When I run away from comedy, it chases me

THE TIMES OF INDIA I SUNDAY I FEBRUARY 7, 2010
BTA
ENTERTAINMENT
‘When I run away from
comedy,
it
chases
me’
STAR MARI A
SAINYA
When the stars
descended just for Kicha
Pg4
Sexy Sam turns rustic
specially for Nagesh
Pg9
This year will see a new line-up of star
kids strutting their stuff in Sandalwood
A
CTING
runs in
their
blood. We
have seen
their illustrious parents
weave their
magic on
screen. Now,
the GenNext
of some big
star parivaars
in Sandalwood
is gearing up
to prove its
worth. Meet the
will be directed by me and deal with a
dhamaka theme. Which is why I want
him to be an all-rounder before he
makes his debut. He has to arrive
with a bang just like me,” the
Crazy Star told us.
MEGHANA RAJ
Sunder Raj and Pramila Joshai’s
daughter, Meghana, bagged the
remake of the Tamil hit,
Polladhavan, and is set to captivate
audiences in Punda. Meghana, we hear,
was a bright student in school. But then,
she was destined to act with Yogi in Punda and her debut is
set to hit screens shortly.
newbies.
VINAY
SOUNDARYA
That she’s Jayamala’s
daughter is reason
enough to cast her. The
lass has her mum’s
trademark looks, and
last year saw many filmmakers vying to launch
her. Though the trade circuit tossed around names
of various projects citing
that she was in them,
Soundarya ultimately
chose Yashoraj’s (of Ullasa
Uthsaha fame) second venture — a Telugu project. “I have to live up to my mother’s
name and her consent is very important to me,” Soundarya
had earlier told BT. She has already been compared to
Bipasha Basu for her doe-eyed look.
NAKSHATRA
Director D Rajendra Babu and actress Sumitra’s daughter too,
wants to uphold her starry family’s name.
“Dad and mum have never stopped
us from making our own choices.
My elder sister also has acting
experience. Now, it’s my dream
to star in a film directed by
my father and starring the
entire family,” says Nakshatra, who’s already made
headway in the industry in
Gokula. She’s now working
on a Desai film, which
she hopes will be her
ticket to stardom.
MANORANJAN
The debut of Kanasugaara’s son has been a
much-awaited one.
Manoranjan is
currently
attending AS
Murthy’s acting workshop
and is taking
dance classes.
Ravichandran
had told
scribes early
last year that
Manoranjan
would debut
at the end of
2009. But the
actor recently
told BT that he’d
launch his son
later this year. “It
Hailing from Sandalwood’s first
family, Raghavendra Rajkumar’s
son Vinay has the Rajkumar tag,
which could easily be his passport
to the top. His debut has been a
much-discussed one, though the
family hasn’t confirmed anything
officially. But fans are hoping this
year will mark his entry. The
Rajkumar household always
encourages youngsters and with
uncles Shivrajkumar, Puneet and grandmother Parvathamma, a smashing entry is surely guaranteed. We’re waiting.
RISHIKA SINGH
Her father Rajendra Singh Babu is one of Sandalwood’s most
acclaimed directors. And actor Aditya is her brother. Aunt
Vijayalakshmi Singh is a film-maker, while grandmom Prathima Devi was also an actress. Little wonder then that
Rohini aka Rishika Singh is also set to follow the same path.
The star kid has offers from Tollywood and Kollywood, but
will sign her debut in Kannada, this weekend. As for not
choosing a home production,
Rishika says she didn’t
want people to feel she’s
entered films only
because of her father. “I
want to prove that I’m
genuinely talented and
am not here because of
my illustrious family,”
she says.
MADHU DAITHOTA
[email protected]
JAY DEVGN is itching to do an
action film. He started his
career with the super-hit Phool
Aur Kaante, in which he kicked butt.
But what Ajay wants is certainly not
what he gets. The two-time National
Award winner has become the king of
comedy, of late. “I had a comedy hattrick — Golmaal, Golmaal Returns and
All The Best — so now I’m saddled with
roles in comic films,” laughs the actor.
Check out the promotions of his latest comic flick, Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge?,
which are being screened in theatres
from today. The film, produced by
Amita Pathak and Warner Bros
(India), will make it to theatres across
the world on March 5. Those who’ve
seen the film in previews have
given it a thumbs up.
Ashwni Dhir, who has
directed Atithi..., says,
“Ajay is a first-rate actor.
You can give him just about
anything to do; whether it
is action, comedy or drama.
He is a natural in front of
the camera.” Ashwni
adds, “Working with
Ajay, Konkona Sen
Sharma and Paresh
Rawal on this sweet,
social comedy was the
best working experience of
my career. Not only are these
three actors among the best in
the business, they’re also so dedicated. Had it not been for their professionalism, I couldn’t have dreamt of
completing Atithi... in 45 days.”
