Chhota Bheem now a musical

FILM
I FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015
www.punemirror.in/bollywood
‘I can play a mother,
sister, bhabhi or even
a man if need be!’
Says Ritu Shivpuri, who is returning after a
13-year sabbatical in a film titled He-man
Avinash.Lohana
@timesgroup.com
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Chhota Bheem
now a musical
Roshmila Bhattacharya
@timesgroup.com
TWEET @ThePuneMirror
A
qualified software
engineer, Sachin
Gupta’s tryst with
theatre started when
he was 12. He has
staged over 75 shows around
the world, including the
award winning off-Broadway
musical Celebration of Life.
Handicapped City and
Kailashnath Weds Madhumati
were also staged Off-Broadway
and in New York and Toronto.
Now, the recipient of the
National Award, Natya
Bhushan, for his contribution
to theatre, is gearing up for a
musical on the popular animated TV and film character,
Chhota Bheem.
“We will be performing
at the Siri Fort auditorium
in Delhi on July 24, 25 and
26. There will be nine shows
over three days with 35-40
actors from my repertory performing live. You will see
Chhota Bheem on stage
and amongst the audience.
There will be about six-seven
music pieces based on the
songs you’ve heard before,”
informs Sachin.
This is the first time the
owners of the franchise have
parted with the copyright for
a stage version. Sachin, who’s
in the midst of scripting and
character rehearsals, admits
that they were in talks with a
few others too. “But I think
they liked my concept of an
interactive musical when we
met in Hyderabad around
three weeks ago and we
locked the deal. My 2007
English play, A Roller Coaster
Ride was very popular with
F
ollowing in the footsteps of her parents, actors
Om Shivpuri and Sudha Shivpuri, Ritu Shivpuri
jumped into Bollywood at the age of 17 and
caught our eye in films like Aar Ya Paar and
Aankhen. But after the Karisma Kapoor starrer, Shakthi:
The Power, in 2002 ,she disappeared from the screen.
The 13-year vanvas, which she took to focus on her
twins, eight-year-olds Rohail and Samara, and husband Hari Venkat, who at 36 was diagnosed with a
tumor in his spine, will end soon. Ritu will make a
comeback with the Puneet Issar’s directorial, He-Man.
“I’m playing the protagonist’s bhabhi. I can’t
reveal much but it’s a great script that makes me
believe it’s the perfect film to return with. I want to do
roles that make a difference and if I’m one of the central characters, I am happy doing it,” says Ritu, who
will wrap up her portions in one schedule.
After Aankhen, she found herself cast in the ‘sexy’
mould with comparisons being drawn to Parveen
Babi and Zeenat Aman. “But I never looked into the
mirror and thought I was hot, I’m not that vain,” she
laughs. “I can play a mother, sister, bhabhi or even a
man if need be!”
She was earlier offered a negative role in a big banner film, but later the makers felt that she looked too
young for that role. “I don’t want to be an accessory
in a film but if a friend requested I might do even
that,” she laughs.
Prod her on the tough times with an ailing
husband and two young kids and she retorts, “I
don’t want to gain sympathy by appearing as a martyr. I married my best friend, we share everything.
Those six years were bad but I’m a fighter and he’s a
cool guy. We got the tumour removed a couple of
years ago.”
Ritu recently lost her mother, Sudha Shivpuri, popularly known as Baa after playing the great grandmother in Ekta Kapoor’s long-running TV show,
Kyunki…Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. She chokes up saying, “My mother was my backbone. Whoever has
worked with her will tell you she had only love and
happiness to give. She would speak fondly of her costars from Kyunki, like Smriti (Irani), Apara (Mehta),
Shilpa (Saklani) and Kamalika (Guha).”
Meanwhile, her brother, Vineet, who was earlier
assisting filmmaker Vipul Shah, will soon be directing
his own film. “He is a brilliant boy and a wonderful
brother,” she gushes. “I hope things work out for him
and me. I’m not one of those who will sit on the
actor’s lap or dance around him to get work. I rely on
my talent.”
Sachin Gupta
kids too.”
Meanwhile, his musical
comedy, Thoda Lutff Thoda
Ishq, featuring Rajpal Yadav
and Sanjay Mishra, opens
soon. “For the last two years,
I’ve been busy with films. A
musical on stage is like a vacation and I’m super excited.
We’ll bring the show to
Mumbai soon, and take it to
Bangalore and Pune as well.
There are offers from Dubai,
New York and London too.”
Ritu Shivpuri and Govinda in Aankhen
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