It was Anubhav Sinha who devised the easiest way to ensure a hit. When Dus released in 2005, it was declared a hit on the first Monday and Sinha was throwing a party on Tuesday night. All it needed were the first three days for the film to rake in the cash. And now with Anubhav’s follow-up flick (Tathastu, released in between, was made years ago) titled Cash, you can expect the man to be counting the crores again. Pratim D. Gupta spoke to the Tum Bin man about his new release, which even has the curiously titled song Mindblowing mahiya.
Dus made the most of the pre-release buzz taking the first weekend by storm. What is the gut feel about Cash?
Well, the buzz is even bigger this time (smiles). Hopefully Cash will open bigger than Dus.
The two films look very similar with the guys walking on the streets all guns blazing and the girls in item-number mode. Will the sense of deja vu affect the movie?
I can understand where that’s coming from. Yes, both the films are action flicks and have a similar style. The music is pulsating. And both are multi-starrers. So the basic elements of both Dus and Cash are same but the subjects are entirely different.
How different?
Well, Dus was about terrorism, Cash is about everyone chasing three diamonds. It’s an out-and-out heist film.
When Cash is almost like a sequel to Dus why not repeat the entire cast?
Well, Zayed, Suniel, Esha and Dia are there. As for Sanju (Sanjay Dutt) and Abhishek, I would love to have them in all my films but I knew they were not available during the period I was
shooting the film. So I didn’t approach them because it would have been difficult for them to say ‘no’ to me.
Doesn’t Ajay Devgan look a bit too old to be part of the brat pack?
Ajay is great fun to work with. It’s a pleasure to work with a man like him. As for his age, well, he is young and very naughty at heart. I don’t know why he has consciously built this serious image around him. We have also tried to make him look like a brooding angry man.
One of the highlights of Dus was its technical finesse. What about Cash?
Cash is a step further in that direction. This time we have added animation to the movie.
Does it come in one segment like Kill Bill or in patches like Hum Tum?
The animation is there throughout the film. It is used very differently from the way we have seen animation being used. For example, in a scene where we see four cars drive away, we show it in animation. It’s a new approach visually.
You are making another action caper after this — Chase. Where do you intend to stop?
That will end my fun trilogy. The adolescence of my career will get over with Chase. Then I will move on to more serious cinema because I do consider myself to be politically conscious.
What films are you planning in that direction?
The adaptation of a play called Accidental Death of an Anarchist, written by Nobel Prize-winning Italian author Dario Fo. I have bought the rights to the play. Then I will be making another film on the investigation of Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination. Then my company will be co-producing an Italian film.
With Bond babe Caterina Murino?
No. I am in talks with Caterina Murino for a Bollywood film.
Despite Dus and Cash, many still remember you as the maker of Tum Bin?
I know. I myself am itching to do a fantastical love story but there has to be a story. I want to make a film with Tabu or Konkona some day. After Smita Patil, they are the goddesses of acting today.
Where did you get this love for fast action thrillers?
There is no direct inspiration, but I love watching the movies of John Woo, Brian De Palma, Michael Bay and Tony Scott. It was from their movies that I learnt to make these fun, fast thrilling films. I added good music and dance to them. Of course, in my films there is no blood. I have also made sure that there are no emotions in Cash. The one emotional scene in the film lasts for one-and-a-half minutes.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Interview: Willard Carroll
From Sean Connery to Salman Khan. Willard Carroll explains the whys and hows to Pratim D. Gupta
You showed the first look of Marigold in June 2005 at the Amsterdam IIFA. The film is releasing in August 2007. What took so long?
It took around two years to get the finances together for the film. Making the movie was more of a breeze. Just getting the money for such an ambitious project took some time. The movie was never made with a certain time period in mind. So there’s no fear of it looking dated.
Why would someone like you, having made Playing By Heart with Sean Connery, Angelina Jolie and Dennis Quaid, want to make a Bollywood film with Salman Khan?
I fell in love with the movies here. All the projects that I have done come from a very personal space. I loved this place and these movies so much that I wanted to find a way to communicate my enthusiasm to an American audience who had never seen a Bollywood movie and would never necessarily come to India.
Which are these Bollywood movies that floored you in the first place?
The first movie that I saw here was actually Chori Chori Chupke Chupke. It was, of course, the first Salman film that I saw. Other movies that I watched were Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, which is probably my favourite because I find the film so beautiful. I find the emotions of the films here so compelling. So I wanted to do that, but I did not want to make an imitation Bollywood movie. Not a parody. I wanted it to be as real as possible. I wasn’t poking fun at it. I wanted to look at Bollywood in an affectionate way.
You making the movie must have automatically given it a very different feel...
Exactly. The first half of the movie is more comic. You know about the making of a film in Bollywood and all that happens behind the screen. The second half is more of a family-oriented comedy drama. The idea was to make it something that all kinds of audiences could follow very easily. I have always found Marigold to be the Indian equivalent of Under The Tuscan Sun. A woman travels and has her life transformed by travelling and finding love. Yes, Bollywood is a big part of it but you don’t have to know Bollywood to appreciate or follow the film.
