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S S Rajamouli : “We’ve Come Out With A Great Film”
Although the long-awaited release of S S Rajamouli’s RRR again had to be pushed ahead Rajamouli is unbeat. “ It has taken us more than 3 years to make this film. We’ve surfed two waves of the pandemic, we’ve tackled various problems, difficulties and injuries and we’ve come out with a great film. I am eagerly waiting to see the reactions of audiences from all over the world. I’m confident that the result is going to be worth the battle.”
Overwhelming expectations do not daunt Rajamouli. “Expectations do not intimidate me.In fact they strengthen me… To all the audiences who are expecting emotional experiences as good as Baahubali, brace yourselves because we have made a stronger film.
There is a lot of curiosity about Ajay Devgn and Alia Bhatt’s roles in RRR. How much of them would we get to see in the film and what made you choose them?
Replies Rajamouli, “I’ve been a great admirer of theirs since very long. I knew it in my gut that they would be perfect for their parts. They’ve done great justice to their characters. As to how much of them you will be seeing in the film, I think you just have to wait for some more time to get the answer. All I can say for now is that their characters will stay in your hearts for days after you have watched the film.”
While Baahubali was a costume fantasy, RRR is a historical.Rajamouli says the team has delved to get the facts right, “Though RRR is a fictional film, we delved into painstaking details to get the right look and feel. We went through thousands of photographs and the little footage of 1920s Delhi that we could find to create an accurate world. Special mention to Sabu sir (our production designer) for bringing his immense knowledge to paint the world of RRR.”
The film is releasing in 5 Indian languages, in almost 10000 screens all over the world.
With the Covid crisis still unresolved how large does Rajamouli think the viewership is going to be? “With the right precautions in place, I think the film industry can be revived to its previous glory without compromising on public safety. Tens of thousands of people in our country are directly dependent on this great industry of ours, and it is important for all of us that people come back to the cinemas. It would obviously be a matter of pride for us if this change begins with RRR.”
Rajamouli’s cinema is all about size, grandeur and visual splendour. With the digital platform dominating the cinematic experience is his creative vision impaired?
The director says he is not opposed to the digital avenue. “OTTs have done many good things to visual storytelling. Easier access has bridged the gap between original content and audiences. However, theatrical experience is something else. There’s something magical about sharing a larger-than-life experience with 500 other people. Digital platforms are here to stay, and I’m sure that we’re going to see more great content in the future. But the theatrical experience is so embedded in our country’s zeitgeist that it is a part of our culture now. The theatrical experience was threatened by TV also a few decades ago. But since then theatres have only increased multifold.”
Every major actor wants to work with SS Rajamouli. Who are the actors he wants to work with?Rajamouli admits he admires many, many actors and has the desire to work with so many of them. “But it is the story which chooses its actors. I would ask any actor to play a character, however big or small, if the story needs them.”
Finally What according to Rajamouli is RRR’s biggest USP? “I could say that RRR is the first true-blue Indian multi-starrer in a very long time. Or that we have shot some fantastic action sequences which will make for a thrilling experience. But underneath all the star power and visual extravaganza there is an emotional story which will resonate with everyone. I would say that the story is the biggest USP of RRR.”
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Shabana Azmi Breaks Her Wrist, Flies To Budapest For Spielberg

Shabana Azmi’s commitment to getting it right, no matter what it takes, is by now beyond legendary. She is known to go to extreme lengths for her characters, the quick-reference what-Shabana-can-do-for-a-role film being Shyam Benegal’s Mandi where she had put on 30 kgs to look like a ‘Madame’ and convey her message in a brothel.
Now , Shabana flies to Budapest on the night of 8 February in spite of having broken her wrist.
“What to do, I have to.I’ve to shoot another schedule of my second season of Halo(the series produced by Steven Spielberg) . There is no way I can postpone it. I am very upset with myself. It was such an unnecessary accident. I was in Jindal . I took a jump and landed with a fractured wrist, ” says Shabana angrily.
This is not the first fracture that Shabana has suffered in recent times. Before the wrist that’s broken now, she had broken the other wrist. And prior to that she had broken her shoulder.
“I’m supposed to be shooting till the 28th of February. And it’s all very tough physically rigorous scenes. I don’t know how I’m going to do it. I am really annoyed with myself for being careless.” Shabana sighed before signing off.
Knowing her the way I do,I can only say, nothing is impossible for Shabana Azmi.
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Shobita Dhulipala On Her Close Aquatic Connection To Her Character In The Night Manager

