Posts Tagged ‘husband’
Nandita makes her move
Posted on: January 5, 2010
The dusky actor has made Mumbai her home – and Subodh Maskara her husband
There aren’t very many Delhi-based Bollywood actors, but Nandita Das certainly figured high on the list. Even Aamir Khan – her co-star in 1947 Earth – had tried to convince her to move from Delhi to Mumbai to pursue her acting career, but she held strong. Now, Nandita has finally made Mumbai her home, post her recent marriage to environment entrepreneur Subodh Maskara.
Confirming the news, she sighs, “What I resisted doing for 13 long years has finally been done. I couldn’t imagine shifting to Mumbai for my career, but love did it.”
 |
| Nandita Das and Subodh Maskara |
Subodh was introduced to Nandita by her friend Shahana Goswami (whom she directed last year in Firaq) and her boyfriend Milind Soman. “Milind and Shahana kept urging me to meet Subodh. But I’m the last person to believe in blind dates. But look at destiny, now I completely believe in instant love. When I was hesitant about meeting him, Subodh sent me a lovely e-mail. And I said, ‘Why not? Just have coffee with him?’ So we met. And immediately I knew this was it. Within five months of meeting him, I knew I wanted to marry him. We became soul mates seamlessly,” she recalls.
Nandita and Subodh got married according to Ashram Vidhi rites on January 2 at Subodh’s residence in Worli, which is now their marital home. “Only our parents – his parents and brother, my parents and my brother were there for the marriage. And of course, Shahana and Milind, who brought us together. We couldn’t possibly get married without them,” adds Nandita.
Meanwhile, friends like Paresh Rawal have been urging Nandita to direct another film. However, at the moment, she is content playing Mrs Nandita Maskara at her new home in Mumbai. So does she cook for her husband? Nandita gasps, “That would really be going too far, even further than my move from Delhi to Mumbai.”
Luck By Chance
Posted on: January 2, 2010
MEENA IYER Times News Network (BOMBAY TIMES; January 2, 2010)
Yet, the reality of the matter is something else. It is usually who is available; and sometimes who is more saleable.
Take the latest: Aamir Khan was never meant to be playing the idiot in his latest film. It was to be Shah Rukh Khan. Since SRK and producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra had a difference of opinion, the Bollywood Badshah was replaced by Aamir. And while the rest is history, there are innumerable such examples in the film industry.
History knows that Amitabh Bachchan was not Prakash Mehra’s first choice for Zanjeer. It was meant to be Dev Anand or Raaj Kumar. When both actors said no, the Big B stepped in. Jaya Bachchan even thanked Dev saab for refusing the Zanjeer role. The film gave her — her real life husband and it gave Bollywood one of its most revered screen couples.
Today you wonder how Dev saab would ever have fit into the angry young man mould. But that’s an after-thought.
Hrishikesh Mukherjee wanted Raj Kapoor to play Anand. When he couldn’t, Hrishida sent for Shashi Kapoor but Rajesh Khanna wormed his way in. And till today Anand is synonymous with the 70s phenomenon.
Shatrughan Singh continues to smart that it was he who was to be Jai in the Jai-Veeru jodi of Sholay but because he was riding a crest of super-success then, he didn’t want to do a twohero film. Amitabh Bachchan got the role instead.
Aamir had been pencilled in for Yash Chopra’s Darr but at that point he ‘accused’ Yash of playing games. And SRK made a permanent place for himself in the YRF camp.
Saif Ali Khan had qualms about playing a pansy in Dostana so John Abraham was brought in. John got male and female temperatures rising with this fun flick and is now a part of its sequel.
Kareena Kapoor asked for too much money for Kal Ho Na Ho; result — Preity Zinta landed this memorable film. Shah Rukh was meant to be playing Munnabhai but since he walked out after some miscommunication, Sanjay Dutt became Munna. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was in Chalte Chalte till Salman dropped in as an uninvited guest forcing SRK to call Rani Mukerji to replace her… and Rekha and Jaya would never have had their screen face-off in Silsila had Parveen Babi and Smita Patil done their roles.