Besides yourself and Ali Larter, there’s hardly any cast or crew from the West...
That was the idea. Since I am in many ways introducing Bollywood to the West, I wanted to use all the talent from here. I didn’t want to fly down a Hollywood crew to shoot the movie. So the cameraman, the production designer, the dance directors, the music directors are all from here. Because I wanted it to be authentic. Also I could have a short hand with all these people who have done it before. They saved me from potential disasters many times.
What was it like to actually go and shoot a song-and-dance sequence?
(Laughs) It was actually the most fun I have had on the sets of a movie because I have never done anything like that. The first song-and-dance sequence that we shot was only in the third week and it was the finale of the movie, having almost the entire cast. It had horses, elephants... It was this overwhelmingly big thing... And I had an actress (Ali Larter) who has never done this before! It was really invigorating. Yes, I did think: “What have I got myself into?” It was ultimately fun because otherwise it was not worth it.
And the hero just had to be Salman...
Yes it had to be Salman. I mean I wrote it for him. He was part of the project from the very first day. I based the character on his personality. Then I looked for someone who would be visually complimentary and also contrast in terms of personality. Ali really had that.
How did you find the Indian crew?
Oh, wonderful. Besides Salman, who was very generous, Anil Mehta, my cinematographer, was very supportive. Of course I had done my homework. I was not bullshitting people. Come on, I had watched Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam six times! It helped that they could understand I was genuine about my feelings for the industry.
It will be an all-new experience for the West but what is in Marigold for us Bollywood junkies?
For Indian viewers I think it will be fun to see a different take on a movie like this. Because a lot of these cross-cultural movies have taken cheap shots at Bollywood and tried to be kitschy or not tried to be kitschy but ended up looking kitschy. Hopefully the honesty of Marigold will appeal to people.
You showed the first look of Marigold in June 2005 at the Amsterdam IIFA. The film is releasing in August 2007. What took so long?
It took around two years to get the finances together for the film. Making the movie was more of a breeze. Just getting the money for such an ambitious project took some time. The movie was never made with a certain time period in mind. So there’s no fear of it looking dated.
Why would someone like you, having made Playing By Heart with Sean Connery, Angelina Jolie and Dennis Quaid, want to make a Bollywood film with Salman Khan?
I fell in love with the movies here. All the projects that I have done come from a very personal space. I loved this place and these movies so much that I wanted to find a way to communicate my enthusiasm to an American audience who had never seen a Bollywood movie and would never necessarily come to India.
Which are these Bollywood movies that floored you in the first place?
The first movie that I saw here was actually Chori Chori Chupke Chupke. It was, of course, the first Salman film that I saw. Other movies that I watched were Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, which is probably my favourite because I find the film so beautiful. I find the emotions of the films here so compelling. So I wanted to do that, but I did not want to make an imitation Bollywood movie. Not a parody. I wanted it to be as real as possible. I wasn’t poking fun at it. I wanted to look at Bollywood in an affectionate way.
You making the movie must have automatically given it a very different feel...
Exactly. The first half of the movie is more comic. You know about the making of a film in Bollywood and all that happens behind the screen. The second half is more of a family-oriented comedy drama. The idea was to make it something that all kinds of audiences could follow very easily. I have always found Marigold to be the Indian equivalent of Under The Tuscan Sun. A woman travels and has her life transformed by travelling and finding love. Yes, Bollywood is a big part of it but you don’t have to know Bollywood to appreciate or follow the film.
Besides yourself and Ali Larter, there’s hardly any cast or crew from the West...
That was the idea. Since I am in many ways introducing Bollywood to the West, I wanted to use all the talent from here. I didn’t want to fly down a Hollywood crew to shoot the movie. So the cameraman, the production designer, the dance directors, the music directors are all from here. Because I wanted it to be authentic. Also I could have a short hand with all these people who have done it before. They saved me from potential disasters many times.
What was it like to actually go and shoot a song-and-dance sequence?
(Laughs) It was actually the most fun I have had on the sets of a movie because I have never done anything like that. The first song-and-dance sequence that we shot was only in the third week and it was the finale of the movie, having almost the entire cast. It had horses, elephants... It was this overwhelmingly big thing... And I had an actress (Ali Larter) who has never done this before! It was really invigorating. Yes, I did think: “What have I got myself into?” It was ultimately fun because otherwise it was not worth it.
And the hero just had to be Salman...
Yes it had to be Salman. I mean I wrote it for him. He was part of the project from the very first day. I based the character on his personality. Then I looked for someone who would be visually complimentary and also contrast in terms of personality. Ali really had that.
How did you find the Indian crew?
Oh, wonderful. Besides Salman, who was very generous, Anil Mehta, my cinematographer, was very supportive. Of course I had done my homework. I was not bullshitting people. Come on, I had watched Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam six times! It helped that they could understand I was genuine about my feelings for the industry.
It will be an all-new experience for the West but what is in Marigold for us Bollywood junkies?
For Indian viewers I think it will be fun to see a different take on a movie like this. Because a lot of these cross-cultural movies have taken cheap shots at Bollywood and tried to be kitschy or not tried to be kitschy but ended up looking kitschy. Hopefully the honesty of Marigold will appeal to people.
