Can SS Rajamouli surpass Bahubaali was the question on everyone’s mind and RRR proved to be a magical experience beyond imagination. It is not just the scale or the budget of the film, RRR travels you beyond a cinematic experience. Superstars and arch rivals, NTR Junior and Ram Charan said in every interview that they are not friends but are happy to work together. This one film has changed their destiny forever! 

It is always interesting how an actor instinctively knows which film to sign and which film to avoid. Randeep Hooda is super selective about films he does and the fact that he has agreed to Swatantra Veer Savarkar has got a lot to do with both the script and director, Mahesh Manjrekar. Randeep essays the role of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and is looking forward to the film.

Sometimes, an idea can make all the difference. Dheer Momaya, the co-founder of Jugaad Motion Pictures and producer of record-breaking Gujarati film Last Film Show says his film is a tribute to India’s single-screen culture. His 35mm celluloid forms the backdrop of his debut production. That the film is releasing at a time when cinema globally is witnessing the death of the mini screen is an irony. He says new formats have opened new doors of storytelling and Last Film Show is about six young boys from indigenous tribe and their unique talent, largely based on director Pan Nalin’s childhood experiences.

In my opinion Gangubai Kathiawadi had the potential to enjoy another strong week at the box-office had they not slowed down on their promotions. The film did not have many actors to promote it and how much can one star/ Alia Bhatt talk about the film. She did her best on all the channels, went for all the events, even interviewed her director Sanjay Leela Bhansali but Ajay Devgan, because in our country heroes don’t promote guest appearances, and director Sanjay Leela Bhansali is so choosy about who he talks to that he is almost inaccessible.

The promotion would have been better strategized had they included the technical and the supporting cast in the interviews and left Alia Bhatt and Bhansali for the final round. That would have aroused curiosity of the audience but either Bhansali didn’t want it that way or the media was not interested but we didn’t get a glimpse of the parallel world of Gangubai.

In the meantime, filmmaker Ramgopal Varma had his own theory of why The Kashmir Files became such a big hit. He wrote that it is not the budget, stars, music but the content that shines a film and show business has no favourites, so exhibitors all over India increased the shows of TFK in all the cinema halls and were shocked that the ever-dependable Akshay Kumar’s Bachchan Panday proved a total wash out! But will this be a precedent only time, rather the nest release will tell.

Show business is an unpredictable world, When Sanjay Leela Bhansali received unprecedented praise for his latest release Gangubai Kathiawadi it seemed like cat walk at the box-office. They promoted the film everyday with the box-office collections and 125 crores for a female oriented subject in less than two weeks is not small victory for sure. The critics loved the film, so did the audience and there is a possibility that Gangubai would have garnered bigger business had The Kashmir Files not erupted all of a sudden.  

While there is no doubting that The Kashmir Files is a powerful film, the question we need to also address is, would this have been possible without the team going on an over drive? In my opinion is, probably not. This is the same production house that gave us The Tashkent Files a few years ago. The Tashkent Files was as well received by the critics but it didn’t become the rage that The Kashmir Files has! Why?  Both the films address a burning unresolved issue. Both have no big stars, no great music or budgets, then why has The Kashmir Files taken the media by a storm?

One of the reasons, in my opinion is The Kashmir Files has Anupam Kher. Kher has passionately motivated a hysteria on the social media. It began with the private screenings. Media honchos and Kashmiri pundits were captured breaking down in cinema halls. Everyone had a story to share and TKF became the topic of debate on every news channels.

Tell us about your character Admiral Margaret Paragonsky?

She is the head of the Office of Naval Intelligence, a no-nonsense woman, a bit conflicted because she has been trained to abide by the rules and yet she allows the unscrupulous scientist to manipulate her, she breaks all rules because she promises a panacea for humanity.

Do you get anxious every time you begin a new film?

Oh yes, this time more because of covid. It was a vulnerable time for me personally because I was still recovering from my near fatal accident. In fact, was in Budapest exactly twenty days after my discharge from the hospital. The first day I was in high heels and not confident of my balance but the cameras and the lights are an adrenalin rush for an actor and we are ready for any challenge.
Last, how familiar are you with the Microsoft game Halo?
To be honest, I knew nothing about it, the production organised a visit for me to the Halo World’s lab 343 Industries and everything was fascinating but alien. I tried reading a couple of books on the subject but it was complicated, so I decided to surrender to the vision of the filmmaker. Concluded

Halo is your first colour-blind casting since you started shooting for Western movies four decades ago.
Yes, it is indeed amazing that we have a cast that includes Korean, African American, English, Indian, Hungarian and none of the actors are cast for their ethnicity and more important, all of us retain our natural accents, a proof that the world shrinking and becoming a global village.

