Inside Bollywood

The Jodi Breakers director spoke of his journey in Bollywood, his love for cinema, controversies and the frustration he dealt with after Good Boy Bad Boy, produced by Subhash Ghai, earned him a bad name

In Bollywood fates change every Friday. One Friday, Ashwini Chaudhary’s Emraan Hashmi-Tushhar Kapoor-starrer Good Boy Bad Boy released, almost ending his career. But he has bounced back, this time with a talented actor, R Madhavan and one of B-town’s hottest sizzlers, Bipasha Basu for company in Jodi Breakers…

Your first three films, Laado, Dhoop and Siskiyaan were in a different zone and then you made Good Boy Bad Boy. What prompted the sudden change of sensibility?

I wanted to test new waters. As a filmmaker, you can say I was rehearsing for a bigger, more commercial and mainstream presence with the three earlier films.

After Good Boy Bad Boy you were almost written off and had to wait for a long time before Jodi Breakers began. Was it frustrating? How did you deal with it?

Of course it was frustrating. I managed to stay afloat with large dollops of native humour! Good Boy Bad Boy was a film made under ‘special circumstances’. The industry knew that it did not have my stamp on it. It was only a matter of time before I would be calling ‘action’ again, but I had to stay focused and positive and with some support from my cronies, I managed to do both!

You have managed a very unusual casting coup for Jodi Breakers. How did that happen?

Once Madhavan came on board, we knew we had to cast someone really smart and fresh with him. Bipasha had read the script, had liked it but I guess wanted her to be paired well. With Madhavan on board, things fell into place for all three of us. It made perfect casting sense to have two yin and yang personalities play Sid and Sonali in JB.

How different were Bipasha Basu and R Madhavan’s approaches to the scenes?

While Madhavan likes a studied and much thought of approach to acting, Bipasha is spur-of-the- moment and intuitive. Madhavan, with an impressive body of work behind him, has five expressions on his face in every scene and not one of them is out of place. I believe that for both these talented actors, the best is yet to happen.

Why is the publicity of your film more focused on Bipasha?

Says who? The publicity is extremely well-balanced.

The ‘Bipasha’ item song is doing well. Who came up with the idea?

There was a great situation for a good item song in the film. Salim, Sulaiman and me got excited with the idea of doing a song with Bipasha’s name in it. When we approached Bipasha, she was gung-ho too after hearing the scratch version.

Was the Omi Vaidya dialogue controversy intentional?

Not at all; we fought tooth and nail to keep the word censors wanted to bleep out.

There were allegations that your film was copied from Heartbreaker?

The two films are as different as chalk and cheese. Moreover, Jodi Breakers as a script was registered long before Heartbreaker. We rest our case.

As a filmmaker who and / or what have been your influences?

I get inspired and influenced by whatever happens around me.

Among the current lot, which filmmakers’ work do you like?

I hold Raju Hirani in high esteem – he is a complete filmmaker. I like Vishal Bhardwaj’s story-telling prowess and his sense of music, Imtiaz Ali for his grasp of small-town sensibility and romance and snazzy packaging and Sanjay Leela Bhansali for his craftsmanship.

Which are your favourite films?

Too many – from Godfather to Sholay, it is a long list.

If you were to judge, which was last year’s best film?

Rockstar, undoubtedly.

Any actor / superstar you are looking forward to working with?

Aamir Khan, for sure, when I have a script ready for him.

Who according to you is king – the script or the stars?

In the hands of a bad filmmaker, both are redundant.

Source: http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/ashwini-chaudhary-madhavan-has-five-expressions-in-every-scene/

Mumbai: Shah Rukh Khan is one of the most popular brand ambassadors and is endorsing several products, and the superstar says whatever he does, he does it with a sense of responsibility.

