[Prathna]

"To be successful, be patient and learn to rise with your head high when you fall" - Amrita Rao
By Prathna Tiwari - BollySpice.com
27 Aug 2009

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Writing an introduction to describe Amrita Rao can easily be regarded as a task that is next to 'impossible'. The actress has just been so versatile in her still young career that it makes it impossible for me to define her with catchy phrase or line. She's transformed from the 'sharmilee' type of characters to a tomboy, to a suspicious housewife, to a village belle, to a widow and now recently has changed as always like a beautiful chameleon to adopt yet another persona for her latest outing Shorkut, one that may I say describe the Amrita that I see the most, and that is a superstar! Today in an industry crawling with her contemporaries she holds her head high as she glides amongst the filmi crowd where she's one of the most well respected young artists we have today, having worked with some of the most prestigious names like Rajshri, Shyam Benegal, Farah Khan, John Mathew Mathan, and of course Anil Kapoor.

She continues to steadily climb the steep leader to success with the ease and elegance that you see her carry on screen and as she reaches new heights she pauses to give me one her most candid interviews yet!

The response everywhere for your latest avatar in Shorkut - The Con Is On has been huge with every headline and newspaper reiterating it many times, how does it make you feel receiving this sensational response to what some may call an 'image make-over', and more importantly was this conscious decision of changing your style?

Yes, I am grateful to the media and my fans who received the so-called make-over in good spirit. To be upfront, it wasn't a makeover of any kind as such. I am pretty much chic in real life. It's just that Manish Malhotra who has styled leading ladies of Bollywood, decided to style me in Shortkut. With Manish anything looks fabulous. If I had to consider walking the grand finale for Manish at Lakme Fashion Week before Shortkut, no one would have raised eyebrows. It is just a false perception due to my previous roles that people have of me being just a simple girl. When I started off with modelling, my job was to be coquette more often than it is now!

How important do you feel it is for an actress to keep on top of her looks and appearance in this field?

Beauty must be skin deep and not superficial. Re-invention of your personal sense of style, be it a change in hair style, clothes or body size is a must every year. An actress should not allow her outer appearance to be her deciding factor for her success in Bollywood. I am totally biased towards keeping your skin glowing, eating healthy, drinking loads of water, sleeping on time to preserve your youthfulness but am against plastic surgeries of any kind. We shouldn't let cosmetology become the be all and end all of our life.

We've got quite a lot fashion gurus who've been very critical of your appearance in the past, do read such article if so how do you take on board all these opinions?

Fashion gurus are entitled to their opinion. But to date no fashion guru has ever criticized me to my face and it wouldn't bother me. I guess it's a part of their job to evaluate social icons and means of increasing their possibilities of signing on one such icon. It has happened to me in the past where people make statements and later approach me for business. It's funny and weird.


Till date, you've adorned so many styles for your characters from Sanju in MHN, to Poonam in Vivah, to Kamla in WTS and now to Mansi in Shorkut, which character's style do you think best represents your actual off-screen style?

Well, I am very versatile and experimental when it comes to a role in films. However, in reality Amrita is a down-to-earth girl who has no qualms in life with a youthful sense of style. I represent the youth of the 21st century. In fact Poonam was the toughest role for me to portray as in reality I am very well educated and forward in the way I think.

Coming to your films now your last out-and-out hit was Vivaah. After that you saw partial success with Welcome to Saajanpur, what do you think has gone wrong with the last few films?

Success can't be judged by box office ratings or critic statements. Success for me is defined by the quality of the role I play. I decide upon doing a film when I am convinced that the script will add value to my learning process and I will be able to emerge as a stronger performer. Every actress goes through a phase of hits and flops. It's a matter of destiny and I am not resentful for anything. I am sure God will be gracious enough the next time around.

Your role in Welcome to Saajanpur was given a lot of acclaim all over and even earned you the best actress award at Stardust Awards, did you expect such a response to the character of Kamla?

Well, I knew what I was in for, and I was happy that a decision that took me almost 6 months reaped concrete results. Again it was quite a challenge as I am not the village kind of girl and I so efficiently, if I may say so, got into the skin of Kamla and almost forgot who Amrita Rao was. Hard work always receives acclaim and your time has to be right.

Many would say that Indian cinema has become much bolder than what it used to be, how true do you think this is and how do you deal with role which are offered to you that are demanding in such a way?

Well, we need to move with the times, especially when Bollywood is no longer confined to Indian boundaries. We are making a powerful impact at international red carpet events and our performers are being taken seriously. I guess one person's cup of tea could be another person's cup of poison. Luckily for me I have never had to consider exposing beyond a socially acceptable level as leading directors/producers see more potential to me than skin show. If a role required me to be sexy, I would be more like Priyanka Chopra in Fashion. But I am not open to doing vulgar acts of lustful display of affection.

Specifically what do you need a role and script to encompass in order for you to literally 'jump' at the offer?

An unconventional script, co-stars with potential and an open-minded director. Not to forget, the moolah too! (Smiles)

How competitive do you feel Indian cinema is today, especially for actresses?

It entirely depends upon an individual's personal perspective. Competition exists in all walks of life and it is how you apply the of rules of competition to your professional life. Yes, Bollywood has seen quick entries of new faces and quicker exits of the same faces. Once upon time it was only actresses who belonged to filmy backgrounds who had an easy ticket in Bollywood. Today, the scenario has changed with Bollywood becoming more global in its' outlook. I guess every producer/director today is looking at actresses who are versatile and don't only profess skin show. No matter how tough the competition gets, only the best survives. Once SRK told me an actor needs 40 films, a mix of hits and flops to be termed successful.

Your take on the following contemporaries of yours:
a. Kareena Kapoor - another industry person
b. Priyanka Chopra - professional and multi-talented star
c. Katrina Kaif - lady with luck and beauty
d. Deepika Padukone - well marketed actress with a local flavour
e. Sonam Kapoor - trusted friend and down-to-earth colleague

Moving onto life off-screen, how do you cope with controversial issues that constantly surround you such as the link ups with your co-stars Shahid and recently Harman?

Controversies are a part and parcel of any industry that is directly related to entertainment and glamour. It is the duty of the media to inform the fans of what their favourite star is doing on a daily basis. I personally prefer to stay away from any sort of speculative news that misleads my fans. Shahid and Harman are two of my favourite friends who I would definitely be working with in the future. I am glad our friendship is not affected by such news and in fact it shows that the audiences think we make a fantastic pairing.

The latest of these controversies is related to cricketer Irfan Pathan, what do you have to say about this latest news piece?

In fact what is astounding is that, Irfan and I have never even met or spoken till date. I guess he sees a fan in me and I completely appreciate that. But hey Irfan if you are reading this, I do love cricket and we should catch up someday!

Whilst on the topic of relationships what does Amrita Rao look for in her ideal man?

Umm... my ideal man is a man who is an embodiment of imperfection. Perfection as I have experienced previously leaves no scope for personal growth and discovery. My ideal guy has to be a man who honours his word and possesses thorough etiquette and a good sense of humour. I am also very particular on the way a man presents himself in society as a sophisticated sense of style always is like the icing on the cake.

Moving onto the near future, what's next for you in terms of releases?

Well, I would like to be discreet about my future projects due to statutory obligations. However I assure you, Amrita will live up to her image of being a lucky mascot who delivers the hits in 2010. I am in the process of closing a few big banner projects with leading actors of the industry. I guess it's about time I prove to my fans that it's not only Shahid and me who make the eternal jodi, but also a John Abraham or a Neil Nitin Mukesh or a Ranbir Kapoor would equally complement me on the big screen.

Lastly, any special message to all the fans reading this today!

I have not disappeared anywhere. I am just taking my time to consider the right projects. To be successful, be patient and learn to rise with your head high when you fall. Till later, keep it safe and sexy!

It seems that we didn't even have to dig the secret to her success out from all those words, she's said it right there for you guys! "Be patient and learn to rise with your head high when you fall. Till later, keep it safe and sexy!" Well, Amrita we hope that you keep your charming self safe and sexy till the next time we catch in your busy schedule! Here's wishing this superstar all the very best as she continues to spread her magic in the world of cinema!


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Hope you guys liked the interview. She was superbly nice and such a sport with these questions! I thought she may say 'no comment' to a couple but she went out of her way to answer them and that to so intelligently!

[Charlie's Angel]

Wow, Prathna. That was an awesome interview. I loved it!

[iluvbw87]

Thank you for the interview!!! :goodjob: :thanks: Great interview, love her!!! :clap: She's one actress who I think is talented and doesn't need to enhance her look to be on the top!!! I think Amrita, Rani, and Ayesha has not done any surgery to look good, not sure about other actresses. Hoping to see her and Shahid in movies together again and looking forward to see her pair w/ young actors!!! :dance5:

[stacey:-)]

"Salman and Kareena share sweet chemistry in Main Aur Mrs Khanna" - Prem Soni
By Roshni Mulchandani - BollySpice.com
29 Aug 2009


You've seen Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor come together in the past but they haven't managed to create too much hype onscreen as a couple. However, come this Diwali the duo will come together again in debutante Prem Soni's much awaited and talked about Main Aur Mrs Khanna. Shot prominently in Australia and based on the theme of love and marriage, this one is already being slated for one to watch out for. The teasers are already out and have managed to create much hype regarding its unique treatment and storyline. Prem Soni, a firm believer of love, has bravely taken on the thesis of love and holy matrimony, added modern ideas of marriage to come up with a different and yet relatable film. Check out BollySpice's exclusive interview with the man behind Main Aur Mrs Khanna and find out how he managed to make Salman romance Kareena and more intricate details about this much awaited film!

What made your venture into directing after working with STAR India?

Yes, I've been with them for sixteen years. I started working in 1994, and I always wanted to be a director but there is always a time and space for everything I guess. I was in the process of realizing and discovering myself. I started off with writing though; that's my forte. And the next step to that was obviously directing. And I really wanted to because there were too many imaginations and visualizations in my mind that were always running. So that really pushed me to direction.

What is your previous experience in direction and your relationship with Hindi films?

Well, I had directed a lot of television serials before but with films this is my first time. But yes, I am a big fan of Hindi films! A big fan! I love the drama, the glamour, the gloss and even the complications.

Tell us about how you managed to rope in Salman Khan to be a part of Main Aur Mrs. Khanna.

It was actually not that difficult honestly. I think he was also looking for a script, which would actually impress him. I happen to meet him through a common friend a couple of years back. I had a small little chat with him about films and something happened, and he said that if I had a script for him, I should go him. So I was like cool, whenever I would have a script, I would. Two years later, I wrote a script. And I just thought that he would be good for it so I had gone to go meet him when he was shooting for Partner. I told him I have a script and asked him if he had the time to hear it. And he said of course I would hear it but I don’t have the dates to start a film soon for the next three years. So I told him to hear it and if he liked it, we could obviously talk about it. I didn't have any other star and I had been struggling for years. And I told him if he said okay, I would wait for three years. I think he liked my honesty and up-frontness and he heard the script without any interruption, loved it and said 'How can I say no to this script? This is one of the most wonderful scripts I've heard'.

Without giving too much away, what is the premise of the film?

It's a very simple film - its romance of course; but intermingled with marriage obviously being a strong point in the film. It's about love versus career; about a man and a woman. The man prefers to head towards career to make his life, would a woman give that space if she had to? Would she allow him to make his career and then come back to his love? Or would she say no, you give me what I need and let's walk together and make a choice. It's about relationships in today's world; marriage in today's world. It's really difficult to have a happy marriage - but Main Aur Mrs Khanna talks about the positive sides of marriage and not the negative. It talks about togetherness and how to support each other in their own way. Obviously a man needs to be successful to live his life happily with a woman.

And how did you come up with the idea for the script?

I had seen a lot of marriages in India and abroad, everywhere. It's not a copy of any English script or any European film; it's completely original. It's taken from incidents from people I've seen around me and their relationships. It's very difficult to keep marriage but it's not so complicated as people make it. It's a very real film with wit in place - but very down and simple. There is nothing complicated, like I said, about the film.

There were many rumors afloat regarding the lead actress. Everyone from Preity Zinta to Ayesha Takia and even Lara Dutta. Then you finally zeroed in on Kareena Kapoor.

