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pallabbose-blog · 3 years ago

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KRITI SANON

Kriti Sanon (born 27 July 1990) is a Bollywood Diva, an Indian actress who appears predominantly in Hindi films. She pursued an engineering degree from the Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, after which she briefly worked as a model. After making her debut in Telugu cinema with the psychological thriller 1:Nenokkadine (2014), Kriti won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut for her performance in Sabbir Khan’s action comedy Heropanti (2014), which marked her first Bollywood release.

She has since starred in the commercially successful action comedy Dilwale (2015), which ranks as her highest-grossing release, the romantic comedies Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017) and Luka Chuppi (2019), and the comedy Housefull 4 (2019). She has also launched her own line of clothing and endorses several brands and products, and has appeared in Forbes India’s Celebrity 100 list of 2019.

Conversation with the stylish celebrity –

Q. What’s the real Kriti Sanon like?

Kriti- Oh. Well (pause) I’m a simple girl from a middle-class background. I’m not someone who fakes it. You won’t hear me talking in a fake accent or being all hoity toity. The toughest thing is to fake it throughout the day, every day. I like being real and talking to people who’re real. I’m sensitive but not too emotional. I can’t judge people correctly. Effort and gestures matter more than materialistic things. I love spending time with my people and close friends at home rather than party and do small talk. I enjoy a good conversation with good people.

Hi. Kriti, do tell us about your background before everyone came to know you as a filmstar ?

Kriti- I am originally from Delhi, now settled in Mumbai. My dad, Mr. Rahul Sanon, is a Chartered Accountant and mom Mrs. Geeta Sanon, is a professor at the University of Delhi. We are Punjabi. Everybody knows that I have a younger sister Nupur, who lives with me here. I schooled from Delhi Public School, RK Puram and later secured Bachelor of Technology degree in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering from Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Noida

Q. Do tell us about your association with the Film industry till now?

Kriti — I made my acting debut in 2014 with Sukumar’s Telugu film 1: Nenokkadine, a psychological thriller, in which I played the role of Sameera, a journalist who is also the love interest of Mahesh Babu’s character. Later that year, I got a chance to make my Hindi film debut, opposite Tiger Shroff, in Sabbir Khan’s action romance Heropanti. It emerged as a commercial success. Later I won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut for this film.

Then I did a Telugu film release with Sudheer Varma’s Dohchay, a crime film co-starring Naga Chaitanya followed by Rohit Shetty’s action-comedy Dilwale, in which I starred alongside Varun Dhawan, Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol.

Then I starred alongside Sushant Singh Rajput in Dinesh Vijan’s directorial debut Raabta, which tells the story of star-crossed lovers who are reincarnated. My next release, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s romantic comedy Bareilly Ki Barfi, was a super hit. Last year I starred opposite Kartik Aaryan in Luka Chuppi, a romantic comedy about a couple in a live-in relationship. Commercially, it proved to be a success. My next two releases of the year were the comedies Arjun Patiala and Housefull 4. The latter emerged as a commercial success despite receiving unfavourable reviews. My last film before lockdown happened was Ashutosh Gowariker’s period drama Panipat, based on the Third Battle of Panipat.

Q: Which of your films has benefitted you the most?

Kriti- “Heropanti” was a film that was designed to launch two newcomers — Tiger Shroff and me. It did well. But for someone like me who did not come from a film family, it was “Dilwale” that gave me a huge reach. It was so much fun that it did not feel like work at all, and because it had Shah Rukh (Khan)-sir, Kajol ma’am, Varun Dhawan and Rohit (Shetty)-sir as Director, my audience reach increased hugely. Today, children still love my songs in the film and come and show me my steps.

Q: How do you choose a script now?

Kriti: I have always been instinctive about scripts. I like what the aam janta (masses) would, and I ask myself if I would want to watch this film. We give at least three months to a film, so I should enjoy working on it and wake up with excitement every day. My character comes next, and it is not about how different my character is, but about how important it is for the film.

Q: How would you compare your heroes till now?

Kriti: All are very hardworking and great actors. Tiger and I both have a hunger for improving and Tiger is very disciplined, whether at work or about his workouts. Varun is spontaneous, and always wants to do better until he gets it right. Sushant is very methodical and thus very inspiring. And Akshay sir is by far the best. He is a seasoned actor.