“When you are a brand ambassador for anything, any of the products or even a leading man for a film or a producer, I think you have a lot of responsibility. Apart from the fact that we have fun, crack jokes and have a sense of humour, whatever I do, I do it with a sense of responsibility,” the 46-year-old said here at the Cosmopolitan Fun Fearless Female Male Awards.

Shah Rukh, who recently became the brand ambassador of West Bengal, says he is proud of his association with the state.

“Kolkata, West Bengal is very close to my heart, apart from the fact that we have a team there. Whenever I have gone there, even to perform…the people love you there,” said Shah Rukh who recently launched the new logo for his Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kolkata Knight Riders.

“There is a high level of interest in cinema, in intelligent conversations and knowledge. It`s one of the most leading states of the country, so I am very proud to be the brand ambassador. I will take it with as much responsibility as I give to everything else I do,” he added.

Shah Rukh is currently working in Yash Chopra`s untitled film opposite Katrina Kaif and and co-producing “Student of the Year” with Karan Johar.

IANS

Source: http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/glamtalk/bollywood-badshah-shah-rukh-khan-likes-to-endorse-brands-responsibly_106238.htm

Talented actor R. Madhavan straddles two worlds – Hindi movies and southern cinema – with elan but despite having a good hold in both, he doesn’t believe in piling up projects in his kitty.

“I do one film a year. I don’t look at a film like a project, I worship it. It’s like going to a temple. I can’t jump from one film set to another film set,” Madhavan told IANS.

He added: “This year I have done two films – Tamil film ‘Veetai’, which by god’s grace has done very well, and now I have this one – ‘Jodi Breakers’. So it’s a very conscious decision to do one film at a time.”

Following the success of “Tanu Weds Manu”, Madhavan is back to woo his fans in the Hindi-speaking belt with the romantic comedy ” Jodi Breakers”, releasing Friday. In the film, Madhavan will be seen romancing Bipasha Basu for the first time on big screen.

Describing the film as a unique concept, he said it suits the modern-day relationship requirements and added: “It (Jodi Breaker) is required for modern-day people. We don’t do it as a hobby; it’s a job. So, people who are uncomfortable with their ‘jodi’ and who are unable to get out of it for whatever reasons, we find a way for them where we break their ‘jodi’ without much hassle.”

However, in real life Madhavan is a ‘jodi maker’ and said: “I have got six people married and all of them are happy.”

If he is impressed by the concept of the film, directed by Ashwini Choudhary, Madhavan is equally confident about his chemistry with Bipasha in “Jodi Breakers”.

“It’s very evident from the trailers that we share a phenomenal chemistry. It is very easy to get along with her. I am very fond of her,” said the 41-year-old.

Over the years Madhavan has indeed grown as an actor and he feels he has the ability to get the screenplay right.

“I am very strong with my screenplay selection. I am very strong with my performances. Ability to get the screenplay right is my strength. Those are the advantages that I think I have cultivated working with big directors. So these things work for me,” said Madhavan, who has worked with directors like Mani Ratnam, Rajkumar Hirani and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra.

While every other actor in Bollywood is busy getting a sculpted body, Madhavan said: “From Salman (Khan) to Bipasha to my wife everybody wants me to get a seven-pack or eight-pack abs, but I am just happy with my family pack.”

He feels life has been kind to him and he achieved “everything very easily” and perhaps that’s the reason behind his weight gain.

“I have just been very lucky. If I don’t have work and a few of my films flop then I think I will lose weight automatically,” he joked.

However, on the serious note, he added: “If I get a film where I have to look lean and nasty, where I have to have six-pack and if I find the story interesting, then I know I can have the best physique in the industry.”

Madhavan says he is from southern India, but growing up in the northern part of the country was an added bonus.

“I have done films in both the languages. Apart from that, talent-wise I am far less than the actors who tried to come from southern films. Fortunately for me, I am a Tamilian so that department has been taken care of. Fortunately for me, I was born and brought up in Bihar, so Hindi is taken care of.”

