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Posts tagged agent vinod
My brain works 10 times faster when I write lyrics to tunes-Amitabh Bhattacharya
03 weeks ago
by Fenil Seta
in Interviews
He may have forsaken his singing dream, but Bollywood’s most sought-after lyricist is certainly on a song. Amitabh Bhattacharya on having his biskut and eating it too
Anand Holla (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 28, 2013)
Five years ago, late into the night at his Juhu studio, composer Amit Trivedi asked his friend and reluctant lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya to record a scratch. It was for Dev.D’s now iconic track Emosanal Attyachar, which Bhattacharya had scribbled a few hours ago at a Lokhandwala coffee shop. Since it was to be picturised on two archetypal brass band front-men who sing with touching sincerity but sound unintentionally funny, Bhattacharya sang an over-the-top “Shabbir Kumar-Mohammad Aziz kind of version.”
The following morning, director Anurag Kashyap, in a flash of eccentricity, insisted on retaining both his and Trivedi’s voices. Bhattacharya fell off his chair. “I thought I had blown my eight-year-long struggle to be a singer over one glorious spoof. My first song sounded ready to destroy my playback singing dream,” laughs Bhattacharya, when we meet at his sister’s Andheri residence. He says he convinced Kashyap to give singing credits to the fictitious ‘BandMaster Rangeela and Rasila’ instead. Although, by then, Bhattacharya had almost given up his playback singing aspirations, he was unable to see how fate had planned it out for him.
Fourteen years ago, he, like all strugglers, left his Lucknow home for Mumbai. Soon enough, he was queuing up outside music More >
After Agent Vinod’s debacle, Saif wants to play it safe
03 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Aakanksha Naval-Shetye (DNA; February 19, 2013)
Saif Ali Khan, who’s admitted to being heartbroken with the fate of his production Agent Vinod at the box-office, revealed that he now intends to play it safe when it comes to his filmi outings. “As an actor I want to focus more on commercial entertainers, films that are massy and not very niche. That’s the space the audience seems to accept me in the best. So as much as I would like to, I think I’ll stay off the niche fare for a while. It will be a compromise, but that’s the price,” says Saif on the heels of his film Race 2 catapulting him into the Rs 100 crore club. However, Saif is ready to take risks when it comes to his production house. “I don’t think I will be starring in any of my productions any time soon. I want to make a lot of smaller movies with other people and I’ll probably launch a new face, give lesser-known talent a chance through my productions,” he adds. “The idea,” he shares, “is to find that balance in doing commercial fare as an actor that may or may not agree with my sensibilities and at the same time find creative satisfaction through the films that I produce which won’t necessarily toe the safe line.” Apart from working on Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Bullet Raja the actor is busy with his production Go, Goa, Gone at present.
Elena Kazan does a Meena Kumar in John Day
04 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Shakti Shetty (MID-DAY; January 16, 2013)
Meena Kumari has inspired many actresses and the latest to join the bandwagon is Elena Kazan. The Bollywood newbie with German- Russian roots is apparently inspired by the well- known actress’ act in Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam to get the nuances of a drunkard right.
Elena, who made her debut with Agent Vinod, will be seen next opposite Randeep Hooda in Solomon Ahishor’s John Day.
Her character in the film is of a depressed Iranian girl who takes respite in alcohol. And turns out she had seen Guru Dutt’s 1962 classic during her stay in United States where she used to rent a lot of Hindi film DVDs. That’s also when she happened to pick up the language as well.
On being contacted, Elena says she wanted to go back and watch the film once again and that’s exactly what she did. “ When this particular role came my way, I went back to the film to get into the character. I don’t think I can copy her but she inspires me a lot,” adds Elena.
Tipple trouble
Once considered an arena exclusive to male actors, more and more actresses are seen swigging away on the big screen nowadays.
Here’s a list of some of those in recent times…
VIDYA BALAN (The Dirty Picture): Vids not only got drunk but also smoked in this National Award- winning film. The character she portrayed fights depression and the liquor only made things worse for her.
KAREENA KAPOOR (3 Idiots): Bebo enters Aamir Khan’s room in Bollywood highest grossing film of all time and expresses her More >
Pataudi Nawabs are not debauched, fat guys who watch Mujras-Saif Ali Khan
05 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Interviews
Meena Iyer (BOMBAY TIMES; December 21, 2012)
Saif Ali Khan, the 42-year-old Nawab of Pataudi, says his calling card even today is that he is a Bollywood actor. Post the success of Cocktail and his marriage to Kareena Kapoor, he’s in a superhappy place in his career. Here are excerpts from a chat with the actor, who also happens to be a royal….
It’s most uncharacteristic that you are doing films back-to-back. Are you making up for lost time? There are no rules in showbiz. Even if you don’t work for a year, it’s fine as long as you know your job. Earlier, we used to feel that if you didn’t do a certain amount of work within a stipulated time frame, it’s wrong. But then, you realise there need not be any fixed pattern. I took almost a 10-month sabbatical of sorts, because I had to sort things out in my personal life. I was more interested in that side of my life then. Now, I will do at least three movies a year.
You admit that you are in a happy space personally and professionally… Yes, I have managed to compartmentalize my life. When I’m working, I’m working. When I need to go out and meet people, I do that. I enjoy coming home after work and collecting art to do up my home. I find it all coming together quite well. And I can see my parents’ genes in me. I have a sense of who I am and unless something terrible happens, I see a good future. It is all great, touch wood.