Unlike real history, reel history is often made by default.
After closing the year with films such as PAA and 3 IDIOTS, the year 2010 sure looks bigger and brighter for Reliance BIG Pictures with a mixed bag of films ranging from mainstream and masala to regional and art house.
With maverick directors such as Shyam Benegal, Mani Ratnam, Anurag Basu, Shaji N Karun, Rituparno Ghosh and Buddhadeb Dasgupta bringing the best out of Hrithik Roshan, Barbara Mori, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Mamootty, Boman Irani, Jishu Sengupta, Indraneil Sengupta, Kangana Ranaut amongst many others the Reliance BIG Pictures slate is sure to watch out for!
Have a sneak peek into Reliance BIG Pictures’ slate of films for the year 2010:
 |
||
| KITES |
KITES:
A truly international film KITES tells the story of a young con-man who lives ‘life’ in Las Vegas, always ready to make fast money in any way possible, always looking for the big score. Directed by Anurag Basu and produced by Rakesh Roshan the film stars Hrithik Roshan, Barbara Mori, Kangana Ranaut and Kabir Bedi. It is shot in Mumbai, New Mexico, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. The film will have and Indian and international version which will release simultaneously. Brett Ratner, best known for the RUSH HOUR series, FAMILY MAN starring Nicholas Cage and X-MEN THE LAST STAND is currently at work on the English version of KITES and tailoring it to appeal it to an international audience.
 |
||
| WELL DONE ABBA |
WELL DONE ABBA:
WELL DONE ABBA is the story of Armaan Ali, a driver working in Mumbai. He takes leave for a month to find a husband for his teenage daughter, who lives in a small locality close to Hyderabad. Armaan Ali returns to work only after 3 months. His young employer wants to sack him but is persuaded to listen to the reason why Armaan got so delayed.
Directed by Shyam Benegal stars Boman Irani, Minissha Lamba, Sammir Dattani, Ila Arun, Sonali Kulkarni, Ravi Kishen, Rajit Kapur, Ravi Jhankal and Yashpal Sharma.
RAAVAN:
Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan come on screen together in Mani Ratnam’s RAAVAN – a modern day adaption of the epic Ramayan, being readied in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.
MIRCH:
Directed by Vinay Shukla MIRCH revolves around the protagonist Maanav, a committed struggling filmmaker whose girlfriend Ruchi, a successful film editor, arranges for him to meet film producer Nitin, who is not very convinced about Maanav’s script. Maanav then suggests four stories on infidelity, woven together by a common story.
The film stars Konkana Sen Sharma, Raima Sen, Shahana Goswami, Shreyas Talpade, Rajpal Yadav, Boman Irani, Sushant Singh, Arunoday Singh and Prem Chopra with special appearances by Saurabh Shukla & Tisca Chopra.
 |
||
| CHALOO MOVIE |
CHALOO MOVIE:
The police raid a theatre where movie tickets of a very successful film are being sold in black. When Police Inspector Sher Khan interrogates Khoji, a man in his 20s, he claims that he is the director of the very film whose tickets he is selling in black. The cynical Sher Khan puts Khoji behind bars after which he receives two phone calls – one from the Police Commissioner and another from the dreaded don ‘WC’, both of whom support Khoji’s detention. A hilarious turn of events reveal who Khoji is, whether he is really the film’s director, why is he selling his film’s tickets in black and what do the Police Commissioner and don ‘WC’ want from Khoji.
Starring Rajpal Yadav, Shekhar Suman, Divya Dutta, Hrishta Bhatt and Sayali Bhagat, CHALOO MOVIE is directed by Vinod Pande.
Reliance BIG Pictures, the most committed motion picture company producing regional films in 8 Indian languages is working persistently towards taking them beyond the conventional Diaspora
The slate of films includes:
KUTTY SRANK: Shaji Karun’s Malayalam film KUTTY SRANK starring Mamooty, Kamilini Mukherjee, Padmapriya and Meenakumari brings out three distinct personalities of a dead boat-man from the perspective of three women each of whom claims to be his wife.
 |
||
| ABOHOMAAN |
ABOHOMAAN: Rituparno Ghosh’s Bengali film ABOHOMAAN starring Dipankar De, Mamata Shankar, Ananya Chatterjee, Jishu Sengupta and Ria Sen brings to the screen a sensational relationship between a film-director, a young actress and a wife who swears to ruin her husband’s life and career and a son who gets caught in the cross-fire in this extravagant drama.