Sobhita Dhulipala has constantly tried to make an impression with her intriguing performances and roles. In The Night Manager she slips into the mysterious role of Kaveri.
Talking about her character, Sobhita Dhulipala says , “There’s a certain intrigue to Kaveri. On better days, you feel like you get a sense of who she is, but you could never be too sure of what she is.”
Being a water person Sobhita enjoyed her character’s aqueous antecedents, “There is a very visible parallel that’s drawn between Kaveri and water throughout the show.They both can be so gentle, so nourishing, but also very tumultuous and deep. Kaveri seems like that. She has this tenderness as well as a current within her.”
Sobhita comes from an aquatic family and feels a deep affinity to water. “I have in the past been compared with water’s energy and I thought it was a tremendous compliment. So, to be able to give form to that feeling, that connection I feel with it..it’s great. My father is a sailor. And I spent many of my younger years at sea, also the home I grow up in was by the shore. I also love the name Kaveri and I always thought when I have my own child, I’d name him/her by a river! So, I think there’s, resonance, all of it really comes together for me.”
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The Romantics Adi Chopra’s Show All The Way

Netflix’s The Romantics profiling the legend Yash Chopra in four episodes , happened only because Netflix gave complete creative control to Yash Chopra’s son Aditya Chopra, the scion of the Yash Raj family.
A source very close to the project reveals, “If it wasn’t for Adi’s nod, the project wouldn’t have happened. He not only greenlighted the project, he also personally supervised every aspect of the project. Smriti Mundhra is on board as the director of The Romantics. But it is Adi who decided what goes, and what not.”
Apparently the thirty-five interviewees speaking on Yash Chopra in The Romantics were all personally approved by Adi Chopra who also agreed to do his first video interview ever for the docu-pic on his distinguished dad.
Adi Chopra’s one and only print interview was with film critic/editor Khalid Mohamed.
The Romantics starts streaming on Netflix on Valentine’s Day February 14.
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I’m very excited to be doing my OTT debut: Shahid Kapoor

As Shahid Kapoor Gets Ready To Make His Digital Debut, He Takes Time Off For A Q & A With Subhash K Jha
Farzi is your first foray into the OTT space. How would you describe the experience? Is it any different from doing the films for the big screen?
I’m very excited to be doing my OTT debut, as everybody calls it. I think I did it because I love the directors Raj and DK and their work, and I actually really really liked the idea and the concept behind Farzi, the world of counterfeiting . I felt Sunny was a character that was as challenging as some of my most challenging characters as I’ve done yet. So I immediately wanted to do it.
And was it any different shooting for an OTT series?
Of course, it’s different because you’re watching the character over five to six hours as opposed to maybe two to two and a half hours. So it’s a deeper, wider opportunity to bring a character to life, that’s it.
Farzi gave you the opportunity to work with the great Vijay Sethupathi and also the creators Raj and DK. So what was that experience like?
With Raj and DK, I’ve loved Family Man very much and we’ve met over time and always wanted to collaborate. So I was really looking forward to it. In fact, I asked them if they have a show because they were calling me for a movie because they didn’t really expect… they didn’t think after Kabir Singh, I’d like to do something like that , or whatever. But I actually asked them for it and probed for it, and then they actually told me about this concept which we had discussed as a movie earlier.
So why was the feature film converted into a digital series?
It was just too elaborate to turn into a movie, to fit into a movie. It was only extremely sensible of them to turn it into a show because it deserves that much screen time.
What was it like working with Vijay Sethupathi?
With Vijay sir, it’s been a pleasure. And I want to see how people receive the show. He’s a fantastic actor who has always rediscovered himself and given people completely different experiences when he has come on the big screen. So it’s a privilege to have him on the show. And I had a blast working with him.
Shahid, it’s been twenty years since you started as a leading man. How do you look back on your career so far?
I feel very fortunate to still be here. And I feel grateful that people find my work relevant. I feel there’s a lot more that I would like to do. And I think I am as charged as I was at the age of 21, giving my first shot, as I am today. And I think that’s the best part of the entire journey, that I still am as excited and as curious to get on that film floor and give my next shot. I think that’s what drives any artist.
Tell me about your forthcoming projects?
I’ve got Farzi coming out on 10 Feb. And then there’s a movie with Ali Abbas Zafar, which is an action thriller, a slick action fun film, which will come out in the middle of this year. And then there’s a high-concept quirky love story that I’m doing with Maddock Films, which is directed by a new director. His name is Amit Joshi. It has me and Kriti Sanon in it, and Dharam ji and Dimple ma’am and various other very talented people.
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