Q. There are reports of you doing a film based on surrogacy ?

Yes, it’s an exciting project with Maddock Films, yet untitled. It’s an entertaining story with its heart in the right place. It’s going to be directed by my Luka Chuppi director, Laxman Utekar. I share a great bond with him. It was an idea initially, which has shaped into a script, better than I expected. Laxman sir has the knack of presenting an emotional subject in an entertaining manner. This will be the first film, which will ride on my shoulders as the protagonist is a girl. It’s challenging. I’m nervous about it. Shooting will start later this year, once this Covid 19 issue gets over.

Q. You still model too and endorse brands?

Kriti- Yes, of course. I endorse for several brands and products. These include Titan Watches’ Raga Collection, Parachute, UrbanClap, among others. I also promote my

own clothing line, labelled ‘Ms. Taken’.

Q: Your sister is also exploring singing and acting now.

Kriti: Yes, she was always passionate about singing, and has taken three or four years of classical training. I told her to keep all doors open.

Q: Unlike most young actresses of today, you have never sung in a film?

Kriti: Yeah (Laughs)That is because I am not trained. I would like to be first trained, and then sing

Q. Your biggest inspiration?

Kriti- My Mom and Dad.

Q. What’s next then?

Kriti- There’s one script which I have said yes to, which I would only want the producers to announce. It’s a thriller. There are two other scripts that I have liked. There are other things to be put together — as to how and when it happens — which needs to be figured out. So it’s all up in the air for now.

When did you sign your first autograph?

Kriti- My first autograph (pause and thinks). Thats an interesting question. I think while shooting my first film Heropanti..on the sets.

Any special message to your fans?

Kriti — Take precautions during this lockdown. Lets pray that we all come out hale’n’hearty. And do watch all my movies now..one by one.( Laughs !) And See you all soon at the cinema halls.

Visit www.ifdainternational.com

#ifda #nagpur

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asksabhaniblog · 7 years ago

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EVOLUTION OF WOMEN IN CINEMA

(Seema Faruqi)

Bindu scandalises Asha Parekh in a song from the film Kati Patang (1970)-IMAGE01 A typical Bollywood film features an alpha male who is mostly doing the right thing, can sing, dance, fight the baddies (sometimes simultaneously) and usually gets the girl in the end. It is the last part of this definition that has changed recently in Bollywood films where getting the man (or not) where the heroine is concerned, doesn’t hamper the chances of the film’s success. With gutsy movies like Highway and Queen, Bollywood has completed 100 years of filmmaking as well as 100 years of woman-in-films. A trip down the memory lane reveals how women evolved in Bollywood, and at times, outshone the men in the process.

In the beginning, there were noneWhen Dada Saheb Phalke produced the first ever Bollywood film Raja Harischandra (1913), his biggest obstacle was the unavailability of female actresses. Not only did he have to make male actor Anna Salunke dress up as a woman, it was such roles that got Salunke his recognition. Four years later, he became the first actor to play a double role in Bollywood — both the hero and the heroine in Lanka Dahan. All in all, he played the female lead in five films.

The sassy Helen in the film Caravan (1971) song, Piya tu ab to aaja-IMAGE03

Then entered the 14-year old thespian Kamlabai Gokhale, who was featured in Dada Saheb Phalke’s Mohini Bhasmasur (1913), in which her mother Durgabai Kamat played the character of Parvati. These two women were the pioneer female actresses in Bollywood and although they were a stop-gap at first (their theatre company was closing for six months) they sowed in a seed that is still bearing fruit. Kamlabai became a celebrity even before she turned 16, and continued to work in films till 1980.