It was not like that when you started?
No, all these years, I have been cast as a South Asian. I remember asking my director John Schlesinger way back in 1988 why he cast me as the boy’s mother in Madame Souzatska when the character in the book is a Jew and John said that Indians are a part of the British fabric and this must reflect in the choices. The struggle for colour blind casting started then and we are seeing the results now but there is still a long way to go.
What was the process of preparation before the filming?

We had a bootcamp in Budapest where did some readings, workshops and then on the sets at Korda Studios that was transformed into the Halo world.  The actors met only on the sets because all protocol had to be observed for covid. To be continued

Shabana Azmi is the first Indian actor of her generation to have an extensive exposure via international projects. Genesis, Madame Souzatska, La Nuit Bengali in the eighties. City of Joy, Immaculate Conception, In Custody, Fire and Side Streets in the nineties. Water Borne, Loins of Punjab and It is a Wonderful Afterlife in 2000 and A Decent Arrangement, Midnights Children, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, The Wishing Tree and The Black Prince post 2010. Add to this, tele series Bangla Town Banquet, Next of Kin, The Good Karma Tree and now Steven Spielberg produced Halo. I catch up with the actor in London on her way to the premier of the web series to find out how she feels.

From art cinema to $200 million budget project, it has been a long journey?

The journey has been long and meaningful, budget is just a number, what is important is how you feel.

So how did the opportunity come your way?

It was quite surprising actually because I didn’t have to go through an audition. The casting directors saw a couple of my films and suggested my name.  My agent Geoff Stanton was in talks with the producers without letting me know. It was only after I got confirmed that I did a facetime call with the director Otto Bathurst whose work I had loved in Black Mirror and Peaky Blinders.

To be continued

How does Rani Mukherji adjust to so many different temperaments?

I think all actors are as good as the script and the director. We are clay and can be molded according to the characters we play be it Yuvva, Black or Paheli.

And in the process do you learn something from your characters?

Most certainly, from Michele in Black I learnt that there should be dignity in deprivation. I became grateful for everything God has given me. From Heera the prostitute in Mangal Pandey – The Rising I learnt there is courage in conviction. From Laachi in Paheli I cherished my right to exercise my choice. From Maya in Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna I learnt that I should only marry for love. From Bunty aur Babli I learnt to listen to my heart. From Millie in Babul to cherish relationships and from Radhika in Ta Ra Rum Pum to never take success or money for granted.

What have you learnt from show business?

To be in the present and to have no expectations from anyone, to rely on yourself, your work.

And from life?

To remain happy and live life to the fullest without regrets because we don’t know what’s awaiting us tomorrow.

Concluded

What about Shah Rukh Khan?

Shah Rukh Khan is an extremely focused actor and his energy is infectious. His attachment with people he works with is admirable. He is sensitive to his entire team and also very observant.  Let me make a confession, it was Shah Rukh who taught me to romance on screen. In the earlier days, I used to be very self-conscious in my romantic scenes and refrained from looking into the eyes of my hero. Shah Rukh taught me to linger my gaze in a scene and slowly I mastered the art.

AndSalman Khan?

Oh, Salman is a combination of child and a man, extremely good-looking and popular. Everyone just loves to love him.  That is his personality, he exudes affection.

What about other directors?

Everybody has their unique style and a special way of working. Karan Johar functions from the heart and the reason his films are so popular is because he touches a human chord. Sanjay Leela Bhansali is a painter and a poet. His frames are lyrical. Shaad Ali is crazy and this reflects in his films – Saathiya or Bunty Aur Babli his characters are magical and I feel grateful that I got an opportunity to play so many different characters with so many filmmakers.

And Yash Chopra?

Yashuncle works entirely on instinct. He insisted I do Saathiyaan even though I had initially said no. He heard two scenes of Veer Zaara and cast me in the role of the lawyer. He is a passionate filmmaker and what I feel for him is special.