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Punjabi at heart
All questions he answers, each word he says and every statement he makes only puts across one point, "I am not here to make money. I genuinely wanted to make a Punjabi film with an interesting script." The effect of his repetition is that by the end of the interview, everybody is convinced that Akshay Kumar doesn't mean business… quite literally!
Bhaji in Problem is his third production venture post the success of Oh My God and a Marathi film, 72 Miles. "If money is the question, I earn enough in Mumbai. I am keen to be a part of the Punjabi cinema only because my heart belongs here." Akshay then alludes to his Bollywood projects, Singh is Kingg, Namaste London…to back his claim that Punjabi is a language he loves. Language isn't the only connection between Bhaji in Problem and Singh in Kingg. Amusingly, Akshay plays the character of his duplicate, Bhakshay Kumar, in the film. "I am even wearing a similar overcoat that I wore in Singh is Kingg and that makes it all funny." He stresses that he neither watched any Punjabi film nor studied the box-office collection to finance the project. "I didn't need to do that because my intentions were not to keep a tab on returns. I love to make films that make people laugh; make them forget about problems. Out of the 105 films I have been a part of so far, this is the funniest." Akshay shot for his cameo role that comprised a few dialogues and an item number in sixteen hours. "If I will get a worthy script, I am open to doing a full-fledged role." With typical pot-boilers such as Boss, Khiladi 786, Rowdy Rathore and comparatively experimental films like Special 26 and Oh My God on this resume of late, Akshay has been part of very different cinemas, which is a choice, he says, he consciously makes. "It's simply to try my hands at different genres of cinema. I enjoy doing that. Next, I am also considering backing a Telugu film," says the actor, who looks suave in a pink shirt and slim-fitted trousers. Positive about how the film will fare at the box-office; Akshay says he is surprised how Punjabi script-writers are able to add humour to each line of every dialogue. "I watched the film with Yuvraj Singh and we were in splits." And it was kind of mandatory to speak about Sachin Tendulkar, after he mentions Yuvraj Singh, who is playing his last test match in Mumbai, "Like everybody else, I am a huge fan of the master batsman and I will miss him on the field." Who won't? ashima@tribunemail.com
High hopes
The Punjabi Film Industry can be divided into two segments — pre and post Carry on Jatta. The success of the film had such an impact on the industry that everybody wanted to make, act, produce and write a comedy film. Gurpeet Ghuggi, who is also a part of Bhaji in Problem, says, "Filmmakers tried to make several Carry On Jattas, but didn't succeed. But Bhaji in Problem is as humourous as that was." The lead actor of the film, Gippy Grewal, adds, "The film will set a new benchmark for the Punjabi film industry." Rest let the box-office do the talking!
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Book-ed for life
An accomplished career in the police doesn't often lend itself to literary endeavours, least of all poetry. Perhaps, it was a wide array of experience in the services that made him capture hard-hitting subjects and deep emotions with the same effortless ease; from the external realities to eternal life to dreams, anxieties et al.