This is certainly no mean feat.
Atithi... has large-scale production values and it’s been shot on a large canvas, yet meticulous planning made it
possible for the film-maker to wrap up
filming in one schedule. Ajay says,
Ajay Devgn
says social
comedies are
the perfect
recipe for a
family
audience
TEAM SPIRIT: Director Ashwni Dhir, Ajay Devgn, Konkona
Sen Sharma and producer Amita Pathak
“Our generation
didn’t have the privilege of working with
masters like
Hrishikesh Mukherjee,
Basu Chatterjee and even
Gulzar saab, who made
some really amazing
social films with a comic
twist. I agreed to Atithi...
almost minutes after I
heard the first draft of the
script, because to me, this
film fit into that genre of Hrishida’s
films. Films like Chupke Chupke,
Bawarchi, Rajnigandha, Khubsoorat,
Angoor and Golmaal (Amol Palekar)
made by stalwarts like Hrishida,
Basuda and Gulzar saab tickled your
funny bone, but they also had a soul.”
His eyes crinkle as he says, “Atithi...
is from the school of film-making that
made a huge impact through the ’70s
and ’80s. Yet the film has a contemporary look. Believe me, every time I say I
will run away from comedy, comedy
chooses me. After Atithi... I’ll plunge
headlong into Golmaal-3. Sometimes, I
think actors don’t choose a role, a role
chooses them. When you deliberately
resist something, it has a way of following you.”
Ajay laughs and adds, “They say
man proposes, god disposes. For actors,
it should be ‘An actor proposes, a filmmaker disposes’. Amitabh Bachchan
was an angry young man and then did
some delectable comedies. I was the
action guy who went into comedy.
Though I keep saying I want to get
back to action flicks, I will trust my
instincts and accept a good comedy if
it comes my way.”
MEENA IYER
‘Tera... is no Slumdog ’
S
O what if someone
released a version of
Sudhir Mishra’s
upcoming film Tera Kya
Hoga Johnny on the Web?
The director dismisses this
hiccup, saying, “I know my
fans like me and will listen
to me when I say they don’t
need the Internet to enjoy
my work.” According to
Sudhir, the original print of
Tera... is safe. “Someone has
found the old edit of the film
and has released it on the
Net. But that has got nothing to do with the actual
film,” clarifies Sudhir. But
why has the release been
postponed to April? “It’s
because we had to rework
the background score,” he
says.
Several critics at film
festivals have drawn
comparisons between
Tera... and Slumdog
Millionaire (SM). “After
SM, the west is looking at
the slum culture in Mumbai
with much curiosity. But
Tera... is very different and
has been presented from an
insider’s point of view. We
have our own perspective
about people in our country,
after all,” explains Sudhir.
In fact, the producers are
in favour of dubbing it in
English. “I had no plans of
making an English version.
But everyone who watched
it suggested that I do it. I
have no issues with the producers taking this forward
as long as they let me supervise it,” says Sudhir.
Unlike Tera..., there are
many of his films that are
yet to go on the floors. “Mere
dadaji mujh se kehte the,
‘Beta jab kuch kehene ke liye
na ho, toh bak bak mat
karo’. I enjoy making films.
My audiences are my
friends and I’m not their
servant,” says Sudhir.
One of his much talkedabout
And what
was leaked on the
Internet was just the
first cut of Tera Kya
Hoga Johnny, says
writer-director
Sudhir
Mishra
projects was
Aur
Devdas. Is
it shelved? “I
wouldn’t say
so. It’s the same
script that has
transformed into Dhruv,”
says Sudhir, adding, “Dhruv
is a film about two women
madly in love with a man
involved in politics. It’s a
tale with a bit of a Hamlet
feel. I’ve worked with
Kareena Kapoor (in
Chameli) and Chitrangda
Singh (Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi) earlier and am
bringing them together in
this project, which will also
have Farhan Akhtar.”
But since the writer-director is presently busy
shooting for Dil Darbadar, Dhruv has
been put on hold. “Dil
Darbadar is a light film,
something closer to Is Raat
Ki Subah Nahi. Even this
one runs alongside a political plot,” reveals Sudhir.
There were reports that
he wants to shift base to
Delhi. Why? “I get bored
with the same kind of conversation in this industry. I
feel isolated. All my friends
and relatives are in Delhi.
So, whenever I get bored, I
fly. But I’ll never leave
Mumbai,” he signs off.
SHILPA BANSAL
[email protected]
UNPERTURBED:
Sudhir Mishra