Goray rang ka zamana

In the 1920s, cinema in the subcontinent was in its developing stage, so no local family was allowing their daughters to act in films. The producers’ problems were solved by travelling foreigners or the many Baghdadi-Jewish and Anglo-Indian females who had no qualms about being featured in a film.Since those were the days of silent films, producers preferred looks over everything else and searched for gori miss (white lady) and/or houris (fairies) from paradise — a practice that was repeated in Dhoom 3!Some changed their names and some, like Patience Cooper, didn’t. Ruby Meyers became Sulochana, Renee Smith changed her name to Seeta Devi, Susan Solomon became Firoza Begum, Iris Gasper was (re)named Sabita Devi, Effie Hippolet changed her name to Indira Devi, Bonnie Bird became Lalita Devi, Winnie Stewart was rechristened Manorama and Beryl Claessen became Madhuri (yes, this one was the original one!). Even Italian actress Signora Minelli acted in one of the films opposite Esther Abrahams aka Pamilla in Madan Theatres’ Pati Bakhti (1922).

The advent of Bharti nari

Durga Khote may be remembered as Jodhabai in Mughal-i-Azam but her biggest achievement was being the first highly educated, English-speaking Brahmin girl to break the taboo and enter films.She, along with her contemporary Devika Rani (daughter of noted Indian Surgeon General M.N. Chaudhry) came, saw and conquered. They weren’t as beautiful as the gori maims but they fitted the characters that were written with a Bharti nari in mind. They used their voices to their advantage as they could speak dialogues in Urdu/Hindu, which their predecessors couldn’t.Durga made her debut through Ayodheycha Raja (1932) and Devika through Karma (1933) and from then onwards, local women were given preference as the love interest, the damsel in distress or the woman behind the successful man!There were some exceptions as well. In the mid-30s, the Wadia Brothers gave India its first khiladi and trust me; she wasn’t a bhayya-like Akshay Kumar.She went by the name Fearless Nadia (real name Mary Ann Evans) and was the original action woman of Bollywood. She performed in a circus before joining films and was one of the first artists in India to perform their own stunts. Her movie Hunterwali remains one of the best films produced by Bollywood during that era.

Evolution of women in Bollywood

From the 1940s to the early 1970s, women were treated in Bollywood with extreme care.

They didn’t kiss openly (except for few like Devika Rani who kissed her husband Himanshu Rai in her debut flick), didn’t wear bikinis (that was before Sharmila Tagore did so in An Evening in Paris in 1967 or Dimple Kapadia in Bobby in 1973) or do anything sinister since it was the job of the vamp to do that.As good bahus, the heroines were well-versed in bhajans, looked beautiful 24x7 and resolved the problems of the house (or the entire village) depending on the scenario.Premarital sex was a no-no (until Sharmila Tagore had a consensual liaison in Aradhana) and all those women who did bad things were either vamps, prostitutes or tawaif i.e. courtesans.Mothers were used as supporting characters and they almost invariably loved sewing clothes so that her son could study and acquire a respectable job, whereas the bhabi kept the household in check and was termed as maa samaan in places where the mother was dead.

Mere Paas Maa Hai!

The mother did have important roles in Bollywood — be it in Mother India (1959) or K. Asif’s magnum opus Mughal-i-Azam where Shahenshah Akbar (Prithviraj Kapoor) roared ‘Aap maa hain, sirf maa!’However, during the ’70s, it was Nirupa Roy’s mother roles that helped maa become the centre of the filmi universe — be it Deewar, Trishul, Suhaag, Amar Akbar Anthony to name a few, whatever maa said, happened. In Karz, Durga Khote played the maa who asked the ‘higher maa’ to send back her dead son (Raj Kiran), and he was reincarnated as Rishi Kapoor — nobody says no to a grieving mother!Who can forget Shashi Kapoor’s iconic reply in Deewar when asked by brother Amitabh Bachchan “Tumhare paas kya hai?” to which he replies “Mere paas maa hai!”

Then there was the ‘other’ woman!

Shashi Kala, Helen, Bindu — what comes to mind when you hear their names? Plotting the downfall of the protagonist, the good bahu or some evil deed that will change the course of the film, of course!

Shabana Azmi in Arth They even had songs filmed on them, although they usually met their fate by the end of the movie. They were dressed in sexy outfits as per their era (sleeveless saris in the ’60s, western outfits in the ’70s and any of the two since the ’80s and beyond). After Kajol’s successful attempt at doing the negative role in Gupt, leading ladies including Priyanka Chopra in Aiteraaz, Kareena Kapoor in Fida and Urmila Matondkar in the remake of Karz, excelled in roles of a vamp – some even went onto bag the Filmfare Award for their performances. Had there been a Best Villain Award in the ’50s, the legendary Waheeda Rehman would surely have bagged one for her negative role in Raj Khosla’s CID, her debut film.