Keki N Daruwalla, major Indian poet, English writer and former IPS officer, scoffs at the association and rather quotes, "It's nothing novel. George Orwell was in the Imperial Services and he wrote, similarly we've had so many other authors from the World War II." In Chandigarh, for a session at Chandigarh Book Fair, he shares his journey so far, how ideas just happen and the current scenario of English writing in India. What started with a book on poems Under Orion in 1970 continued well with Apparition in April, moving onto selected short stories like Love Across the Salt Desert and his latest novel For Pepper and Christ. Along the way, he picked up recognitions like Sahitya Akademi Award for poetry collection The Keeper of the Dead and also the Commonwealth Poetry Prize for Asia. There is very little that remains uncovered. He shares, "I wish I'd written about the 1857 Mutiny. Started a novel too, but feel bad about not having written about it yet." He adds, "Middle-East has also always fascinated me." In terms of the genre, there is very little that connects the twelve books he's authored so far. "Ideas come on their own; as for the influence I made a conscious effort to keep that at bay." This discounts any literary figures he may have read in school, for example the likes of Sir Walter Scott. He adds, "Today they would read John Grisham probably. In fact, I didn't read much of the modernist writers till college. They were hardly any in our syllabus." Modern English writing leads to current English scenario in India. The publishing industry is swelling with young first-time authors and their brush with overnight fame. Easy fiction leads to large sales volume. He laughs and brushes aside with only a mention of the promising names in poetry. "There is Arundhati Subramaniam, Ranjit Hoskote, Rukmini Bhaya Nair, Priya Sarukkai Chabria; they are all promising and good." Love for good poetry has been inbuilt and ever since. "Somebody spoke four lines and I'd remember that…but you can write poetry only for ten years or twenty years, up to an extent. After that you are likely to repeat yourself, repeat your cadence." He adds, "Now I'm more into fiction." Like the one that's due next February. A collection of short stories titled Islands. "I took a little over a year with this book and it is all about islands and human beings as islands." Should be something! manpriya@tribunemail.com
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Free flowing finesse
Mona
Traditionally dance is associated with women, but gone are the times when it used to be just their prerogative. "Anything expressive is associated with women but that's just a social construct. Men feel as women do, but they are trained not to express," he says. Navtej believes that today men are doing very well in dance and sometimes even better than women. "Women still have to carry that gender baggage. They need to have a certain body and carry a certain image that men are free of." Navtej has curated Body in the City, the first Contemporary Dance Festival by Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademi. The city is totally ready for it. "Chandigarh and people here from Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh are all very physical people. They have this natural movement. They don't relate to classical dances much, but I am positive will be responsive to contemporary dance." Navtej has tried to bring the best in the contemporary dance scene emerging in India today to the festival. There's Anil Panchal, who comes from the tradition of Uday Shankar; Preethi Athreya and I come from Kalakshetra and Chandralekha schools, respectively, while Surjit Nongmeikapam and Deepak Kurki Shivaswamy represent the indigenous contemporary dace movement. "We wanted to have Astad Deboo too for he is the pioneer in the field; hopefully next time," says Navtej. His Dravya Kaya, which will be part of the festival, is a homage to his mentors - Rukmini Devi and Chandralekha. 'Boundaries in dance' is something Navtej does not believe in. With the classical-folk divide narrowing, he is happy that artistes like him are working in autonomy - expressing themselves through their movements. mona@tribunemail.com
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A thought-provoking step
Mona
All his subjects emerge from life. Graveyard Shift was his first act on call centres. Lvoe was his unromantic solo that focussed on how people romanticise everything that they want to do. H2O was on water narrating how a city has fountains using up large quantity of water and 100 km away there is scarcity of drinking water. Under Contraction has for its subject a city made on the top of another city and yet another. If he picks themes from life, he takes his art to life too. Under Contraction was staged at construction sites and malls. "I am not against cities or construction, but this is my perspective that I want to share with people," says Deepak, who is trained in action and did his masters in choreography from Austria. "I chose to go to Europe to learn dance as here in India we have limited scope of learning contemporary dance. While in the West, the whole system is in place. There it flourishes like any industry." Deepak studied and also worked in Europe but was clear that he would return and work in India. Along with some like-minded people, he has set the KHA Foundation and together they give shape to their creations. And, how's the response? "It's generally positive. In cities like Chennai where one gets aware audience as well as informal audience in any other part of the country, people do relate to our work. Sometimes, they do say that they couldn't understand. But to make them understand has never been our motive. If what we show them makes them think and triggers an experience, we have achieved out goal," says Deepak who is next working on human conflict. Conflict between brother-sister, husband-wife, two countries and its ripple affect is going to be his next piece all told through body movements, no language, no words. And, he connects with his audience physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually too! mona@tribunemail.com
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Melody that moves fog!
