he doesn’t know what he carries with him. He is underestimating himself I feel. I’m hoping he’s going to get his due very soon.
Arshad is so effortlessly supreme that even he doesn’t know what he carries with him
How do you define your own originality?
I’m not trying to be different. I make use of the best opportunities I get. Some may work and some may not. But I’m extremely passionate about my profession and I truly live in it.
Have you exhausted all your talent in Ishqiya?
No. Not at all. I think there will be new limits every time. I’m enjoying my work so much that I’m giving it more and more and more and yet at some level, it’s not a strain anymore. My understanding of characters is getting easier I feel through every film. After all, I’m growing myself and improving myself.
What kind of a man would you prefer?
Someone who is very self assured.
What if someone made a pass on you?
If someone would have flirted with me, it would’ve been fine. I mean, I would not prefer men making a pass at me. There has to be some talking and knowing each other.
Define Ishq
Ishq is something that makes everything seem worthwhile and thoda kaccha hai jee.
Define Ishqiya
It’s edgy.
Subhash K. Jha speaks on Veer
January 24, 2010
Veer is one of those intended epics that go wrong. Horribly wrong. Director Anil Sharma had combined history and kitsch with compelling consequences on Gadar – Ek Prem Katha.
In Veer, the khichdi of fact and fiction runs amok, creating a blend of babble and bloodshed that is more hysterical than historical.
Veer wallows in primitive valour. Father Mithun Chakraborty (the only tolerable performance in the litany of the unbearable) and son Salman Khan often mock-fight, as the burly members of their tribe urge them on like animals in zestful zoo. Even Neena Gupta who plays Mithun’s wife (and has apparently forgotten she was once a good actress) joins in the macho revelry, taking a swig or two from the men’s smoking room where Veer is situated, in a manner of speaking.
There are no smoking guns. Only shining swords slicing across the epic canvas with fashionable bravura.
Costume dramas are very tricky cinematic efforts. How do the makers know if the clothes and props suggesting periodicity are going to work? In this case, they just don’t! The ‘research’ that seems to have gone into the colossal fiasco is at best, scratch level. At worst the detailing suggested by the art director (Sanjay Dhabade) and costumes (Anna Singh) smack of amateurish stage plays where the actors create characters purely through props.
And here the props include , ahem ahem, the Buckingham Palace where our valorous hero Veer (Salman Khan) and his brother-sidekick (Sohail Khan, behaving as though he was in the sequel to Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya) teach those bloody Gora Log a few lessons on how to treat us Indians with respect and dignity.
By Jove, what would Independent India have been without such strident architects of freedom? It is doubtful that a man like Veer actually existed in the history of our freedom movement. But does anyone really care?
Veer is not really a freedom fighter. He’s Salman Khan with long hair and costume jewellery (the diamond ear-tops could be the envy of all his leading ladies) scowling with the same intensity into the panoramic camera as he did earlier in Wanted. British India or Fetish India, what difference does it make?
Clothes definitely maketh this man, although Veer in one of the unintentionally funny sequences of the film reprimands the gora professor in London (teaching the most motley crew of colonists seen in any film) saying, “Clothes do not make the man, the man makes the clothes.” A quote on the coat that Veer says he borrowed from George Bernard Shaw. Where did he learn about Shaw? In his tribal pathshaala? Do such questions really matter when the intention is to create an optical illusion merging myth and history in a claustrophobic clasp that leaves no breathing space for introspective punctuations.
Veer is one sweeping rush of blood sweat gore adrenaline and saliva. It is meant to sweep audiences off its collective feet .But its takeoff point , namely the ideological slant, is so faulty, you wonder what these blood-thirsty warriors are fighting for!
Most of the time the characters’ motivations are superimposed by a passionate but pedestrian melodrama.
Director Anil Sharma’s inherent sense of drama comes with the blood-soaked territory. While in the father-son sequences he manages to create a scale and range that merge rugged machismo with a junk food version of patriotism, the love story featuring the nomadic warrior and the bereft princess from the enemy tribe is driven into a zero-chemistry zone by the pair.
Forget mutual passion, there’s very little drama or romance in the dialogues and the visual props for them to share.
Veer gets details of the period and locations in place. But the inner conviction and a genuine passion that made Anil Sharma’s Gadar: Ek Prem Katha so special are completely absent in the telling of a tale that culminates with the father and son, warriors of an indeterminate patriotic tribe fighting one another for land, country and other causes which by the last blood-soaked reel, are as relevant to the audience as the question, why make a film during British India when the hero insists on behaving as though he belongs to today?
Dude, you’ve got attitude.
