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Posts tagged border
Sonu & Roop had tears in their eyes when they recorded Border song-Anu Malik
01 month ago
by Fenil Seta
in Interviews
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 22, 2013)
JP Dutta’s 1997 blockbuster, Border, is unforgettable as much for its recreation of the 1971 Battle of Longewala as it is for the heartwrenching song, Sandese Aate Hain.
Composer Anu Malik recalls Dutta and lyricist Javed Akhtar walking into his music room, locking the door, and informing him that Akhtar had penned a song they wanted him to set to music in a month’s time.
“Jaaved Saab had 20-odd sheets with him as he read a mix of prose and poetry without the typical antaras and mukhdas, and I remember thinking this would be one long song. Well, it turned out to be a 10.16 minute track.” reminisces Anu.
Even as Akhtar spoke, a tune played out in Anu’s head, and he began humming it. “The song was locked there and then,” he recalls, adding, “Later, Javed Saab even gave it in writing that talking about Anu’s talent was like lighting a cigarette in front of a volcano.”
The words: ‘Aye guzarnewali hawa zara mere doston, meri dulruba, meri maa ko mera pranaam de, unhe jaake tu yeh paigaam de, main vaapas aaoonga, phir apne gaon mein’, struck a chord, sparking off images of a young soldier at the border, urging the blowing wind to assure his mother, beloved, and friends that he would return home soon. “In the film, a blind Raakhee-ji rocking her chair, yearning to meet her son, made the bittersweet sorrow of parting – real,” Anu recounts.
In the number sung by Roop Kumar Rathod and Sonu Nigam, these lines were meant for More >
J P Dutta gets necessary govt permissions; all set to roll his next war film
01 month ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; April 3, 2013)
After two and a half years, J P Dutta has finally secured the required permission from the Ministry of Defence to roll his next war film. Ever since he made Border in 1997, the producer- director has been keen to tell the story of the wars that the country waged.
Says a source, “JP Saheb is back with the necessary green signals from the ministry on the sensitive subject as well as the locations. He has already done a recce of the various sites where the film will be shot along the border.”
His actress wife Bindiya Goswami who was in London cut short her trip and returned to Mumbai on hearing the news. As he was eagerly awaiting the government clearance, she was keen to be around to share his joy.
Dutta, known for his warbased subjects, has based his new film on the India- China war of 1962. He will be narrating his story through the eyes of the Param Vir Chakra winning war heroes.
Adds the source, “Now that the paperwork has been done, J P Saheb has begun ascertaining the cast. His office at Andheri is buzzing with several actors keen to be part of his film. Border had a huge line up of stars that included Sunny Deol, Akshaye Khanna, Sunil Shetty, Tabu and Pooja Bhatt. He is keen to have big names in his new film as well.” Dutta, whose last B-Town outing was Umrao Jaan with Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai in 2006 is better known for his desert-based films like Ghulami, Batwara and Refugee. He also has an emotional connect with More >
My mother is my queen; I don’t want to lose her-Sonu Nigam
02 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Interviews
Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; March 3, 2013)
Editor’s note: Sonu Nigam’s mother breathed her last in his arms on Feb 28th. This interview was conducted a few weeks before that, when his mother was seriously ailing. For Sonu, there was no bigger priority than looking after her and ever since she was seriously ill, he was always on tenterhooks accepting shows due to his insecurity of losing her in his absence.
Sonu Nigam, 39, is a combination of his talent and his father’s manifestation of his desire for his son to achieve what he was unable to. He sees the deep spiritual reflection of God in his parents whom he surrenders to. Over an hourlong conversation he talks to Bombay Times about his mother, his struggling years and why he will always miss Gulshan Kumar. Excerpts:
Let’s talk about your mother. For the last few months since she was unwell, I would just hold her hand and start crying. When I was a child, we lived on the second floor and I would get down my school bus and not go up till my mother came down and took me on her back and climbed up. She was a professional singer, but would also do all the household work and look after me. She is my queen. Recently, I made her sing with me on stage in one of the concerts in LA and I made her listen to that recording. Starting from the second half of last year, it has been a difficult period for me be it my mother’s health or complications in my personal life. I had no other escape other than my work. Before every show I would More >
Bharat Shah files case against J P Dutta
09 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
The film financer, who presented JP Dutta’s 1997 flick, has moved court against the filmmaker, alleging that his share of the profits hasn’t still been paid to him despite the passage of 15 years
Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 23, 2012)
He may be gung-ho about making Border 2 and 3, but the coast is far from clear for J P Dutta, who finds himself in a legal mess vis-à-vis film financer Bharat Shah. The presenter of Dutta’s 1997 film has filed a case against him in the High Court, alleging the producer-director is yet to pay Shah his share of the profits from Border.
Shah told Mirror, “I am fed up of Dutta turning a blind eye to my pleas for dues. I had no choice but to move the Court.”
He said, “I met Dutta several times in this connection. I even called him but he just doesn’t listen. Earlier, I had filed a case with the Association of Motion Pictures & Television Programme Producers (AMTPP) but to no avail. I hope that I get my money at least now.”
Asked how much Dutta owes him, Shah said, “It would be wrong for me to tell you the balance amount as the matter is subjudice. But I am really tired. And I hope that justice prevails. I wonder why so many people don’t pay in the film industry.”
Dutta remained unavailable for comment.