Conversations on music can be both intensive and entertaining; classical music all the more. A genre that he rightly believes "is not for everybody. You'll never see it become commercial and mainstream. It is for a select few." Belonging to a family of renowned musicians from Kolkata, his journey with the instrument started at an impressionable age of four. His grandfather, late Bimal Das was a renowned esraj player, while father Sailen Das as well as uncle Santanu Das are sitarists of high repute. He laughs, "I started by playing all film songs on sitar," and adds, "Later they took me to a concert by Shujaat Khan. When I returned, I asked for my own sitar." Classical leanings need to be captured early and nurtured the right way. He opines, "It's very important to get a good teacher, a mentor at a young age." Apart from the sitar, there's sur bahar he's associated with. "Sur bahar is like a big sitar and has slightly thicker strings. Its sound is more devotional and it is like the bass sitar." Having already been out with an album titled Lingering Emotions, there's one more he's working on. "Lingering Emotions was on ragas. All day ragas that take you from morning to afternoon to evenings." He adds, "I am thinking of some project with both sur bahar and sitar. It shall be for peace and meditation." Concerts all over the world, apart from recognition bring in experiences, a lot many noteworthy. He laughs, "One of my most memorable concerts was in Italy in 1988. Somebody came up to me and requested that there is too much of fog in here. We've heard you have ragas for rain. If you could play monsoon ragas." The request registered. He shares, "I can't recall which rag megh I played, but after the two hour concert there were strong winds and a storm, followed by rain the next day." If not mountains, we've known music to move fog at least!
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Silence speaks
Shafaq Naaz, who plays the role of Kunti in the serial, comes to Chandigarh with her chapter. Dressed in white churidaar (taking a clue from the serial, we bet), this 20-year-old pretty girl from Meerut doesn't use much words. She is quiet, answers in monosyllables most of the time, but when the radar is shifted to her role, Kunti, Naaz springs up with delight. "I had never planned acting. I am a trained dancer, I learnt it from Saroj Khan. She told my mother that I was a pretty face, so I should try acting," shares Naaz. The story definitely doesn't have anything to hide, nothing like the mystery around Kunti's life! "I am just 20, and I am playing a much mature and grown up character. The challenge was to live up to it, the challenge was to convince the audience." For no reason, we try to trace some similarities in her reel and real life. Comes the replay, pretty much without any evident thought! "I am 50 per cent like Kunti, my character in Mahabharat. I am patient," the similarities end with one attribute. Don't jump to conclusion; Naaz has researched well on her role. "I read and studied my role at length and I also did workshops with the director," shares Naaz who hasn't seen the old, and much talked about Mahabharat. "No, I haven't seen the older one; however this Mahabharat is grabbing attention." Naaz has been traveling to various cities and talking about the show and her role. She doesn't believe in the word planning. "I got my first break within 3-4 months of moving to Mumbai, thereafter I also auditioned for the show and was lucky to grab it. It was a conscious decision to pick this one, as there is so much rona dhona, almost similar kinds of serials around," Naaz says brushing aside her long hair and moving towards a long break of silence. She is probably in her character!
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Richa’s lucky year
How did this movie happen for you? I had actually gone for the film last year. They wanted a girl with a dusky complexion and Indian features and they liked me. So I did it. Tell us about your role. I am playing a peacemaker in the film. It is a role of a traditional and conservative woman. She is vulnerable yet strong. She is also wealthy. It was a difference experience altogether. I really enjoyed it. Be it the sets or the production value, Goliyon ki...is my biggest release. How was working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali for the first time? It was a great experience working with him. He is someone I look up to. He is extremely gifted. He has a good sense of dialogue delivery, narrative, dance, songs etc. The sets were really huge with many actors. So, it was really motivating to work with him. How is Ranveer Singh as a co-star? I have known him even before the film. It's been four years since we know each other. He is a regular guy. He is very passionate about his work and enjoys