Older the industry, bolder the roles

Big, bold and beautiful

People say that Mehboob Khan’s Mother India (1957) changed it all for Bollywood, but it was in fact its earlier version —Aurat (1940) by the same director that did the trick.The heroine in both versions Radha — Sardar Akhtar in Aurat, Nargis in Mother India — do what is best for the family and come out unscathed as the quintessential mother. Similarly, films such as Khilona, Insaaf ka Tarazu, Arth and Masoom saw actresses don the role of the hero and give the performances of a lifetime.In Khilona (1970), it was Mumtaz who played a courtesan who was taken advantage of (in a fit of madness) by the very man she was nursing; Insaaf ka Tarazu (1980) was about rape victims and their plight, Arth (1982) and Masoom (1983) had Shabana Azmi playing a wife who feels cheated in different aspects.Till the 1990s, women used to play tormented souls in films and Juhi Chawla’s Kiran in Darr (1993) was one such example. While some like Hema Malini (Seeta aur Geeta) showed the world that women can fight, some like Sridevi set the stage on fire with their sensuous dances (Kaatay nahin kat tay from Mr. India).There were a few who came and went after playing their respective innings. Be it Tina Munim (now Mrs. Anil Ambani), Jaya Pradha (now a politician and occasional actress), Manisha Koirala (now gone from the scene) or Shilpa Shetty (now co-owner of an IPL team), they played their cards right when they had the chance, but didn’t go for our of the box roles.

Except for maybe Ashwariya Rai (now Mrs. Abhishek Bachchan) who played a strong woman who went back to her lover after getting married in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), or a woman who deceived his former fiancé in Raincoat (2004).

It took a brave attempt like Deepa Mehta’s Fire (1996) which helped Bollywood step up and deliver. In the movie, Shabana Azmi (again) and Nandita Das played married women who become intimately involved with each other after being neglected by their respective spouses. The film was criticised for its theme but is considered iconic when it comes to women-oriented films. On a lighter note, actor Biswajeet is still remembered for the controversy surrounding the Kajra Mohabbat Wala song in Kismat (1968) where he dressed as a female, only to be dubbed as ‘better-looking than his male version’ by the press!

Highway & Queen push the men away

Emancipation

The ’90s and beyond saw Madhuri Dixit (Ilzaam, Mrityudand, Gaja Gamini and Lajja), Juhi Chawla (Darrar) and Karishma Kapoor (Fiza) play central roles in quite a number of films; but they were more popular for their non-heroic roles. All that changed in 2014 — exactly 101 years after Bollywood came into being. Two directors — Imtiaz Ali (Highway) and Vikas Bahl (Queen) astounded all by doing the unimaginable. Imtiaz Ali’s film featured one-film old Ali Bhatt who took the viewers by surprise since she gave the performance of a lifetime. Not only was she convincing as the damsel-in-distress in the first half, she rocked as the girl who transformed the bad guy into a good one, and also faced the man who violated her when she was young.

A fortnight later, Queen provided Kangana Ranaut a chance to break away from regular roles, and she excelled as the girl from a conservative family who goes on her Honeymoon alone, and returns as a free woman. Both the actresses set the bar high with their incredible performances and it will be tough for others to follow now. There are many actresses with the capability to do out-of-the-box roles but they realize their potential only when younger actresses have taken their place.

Waheeda Rehman plays the vamp in CID-IMAGE04

The women in Bollywood are evolving at the moment, and at 100, they have given hundreds of performances that have made Bollywood what it is today. Yes they haven’t made an ‘exclusive’ entry in the 100-crore club but if directors like Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Imtiaz Ali and others continue to make women-centric films, who knows the 100-crore club might be in their reach.

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mredlich21 · 7 years ago

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Kepzandme alerted me to it being SRK’s 25th anniversary in films today, 25 years since Deewana came out. I am sure everyone in the world is doing 25 songs, 25 scenes, 25 films, kind of posts. I’m not going to bother trying to add to that. Instead, I will do something only I can do, and put in my personal 25 best memories, in no particular order.

