He Tells Subhash K Jha Why He Can’t Wait To Show The World What He Has Done.
How well do you know M S Dhoni after playing him?
You mean after playing like him? I knew him fairly well before the film. While making Dhoni: The Untold Story I got a chance to observe him closely.Once he agreed to the bio-pic he was very honest and patient,answering all the questions that I’d ask. He remained equally involved throughout the project and now while promoting the film. But if you ask me how well I know him beyond the film I have to say ,very little.
Why?
Because he doesn’t carry a phone.Seriously! I kid you not.Of course he has people taking care of all his communication work. But he doesn’t personally carry a phone.And he doesn’t socialize either. In all the time that we worked over the film I only remember meeting up once socially with him.It was in Kolkata right after the first teaser trailer ofDhoni: The Untold Story.
You’ve been promoting Dhoni The Untold Story with a vengeance. Are you enjoying the process?
Yes , specially when I am with the real Dhoni.We recently visited the great Rajnikanthji.I was simply bowled over by his humility. So yeah, it’s enjoyable except when sections of the media don’t get my point.
What do you mean?
I take great pains to explain how important this film is for me, and why.And what do I see? Headlines about my relationship status.
So why answer personal questions?
My team asked me if I’d answer personal questions. I agreed, since I had been open about my relationship in the past.But now I find talk about my personal life superseding my opinion on the film. I find myself speaking for 44 minutes on Dhoni and 1 minute on my personal life. But it’s that one minute which got highlighted.So I decided, no personal questions.
The film Dhoni is looking every bit as exciting as the man’s life and career?
I hope so.I’ve given all of myself to the film.
How different is it playing a real-life character from playing fictional characters?
You’ve to work a lot harder when the real-life character is with us, and very active publicly.The audience has a ready reference-point and will be scrutinizing you for errors in projecting him.With a fictional character like Byomkesh Bakshi I had a lot more room to improvise and move around.
Was that easier to do?
It’s not about easier or harder.I give an equal amount of myself to a fictional and real character.You have to understand acting is the only thing I enjoy doing.There are things that I understand in life and then there are things that I don’t understand. In order to understand what I don’t understand, I act.
So you don’t disown your failure?
Never! When I look back I feel the same amount of satisfaction for both Byomkesh andDhoni.I don’t get affected by boxoffice numbers. I might when I turn producer.
Do you intend to turn producer?
Why not?If I see a good story and I see no buyers I might as well do it myself. Because there are stories that I must tell.
I believe there was a cricketer closeted in you from before you played Dhoni?
I wanted to be a cricketer. But I was not skilled enough to be a national-level cricketer. Now after the film I play better cricket.I didn’t want to look like I was just faking the moves in the field. I had to convince myself that I was this guy who I had watched and admired for 15 years. It was quite a journey.
So how did the journey begin?
Even before the script was ready I was looking at Dhoni’s videos, over and over again.The intent was to understand the way he thought moved and behaved. I had to get my posture and thought process in place before we started shooting. I couldn’t think about these things once the camera was switched on.For 12 months I trained on the field to feel like a professional cricketer. After 4-5 months the analyst came on board and we began working on the specific shots on the field.By the end of it I was playing like Dhoni.
You felt like you were Dhoni?
I wanted to play like him. But I didn’t want to imitate him.I didn’t want to consciously pick up those nuances in Dhoni’s personality that people immediately identify with him. I wanted my performance to grow organically.
I think getting the mind right was more important?
True true. To understand the way he was, was far more crucial.I’ve been following his cricket and also his quick wit and swift comebacks.But to me the more important question was, why was he the way he was? What made him so iconic? I’d try to figure it out by meeting Dhoni as frequently as possible.
How often did you meet him?
There were three sets of meetings.During my first meeting I asked him to just talk about himself as I listened. In the second meeting I was asking him the questions and he was answering including multiple-choice answers.Then lastly in the meeting I had with him just before the shooting started, I asked him questions from the script.I made sure I WAS Dhoni before I started shooting.
So are your personalities inter-changeable?
I’d like to think so.We agree on one basic issue of life. We both believe the past is in the past and that we should only focus on the present .When you meet him he is actually listening and talking. These days we don’t listen to what people have to say.I have learnt the value of listening from him.
How therapeutic was doing this film for you after the breakup with your girlfriend?
It is the same as it was before. I am so much into my work that I don’t take myself seriously.You know when I was in school I was allowed to play from 4 pm to 5.30. During that period I could play any game. The entire day I’d wait for my play time. Now, I don’t have to wait for my play time.I’m living those one and a half hours 24 hours a day now.

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Why On Earth Is Sushmita Sen Smoking A Cigar In Aarya’s First Look?