what he does. It was really nice working with him. You recently returned from the shoot of Jia Aur Jia in Sweden. How did it go? I absolutely had a great time shooting for the film. We were only four girls in the crew, out of which two were actresses. But it was fun as we all got along so well. I had a good time with Kalki Koelchin. She is great person. People over there were really nice. We heard that you also learnt Tamil for the film. How is it going? I didn't really learn Tamil but I had to practice my diction. I play a Tamilian in the film so I wanted to authenticity of the character. So to polish myself, I had Tamil lessons. When not working, what do you like to do? Fortunately, I have been working since Benny and Babloo. But when I am not working, I like to live life. I love to write and do photography. I also have a blog which I updated recently. I enjoy travelling as well. My friends are also non-filmy. I love to hang out with them whenever I get time. Are you happy with the way 2013 has fared for you? Yes, I think so. It started with a bang as I won a Filmfare Award. Many actors work hard for it but only a few get it. In Gangs of Wasseypur, my character was very rusty. In Fukrey I was very outspoken while my character in Shorts was very feminine. So I think I have been very lucky to get such a variety of roles. I am very thankful for whatever has come my way. Viewers often tend to form an image of their favourite stars according to what they see. But how is the real Richa? The audience often tends to have an assumption about actors according to the role they play. But it may not always be as they assume. I am simple and basic. I do not like any tam-jham. I am ambitious but not ruthless. I like to be happy and free of fears. What do you expect from next year? I have no expectations. I believe in doing my best and putting my best foot forward. Sometimes things don't exactly workout the way you want them to. I think that's fate and nobody can control it. Next year too is crucial for me as many of my films will release. But sometimes people love your films and other times they don't. Like many people thought that Gangs of Wasseypur wouldn't work at the box-office but it did. So I like to live it as it comes.
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Double dhamaka
Come January 10 and fans of Madhuri Dixit might be in for a double treat. Her films Dedh Ishqiya and Gulab Gang are apparently lined up for the release on the same date— January 10.
Kangana seeks blessings
Bollywood actress Kangna Ranaut, whose latest film Rajjo releasing this Friday, recently paid a visit to the revered Ajmer Sharif Dargah and sought blessings. She was accompanied by the film's director Vishwas Patil. After a brief lull in her acting career, Kangna finally struck gold with Krrish 3 co-starring Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra and Vivek Oberoi. The film has already crossed Rs 200 crore in earnings. In Rajjo, the actress plays the titular character of a nautch girl.
Sanjay’s no bully
Sanjay Leela Bhansali, known as a tough director, says it is a misconception that he shouts or bullies people on the sets. He says he has always loved his actors and believed in giving them space, respect and right direction. Daddy’s day out!
Actor Hrithik Roshan, who is riding high on the success of Krrish 3, chose to spend quality time with Hrehaan and Hridaan at India's biggest theme park, Adlabs Imagica. The children enjoyed all the rides at the park and had a memorable day.
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Nargis’ nightmare
He was repeatedly shunned away by the bouncers in the press conference, but he went aggressive and started shouting to the organisers and the PR girls who tried to stop him. "I told the photographer that if he has any problem, he can respectfully go away but he started abusing verbally," said the girl at the venue. It was noticed that Pratik, who gate-crashes many hi-end parties at 5-star hotels in the city, claims that he is a senior photographer. "I just entered the press conference and heard a photographer shouting for no reason, so I told them to just take a deep breath and chant 'Om' and I felt awkward in this whole situation. I have told the PR girls and organisers to give strict instructions to Pratik and such photographers who drink and misbehave with actresses and do not know how to respect women in general, I feel very sad about this kind of behaviour," said gorgeous damsel in distress Nargis Fakhri.
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Close to reality
The team of Kabir Khan's upcoming movie Phantom (working title) in Beirut had alerted the Israeli intelligence agencies. Israeli intelligence agencies which are one of the sharpest in the world got tricked by the authenticity of the shoot.