JANALA: Buddhabed Dasgupta’s Bengali film JANALA starring Tapas Paul, Swastika Mukherjee and Indraneil Sengupta is the journey of a solitary man against the wrath of circumstances when he decides to pursue his little impulsive dream.
IJJODU: by the maestro M S Sathyu is a film about a photo journalist who finds an interesting girl who has been exploited on the name of religion. He succeeds in breaking her blind belief but fails to accept her to give her an alternative life. This Kannada flick stars Meera Jasmine and Anirudh.
GLAMSHAM.COM
Everyone knows Kangna Ranaut, the accomplished actress of today. Here, she talks of her past and how it has made her the person she is
• What sort of a child were you?
I was very quiet. I used to suck my thumb. Other kids would never play with me and I would be sitting in one corner. There was something very strange about me. I didn’t live in the present. I was always in a dream world. I would be dreaming about the shows that I watched like Aladdin or Snow White and I would want to go to their world. My father would hate that I sucked my thumb, he would slap me and put my finger down and then I would cry.
• Were your parents strict with you?
I was never a naughty child, never troubled my mother. If you ask my parents they will say that I was very quiet, very peaceful and very scared of them. If they asked me to sit somewhere after five hours I would still be there. (laughs)
• Did you lead a very restricted life?
Yeah, I did. I wasn’t allowed to leave home after 6 o’clock so I would always make sure that I would go out late in the night. Then when my parents would say something like, ‘Andhera ho gaya hai, tum late aayi,’ I would just say ‘yes’. Slowly I became a person who wouldn’t listen to anyone. My father would be very upset with the clothes that I would wear. I don’t know what I wanted to prove. Now when I go home, I usually wear a salwaar kameez and wonder, why was I torturing them? (laughs)
A lot of the restriction came from living in a joint family. I remember having the biggest fights with my grandfather and every one’s jaw would just drop. Nobody had the guts to answer back to him and I was only 12 when I started doing so. He is an IAS officer and had lived all his life in Mumbai and for some strange reason he would always say that first all the males of the family would eat and then the females. I didn’t approve of rules like that and would insist on joining the men at the table. He would leave the table. My parents were quite embarrassed because of me.
• When was the first time you fell in love?
I was quite young. He was my English teacher, a very good looking guy and I was just a 13-year-old. That was the time I became aware of my sexuality. We were very comfortable with each other because he had been my teacher since I was eight or nine. But when I was thirteen and he would say, ‘Beta come here..’ or something like that, I would think what’s wrong with him, he doesn’t have to talk this way (laughs aloud). That was a beautiful romance because in my mind I used to romance him and he would be teaching me.
• How does living in a small town (Manali) compare to living in Mumbai?
These are two completely different worlds. This one is completely fake and that one is the real world. In Manali people live with animals. They feed them fodder and clean them too. So much of nature is involved there that you stay balanced. Here you deal with cars, roads, buildings and if you see a beggar, you treat him like a building and you treat a building like a human being. There is no reality here. I see so much of balance there, I see no balance here.
• What were you studying in Delhi?
Basically I went there for my vacations and then I decided to take admission in some college. Then I met a few people there and got into theatre. If you ask me honestly, I cannot recollect that time. I was like an animal, just wandering around. If someone was going to a modelling agency, I too would go with that person. I wasn’t aware of my actions at all which is a very pathetic and shameful way to live but I was living a life like that.
 |
• So coming to Mumbai was also a part of that life?
Yes, my agency Elite sent me to Mumbai. I didn’t ask why I am going to Mumbai or what I will do in Mumbai. I came to Mumbai because I thought everybody came to Mumbai after Delhi. Then one fine day I stopped taking calls from the agency. I stopped going to the auditions. I used to go to town taking trains to give auditions and then within seven days of it all I was fed up. Then I said, ‘Forget it! I am not going to any audition as I don’t get any work.’