JP Dutta to shoot two sequels to Border
09 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Subhash K Jha (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 15, 2012)
JP Dutta, whose last film was Umrao Jaan in 2006, is ready with not one, but two projects back to back. Today, Independence Day marks a resurgence of patriotism for Dutta, who plans to shoot Border 2 and Border 3 one after the other.
Confirming the news, Dutta told Mirror, “I am working on both Border 2 and Border 3. But I can’t reveal much about them right now. I’ve to sort out certain vital issues before I can go public with my plans. But yes, it’s August 15 and I remember my late brother Deepak who was in the air force. All my war films are dedicated to him.”
A source close to the filmmaker however, revealed, “JP hasn’t directed a film in a long time. He had been struggling to put together two war epics – Border 2 and 3. Also, he lost his father P Dutta last year. Thus far, the senior Dutta had been writing all his films. With him gone, JP had to find his way through the lives of the many characters that will be a part of the two Border films. Each film is budgeted at approximately Rs 65 crore.”
A larger issue was acquiring the necessary permissions from the Ministry Of Defence.
Dutta’s close friend revealed, “He has been busy traveling to Delhi and meeting ministers and Defence officers for the last two years. JP needs to shoot the films in war sensitive areas. He will require army equipment. And thus the support of the Defence ministry was necessary. He’s finally got the approval.”
With everything in place, Dutta will More >
Suniel Shetty talks about his toughest scene
01 year ago
by Fenil Seta
in Interviews
MUMBAI MIRROR (May 4, 2012)
It was the peak of winter in Bikaner. And we were shooting in the middle of the desert. It felt like I was moving on ice. That’s how cold it was. And we were shooting alongside the Indian army. I was portraying the real life character. In JP Dutta’s Border, the scene when I fight a tank to death, has to be my toughest till date.
We were shooting with live bullets. A captain from the Indian Army taught us how to put the guns together, load them and then fire. In the scene, my gun gets jammed. It was actually a one take shot where I had to remove the coil of my LMG gun, reload it from the belt of bullets. And then fire the 240 bullets in one round. My fingers have never fired faster. The gun recoiled. It had a fantastic rhythm.
When I saw the tank in front of me, the expression on my face was very real. I had never felt as patriotic. And when you have such a patriotic feeling in your heart you forget that the temperature is sub zero. The sand was like cold water. Even the army refused to put their foot on the sand. They called us mad. In fact, one of them even commented that our job was perhaps tougher than theirs. Then came the bullets. I was hit by 10-12 bullets. Every time a bullet hit me, I had tears in my eyes. It was insane. I also had to slide down this slope full of cacti. There were two or three cameras rolling leaving very little room for error.
JP was clear about how he wanted the scene – an Indian soldier with a live bomb walking More >
The force of nature ruins shooting of Force
02 years ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Vipul Shah had to pack up his shoot in Kutch, where he was filming Force. Unseasonal rains played havoc with his schedule
Kunal M Shah (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 21, 2011)
Vipul Shah returned in a state of shock from Kutch. His plans to shoot Force were dashed when unseasonal rains played spoilt sport.
He was left with no option but to leave the location without shooting even a single frame.
A stricken Vipul Shah says, “We had to start shooting on the borders of Kutch from February 17. But it rained heavily on the 16th and everything went haywire.
The unit had already reached and these are white deserts. These are salt lakes so already they are damp. The mud levels are very high.
Locals and the military have warned us that we can’t shoot for another 20 days at least. There is also a constant fear of insects with so much muck around.”
The film, which is a remake of South film Kaakha Kaakha, is directed by Nishikant Kamath. It will now have to be shot only on sets as there is no other choice. Shah says, “So in the last two-three days we have busy making sets so that we can shoot some portions here.
The balance we will shoot later which we haven’t planned as yet. This is our plan B for now as we had never thought that unseasonal rains would send our schedule for a toss.”
When asked about the losses incurred, Shah says, “That I will know only after the schedule is complete.
The unit had reached Kutch and now we are back making three to four different More >
Sunny’s next is a love story
02 years ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
By Subhash K. Jha, September 27, 2010 – 11:01 IST
All izz not well for Tabu and Sunny Deol. Their once- impressive careers have hit a low patch lately. And to make it worse K.C. Bokadia has suddenly woken up with a long in-the-cans film Khuda Kasam. Earlier entitled The Challenge, the film was deemed as good as gone when it was miraculously revived.
When asked about it Tabu’s terse reply is, “It’s a film that was made 12 years ago.” Sunny and Tabu were a hit pair in J P Dutta’s Border. But pretty much a flop in their other films together namely Maa Tujhe Salaam, Jaal The Trap and Himmat.
Sunny defends the producer’s right to release his film as and when he wants. “It’s his money, and his film. He can release it when he wants. Who am I to object to it? People don’t realize how much effort goes into a film and how painful it is to let a film remain in the cans.”
However Sunny and Tabu are unlikely to be promoting Khuda Kasam in any way. Sunny Deol is going to be off action for a while. His next film is an out and out love story directed by Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru (of Lucky fame). Sunny pairs with Kangna Ranaut in the film. Says the last action hero, “There will be no stunts, no action this time. Sorry, if that disappoints my fans. This one is an out-and-out love story.”
Even the proposed action sequences that Sunny is about to shoot with his dad Dharmendra and brother Bobby for Samir Karnik’s Yamla Pagla Deewana will be comic in nature.
Just back from his More >