Phantom which is being produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, was shooting a refugee scene where they had to cross the border. The costumes and looks of the cast were very close to reality. The entire scene was being shot near the border area. Katrina Kaif and Kabir Khan were shooting in these areas for second time after Ek Tha Tiger. The agencies got suspicious of the entire act, so much so that they came down to where the shoot was happening for surveillance. Sajid, who was present for the shoot, was very shocked at the intensity of the surveillance. He had gone through the process of getting the permissions to shoot and even after presenting them to the agencies they asked to check the entire team. After confirming a shoot is going on and being presented the permission documents, the intelligence agency anyway surveyed the entire crew of anything suspicious. Kabir Khan said, "We were shooting on the Lebanon-Syria border and had re-created a refugee camp. Intelligence officials got suspicious as we were shooting with military vehicles, jeeps, trucks, real guns and hundreds of people dressed as refugees. We found planes flying over us. We had to clarify that it's a film shoot. We were called up by the Lebanese military officials to find out where exactly we were shooting as we had taken permission from the Lebanese army to film in certain places". After the grand success of Ek Tha Tiger Kabir and Katrina will come together. Saif Ali Khan will be playing the male lead opposite Katrina.
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Living life Mary size
Priyanka Chopra, who is playing Mary Kom in a forthcoming biopic, says she shares a slice of life with the legendary sportswoman. The film is about the trials and tribulations of Mary, who was born to a landless farmer in Manipur and later rose to make a mark for herself as a boxer.
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Proud parents
In contrast!
Actor and model Piyush Sahdev, who was last seen as Ram in Mahadev, will now be seen as Kabir, a rich businessman, in the popular show Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke. He is paired opposite Mahima Makhwana, who is playing Rachna. He said, "From playing Lord Ram to playing a human who has vices, it is a great contrast for me. Lord Ram is the master of all senses whereas Kabir is a guy who has weaknesses. He is like a normal human being. He is led astray by his own senses. He gets angry and has ego."
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Jaya’s TV debut
Veteran actress Jaya Bachchan might soon debut in a fiction show, which will be different from her husband Amitabh Bachchan's television debut. But both will air on Sony channel and have been produced by Endemol. She met with the channel heads and gave a go-ahead to the project. Jaya Bachchan
Damage control
Kushal Tandon is in a damage control mode. After Salman's angry tweets and statements on the show that Kushal has been using his name for mileage, Kushal now says the media misquoted him. Also, the channel wants Kushal to return to the show and is waiting for the go-ahead of Salman.
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Show time for Surbhi
A popular face on television, Surbhi Tiwari, will soon be making an entry into Zee TV's prime-time love story - Do Dil Bandhe Ek Dori Se. Doing a cameo in the show, Surbhi will be seen playing the role of Shivani's best friend's mother — Sunanda.
Talking about the show, Surbhi said, "My association with Zee TV goes back to their flagship show Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo and since then, whenever I have been approached by Zee I've never said 'No'. I am glad to be doing a cameo in Do Dil Bandhe Ek Dori Se, as in a very short span of time the show has garnered a huge amount of fan following." Talking about her character, she added, "I play the character of a lady called Sunanda, who is a woman rigid in her thoughts and has her way of getting things done. She is scheming in nature but is fun and entertaining at the same time. My character is extremely colourful and has various shades." Going ahead, the story in the show would focus on Shivani's trials with life as she tries to make a living away from Raghu. Shivani will be seen shifting to her best friend's place where Sunanda, her friend's mother, will make life hell for her as she is not rich anymore. Sunanda will not miss a single opportunity at hand to look down upon Shivani and humiliate her. Will Shivani be able to bear Sunanda's torments or will she re-unite with Raghu? To know more, tune in to Do Dil Bandhe EK Dori Se, Monday to Friday at 8:30 pm.
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Pampering the kids
Ram Kapoor and Sakshi Tanwar are off-late busy in pampering their onscreen children with some special gifts. Ram Kapoor of Bade Achche Lagtey Hai has often been seen pampering his kids on the show and now we hear that he is no different off-screen. A source from the sets says, "Ram was recently in London. When he returned to the sets he brought a lot of chocolates and other gifts for the kids on the show. The children of course were delighted and it was like one big party with everyone opening their gifts and eating chocolates." Priya aka Sakshi Tanwar also couldn't stop bestowing her love. It is known that on the occasion of Diwali, Sakshi had made homemade sweets for the whole cast and crew. Well it seems this jodi knows how to make their family happy, on screen and also off it.
