Posts tagged Vishal Bhardwaj

Emraan masters the art of disappearing in 5 days flat

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4 months ago
by Fenil Seta in

Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; January 14, 2013)

 

In Vishal Bhardwaj’s Ek Thi Daayan, Emraan Hashmi plays an illusionist. And in a particular scene the actor was required to perform a disappearing act. After rehearsing the act for five days, the actor mastered the performance.

To prep Emraan for the role, the unit called for help from professional illusionist Atul.

A source says, “We were shooting in Delhi at a theme park. We had a tight schedule but Emraan was keen to learn the act himself and then perform it under observation. We called Atul for help. Emraan learnt the trick in just five days. We were all surprised to see how well he learnt the tricks and shot the scene with ease.” The actor says he thoroughly enjoyed the act and adds, “I decided to learn a couple of tricks from the magician there to make my character look more convincing on screen. It required a great deal of patience but it was good fun.”

On bday, Imran takes a day off for the first time in 6 years

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4 months ago
by Fenil Seta in

Kunal M Shah (MID-DAY; January 14, 2013)

 

Turning 30 is always a big milestone in one’s life. And instead of partying, Imran Khan decided to take the day slow and have a quiet celebration at his residence.

Incidentally, the actor has always preferred to work on his birthday. Imran says, “It has been six years since I made my debut with Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na and I have never taken a holiday on my birthday. This was the first time I was free. I was on a two-day break where my phone was off and I celebrated the day with my close friends.” And apparently the only gift he wanted was to not do anything! The past year has been special too for the actor as he points out, “ I did just one film (Vishal Bhardwaj’s Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola) in the entire year. I was in a comfortable phase, which I really liked. I moved back into my family-home this year and it means a lot to me emotionally.”

Imran is pleased with the buzz around his last release at the ticket windows. He says, “I took a massive risk and that only thing I had wanted to do was to stand in front of an actor like Pankaj Kapur. As my director, Vishal has given me so much confidence.” Looking forward to his upcoming three projects, he says they will challenge him as an actor. “ One can’t plan the fate of any film and the only reason I choose a project is if I feel like I want to watch it myself.”

I am like any normal 24 year old-Anushka Sharma

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4 months ago
by Fenil Seta in

The actress on what makes her greedy, being ‘friends’ with the guys and the constant link-ups in her life

Kunal M Shah (MID-DAY; January 11, 2013)

 

She is just six-films-old, but Anushka Sharma has already worked with four top directors of her choice. She chats to us about why she is glad she didn’t sign a Vishal Bhardwaj film earlier in her career and being cool treated like a regular guy by her male friends…

You have been very selective about your films. I got a lot of offers after Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and most of them were of small town girls, which was not different from my character Taani. They didn’t excite me. I was very clear from day one. A lot of people came to me and advised me to sign lots of films. Six months after Rab Ne… I was sitting at home and it was obviously not easy, especially after you are launched in a big film as mine. And then Badmaash Company happened and it was completely different and I just went with my instincts.

What is your yardstick for selecting a film? In my first film itself I got the chance to act opposite Shah Rukh Khan. There were only two characters in the film and it was a great role. What I know is that I can act. My directors have shown faith in me and offered me roles that require great performance. And that is what I am greedy about.

Critics feel you are playing very similar roles in your films. In our industry, we have the habit of creating categories out of nothing… Yeh actor hot type ka hai and yeh actor aise type ka hai. More >

Vishal Bhardwaj set to face verdict for his first comedy film

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4 months ago
by Fenil Seta in

BOMBAY TIMES (January 11, 2013)

 

As the first big release of 2013, Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola (MKBKM), starring Imran Khan, Anushka Sharma and Pankaj Kapur, is generating a lot of curiosity. Apart from its chart-topping music and an interesting star cast (including Gulabo, the buffalo), MKBKM has a lot going for it.

This is director Vishal Bhardwaj’s first attempt at a full-blown comedy. Bhardwaj, whose earlier works include acclaimed, but serious films like Maqbool (2003), Omkara (2006), Kaminey (2009) and 7 Khoon Maaf (2011) has this time around decided to try his hand at a new genre. He has actually gone a little over the top, rather than just stick to his safe zone of making edgy cinema. The filmmaker told us that he chose Haryana as the backdrop for the film as the people there are poker-faced and have a strange sense of humour.

Says Vijay Singh, CEO, Fox Star Studios, “MKBKM is a film that we are really proud of. A massy comedy drama that is backed by solid performances by Imran, Anushka and Pankajji. The universal appeal of the film will be a pleasant surprise to Vishalji’s fans.”

It is not only the director who’s trying something new for the first time, the actors, too, have done things in ways different from what they are generally known for. For Imran Khan, this weekend is special because besides savouring the first hand report of MKBKM, the actor will also be celebrating his birthday and wedding anniversary.

Anushka, on the other hand, feels that till date she More >

Pankajji kept us on our toes-Imran Khan

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4 months ago
by Fenil Seta in

Aakansha Naval-Shetye (DNA; January 11, 2013)

 

Actor Imran Khan admits that transforming himself to play a Haryanvi rustic character in the Vishal Bhardwaj’s Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola that releases today was nothing less than a challenge. But the young star, who is sharing screen space with Pankaj Kapur for the first time in Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola, adds that working alongside the senior actor was more challenging and nothing less than an exercise in acting. “Pankajji’s spontaneity always kept us on our toes. During the workshops, he would make it all seem so simple, but on the sets he was electric. All we had to do was just react to his acting and he was so unpredictable at times, that we would automatically want to keep pushing ourselves to keep up to him. He would take one simple line to a completely new tangent. I think he’s an acting institution in his own right and every actor should work with him at least once. I was in awe of his performances,” says Imran. The actor however adds that while Pankaj would bring out the best in them, he would also be equally encouraging as a co-star. “He brings out the best in you, but also gives you space to evolve and grow. So, it was a double treat for me, working with Vishal and Pankajji in the same film,” says the star.