Yes! (Laughs) That's true. I've known Kareena for a long time now even before the film—we were good friends. The idea was to get somebody who can pull off this character. It's a very difficult role to portray because it's very subtle. There is nothing dramatic or in-your-face in the film. But there is a lot of underplayed emotions and performance. So we needed someone who had the age right, the experience right, and who is ready to take that chance that could be difficult for her to pull off. We had a lot of meetings with a lot of actresses but fortunately or unfortunately we couldn't get through the right one. And Bebo was actually perfect. She was the best contender for the film and believe me the kind of performance she has given as Mrs. Khanna, the title role, she's unbelievable. She is one of the finest actresses in India today. She is just a treat.

The film has been slotted in the romance genre. How is the chemistry of Kareena and Salman together onscreen?

Well it's not a Shah Rukh [Khan] - Kajol kind of chemistry - there is no heat here. It's very sweet, like Shahid [Kapoor] and Kareena were in Jab We Met. This is obviously not the same but it's on the lines of Hum Tum, Jab We Met. So they have a very sweet understanding in the film. It's not about candyfloss on a frivolous level or laughing and clapping with one another.

What can you tell us about the music of the film? We haven't heard anything about it just yet. When is it out?

The music should be releasing around September 10th and the teasers are already out. The first theatrical teaser was out with Kaminey. And the television promotions should start end of this month. The music is very much a part of the film. It's not the kind of film that you would start dancing to because it's not the typical Hindi film music that just comes in between without any reason. For our film, the music helps take the film forward, like most great films have. I would say India makes so many great films, where songs play an important part of the film and take the story forward. So, I've also followed the same pattern - the music is a part of the film; it's not just music, there is a lot of story involved.

How hard or easy is it to direct the likes of Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor in your debutante film?

I think if you know your job, it's pretty easy. If you don't know your job, it's the most difficult place to be! You know eventually at the end of the day, working with superstars like Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor, the only worry is that whatever you tell them should be delivered to them. The director is the captain of the ship, so when you narrate a script, they have to be confident of you to pull it off the way you have actually promised to do so. If you do that, they are sweethearts! They wouldn't give you a problem at all. They are looking for professionalism completely. It's something that we all want to do; if you promise them sky, moon and stars, you must deliver. Personally I had a beautiful time making the film with Salman, Kareena and Sohail because there was no friction, there was no debates or any fights. There was just positive energy running on our sets all the time, which definitely reflects, onscreen. So, I feel all of them have worked with so much positivity, that it will surely exude onscreen; I am sure about that. I wouldn't say I have a great film on-hand, I would say I have a very sweet film on-hand. It's a very heartfelt film.

That's very modest of you!

Yeah, honestly we are not here to make great films. We can't make great films. But we can make a good film. This is a story that I feel people would be interested in seeing. And somewhere down the line, your heart will start beating at some level in the film and say, oh this so beautiful and so true.

How were UTV (Ronnie Screwvala) and Sohail Khan as producers?

I interacted a lot with Sohail Khan Productions a lot because they were my home production in the film. With experience, he is one of the finest producers you can work with because he knows the trade in-and-out. His experience does help a new director. He's a director dream and gave me whatever I asked for with no clashes, no problems at all, no discussions. He was so chilled out always.

Who are some actors that will be making a special appearance in the film?

Yes, there are a few but they are supposed to be surprises! (Laughs)

Why did you choose to shoot a large chunk of the film in Australia?

To be very precise about it, the film is largely to be shot at an airport because there is a lot of the story at the airport. I was looking for a place or a location where I could get an actual international airport beyond immigration to film. And that was getting very difficult for me all across the globe of tight security post 9/11. They don’t allow filming at the airport essentially for long periods. I needed it for twenty-nine days, which was next to impossible. I was not very happy about constructing a set of an airport because I believe a set is a set; it doesn't give you the real feel. And I wanted the real deal. So the Australian Consul was extremely helpful. They extended their right hand forward and they gave us whatever we needed. Plus Melbourne is a gorgeous city, so I got everything in one. I got Victoria Tourism to help me get the airport - we shot at Melbourne International Airport for twenty days and then we got all the stunning locations, the beaches, history in Melbourne. So it was a dream come true.

What was your experience like at the Cannes Film Festival?

It was fantastic! This was my first to the Cannes and obviously being a first time director, my film has not yet released but I got some exposure to watching so many great films, meeting so many great people. It was just very nice. I would like to go back every year because you get to know so much more about cinema.

Any idea as to what you will be doing after Main Aur Mrs. Khanna?

Yeah, I have a script I am working on for sure. It's again romance - I do believe in romance largely. Main Aur Mrs Khanna is a sweet romantic story and the other one is a witty one.

And lastly, any message for your audiences about Main and Mrs. Khanna?

If you are really looking for a heartfelt story, or a heartwarming film, please do watch it because I promise you, at the end of it you will say, it's a sweet film.

Main Aur Mrs Khanna is slated for a Diwali release. Keep checking back for more exclusive details and interviews with the film and its cast!

[stacey:-)]

Interview with Imran Khan - Part Deux
By Stacey Yount - BollySpice.com
8 Sep 2009


Those who know young film star Imran Khan, know he is not only a great actor, but also a great person. To those who don't, I'd suggest reading his column in Hindustan Times as you will soon realise that he is one of the good people and that many of his posts are thought provoking as well as aimed to make the world a better place. In one he said, "Love and understanding are common themes in my columns because these are things I feel strongly about". His fans and those who read his column know that he takes the time to really answer their questions. I have to admit that even though I am a journalist, I am also a fan, which pretty much makes my job perfect for me. Right before Luck released, I had the opportunity to interview Imran and it was a great experience. Sadly, we ran out of time before I got through all of my questions. Imran graciously offered to answer them if I sent them his way. I was so excited to see that he did in fact reply and his answers were as amazing as ever. So, without further ado, I present the Interview with Imran Khan - Part Deux which I know you will enjoy reading!


Are you a superstitious person? Do you have any lucky charms?

I'm not a superstitious person, nor do I have any lucky charms. That being said, I still don't walk under ladders. It just seems like a bad idea.

Do you find it harder to dance or do the fight scenes?

Dancing and fight scenes are both tricky in different ways; in a fight, your footwork and movements don't have to be perfect, it makes it look more realistic. While dancing, you need to get the movements perfect, and have the correct expressions on your face... dancing's probably tougher.

Are you nervous before a film opens?

I find myself nervous before a release nowadays. During JT I wasn't, but starting with Kidnap, it began. AK tells me that he's still terrified before every release of his, and that it never goes away. How nice to know that I have that to look forward to.

What have learned during your time so far in the industry?

What have I learned... I honestly don't know for certain, because I'm still at a stage where I'm doing rethinks; Six months ago I may have had a certain point of view which is now different, so it's kind of ongoing. The thing I know for certain I've learned is how to interact with crowds. I'm totally at ease in front of a large audience, and I can keep them all entertained. Of course, I haven't tried it with an arena full of people yet... Let's see how that works out.

What makes you a good actor?

I don't honestly think I'm a very good actor. I think I have moments where I do something decently, but it's not yet something I have control over; I can't summon it up at will, which is crucial for a real actor. You can't just rely on chance.

What is next for you?

Next up is Delhi Belly. Post production is in full swing, and it's looking very promising. I think Delhi Belly is going to be a film we will all be very proud of. I'm starting work on Punit's 'I Hate Luv Storys' right now, which is going well so far. But it's early, we haven't had time for things to go wrong yet.

Rapid Fire:

Books you are currently reading?

I just finished reading a P.G. Wodehouse book called 'Full Moon'. The man is hilarious, really.

A song you are hooked on?

Right now, I'm listening to 'Yeh Dooriyan' from Love Aaj Kal and 'Pehli Baar Mohabbat Ki Hai' from Kaminey a lot. I think they're both really beautiful songs

Last movie you saw and really enjoyed?

The last film I saw and enjoyed was Public Enemies. Michael Mann was in top form.

You seem to have a very eclectic t-shirt collection. Would you describe your fav?

I love quirky t-shirts, and it's really hard to pick a favourite... these days I'm wearing my black Beatles 'Abbey Road' t-shirt on pretty high rotation.

Actress or Actor you would love to work with.

I can't say I want to work with Kareena anymore, because too much gets read into it. Priyanka really blew my mind in Kaminey, I'd love to work with her.


Director you admire and would like to emulate one day.

Michael Mann is probably my favourite director. I really like the style he brings to his films.

You mentioned that you connect more with younger directors, and we seem to have a great rush of new and young directors now. Anyone specific you are really looking forward to working with?

There's a lot of young directors doing some really great work... Imtiaz Ali is great, I think he's probably at the top of every actor's wish list right now.

Much thanks to Imran for taking the time to answer these questions! Keep your eye on this young man because he is going to go far! We wish him the best of luck in everything and are eagerly awaiting his next film on the silver screen!

http://www.bollyspic...-part-deux.html

:D

[Charlie's Angel]

OMG! Imran's so cool! :tongue: PBM! :wub:

Thanks for the interview, Stacey! ^_^

[Leha]

For rock n' roll lover this dude loves some hard core cheesy stuff :P Although Yeh Dooriyan has been on loop for me past few weeks too :wub:

[hrithikslock]

Aly, on 02 August 2008 - 01:57 PM, said:

Take a look at Bollyspice's exclusive interview with Shilpa Shukla who played Bindia Naik in Chak De India. She was interviewed by our very own Prathna Tiwari (woot woot!) :D

Interview: Shilpa Shukla chats beyond 'Chak De!'
http://www.bollyspic...nd-chak-de.html

Please take a few seconds to read the interview and support Bollyspice.com so we can grow and bring new and exciting things to our site. Also, don't forget to comment...I'm sure Shilpa will be reading them :)

P.S. I know I'm promoting BS but w/e we rock :D LOL

Amazing movie and great performance. By the way I am a beautiful lock on Hrithik’s head full of gorgeous hair! As I have observed, from my vantage point (of being on top of Hrithik’s head, duh!), a lot of you want glamourous locks…but (sigh, sigh) very few of you manage to look like me. So, I will try to be at my swishiest best and using my enviable position to best advantage, I’ll tell you the secrets of my beauty and of course, I’ll give you a glimpse of what goes on in Hrithik’s world. Follow me at hrithikslock.blogspot.com... See you there!

This post has been edited by hrithikslock: 09 September 2009 - 06:02 AM

[stacey:-)]

"Kurbaan deals with issues not seen before in Hindi Cinema" - Rensil D'Silva
By Stacey Yount - BollySpice.com
2 Oct 2009



You may recognize his name from the credits of the mega hit Rang De Basanti: Rensil D'Silva was the man behind the script of that groundbreaking film. He is known as one of the best screenplay writers in Hindi cinema and now he is adding director to his credit line, as well as writer, for the upcoming Kurbaan. Rensil D'Silva did not go the easy road for his directorial debut; he not only picked a very sensitive subject, the film was also quite complex to make. With the backing of Karan Johar and Dharma Productions and with the support of outstanding actors including Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Vivek Oberoi, Om Puri, Kirron Kher and Diya Mizra, Kurbaan is getting ready to give you a thought-provoking and throughly entertaining night at the movies. I got the opportunity to speak with Rensil in between shooting schedules one day in August. He was about four shooting days away from completing the film and was working on the background score. He wouldn't give a lot away about the film but what he did was fabulous. We thought that with the release of the Kurbaan trailer this weekend, we would go ahead and publish our interview, so you can learn little bit more about this highly anticipated film!

Is directing something you always wanted to do?

Yes, I mean really writing and directing, but directing is something I wanted to do since I was 14 years old.

What made you decide you wanted to do Kurbaan?

Well, really I was looking for a script to make my first film and I was going off to London to write a script about a heist. Just before I went, Karan told me this story that he had had for sometime. He just narrated it to me one evening and it kind of hooked me. We started writing it, and even though I went off to London to write this other script, I couldn't get very far with it because this script that Karan had told me about had completely captured my imagination! When I came back, I told him I wanted to make it and he said, 'Yeah sure, why don't you, because I have had it for the longest time. It would be great if you would make it.' So, we set out to make it.