• Isn’t it all difficult for a young girl to manage?
It is and that’s what gets you into trouble. How do people get into problems? Actually they are the biggest problems for themselves. I got carried away with the life here, the nightlife, discos and the whole city life.
• You didn’t have any aspirations?
From childhood I would tell my parents and I would become somebody very famous. They used to be very rude to me when I would say this but for me it was always a matter of fact. I knew I was going to be what I wanted to be even if I had no idea what that was.
• And when you were rejected at the auditions, did it dent in your confidence?
It did. I went through a lot of insecurities. I was leading a very random life for a year before I got Gangster. Before that too, I was supposed to do a few films. I didn’t have any concept of A grade or B grade cinema. I had hardly seen 10 films in my life. So if someone said, come to this audition, we want to sign a film with you, I would sign it. Fortunately for me, those films never took off. My parents would tell me that I would never be anyone and they would say all sort of negative things and I would think maybe they were right. I would think of myself as a loser in every sense, not only professionally but also in my personal life. That would scare me but also it wouldn’t last.
• Is there anything that you hated about yourself and wanted to change?
I hated everything about myself, my life, everything. When I came here, I was very uncomfortable about the clothes that I wore. I used to wear those really cheap clothes, buy them from streets and wear them and I would look so funny. I used to feel funny, not that I looked funny. Those dresses were not appropriate and no one should go out on the streets in them. They were fine for parties but I had no concept of what to wear and when. And I looked like a 16-year-old coming from some village trying to be modern. Not that I was dumb, I was intelligent but it was just so weird that people kept looking at me not very respectfully and I hated being so uncomfortable. If I had been wearing just jeans and a T-shirt, nobody would have noticed me. That was worse because if you are looking for assignments and modelling work and if nobody notices you then it’s terrible. So I was uncomfortable in every way. I never became friendly with anyone. Life was strange without parents, proper food, proper house, nothing at all in place. I hated everything around me and the way I was. I would go on for weeks and weeks without thinking where I was heading. That was a phase I remember and someday I will definitely make a movie on that.
• Was there peer pressure to do things?
I would do whatever others did. It didn’t matter if I liked it or not. It wasn’t peer pressure definitely but because I wanted to be one of them or maybe I wanted to prove that I belonged to this world, I went on like that for years and years. I didn’t hate it at that point of time. If I would have hated it, I would have changed it. But I had no clue what was wrong with my life. It took me two years to realise who I really am. Not that I hated it but I wasn’t happy either.
• Were you lonely?
Loneliness was never a problem because whenever I was lonely I would do something that would make me happy. My problem was that I had too many people around me and they never let me be alone. Before I became an actress, I would go for auditions with people, have coffee and come back, normal life, not very different from Delhi. Then after I became an actress, there were designers, ADs, people who roam around the whole day on the sets. They kind of open those doors for you. You get shocked with what is happening around you but you don’t show it. This is how your new life starts and it just takes over.
• You also got into some wrong relationships…
Well, when you get into a relationship it’s not wrong at that point of time and I won’t consider anything wrong with them. For me, I have been in two relationships till now, and both have been beautiful in their own way. It was I who was a random soul, and I still am. I still have so many things to learn in life. I am not a perfect person, nobody is perfect. So whatever experience one goes through is because of oneself.
• Did you at anytime realise that you were in relationship that you shouldn’t be in?
See, relationships are not that important in my life. I don’t feel any pressure to say that love means everything and blah blah! For me, I don’t think love is something which will make me complete. It’s who I am. I have something to prove and I have a strong urge to do certain things in life. And if I don’t do that, I will be a very unhappy person. I never gave that kind of priority to any relationship. If I would have done that I would have been in a happy relationship and an unhappy career. I am clear about my priorities now. People at times judge me. They say that she says her priority is her career and her ambitions… but that’s ok. I am not ashamed of the fact that it actually is.