Why can’t govt’s anti-smoking disclaimer be more aesthetic?-Vishal Bhardwaj

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4 months ago
by Fenil Seta in

Bharati Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; January 9, 2013)

 

Filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj has criticised the Union health ministry’s anti-tobacco/anti-smoking disclaimer played at cinema halls. He says, “The disclaimer is so gross that it spoils your mood to watch a good film. The same message could’ve been conveyed more aesthetically; there was no reason to be so crude. The information and broadcasting ministry could’ve asked any of us to make a film, but I don’t think it questions anything that health ministry imposes on our industry.”

Bhardwaj, whose film Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola releases this Friday, has specially shot a small film to convey the anti-smoking/anti-tobacco message that will be played after the health ministry’s disclaimer. He says, “The song, written by Gulzar sahab, has been sung by some participants of a TV reality show.”

Vishal is even ready to shoot a disclaimer for the ministry. “I will do it for them. If not me, there are many directors like Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and Piyush Pandey, who will be more than willing to do it. We will do it sensitively with a message that will be more receptive and not repulsive.”

THE DISCLAIMER SONG WRITTEN BY GULZAR FOR VISHAL Cigarette ke dhue se dekho fefde jal javenge Khamakha umar ke thode saal gal javenge

GOVERNMENT RULE As per the government’s notification, owners of cinema halls screening Indian and foreign films have to show a 30-second anti-tobacco health spot in the beginning and middle of the film. If any theatre More >

Why Vishal Bhardwaj thanks Big B in Matru opening credits

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4 months ago
by Fenil Seta in

Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; January 6, 2013)

 

Vishal Bhardwaj has thanked Amitabh Bachchan in the opening credits of his upcoming film Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola. No, Bachchan hasn’t done a special appearance nor has he given a voice over. The reason, says a source, is that portions of the film have been shot in Rajkot, Gujarat. Bachchan, who is the brand ambassador for the state helped Bhardwaj get the permissions to shoot there, adds the source. A spokesperson confirms, “Bachchan has helped Bhardwaj and the later has shown his gratitude by thanking him in the opening credits.”

Matru & Bijlee represent the changing face of young India-Vishal Bhardwaj

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4 months ago
by Fenil Seta in

Vishal Bhardwaj talks about the characters in his film Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola

Parag Maniar (BOMBAY TIMES; January 5, 2013)

 

Unlike most youthcentric Bollywood films that project the current generation as carefree and unsure of their purpose in life, Vishal Bhardwaj has portrayed his characters — Matru (Imran Khan) and Bijlee (Anushka Sharma) — in Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola in a different light altogether. Bhardwaj feels that the youth today will not leave any stone unturned to bring about a social transformation as witnessed in the gangrape incident that happened in Delhi. Says the director, “Today, the youth are aware of the happenings around them and that is how I have projected Matru and Bijlee. See, living in a village like Mandola, one would stereotype them as typical village folks, but I have shown both my characters as well-educated individuals. Matru has studied law from a reputed university and though he has the option to take up a job in a big city, he chooses to return to his village. He dresses like the other villagers, speaks in Haryanvi and becomes one of them. He dares to take a stand against the oppressors rather than accepting it as a way of life.”

About Bijlee, Vishal adds, “Though she has completed her education from abroad, Bijlee chooses to contribute to society and the country at large. The common perception of a village girl is someone covered from head to toe and always sacrifices for others, but Anushka’s character is far from that. At the More >

Imran Khan to replace Shahid Kapoor in Kaminey 2?

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4 months ago
by Fenil Seta in

Asira Tarannum (MID-DAY; January 3, 2013)

 

With his double role, Shahid Kapoor became the toast of the town after Vishal Bhardwaj’s Kaminey. However, sources say that in the film’s sequel, it could be Imran Khan and not Sasha playing the lead role.

A source says, “During the making of their next film, Vishal seemed to have taken a shine for Imran. And now for his upcoming sequel, he could be casting Imran in place of Shahid.” In recent times, Vishal has been speaking rather ebulliently about his latest hero. The source adds, “He even went on to compare Imran with other actors he has worked with in the past, including Shahid and Saif Ali Khan.” Now, let’s wait and watch.

Positivity is my tool for survival here-Anushka Sharma

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4 months ago
by Fenil Seta in

Aakansha Naval-Shetye (DNA; January 3, 2013)

 

The last year ended on a high note for Anushka Sharma as she entered the Rs 100-crore league with the late filmmaker Yash Chopra’s Jab Tak Hai Jaan. Now, all eyes are once again rivetted on her as she gears up for her first release this year, Vishal Bhardwaj’s Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola, post which she will be seen in Anurag Kashyap’s Bombay Velvet followed by Rajkumar Hirani’s PK. Point out that in a short span of four years, Anushka has been working with filmmakers who are high on the priority list of most actors, and the actress quickly says, “I don’t pat myself on the back for it. I think it will all stop, if I do (laughs).” On a serious note, she adds, “There’s a lot of pressure here and actually this is what helps me deal with it. And it’s also how I overcome the negativity that tries to find its way into our lives. Each time something negative is spoken about me, or the pressures get too much, I remind myself that I am working with these intelligent, respectable filmmakers. That means I am doing something right. I ignore everything else and focus on work. This positivity is my tool for survival here.”

From being a Yash Chopra heroine to now being a Vishal Bhardwaj actor how’s the transformation been for her? “Well, so far I have played pretty straightforward simple characters, and playing those have been relatively easy. Vishal’s characters on the other hand are anything but simple. They are complex and layered, More >

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