Posts tagged physicality

Kangna Ranaut goes international

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2 years ago
by Fenil Seta in

The actress will play a key role in Deepa Mehta’s Midnight’s Children

Subhash K Jha (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 10, 2010)

Kangna Ranaut will join the ranks of Freida Pinto and Aishwarya Rai with Deepa Mehta’s adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s celebrated novel Midnight’s Children.

Kangna has been chosen to play a character called Emerald. Described in Rushdie’s book as pretty and cryptic, Emerald was one of the toughest and easiest roles to cast for Deepa. Tough, because the character’s physicality and emotional graph is so precisely described in the novel that it could only be played by a specific kind of actress.

The role became easy to cast when Deepa Mehta saw Kangna in Anurag Basu’s Gangster. She immediaitely knew this was her Emerald.

As Deepa told a friend, “There were second and third choices for other characters. For Emerald I only wanted Kangna.” Kangna will play a character married to a Pakistani politician observing the rise and fall of leaders and dreamers from the fringes. The role requires a silently eloquent actress.

Immediately after zeroing in on her choice in Toronto Deepa got in touch with a friend in India who put her on to Kangna.

Next year Kangna  joins such seasoned stalwarts as Shabana Azmi, Seema Biswas and Nandita Das in the shooting of Deepa’s Midnight’s Children. While the director has worked  more than once with the other actresses Kangna will be a  first for Deepa.

Speaking on the matter from Toronto Deepa says, “Yes, More >

Atul Kulkarni-Flexing his feminine side

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3 years ago
by Fenil Seta in

By Vishwas Kulkarni (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 31, 2010)

// // // He is currently the toast of Marathi cinema for his critically-acclaimed role in Natrang, a smash Marathi indie about the trials and tribulations of a tamasha nachya.

An impoverished day labourer, who doubles up as an amateur wrestler, transforms from being the village pehelwan to a nachya, the stock effeminate comedian in a tamasha troupe.

The film chronicles the artiste’s anguished journey from prejudice to popular acclaim. The success of Natrang has suddenly created a buzz around the world of Marathi cinema. Competing with biggies such as Avatar and 3 Idiots, both monstrous blockbusters, Natrang has become a case study for a successful Marathi flick.

From one screening a day on Day One to two screenings a day on Day Two, to three screenings a day on Day Three at Eros, the film has reached a far wider audience than anticipated; in fact after almost a month’s run it is even coming out with subtitled prints. And its lead actor Atul Kulkarni has been happy to host trails for the latest feather in his cap.

Excerpts from an interview:

How did you accept this role?

I have a simple rule. I usually respond to the script. When I initially received the bound screenplay (an entire entourage starring Nikhil Sane from Zee Talkies, director Ravi Jadhav, the producer, the cinematographer, landed up at my house to convince me, something I found very touching). But I still had to get into the idea. On reading the More >

Bollywood folks pick the worst film of 2009

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3 years ago
by Fenil Seta in

By Joginder Tuteja, December 31, 2009 – 16:43 IST

Yesterday, we went across the B-town and found that 3 Idiots was the unanimous choice when it came to the best that 2009 had to offer. The closest contender was Paa while Avatar led from the front when it came to Hollywood flicks. However, it was quite a divided opinion when it came to the worst of 2009. Quite a few names popped up, some big (Delhi 6, Chandni Chowk To China), some small (Dil Bole Hadippa), some relatively unknown (Videsh – Heaven on Earth, Victory) and a few completely irrelevant (Deshdrohi). There was also an emotional angle involved with a filmmaker or two criticizing their own effort (Sikandar). Read on:

Ramesh Taurani – Victory, which came at the beginning of the year, stays on to be the worst film of 2009 for me.

Shirish Kunder – (Smiles) Yes, there is one movie which is really the worst for me. Still, I can’t name it since it’s been made by people known to me!

Kalki – Worst of the year was Billu (Barber) because it was just a series of music videos and nothing else.

Sajid Khan – Worst movie of the year was Delhi 6. Really, I had a lot of expectations from the film but it turned out to be such a disappointing fare.

Hasnain Hyderabadwaala – The worst film of 2009 is Dil Bole Hadippa. Really, what were the makers thinking? Audiences were taken for granted that the protagonist out there won’t be able to differentiate between a girl and a boy despite a different physicality and voice.

Jagmohan Mundhra – More >

Injured Madhavan shot for 3 Idiots

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3 years ago
by Fenil Seta in
Madhavan is shown wearing a knee protection bandage (circled) in 3 Idiots as he actually injured himself while playing badminton. He had decided to follow Aamir Khan’s fitness regime to look young in the film By Subhash K Jha (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 02, 2009)

While Sharman Joshi didn’t  have to work  that hard on  looking  like a 22-year-old in Raj Kumar Hirani’s  3 Idiots,  Aamir Khan and Madhavan, one above 40 and the other  in his late  30s,  had to  work really hard to  look like young IIT students.

Things were bound to be slightly more difficult for Madhavan as he had to first fight one of his most niggling health concern- his weight, especially on his face. But, following Aamir’s footsteps made things easier for Madhavan. As Aamir had decided  to  play bandminton  to stay youthful and fit, Madhavan decided to follow suit to keep his weight in check.

Madhavan says, “The fact that we shot at the Bangalore IIT really helped. Once we  went into an actual institute, Aamir, Sharman and I immediately began to feel like students. Age was never an issue because I got the role after an audition. Once  I fit in,   no one  was looking at my passport to check my age.  As  for  the rest, including the  physicality, once we  got into the IIT  everything else followed. Incidentally, I’ve studied in an institution similar  to  the IIT. I know that life.”

Most worried about his chubby face, Madhavan says, “I tend to put on weight on my face. I had to take care  of More >

"Ranbir-Konkona is a pair that no one would imagine" – Ayan Mukerji

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3 years ago
by Fenil Seta in

By Subhash K. Jha, August 26, 2009 – 12:20 IST

Ayan Mukerji’s film has been flashed in the first blurbs as the story of a younger handsome man and an older not-so-good-looking woman. Ayan is appalled. And not only because his leading lady Konkona has not taken kindly to this description at all.

“I don’t know where that came from. All I can tell you is that this marketing pitch didn’t come from me or Karan. You think I’d dare to call my heroine who I think is awesome, not good-looking?,” Ayan asks angrily. And then without waiting for a reply continues, “It came from a Facebook Wake Up Sid fan club started on the website. Someone just saw Ranbir and Konkona together and decided to draw their own conclusions on their physicality. To me, Konkona is at the moment the most gorgeous woman I’ve met. In fact my last shot was with her, and I just couldn’t stop gawking.”

So is Wake Up Sid about an older woman in love with a younger man? Ayan hems and haws and then relents. “Yes, Konkona’s character Aisha is a few years older than the guy. But it’s not Summer Of 42, please! Nor is the age-difference concealed here as it was between Ranbir and Bipasha in Bachna Ae Haseeno. What happened was we wrote in the age difference because I wanted only these two to be in my film. When I saw Ranbir in Saawariya, I knew this was my Sid. He was young energetic and hungry to seize life. He was like me. You’ve to admit Ranbir and Konkona together are a pair that no one would imagine. I liked that More >

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