Today I am done with dating. Now if I get into a relationship, it will be with a proper plan. Now I would want to be with a man with whom I can see a future and give it more time and energy. If I see a man turning into my husband in the near future then only will I go ahead with a relationship. This is what life or age does to you. You can preserve your innocence but at the same time you cannot deny the fact that you cannot sometimes take another chance with life.
• So that means you are not going to fall wildly in love now because you are first going to look into the husband aspect of it.
Yeah. That’s true actually; otherwise I have always fallen in love first and then seen the right and wrong of it.
• You are too young to reach this decision. At this age people are still having flings.
Yes, if you start little late. But I started too early. (laughs) I started at 16. (laughs loudly)
• Are you still edgy?
That’s a very difficult question because to explain who I was is very difficult even for me. I mean nobody knows who they really are. Right now, I am definitely not the person who I want to be. There is still a lot to achieve but I am also definitely not the person I hated to be. I am okay now, peaceful, but I want to be a better person in future. I am sure the better part of me is still to come.
• Who do you want to be?
I just want to be a person whose very presence makes people smile. I want to have positivity and grace as a woman. When I came here, I was a tomboy. Not even a tomboy, I was something between a guy and a girl. I want to be a nicer human being so that when I look at myself I should feel proud of myself. Right now I don’t feel proud of myself. Earlier I used to feel shit about me. Whatever I said, I did, everything was wrong. I would always say the wrong thing at the right time. Now I don’t do those things which make me hate myself. I don’t beat myself up everyday when I go home. I am peaceful. But I am not even the person who would be so proud of herself.
• Are you ever fake?
Yes, I sometimes say things for the sake of saying things. Like the most common thing that I would say, “How are you?” makes me feel so fake. I prefer to say, “Kaise hain aap?” that makes me realise what I am saying. When I say it, I do really mean, kaise hain aap? So I am watching myself.
• When you were in trouble at any point in your life, have you taken any favours from your friends?
I have never ever taken any favour from anyone in my life. I have never called up any friend to discuss my problems or ask them for solutions. I have really great friends who claim to stand by my side when I am in trouble. I have been in trouble but never had the courage to test them because if my time was already bad, I wouldn’t want one more shock. So I never really tested my friends.
• When you say you never had the courage, you mean you were scared that they would not be by your side?
I don’t know. I never had the courage to discuss my problems with people around. I have always shown the happier side of me and I will continue to do that. It’s not my friend’s duty or concern to help me out with my troubles. I think it’s unfair to do so.
The presence of friends makes me uncomfortable. It distracts me from the situation. It’s the same with my parents. Even in childhood when I was in trouble, I would lock myself up in my room and would not leave my room until I had solved the problem. I have a lot of faith in my strength but parents and friends get so weak and I just think handling them is much more difficult than handling the situation.
• How do you manage to look so different in every film? Is it deliberate?
Honestly, it is. It bores me to death to be the same because for me it’s a character that I have to get into. So I change everything that I can. So I kind of do the fun things so people are shocked but I don’t like myself looking the same all the time.
Sometimes it can be embarrassing. Recently, at the Paa premiere, one of my co-stars was treating me like a fan. It was only when I said, ‘I am Kangna,’ that he realised that it was me. It’s so embarrassing, we work together for 60 days and they don’t recognise me. It has happened with me a lot. When I was in theatre, my guru used to tell me that it is a blessing in disguise. At times he would give me a guy’s role. He said that you have a face which can be moulded into anything. But another thing that really matters is whether my hair is curly or straight. It changes me so much that sometimes I too wonder about the look. It’s very good for a double role though.