25. Every time a new person comes over to my apartment, making them play the fun game of “find all 7 SRK pictures”.

24. For my 21st birthday, my sister gave me a print of the DDLJ poster which is hung in the center of my living room now, as it has been hung in the center of every place I have lived since then.

23. Going to DDLJ at the Maratha Mandir in Bombay, realizing there are no subtitles (of course) but I don’t need them, not because my Hindi is so good, but because I have memorized the script.

(somewhere I have a photo of myself standing on the street under this poster)

22. Watching DDLJ in the laundry room of the dorms on my laptop, because I couldn’t stand to pause the film, even on watch 27, even long enough to put my clothes in the dryer.

21. Saving up money and making DDLJ the first DVD I ever bought.

20. Watching Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and being so excited that I stayed up all night sending my sister an email describing the entire plot.

19. Seeing My Name is Khan in theaters and crying like I was going to die.

18. Seeing Ra. One in theaters with friends, and watching them dance in front of the screen during the end credits after everyone else left the theater.

17. Seeing Chennai Express in theaters for the 4th time, at 10:30 at night, in the middle of a blizzard, with 2 friends plus the 18 other people in the theater who were also dedicated enough SRK fans to watch it at 10:30 at night in the middle of a blizzard on the 4th week it was out.

16. Myself, and all my friends, spontaneously deciding to cancel other Valentine’s plans and instead get samosas and watch the Inner/Outer World of SRK documentary.

15. Watching Dilwale opening night with 7 friends, in a sold out theater full of SRK fangirls who screamed so loud we couldn’t hear the dialogue.

14. Buying a massive 100 Shahrukh songs CD and listening to it back and forth and back and forth every time I took the bus to visit my best friend 7 hours away while she was in med school.

13. Feeling like I could fly after I watched out of the theater after seeing DDLJ for the first time.

12. That moment, at the end of the SLAM concert, when we noticed the massive heap of overturned chairs through the floor of the auditorium, like a tornado had come through, only it was just marking where Shahrukh had passed and the crowd had surged.

11. That moment when he arrived at the SLAM tour, and 11,000 people held their collective breath watching this tiny figure walk into the floor, and then have a mass spiritual experience as the spotlight came down and he surged into the air.

10. The moment when I was sitting in the theater, watching DDLJ, and he told Kajol he wouldn’t come to her wedding, and backed away, and I fell in love.

9. Watching Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, and that moment when he bows and freezes in front of Anushka before the end dance starts, and I knew this was something slightly different from what I had seen from Shahrukh before.

8. Singing along to “Yun Hi Chala Chal” while doing kitchen chores with my sister at my grandmother’s house.

7. Walking down the street talking to my sister on a cell phone when the title song of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai came on the songs DVD she was watching and suddenly both of us are singing along together, and I don’t even care that people are watching me.

6. Following the conflict around the release of My Name is Khan and suddenly realizing just how much I had come to care about the events happening on the other side of the world only due to my fandom for one person.

5. Walking into the movie store and having the owner hand me Om Shanti Om before I had to ask, because I had been coming in once a week for 2 months asking when it would be out.

4. Being at a friend’s house on the evening of November 1, realizing it was about to be midnight, and convincing them all to put a candle in a cake and sing “Happy Birthday” at midnight.

3. Seeing the “Chammak Challo” song trailer and getting that little burst of joy that is so rare in life. And then re-watching it 5 million times.

2. Watching Jab Tak Hain Jaan opening night, and having two friends on either side of me grabbing my arms and screaming in my ears during the kiss scene.

1.1. Right now, sitting in my new apartment, looking at the 3 SRK pictures which were the first things I had to put up to know that I was “home”.

Happy 25 @iamsrk ! Here are my 25 best SRK memories Kepzandme alerted me to it being SRK's 25th anniversary in films today, 25 years since Deewana…

#25 Years #Shah Rukh Khan #Shahrukh Khan #SLAM Tour #SRK

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hidoose · 5 years ago

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You can’t make a wedding film in Pakistan without comparisons to DDLJ: Wajahat Rauf

New Post has been published on https://www.hidoose.com/you-cant-make-a-wedding-film-in-pakistan-without-comparisons-to-ddlj-wajahat-rauf/

You can’t make a wedding film in Pakistan without comparisons to DDLJ: Wajahat Rauf

As I realised for the second time this month, it’s tough to book an online ride during Ramazan. The long wait wasn’t awkward at Wajahat Rauf’s house. The director of the upcoming romance-comedy-drama film (or as he calls it, “a family film”) was good company.