Priyanka, Kangna win National Awards for Fashion; Arjun for Rock On
January 24, 2010
The 56th National Film Awards for year 2008 were announced today.
Priyanka Chopra bagged the Best Actress Award for her role in Fashion. The actress who is currently in New York shooting for her forth coming film Anjaana Anjaani posted an obvious thank you speech on Twitter saying, “Thank you Madhur, Ronnie, Kangna, Mugdha, Arjan, Arbaaz and the cast and crew!! A huge shout to my team and all of u!! God is kind!!! Yaaaaayyy!!”
Upendra Limaye is awarded the Best Actor award for the Marathi film Jogwa and Arjun Rampal the Best Supporting Actor award for Rock On.
Madhur Bhandarkar must surely be a happy man, as the Best Supporting Actress Award has gone to Kangna Ranaut, again for his film Fashion.
While the award for the Best Popular Film has gone to Dibakar Banerjee’s Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!
Rahul Bose-starrer Bengali film Antaheen is named as the Best Film and is also selected for Awards in Best Cinematography, Best Lyrics and Best Female Playback Singer categories.
Firaaq is selected for Best Editing and Best Art Direction categories; Little Zizou (English, Gujarati) is adjudged the Best Film on Family values. Neeta Lulla is selected for Best Costume Designer for Hindi film Jodhaa Akbar, while Chinni Prakash and Rekha Prakash have won the Best Choreography Award for ‘Azeem-o-Shaan Shaheshah’ for Jodhaa Akbar.
Best Feature Film in Hindi language has gone to Rock On, while Best Feature Film in Marathi language is bagged by Harishchandrachi Factory.
A Wednesday has won the Indira Gandhi Award for the Best First film Of A Director, while Road Side Romeo has won the Best Animation Film Award.
The Feature Film Jury which was headed by Shri Shaji N. Karun. Members – Shri Roshan Taneja, Shri H.M. Ramachandra, Ms Nagma, Shri Satyabrata Kalita, Shri Neelakanta, Shri Dilip Ghosh, Shri Swapan Mullick, Shri Sudesh Syal, Shri S.K. Srivastava, Ms Archana, Shri B. Shashi Kumar, Shri Subhash Sehgal, Shri Santosh Desai and Ms Sreelekha Mukherjee were involved in judging the 126 entries for feature film categories for the 56th National Film Awards.
However, the awards will be conferred by the President of India, Pratibha Devisingh Patil, in March 2010.
Vidya Balan and Rani Mukherjee in No One Killed Jessica
January 24, 2010
Till yesterday, she was the queen bee of the Box-Office. A few unfortunate Fridays and she was almost out of the rat race. Not just that, she also got slotted as an ‘exclusive’ YRF heroine. No prizes for guessing that we are referring to the one and original Rani Mukherjee, who now seems all set to be back with a bang.
Even though her last few of releases didn’t quite work at the BO, Rani seems ready for a comeback and has signed up for an important role in UTV Spotboy’s No One Killed Jessica, which also stars Vidya Balan, and is directed by Rajkumar ‘Aamir’ Gupta. The film, which has its music composed by the Amit Trivedi, is expected to go on the floors in February. Talking about the film, Vikas Bahl, Chief Creative Officer, UTV Motion Pictures said, “It’s our pleasure to announce that Rani along with Vidya has also agreed to be a part of a story we really want to tell. When you have actors like Rani and Vidya by your side, the joy of creating characters that can shake the audience and leave an impact for time to come is immense. No One killed Jessica is one of our very cherished projects and it has scaled up to the level it deserved to, thanks to Rani and Vidya becoming a part of it.”
For starters, No One Killed Jessica is a fast paced thriller set in the hub of political power, New Delhi. It is the story of two women and their relentless pursuit of justice that mobilizes an entire nation to prove that in democracy there is no greater power than the power of the people. It’ll definitely be interesting to see Rani and Vidya in the same frame that too in a film dealing with such a serious subject.
Big B, Abhishek shoot Bingo’s first episode at last minute
January 24, 2010
Abhishek Bachchan’s game show Bingo goes on air tonight (Saturday), but the channel Colors was in a panic till few hours back. They were running around trying to put together the proposed inaugural episode featuring the host with his ‘Pa’ – Amitabh Bachchan.
According to channel sources it was touch-and-go, what with the senior Bachchan being busy with the promotion of his new film and the junior Bachchan trying to juggle dates for his movies with his television recordings.
Abhishek admits it has been a hectic time for both his father and him.