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New Releases
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali Sanjay Leela Bhansali's desi adaptation of the popular Shakespearean tragedy Romeo and Juliet, Goliyon Ki Raas Leela Ram Leela, releases on November 15. Produced by Kishore Lulla and Sanjay Leela Bhansali, this violent love story has unusual pairing of Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh. Ram Leela is set in present-day Gujarat. Debutant film designer Anju has created the outfits for Deepika, who looks beautiful in her ethnic avatar. Choreography of this film has been done by Ganesh Acharya, Terence Lewis and Vishnu Deva, among others. Ranveer Singh's character sports traditional kediyus.
Rajjo
Producer: UA Karande, MH Shah Director: Viswas Patil Rajjo is based on the issue of the almost extinct mujra houses and has Kangra Ranaut playing a nautch girl. Author-turned-director Vishwas Patil and the art director Munnish Sappal did extensive research on mujra houses in Agra, Lucknow and Mumbai for this film. Cinematographer Binod Pradhan has used different lights to highlight the sequences of Rajjo. Paras Arora, Prakash Raj, Mahesh Manjrekar, Dalip Tahil, Swati Chitnis, Kishore Kadam and Vipin Sharma also star in this drama. Dress designer Reza Sheriff has designed some expensive costumes for Kangna Ranaut. The song Zulmi re zulmi… composed by Uttam Singh is already in the hit songs list. — Dharam Pal
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Astro turf
ARIES: Shopkeepers will find the day quite hectic. Housewives: a day to improve your home appearance. An intense discussion with your partner early on can play on your mind all day long. Tarot message: Well-wishers will give you sound advice.
Lucky colour: Pink. Magic number: 30
TAURUS: Do not worry; discuss your plans with loved ones. In the evening children will be a source of happiness. A partnership in the pipeline looks set for success.
Tarot message: Take limited risks and don't jeopardise your long-term capital.
Lucky colour: Forest-green. Magic number: 57 GEMINI: A property deal gets concluded. Domestic issues come up for urgent consideration. Have no worries; your work is well under control. Youngsters can have differences with their parents.
Tarot message: Health of elderly member at home needs care. Lucky colour: Deep-crimson.
Magic number: 54 CANCER: Romantic life takes an upswing. It is a good day to try your luck in speculative deals. Those employed will be burdened with additional responsibility without incentive.
Tarot message: Leave things open-ended for best results. Lucky
colour: Peach. Magic number: 33 LEO: Pay heed to wise counsel. Do not intervene in the dispute of others. Housewives: stick to routine activities. Those looking for a job will receive a suitable offer.
Tarot message: You need to be creative to retain a grip over your business.
Lucky colour: Red. Magic number: 59 VIRGO: Your card 'The Chariot' brings a busy day ahead. Please maintain balance between work and rest. Students: do not become reckless. You should be careful about your own health and well-being of your parents.
Tarot message: Everything will get sorted out on its own. Lucky colour: Saffron. Magic number: 47
LIBRA: A hidden relationship proves a headache. Indecision can be crippling at the moment. Set aside time to get in touch with your thoughts and feelings, even if it is just for half-an-hour.
Tarot message: You will get the help you need if you ask for it. Lucky colour: Black.
Magic number: 37 SCORPIO: Today most of your time and attention should be centered on your personal life. Arguments with your spouse can become serious. Influential people will not be helpful.
Tarot message: Do not overspend just to impress others. Lucky colour: Golden.
Magic number: 25 SAGITTARIUS: A real estate deal should be left alone for the time being. It is a cheerful morning for sportsmen. You will find new opportunities opening up for you. Maintain a low profile in a party.
Tarot message: Over-optimism can lead to mistakes. Lucky colour: Royal-blue.
Magic number: 27 CAPRICORN: Your personal plans will meet with some stiff opposition. You reputation can be on the line. Act impartially and avoid the pitfalls of guilt. A step-child may not be well or suffer from behavioural problems.
Tarot message: You can stabilise your financial situation. Lucky colour: Purple. Magic number: 63 AQUARIUS: Money-wise the day is slow. Friends will lose your confidence. Let your energy be turned towards artistic work. Mercury, the planet of communication, starts to move forward again today.