Interview: Manisha Koirala
Blame it on her latest spiritual trip or the years she has added to her CV, the Manisha Koirala who breezed through Calcutta on Monday for a Ladies Study Group programme was a new woman. The newfound calmness seem to add to her inherent charm. Here’s the beautiful Bombay girl talking to Pratim D. Gupta...
You lost your grandmother a few weeks back. You were very close to her...
I grew up with her. She was the one who taught me Manipuri, Bharatnatyam... My grandfather sent me to Benaras with her. So my childhood, my decision-making years have been with her. So I was extremely attached to her. She was old... A few months back I had met her. She was ready to go.
What are you getting from your spiritual journey?
Free time for myself. I want to go to Paris and learn French cooking. Maybe Bengali cuisine... I love shorshe machh... But seriously, after attaining success and fulfilling your dreams and ambitions, money and glamour, whatever, one has to be a spiritual seeker. I am giving time to that. I want to have a complete balanced life. Films have been one aspect of my life. This is another aspect.
But don’t you miss acting?
I don’t at all. I will be working. It’s not that I will never work. But work very little. So I will be enjoying work and also enjoying other things in my life. Things that make me happy.
You plan to go into production full-time. But your first one, Paisa Vasool bombed badly...
That’s the past. I have already zeroed in on a director and a script. It will be a decent film in Hindi. We should start middle of next year. But I will not act in my own productions. I would not want to combine two things.
What about direction?
That is an ambition. I am not sure I will be able to do it or not. But direction is definitely one of my dreams.
The only film you’ve signed in six months has been Sirf. Why?
Sirf is about people from different classes of society — middle class, upper class, upper middle class... How they think that the other person is happy while their own life is miserable. He’s got a bigger car; he’s got a bigger house. The person who owns all that has his own set of problems. So he thinks that the other person is happy. The grass is always greener on the other side. This aspect of life is shown by focussing on three-four stories.
There’s a spiritual overtone...
Kind of (laughs). That’s why I may have done the film.
How was the Khela experience?
Lovely. I loved playing this nagging Bengali wife. It was a very sweet character. Prosenjit’s a great actor and Rituparno (Ghosh) a fabulous director.
After exploding in Bollywood with Bombay, don’t you feel you have not done justice to your
potential?
Honestly, till the question was asked to me I didn’t feel that. But not just you, others too have asked me this question. I guess, my fans and well-wishers expected me to do a lot more than what I did. Even for me as an artiste when I watch Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean, I want to be an actor like him. So, from my side as well, yes there is a vacuum. But I hope to fill that in the coming years.
Your favourite films?
Bombay, Dil Se, 1942: A Love Story...
You lost your grandmother a few weeks back. You were very close to her...
I grew up with her. She was the one who taught me Manipuri, Bharatnatyam... My grandfather sent me to Benaras with her. So my childhood, my decision-making years have been with her. So I was extremely attached to her. She was old... A few months back I had met her. She was ready to go.
What are you getting from your spiritual journey?
Free time for myself. I want to go to Paris and learn French cooking. Maybe Bengali cuisine... I love shorshe machh... But seriously, after attaining success and fulfilling your dreams and ambitions, money and glamour, whatever, one has to be a spiritual seeker. I am giving time to that. I want to have a complete balanced life. Films have been one aspect of my life. This is another aspect.
But don’t you miss acting?
I don’t at all. I will be working. It’s not that I will never work. But work very little. So I will be enjoying work and also enjoying other things in my life. Things that make me happy.
You plan to go into production full-time. But your first one, Paisa Vasool bombed badly...
That’s the past. I have already zeroed in on a director and a script. It will be a decent film in Hindi. We should start middle of next year. But I will not act in my own productions. I would not want to combine two things.
What about direction?
That is an ambition. I am not sure I will be able to do it or not. But direction is definitely one of my dreams.
The only film you’ve signed in six months has been Sirf. Why?
Sirf is about people from different classes of society — middle class, upper class, upper middle class... How they think that the other person is happy while their own life is miserable. He’s got a bigger car; he’s got a bigger house. The person who owns all that has his own set of problems. So he thinks that the other person is happy. The grass is always greener on the other side. This aspect of life is shown by focussing on three-four stories.
There’s a spiritual overtone...
Kind of (laughs). That’s why I may have done the film.
How was the Khela experience?
Lovely. I loved playing this nagging Bengali wife. It was a very sweet character. Prosenjit’s a great actor and Rituparno (Ghosh) a fabulous director.
After exploding in Bollywood with Bombay, don’t you feel you have not done justice to your
potential?
Honestly, till the question was asked to me I didn’t feel that. But not just you, others too have asked me this question. I guess, my fans and well-wishers expected me to do a lot more than what I did. Even for me as an artiste when I watch Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean, I want to be an actor like him. So, from my side as well, yes there is a vacuum. But I hope to fill that in the coming years.
Your favourite films?
Bombay, Dil Se, 1942: A Love Story...