In fact the channel had another episode ready as the inaugural episode in case the episode with the two Bachchans did not work out finally. Says Rajesh Kamat CEO Colors, “We’ve a bank of episodes ready. But we really wanted the two Bachchans to be together to kick-start Abhishek’s show. However, coordinating their dates was a big problem. Both of them are exceptionally busy. We finally got them to come together just a day before telecast.”
Rajesh admits the recording of the episode with Abhishek and his father was cutting it really close. “But we had no choice. We had even put the promotion on air without recording the episode. We had a bank of episodes ready. And we could’ve used any of them if the episode with Mr. Bachchan had not materialized.”
Luckily for the channel the senior Bachchan rushed back from Delhi just in time to record the episode with his son.
Giselle Monteiro signed up as brand ambassador for Movil Mobiles
January 24, 2010
She came, she saw and she conquered… only to realize that she wasn’t what she was…but she was what she wasn’t! Well, this is what everyone who saw the Brazilian supermodel Giselle Monteiro in the smash hit Love Aaj Kal felt. For starters, Giselle Monteiro is the same PYT who played the role of the typical Punjabi kudi Harleen Kaur in the film so well and so convincing that it came as a bolt from the blue when everyone ‘discovered’ that leaves alone the fact that she wasn’t a Punjabi, she was not even an Indian!
Well, it is the same Giselle Monteiro who has now been signed up as the brand ambassador of the newly launched Movil Mobiles. According to Bollywood Babes’s confirmed sources, the said company signed up with Giselle because they felt that she fitted the brand to a ‘T’, and that they were happy with the fact that she has a very universal face appeal!
Seems like Giselle is going to have long innings in Bollywood as well as in the ad world.
Ranbir Kapoor is all ’styles’ in latest edition of MW
January 22, 2010
To start with, one honest confession: We are just sick and tired of listening to the statement that Ranbir Kapoor is the flavour of the season. That’s the reason (and trust us, that is THE REASON) for us to not follow the rest, when it comes to describe the best. That’s why we have twisted the statement as Ranbir Kapoor is the season of the flavour, be it the flavour of love or romance, this man is at it all! Well, if that wasn’t enough, our man Ranbir is on the cover of the latest edition of MW.
In this issue, Ranbir talks about his journey into Bollywood and also the year gone by. He says, “It’s been more than a good year. Not because of the fate of the movies but I worked all year round. I worked everyday. Wake Up Sid was a hit, Ajab Prem… was one of the biggest hits of the year, while Rocket Singh- SOTY is my best work so far, according to me.” For the man who has seen only films and arc lights since childhood, he says, “The reel world is the world I’ve existed in. The outside world is the unreal world.” While on the subject of Bollywood, Ranbir touches upon one of his most awaited films Raajneeti, about which he says “Raajneeti is the first grown up man character I play. Usually, so far, my roles have been that of coming-of-age boy. This film is a political, dark film and it was a complex part!”
Ranbir’s interview in MW’s latest edition surely makes an interesting read.
"Vidya is raw in Ishqiya… she is a wild woman one dreams of" – Arshad Warsi
January 22, 2010
It would be an understatement to say that Arshad Warsi is one of the Indian Film Industry’s best actors. He’s had more comebacks than the proverbial boomerang. Well, at least, we can tag him the ‘comeback kid’. Ask any of his fans their favourite Arshad Warsi film and you’ll unanimously hear “Munnabhai” and his one sided love affair with his fans. But that’s him and his tenacity that has served him for so long in Bollywood. Come Ishqiya on January 29 and opinions might just change. UK’s Harrow Observer columnist and Bollywood Babes’s London correspondent Devansh Patel welcomes the new ‘kaajal eyed boy’ of tinsel town and chats about everything from raw cinema to raw sex, condoms to censor board, the wild Vidya Balan to the sexy Naseeruddin Shah and his soon-to-come most romantic moment: a journey from Delhi to Ladakh on his beautiful bike with his gorgeous wife Maria. What Ishqiya!
Everything is falling in place for you in Ishqiya. Is this the re-invention of the lost Circuit?
I don’t know about that. I hope so. You know what? I like to work hard on characters. So far, touchwood, it did happen like that. People have appreciated me more in Circuit’s role than in any of my other roles. Audiences have always liked whatever I’ve done but somehow they got stuck on to my one role. I hope that people like me in Ishqiya because I play quite a character in it.
Is ‘Raw film’ a new word to describe ‘Polished cinema’?
I think so. You’re right. You don’t get to see this genre pretty often. You only get to see the regular fluffy stuff and then suddenly an Indian western flick like this happens which people stand up and take notice of. I’d call Ishqiya a ‘western’.
I’d call Ishqiya a ‘western’
The kaajal looks quite sexy on you boy!