DEEPALI DHINGRA (BOMBAY TIMES; December 1, 2009)
When the going gets tough, the tough get going. And that’s exactly what Sonal Sehgal had to do, after waiting eons for her film Aashayein to release. The Nagesh Kukunoor film where she stars opposite John Abraham got delayed so much, that Sonal decided she could not wait any longer and signed her next film Radio. “It was six months after the music launch of Aashayein and I thought to myself that if I keep sitting at home, I’ll probably forget how to act!” she laughs. Of course, that doesn’t mean she isn’t disappointed about her first film being delayed so much. “It’s my first film, so it’s naturally very close to my heart. Plus it’s a beautiful story. When I asked Nagesh last when it would release, he said ‘soon’, so I’m waiting for that to happen soon,” she smiles. On the other hand, she’s a firm believer in destiny and believes that whatever has happened, has happened for the best. Says Sonal, “Since Aashayein got delayed, people don’t have any pre-conceived notions about me yet, and that’s why I was able to sign such diverse films as Radio and Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai.” Talk about Radio where she’s paired opposite Himesh Reshammiya and we can’t help but ask if she was advised against taking up the role by anyone. “If the director has such faith in Himesh, then who am I to judge?” she dodges the question diplomatically, and then laughs, “Anyway, I rarely listen to people’s advice. I want my success as well as failure to be credited to me alone,” she adds. But the actress is kicked about her role in the film. “It’s a contemporary look at relationships,” she says, adding that anyone who’s been in a relationship would identify with the film. “I play a girl who gets divorced from her husband but the habit of the relationship is hard to let go for her,” she explains her role. With so much work in her kitty, Sonal is glad that all the hard work and patience is finally paying off. “We make plans for our lives but God always has bigger, better plans for us,” she says with a smile.
Touchwood, we say!
Vijay V Singh | TNN (THE TIMES OF INDIA; November 13, 2009)
 |
| Shefali Zariwala outside the police station on Thursday |
Item girl Shefali Zariwala, who has appeared in dozens of music videos, including chartbuster Kaanta laga, indeed has been pricked by a sharp thorn — her estranged husband, Harmeet Gulzar. The starlet, a resident of Shastri Nagar, registered an FIR yesterday afternoon against the ‘Meet Brothers’ star at the Oshiwara police station.
“Zariwala holds a joint account with her husband in a well-known bank. According to her complaint, the two had a large row when he withdrew about Rs 12 lakh from the account. He even assaulted and abused her, which is what prompted such a drastic step,” said ACP Dilip Suryawanshi of the DN Nagar Division.
“We have registered a case under section 498A (Husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty) of the Indian Penal Code. We are yet to make any arrests in the case, but investigations are still on,” said DCP Zone IX, K M M Prasanna. The charge carries with it the potential for a three-year jail term.
Confirming the incident, Shefali said, “I can’t really speak about the matter as our divorce proceedings are still ongoing and the case is subjudice. But Harmeet did withdraw a large amount of money from the account without informing me. When I confronted him, he refused to give me an explanation.”
According to police, the 28-year-old performer has been suffering at the hands of her husband for quite some time. The distressed girl arrived at the Oshiwara police station wearing large sunglasses and a purple top, and spent several hours with police officials, who even allowed Shefali to park her car inside the police station, given her frame of mind.
The item girl, who holds an IT degree from Sardar Patel College of Engineering, Andheri, first shot to fame with the controversial Kaanta laga remix video, where she incited criticism for her attire and double entendres. She later starred in Mujse Shaadi Karogi (2004) along with Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar.Shefali, when talking to us, further added, “Something ticked off in my psyche that led me to take this extreme step. I was being extremely harassed, literally pushed to a wall.” When we contacted a good friend of Shefali, she threw some light on what this ‘something’ might be. “Shefali was concerned for the safety of her family, which was being threatened under the strained relationship. Crooks have to be taught a lesson,” she alleged.
 |
| Harmeet Gulzar |
TIMES NEWS NETWORK (BOMBAY TIMES; November 11, 2009)
A source from Vishal’s office admitted that the Bollywood filmmaker had cast the Malayalam actor in such a role. And, to do so, Vishal had to spend two days in Kerala chasing Mohanlal whose fan following there is legion. The Southie heavyweight, who was seen in Bollywood in Ram Gopal Varma’s Company and Aag, finally approved of Vishal’s script. Now the filmmaker is left with the task of casting six more heroes all of who will be wedded in his film to the gorgeous Priyanka. But, after signing on Mohanlal — a four-time National Award winner — that should be easy for Vishal.
Fenil’s Bollywood Talk # 64
Posted on: September 3, 2009
RENUKA SHAHANE TURNS DIRECTOR!