What's the film about?

Well, it is a cross genre ... it is a love story, it's a thriller and it has political comment on global terrorism and the identity of Muslims in the modern world. It is a comment on Islam - the liberal and the conservative elements of Islam. I think there was enough meat for it to absorb me completely and also to my mind it should cross borders, it shouldn't just only be an Indian film. I think it is a film that can make its way through the global market.

Why the title Kurbaan?

Kurbaan means sacrifice, and the context of that sacrifice will be apparent to the audience when the plot unfolds.

Ahhh, so not going to give anything way then. (laughs)

(Laughs)

What went into deciding whom to cast?

This cast was my wish list. Saif, Kareena, Vivek Oberoi, Om Puri, Kirron Kher, Diya Mizra - I was very lucky to get each and every one of them. They all came aboard with just a single reading of the script. I didn't have to do to much convincing or anything, I just sent them the scripts. In that sense I think it has been a dream run from the casting end, but also from the production end because it is a fairly complex film to make.

Did you find it difficult to make?

Difficult simply because I was looking for subway stations for the climax and because of the kind of material it is, I got turned down; I got turned down in London, I got turned down in Germany. We even went over to other parts of Europe - like France and even Russia. I even had a snag in New York because they turned me down. But the people of Philadelphia were very accommodating and they allowed me to shoot in their station, which, fingers crossed, has turned out well.

How was it working with Saif, Kareena and Vivek?

I was lucky because they are all actors, they are not just stars. I knew Saif and Kirron Kher and Om Puri a bit. I did not know Kareena and Vivek, but by day three I think everyone was in on the film. Like I said, it has been a dream run. They are such fantastic professionals. I had no problems. I am 84 days into a shoot which is pretty complex, and was shot over 2 schedules in the US and I haven't missed a single day. In fact, I am 3 days ahead of schedule!

Why did you decide to shoot abroad rather than in India, was it because it is a global film?

I think the script demanded it. It is a global film but the script demanded it. 85% of the film happens in New York, so that was a demand of the script, but it wasn't preset or designed in a way to appeal to a global audience. I just think in the world we live in, the problem, and though I don't know if it is a problem, only I think that the dimensions of Islamic terrorism as seen by the West and as conceived by people out here in the Indian subcontinent are diametrically opposite ends of polarity of this problem. I think I caught some of this in the film.

Do you have a favorite scene?

The script reaches a point were there is a debate in a classroom between the moderate voices of Islam and some pretty radical voices from the West. Where issues like 9-11 and Afghanistan and the invasion of Iraq are seen in a very heated debate where hopefully I have put forward the points. It sees it through the prism of the US using the first invasion of Iraq, with Bush Senior, as a means to further their arms deal and the inclusion of the CIA into what is now the Mujahideen, right from the time of the Soviet invasion. The CIA's intervention to create the Mujahideen, and now the Mujahideen striking back at the US and their interests; a lot of issues I think that might not have been dealt with in previous mainstream Hindi Cinema - I hope to at least address some of it. I don't think it would be totally good to say I have resolved it or anything, but at least I have nudged the mind of the viewer more into that direction.

Do you think that is important and that cinema is a good way to get people to think in different ways?

Yes, I have always thought, if you can, provoke thought and go beyond. I think in India there is the obsession with the need to entertain and somewhere our concept of entertainment is almost light entertainment. Films with very serious dramatic issues or social issues - in the past they used to be that in the 50 and 60s - then we kind of lost our way by the 70s and 80s. We started making "blockbusters", but now I think political comment is coming back. New York is one example of it, mainstream cinema is addressing it. It is very different from mainstream cinema made on these large budgets, usually it was addressed vis-à-vis in a small, folklore, one million dollar kind of film but those films tend to go unnoticed, even though they have great content. I am hopeful, something like this, done for the first time, will find an audience.

How has it been working with Karan Johar as producer and for Dharma Productions?

He is a dream producer and I am not just saying this because he is backing the film. He really is. Until I showed him the film a week ago, he had not seen anything. That's quite something. I don't think a foreign studio would believe in you that much. To give you this kind of money and say, go off and shoot a film and I won't see it until you feel it is ready and you want to show it to me. He did that, and in fact he wanted me to complete my film...I am still four days away from shooting it completely and he said, 'Why don't you show it to me then' and I was like 'no, no please, see it. I mean you put your money into this film, you should see it'. He is in that sense a dream producer, no interference, and I know what it took to get those stations and I think very, very few studios in the West would have backed this material. I kept on getting that from a lot of my American crew. They said, you know, you would never be able to make this film. You would never get it green lit in the US. It is that sensitive. So, in that sense I think he is a fab guy.

How do you feel the film has turned out, has it met your expectations?

Yeah, it has but then I might be delusional (laughs). You know, you never know. It won't be wrong for me to say that I'm happy. I just hope the film clicks with an audience.

How will audiences relate to the film?

I think we finally got the audiences we have always wanted in this country. We have got films like Kaminey doing well; we have films like New York doing well. We have an audience that doesn't want the same old tired stuff. They're yearning for more and they have all been exposed to global cinema and the ticket paying audience is now at the age group of 20-30 and the young India is quite intelligent. So, you can go through with these themes and hope for the best.

So you think Bollywood cinema has grown, I mean even a few years ago something like this might not have been made, would it?

Yes. I mean, I don't know if you know, but I did a film called Rang De Basanti about three years ago

Oh yes, of course - brilliant film.

I remember when I wrote it - I wrote it in 2003 and it took me three years to get the film on the road because it had a non-linear story line. You know it shifted between the past and the present. These weren't things that were normally done. I don't think this was ever done in Indian cinema, it was just too risky when you make a film - you don't want to lose them with the content shifting back and forth that much and non linear story lines, in that sense it was the worst thing you could do. But it did well in 2006 and made a lot of money. So, I guess, that was the beginning of, well that a lot of people sensed that they could take chances with mainstream budgets on slightly varied fare. I guess today we are seeing really, really experimental films also are starting to make an appearance. Maybe not as much as the West, but these are baby steps and it is a beginning.

Did you expect Rang De Basanti to be as popular as it was?

No, no, in fact I remember when I sat down to write it I didn't have the faith, to be very honest, that this could translate into a success. I knew it could work but I didn't think it could translate this much because till then we didn't have a sense of an audience appreciating anything close to it. There was no way for us to believe that it could work, but it did and we were all pleasantly surprised

Was that a hard script to write?

Uh, not really. I never labor over things. I just write down what comes into my head. I don't want to intellectualize it too much. What I see in my head, I put down and hope for the best.

Now that you have done both writing and directing, which do you, prefer?

You know for me the line blurs between them. Because I have written for different directors and I have not been happy with the way it has been translated on screen. I think good or bad, if you are going to try and attempt something you need complete control, you need to write it, so you can direct it on the floor. You need to realize it in a lot of other elements of the craft - like music and editing. So, I don't see it as something that can be chopped. You have got to really hope for the best when you write and hope that it goes to a really mature hand, and that they realize it the way you thought about it, because you have seen that first image when you put it on the page and you just hope the other person shares that but most of the time it doesn't. So, I hope I can write and direct for the rest of my life because that is perfect.

Did the Kurbaan script change much from that first image on the page to the final product?

No, not at all, though I must say that there are a few people, like I hired a great director of photography Hemant Chaturvedi, who surprised me with some lensing, and then I think actors when they inhabit a role they surprise you with their performance but generally the tone, which is really an abstraction (as you know as a writer) is the same.

What will the music be like for the film, and how does it fit in?

We have about four tracks, and unlike normal mainstream cinema none of them are in lip synch, we don't have characters singing it out, which would be death on a film like this. It is an OST, and I am working right now with Salim and Sulaiman on a background score. I think if you have a thriller, that is integral to the success of the film. Hopefully we shall have something very good in a months time.


Do we have a release date for the film and music?

Yes, we are releasing on the 27th of November. It is Eid, so it is a long weekend and I think Eid is correct for the theme of the film. The music probably about a month before.

Can you tell us about a memorable moment on the set?

Well, we were shooting an action sequence and we were in the Bay area in Philadelphia and I remember it was -21°F on that day and we were all freezing. I couldn't feel my fingers. We had winds at such high intensities that it nearly blew over a crane which was holding our lights - it kind of moved. I mean if it can move these huge lights which are set up on a crane, then I don't think it is a good day to shoot and at that point I said I think we need to go home. It was fun and a little more action than we needed (laugh). We basically shot through that kind of weather through all of last November-December. It was the worst winter in Philadelphia, it would always be -14, -15 at night and we shot nights because we had taken over the station in the night. I will never forget that cold -and it still gives me nightmares, that cold!

What other projects will you be working on after this?

I've stopped writing for a while for other people, I am just writing my next film and once I select that then maybe I will go back to writing for other directors. I have film with Mani Rantman right now, one that you will recognize, a film called Raavana. I have two films for him really, I have another film I am writing that we have been trying to make for some time. That is about it and I guess I will have a clean slate come December.

Are you nervous about the release of Kurbaan?

Yes, but a good nervous. I am sure of my content but it is almost like you are going to get your report card. I sometimes feel like a school boy waiting for it. Yeah, but I guess I will be pacing up and down the hallway while audiences are seeing that first print, but I am good. I think it is a healthy nervous.

We are sure he has no reason to be nervous. Vivek Oberoi said, "Rensil, as we all know, is a fantastic writer, but now we also know he's an equally amazing director. I think he will make a huge impact with this film." We think he will too, because it looks like Kurbaan is going to make everyone sit up and take notice. Remember to mark you calendars for November 27th because that is when you can get your look at this intriguing film! We wish Rensil and the cast the best of luck and much success! Stay tuned because we are going to be bringing you much more about Kurbaan!

http://www.bollyspic...il-d-silva.html

[stacey:-)]

"Acid Factory really is a twisted, very, very action packed interesting thriller of a ride"- director Suparn Verma
By Stacey Yount - BollySpice.com
5 Oct 2009



Sometimes when you interview stars and directors they only give you one line answers. More often it goes well and you get some great stuff, but then there are times when it goes really, really well and the interview turns into a conversation. You not only get answers to your questions, you get to add questions and you get to really learn. That happened in my interview with the director of Acid Factory, Suparn Verma. We had more of a 25 minute talk then a quick q and a, during which he not only answered my questions, but expanded and showed his passion for making movies. Maybe it was partly because he started out as journalist, but I think it is more that he loves film, he loves directing, and he is excited by the whole process, so enjoy reading Suparn's "lesson" on films, filmmaking, casting, and of course, Acid Factory. Class is in!

Tell us about how your journey from fan to journalist to director happened?

I used to work with rediff.com for six years, and besides handling the chat section and the radio section, I was also a film journalist. I used to do movie reviews, and while doing Manoj Bajpayee's chat at a directors house after Manoj left (incidentally Manoj is also acting in Acid Factory), the director and I got to chatting and he discussed my reviews and stuff and he offered me a film. At the same time I was in touch with Ram Gopal Verma and I worked with him for six months but nothing transpired there. Everything was a series of connections. I mean I wrote Hansel Mehta's first film, my first film called Chhal. His next film was Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai which I also wrote, the producer of that offered me Qayamat which had Ajay Devgn acting in it. Ajay Devgn took a liking to the ideas I had and put me in touch with Rohit Shetty and that is how Zameen happened. The DOP on Zameen decided to turn director that's how Karam happened. Then finally I decided I needed to do my own film and that is how Ek Khiladi Ek Hassena happened, which I directed, and now Acid Factory is my second film. It has been a series of interesting coincidences and connections. It sounds nice and lovely and easy and simple in retrospect, but yeah, it has been an interesting journey. Some people would say it was quite fast - I would find it very slow because at 21 I wanted to be where I am today.

Did you imagine when you started with Rediff that you would be here today and directing your own work?

Oh yes, absolutely. Every year every employee is supposed to write what is their next year's plan. For the six years I was there, I had a great time there, but every year I would write that I want to make a movie. Finally six years down the line I started writing movies and today I am directing. So, it was not something that was an overnight decision you know, it came very late in life. I mean, I have wanted to make movies since I was nine years old.