Interview: Sudhir Mishra
After Bimal Roy and Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Sudhir Mishra and Anurag Kashyap are making their versions of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s classic Devdas. While both the new takes will be set in modern times, Anurag’s version titled Dev D (with Abhay Deol in the title role) will be more like Baz Luhrmann’s approach to Romeo and Juliet and Mishra will use Devdas (with his favourite Shiney Ahuja in the lead) as a take-off point for a modern political fable. Pratim D. Gupta talks to the Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi maker about Aur Devdas.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas was barely six years back. Why make another one so soon?
Devdas is Indian mythology. It is part of our heritage, like Mahabharata. But I am not making Devdas, per se. I am making a political film based on the current Indian political scenario which has got shades of Devdas. It’s also got shades of Hamlet. So it can’t be seen as another version like those made by Bimal Roy and Sanjay Leela Bhansali. I am not stepping into that area.
But you are planning to call it Aur Devdas and you are even having characters named Paro and Chandramukhi...
That’s the point. The title comes from the ethos of Ebong Srikanta. I am admitting an influence from Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s novel Devdas and not the films that have been made on it. That’s the starting point. I am placing Devdas and Paro somewhere else and exploring the presence of Chandramukhi in that area. The essence of the relationships is very much there. It’s quite interesting... So while the characters will be there, the events will be very different and even the ending will be somewhere else.
But don’t you expect the audiences to come in with a preconceived notion?
They may also come in to watch a film made by the guy who made Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi. In fact, Aur Devdas is more hard-nosed a political saga than Hazaaron. See, Devdas is very much in the public domain. The character of Devdas itself has so many facets, which have different appeal to different readers and audiences. In the novel, he was a man caught in his lineage, a victim of his heritage. In my film, Devdas is a victim of his political lineage.
But since you are adapting Devdas on celluloid, what is your take on the two most popular screen adaptations, those by Bimal Roy and Bhansali?
Whenever I see a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film, I see him trying to find a language. I am genuinely impressed by the way he shoots his films. He is the true inheritor of the V. Shantaram school of film-making. I found his Devdas interesting in parts but as a whole film I didn’t like it. It’s too excessive for my taste. I can’t enter such films. There is space for melodrama in all films but when everything from the camera to the art direction to music becomes melodramatic, it goes over the top.
Bimal Roy’s Devdas is the truest adaptation of the novel as far as mainstream adaptations are concerned. Although I prefer his Sujata and Bandini, Devdas is definitely one of his good films. It has a structure of its own and a great performance by Dilip Kumar.
Did you plan making Devdas keeping Shiney in mind?
No, I started writing the script first. Shiney being so close to me, he just told me that whatever you are making I am in it. Yes, he will be playing Devdas but he will be very different from Dilip Kumar or Shah Rukh Khan. The actresses I am yet to cast... I have just finished the script.
You must be aware that even Anurag Kashyap is making his version of Devdas...
Fantastic, no? I love Anurag Kashyap. I think he is the best thing to have happened to Indian cinema. He is a great talent. I will be waiting for anything he makes. I am sure his take on Devdas will be unique.
Khoya Khoya Chand was slated to premiere at the IIFA Awards. What is the status with that film and what is its essence?
They wanted an HD (high-definition) version at the last moment but we couldn’t get it ready in time. The film is now ready and we are releasing it on October 26. Through Khoya Khoya Chand, I have tried to understand 1950s’ India. Hope people get it. I have not been governed by the technique or the moralities of that time. I have only dealt with characters of that period. They were wild, romantic... Also, I have used music (Shantanu Moitra) like I have never used music before.
Khoya Khoya Chand is a love story between a film-maker and his heroine. Isn’t it based on Guru Dutt’s life?
My take on life is partially influenced by Guru Dutt. Besides Satyajit Ray and Martin Scorsese, Guru Dutt has been a major influence in my life. Pyaasa and Saheb Biwi Aur Ghulam are great cinema. Kaagaz Ke Phool was also about the romance between a director and an actress. So you can say Khoya Khoya Chand is inspired from Kaagaz Ke Phool. But there is not a single scene from there. Yes, there are oblique tributes, references through style and structure. And so if anyone says that my film is inspired by Guru Dutt or any of his work, I will be most delighted.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas was barely six years back. Why make another one so soon?
Devdas is Indian mythology. It is part of our heritage, like Mahabharata. But I am not making Devdas, per se. I am making a political film based on the current Indian political scenario which has got shades of Devdas. It’s also got shades of Hamlet. So it can’t be seen as another version like those made by Bimal Roy and Sanjay Leela Bhansali. I am not stepping into that area.
But you are planning to call it Aur Devdas and you are even having characters named Paro and Chandramukhi...
That’s the point. The title comes from the ethos of Ebong Srikanta. I am admitting an influence from Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s novel Devdas and not the films that have been made on it. That’s the starting point. I am placing Devdas and Paro somewhere else and exploring the presence of Chandramukhi in that area. The essence of the relationships is very much there. It’s quite interesting... So while the characters will be there, the events will be very different and even the ending will be somewhere else.
But don’t you expect the audiences to come in with a preconceived notion?