Everyone who has seen ‘Hum Aapke Hai Koun..!’ (HAHK) must be aware of this actor. In the film, she played Pooja, Prem’s (Salman Khan) elder sister who meets with a tragic death. Renuka Shahane had become very popular after this film. She also acted in some of the sitcoms earlier. Although she became a known face after HAHK, she wasn’t seen in many films. But now she’s back as a director. Her first film, a Marathi one, titled Rita, is all set to release tomorrow. Renuka Shahane is also there in the film along with Pallavi Joshi, Suhasini Mulay, Mohan Agashe and others. Jackie Shroff also has an important role in the film. Rita in fact is Jackie’s first Marathi film. Surprisingly, just last week, he was seen as a Punjabi farmer in Kisaan.
Rita is adapted from a Marathi novel Rita Welingkar written by the eminent critic Shanta Gokhale, who is also Renuka’s mother. One look at the promo of the film proves that Renuka has sensitively handled the film and will surely impress the audiences. Co-incindentally, women debut directors have fared exceptionally well this year. Zoya Akhtar’s Luck By Chance was a top-notch product while Firaaq by Nandita Das was one of the most impactful films of this year.
The reason why I wrote about this film is because Renuka Shahane stays just a minute away from my house! She used to stay there with her mother until she got married. She occasionally visits her mother but still, I haven’t seen her even once. But I had a chance to meet his husband, actor Ashutosh Rana. I remember the date quite well-it was Jan 5, 2003. My friend stays in the building opposite Renuka Shahane’s and both these buildings share a common compound. I and my friends were playing there when a car stopped outside the compound and Ashutosh Rana came out. He was dressed as a neta-it was the get-up for his film, maybe. He went straight to Renuka’s house. At that time, I didn’t even know that Renuka Shahane’s home is located there and that Rana is her husband! After my knowledge was updated about this, I and my pals decided to take his autograph. I quickly went to my house and got a diary. We all were too scared to press the bell of the house. Finally, I went ahead and did the needful. Renuka’s mother (Ashu’s mother-in-law Shanta Gokhale, who wrote the novel from where Rita is adapted) opened the door. I told her about our wish to take Ashutosh’s autograph. She smiled, pinched my cheeks and went inside to call the actor! He came out and was too glad to fulfill our wish!
From that day onwards, whenever I hear about Renuka Shahane or even Ashutosh Rana, this incident instantly comes to my mind!
—————————————
SHOB CHARITRO KALPONIK RELEASED
Just imagine-a Bipasha Basu film released last Friday and hardly anyone knows about it. The film in question is Shob Charitro Kalponik (SCK), a Bengali film by the well-known director Rituparno Ghosh. The film had created some hype ever since news spread that Bipasha will be seen in a Bengali film. Last I had heard was Bips’ voice is dubbed and that Big Pictures have backed the film.
The film got a good release in Kolkata. In Mumbai it was released only in 2 multiplexes, 1 show in each and both these multiplexes are in South Mumbai. It is shocking that a Bipasha Basu film got such hype-less release. English subtitles were also there and so even non-Bengali viewers would have surely come to see the film, provided the film was promoted well and adequate shows were organized in more multiplexes throughout the city.
4 years back, even Antar Mahal (AM), starring Abhishek Bachchan, Soha Ali Khan, Jackie Shroff and Raima Sen had released without any hype. But compared to SCK, AM had more number of shows. Critics had reviewed AM but in the case of SCK, I didnt see it’s single review in any newspaper. Maybe even the critics werent aware of its release! Very unfortunate!
- In: Interviews
- 1 Comment
 • Let’s start with your favourite decade, the 1970s. In 1970 you came from this extremely rich family and by 1971, they were paupers. How did this happen?