How cool was it to walk on the sets the first time and see what you had written come alive?

I wanted to attend every single shooting day of Chhal, so what I did was, since I was working in the day, the way I wrote the script was that I filled it with night scenes. So all the shooting in Chhal had to take place at night. I would finish work, go to the shooting, they would pack up at 5 in the morning, I would leave from the shooting and go sleep in the office. I would carry a change of clothes and then the office boy would come wake me at 9 o'clock and then I would start working again. So yeah, I think I tricked the director and the producer into making a film that was shot mostly at night (laughs). It was great fun. I think for the first 2 weeks Kay Kay and Prashant Narayanan were in the film and I wouldn't call them Kay Kay and Prashant, I would keep calling them by their character's names. I mean I would call them Girish and Karan and finally they both said, listen dude, we know you've written the film, [but] when are you going to call us by our correct names, we have names too. It was good fun... it was a great experience.

I bet you learned a lot sitting on the set to help you with your directing later.

See, here is the thing, I have not studied with anybody, I have not learned filmmaking per se. Even being on the set there is only so much you can observe. At the end of the day a film is always in the director's hands. As a writer, I have conceived certain scenes and on the set it is being shot somewhat differently, it has a different perspective to it and that is a director's call, the way he frames a shot or whatever, right? So, really you are there sort of outside looking at things, there is only so much you can observe. At the end of the day you have to go out there and do it yourself. I mean there is no such thing as secondhand learning. So it was interesting, it was more of a writer observing ok, fine this is how I perceived it and this is how they are perceiving it. At that same time as it was being shot I would say ok, this is how I wrote it, but while shooting it this would have made more sense! I think the true ground for learning films honestly is in the edit room. The kind of understanding you get for cinema per se is only in the edit room, no where else. You see what you shot, what they have done, how things come out and how transitions work and everything...I mean honestly you want to understand filmmaking go into the edit room and spend time there. I would be locked in the editing for all my films, I really enjoyed watching that.

Your first film as director was Ek Khiladi Ek Hassena. How was the experience directing your first film? First day on the set, were you excited, nervous?

Well, I was excited on the drive to the set; to the location actually where we shot, and once we reached there all of a sudden everyone turns to you and looks at you. Directing is all about confidence. You have to imbue confidence in others for them to follow you and the minute you start giving out directions - I want this, I want that, I want this - you just set into motion a whole chain of events, and people and everybody are doing their thing. It is a very interesting experience. The first day I shot it was a very intense sequence. Usually people on the first day of shooting do some light scenes, and I actually did three heavy duty scenes one right after another and it was an all night shoot. It was eleven to five; I have only five hours to shoot three big scenes because of the location permissions. It was Fardeen's birthday the previous night, so he had partied heavily I think until 12 in the afternoon and he came on the set and we kind of chatted and stuff and he asked me, so what is the scene today? I explained the scene to him and he was a bit taken aback, and then I explained two more scenes to him and he actually took off his glasses and showed me his eyes and said, dude, I have been partying all night - you expect me to learn all this? I was thinking we do some nice simple shots of me walking in great style lighting a cigarette. I said dude, I have to get this film done in 42 days so you know what, all the lovely stylish shots - I will take them anyway, I really need you to do these scenes. And boy, he delivered, and delivered really well, and it was great fun (laughs). That somehow set the tone for the whole film -that we'll be shooting like maniacs. I am a very energetic person, so I cannot understand laxity as such, or inertia. I like continuous movement. I like to be shooting. I like things to be there. I like things to be happening. I like that energy.

How was it handling such a large cast?

I think being a director is all about human resources, it is all about being an HR manager and making sure everyone is mentally there, and each has their own individual problems and gripes and everything. You need to be listening to everything and reacting positively and correctly at times automatically. At the same time you just need to keep them in the right frame of mind. I mean, that is a big chunk of what direction is all about and is not just with actors, it could be with your DOP, it could be anybody. It is like a big cinema circus you just need to keep everyone in their cages and keep them performing (laughs) and keep the show going on a daily basis until the shooting is over. At the end of the day I think the only person who really knows what is really happening on the set is the director and nobody else because it is all in his head! And as a manager, you have to make sure that no matter how far they decide to go, how much of a long leash you kind of give them, you need to make sure that they walk the line you have in your head - make sure that they don't go across it or past it because then you end up making a different film than you conceived. I mean, you can finish your script and once you have locked it, you can improvise on the set, which is all good fun, but at the end of the day you must shoot the script you started with first because honestly making too many changes on the set, that amounts to big mistakes. When you are writing a script and when you are doing a pre-prod that is actually almost a year to a year and a half process, you have got a lot of time to think about every single action that you are going to do. But when you start changing things big time on the set, making instantaneous decisions at those times you are not thinking ahead, so you are more likely to make mistakes. Bottom line is you need to think fast, be on your feet. At the same time if you think it is too drastic, you need to make the right call whether to go ahead with or not because it could impact something negatively further up ahead.

Did you ever find that once you were directing the filming the idea you had in your head when you wrote the script wouldn't work and you would have to change it?

At times what I would need to change was sometimes mental but was usually visual, or like moving or doing certain things. But really actually on location you need to give the actor the space to do his or her thing, and do it within the confines of what you want done. You need to often make changes and work yourself around what the location dictates and you have to be open to that. It is something very interesting, very organic. You are on the set and you thought that you should be sitting, you should be talking, you should be walking right now, you should be here and you should be there but yeah, you see a very set image in your head but you do change it at times, it happens all the time.

I like rehearsing my actors before a shot, and while they are rehearsing my DOP observes the movement, so he lights accordingly and there is enough space for the actors to do their thing. I also usually shoot the scene in its entirety, I don't take one-one dialogue cuts. I shoot scenes and make the actors do the whole thing again and again, and I film it from different angles, different magnifications and stuff. This way the energy is never lost and it never becomes monotonous for them and since my camera is on them all time they are all on the edge. At any given point of time they know that I might shift the camera to them so I have them giving the complete performance. With Acid, I had two, three cameras on the set every single day so that really helped .

Give us a little hint to the story of Acid Factory.

Acid Factory is about six people who wake up locked up in a factory in a very peculiar situation... they have all lost their memory, they have no clue of who they are and then they realize that their lives are in danger from each other. Since they have no idea who is who, they have no clue whose life is in danger and who is the guy who is going to be threatening them. That is one part of the narrative, but you have three multiple narratives running throughout the film and you go back and forth in time as well so the audience enjoys the whole cat and mouse game more, because I keep revealing one plot at a time to the audience. So they get a sense of okay, this character is this guy and this character is this guy, and there are also many surprises in store for the audience as well. That is basically the story idea in a nutshell.

How did the idea for story of the film come to you?

When I met Sanjay a writer had already narrated this story idea to him and he bounced it off me. I really loved the idea and the story idea was very challenging. For me, since I am a writer, I said listen, I need to write this myself and he was like yeah, let's do it together. So we wrote the screenplay together over some nine months and we kind of tinkered with the story and played around with it and worked it all out.

Did you have people in mind as the roles were developing? Did you say OK, Dino would be perfect for this and Fardeen would be perfect for this, as you were writing the script?

Most of my actors I kind of had in my mind when I wrote it. Because they have no memory, there were no character names until kind of the last stage, so instead I would write actor's names and out of the actors I wrote in the script I think I got most of them. I am very lucky to have got that.

How did you go about casting? Do you go and narrate the story to them, is that how it works?

Here is how it works: I would narrate to each and every actor individually, and every actor that I narrated the script to said yes. I had this lucky three page script printout and I would take it with me everywhere. The last person to be cast was Dia, and the day I narrated the script to her that print out vanished and then I was like OK, fine, and I knew that my cast was done (laughs). That was an interesting experience. I would do a two-hour narration; I would act out the whole film, scene to scene with each actor's movements and the character's movements, and I would show them the film. I also had cut per-prods of the action and stuff so they could get an idea of the kind of action that I had in my head that they were going to be shooting. So they more or less had a larger picture of the kind of film we were trying to make.

How was it working with the cast?

Great fun! See, Fardeen and I had already worked together so there was a great comfort level. Manoj was a great experience because he loves to improvise, and I would literally improvise along with him and we created the character that he plays in the film together. With Danny, what I realized is that he is exactly like Mr. Feroz Khan who I directed in a previous film. He works on the principal that if he likes you, he is there for you, but if he doesn't like you, in my opinion, you shouldn't be in the same room as him. He has his own set of principles and stuff, he is all heart so you need to react to him on an emotional level.

They are all really, really professional actors you call them on the set at nine and they are there bang on the dot at nine o'clock. I mean Irrfan is a great performer, one of the best performers we have. He is an extremely professional actor. You just need to tell him what you want once and he delivers. For him, it is all about stringing the harmony of what is the level that you want and he gets it, bang on. The way he works with other actors - it is all very interesting.

Aftab and Dino, I am working with for the first time and they both have very interesting energy levels. With Dino, I had to do something very sly. Dino's role is a very bizarre, off-kilter, edgy kind of role. On day one of shooting I made him very, very insecure. I told him if you pull this off it will be great, but if you don't we are screwed, because this is not a one or two hero film it is an ensemble film and my group dynamic has to work. If one person in the group does not work, we will be in trouble. Dino just kept quiet and he smiled and then he started to act and day one went interesting, day two went OK nice, day three went OK fantastic, and finally on day four, it was one of the most crucial scenes in the film, the 14th scene in the film where his character really comes into his own and when he finished performing, everybody just broke into a spontaneous applause because that guy delivered in spades! It is a very, very edgy role and he had to be edgy throughout the film, so a lot of the time he distanced himself from us and not be a part of the parties we would have every single night, because we would be shooting 12 hours a day and partying eight hours in the night, so we almost partied non-stop and then shot like mad so it was good fun.

Dia, it was very interesting when I was casting her. My one problem with Dia was that I always perceived Dia as a very fragile beauty and I wasn't sure she had this hard as nails, eating-balls-for-breakfast kind of femme fatale that her character was in the film. Dia realized that I had this reservation, so she actually went and shot a portfolio of a set of photographs where she did different makeup, had a different look in her eye, had different costumes and when she met me she said, please open the file, is this what you have in your mind? I was just taken aback, I was blown, I was like if this is the level of dedication you have you are my character, and I gave her a hug and said OK, fine, you are doing the heroine in my film and that is how it happened. I am really lucky to have got that kind of energy level from my actors.

Favorite scene in the film?

Actually, I can't divide the film or cut the film into favorite scenes (laughs). I can tell you that Dia and Fardeen's favorite scene has been cut from the film because I couldn't find a place to put it. I tried my best but I couldn't manage it.


Favorite performance in the film, or is everyone brilliant?

See, it is like this, and all the actors understood this, that the group has to work. If the group doesn't work, then the film falls flat on its face, so none of the actors tried to outshine each other. What they did was try to work with each other, at times help each other, or even be there for each other. Sometimes they would come on the set even if it was not their scene. That is the kind of energy that really worked, because they realized that they have to work as a group. That is something that I ingrained in them on the first day of the shoot. I shot only after lunch; the first half of the day I made them read the script in front of each other. They all sat around and read their parts so they all knew what they were doing, they all knew what was going to go on on set, so that really helped, I guess.

The music of Ek Khiladi Ek Hassena was a big hit! What can you tell us about the music of Acid Factory?

I think the music of Acid Factory is going to be one of the biggest blockbusters of this year. We have got 4 different music directors: Shamar Tandon, Baapi Lahiri, Gourov Dasgupta and Masai Scott. Interestingly, we have only one lip synch song in the film. I mean the kind of story it is it can't stop, and even in that song none of my actors are lip synching. It is a strip bar that they go to, and you hear it via the strip dancers - it's not sung by any of the actors in the film. A couple of the songs are used as background music. They are not really there as song-songs like in a typical Hindi film. It is a one hour, fifty minute film, so it just works in that constraint.

What can audiences expect from Acid Factory?

I think they can expect a ride like they have never been on before. It really is a twisted, very, very action packed interesting thriller of a ride. It's like the world's wildest acid trip is what they can expect from us.

How has the industry changed from when you wrote about it until now?

