Posts tagged Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Directors who got second chance post forgettable debut

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1 month ago
by Fenil Seta in

Krutika Behrawala (BOMBAY TIMES; May 18, 2013)

 

In an industry where second chances are difficult to come by, 2013 sees several Bollywood directors re-surfacing post their forgettable debut at the box office. Though they may have taken more time to work on their next release than their successful counterparts, these directors enjoy the backing of A-list production houses as well as popular actors. Will they be able to stand the litmus test at the box-office second time around?

RENSIL D’SILVA

Debut debacle: After working on scripts like Aks and Rang De Basanti, Rensil D’Silva made his directorial debut in 2009 with the Saif Ali Khan-Kareena Kapoor starrer Kurbaan. Though surrounded by a lot of hype, this film was declared a dud by the trade on its release.

Re-launch route: Four years later, D’Silva returns to wield the megaphone for Dharma Productions’ Ungli starring Emraan Hashmi, slated for a September release.

VIJAY KRISHNA ACHARYA

Debut debacle: Known in social circles as Victor, Vijay Krishna Acharya is the writer of the successful Dhoom series. But he could not garner the same kind of response for his directorial venture, Tashan (2008).

Re-launch route: Five years later, Acharya is finally directing his second venture, Aamir Khan starrer Dhoom 3 that is scheduled to release this December.

ANTHONY D’SOUZA

Debut debacle: Though touted as India’s first underwater film made on a budget of more than 100 crore, Anthony D’Souza’s Blue starring Akshay Kumar met with a More >

Karan Johar is quite eccentric once you get to know him-Zoya Akhtar

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1 month ago
by Fenil Seta in

Award-winning director Zoya Akhtar on helming a short film shot on a shoe-string budget

Anita Britto (MID-DAY; May 5, 2013)

 

What does the Indian films’ centenary mean to you? Cinema is the most defining form of entertainment in India. This country has been making films for 100 years! And somewhere it feels very good to be present and slightly relevant in its centenary year.

So how did you decide to be part of a film, Bombay Talkies, that commemorates the centenary? I was having dinner with Anurag (Kashyap) and Dibakar (Banerjee) at the former’s house and they were discussing this project which would have four short films helmed by four different directors. I had just finished Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and I had nothing to do. I promptly said that I wanted to be part of this project too. Ashi Dua (who is the producer) told me that I could make what I wanted as long as the film was 25 minutes long and made within a budget of a crore and a half.

Having helmed star-studded ventures like Luck By Chance and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, were you comfortable working in a limited budget of Rs 1.5 crore? It was exciting and challenging. Immediately, I thought of a ready script that I had for a short film, Zoom Zoom Yaara, about a little boy who dances to Hindi songs.

Usually it’s tough to work with children as one needs to understand their needs and temperament. How was your experience? The two children in my film, Naman Jain and Khushi Dubey, are possibly the best professional More >

Reema Kagti & Zoya Akhtar: Our ladies of good counsel

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1 month ago
by Fenil Seta in

Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar, Hindi cinema’s first women co-writer pair say no one would care if they didn’t work together

Dhamini Ratnam (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 28, 2013)

 

What makes a team work? A self-help corporate manual would list efficiency, deadlines, constant reassessments, and shared goals. Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar — distinctly non-corporate types (Akhtar likes her afternoon nap; she counts it as part of her work hours) — however, would add one more: A shared value system.

“Our politics are the same. Our values are the same. We both agree on what objectifies someone, for instance. We both find the same thing vulgar,” says Akhtar, 40, occupying one edge of a long green sofa at her suburban sea-facing home. Talaash director Kagti, 42, sits at the other end as the sea shimmers invitingly from across the room’s French windows.

Meanwhile, inside the two directors — who first met during the filming of Kaizad Gustad’s Bombay Boys (1998) — are trying to explain what they find vulgar.

“Item numbers?” we enquire. “Not all,” both say instantly. Then Akhtar brings up the Boob song performed by Oscar host Seth MacFarlane during the awards ceremony held earlier this year. In it, the comedian sang about all the actresses whose breasts were visible in films. “It would have been okay if they had spoken about nudity across the board. But they didn’t. They talked about hard-hitting films that weren’t about being gratuitously naked, and then they reduced the whole film to ‘I saw More >

How Bollywood influences the way we travel

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4 months ago
by Fenil Seta in

Melissa D’costa (BOMBAY TIMES; February 5, 2013)

 

Whether it’s the snow-kissed Swiss Alps, a staple in many Bollywood films, or the enchanting Pangong Tso lake in Leh in 3 Idiots and Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Indian tourists want to experience it all. Exotic locations, which play an intrinsic part in Hindi films, are increasingly featuring on travel itineraries.

