Posts tagged Rajkumar Gupta
Vidya Balan to reveal Punjabi wardrobe of Ghanchakkar in exhibition
0Asira Tarannum (MID-DAY; March 11, 2013)
Vidya Balan is often mocked for her reluctance to shed her one-dimensional style statement. However, this perception is bound to take a beating with her upcoming film. Her look in Ghanchakkar is apparently different from what she’s done till date and she’ll be allowing a glimpse of it in a photo exhibition.
The actress is quite popular for her own brand of fashion as she was often spotted wearing six-yard sarees not only in her last few movies but also social dos.
Perhaps that was history. As of now, an image makeover is in the making with the Tambrahm playing a loud Punjabi housewife in her next. She will be seen in dark bright colour shalwar kurtis.
Fittingly enough, the producers of the film are looking to have an exhibition of her looks through her clothes. “All the clothes that she has worn will be put out for display post the post and trailer launch of the film which is slated to happen by the end of the month,” says a source.
Writer-director Rajkumar Gupta says, “Vidya’s looks are something to watch out for. No wonder we have an extensive promotional campaign around her looks!”
It’d be interesting to note whether Vidya decides to continue with the ‘north Indian’ look even after the film releases.
61 Indian directors to interact with Steven Spielberg
0Jigar Shah (MID-DAY; March 11, 2013)
It’s almost impossible to not know who Steven Spielberg is. And for some lucky Indian directors, the dream of meeting and knowing him better is about to come true. Turns out the celebrated Hollywood filmmaker will be interacting with about 60 personalities from Indian cinema and share tips on filmmaking.
Spielberg, who is known for films like Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, ET, Jaws and Jurassic Park, is making his maiden trip to India. This development is a direct result of his association with Anil Ambani. The industrialist’s entertainment production house has a tie-up with the American’s film studio. In fact they both produced the much-acclaimed Lincoln, amongst other films. Fittingly enough, a special party in his honour has been organised on the March 12 where Spielberg shall be meeting the who’s who of Indian film industry.
What’s more interesting about this event is that Spielberg would be having an interactive session with a room full of directors from the country who have already confirmed their presence. A well-placed source says, “It can easily be called as master class session wherein Steven Spielberg will be imparting knowledge to Indian directors and would be learning from them as well and the list includes the biggest of names like Rajkumar Hirani, Anurag Kashyap, Farhan Akhtar, Zoya Akhtar, Abhishek Kapoor, Habib Faisal, Ram Gopal Varma, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Farah Khan to name a few.”
And the invitation goes More >
Emraan Hashmi to dance to Mithun’s hit songs in Ghanchakkar
0Subhash K Jha (DNA; February 28, 2013)
In Rajkumar Gupta’s next film Emraan Hashmi, who plays a lock-picker-thief, is a fan of the 1980s star Mithun Chakbraborty. He will be seen dressing, talking and dancing like him. The director, himself a fan of Mithunda, is going all-out to ensure that Emraan’s fanboy act is convincing.
In Ghanchakkar the serial-kisser star takes a break from his ceaseless smooching spree to let Vidya Balan be (not nice to kiss the producer’s wife, no?). Instead Emraan will be focusing on his deep love for Mithunda as the actor is fondly called. Emraan’s Mithun act would include a gyration festival where he would dance and shake to some of Mithun’s most beloved songs including I Am A Disco Dancer and Yaad Aa Raha Hai Tera Pyar. A source informs, Emraan would undergo rehearsals to get the veteran’s signature steps correctly. Says director Rajkumar Gupta, “Emraan plays a fan of Bollywood cinema, particularly Mithun. We are planning something major to cement Emraan’s character’s bonding with Mithunda. But it’s too early to talk about it.” Gupta is deeply impressed by Emraan’s dedication to get the part right. “He has left no stone unturned to ensure his role is convincing.”