They may also come in to watch a film made by the guy who made Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi. In fact, Aur Devdas is more hard-nosed a political saga than Hazaaron. See, Devdas is very much in the public domain. The character of Devdas itself has so many facets, which have different appeal to different readers and audiences. In the novel, he was a man caught in his lineage, a victim of his heritage. In my film, Devdas is a victim of his political lineage.
But since you are adapting Devdas on celluloid, what is your take on the two most popular screen adaptations, those by Bimal Roy and Bhansali?
Whenever I see a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film, I see him trying to find a language. I am genuinely impressed by the way he shoots his films. He is the true inheritor of the V. Shantaram school of film-making. I found his Devdas interesting in parts but as a whole film I didn’t like it. It’s too excessive for my taste. I can’t enter such films. There is space for melodrama in all films but when everything from the camera to the art direction to music becomes melodramatic, it goes over the top.
Bimal Roy’s Devdas is the truest adaptation of the novel as far as mainstream adaptations are concerned. Although I prefer his Sujata and Bandini, Devdas is definitely one of his good films. It has a structure of its own and a great performance by Dilip Kumar.
Did you plan making Devdas keeping Shiney in mind?
No, I started writing the script first. Shiney being so close to me, he just told me that whatever you are making I am in it. Yes, he will be playing Devdas but he will be very different from Dilip Kumar or Shah Rukh Khan. The actresses I am yet to cast... I have just finished the script.
You must be aware that even Anurag Kashyap is making his version of Devdas...
Fantastic, no? I love Anurag Kashyap. I think he is the best thing to have happened to Indian cinema. He is a great talent. I will be waiting for anything he makes. I am sure his take on Devdas will be unique.
Khoya Khoya Chand was slated to premiere at the IIFA Awards. What is the status with that film and what is its essence?
They wanted an HD (high-definition) version at the last moment but we couldn’t get it ready in time. The film is now ready and we are releasing it on October 26. Through Khoya Khoya Chand, I have tried to understand 1950s’ India. Hope people get it. I have not been governed by the technique or the moralities of that time. I have only dealt with characters of that period. They were wild, romantic... Also, I have used music (Shantanu Moitra) like I have never used music before.
Khoya Khoya Chand is a love story between a film-maker and his heroine. Isn’t it based on Guru Dutt’s life?
My take on life is partially influenced by Guru Dutt. Besides Satyajit Ray and Martin Scorsese, Guru Dutt has been a major influence in my life. Pyaasa and Saheb Biwi Aur Ghulam are great cinema. Kaagaz Ke Phool was also about the romance between a director and an actress. So you can say Khoya Khoya Chand is inspired from Kaagaz Ke Phool. But there is not a single scene from there. Yes, there are oblique tributes, references through style and structure. And so if anyone says that my film is inspired by Guru Dutt or any of his work, I will be most delighted.
Review: Partner
Kya partnership hai!
Pratim D. Gupta
Partner will ‘hitch’ you. You will roll on the floor laughing and every time you try and get up there’s more madness coming your way. In two-and-a-half hours, you will revisit two of the funniest Bollywood partnerships of the last two decades. Of David Dhawan and Govinda (Raja Babu, Hero No. 1, Saajan Chale Sasural, Deewana Mastana). Of David Dhawan and Salman (Judwaa, Biwi No. 1, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi).
But it is the new partnership of Govinda and Salman that you will take home and hopefully be back for a sequel. Partner, above anything else, is the best cast Hollywood copy in a long time. Kudos to producer Sohail Khan for restricting himself to a photo frame and bringing Bollywood’s two biggest entertainers in the same frame. The script is flung out of the window, the story takes a backseat and the lines go for a toss. And you find yourself on the floor... again.
Forget Will Smith. Kevin James, who? Director Andy Tennant, who loves everything Indian and almost cast Aishwarya Rai in Hitch, would surely love this Bollywood version of his blockbuster rom com. Because Partner does copy Hitch — it’s the same story of a love doctor helping out a hapless lover while struggling to stitch together his own love story — but it also turns the original on its head. Like for the famous kissing scene, our love guru Prem (Salman) doesn’t theorise much and just tells Bhaskar (Govinda): “Ek kiss ke liye kitna sochega.”
The master of matter-of-fact gags, David Dhawan also garnishes his movie with a plethora of in-jokes. So you have someone saying about Salman: “Jodhpur se unka bahut lagao hai.” Or you have Salman pulling off his shirt and announcing: “Main to mauke mein rehta hoon shirt utarne ke liye.” There are digs at everyone from Aamir Khan to Shah Rukh Khan to Karan Johar. While Rajpal Yadav as Chhota Don is bit of a misfit, Suresh Menon as Kiran is a riot.
You don’t expect logic going into a David Dhawan movie but some loopholes are too glaring not to be commented upon. Why would a 1990 IIM Ahmedabad graduate get Rs 30,000 a month in 2007? Why would you keep showing Dubai and calling it Mumbai? Why would a party-beat reporter start dancing in designer clothes at a marriage party she is supposed to cover? How would a toy missile made by a kid set a jet-ski on fire?