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/I-worship-movies-so-I-do-one-film-a-year-R-Madhavan/articleshow/11963440.cms

With The Iron Lady out in theaters, and conversations sparked about Margaret Thatcher and her controversial politics, it raises questions about our need as voyeurs to dissect and discuss the highs and lows of celebrities, public figures, or just about anyone whose life has managed to create a stir in society

It appears the current subject of curiosity and speculation in the Indian film industry is corporate lobbyist Niira Radia, who was in the news last year for her alleged connection in the 2G spectrum allotment scam.

Of the spate of films dedicated to Radia’s life, the more prominent of the lot stars bollywood villain Ashutosh Rana, and is ironically produced by a Lucknow based Congress Leader, Kush Bhargava. The film, “Monica-the Politics of Murder” is a brazen and blatant attempt to ride the wave of public curiosity towards Radia and her professional dealings.

Director Satchit Puranik, throwing caution and presumably libel charges to the wind is making a film titled “Radia-tion” based Niira Radia and the 2G scam, casting a relatively unknown starlet in the lead role.

In addition to Puranik, Filmmaker V Srinivasan Sundar’s film “100000000000″ (good luck getting audiences to remember that title) about four students who rob 10,000 crores from a powerful female lobbyist aims to capitalize on Radia’s professional likeness.

The question someone needs to ask the filmmakers before they embark on telling their stories is how much of the story do they really know? Filmmaking is about telling a story through the director’s perspective, but what good is it if it appears to be completely one sided.

Are they using news reports and press clippings to do their research? Are they even interested in trying to understand the person or the scandal from all sides, or is it not important to play fair and depict a well researched version of events.

Radia on her part is pushing to stop these films from ever seeing the light of day. Her rationale is that she is in fact not a public figure, and has a right to privacy and the proposed films with their misinformation and lack of research will tarnish her reputation beyond repair.

Here’s the argument, Biopics are culturally important, especially if they are relevant, and more importantly, researched. Furthermore, biopics, or films based on real events or people should have a point to them, a basic reason to tell the story, whether it is triumphant and uplifting, or seeks to dramatize an individuals journey to make a moralistic point.

there is a fine line between cinema and smut, storytelling and slander, and oftentimes the line is blurred not out of ignorance, but in an attempt to be scandalous and titillating. If films must be made on Radia, Sonia Gandhi, or Mukesh Ambani for that matter, do it justice by doing it right. There’s no art in a public bashing, and no commerce either for that matter.

I’m going to let you in on a not-so-secret secret: I love Bollywood disco. The popularity of  “Ooh La La” from “The Dirty Picture,” sung by “the King of Disco” Bappi Lahiri (and borrowing heavily from his composition “Ui Amma” for the 1983 film “Mawaali”) proves I’m not alone. Even the gritty “Delhi Belly” had a touch of disco fever, as one character is obsessed with a fictional but very plausible vintage film hero called Disco Fighter, who finally comes to life at the film’s end as a pelvis-thrusting Vegas-era Elvis.

The appeal of filmi disco is straightforward and simple: it makes me happy. It’s bright, energetic and rich, often with a big sound that’s somehow still light and poppy. Maybe Hindi disco has connected me with a pop culture trend I missed. Born at the end of the Nixon administration, by the time I was old enough to have opinions about music, disco was dead.

Disco might just be the pop music soul mate of Hindi films, though it’s not like Bollywood ever needs an excuse to bust out the skin-tight shiny costumes, the opulent sets or the pulsating light design. Disco seems to embody some of what Bollywood music does so well, propelling both characters and audiences on to dance floors to strut their stuff. Some music historians talk about disco music as escapist, with its rise in mainstream Western culture after the Vietnam War and as representative of social changes of the time, providing a voice and platform (shoes) to marginalized sections of society. By that reading, disco is a logical accompaniment to some of the sentiments of the “angry young man” of the masala films of the mid and late 1970s and early 1980s. After all, the hero of “Disco Dancer” (1982), played by Mithun Chakraborty, has a lot to be mad about.