About the Mithun act Gupta says, “I grew up gazing at the big screen in my hometown in Jharkhand. People all around me clapped whistled and threw coins on the screen as Mithunda danced. This is my tribute to my growing-up years.”
We have good reason to believe that Mithun might even More >
It is like selecting your best eye-Vidya Balan
0Vidya Balan on picking her favourite film and working yet again with Emraan Hashmi as well as Rajkumar Gupta
Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; February 4, 2013)
Right after tying the knot with Siddharth Roy Kapur, Vidya Balan took her customary days off to soak in the wedded bliss. But like every professional, Vidya is back to work, finishing her schedule for Rajkumar Gupta’s next and now waiting to start work on her film with Farhan Akhtar. All this while scooping up several awards for her last release Kahaani…
Do you feel awards increase expectations and responsibility? No, I treat every film differently and every performance is different for me. Though I want all of them to do well. It is like selecting your best eye. You ask yourself which one is more beautiful? I fortunately got to work with good directors and found memorable roles. It is a very special feeling to receive appreciation for what you have done and go back home with trophies in your hands.
Apart from you, which other actress’ work did you appreciate last year? Undoubtedly Sridevi! It was an honour for me to get nominated along with her. In fact I loved Priyanka Chopra too in Barfi! I think she was unbelievable in the film and I just adored her. Hope God blesses her. As far as Sridevi is concerned, I have been her fan since Mr India. She is a versatile actress. She lights up every frame with her aura. I really don’t know how she manages to do that.
You have done one more film, Ghanchakkar, with Emraan Hashmi. More >
Filmmakers attempt to fight back the fans-turned-paparazzi
0Mehul S Thakkar (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 10, 2012)
In a country obsessed with its films and film stars, shooting outdoors is increasingly becoming risky. And it’s not just the actors’ security that’s threatened. With a rise in social networking platforms and fans-turned-paparazzi, filmmakers are faced with a new problem – guarding the look and feel of their project. For films, especially those that promise an ‘image makeover’ for its protagonist, the ‘leaked’ images and videos that go viral, is a serious marketing threat today. And Rohit Shetty’s Chennai Express, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone is the latest victim of the ‘fans-turned-paparazzi’ trend. We speak to filmmakers who are desperate for a solution – be it shooting abroad, increasing security budget or altering the guidelines for an on-location shoot.
Vikram Malhotra, the CEO of Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, told us how this unchecked leaking of a film’s look could be disastrous from the commercial point of view. “Crores are spent on the marketing campaign of a film. The first look of a project is very crucial. It can’t be taken lightly,” he said. For instance the production house’s thriller that released early this year, Kahaani was shot in Kolkata. “We were extremely careful about Vidya’s (Balan, the protagonist) look not being revealed,” he told us. Even then, pictures of a heavily pregnant Vidya made its way to the Internet, even before the film’s shoot got over.
So, is shooting abroad the answer? More >
I feel like a vampire shooting nonstop in the night-Emraan Hashmi
0After working non-stop night shifts for the past three months, Emraan Hashmi cringed at the first sight of daylight
Shakti Shetty (MID-DAY; December 7, 2012)
The recent Twilight installment might have pleased its myriad fans but Emraan Hashmi certainly wasn’t one of them. But the actor can relate to some of the characters in the film in a better way now. Turns out the actor had been working non- stop for the past 90 days on nocturnal shifts that put his normal life off balance.
His recent professional high seems to be coming with its fair share of troubles — not to mention, harm to the natural body clock! And as if working on three films at the same time wasn’t tiring enough, his schedule required him to shoot during nighttime as well. One of these three projects in the making is Rajkumar Gupta’s Ghanchakkar for which he’s teaming up with Vidya Balan for the second time.
The other two are Rensil D’Silva’s Ungli and Vishal Bhardwaj’s Ek Thi Daayan.