Scenic landscapes invite more enquiries Manjari Verma and Avani Patel of a Bandra-based travel company believe that movies have always influenced the way people travel. The logic behind visiting these particular location seems to be that Bollywood makes these locales desirable. Says Manjari, “After 3 Idiots, we got more enquiries on packages to Ladakh. People especially wanted to visit the ‘blue lake’ they saw in the movie. Likewise, after Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (ZNMD), we had guys calling up to say they wanted to do road trips with their buddies across Spain.”

Pros and cons Manjari says, “Movies have changed the way people look at places. In fact, filmmakers themselves have changed the way they look at these places. Previously a destination was looked at only as a location; a pretty backdrop for a song or a scene. Today, you see many films that make trips an intrinsic part of the plot. Spain wasn’t just a backdrop for ZNMD, it was an essential part of the storyline as was everything that the actors did there. But the trend also has its cons. On one hand, people are exposed to more places, on the other, they are More >

Farhan Akhtar is on a high

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4 months ago
by Fenil Seta in

The actor-filmmaker who’s a self-confessed adventure-addict, takes off on weekends to pursue sky-diving

Aakanksha Naval-Shetye (DNA; January 28, 2013)

 

Farhan Akhtar who’s a self-confessed adrenaline junkie has now gotten addicted to a new adventure sport — sky-diving. Insiders reveal that the filmmaker-actor takes off on his week-ends whenever possible, to pursue this new-found passion. “Farhan had first tried sky-diving for Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. And since then he’s been addicted to it and would make it a point to do it whenever he travelled abroad. However, now that it’s possible here, he heads to the outskirts of the city for it. What’s even better for him is that the sky diving instructor is the same guy who had trained him in ZNMD,” says a source close to Farhan.

“Now that Farhan’s quite a pro at it himself, he’s done it so often that perhaps even he’s lost count of the number of times he’s done it,” adds the source. In fact, the actor went sky-diving recently again, and showed off his patriotic streak by flying off with the tricolour. Farhan even tweeted his pic wherein he is mid-air with the flag. “Happy Republic Day. Jai Hind,” posted Farhan.

The actor — whose film Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra biopic on Olympian Milkha Singh, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is under post production — is meanwhile gearing up for his  next film Shaadi Ke Side Effects. The film will see him pair up with Vidya Balan for the first time and Farhan is said to be looking forward to working with More >

Thinking Outside The Box Office

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5 months ago
by Fenil Seta in

Three stars redefined Bollywood 2012 – narration, location, women

Srijana Mitra Das (THE TIMES OF INDIA; December 31, 2012)

 

In the silk and tinsel that is Bollywood, three new stars emerged in 2012. These were not three Khans but three cinematic ingredients – location, narration and women. This is a major break from the past – and an excellent portent for the future.

In a remarkable reflection of current political culture, women took centre stage in pop culture too. Painted, dented or tormented, strong female characters occupied the heart of hits, from the enigmatic Vidya of Kahaani to the shy Shashi of English Vinglish and the satiny Simran of Talaash. Each protagonist came to life through extraordinary performances, Vidya Balan leaving viewers breathless following her twisting turns through Kolkata’s lanes, Sridevi feelingly balancing female dignity against family peace and Kareena Kapoor whose Talaash was a triumph, every sparkle in Simran’s eye, every pout of her lips, every arch of her eyebrows a coquettish twist to the tale.

But the women didn’t stop there. Off-screen too, Bollywood had its most remarkable year of female power, reflected in the emergence of successful women directors. From Zoya Akhtar – capturing the idiosyncrasies of three undecided men, calling themselves ‘bwoyz’ in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (ZNMD) – to Gauri Shinde who took Shashi to Central Square and Reema Kagti who dived deep into murky Mumbai, Bollywood never before saw a time when the More >

Reema Kagti’s using my name for publicity-Sanjay Gupta

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6 months ago
by Fenil Seta in

Sanjay Gupta lashes out at the Talaash director accusing her of settling old personal scores since she now has Aamir Khan by her side

Soumyadipta Banerjee (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 21, 2012)

 

Sanjay Gupta, during a film award ceremony had voiced his concern about Reema Kagti getting an award for the story of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (ZNMD) because he found it an exact copy of the Kevin Costner film Fandango (1985). Kagti, now ready with her next directorial Talaash, settled the score in a recent interview by saying, “I think a person like Sanjay, who does not have a single original frame in his seven films, should not be talking about originality.” A few hours after Kagti’s interview to a newspaper reached him, Sanjay hit out at her saying his name was used for publicity.

