Era of costume dramas
Lakshmi Menon

HAVING suffered a slump for over a year, the Hindi film industry has gone into a reverse mode, ushering in the era of the tried and tested costume dramas. While ‘Lagaan’ and ‘Gadar Ek Prem Katha’ have already been released ‘Ashoka the Great’ and ‘Devdas’ are awaiting release in the next few weeks.

While Aamir Khan’s ‘Lagaan’ and Anil Sharma’s ‘Gadar’ are set in the British Raj of the mid-nineteenth century, Santosh Sivan’s ‘Ashoka the Great’ goes still further back in time. Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Devdas’ is a remake of the Sarat Chandra classic.

The inspiration could well have come from the recent success of another period film, ‘Zubeida’. Shyam Benegal had employed well-known, stars like Manoj Bajpai and Karisma Kapoor, just as ‘Gadar’ boasts of Sunny Deol, ‘Lagaan’, of Aamir, and ‘Ashoka the Great’ and ‘Devdas’, of Shahrukh Khan as protagonists.

Observes Benegal: “Obviously there was a crisis since a majority of the films over the past year or so, did not make a mark. So a new strategy had to be employed. The fact that there are several films like these in the making gives enough indication that the audience wants a change.”

But then, costume dramas pose more of a challenge than mainstream musicals. Apart from heavy investments on sets and costumes, research on the historical authenticity, including factual details of language and diction hold the key to their authenticity.

“Period films are not everybody’s cup of tea,” says Bhavna Mukatiwala, costume designer of ‘Gadar’. “Each frame has to look perfect. Months of research go into not only the clothes of people, but also their entire lifestyles. Any hint that the film was shot in the present day would ruin its look.”

Adds Oscar-winner Bhanu Athaiya, who designed the costumes of ‘Gandhi’. “The public thinks that designing for a period film means showing things that scream out for attention. The most important factor that works with the audience is the look of the film.” (MF)

Experience has forced him to grow up
Gautam Grover

IN the past couple of months, Fardeen Khan has grown faster than he was able to in the past two years. Not only has this 29-year-old tasted success for the first time with ‘Pyar Tune Kya Kiya’, he has learnt what it means to be a star and on the wrong side of the law.

Today, he is extremely guarded and measured in his speech and careful about the words he chooses while speaking to the press. “I admit I have made a mistake,” he says, not attempting to hide the fact that he was caught red-handed while negotiating the purchase of one gram of cocaine from a roadside drug dealer.

The admission is consistent with his statement to the police which, in a way, accounts for his being let off on bail with a light punishment. The case is, however, on and it will be quite a while before it reaches a logical end and Fardeen is able to breathe more freely.

Meanwhile, he is busy shooting for ‘Om Jai Jagdish’ (with Abhishek Bachchan, Anil Kapoor and Anupam Kher) and ‘Qurbaan Tujhpe Meri Jaan’(with Ajay Devgan and Aishwarya Rai), besides ‘Kitne Door Kitne Pass’, ‘Love Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega’, ‘Tera Saath Hai Kitna Pyara’ and ‘Dostana’. These films are a major departure from the three films he has done so far — ‘Prem Aggan’, ‘Jungle’ and ‘Pyar Tune Kya Kiya’ — which were responsible for his lover-boy image.

Before long the business management student in him surfaces: “Acting is only a business. It is a service industry of a kind. Just like the doctor is the product himself and a lawyer relies on his knowledge and skills to market himself, an actor, too, is banking on his talent to sell himself.”

“An actor is a product,” he stresses. “So also is the director of a film. Together they sell an emotional experience to the audience. The producer is different. He manufactures the product. And all the other artistes and technicians give their specialised inputs in the production process.”

After business school in the USA, Fardeen returned to India with the “express idea” of training to be a filmmaker. He studied acting as well because he felt that a good director needs to be knowledgeable about acting as well. That sparked an interest in acting and papa Feroze Khan gave him a break in ‘Prem Aggan’.

“Maybe sometime next year, or the year after, I plan to launch my own film,” he remarks. “It may not be a lavish commercial entertainer like what my father did with ‘Qurbani’. I would rather make something experimental and contemporary that targets a specific audience...”.

“But if the film demands a lavish setting, I’ll oblige,” he adds. “My father made lavish entertainers like ‘Qurbani’ and ‘Jaanbaaz’ because the subjects demanded a certain amount of opulence. He also made some bold and off-beat films like ‘Dharmatma’ and ‘Dayavan’, which were set in the slums of Mumbai.

Clearly, the boy is in awe of his father who he ranks on a par with Marlon Brando and Amitabh Bachchan. Given a chance, he would like to play Feroze Khan’s role in ‘Dharmatma’.

He rates ‘Qurbani’ on the same level as all-time classics like ‘Godfather’, ‘Scarface’ and ‘Sholay’.

“‘Qurbani’ was a simple film with a great feel,” he justifies. “It was very larger-than-life with superb music. Remember ‘Aap jaisa koi’? The friendship angle, too, was very well-exploited. The bond between the two friends and the misunderstandings that follow made for engrossing viewing!” (MF)

HOLLYWOOD SCAN

Downey’s down and out

WHAT do Robert Downey and Fardeen Khan have in common? Well, the Hollywood star who became a superstar by playing Charlie Chaplin in a movie by the same in 1996 has been facing a felony count for possession of cocaine and was in police custody for some time. The 35-year-old actor who is also the “Ally McBeal” Golden-Globe winner has pleaded not guilty and has denied all allegations. However, he is unlikely to go to jail as has been hinted by the prosecuting attorney who said, “There may be a rehabilitation for non-violent drug users. Mr Downey is a non-violent drug user.” Fardeen must be hoping he too gets as lucky.

Weight and watch

Tough he might be playing the role of a retired overweight underworld don in ‘Rogues Gallery’, John Travolta showed he’s no softie when it comes to real life. During an outdoor shoot a holiday crowd that had gathered at the spot heckled the star, pointing at his midriff. Not one to get heckled, Travolta called the leader of the booing crowd and challenged him to an impromptu push-ups contest. 
Travolta ripped off his padded jacket and did 50 push-ups without getting breathless. 
The tough-looking guy could manage only 31 before collapsing in a heap of shame!

Sophia’s choice

Shopping does strange things to women. The sixties glamour girl, Sophia Loren, who can still turn heads with her daring sartorial sense, is no exception. But if the former leading lady has switched loyalties from the big to the small screen, it is for entirely different reasons. Friends say that Loren has become a “TV addict.” Actually, she is hooked to TV shopping promos and never fails to watch them when she’s in the United States. 
She buys just about anything. Sometimes of course, she does display weird taste. For instance, she recently bought no fewer than sixteen mops, one each for all the bedrooms in her Italian-style villa in Los Angeles! (NF)