And thanks to this line- up, Emraan felt rather uncomfortable when he got a day off recently after quite a long time. “He hadn’t seen daylight at all for the past 80- 90 days. As a result, after finding a free day to spend, facing the sunlight was an awful experience. The brightness was too much for him to handle. He ended up staying indoors throughout the day,” says a source close to the star.
Emraan however plays down the incident and says it’s part and parcel of his professional life. “I almost feel like a vampire shooting More >
‘Silent’ Emraan Hashmi shoots for Karan Johar’s Ungli?
0He lost his voice during Ghanchakkar but shot with Dutt
Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 5, 2012)
Losing his voice while shooting for one film couldn’t keep Emraan Hashmi away from the other, especially as it happened to be a Karan Johar project.
Four days ago, during the filming of Rajkumar Gupta’s Ghanchakkar, Emraan had to scream from atop a railway train. After returning home, he realised his throat was hurting badly. It got worse and for the next three days, the actor could barely speak. However, yesterday, he had to shoot for Karan Johar’s Ungli being directed by Rensil D’Silva, considering it was a combined shoot alongside Sanjay Dutt and the dates had been pre-adjusted accordingly.
Yesterday, a source close to the actor told Mirror, “The last three days have been terrible for Emraan. The doctor has been visiting him but the medicines have taken their own time. He has terrible throat pain but he had to go for KJo’s shoot.”
But how did he manage to deliver his lines in such a condition? “Sanjay was delivering his dialogues loudly but Emraan, who was in the same frame, could hardly be heard. Of course, he will later dub for and rectify the scene. But the shoot was tiring and even now, things aren’t looking good,” the source said.
Emraan remained unavailable for comment.
Vidya Balan falls ill on the sets of Ghanchakkar
0An ill Vidya Balan called for medical help on the sets of her upcoming film to save time on visiting a hospital
Jigar Shah (MID-DAY; September 4, 2012)
Last time when Vidya Balan fell ill on a film set, she had to be hospitalised. On the sets of Rajkumar Gupta’s Ghanchakkar, she was once again taken ill. However, instead of going the hospital way again, Vidya decided to get a doctor on call to make sure precious time was not wasted.
Our source says, “When Vidya got sick while shooting for The Dirty Picture, she was admitted to a Bandra hospital. This time she was shooting in Trombay when she fell sick on the sets. She was suffering from fever and weakness. However, she didn’t want to cancel even a day’s shoot.”
Instead a doctor was summoned on the sets where he stayed for two days in a row. The source says, “The doctor made sure her situation didn’t go out of hand.” The actress is said to have now recuperated from her illness.
Vidya Balan is back in Chembur
0Vidya Balan has temporarily shifted to her former home to cut down on her travel time from Khar to Trombay where the ongoing schedule of Ghanchakkar is being shot
Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 11, 2012)
Earlier this week, Mirror met up with Vidya Balan on the sets of her next film, Studio Disney UTV’s Ghanchakkar, at Essel Studios, Trombay. Sometime during the shoot, we overheard the actress telling director Rajkumar Gupta she was very happy being in the area, especially since it is closer to Chembur, where she stayed before shifting residence to Khar two years ago.
At the time, we never imagined Vidya was planning to once again move bag and baggage to her old bungalow in Chembur that is near the Ambedkar Garden area. And that’s exactly what she did, yesterday afternoon, as we can now tell you.
Explaining why Vidya moved back to her old house, a friend of the actress told Mirror, “Vids (as she is fondly called) was finding it extremely difficult to commute from Khar to Trombay. On most days of her shoot till now, she got stuck in big traffic jams in Sion and Dharavi. One day, it struck her, ‘Why not shift for a month or so to Chembur till the end of the film’s ongoing schedule?’ She had a word with her parents and they were game for it.”
While Vidya remained unavailable for comment, Manish Hariprasad, Creative Director, Studios Disney UTV, said, “Vidya has temporarily shifted to Chembur. We are shooting for a month at Essel Studio, which is around More >