“She has shamelessly used my name to peddle her film. She has called me a plagiarist but I would advise everybody to get a DVD of Fandango. After watching that you will know if ZNMD was a copy. I genuinely raised my concern as a jury member and in the end nobody got the award,” said Sanjay to Mumbai Mirror.

The filmmaker posted a series of tweets that suggested Reema lobbies for awards. “I have posted those tweets and I am man enough to admit it. I’m hurt by the way she has chosen to selectively target me because she feels I denied her an award. The truth is she never deserved it. Because she was so hungry for an award, she carefully chose to keep quiet about the issue then. Now that she has Aamir Khan More >

Special tribute to Yash Chopra in Morocco

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6 months ago
by Fenil Seta in

The Marrakech film festival will pay a special tribute to late Yash Chopra and will host an Indian delegation led by Amitabh Bachchan

Kunal M Shah (MID-DAY; November 21, 2012)

 

Thousands of miles away from the Indian shores, Marrakech is all set to celebrate the 100 years of Indian cinema with the biggest film festival. The gala that will kick off on December 1 will see an Indian delegation of actors including Hrithik Roshan, Tabu, Abhay Deol, Arjun Rampal, Priyanka Chopra, Sridevi and others led by Amitabh Bachchan.

Sources also say that a special tribute for the late filmmaker Yash Chopra has been arranged in the Moroccan city alongside the screening of Jab Tak Hai Jaan. SRK is also likely to be present.

Bachchan says, “I remember with deep gratitude my last visit to Marrakech in October 2003 and the warmth and the hospitality that was extended to us during our short stay. I look forward to the pleasure of being there again.”

Some of the films that will be screened during the festival are Don, Don 2, Jodhaa Akbar, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Ghum, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Student Of The Year, English Vinglish, Veer Zaara and Barfi!

Big B’s the only hero who looks good crying on screen-Reema Kagti

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6 months ago
by Fenil Seta in

Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; November 20, 2012)

 

Reema Kagti, 40, had lost hope after her directorial film Honeymoon Travels and had reconciled to the idea of becoming a poker player, had it not been for Aamir Khan agreeing to be a part of her compelling story in Talaash. In a conversation with Bombay Times, she talks about her obsession with Amitabh Bachchan, her collaborator Aamir Khan and why Sanjay Gupta should not be talking originality.

How did you get into films? I was born in Assam where going to a boarding school was the done thing since the educational system was not that good. So I studied from class 7th to 10th in Delhi Public School, RK Puram. I always had the film bug and scaled and jumped walls of the school to go and watch a film at Chanakya Puri. At some point in time, the school administration just caught on and used to send the bus with the wardens to Chanakya Puri and Nirulas to pull us out of the hall and bathrooms, where we would hide to avoid being caught. My older sister was at that time studying in Sophia college in Mumbai and I too moved to Mumbai and joined Sophia. Growing up in North East, we did not have access to films as going to a theatre was unsafe and, thus, most films did not release there. I am a product of piracy as I grew up watching pirated films. In Sophia, I joined the film club where for the first time, I got to see a lot of international films which I did not have access to earlier. After graduation, I landed my first job for More >

Women are just eye candy-Kalki Koechlin

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7 months ago
by Fenil Seta in

Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; October 29, 2012)

 

She is one actor who has defied convention and played roles that are dark and edgy, yet are central to the film. She has also been striking a fine balance between experimental cinema and the typical Bollywood commercial entertainers. It’s not surprising then that Kalki Koechlin was chosen to be a part of the team to inaugurate Seven Islands International Film Festival focussing this year on ‘Women Rising, Against All Odds’ held in Chennai. “I am glad that something like this is happening in the country as there are not too many festivals here that showcase films from across the world. I am especially glad to support films made by women on women,” says Kalki confessing that the film industry here is still male-dominated.

She points out that there are very few women filmmakers today. “Apart from Zoya Akhtar nobody comes to mind. Actresses too are often seen as sidekicks to the hero. They are usually innocent or just eye candy. It’s important to have stronger female characters and better stories about women,” asserts the actor, who has herself been directed by a woman — Zoya in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and also done challenging roles since her debut film Dev D where she played the modern Chandramukhi in this contemporary take on Devdas.

Ask her if there is a difference in working with a male or female director and Kalki says direction has nothing to do with gender. “Each human being is different but when it comes to Zoya, she’s More >

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