It doesn’t matter, really. Neither do the pink blazers and yellow boxers. It all blends into the rangeen razzmatazz that is Partner. All you need is stupid cupid Prem and bloody Bhaskar to be together and make it rock. Watch the scene where Prem tries to teach Bhaskar how to dance. Govinda starts his pelvic thrusts to Sarkailo khatiya even as Salman goes into Just chill mode. The multiplex turns into a muhalla.
And yes, the old Govinda is back. So is the old David Dhawan. And their jugalbandi is as rocking as it always used to be.
His hairstyle may keep changing right through the film, but Salman is quite adorable. Thankfully there’s very little of Lara and Katrina. They are needed to look good and that’s a given with the two.
A couple of songs (Sajid-Wajid) could have been snipped off but the title song and You’re my love are fullto paisa vasool.
And hats off to Sanjay Chhel (screenplay and dialogues) for giving Govinda lines like: “Jahaan guru wahaan chela; aayee milan ki bela.”
Let’s just say this Salman-Govinda partnership is like Sachin-Sourav at their best. Get it?
Pratim D. Gupta
Partner will ‘hitch’ you. You will roll on the floor laughing and every time you try and get up there’s more madness coming your way. In two-and-a-half hours, you will revisit two of the funniest Bollywood partnerships of the last two decades. Of David Dhawan and Govinda (Raja Babu, Hero No. 1, Saajan Chale Sasural, Deewana Mastana). Of David Dhawan and Salman (Judwaa, Biwi No. 1, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi).
But it is the new partnership of Govinda and Salman that you will take home and hopefully be back for a sequel. Partner, above anything else, is the best cast Hollywood copy in a long time. Kudos to producer Sohail Khan for restricting himself to a photo frame and bringing Bollywood’s two biggest entertainers in the same frame. The script is flung out of the window, the story takes a backseat and the lines go for a toss. And you find yourself on the floor... again.
Forget Will Smith. Kevin James, who? Director Andy Tennant, who loves everything Indian and almost cast Aishwarya Rai in Hitch, would surely love this Bollywood version of his blockbuster rom com. Because Partner does copy Hitch — it’s the same story of a love doctor helping out a hapless lover while struggling to stitch together his own love story — but it also turns the original on its head. Like for the famous kissing scene, our love guru Prem (Salman) doesn’t theorise much and just tells Bhaskar (Govinda): “Ek kiss ke liye kitna sochega.”
The master of matter-of-fact gags, David Dhawan also garnishes his movie with a plethora of in-jokes. So you have someone saying about Salman: “Jodhpur se unka bahut lagao hai.” Or you have Salman pulling off his shirt and announcing: “Main to mauke mein rehta hoon shirt utarne ke liye.” There are digs at everyone from Aamir Khan to Shah Rukh Khan to Karan Johar. While Rajpal Yadav as Chhota Don is bit of a misfit, Suresh Menon as Kiran is a riot.
You don’t expect logic going into a David Dhawan movie but some loopholes are too glaring not to be commented upon. Why would a 1990 IIM Ahmedabad graduate get Rs 30,000 a month in 2007? Why would you keep showing Dubai and calling it Mumbai? Why would a party-beat reporter start dancing in designer clothes at a marriage party she is supposed to cover? How would a toy missile made by a kid set a jet-ski on fire?
It doesn’t matter, really. Neither do the pink blazers and yellow boxers. It all blends into the rangeen razzmatazz that is Partner. All you need is stupid cupid Prem and bloody Bhaskar to be together and make it rock. Watch the scene where Prem tries to teach Bhaskar how to dance. Govinda starts his pelvic thrusts to Sarkailo khatiya even as Salman goes into Just chill mode. The multiplex turns into a muhalla.
And yes, the old Govinda is back. So is the old David Dhawan. And their jugalbandi is as rocking as it always used to be.
His hairstyle may keep changing right through the film, but Salman is quite adorable. Thankfully there’s very little of Lara and Katrina. They are needed to look good and that’s a given with the two.
A couple of songs (Sajid-Wajid) could have been snipped off but the title song and You’re my love are fullto paisa vasool.
And hats off to Sanjay Chhel (screenplay and dialogues) for giving Govinda lines like: “Jahaan guru wahaan chela; aayee milan ki bela.”
Let’s just say this Salman-Govinda partnership is like Sachin-Sourav at their best. Get it?
Interview: Lara Dutta
Lara Dutta is having the time of her life — juggling Aishwarya Rai’s men past and present, on-screen of course! First the former Miss Universe did the Jhoom with Abhishek Bachchan. And now she’s busy playing Partner to Salman Khan. Lara, who till the other day was best known for her item number Aisa jadoo (in Khakee), has hit the groove. And she knows it as Pratim D. Gupta found out
Back-to-back films opposite Abhishek Bachchan and Salman Khan. This must be your best phase in Bollywood...
(Smiles) Oh yes, and I am very excited. You know, I wanted this to happen for a really long time. Jhoom Barabar Jhoom didn’t do that well at the box office but I personally got a lot of acclaim from the industry and outside. Now, I am getting much better work than I have in the past.