I think the change had already or almost started taking place when I started writing about it. A kind of new blood came in about the time I started writing, and the old school kind of took a back seat. I think at the end of the day, it all kind of happened because of economics. The budgets heeded a certain style of film making. Earlier, you would shoot at times at random over the course of one or two years, over 180 days. It was quite scattered, the whole medium. When smaller budget films started being made, suddenly the industry started to wake up wondering how the hell can these guys make this in this much amount? Then they realized these guys came organized, with ready scripts, with organized shooting schedules, with everything worked out and worked backwards from the date of release, and that's how they managed to make the film with that much budget. Not just by being ready, but by spending money correctly, and that's how the new model translated into the bigger budgeters, too. Similarly, the actors got tired of running from set to set and making 15 films in one year. They decided they were going to shoot 2 or 3 films a year and they decided to only do one film at a time. Writers started giving the scripts before the shooting began. Multiplexes came into being that change economics completely - the whole paradigm changed. So, it was a whole lot of things and in the end it all boils down to money, but I have seen that all change and the work ethics of this generation, the kind of code that we will live by, that we want to kind of achieve in terms of the kind of cinema that we want to see is really, really fresh.

Do you think that darker films, edgier films, are more accepted today?

They are being more accepted by audiences, they have been exposed to more of a variety of cinema per se, not just on Indian screens but also on television. I mean, television has caused a big societal change in this country in terms of morality, in terms of exposure to the world. It really has opened up a whole new world out there and that in turn has benefited a lot of people, a lot of artists - a lot of things. I mean, the Internet and cable television has changed the world as we know it.

What do you think of Hindi cinema today?

I think this is the best period to be a part of Indian cinema. It is there on the precipice - once it leaps, it will fly, it will soar, it's right there. I think I will be part of the birth of the next leap that Indian cinema takes and I think it is a great moment to be part of.

What sort of movies do you want to make in the future?

Honestly as a viewer I am not genre specific. I enjoy movies of all genre, I enjoy world cinema, I enjoy comedies and rom-com and horror. Horror is something I am very keen on making. I want to make a love story, which I already have written down. I want to make all kinds of films, but the only thing I know is that I will never be able to tell you a very simple story. Simplicity is really not my thing. I like a bit of a twist. I need grays! I can't do just black and white.

You wrote that Shekhar Kapur said about Fellini, "a movie is not just a story, you need to experience it, it is also an audio visual medium, look at what the director is trying to do." What, in your opinion, does a director try to do?

I think it depends from director to director. Some directors just want to entertain you, some directors actually want to tell you something, some directors want to jolt you, some directors want to hit you on the head and kind of awaken your senses, some want to scare you, some want to make you cry. But bottom line it comes down to your script: we are all storytellers. At the end of the day each director is trying to tell a story in his or her own unique way or style. For me, what I am trying to do, well, I was a born joker in school and class in college, so I think I am trying to entertain. I like happy people, I like that energy. I just want people to be alive. I love life a lot and I love people who are full of life around me. I can't take morose people. I can't take people who have no energy. I cant take people who are despondent and if they are, I tend to bring their energy up to mine! So, that is how I function and so via my cinema I am trying to infuse life into them and have them live or experience the edge that I like to walk on.


It was wonderful to talk to someone who is so enthused about his craft and so willing to share so much insight into making films. Suparn says that with his movies he is trying to entertain, and we are sure he will succeed. Make sure and go see Acid Factory, because it certainly threatens to keep all of us on the edge of our seats waiting to see what he reveals next. We wish him the best of luck now and in the future! Stay tuned, because BollySpice also has interviews with Manoj Bajpayee, Aftab Shivadasani and Dino Morea still in store! Class dismissed!

http://www.bollyspic...parn-verma.html

- Heart has been claimed

[decki]

Bollywood: Gaining new depth
Sep 24 2009 Uxbridge Gazette

Our man in Mumbai, DEVANSH PATEL, meets an actor with a spirit of adventure, who is ready to paint the town Blue

WELCOME to the Akshay Kumar Fan Club.

Care to join? With film credits including Khiladi, Ajnabee, Khakee, Kambakht Ishq, and his recent deep sea adventure, Blue, you will be one of thousands of members worldwide.

The membership requirements are very simple. You just need to see any of his action films to fall in love with the 6ft tall treasure seeker.

Kumar has managed a nice balance of box office hits and dramatic roles to propel him to leading man status. He has risen above the gods, you may say, but it is now time for him to dive deep into the ocean to meet the sharks.

Get ready for the adrenaline-fuelled,

high-octane action thriller, Blue. And Akshay Kumar is ready to tell all, from his new-found skill as a stunt man to why directors are not ready to embark on an all-out adventure caper, and more.

QHow easy was it to be dancing on the trampoline and doing your own stunts?

AI thought I was an actor. It's fine if you call me a stunt man - I take it as a compliment.

But to be a stunt man, you need to be highly qualified.

The title track we are shooting for a promotional video requires a certain kind of dance. It required me to jump high and it couldn't have been possible without a trampoline.

QHow good a dancer are you? Or have you improved?

AI think dancing is more like aerobics. I don't consider myself a trained dancer.

QWhich means that the choreographers must be putting in a lot of effort for you?

AYou're right. They have to. They sweat more than I do.

QDo you think the introduction of the music from Blue on USB pens and

memory chips will help combat piracy?

AWe will do anything to curb piracy. I don't know how much this kind of innovation is

going to curb it. If it does, great. The launch of music on pen drives is a rather

unusual thing, which I haven't seen before. I got to know about it from AR Rahman when I met him a couple of days ago.

Isn't it great? You don't need to carry your compact discs. You just need to have a small chip to see the visual and hear the music. Small is the next big thing.

QWe have rarely seen an adventure genre come out of Bollywood. Is it difficult for

directors to take such a risk, or do you think they need an Akshay Kumar to be a part of such a film?

AI have no idea about that. Blue isn't just a film for me, it's an adventure, a fun and a

frolic ride.

I've done so many films that I have forgotten the memorable scenes I've shot for them. Blue is the only film where I can count my shots. Just imagine, wearing your fins, tank, your boxing gloves in the ring and then jumping inside the deep sea, knowing that there are 30 or 40 sharks ready to greet you, not eat you, there.

There were times when my director would say to remove my tank and diving goggles to get myself prepared for a fight shot doing martial arts. I hope people understand the thrill of risking your life a little bit while you're on the edge.

QYou've got a tattoo on your hand which reads 'Blue'. Is it permanent?

AHow can it be permanent? No, I don't keep on putting tattoos of all the films I do. I got

this done because it's got a lot of significance to the film I'm doing.

QWe've seen you exercise behind the scenes to prepare for your roles.

Swimming is an exercise in itself. Did you also do other types of training on the sets?

AYes. My producer had sent me to Ko Samui to be a certified diver. I had to undergo

15 days of rigorous training.

I had to learn it because I was filming with a Hollywood professional, Pete, who is a cameraman for films like Pirates of the Caribbean. Such professionals demand actors to push their boundaries and be the swimmers we need to be for such films.

QWhich means that you must have required a higher level of fitness for Blue.

AYou could say so, yes. I had to undergo a lot of physical weight loss. That was quite

a heavy task, to remove four kilograms from your body weight.

QIndian heroes have always shied away from the colour grey. But your stubble

looks nice when it has shades of grey. It looks stylish on you.

AThank you. I'm so glad that you said that. Some of my producers say, "Sir, aapka

daadi kaala kar lo. Ladkiyan kya sochegi?" [Sir, please colour your beard black or else all your female fans won't like it!]

Everybody is ageing. We all do. Why not let my beard age too.

Keep up to date with the news. Sign up for News alerts

Have your say on the latest news and sport in our Forums

[stacey:-)]

"Comedy is quite difficult to do" - Mugdha Godse
By Stacey Yount - BollySpice.com
15 Oct 2009



In Fashion, her first film, Mugdha Godse wowed audiences and received great critical praise for her performance as Janet; with her naturalness on screen she proved herself to be an actress to watch out for. It didn't take long for directors to come knocking on her door, and now she has two major projects ready for release. The first one off the reel is All the Best, directed by Rohit Shetty and co-starring some of the best, including Ajay Devgn, Sanjay Dutt, Fardeen Khan and Bipasha Basu. The film, which opens October 16th, is a full-on comedy, and for Mugdha it presented a challenge as well as a lot of fun! She took time out of her busy schedule to talk with Stacey about working on All the Best and why she couldn't say no to the part. Take a look!

Why did you choose to take on this role in All the Best?

Because I loved the script, and doing a comedy with Rohit Shetty would be something really fantastic and I knew I was in great hands. Plus, I was working with this fantastic star cast, so there was nothing I could say no to.

Who is your character in the film?

My character is a very superstitious girl, a mad superstitious girl, who keeps giving lucky charms to people to bring their luck up, but it always fails to do so, so everyone is always trying to run away from her. There is a mistaken identity crisis happening and she just comes and spoils it for her friend. So, that is a funny character twist that happens to my role.

How was the experience working on the film?

The experience working on All the Best was fantastic. It was the first time I was doing comedy, so I was actually thinking if I could keep up, but everything went so smooth, and my co-stars and everyone was so sweet. I just had a blast on the set!

Did you find that comedy is a hard genre to do?

Actually, yes, comedy is quite difficult to do because you have to get the timing right and everything, but when you have good co-stars then I think everything falls into the right place.

How was it working with the cast?

It was fantastic working with them. Ajay Devgan was the producer and he took care of us completely. He is really sweet and a very good co-star. I took a lot of tips from him on acting since he is one of my favorite actors in the industry. It was a pure pleasure working with him and Fardeen, too. Fardeen was so fun to work with.

What was it like working with Rohit Shetty?

A pleasure. He is so funny, humorous, and a very fun-loving, full-energy guy and so sincere in his work. He is particularly good to work with and he makes you very comfortable. Throughout the film he just kept on telling me one thing, 'Mugdha just chill' (laughs) because I kept getting quite paranoid about the whole thing but he made me very comfortable. I was really excited and I was thrilled to work with him. I was able to learn a lot of new things, but later I realized it really was information overload, too. But it was also good, because now I am well equipped for a comedy flick!

What did you learn as an actress while making this film?

I learned how to make people laugh, how to get the timing right, it's a different kind of scene work so I learned that... a lot of things. How to look good, how to dance and everything like that.

The music is really good. Do you have a favorite song?

I love the romantic song 'Martaba' and I also love the other romantic track 'Kyon'. I think that is a fantastic track. Of course I love 'All the Best', and Rohit does, also. But there are more good sounding tracks too.

Since you were also shooting Jail at that time, was it difficult to change between the comedy of All the Best and the drama of Jail?

Initially it was difficult, but when I actually went on to the All the Best set it was very colorful and the whole atmosphere was so nice and energetic I was immediately getting into the character. We were shooting in Goa and the weather and everything in Goa is fantastic for shooting a comedy film.

Favorite memory from shooting the film?

My favorite memory we all used to go to the gym together after the shoot. That was another fun thing we did and I really miss that.

Do you have a favorite scene?

All are my favorite actually, but I remember my climax scene where there are 16 characters and we all live together and are having so much fun. I've never been to work with Jonny Lever ji also; he is one of my favorite comedians. It was good fun, we had a lot of fun, I saw a lot of things like bullet firing and a lot of things go on in the climax. Full madness.

What do you think audiences should expect from All the Best?

I think they should expect full-on entertainment, complete fun, a comedy with a bit of action. People should just go to laugh out loudly and then come back to their homes happy!