Tarot message: Avoid a gossip session. Lucky colour: Silver. Magic number: 26 PISCES: Go all out to improve your position at work. Students: new love relations can be formed on the campus. If you are relaxing at home, visit a local market and enjoy the sights and sounds.
Tarot message: New opportunities will lead you in a more lucrative direction. Lucky colour: Golden-brown. Magic number: 54
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The year ahead
If your birthday is November 15...
Your social life continues to be strong in 2014, but there is more focus on quality now. Venus makes you creative, joyful, and charming. Start practicing yoga and meditation to keep yourself mentally and physically fit. Your management skills will be enhanced. Businessmen should enter into some computer-related business as this will be highly rewarding. You are expected to gain fame and good luck throughout this year. Timely discussion of direction and goals is the key at the beginning of 2014. Good fortune is with you this year. Positive colours: Pale-green, Yellow-brown. Select days: Friday, Thursday and Tuesday. Favourable numbers: 3, 5, 6, 9. Gems recommended: Diamond, Lapis Lazuli. Charity on birthday: Donate milk products at a religious place.
You share your birthday with Vidya Sinha (November 15, 1947, Mumbai) who began as a model. Her first movie was Raja Kaka opposite Kiran Kumar. She also starred in Choti Si Baat (1975) and Pati Patni Aur Woh (1977). According to her stars, her career will take-off again.
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When he takes to the stage with his white beard, Navtej Johar disorients many in his audience. "Dance is supposed to disorient. Freedom is the only requirement for anyone to dance," he believes. This Bharatnatyam dancer, yoga teacher and avante-garde choreographer has succeeded in creating artistic autonomy and continues to do so. "When it comes to classical dances, they are projecting an image of India that I don't want just to be part of. I would rather have art independent of any strictures," says Navtej.
Deepak Kurki Shivaswamy chose to become a dancer pretty early in life. A contemporary performing artiste from Bangalore, Deepak is happy using his medium to 'tell'. In Chandigarh, for Contemporary Dance Festival organised by Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademi, he brought his piece NH7. The theme emerged from the personal experience of seeing his hometown grow. "When I talk of my city, though I am 30, I talk like a sixty-year-old man. So, I wanted to tell my tale. When we talk of development, there are way too many factors that come into play. I am not against it but I do find this development pretty 'shallow'."
Close to five decades in the profession brings in profound insights on the subject, the ones that can also be easily related to and understood. "Classical music is like wine, you take the first sip and you find it bitter. A couple of times more and you are addicted," shares renowned sitar player Kushal Das, while in Chandigarh for a SPICMACAY concert.
There is something called a trend, which invariably the entertainment industry follows. This trend could be of subjects or actors. The television industry, however, follows these trends religiously. If one tele- serial shows a rebirth, trust us 10 others will follow suit. Currently, mythological serials are the trend, and the Mahabharat on Star Plus is the new addition in this genre.
Bollywood actress Richa Chadda, who received many praises for her character in Anurag Kashyap's Gangs of Wasseypur, is riding high on her latest release Goliyon Ki Raas Leela Ram Leela. The 24-year-old actress recently finished shooting the first schedule of Howard Rosemeyer's Jia Aur Jia in Sweden with Kalki Koechlin. In an exclusive conversation, she talks about her role and more…
Nargis Fakhri was the showstopper for a designer-duo from Delhi at a 5-star hotel in Kolkata, where a drunken photographer called Pratik from a leading newspaper shouted at the actress. The drunken photographer also verbally abused the PR girl who was from Delhi. Pratik was coming too close to the actress under the pretense of taking exclusive pictures for his newspaper.
Daljeet Kaur and Shaleen Bhanot became proud parents of a baby boy on November 9. The couple, who got married in December 2009, were ecstatic with the news. Shaleen told the media that Daljeet and their baby were fine. They would soon finalise a name and announce it.
Producer: Kishore Lulla, Sanjay Leela Bhansali