Bob Biswas, Inspector Rana and Abhi-Ash

I am here in Kolkata for video interviews with Saswata Chatterji (Bob Biswas) and Parambrata Chatterji (Inspector Rana). Both the actors are being celebrated these days because of the phenomenal success of Sujoy Ghosh's 'Kahaani'. I called up Mrs Mohua Chatterji (Saswata's wife) once we landed in Kolkata this morning. I informed Mrs Chatterji that we have arrived and are heading towards Bharat Laxmi Studio to interview Mr Chatterji. Ideally I would have called Saswata directly but the man who has made mobile phone notoriously famous doesn't carry a mobile on himself as he is not keen on keeping a minute by minute account of life.
Once we reached the Bharat Laxmi Studio and as our car was about to halt, I saw a guy with a familiar face sitting on a chair. I meet stars on a daily basis, but here I was star struck on seeing the iconic Bob Biswas. He offered me lemon tea (awesome taste). We spoke for a while about his immense popularity. I showed him the tweets and messages, a testimony to the huge popularity that Bob Biswas has gained on social networking sphere. Terms like 'Nomoshkar' and 'Ek Minute' have gained a mammoth following.

Saswata said that he is confused with this outstanding popularity wave that he is currently enjoying. So, why does Bob Biswas kill? "Well, the way a doctor does operation, Bob Biswas kills for profession. There's nothing more to it." Netizens are saying that a prequel to Kahaani ought to be made based entirely on Bob Biswas. Saswata says, yes there is a curiosity around the personal life of Bob, what he did, ate etc. So, can Saswata Chatterji be a perfect brand ambassador for Mobile Phones and Life Insurance companies?

Later we went to meet Parambrata Chatterji or Inspector Rana of Kahaani. It is difficult to identify him for he was clean shaven while in the film he had a moustache. He comes across as a polished, well educated guy who has a production house, has acted in some successful Bengali films and will be directing his second film by the end of this year. Param spoke about the scene in the film where he develops a fleeting physical proximity to Vidya and its impact on the audience. Param's maternal grandfather is the great Ritwik Ghatak.
A colleague in Bombay called to inform that Mr Amitabh Bachchan and Mrs Jaya Bachchan has sent some sweets and chocolates for me on the auspicious birth of their granddaughter. Thanks Mr Bachchan, Mrs Bachchan and congratulations to Abhi-Ash once again.

I am off to grab a bit more of Kolkata before I fly back to Bombay tonight itself.

Till later.
Sent on my BlackBerry® from Vodafone

Don 2 DVD, Raajneeti Book, Vinod Chopra's Fun Interview

Reliance Home Video has released Don 2 Blu Ray, DVD and VCD. Apparently there is some unseen footage for this home viewing segment with a 40 minute making video and a music video of 'Mujhko Pehchaan Lo'. I saw almost twenty minutes of the making video. Looks interesting. Its fun to watch cars smashing into each other. In fact Shahrukh smashed a car with a video camera into another car. The weather was very cold in Berlin when Shahrukh lifts Priyanka in one of the scenes.

Katrina Kaif, Arjun Rampal and Prakash Jha will launch a book 'Raajneeti The Film And Beyond' at an event in Bombay tomorrow March 29.

I did an extremely fun and invigorating interview with Vidhu Vinod Chopra today. His retrospective of films is starting in PVR cinemas across India tomorrow. He says he owns the term 'Shut Up'. I hope you guys enjoy this one.
Sent on my BlackBerry® from Vodafone

Sporting Raghvan, HT Brunch Conversations With Indian Cinema

It is a refreshing change when a director is keen on knowing the negative feedback than the glowing goodies. Interviewed Sriram Raghvan today. I asked him all the tough questions on Agent Vinod, the long duration, the uneven screenplay, gems like 'Yaadon ki baraat ko disturb karne ke liye sorry', lack of chemistry between Saif-Kareena, the Mukesh gem at a crucial point in the film and the edge of the seat final forty minutes. He quoted Hitchcock and reasoned out why the blood didn't ooze out of Kareena once she was shot. A critic called AV a mobile game so how does Srirarm reacts to it and Raghvan genuinely enjoyed the Travel Agent Vinod joke. I am extremely fond of the amiable guy and definitely looking forward to his next film.

I just had a fun evening at the HT Brunch Conversations With Indian Cinema where Vir Sanghvi talked to Sanjay Gupta, Ekta Kapoor, John Abraham, Kangna Ranaut and Manoj Bajpayi. There was Tigmanshu Dhulia too as the talk veered around gangster films. Tigmanshu seemed to be proud of the gangsters of North India since they actually undertook a killing themselves unlike a Bombay ganglord who gave a supari to a small time killer from Azamgarh for bumping off an adversary.

Sanjay Gupta said that he is taking names in his films. A Dawood Ibrahim is being referred to by his name. Gupta also said that gangsters enjoyed all the adulation that they get from Bollywood. Sanghvi narrated an incident in 70s when gangster Haji Mastaan turned an actor and made comedian Mukri sahab turn a director for a film based on Mastan's life. Mastaan put on a wig at the age of 55 trying to play a 22 year old. The film never got completed.

An Audio Visual was showed to the audience where the real incident of the Encounter of Lokhandwala of 1990s was showed (it was covered live by BBC in a first of its kind exercise). There was a snapshot of Shootout At Wadala as well. Interestingly they used the word 'Bombay' in this Audio Visual. Ekta Kapoor's earlier film was called Once Upon A Time In Mumbai as they feared a backlash from certain political groups. It will be interesting how they deal with this true-speak now.