As Mugs says, get ready to laugh out loud when All the Best opens October 16th. It looks to be a masti-filled night at the movies. We can't wait to see her spread her acting wings in a comedy role and we are sure she will impress again. We wish her well... All the Best... (wonder how many times that has been said!) Up next for Mugdha is Madhur Bhandarkar's Jail and she has promised to speak with us again, so stay tuned for more!

http://www.bollyspic...gdha-godse.html

[stacey:-)]

"Every time I have made a film, I have tried a new genre" - Vipul Shah
By Stacey Yount - BollySpice.com
28 Oct 2009



Vipul Shah is a master filmmaker not only as a director, but also as a producer. His films have been loved by audiences and ventured on to become huge hits. He has directed some of the biggest stars in Hindi cinema including Amitabh Bachchan, Katrina Kaif and Akshay Kumar - once or twice. From his first film Aankhein to the romantic Namastey London and the comedy of Singh is King, Mr. Shah has proven he knows how to make a film. He claims that with each film he likes to try a new genre and with London Dreams he goes into the territory of human drama. In London Dreams, Mr. Shah explores the world of music but at its heart the film is all about friendship and taps into the human emotions of jealousy and envy. Not only does he embrace a new type of story, he is also working with some new actors...well new to him: Ajay Devgn and Salman Khan. In this exclusive interview, Vipul Shah talks to BollySpice about London Dreams. The director spoke passionately about the film he says is "easily the best work of my career so far". Read on to find out more!

Tell us the story of London Dreams in your words.

London Dreams is the story of two friends who have this big dream of achieving great success and winning audiences the world over in the world of music. They start their journey from childhood in the Punjab in India and they go to London to achieve this dream. On the way, what happens in their lives in the space of their romances, their friendship, who becomes more popular and what happens to the other guy is a test of their friendship, a test of their romance, a test of their character, a test of their religion too. So, that is the basic plot.

Why did you decide to direct this film?

Every time I have made a film I have tried a new genre, like my first film was a thriller called Aankhein, then there was Waqt which was a family drama, then there was Namastey London which was a romantic film and then I produced Singh is King, which was comedy caper and now London Dreams is a human drama. So, for me it is really interesting to be again traveling in a new direction, something that I have never tried before. Apart from the fact that it had a huge story and beautiful human drama involved in it, there are three principles that I like to make a film on. One is that it has to be good entertainment - a sensible, intelligent, sensitive entertainment. It has to be a family-friendly film that the entire family should be able to see together and enjoy it. It has to have a message, which they can take home after they come out of the theater, not just leave the film in the theater and are just completely cut off. So, apart from a great story, this also gave me the opportunity to achieve these three fundamental things that I like to have in every film of mine. So, there was no reason at all which told me to think twice.

So what is the message of London Dreams that you want everyone to take home with them?

It is a film about friendship and it sends a very strong message about how to deal with your friendships by the end of the film. I think there is also another message in the film, which is about the planet and how to avoid competition and jealousy when someone is more talented than you are. It deals with two very positive emotions, which can be very important for a human being to live happy.

You have Ajay and Salman in the film, how was it working with them?

See, I had worked with Akshay Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan and it has been a great, great, great experience working with two fantastic, disciplined actors. I was coming out of my comfort zone for the first time working with two actors I had never worked with before. Now, I must say I have four great actors that I have worked with and would love to work with again and again. It has been a fantastic experience working with them. It was an absolute pleasure and we bonded like a house on fire. But, most importantly our harmony and team spirit is really visible on screen. It is not something that we just shared and enjoyed off screen. It was something we were able to translate on screen and that is the positivity of the relationship. Audiences are really going to enjoy seeing the camaraderie and team spirit in the film.

Do you use different approaches when working with different actors? For example did you approach Salman a different way than Ajay for a scene?

Every actor demands a different type of attitude and every actor has different demands from the director, so accordingly you have to mold yourself and give the actor what he wants. Like Salman is more carefree and Ajay is more meticulous, but at the end of the day they are both fantastic actors and I have to get the best out of them. At the same time, I also have to try and get a completely new style from their talent, something that audiences have not seen so far. I think it is very critical for any director working for the first time with actors to understand their personality, how they work, how they think about the part, and then slowly, slowly, slowly start getting inside them in order to present them in a slightly newer way, slightly unique, something they have not done probably for a very long time. Then you have to create a mood in which the actors who are very different can work. It was great fun, but yeah they both required a different plan of approach.

How was it working with Asin?

She is a newcomer, at least to Hindi cinema, but she is a big star down South. She is very, very experienced but she is very choosy and chooses to work with, according to her, only the best guys. Like after Ghajini, which was her first Hindi film that she chose, and after our film, I don't think she has signed any other film. She is very choosy in what she does. Being a newcomer she was full of enthusiasm and cooperation and energy and that's very much required. I think the fact that she has starred with big stars down South made her not at all nervous with Ajay and Salman so that brought a lot of confidence in her performance as a newcomer. So, she gets a lot of freshness but at the same time she doesn't look like a typical newcomer would look and that is a great quality to have. I think she is going to be really appreciated.

The music is such an integral part to the film. What was the brief you gave to Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy?

In our films we make popular music, we make commercial music but at the same time doing a film where the music is very important, I wanted tracks that would be around for the next ten years at least. I wanted not just commercially successful film music, but I also wanted music that would last to the end of time and I wanted at least some of the songs to become classics in the years to come. I think they have given me songs individually created in that way. That is at least what I feel and I hope audiences will feel the same.

What is your favorite song?

My favorite song...that is a bit confusing because I really feel all the tracks are absolutely great. Every track has a very special quality. If I had to pick one I would say 'Khwab' is my most favorite number, which has a soft, mellifluous, very, very beautiful melody; very beautiful lyrics, beautiful poetry and very haunting so I think 'Khwab' is my best number. But then I also like 'Barsoon' because it is a very unusual concert song. It has a very, very unusual structure for a concert song. It starts out as bit of rock then it moves into folk then it ends with a religious chant... Hanuman Chalisa. It is a fantastic song! Then you have 'Man Ko Ati Bhavey', which is a totally mad love song that you would associate only with Salman Khan. There is the Punjab song, which is called 'Tapkey Masti' that is a little Punjab but also has a very modern today international groove. Then there is 'Shola Shola', which has got a great style quality of lyrics that any youngster will feel. When you're depressed you can listen to 'Shola' and feel very, very energetic and hopeful. And there is 'Khanabadosh', which I think is an outstanding in so many ways. The lyrics, the use of guitar and composition is so pure. There are so many songs really.

Tell us about shooting the concert scenes.

It was one of the most difficult shoots because we had to have so many people and we had to perform it like one live concert and every actor had to perform straight in one take. In fact, what we wanted to manage was sometimes very difficult to achieve, but we had to do it. We had to capture it in one go, so it was six cameras that shot the entire concert from six different angles. The actors had to perform the entire concert six times with same intensity, with same movements and same expressions. Plus the audience, the 10,000 people that we had cheering for the concert had to keep doing it again and again and then we had to multiply that to 90,000 people. The challenges were many trying to get those thousands in a whole shot, but I think the concert is really something to go by and people will be absolutely stunned with the result of the concert scene.

What do you think is the best scene in the film?

That I can't say again because I want the audience to come and enjoy every moment of the film, but there are not less than 20 sequences which I would say are absolutely stunning; something that the Indian audience has not yet seen.

You shot on location in Paris. What was that experience like?

We shot outside the Louvre museum in Paris, which is going to be really stunning for Indian audiences to see. No Indian film has been able to shoot in front of the museum. And we shot outside the Eiffel Tower, which was illuminated in blue lights...which is something no film in the world has. That is what we were told, that this will be the only film that will have the Eiffel Tower illuminated in blue light. It was the perfect setting for a romantic scene. I mean it looks better in blue for a romantic sequence than it would look with the yellow light.

Did the film turn out how you hoped when you first started?

I think this is easily the best work of my career so far. I think this is one film that will win audiences and is one of the landmark films that I have done. That is what I feel and I hope that the audience agrees with my thinking for the film.

What do you think audiences will love about London Dreams?

I think in totality they must love the story that is the first thing. They must love the music. They must love the performances of Salman, Ajay and Asin and every other character so these are the three fundamental things, but also in my opinion they will love the visual treat of the film. The way we have shot the film, the way we have treated every single scene visually I think that is going to be something really new to them. And as I said it is a family entertainer so they definitely can all go and enjoy it.

What is coming up for you next?

There are two films I am working on, one as a producer and one as a producer/director. As a producer I am making a film Kuch Love Jaisa, which is starring Rahul Bose and Shefali Shah, which is written and directed by Barnali Shukla. That is a beautiful story of housewife and a criminal who is on the run and they meet accidentally in a restaurant and in that one meeting, it changes their lives completely. The second film is called Action Replay and that stars Akshay Kumar and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and a lot of other fantastic Indian stars. It is a romantic comedy set in the world of fantasy. Besides that we have a contract to make two films with the franchise of 20th Century Fox - Fox Star Studios. I will be producing both of the films and some directors, which well I am not going to release the names, now, will direct them. The scripts have been locked and hopefully both films will be in production later.

Mr. Shah said he feels that London Dreams is something that will really stun audiences not only with the way the film has been shot but also with the performances. We know we cannot wait to see it on the silver screen! We wish him and the entire cast and a crew a good show and hopefully a good showing at the theater. Be sure and get your ticket to see London Dreams when it opens on October 30th.

http://www.bollyspic...vipul-shah.html

[stacey:-)]

"London Dreams was the best shooting experience of my life and my career" - Asin
By Stacey Yount - BollySpice.com
26 Oct 2009



If you are a fan of the movies from the Tamil and Telegu film industries, than it is certain that you know Asin Thottumkal's name. She has starred in some of the biggest films and opposite some of the biggest stars, and is considered one of the best. When she came to Bollywood, she didn't start out small. Reprising her role in the Hindi version of Ghajini, she was paired with one of the greats - Aamir Khan. The trend of starring opposite the big hitters in Hindi cinema continued with her second film because this time she worked with Ajay Devgn and Salman Khan. Boasting not only an incredible cast, the film, London Dreams had one of the best in the director's chair, Vipul Shah. In the film, Asin plays a dancer and singer who joins Ajay Devgan's rock band called London Dreams. When Ajay's old friend Salman comes to join the band he not only gets the fame... he also tries to get the girl. As to what happens next you will have to see that in the film. Asin says she chose to do the film not only because she found the role really interesting, but also because of the opportunity to work with those three! I got the chance to talk with the actress about working on the film, which she says is one of the best experiences of her career, about her role, acting styles, music, and all thing London Dreams. Read on to find out more and get some inside scoop as well!

Tell me about your role in London Dreams.

Well, Stacey, I play this girl who was born and brought up in London but of Indian origins, obviously. She is called Priya, and at home she is brought up by very conservative parents who don't let her express herself the way she wants to. She is somebody who wants to express herself in music and dance, but they are very traditional and only let her learn the classical forms of dance and music. So, when she steps out of her house, there is this rock chick streak to her personality that comes in, so that is the kind of character I play in London Dreams.

How did you get involved with this project?

Well, I was working on Ghajini, and during that shoot Vipul, the director, approached me for London Dreams. We had a meeting, during which he narrated the script and I found it really interesting, because character-wise and film-wise it was quite different from what I was doing in Ghajini. I also wanted work in an out-and-out Bollywood film, you know, commercial Hindi cinema, and who better to start that off with than Vipul, because he is a hit maker in that kind of cinema. Obviously, the advantage of getting to work with Salman Khan and Ajay Devgn in your second Bollywood venture was quite an attraction. I just found the project very attractive and so I took it up.

Did you like playing Priya?

Oh yes, I must say I had a complete blast because I think Priya portrays, kind of, extremes of my own character. I mean there are slight streaks of me, you know you are not completely as traditional as Priya is at home and you are not completely like a rock chick when you step outside, but I guess there are little bits of that in my own character, so I guess Priya is a magnification of those characters. I really had a lot of fun doing that.

She does have that rock chick edge to her so, how did you get into her character?

I guess some of it is who I am, at least like I said the little part of me, and others from what you have seen around you. I took guidance from Vipul because he is very much tuned in to how the Indians are in London and he has obviously made films based on that like Namastey London, which was a huge, huge hit. So, I really trusted the director and I am somebody who is very much a director's actor. I might have certain ideas of my own, but I always put it to the director and whatever he feels is right is what I go ahead with. So, I guess I took a lot of help from him also to play the character.

The trailer looks to be very much a dramatic film...

Oh yes!

So how do you get into the dramatic scenes?