Rauf’s carefree, candid, all-accepting attitude is refreshing, and a bit infectious, as we talk about his upcoming film Chhalawa — an Eidul Fitr release that may seem quite familiar; but that, if you ask him, is a good thing, although he does tell you, in the subtlest manner possible, to reserve the final opinion until the film comes out.

An Eveready and Hum Films’ release, Chhalawa seems like a stereotypical film about a full-of-himself hero waltzing into a wedding to whisk away the bride-to-be. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

“It wasn’t that obvious when I was writing the film,” Rauf tells me. “However, I did realise that the moment I had written that the girl was living in Punjab, people would be instantly comparing it with Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaeingey(DDLJ) and Punjab Nahin Jaungi (PNJ). Even though it’s a reversal. In PNJ, the girl was from Karachi and Humayun was from Punjab.”

The actress is the same, though, I add, but then again we have so few to choose from.

Rauf has already made peace with the fact that the film will draw comparisons, no matter how different it may be. “The bride’s dresses would end up looking like the ones from DDLJ or PNJ, the accent would sound similar. A thousand comparisons would pop up,” he said.

“Just a few days back, someone told me that the bridge scene in my film [evident in the trailer], looks like it was inspired by the climax of DDLJ, where Shah Rukh Khan was beaten down with batons. It’s as if no one was beaten down by sticks in Bollywood before that,” Rauf says.

“Then, there are frame-by-frame comparisons from the last scene of the song ‘Ruk Jaa O Dil Deewanay’ from DDLJ, where SRK lets go of Kajol and she falls, and the scene [also in the trailer] where Asad Siddiqui loses his grip on Zara Noor Abbas and she falls,” he continues.

People will see what they want to see.

At times, Rauf is deliberately spoofing the genre. “I own it,” Rauf says. “It was completely deliberate at times.”

There is a scene in the film where Azfar Rehman, the lead actor of the film, apes SRK and Mehwish Hayat, the spunky heroine, calls him out for his clichéd approach. “These 100-year-old dialogues don’t work anymore,” Mehwish’s character tells Azfar’s.

“You can’t make a film in either India or Pakistan without drawing comparisons to DDLJ. Weddings are weddings. The hero will come to win the girl, and there are going to be problems. It’s the oldest formula in the world. Pakistani films, in particular, will be compared to DDLJ, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun and PNJ. Someone actually asked me this. If you’re matching my film with such big names, then that’s an honour for me. And if I get even 10 percent of what they did at the box-office, I’d be like winning the lottery,” he laughs.

“If you’re matching my film with big names like DDLJ and Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, then that’s an honour for me. And if I get even 10 percent of what they did at the box-office, I’d be like winning the lottery.” — Wajahat Rauf

So, why make something that may draw comparisons — and why in particular, make a film about weddings? “For one, I hadn’t done it before,” says Rauf. “Both Karachi Se Lahore (KSL) and Lahore Se Aagay were 100 percent comedies. I didn’t add any emotion to them, consciously. They were made with the idea of just having songs and comedy, followed by more comedy and songs. No one is crying in the film, nor was anyone trying to get anyone to cry. “When you are adding an age bracket of 30-plus, then you need to add festivities, the songs, the clothes, because that’s the family going-audience,” he continues. “You cannot just have 30-somethings going off on a road trip, that’s for the younger audiences. You need to add in emotions. You have the father-daughter relation in the film, which is for a different, more mature audience. Although the comedy is still silly,” he says. “It’s not crass or adult-oriented comedy. You’ll still feel that it’s a Wajahat Rauf film.”

Rauf had already finished writing the sequel to KSL, when he felt he needed to try something else first. “I felt like I was repeating myself. It was exactly the same film (genre-wise), working on the same narrative tropes. I thought, the public will not spare me if they have to see the same thing again,” he says.