(Laughs) The kaajal wasn’t a problem to apply. But if you say I look sexy in kaajal, I’ll have to appreciate that (laughs). I think putting the bronze and mud all over my body to make me look tan also had a bit to do with my sexy image in the film. ‘Dirty’ is the new ‘Sexy’ (laughs). I hope the kaajal becomes a fashion statement in India. I mean, you’ll still find in Bhopal, men applying kaajal under their eyes. Kaajal really looks rugged and cool on a man.
We quite rarely see a beautiful face now-a-days. Vidya’s beauty is too tempting, isn’t it?
Vidya is raw in Ishqiya. She is a wild woman one dreams of. Vidya is a Lara Croft, she is a rockstar and that’s her sexuality. In the film, she looks very desirable and stunning. As an actor she has done a phenomenal work in Ishqiya. She is subtle, to the point and stuck to the character. As a person, she is the most beautiful human being I’ve come across – warm, friendly, caring and a doll. It’s very rare that you come across a girl like Vidya in today’s time.
And it’s very rare to come across an actor like Naseeruddin Shah too?
Absolutely right. He is a tycoon. I love working with great actors because it makes you work harder and better. Naseer saab does that. He comes in the frame and everybody is on their toes. You tend to succumb to his talent and energy. He has a great temperament and barely does he give a re-take. That’s good because we finish quite a lot of work in less time and are not tired. He is an emperor.
Vidya is raw in Ishqiya. She is a wild woman one dreams of
Did you see a shadow of Vishal Bhardwaj in Abhishek Chaubey’s direction?
From the first day of the shoot itself, I found Abhishek to be a very confident director. Abhishek just took over the proceedings from day one. He knows what he’s doing.
Has your wife seen the film?
No. Maria hasn’t seen the film and my kids are definitely not going to see the film. I think I’ll have to delete the kissing scene and then show it to Maria (laughs).
Don’t you feel that a lot of ‘beeps’ in the dialogues actually ruins a good scene?
I can’t blame the censor board for what they chop. They are only doing what our society and our politicians are forcing them to do. I think the censor board is far too intelligent. They just have to follow certain norms and code of conduct. We are the ones who are the hypocrites. We latch on to the culture very rigidly and fail to get our point across. It’s very naïve, silly and regressive to be offended by the word ’sex’. They should sell condoms openly and be open about the issue. It’s like the more you stop something, the more people do it. There was a time when gold used to be smuggled left, right and centre. But when they cut the duties and all, nobody smuggles gold any more.
Ishqiya has gone lucky with the songs…
Oh yes! They are topping the music charts. ‘Dil Toh Baccha Hai’ is such a different track that we felt only the older generation would like it. But the whole nation is going mad over it. It was shocking. It just shows that there is no limitations to get out some quality stuff. ‘Ibn-E-Batuta’ too rocks. It’s my favourite number from the film.
Do you think the overseas audiences are ready to accept films of such nature and genre?
They better be. But I’m sure Ishqiya will be liked by the overseas audiences. The cultural levels of NRI’s is much higher than the people in India. I’ve seen all the NRI’s who are more Indians than Indians are in India. Yes, the film is a little bold but it shows you an India that exists. Ishqiya is real and not a fantasy.
Can you recall the most loveable moment you’ve spent or are going to spend with your wife Maria?
We’ve travelled extensively throughout the world. We are travel freaks and have holidayed quite a lot. I’ll tell you something that I haven’t told anybody. My most romantic moment is going to happen in some time. I used to go for a long drive on my bike. Now that I’m too busy with my work schedule, I’ve made up for the time I’ve lost on my bike. I’m going to travel from Delhi to Ladakh on my bike with my tent and Maria. That’s so romantic. There’ll be me, the vast landscape, open roads, beautiful weather, even beautiful bike and my dearest wife. We’ll put up the tent; have coffee, chill, etc.
How much did you and Naseer saab swear on and off the sets?
(Laughs) Honestly, not even once. We never used swear words. Though, Vidya was abused a little bit (laughs). There are some words that are used so often in our daily lives that if we use them in our films, I feel, it’s absolutely fine. So some swear words here and there is fine.
Do you find Naseeruddin Shah sexy?
I think he is a hot man. He is the kind of person who is intelligent and expresses his sexuality….and women find that really endearing.
Ishqiya is?
Outstanding!