Is Kareena responsible for this change? No and yes. Personally, she gives me that sense of well-being. More >
Tashan bombed but it gave me 2 hits: Size 0 & Saif-Kareena Kapoor
05 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Interviews
Kareena discusses flirting with Saif and her love of lace lingerie in her just-launched book
MUMBAI MIRROR (December 17, 2012)
DOWN TO SIZE ZERO In 2007, my life changed forever. I signed on Tashan, a fullon glamorous masala movie, with two of the hottest and fittest actors around: Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan. And me, rising out of the sea like a Bond girl, wearing nothing but a green bikini (…) I had nightmares of how my love handles would be on display for the whole world to see (…) Rujuta (Diwekar, fitness consultant) stormed into my life like a whirlwind. We met and chatted for a bit, and I signed up for her weight-loss programme. The next thing I knew, she was in my house, discarding my stash of banana chips, chocolates and french fries. Even my secret loot hidden on the top shelf (…)
But oh my God, the first class was pure torture. Yoga may look peaceful and calming, but even Arnold Schwarzenegger would have trouble breathing after twenty surya namaskars in a row. Payal (Gidwani, yoga consultant) had to physically lift my legs into the asanas and help me balance because I felt so heavy (…)
I shot the now-famous bikini scene and I must admit I was a bundle of nerves! But soon the shot was ready, the film was complete and the promos hit the screen. The very next day my photos were all over every newspaper, magazine, TV channel and website. And everybody seemed to love the new me! It felt like the whole nation was tuned in to my weighing scale, and they were More >
Nowhere close to my real potential; will be there soon-Adil Hussain
05 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Despite a recent slew of highprofile films, Adil Hussain insists that he’s yet to arrive
Shakti Shetty (MID-DAY; December 5, 2012)
Adil Hussain initially got noticed in Ishqiya and was next seen in Agent Vinod playing a rather minor role. Then he portrayed Sridevi’s husband in her comeback film English Vinglish. He continued the spousal act with Tabu in Life of Pi. Adil will be next seen in Mira Nair’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist. However, the Assamese actor feels he has done nothing exceptional in any of the aforementioned movies and that his best is yet to come.
“I am nowhere close to my real potential but am sure I will be there very soon,” he says. Nonetheless, the Delhi-based actor admits to getting better offers than ever before. “I try to see if the script and situations are challenging enough. I stay away from one-dimensional roles as I often ask myself – is the role worth exploring or is the director exciting? There are so many elements I look into now,” he adds.
The 49-year-old is currently shooting in Assam for a local film and is looking forward to the release of two of his projects from the so-called parallel cinema. On being asked how come north-easterners are almost absent in Bollywood, Adil gives a convincing explanation. “The north east is a huge area with an extraordinary mix of languages. And to get out of that vernacular influence on Hindi is quite difficult. So in my opinion, our poor diction betrays us. On the other hand, you’ll find Assamese people More >
I love men, but women are special-Iram Parveen Bilal
05 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Interviews
Pakistani director Iram Parveen Bilal’s hard-hitting film Josh is creating quite a buzz. The Gemini woman talks about life, love and her favourite place — Bollywood
Sudeshna Chatterjee (TIMES LIFE; December 3, 2012)
HER kajal-laced eyes catch your attention in a second. The large shell neckpiece, silver anklets and bright long kurta give you the impression that Pakistani director Iram Parveen Bilal likes to make an impact — whether it’s with her attire, shiny ornaments or the hard-hitting subject of her first independent fulllength feature film Josh-Against the Grain (about the arduous journey of a young Muslim woman school teacher, in quest to uncover the truth behind her house help’s disappearance).
What does your name mean? It’s become famous in India after director Sriram Raghavan used it as Kareena Kapoor’s screen name in Agent Vinod… Iram means heaven. I was born in the US, where there is a rule to have a second name. So, my mother put hers. I met Shriram in Los Angeles in 2008. He liked the sound of my name and decided to use it in his film.
Where were you raised? Primarily in Pakistan and Nigeria. My parents never stopped me from doing something just because I was a woman. When I wanted to become a filmmaker, my folks did express some concern, but not about me being a woman or choosing a path which is still not given much respect in Pakistan. They were worried whether I could earn enough to pay my bills (laughs).
Would you call yourself a feminist? I am not a More >
Ram Kapoor on films and whether he’s quitting Bade Acche Lagte Hai
05 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Interviews
The actor who has several films lined up next year talks about his balancing act, reveals he has another film with wife Gautami
Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; November 30, 2012)
News is that you are quitting Bade Acche Lagte Hai for films. Is that true? I have been shuffling between films and TV ever since the show started two years ago. I have shot for Agent Vinod, Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu, Student of the Year (SOTY) and haven’t had any date problems. I am very attached to Bade Acche Lagte Hai. Other than that I cannot comment anything on it. Yes, life is a little bit of a challenge for me right now, but hard work never killed anyone.
The serial started off with a bang, then went through a lull, a leap etc. What is your take on it? Nobody expected it to start off with such a bang and be received so well so quickly. We knew we are doing something good but to get this response was fantastic. A serial is not like a film with a definite beginning, middle and end. Yes, there were ups and downs but both Sakshi (Tanwar) and I are very experienced and prepared for it. I am happy that it is still the channel leader with a big margin.
You are a big name in TV but in films you are playing insignificant roles… I am very happy with the films I am getting. I am working with filmmakers every actor wants to work with. I entered films as a character actor and made a list of filmmakers I want to work with. I am climbing the ladder slowly. Take any actor Boman Irani or Irrfan Khan, they reached where More >