Why did it take you so long to establish yourself as compared to say Priyanka Chopra, who started with you in Andaaz...
It took me time to learn what works for me. I started out doing everything that a Bollywood heroine does, and then I did No Entry. After that film I realised that comedy was my forte. I don’t know of any actress in India who has better comic timing. It’s a lot about fate, what clicks for whom and when. But now I enjoy doing my movies and I have won a lot of appreciation from different quarters.
What does a David Dhawan movie mean to you?
I always wanted to work with David. I have loved his cinema. It’s a unique school of movies. Very spontaneous, very high energy... Someone like Govinda brings so much to a scene. Very impromptu... You have to be on your toes all the time because you never know what he is throwing at you next. It also helps you hone your craft.
No Entry was by Anees Bazmee while Partner is by David. What is different in their approach to comedy?
Anees pretty much works out of a script. So for No Entry, we adhered to the script. And then most of my scenes were with Anil Kapoor who rehearses a scene many times before going for the take. When it comes to David Dhawan, the script is there but it is a lot free flow. The actors, whether it’s Govinda or Salman, bring a lot of themselves to the scene.
Salman is your man in the movie. What did you think of him?
Oh, he’s great. I have only known Salman at a social level rather than on the sets. In Partner, I met Salman the actor for the first time. I found him to be a secure actor. He is happy and really helpful. I was very comfortable with him.
Between Salman and Govinda, where do you and Katrina figure?
Well, since Salman plays the love doctor and I am the only case he cannot solve, I am important (smiles). In fact, my character of the nosey, snoopy journalist is the turning point in his life because I am responsible for the change in him. It’s a really cute role and the prize was getting to work with David Dhawan. And watching Salman and Govinda together was such a treat. It was difficult to keep a straight face (laughs). There’s fabulous chemistry between them. The scene would happen right there as they kept feeding off each other. I didn’t even feel that I was working.
So will things continue to be ‘queen size’ from now on?
Yes, yes, yes! I am getting better everyday and I am signing some very good projects. I am sorry I can’t announce them because it is the producers’ prerogative to talk about them first. But they are substantial roles which audiences will surely appreciate on screen. Most importantly, it’s no longer about three scenes and two songs.
Back-to-back films opposite Abhishek Bachchan and Salman Khan. This must be your best phase in Bollywood...
(Smiles) Oh yes, and I am very excited. You know, I wanted this to happen for a really long time. Jhoom Barabar Jhoom didn’t do that well at the box office but I personally got a lot of acclaim from the industry and outside. Now, I am getting much better work than I have in the past.
Why did it take you so long to establish yourself as compared to say Priyanka Chopra, who started with you in Andaaz...
It took me time to learn what works for me. I started out doing everything that a Bollywood heroine does, and then I did No Entry. After that film I realised that comedy was my forte. I don’t know of any actress in India who has better comic timing. It’s a lot about fate, what clicks for whom and when. But now I enjoy doing my movies and I have won a lot of appreciation from different quarters.
What does a David Dhawan movie mean to you?
I always wanted to work with David. I have loved his cinema. It’s a unique school of movies. Very spontaneous, very high energy... Someone like Govinda brings so much to a scene. Very impromptu... You have to be on your toes all the time because you never know what he is throwing at you next. It also helps you hone your craft.
No Entry was by Anees Bazmee while Partner is by David. What is different in their approach to comedy?
Anees pretty much works out of a script. So for No Entry, we adhered to the script. And then most of my scenes were with Anil Kapoor who rehearses a scene many times before going for the take. When it comes to David Dhawan, the script is there but it is a lot free flow. The actors, whether it’s Govinda or Salman, bring a lot of themselves to the scene.
Salman is your man in the movie. What did you think of him?
Oh, he’s great. I have only known Salman at a social level rather than on the sets. In Partner, I met Salman the actor for the first time. I found him to be a secure actor. He is happy and really helpful. I was very comfortable with him.
Between Salman and Govinda, where do you and Katrina figure?
Well, since Salman plays the love doctor and I am the only case he cannot solve, I am important (smiles). In fact, my character of the nosey, snoopy journalist is the turning point in his life because I am responsible for the change in him. It’s a really cute role and the prize was getting to work with David Dhawan. And watching Salman and Govinda together was such a treat. It was difficult to keep a straight face (laughs). There’s fabulous chemistry between them. The scene would happen right there as they kept feeding off each other. I didn’t even feel that I was working.
So will things continue to be ‘queen size’ from now on?
Yes, yes, yes! I am getting better everyday and I am signing some very good projects. I am sorry I can’t announce them because it is the producers’ prerogative to talk about them first. But they are substantial roles which audiences will surely appreciate on screen. Most importantly, it’s no longer about three scenes and two songs.
Interview: Shriram Raghavan
To Shriram Raghavan goes the credit of changing the filmography of Saif Ali Khan. The director changed how audiences perceived the Chhote Nawab by turning him into a ruthless baddie in Ek Hasina Thi. No wonder Saif has asked Shriram to direct his first home production. But before that there’s another Shriram Raghavan film. Johnny Gadar has been waiting in the wings for quite some time, and now it’s ready to be unveiled. Pratim D. Gupta spoke to the director about the Septe mber 14 release and more.
