BOLLYWOOD | Guftugu | MARCH 2013
Bipasha Basu: "I Don't Behave Irresponsibly"
Deepika Padukone on Chennai Express: "It's Great to be with Shah Rukh Again"
Neil Nitin Mukesh: Tight Lipped
Sidharth Malhotra: Priorities Set
Sajid Khan: Promises Entertainment
Bipasha: "I Don't Behave Irresponsibly"
(Above): Bipasha Basu
Bipasha Basu is back. For someone who saw a resurgence of sorts last year with Raaz 3, Bipasha is now being seen in her second horror flick Aatma. With her professional battle seemingly settled down, she appears to be in a much better space today.
“Well, there is a certain drive in me which I cannot explain. I have been a focused, hardworking girl but then I also used to listen to others. Today work is my priority; it is almost a religion to me. This is the only thing in my life which makes me happy today. I have figured out that at this point in time there is nothing else that takes priority. I feel happiest at work,” gleams Bipasha.
Meanwhile, she is also making sure that her personal life stays balanced as well.
“To begin with, I don’t behave irresponsibly when I step out. I am a role model to hundreds of girls and I get love from boys and men. Recently I travelled to a non-metro city and there too girls came to me, cried and held my hands stating that they wanted to be like me,” reveals Bipasha, “Then there was this lady in my gym who said who said that she wanted both of her daughters to seek inspiration from me. Now these are people who don't know me as a person and still have so much love for me. That's humbling. Somewhere all of this does touch my heart. I can't let them down.”
Now that she is single, one wonders if it is her immediate family that holds precedence over anyone else.
“Ahem ahem, I would rather stay mum about the ‘single’ part,” she smiles, “As for my family, then yes, my upbringing has been fabulous. I am here because of my parents. My family is very unaffected by who I am. They treat me the same as my siblings. I am having fun. My life is a little light right now. If there is anything in my life which is really important to me then you would know and it will come out.”
So much for privacy!
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Deepika on Chennai Express: "It's Great to be with Shah Rukh Again"
(Above): Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone in “Chennai Express.”
Race 2 has entered the 100-crore club and though Deepika Padukone may not be saying it, deep down in her heart she knows that in the coming months she would have at least a couple more 100-crore films to her credit before the year comes to an end. A film which is the hottest contender for this fate is Chennai Express, where she has the advantage of not just being the solo heroine but also being paired opposite none other than Shah Rukh Khan. So, can audience expect a dhamaal non-stop fun entertainer here?
“You can say so,” says Deepika, “It's great to be with Shah Rukh again. He had always said that whenever he and I had to come together again, it had to be much more special than our first film since there is always that kind of expectation when a hit pairing comes together. Om Shanti Om did very well for both of us and now to be back in a fun venture like Chennai Express is going to be special indeed.”
More so since she is also stepping into the mad world created by Rohit Shetty which is a genre in it's own right.
“It is great to be working with Rohit since he knows exactly what he is doing. Everything that he does is with a lot of style. There is a definite scale in every shot that he takes. This is one film where I have completely surrendered myself to the director. Same is the case with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Ram Leela. Now Rohit and Sanjay are two people who know their craft inside out. They are not strict in the conventional sense. In fact they do take suggestions. However if they stray a little, they bring them back on track. They know how to manage their actors and that's a good thing; you have to take it all in a positive spirit,” details Deepika who is also pairing up with Ranveer Singh for the first time in Ram Leela.
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Neil Mukesh: Tight Lipped
(Above): Neil Nitin Mukesh and Sonal Chauhan at the music trailer launch of “3G.”
There was a time, less than a year back, when word got out about Neil Nitin Mukesh and Sonal Chauhan being in a relationship. However, there was an even quicker turnaround as the rebuttal came sooner than expected and the news died its sudden death. As he looks back at the entire episode, has it been easy for Neil to erase it from his life?
“All I would say is that there is nothing to be really thought about that anymore. I have always been open about my personal life and if there is anything in the future, you would hear from me. What happened then, how could it have been any different, whether it was right or wrong is something that is best left ignored. For me what matters is my immediate family. I don't want them to be pained on reading anything about their son which is unsavory. So to cut the long story short, I would rather not comment on anything. There is a lot to talk about my work and that is what eventually matters,” says Neil with a smile.
This is the reason why he perks up when the conversation veers towards 3G, his upcoming film. In this psychological horror tale, he has again stepped into a zone where technology is taking the forefront.