There is no particular method that I follow. As an actor, each person has his way of approaching the character or a scene. I am not somebody who's very methodical about it. I guess I am a combo - a little bit methodical and a little bit of spontaneity, also. In that way, I would say that I have a little bit of Aamir Khan's traits in me and a little bit of Salman Khan (laughs). As actors, I think they both have quite different working styles. Aamir is quite a method actor, he likes to get into the mood of the character for some time. He likes to come on set and discuss the scene with the director, how he has to play the character with his director and his co-artists, bounce off ideas, improvisations. That is the kind of guy Aamir is and that is the way he works. Salman is quite opposite to that; he is not like that at all. I mean he comes in and he gives his shot when it is action, he says his dialogue, does his bit, then cut and that is it, he is off. It looks very spontaneous, but I am sure he does his homework in his mind or in his head. As an actor, I am sure that he is doing that, how the body language of the character should be and how he should be delivering his dialog. I am sure that all happens, but you don't get to see that externally, so he appears more spontaneous. I think I am more of a mix of both, which I think is why I had a great time working with both and I got along really well with both of them as actors.

How was it working with Ajay?

It was a lot of fun! I thought he would be this intense kind of brooding personality who wouldn't talk much. I think that was because of the kind of roles he has mostly done in previous films, and so I thought that would sort of be his personality in real life, too. I was quite surprised to discover the naughty side of Ajay, because he turns out to be quite a prankster. I wasn't warned about this at all before I started working on London Dreams. It was a lot of fun working with Ajay, too. Ajay and Salman get along with each other too, so I think there is this whole atmosphere of friendliness, of comfort, which I believe has transferred onto the film and you will see that when you watch the film on screen. I think the chemistry between all of us as friends off camera really showed in front of the camera.

And did Ajay pull a prank on you?

He did try to once, very initially, but he soon realized he has to think of something more intelligent, more devious to make a bakra out of me, so to say. It really fell flat on its face, and I have to wish him all the best, and that he probably will come up with something even more complicated next time to make me fall for it (laughs).

Do you have a favorite memory from the shoot?

I don't know just one, but I think it is just the whole atmosphere, where not once during the shoot of this film did any actor retire to his her own respective vanity vans and come out only to just give the shot. In between the shots, we would just hang around each other, just chill, and we would sit around the table and chat. Salman and Ajay would be telling me stories about when they started out in the industry and about their various experiences. Me, being the only girl in the gang, they would try pulling pranks on me and try pulling my leg and would joke around. All kind of silly stuff, like Ajay would challenge me with tongue twisters in Hindi and I would throw back a challenge of tongue twisters for him in English. Once we were shooting for this concert song and we had this crowd of thousands of college students, who were fans of Salman and Ajay, who had just come to watch the shooting and they became the crowd at the concert, and all this happened over the mic during breaks. Ajay would give me the mic and say, say this like this and he would throw a challenge at me, and obviously give me all kinds of difficult Hindi to say, and I would give him something like it in English to say. It was a lot of fun! I guess all these small, small instances were quite memorable. The whole shoot was something I really enjoyed and for sure, it has been the best shooting experience of my life and my career. Even though I am very happy that the film is complete and it is ready for release, there is a slight pain because I know I am not going to be shooting for London Dreams anymore.

How was it shooting those concert scenes? It must have been pretty amazing to have all those people there...

It was, it was! It was not anything like we would shoot a normal film song, as in usually when we are shooting a song, we would take a bit of the song and rehearse that and then go for a take and that is how you would progress shooting for the song, but this concert song we had a whole set erected in India. We couldn't shoot that scene in London, but we erected something similar to a Wembley Stadium in India. We shot a lot of concerts on that set and various sets like that. We rehearsed the entire song and we performed it and it was like we were performing live, because there was never a cut in the middle, you have to do the song from start to finish and there were six to seven cameras that were shooting it simultaneously. So, it was not like you would shoot one line of the song separately, you go for a take and then if you did a mistake in between you did again and then the song would finally come together on the editing table - that was not the way we did it at all. It was a good experience, and, like I said, with a live crowd there, not the usual junior artists that are paid to be there to cheer or act like they are applauding and stuff like that. It was a real college crowd, real tourists, and real fans of the stars acting in the movie. It was a lot of fun and a lot of energy while shooting for the concert.

What do you think of the music; do you have a favorite song?

I think Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy have done fabulous work for London Dreams because the movie demands a lot of good numbers from the music director, and I think they have really lived up to that and given more than what was expected of them. I really am a big admirer of Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy. Favorite song for London dreams: I really like 'Khanabadosh' and also 'Man Ko Ati Bhavey'. It is kind of a tie, I am on the fence on this one!

After London Dreams, do you have other projects in the works?

Yes, I do but at this point of time it is very tricky for me to be talking about them because I would want the production houses to come out with the official announcements first, before I say something on my behalf, you know. Some announcement about these two will be coming out in the very near future, and then I guess I would have more freedom to talk about that!

One of the great things about talking with Asin was how energetic and happy she was as she talked about her experience on London Dreams. Not only did she talk about the film, but also she showed us a little bit of what it was like on the set and working with three big names in Hindi cinema. London Dreams was definitely on my "I must see this film" list, and after talking to her I am even more excited. The film opens on October 30th, so make sure and plan your weekend to include a trip to the theater!

http://www.bollyspic...areer-asin.html

[-Reema-]

We talk to Rish Oberoi - Owner of Paani Puri Clothing
By Stacey Yount - BollySpice.com
4 Jan 2010

Let me start by sharing a story with you from the Paani Puri blog:

"Paani Puri!? Clothing? A Clothing Company!? Really?!? That’s crazy! silly! and even goofy! YUP! that is the same reaction we've received every single day since 5:30am on April 20,2009. 5:30am!?! WHAT?? Yes, at 5:30am Rish Oberoi was watching Batman-The Dark Knight, but could only think to himself, 'how amazing would Paani Puri be right now?&' While sitting there in a daze, hoping to somehow find Paani Puri around his house, he began to think how funny, no, how CRAZY!! it would be if 'The Joker' was eating Paani Puri!!! This thought stuck in his mind, and that very same day he went through his phone book to call anyone who could create this image ... And EUREKA He found her! Wait Wait, before we go on, our designer is actually called EUREKA! (this is the most serious part of the story and not a joke...).That's how Paani Puri started; simply 'a joke made into a reality'."

That reality became the Paani Puri Clothing company. With t-shirts ranging from the Joker to bubble puri, pop art puri and even aliens, Rish and his artist Eureka have designed a line of wonderfully artistic t-shirts that are getting ready to take the world by storm. New Jersey-raised but now living and loving Mumbai, Rish is very passionate about not only the art of his designs, but also the quality, what they stand for and the thought that went into each and every piece of puri art that is on the t-shirts. With a launch date coming up soon I got the opportunity to talk to Rish about the company, the ideas, the passion and what goes into Paani Puri, the company and the food!

Tell us about your company Paani Puri.

Paani Puri is a company that quite honestly started off as a joke. It was nothing serious at first, in the sense that it was nothing that I thought of being formulated into a company, into something which I would start selling, a brand which I had fallen in love with myself. What ended up happening was that in my New Jersey mind it was like, oh, dude, that would be really funny if the Joker was eating paani puri, and that is how we ended up coming up with the first design. Then slowly and suddenly it just started happening, because I just wanted more and more t-shirts just for myself. Then people started appreciating them and I thought, why don't I try and make a business out of it? So, that's what we are about It was just something that was spontaneously done in a great way.

Paani Puri is based on a very East/West blend. As a company, it is just about mixing East and West cultures and really trying to be as different as possible. We want to market to people that understand you don't just have to wear t-shirts for the sake of wearing a t-shirt, it is also a design, an art form, and art work. A lot of stuff that we actually put on these t-shirts are very focus based and they have a lot of thought and process put behind them. There are few brands in the world that are actually doing something similar to what I doing here with Paani Puri. It is an exciting little space I am in, and I am really enjoying it. It is a lot of fun. I was blessed to have so many things happen for me. I am very excited.

You have an artist, Eureka, that you work with. How did you guys begin to work together?

When I moved out here Eureka was the first Indian local girl I ever met and we became friends. I knew she was an amazing artist. My issue was always that I thought about things and had the vision, and she has a very good vision when it comes to my thoughts and putting it down on paper for me - that is awesome!! She was actually the first person I thought of when I was thinking about the designs idea and I thought, I really think Eureka can do this. Since then, the company has basically structured itself into that form that we work as a team. We sit down and think about things and designs and concept ideas. Then she will start sketching, and then we will work on them together. It is a very collective effort and that is how I want the future of the company to be - to always have a team, which is a bunch of thinkers - to sit and brainstorm with a team of artists so that we have a lot of bouncing back and forth of ideas..

There are so many things that have happened to me since Paani Puri started. I have been blessed, and she was one of the biggest blessings from the whole thing. It is amazing. I am very grateful to her for everything she has done and that she has incorporated into the company. She is awesome. The best thing is when you start a company, obviously, you start from nothing: there is no investments, no capital, and she has been there since that point. She has known since day one what I am doing and how it is going. If I would leave tomorrow to anywhere in the world I would be like, here is Paani Puri, take care of whatever has to be taken care of.

For those who don't know what is Paani Puri-the food not the company?

Paani puri is a food, which originally was called gol gappa in New Delhi, the capital of India. It was a food that was just catered to young kids and over time even adults stared to appreciate it and it spread like wildfire. Paani puri is made of two basic products: one is the puri which is dough fried into small puffy ovals. Then you have the paani, which means water in Hindi, and the paani is a mixture of spices and herbs mixed into the water. So basically you take the puri, crack it because it is hollow inside, and you put potato and chick peas in, and then you put the paani. Then you put something called imli ki chutney, which is a sweet chutney that is basically used to sweeten because the water is really spicy, more than you would expect. So the imli ki chutney is a way of sweetening it and then you taste deliciousness in your mouth!

How did you go from the first t-shirt of the Joker, to the bubbles and the space ships and all the artistic designs? It is fascinating - how did you get there?

I take a lot from my surroundings and a lot from how I was brought up. So, for example the bubbles t-shirt. My dad had seen a girl at the beach, a very young Indian girl blowing bubbles. And remember, they are not your typical dollar store bubbles and bubble blowers, it is made out of straws and string. Here people have taken their surroundings and built their life out of it. When my Dad saw that he was touched. So, we replicated that feeling into that shirt. That shirt has a lot of meaning for me and my family. When it comes to something like the alien shirt, there is one where the alien space ship is flooding the whole city. Coming from the United States, I am used to sewer systems and drainage systems, and out here if it rains, it rains hard and the whole city just floods. Based on that I would think only an alien could do this. See, a lot of silly thoughts are behind these, but that shirt is actually dedicated to Mumbai's flooding. What we have done is come out with a series of five t-shirts that make a whole story based on that alien line. We have one were the human fighter planes are going after the alien puri, then on another shirt they chase him out and alien puri leaves to outer space and then you see his home, and then eventually we will be introduced to the Martians that live on puri planet. That is something I am enjoying because it is something fun, it is very creative. There is a story line behind it and it is a vision of my own and I can represent it the way I want to.

Our tagline is "Think outside the Puri" and Eureka uses that very well. If Eureka thinks of something, she has a story, we both will work on it together and that is how we come up with it. That is how all these designs come out. Everything is about surroundings, thoughts, feelings - sadness, happiness in any form. Nothing is done without a passion behind it and that is how every design is cultivated for Paani Puri.

You also have very unique packaging tell us the concept behind that.