Season 3 of Aarya is being shot as you read this, and naturally Sushmita Sen is super-kicked about it, so kicked that she has put out a video where she is seen in the best Lady Boss version of herself.
Alarmingly, she is seen puffing away at a cigar, to complete her Badass Lady Boss image.
There was a time when women smoking cigarettes in Hindi cinema signaled vampishness. If a female actor was shown smoking it meant she had evil designs over the hero, and life in general.
Sushmita being Sushmita, a cigarette won’t do. A cigar it is, to go with her formidable image. The last Bollywood actor I saw smoking a cigar on screen was Premnath in the 1970s. Back then so many people didn’t die of cancer by smoking.
These are different far more dangerous and deadly times.
Sushmita is an iconic actor.She needs to be more careful about the image she projects . Smoking a cigar doesn’t enhance a woman’s(or a man’s) muscle power. Nor does it make her look cool.
About shooting for the third season of Aarya Sushmita says, “Aarya is synonymous with my name. I have lived as Aarya for two whole seasons and the love received by the audiences has only encouraged me to do more. Walking on the sets of Aarya Season 3 makes me feel at home and gives me a sense of empowerment. I’m grateful to the entire team at Disney+ Hotstar, Ram Madhvani Films and Endemol Shine India for the vision of creating Aarya and taking it to newer heights with every season.”
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Shah Rukh, Deepika, John Will Meet The Media On Monday At 4 pm(But There’s A Catch)

Pathaan has effectually discredited the efficacy of media interactions to promote a film. The film’s lead actors Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham did not conduct any press or portal interviews to promote the film.
And yet Pathaan is a blockbuster.
This weekend the Pathaan producer Aditya Chopra of Yash Raj Films took a call on behalf of the Pathaan team to do one media meet at the Taj Land’s End in Mumbai on Monday January 30 at 4 pm.
The three principal actors and director Siddharth Malhotra will address the media.
But here’s the catch: the media will not be allowed to ask any questions. There will be no Q& A s or one-on-one interactions.This basically means that the Pathaan team will have an opportunity to say what it wants to the media. But the media will have no say.
Make what you will of this one-way traffic.
A source close to Yash Raj informs me that this is the pattern regarding the media that Yash Raj will follow for future releases: no press meets no promotional engagements.
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Fake Projects of Pathaan Director Being Planted In Media

Siddharth Anand Denies Considering Any Project With Deepak Mukut
A word of caution to those marketing and publicity wizkids who think it’s okay to plant fake stories on (fake) projects with the Pathaan director.
It is not.
Such baseless announcements are meant only to raise the equity of the producers with whom Siddharth Anand’s name is linked. One such producer whose name has cropped up after the spectacular success of Pathaan is Deepak Mukut.
There were reports everywhere that Siddharth Anand’s next would be with Mukut.
Turned out to be a false rumour.
A source in the know informs, “Siddharth now has to complete Fighter starring Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone for Yash Raj.Then he is committed to direct the sequel to War 2 for Yash Raj films. They will then start work on the next film in the Pathaan franchise. There is no scope or room for any outside projects for Siddharth Anand. So every announcement that you read of a new film to be directed by Siddharth Anand for an outside producer is likely to be a hundred percent fake.”
When I asked Siddharth Anand about the supposed project with producer Deepak Mukut he promptly replied, “NOT AT ALL.”
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Pink Director’s Next Featuring Yami As A Crime Reporter To Stream From February 16

Anniruddha Roy Chowdhury whose Pink featuring Amitabh Bachchan and Taapsee Pannu was one of the most important films of 2016, is all set to release his next Hindi film.
Entitled Lost, Anniruddha’s film , based on true events, will see Yami Gautam Dhar(that’s what the actress calls herself after her marriage) as a crime journalist. LOST is an emotional social thriller that represents a higher quest, a search for lost values of empathy and integrity.
Inspired by true events, Lost is a story of a bright young woman crime reporter in her relentless search for the truth behind the sudden disappearance of a young theatre activist.

Lost
Says Aniruddha “The shoot of LOST has been an incredible journey. I have been eager for the release of our hard-worked venture. The film is a realistic highlight of media in a social context and I am sure that it will give the audience a compelling watch. I am curious about its release and see the responses it shall get. I hope they will welcome it with open hearts.”
Yami Gautam Dhar who plays the lead of the crime reporter says, “I can’t be happier and more proud of the film’s selection for the opening night at CSAFF. I feel like its one that the people will connect to and will be the one that you cannot miss, especially in the current age and time. I have loved playing this role because it was such a special experience, it allowed me to explore so many layers of emotions as an actor and the entire team has worked really hard on it. I genuinely cannot wait for the film’s release, especially to see the reactions of the audience to it.”
The crime investigation drama boasts a stellar cast. Along with Yami, the film will feature Pankaj Kapur, Rahul Khanna, and an ensemble of younger talent, including Neil Bhoopalam, Pia Bajpai, and Tushar Pandey, in pivotal roles.
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