I was five years old in 1970 when my dad (actor-producer Kamran Khan) had a spate of hits. The films were not A-grade movies but he was doing very well in his own right. I remember we had the first Impala car. Sajid had just been born and I was this absolutely spoilt child. Then in 1971 he made a film called Aisa Bhi Hota Hai into which he put all his personal money and the film bombed on the opening Friday. I remember it because I had gone to the theatre on Friday very excitedly with my grandmother and the theatre was empty. By Monday people stopped coming to our house. It was like a funeral. Our house usually used to be full of people. But by Monday, it was empty. And then there were bad times for 15 years till 1985, when he died. It was a very hard time, especially for him. • What are the good things you remember? There are too many! I remember that everyday I had to go and buy a new record, by which I mean EPs or LPs. I was a spoilt child, so everyday, I was taken in the Impala car to Linking road, where there was this shop Twist and I would buy one. There used to be big parties in our house. Sanjeev Kumar, Jeetendra, Kalyanji bhai, Anandji bhai and people like that would attend. • And the bad times? The bad times lasted longer than the good times. And also I was much older then. I know it sounds very filmi, but like you saw in the 1970s’ films that things are being sold from the house… it was literally like that. The one time I was really upset was when my gramophone had to be sold. But that had to be done because there was no source of income. My father was a very proud man. The Impala was sold and he obviously wouldn’t travel by bus to go anywhere. So he would just be home, and then he started drinking. I think those were really bad times. • Does your confidence stem from an ‘I will show the world’ attitude? I am still very insecure if I have not made a particular amount of money in a month. After a point, our house was run day-to-day. The people in our building would use our flat to play cards in. They would remove a kitty, and it would be some 30 bucks for the entire day. And that would be used to buy the milk and the grocery. And if for some reason they didn’t play that day, then those 30 bucks were not there. I remember we used to run the house on 30 bucks a day. If all this had not happened to me I would not be who I am today. Maybe I would not have that determination to do something and be something in life. I remember in college I didn’t know what I wanted to do but I wanted to be somebody. There had to be something different about me. So I would probably go out of my way to make friends and please people. Maybe I took to dance because it made me feel special. I would go to a party or a social event and do my Michael Jackson moves and everybody would look at me. And I used to like that attention.
• How has all this experience and wisdom helped you in the show? When I was approached to do the show I knew it had to be a slice of life show. And it could not have been just another show where the stars come and plug their films or say all sorts of things that they themselves don’t believe in. It had to be something about their lives and which is very personal to them, something that nobody knows about them. Like do you know that the sexy glamourous Bipasha is the ghar ka beta. Some of her childhood experiences are quite amazing and she had tears in her eyes when she was speaking about it. • Having said that, tell me something about you that nobody knows. (Laughs) There are a lot of things that nobody knows and shouldn’t even know! I am a very domesticated housewife at heart. I listen to what my husband tells me. Not all the time, but I do respect what he says. Everyone thinks that I am this dominating creature and my poor husband must be henpecked but it’s completely the opposite. Whatever he says happens in the house, and how! I go outside and I shout and scream at people, but not in the house. In the house I’m a bheegi billi. • Give me an example of one thing he has said… • Is SRK the most important man in your life? He is one of the most important people in my life, regardless of man or woman. I think when you have babies; no one else stands a chance, not even the husband. The most important people in my life right now are Diva, Anya and Czar, then of course Shirish, Shah Rukh, Sajid. • How has Shirish (Kunder) influenced your style of filmmaking? I have become far more aesthetic. Even in editing. He is far more a visual director than I can ever hope to be. I am little boring on that front, I am a little straightforward. Jaanemann was far ahead of its time. I think if it would release today, the audience would be ready for it. Like a Kaminey today that you either love or hate. There is a certain audience today that has seen world cinema and is ready for this new age cinema. I think the story was a bit old fashioned but it was presented in a snazzy way. He learnt a lot from it. His new scripts are just fabulous. The way he thinks of constructing a scene is something I can’t think of. He just thinks out of the box. • You share a home and three kids, how much of your movies do you share. • Any surprises on the show? Lots. I didn’t know that Hrithik still does one hour of speech exercises every day. He is afraid that the stammer will come back if he doesn’t do it. Or the things he went through as a child. As a 10-year-old boy he would sit in his room for 36 hours and practice one line to tell his cook, that I want to eat this, without stammering. You get goose bumps when you hear all this. |