Rauf was shooting Enaaya, his web-series released by Eros Now, when the idea hit him — and it didn’t take him that long to cast the film. The cast — the leads, in particular — are the ones from Enaaya.

They were right there on set, and they were having fun, so why waste an opportunity, Rauf tells me. The film whizzed past shooting to post-production in five months, he tells me. “That has to be a record,” he says.

You should meet Azfar and Mehwish, Rauf tells me. “They’re a lot of fun.” That’s easier said than done, though Rauf and his wife, Shazia, who is also the producer of the film, do their best to line up the meetings.

Azfar Rehman is busy shooting a television serial. Mehwish Hayat is in London although due back in a day or two. A day later, near Maghreb time, I find myself again waiting for an online ride, this time at Azfar Rehman’s set. Rauf was right about the carefree enthusiasm of his cast. Rehman is as happily aloof as they come. “In a way the lead character — Sameer — is like me,” Rehman says. “He’s a very happy-go-lucky, easy-going guy, who is in love. The zaalim samaaj intervenes by not letting him find the love of his life. So, he goes out of his way and just tries his luck. He’s got a fun-loving, positive outlook.

“He’s no different than any other boy — or any other lover boy — in the country. Or every other boy who is on Tik Tok these days. He’s stereotypical, and a very relatable character,” he continues. But isn’t that a bit too much of a cliché, I ask. “We do clichéd stuff everyday in life. A little bit of cliché is fine,” he replies.

Back in Rauf’s house, we had discussed the need to have one big star in the film. In the film that star is Mehwish Hayat. It’s a fact that Rehman is happy to concede. “I think it is somewhat right to perceive it that way. Mehwish is a huge film star, and of course her character is slightly stronger than my character.”

We seem to be producing many female-centric films of late, I tell him. Would you call it that? “It is a female-centric film, but more than calling it female-centric, I’d call it a family-oriented film. It’s more about family. More about the father-daughter relationship. We’ve highlighted the heroine’s family more than my family. It’s more about Mehwish’s take on her family and her life, so I think we should have female-centric films,” Rehman offers his opinion in a roundabout way.

A few hours before my deadline, Mehwish Hayat, who is finally back in Pakistan, tells me about her character via WhatApp messages. “(Zoya) is a feisty, well-grounded girl who knows what she wants, and is not going to be railroaded into anything she doesn’t agree with. It is rare to have such a heroine-centric film in Pakistan, which is what attracted me to the script.

“I was fortunate to get involved very early on in the process, when Wahajat was still scripting, so I was able to help shape the character from a very early stage,” she writes in response to another question. “The realisation of a character is, of course, the director’s vision, but what I bring to the film is my interpretation of that vision.”

“It is rare to have a heroine-centric film like Chhalawa in Pakistan, which is what attracted me to its script.” — Mehwish Hayat

Does she actively choose roles with substantial depth in characters, or are they simply the ones that are offered to her, I ask. “I’m in the fortunate position to be able to be very picky about my roles. I choose roles that appeal to me and challenge me as an actress. It is fair to say that I turn down a significant number of roles offered to me because they are just more of the same.”

Every one of her recent titles happen to be (or have overtones of) comedy. Is that also deliberate, I ask. “Yes, that is true. Comedy is a great leveler that appeals to everybody, no matter who they are. It is through comedy that we are able to address the absurdities of life and make very strong social messages accessible to the audiences. It is through a comedy such as Load Weddingthat we were able to address the issue of dowry, and now that has been taken up by the Punjab Assembly.”

But is there another reason for it, I wonder. Serious and strongly written female leads, in what are essentially commercial dramedies, have become a norm in Pakistan. Does she think our directors choose to do that deliberately — or to be precise, habitually — because they have been exposed to television and subconsciously cater to TV’s key audiences who are females, I ask.

“This is neither deliberate nor habitual in any way,” she responds. “Our directors are only giving the audiences what they expect from our films. Yes, of course, it goes without saying that most of our film-makers cut their teeth on our television drama industry and some of the story tropes have been carried over. Pakistani cinema is still in its infancy and still trying to find its own distinct identity and, until it does so, parallels with [TV] drama are inevitable.”