“With Shantanu and Sheershak, the co-directors of 3G, there is a tuning that I have formed over the years since they were also the writers of my film Aa Dekhe Zara. That again was a technology-driven film since it talked about looking into the future with the help of a camera. These guys are really fabulous, extremely innovative and know how to jump out of the box. The kind of ideas that they bring are like a whiff of fresh air for the industry. I thoroughly enjoyed working with them,” says Neil.
Guess it’s time for the audience to test the waters!
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Sidharth Malhotra: Priorities Set
(Above): Siddharth Malhotra in “Student of the Year.”
Finally, a youngster who doesn't mind being himself on as well as off screen. In a world full of diplomatic celebrities, at least Sidharth Malhotra isn't micing any words when it comes to surviving in this big bad world of Bollywood. While he has already signed two films, Hasee Toh Phasee and The Villain, he is clear about one thing — he needs money, and more money, if he has to keep himself in the race.
“In the world of glamor, I need to make sure that there is a big gaadi (car) and better wardrobe. Mumbai is an expensive city to live and to live a decent lifestyle, I need to make certain amount of money. For someone like me it is all the more a priority since I am not from here. So yes, money is definitely a priority for me,” says Sidharth, who struck gold with Student of the Year a few months back.
In this endeavor of his, he is getting good support from his mentor Karan Johar who is keeping a close tab on the kind of films that he does and the endorsements that he picks up.
“He is a very intelligent guy. If he has invested in me, he is also making sure that there are good enough returns. He is keeping his ears and eyes open on people who are currently casting for leads. I am getting good help there,” adds Siddharth.
He doesn't wish to be restricted to be playing a brooding lover-boy forever, something that is apparent with Hasee Toh Phasee which is a quintessential Bollywood romcom and The Villain which is going to throw him into an action arena.
“I was told by people after Student of the Year that I should be doing an intense love story. Then there are others who wanted me to do hardcore comedy. I am fiddling with both. Let's see how exciting things turn out to be now. It is too early to close on one particular genre and say that I have found a niche. It would be unfair for me to be tagged as good or bad in anything in particular so early in my career,” he smiles before signing off.
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Sajid: Promises Entertainment
(Above, clockwise from top left): Sajid Khan (r) seen with Ajay Devgn, the star of his upcoming film, “Himmatwala”; The previous three hits from Sajid Khan: Riteish Deshmukh, Akshay Kumar and Fardeen Khan in “Heyy Babyy,” Jacqueline Fernandez and John Abraham “Housefull 2,” and Deepika Padukone and Arjun Rampal in the prequel “Housefull.”
With each of Sajid Khan’s three films turning into hits, cynicism has settled down, detractors have gone quiet (well almost) and a loyal audience has gathered over the years. Just when one was about to slot his films as humorous entertainers, he has taken a U-turn with Himmatwala, which has action at the core of it with other 80’s style masala coming together in the right proportion.
Three films (“Heyy Babyy,” “Housefull,” “Housefull 2”), three successes — Guess the going couldn't have been better?
I still feel that I have many more films and years to go before I can say that it couldn't have been better. But yes, so far the going has been good. Films are my passion and life, and you can't take that away from me. More so because filmmaking is not my profession; it is something that I literally breathe. See, the advantage that I carry is that nobody knows audience better than me. That is my biggest weapon. I invite anyone do an open forum and we will talk movies. I have always loved such conversations.
Well, what keeps you away from social networking then?
(Laughs) Perhaps I am last of the Mohicans when it comes to the social networking zone. I have my own reservations about stepping in there. Personally, I keep myself away from social media like Twitter, Facebook, Blackberry or even emails in general.
You don't sound reserved when it comes to work-related matters though. After all, your fourth biggie “Himmatwala” is round the corner.
I promise you that coming together of Sajid-Ajay for the first time together will create fireworks. See, you have to understand one thing, that I am always on audience’s side when it comes to bringing something on screen. This is what Ajay and I discussed as well that when we are talking about a film like Himmatwala, we have to go all out. This is what we managed to accomplish as well.
While that would be up for display soon, where do you head after the release of “Himmatwala”?
I straight away jump into my next film with Vashu Bhagnani which would star Saif Ali Khan in the lead. All I can tell about the movie for now is that its title too would begin with ‘H’, something that has been constant with each of my films so far. Also, the film would be a larger section of audience in mind and would be Saif’s biggest success at the time of release.
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