Ek Hasina Thi released on February 24, 2004. What have you been doing all this while?
I have been writing, mostly. But the gap was not intended. Johnny Gadar, my second film, got delayed. Jhamu Sugandh was producing the film but he encountered some financial problems. The film was only 60 per cent complete. It was after a few months that Adlabs took over the film. The legal process took ages. Anyway, the negative was transferred, the edit was all done and the film is now ready for release. I promise to make up for the lost time in my filmography (smiles).
Won’t the film look dated since you have been making it for the past three years?
No. Thankfully the leading man in my film is a newcomer named Neil. So people haven’t really seen him. And he has been keeping a low profile anyway. Also, it’s a thriller. So it shouldn’t be a problem.
After working with big stars Saif and Urmila, why make a film with a newcomer and Dharmendra?
That’s one of the few good things I learnt from Ramu (Ram Gopal Varma produced Ek Hasina Thi). You do not choose the actors and then look for a subject. You find a subject and then look for actors who fit those roles. I couldn’t wait for one-and-a-half years for the dates of my stars. My film needed one man past his prime and another man around 20-22. In our industry there is no star in that age group. So we opted for a new face in Neil. As for Dharmendraji, now Apne is doing well. Then there’s Vinay Pathak whom people now know after Bheja Fry. So I am kind of lucky that the film got delayed!
Where did you find Neil (singer Mukesh’s grandson)?
I met him by chance. Then I made him read the script. He was getting the right points. We had a screen test done and then an acting workshop for three months. I believe he is good. Since he is a newcomer, he has no image and that can be a good thing.
So what is Johnny Gadar and why is it called that?
Well, Johnny Gadar is about a bunch of guys who get together for a heist. Then one small mistake by one of the guys makes it all wrong. And then the rest of the guys chase him down. The title is a tribute to Vijay Anand’s Johnny Mera Naam and also it has some connection in the film which I can’t reveal at this stage.
The plot sounds very Kaante, er, Reservoir Dogs...
Not really. Here the audience knows right from the start who’s the wrong guy. It’s just that the other characters in the film have no idea. It’s more Hitchcockian in that way. I am a lover of the thriller genre, especially movies made by the Coen Brothers, films like Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, The Asphalt Jungle and Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing.
Everyone wants to sign you on...
(Laughs) I am making a film for Rohan Sippy next. It is an adventure thriller with John Abraham. Then I am making a film for Saif. It will be an espionage thriller with Saif in the lead as a secret agent.
Ek Hasina Thi released on February 24, 2004. What have you been doing all this while?
I have been writing, mostly. But the gap was not intended. Johnny Gadar, my second film, got delayed. Jhamu Sugandh was producing the film but he encountered some financial problems. The film was only 60 per cent complete. It was after a few months that Adlabs took over the film. The legal process took ages. Anyway, the negative was transferred, the edit was all done and the film is now ready for release. I promise to make up for the lost time in my filmography (smiles).
Won’t the film look dated since you have been making it for the past three years?
No. Thankfully the leading man in my film is a newcomer named Neil. So people haven’t really seen him. And he has been keeping a low profile anyway. Also, it’s a thriller. So it shouldn’t be a problem.
After working with big stars Saif and Urmila, why make a film with a newcomer and Dharmendra?
That’s one of the few good things I learnt from Ramu (Ram Gopal Varma produced Ek Hasina Thi). You do not choose the actors and then look for a subject. You find a subject and then look for actors who fit those roles. I couldn’t wait for one-and-a-half years for the dates of my stars. My film needed one man past his prime and another man around 20-22. In our industry there is no star in that age group. So we opted for a new face in Neil. As for Dharmendraji, now Apne is doing well. Then there’s Vinay Pathak whom people now know after Bheja Fry. So I am kind of lucky that the film got delayed!
Where did you find Neil (singer Mukesh’s grandson)?
I met him by chance. Then I made him read the script. He was getting the right points. We had a screen test done and then an acting workshop for three months. I believe he is good. Since he is a newcomer, he has no image and that can be a good thing.
So what is Johnny Gadar and why is it called that?
Well, Johnny Gadar is about a bunch of guys who get together for a heist. Then one small mistake by one of the guys makes it all wrong. And then the rest of the guys chase him down. The title is a tribute to Vijay Anand’s Johnny Mera Naam and also it has some connection in the film which I can’t reveal at this stage.
The plot sounds very Kaante, er, Reservoir Dogs...
Not really. Here the audience knows right from the start who’s the wrong guy. It’s just that the other characters in the film have no idea. It’s more Hitchcockian in that way. I am a lover of the thriller genre, especially movies made by the Coen Brothers, films like Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, The Asphalt Jungle and Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing.
Everyone wants to sign you on...
(Laughs) I am making a film for Rohan Sippy next. It is an adventure thriller with John Abraham. Then I am making a film for Saif. It will be an espionage thriller with Saif in the lead as a secret agent.
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