Our conversation becomes a bit too serious for a film that is, mostly, family fun and festivities — which was, again, one of the reasons this film is coming out this Eidul Fitr.

Aside from the genre, Rauf hasn’t tasted the box-office of an Eid release, I remember him telling me. His two prior releases came out between two previous Eids, and in November.

Although, superficially, Chhalawa might feel like familiar fodder, Rauf, who has shown growth as a filmmaker, is slowly but steadily expanding his horizons. However, don’t expect him to try every genre in film (he’s a sci-fi buff who admits that he cannot make one; it’s just not him, he says). For now, it’s just slight detour towards maturity — though, in his own words, “only in the latter half of the film.”

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bollywoodtower-blog · 6 years ago

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Kajol Biography: Bollywood Tower Exclusive

Kajol Biography: Kajol is an Indian Film Actress. She is the daughter of Shomu Mukherjee(Filmmaker) and Tanuja(Actress). She debuted in 1992 with Bekhudi. Kajol worked in the some most successful film of all time. Her performance in Baazigar, DDLJ, Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya, Pyar To Hona Hi Tha, K3G and Fanna are applauded critically and commercially. She won the Film Fare award four times for her performance in DDLJ, K3G, Fanna and My Name is Khan. Kajol is considered as one of the most honest people in the industry. In the Film Industry where people are very diplomatic, she always keeps her heart open all the time. If she does not like someone, she openly admits it on camera. Once she admitted in an interview " If I meet 100 people in a day, I do not like 99 people. Even they do not like me (with laughter). We brought some really Interesting fact like this in her Biography. You are reading Kajol Biography on Bollywood Tower. She is known as an outspoken personality in B-Town. Name-Kajol Mukherjee Devgan Nationality-Indian Profession-Actress DOB- 5 August 1974 Horoscope- Leo Religion- Hindu Address- 5/6 Sheetal Apartment, Ground Floor, Opposite Chandan Cinema,Jahu,Mumbai 45/D Malgari Road, MumbaiSchool- St.Joseph's Convent School, Panchgani, Maharashtra college-N/A Height- 5'3" Weight-57Kilogram Figure Measurement- 35-27-34 Body Appearance- Hair Colour- Black Eye Colour- Hazel Debut movie – Bekhudi(1992) Favourite Film-Sholey Favourite Director- Aditya Chopra Hit Movie- DDLJ, Baazigar, Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega, KKKG Favourite Actor-Shah Rukh Khan Favourite Actress- Sridevi Love Affairs-Karthik and Ajay Devgan Favourite Song-Tu mere man Ki Maina Hoti main Tera man Ka Tota First Crush- Ajay Devgan Marriage-Ajay Devgan (1999) Favourite Books-Notes to Myself Favourite Author- Not Available Hobbies- Reading Books, Hindi Songs Favourite Musician- Inspiration- She considers her mother as the biggest influence in her life. Best phase- 1995-2000 The biggest hit in her career- DDLJ Fees per film- 8-11crore/film You are reading Kajol Biography on Bollywood Tower. Some More Interesting Fact of Kajol Life She neither smokes nor drinks. She keeps herself away from alcohol all the time, even in the Bollywood party where celebrity believes in" Work hard party hard". Her father is Bengali and her mother is Marathi. She can speak Marathi really well but she struggles to speak Bengali. You are reading Kajol Biography on Bollywood Tower. Kajol married to Ajay Devgan in 1999 and has two children. She took a break of 5 years after 2001 due to her pregnancy. She did not like her husband in her first meeting. But later hey fell in love and got married. She is the cousin of the famous Bollywood actress Rani Mukherjee. Both never shared a great relationship. Kajol is very critical about Rani. The reason for their conflict is not known. She won Karamveer Purushakar award in 2008 for her social work for widows and children. What do you think about Kajol journey is Bollywood? Share your opinion in the comment section. Also Read-Some Interesting fact of Deepika Padukone Personal and Professional Life You can follow us on twitter and facebook page to get all the update from B-town. Check out Daily Box office update table in the sidebar of every news. People who love Bollywood news Keep visiting Bollywood Tower. Read the full article

#Biography #BollywoodStarBiography #Kajol #KajolBiography

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