Even if it went by a different name, “Disco Dancer” might still top the list of filmi disco projects. Composer Bappi Lahiri rose to the occasion, creating songs that have lodged themselves into my head as firmly as any of the 70s disco I heard at the roller rink as a kid. After opening with sci-fi laser guns shooting from the necks of guitars, fancy drum and bass work and plenty of hand claps, “I Am a Disco Dancer” literally spells out what makes up a great disco number: dance, item, song, chorus, orchestra!

Or perhaps you, like M.I.A., prefer the synth and scampering strings of “Jimmy Jimmy.”

The song I had to watch over and over again the first time I saw the film was “Krishna Dharti Pe Aaja Tu,” as feathers, capes and fog machines combine with oversized props of Krishna’s flute and crown.

Another essential name in filmi disco is Bangalore-born Biddu Appaiah. His first big break in the music business was as the producer of the 1974 hit “Kung Fu Fighting” by Carl Douglas. The team’s follow-up song, “Dance the Kung Fu,” appears in the 1976 Hindi film “Adalat” as Amitabh Bachchan chops and twirls his way across the living room carpet with Neetu Singh. You haven’t seen kung fu dancing until you’ve seen those long legs kick in flared trousers. Talk about poetry in motion.

A few years later, Biddu composed “Aap Jaisa Koi” for the 1980 film “Qurbani,” picturized on Zeenat Aman in shimmering, revealing red while her band plays guitars in leotards and go-go boots. This is far from one of Bollywood’s best dance numbers — everyone on stage is swaying more than dancing — but the disco magic has begun and the effect certainly works on the film’s heroes, both of whom are left thunderstruck. Biddu also wrote the music for “Star” (1982), a film about a struggling singer that is jam-packed with fog machines, rainbows, chimes and laser sound effects in songs like “Jaana,” “Boom Boom,” “Ooie Ooie” (did I see John Travolta’s signature move in there?)  and “Dheere Dheere,” which echoes the martial arts theme so well established in Biddu’s earlier hits.

My personal “Disco Set Design” award probably goes to the song “Pyar Karne Wale” from “Shaan” (1980). Blinking floor, synthesizers, spangled backup dancers and angelically glittering Parveen Babi fill a hall that can only be described as an inside-out disco ball. The gold-encrusted heroine, flowers, tunnel and spinning sea urchin lamps of “Jawani Janeman” from “Namak Halaal” (1982) are a close second. But for pure fun it’s hard to beat the more casual “O Haseena” (“Mujhe Insaaf Chahiye” 1983) with Mithun Chakraborty giving it all on the dance floor. “Saaheb” (1985) makes perfect use of Bappi Lahiri’s talents in a sweet setting of a dream world as characters watch fancier, chicer versions of themselves dance through the streets to rumbling bass and rattling cowbells.

I simply cannot talk about Bollywood disco without mentioning Rishi Kapoor prancing on a giant spinning turntable in head-to-toe silver while the orchestra and women in feather headdresses and fringed tops boogie in the background. In the wondrous “Om Shanti Om,” the hero drops into the song from the needle of the record player as though his presence makes the lyrics start, and he repeatedly leaps off to dance around the rest of the stage, emanating from the source of the sound like the song itself. All of that happens before giant om symbols drop from the ceiling and the hero has flashbacks to a fatal car accident in another life and collapses on stage. This song also surely sparked the finale of “Delhi Belly,” when Aamir Khan as Disco Fighter sticks his rump at the camera to reveal DISCO written across his tight white trousers. But it’s all in cheeky good fun.

What dance hits spin on your personal turntable? And where should I begin investigating the disco antics of Kamal Hassan? Let’s make a playlist in the Comments section.

Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2012/01/31/bollywood-journal-its-the-time-to-disco/?mod=google_news_blog