I started researching t-shirt and haute couture markets, and I was reading through many online t-shirt magazines. There are some people in the world that buy t-shirts not just to wear, but like to hang up and I am one of those guys. I like hanging up my t-shirts. If I think it is a cool design then I won't want to wash it because I don't want to ruin it. So, I was reading about t-shirts and I was thinking about packaging and how I would personally want to see packing through Paani Puri. So the base product was that when I was a kid, Kellogg's was one of the biggest things to come out. I guess that would be in the 1980s. Kellogg had this really cool box and in the box they would have amazing cool gifts and this is what we grew up with over there. I would ask kids out here, hey, did you guys get a chance when you were little, like 7 years old, to cry to your mom, 'I want this because Johnny Quest is on the box of Lucky Charms', and they were like, no; we never have that experience. I always felt that people should all experience that because it is fun, it is cute to have something in a box full of goodies you can eat. So, in the initial stages we were going to make it a cereal box. I am big fan of the pop art culture - I think it is fantastic! I think it is the best form of art in the world. Based on that, we put a lot of pop culture ideas into the design. If you notice the girl with the half glasses on is very pop-artish, and it is very comic bookish on the back where we are telling the story. We put a lot of feeling and thought into it and the front has a very big significance. Obviously we wanted the name to stick out as much as it can, and right below that you see the mouth eating the paani puri and near the mouth there are butterflies coming out of the paani puri, and that represents simply freedom. It is our way of representing what we feel this company should represent in the future, which is absolute freedom. You are in a very democratic country and there TV and pieces of paper are all forms of freedom, but nobody looks at t-shirts as a form of freedom. Actually, it is a great way to look at art because a lot of people don't get a chance to do this. In India, one thing I realized is that there are a lot of artists out here who really understand that feeling - they want their designs on a t-shirt. So based on that, that is why the butterflies are coming out of the puri. The guy eating it is just to play off of, so people know we know it is a food that is now changing into something different. That is one of the biggest hurdles I have had to cross since we started.

In what way was that a hurdle?

See, in India everything is categorized between high and low class. Paani puri is a street food. Everyone eats it but its considered a lower class food ... I always thought I would have a hard time making a brand that is called a type of street food. I did a survey of 600 people to see if they prefer ice cream or paani puri and 60% said paani puri!

But yeah, that is how the packaging was designed. You see on the top panel it says 'poke here for your t-shirt'. See, to put anything in the puri you have to poke the puri, it is called that poking the puri. So, it is using that concept and the feel of the pop art and the expression of freedom - that is how the box actually came alive. Plus, as a side note, we do do customized packaging. We did one for Miss Malini and we just did one for MTV last week. We are working on a tie-in with MTV that I am really excited about.

So how would that work, the tie in with MTV?

In India the marketing is very different than the marketing there. Out here you don't have to put it in stores, people start buying and you see how it goes. Here, it is basically if you have good connections you should use them. I have to stress once again, and I can't stress it enough, is that I got blessed, there is nothing else beyond that. What happened was that I ended up meeting some stylists from MTV that wanted to push the line towards their VJs and so, for example, you would have a show called Style Check and the main lead girl would be wearing a Paani Puri t-shirt. There are four shows they want us to style for, which is great, they are all very popular shows. Then on top of that, what we are going to work on is Paani Puri MTV merchandise. This is just in talks right now, but this is kind of the degree of what we would be working with MTV. It is just awesome! I mean MTV is something I grew up on; to me it is an amazing culture. MTV alone is just the best thing that would have ever happened to me

It would be cool if the line could be used in films. Do you see that as a possibility? I know you had a meeting with Manish Malhotra so do you see going that way too?

Yes, definitely, hardcore. Again I got blessed to meet Manish Malhotra, who is by far one of the nicest human beings I have ever met in my entire life. He is awesome, but he is just not awesome in the sense of personality awesome but his passion, his motivation and his detailing towards the fashion industry - it is remarkable. I was shocked at how much he knows. I mean, I literally had a 15 minute meeting with him and I was mesmerized by the way he was as a person. He chose 10 shirts, he told us what he wants, and he really likes our colors. For him to just like the colors was one of the biggest things for me. You respect people that are higher than you in this industry always, this is who you look up to, these are the people you want to be eventually in your life somewhere. So, yeah I am working with Manish Malhotra on Imran Khan's new movie. They are going to be used for the shooting post January 18th-ish. Really exciting, and actually there is another deal which I can’t speak about in detail because of privacy stuff, but there is a very big actor that will be wearing Paani Puri t-shirts in his movies as well. Then there is a new launch actor who is coming out that is going to be working for a very big production house who will be wearing the shirts.

You know I want to have the t-shirts worn in the films and by the stars, but do you know why? It is a personal thing. In America and Hollywood Brad Pitt is a guy, he is a really hot guy, he is a really famous hot guy. That is what he is to you, that is what he is marketed to you. In Bollywood, Bollywood stars are not just superstars or stars or good looking actors or famous six pack machines walking around they are super heroes to this country. They are the nation's pride. Like Aamir Khan for example: I saw this old guy who came up to Imran Khan once and he said, 'Make us proud like your uncle did'. When he said that it was like, WOW! Everyone looks up to him in a national pride sense, he knows this guy is Indian, he represents my country, and this is why I love it. That is another thing: Bombay people are patriotic beyond belief. I mean most people still stand up for the national anthem right before a movie starts. It makes you so proud to know that people are so passionate about a single country. That is why Bollywood is such a big thing and that is why I started to love and respect Bollywood more and more, because these guys aren't just guys any more, they are super heroes. This is why I want to push into the Bollywood market. Not because of the whole fact that it is a good marketing idea, that is not the real reason. The real true reason is that these guys are the super heroes of India, these guys are what people today look up to and I like that. I like the fact that they have such a hold and a control and they are actually doing something for the betterment of tomorrow. So that is why I really respect actors and actresses out here in India. That is another reason if Imran or anybody else that I come along with are wearing these shirts, that would be an honor for me rather than an endorsement. It would be amazing

What about later lines - would you do a Bollywood themed t-shirt.

150%! We already started one! See, I wanted to set up seven seasons with a code name right now before even the first launch. I wanted seven ready business wise, but then there were so many ideas, there is so much I want to do and say that they keep falling into place with it. We do have a series - it is going to be called Bollywood. Basically it will be a spoof. We will have film lines, we will use filmi characters, we will use film-based ideas and then represent it through Paani Puri. I think we have seven t-shirts done for the first collection. It is really exciting. The cool thing is we are working to get the rights from all over the industry. I am going through archives - a lot of old directors who either have passed away or are still alive have archive libraries of their art work they used, so I am using a lot of the old school feel to the Bollywood lines. I really love the old school style of how things were done out here. It is really, really cool; it is very cool. So we have that Bollywood line. Then we have our own personal characters coming out - that is another season- we have a 'thank you, Mumbai' season coming out, which is basically a representation of how I look at India and Bombay and how any of our artists will look at that.

Right now the focus for the first launch is t-shirts, do you plan to expand in other areas?

Yes! I want to start to do shoes right away. I mean, I want to be very humble about it because honestly I don't know how my t-shirts are going to do. I don't know - tomorrow they could be the biggest hit or they could be the biggest flop or they could be just stuck in the middle. So, for the first six - seven months I am just going to focus on getting this together, getting the business together, getting everything ready. But at the same time one thing I am really passionate about is shoes. I LOVE shoes. If I could buy anything in my life, I think I would buy more shoes than anything else. I am working on finding the perfect idea behind shoes and how I want Paani Puri shoes to be represented. So, yeah I am going to move into shoes next and after that jeans, hats, bags, accessories and sweatshirts, things of that sort, depending on where else we branch out. Like I want to branch out to the United States. I am going to come I think, in like six months, and start talking to boutiques in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Boston and San Francisco, trying to get more into the artistic side of clothing, the artsy group. I want to get people of that sort to start wearing it, so I am going to try and stock in the US. For the jeans, I do have a pretty cool tie up with a guy who manufactures Diesel Jeans. So, yeah eventually a whole line of clothing

So the line will be in stores but also on the Internet as well?

Right now we are going to retail in two stores in Mumbai, they are very haute couture stores. Then on top of that, we are going to have worldwide sales on the Internet on our website. So anywhere in the world you are, you can buy one! Anywhere - like Zimbabwe is going to be on the website - so if you are from Zimbabwe you can come buy a shirt. I am really excited about that.

What do you think is really going to get people to sit up and take notice, and say, "I MUST have a Paani Puri t-shirt!"?

That is a great question! See, I want people of today to understand that it is a start up company - it is something new. Like my office is my bedroom. I roll out of bed and I sit on my couch all day long, that is my office. My mobile office is inside of a canvas bag and I run around the city with it and I still take rickshaws and taxis to meetings. I want people to understand that it is a growth of a business, it is not a business that is coming out there flamboyantly huge. I just want to be humbly entering the world of fashion. What will hopefully keep people up are two things: one, for Indians at least, it would be the name, it would be something attractive for them, something different and a concept which has not really been used out here yet. So, it is a concept I hope people appreciate. I hope the people realize the pride and joy that we take in being patriotic toward the country that we're very passionate about. Like I love the United States, it has been my home. I have been fed and bred there, and then I come to India and I have been welcomed into a country that I didn't expect to be welcomed into. When people start realizing how passionate Paani Puri is towards the culture we grew up in is another attraction I hope people see. And lastly, what I feel is the most important thing at the end of the day is that people get attracted because they trust us. They trust us in the sense of quality. The only thing that is going to keep you is the fit and the cloth and the cotton behind the design. I am hoping that people do realise that we put a lot of thought and effort into the cotton, the fit, the feel of the shirt.

On your presentation you say that Paani Puri’s vision is to release art through T-shirts, shoes, bags, hats, jeans, shorts and other platforms our artists can use as their personal "canvas". Can you expand on that a bit please?

I have started realizing something about artwork. You know when Van Gogh was alive that was people's form of entertainment when he was painting beautiful art on canvasses and pieces of paper. Since modernization and since time has changed there are a lot of different forms on how people do art. People draw art on walls; they draw art on floors, on bed sheets you know? So what I want to do is introduce Paani Puri to the art world as a canvas. Every concept is an idea it is not just, 'I found this I am going to put it on a t-shirt, I found this I am going to put this on a t-shirt'. It something that is conceptualized and well thought out and planned before I put it on the t-shirt. So, what we mean is, we want to open up a new door for artists. That a t-shirt is a white piece of paper basically, and on the white piece of paper you can print anything you want. Within the certain amount of dimensions on that shirt you can just envision what you want to put on there and that is something that I wanted to cultivate as a brand image as well. Within 2 years I want to start a subsidiary line, which will be called Expressions, which is just artists who want to put their artwork on a t-shirt. That is something I really want to do because artists out here really don’t have that outlet. Out here I see so much potential but the opportunities are just not there. So I want Paani Puri to be that. People out here are fantastic artistically, the way they think is very different, which I love. I just want, through Paani Puri, to open up a new dimension.

So did you ever imagine that after that paani puri craving at 5:30am, that 8 months later your life would be this company and that you would be close to launching a line of clothing?

No, not at all. It is very scary, I am very scared. The response has been really cool and that is what scares me the most. It was really cool. Xbox from India emailed me and said congratulation, within two months you have a fan following - 1,060 people -and I was like, wow that is pretty cool! I mean, that is almost more than a club on Facebook can handle. Things like that, and like random interviews, like obviously with you, is a shock to me, that I am actually having interviews. I mean for Channel 4 news to come into my house and take a video of my room - it has been weird, it has been crazy, in its own way it is a high, it's fun, it's interesting, but you know what, at the end of the day, as much as I thought it was a joke, today I am like, wait, this is real, this is awesome! I mean MTV wants to put my shirts on TV, Manish Malhotra is asking for them and honestly, I just thank God. I didn't think any of this would happen and it has been an amazing roller coaster. I am excited to see how it goes and where it ends up going. The minute I see them in the store, the minute I see them in the movie, I think that's when it is going to hit me, okay, this is real now. Right now it is still just a fantasy, we are living in a world that is creative and we are having fun. It is just a blessing and I love it!

When will the line be in stores and when is the launch of the website?

We will have them in stores January 18th. The online ordering . . . we are going to put up 10 designs first and that will be around Jan 18th also, and then the full line will be launched on February 1st.

When I first saw the pictures of the designs for Paani Puri Clothing, I was so impressed and, to be honest, surprised, because what I imagined a Paani Puri t-shirt could be was far, far less than the gorgeous art designs that they have come up with. They are amazing, and this is just the first season. I cannot wait to see what they come up with next. It is always wonderful to talk to someone who is passionate about their work and I really enjoyed talking with Rish. I wish him and the entire team at Paani Puri the best of luck! Be sure and check out Paani Puri Clothing. I am sure you are going to say "I need Paani Puri" - a t-shirt that is!