"Jackie Shroff & I look pretty good as father and son on screen" – Purru Raajkumarr
January 22, 2010
Purru Raajkumarr has a small but hugely significant pivotal role in the film Veer. Purru has always been known for choosing his roles very selectively, content even if they are smaller in actual footage, but ensures that he leaves his mark, be it a Mission Kashmir, or a Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai, or an LOC or even an Umrao Jaan. Senior directors have invested their confidence in his understated talent (as opposed to his father’s flamboyant expression- a natural comparison). But Puru’s performances are so very memorable in his independently developed style.
Veer obviously is a huge multi-star cast film and is probably one of the biggest films ever made, by a director who was responsible for making the biggest hit film of the last decade. Says an elated Purru, “Just being a part of this film has been extremely fulfilling. The chance to work with Salman Khan, who not just me, but my entire family loves. There’s a cast like Mithun dada, Jackie Shroff and Sohail Khan too. I play Mr. Shroff’s son, which I was extremely ecstatic to play. It’s great to have a very handsome looking screen father. And who’s a Class Act. A brilliant performer. So obviously, I feel very privileged.” Adding cheekily, “And dare I say, on screen, this pair (Jackie and me) looks pretty good!”
Progressing with his role, Purru reveals, “The movie is also the story of the clash between the Pindaris and the state. My character has been given to believe that it was the Pindaris who had cheated my father on certain issues and had cut off his hand. And I am operating from a certain sense of vengeance. Rather, of avenging my father’s injustice and dishonour, to put it more nobly. It’s a completely positive role. My character has a particular sense of arrogance, about him being a prince. This is, remember, from the 1870s and the kings did not mingle with commoners and the lower classes. Besides avenging his father’s disgrace, and besides being very hot blooded, his sense of right and wrong are in blacks and whites. There are no grey areas. He has been told to do a particular job by his father and shall bring it to fruition, this is his only aim. He doesn’t bring his own mind to it because that’s what his father has told him. And this boy has a great depth of character, seen in the love he has for his family.”
Speaking of the difficulties in developing the character, Purru says, “It’s very, very difficult by virtue of simple arithmetic. There is no time. You don’t get adequate screen time to develop it so one does try to add things in gestures and movements, bring certain character traits in the personality which will portray far more than the written word or descriptive. Like there’s a song sequence which I’m a part of, and there are no dialogues in that. Its pure emotions I’ve relied on to convey certain dimensions of my character. So, this aspect makes such roles very challenging and by the same parameters also very fulfilling when you’ve done it to satisfaction. These are the bonuses you get which make the journey too much fun.”
And Salman Khan as a co-actor was a dream to work with according to Purru. “Salman bhai was so good; I was comfortable from day one. They were all very kind, Salman bhai and Sohail and all of them. It was like a bunch of friends working together. Mr. Anil Sharma again is very easy to work with, very calm and composed. He explains the basic idea of your scenes and walks away and lets you do your thing. And a big film like Veer comes with a load of stress for everyone, not just the production. There are timelines which need to be met always. Naturally, the producers are on tenterhooks because it’s very easy for such an epic film to go over-budget. And all actors are also simultaneously working on other projects, so there are a lot of logistics that have to be worked out. Under that kind of pressure, completing and delivering a product as big as this is in itself a huge thing.”
What shines through is Purru’s pride in this film and the confidence that it’s yet another window to a beautiful sunrise! It takes a brave man to be an actor, and Purru is no less than Veer!
Specs(y) Imran Khan graces ‘andpersand’ cover
January 22, 2010
After having won the heart of his audience with his boyish charms in the bubble gum romantic caper Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na, the Gen-Next star Imran Khan is all set to repeat history by capturing the ‘readers’ hearts by being the cover-boy of the lifestyle magazine ‘andpersand’.
If looks could kill, then, this romantic dude would be behind bars for killing the hearts of all the ladies globally, merely with his smile. Getting him to pose in front of the camera today wouldn’t have been as easy around a year back. Imran, in his own confession, says “One year ago, if you had asked me for a cover shoot, you would be spending all the time convincing me to look into the camera.” Some words those are. Talking of words, Imran also goes onto add that, “Abhay Deol suffers at this more than I do. He is constantly angsty and we hold epic debates on movies. In fact, Anurag Kashyap and Abhay call me a ‘Gaddar’ every time we meet, saying I am a traitor who strayed from their path of good direction”. When one talks of Imran, how can his lady-love be far behind! Talking about his girlfriend-turned- fiancée Avantika; he says “I don’t believe in the ‘we’re just friends’ theory. Avantika has been a huge support in my life. How can I dismiss it to keep a certain image?” Lastly, one ‘word’ from us – Imran looks like a million bucks with those ’specsy’ frames!
As we said earlier, some words those are! Imran Khan is definitely the flavor of the season and is undoubtedly here to stay!
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