Sanghvi had a hilarious session with John Abraham as John narrated incidents where female fans put their hands inside his t shirt at crowded events and how his bodyguard tells him not to move as the fans may scratch. John also talked about the expletives uttered by his character Manya Surve in the film. A lady in the audience wanted Manoj Bajpeyi to say something. Manoj told her that he has been in the film industry for the last twenty years and that he doesn't need prompting. Manoj also narrated how he had almost packed his bags before the release of Satya. He remembered how the financiers wanted songs inserted in the film and he was made to do Sapne Mein Milti Hai. On a lighter note Manoj advised John that its anyday better for a 6 year old finding John hot rather than an Aunty saying Manoj Ji.

Sent on my BlackBerry® from Vodafone

Meri Insha, Meri Pyaari Bachchi...A Song For Insha On Her 8th Birthday

'Meri Insha, Meri Pyaari Bachchi' is a song written by my wife Aarefa Faridoon on the 8th birthday of our daughter Insha on March 20, 2012. I have jointly composed the song along with my friend Navneet Kedar. Navneet has also done the music arrangements and recorded the song. I have sung it as well. Hope you like it.

Ek hirni ki tarah kulache bharti hui 

Ek morni ki tarah apne hi rang mein rangti hui
Ek sada ki tarah, dil se nikalti hui
Ek hawa ki tarah khudrat ke saath raqs karti hui
Ek khushi ki tarah dil ki dehleez pe dastak deti hui
Ek hasi ki tarah kisi ke hoton se chalakti hui
Ek nazm ki tarah tarannum ki jheel mein behti hui
Ek ghazal ki tarah tasawwur ke moti piroti hui
Ek subah ki tarah shaffaf shabnam mein nikharti hui
Ek dhoop ki tarah zindagi ki tareeki pe bikharti hui
Ek samandar ki tarah wasih lehron mein lipti hui
Ek junoon ki tarah dil mein walwala bharti hui
Ek sukoon ki tarah khamosh aahat karti hui
Ek tamanna ki tarah dil e aarzoo mein dhadakti hui
Lafzon mein ada karna to mushkil hai
Par kuch aisi hi ho tum
Meri Insha, Meri Pyaari Bachchi

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan At The Loreal Paris Femina Awards

A Video For My Mother Professor Najma Mahmood On Her 70th Birthday

'Meri Ammi' is a song written by my wife Aarefa for my mother Professor Najma Mahmood on her 70th birthday. The song has been composed and sung by me while my friend Savio Vora has done the music arrangements and also played the guitar. My brother in law Tabish Ahsan has edited and directed the video. My elder brother Humayun Shahryar and elder sister Saima Shahryar contributed some priceless pictures for the video as well. Hope you like it.

Sonu Atif In London, Salman To Launch Bittoo Boss Music

Sonu Nigam and Atif Aslam will be performing at the prestigious O2 Arena in London on April 22. Both the singers will be belting out their Bollywood hits along with their respective bands.

Salman Khan will be launching the music of Bittoo Boss at an event in Bombay tomorrow.

Anurag Kashyap, while speaking at FICCI today praised Aamir Khan for his marketing acumen. He also spoke about Ranbir Kapoor and why he signed him on for Bombay Velvet.
Sent on my BlackBerry® from Vodafone

Aamir On Talaash, TV Show, Salman And Raju Hirani Film

Aamir Khan celebrated his 47th birthday with the media a short while back. This interaction wasn't supposed to have happened since Aamir is shooting for his TV show 'Satyamev Jayte' today. But I guess there were too many requests from various media houses and Aamir relented. A big cake was cut and television and still cameras jostled for space as everyone eagerly awaited to get the best possible angle.

Aamir expressed his happiness on his birthday this year since his son Azaad was born a few months back. He wore a T shirt with Dhoom 3 muscles rippling for attention. Here are a few main points of Aamir's interaction today:

1) Satyamev Jayte will be having 13 episodes and it will be a weekly TV show. Aamir has been working on it for the last two years. He called his TV show as "the most ambitious" project that he has ever undertaken.
2) Talaash had to be pushed as his TV show will be telecast in June. There were no free dates available hence they zeroed in on November 30. But according to Aamir, it can be December 7 as well.

3) Aamir spoke about Rajkumar Hirani's film for the first time. He has liked the script and Aamir would want Raju Hirani to make the announcement.

4) Aamir said that Talaash is NOT a thriller. He calls the genre to be 'Suspense Drama' and he says that no film of this genre has been made in Hindi films in the last twenty years.

5) There was a news stating that Salman wants to charge Rs 1 more than his competitors. A journalist sought Aamir's reaction. Aamir said that Salman deserves much more than that. He also spoke about the talks around Salman's marriage.

6) Vidya Balan is being called the Aamir Khan amongst heroines. Aamir says he would love to work with Vidya and that one should not compare Balan with him. She should be known as Vidya rather than anyone else.

I met a few fans who had come all the way from Pune. They wore T shirts with Talaash stills sprayed all over. Always good to interact with fans of any star. It tells us so much about the devotions of fans.
Sent on my BlackBerry® from Vodafone

'Naseem-e-soobh'...A Nazm By My Father Professor Shahryar

'Naseem-e-soobh ro rahi hai wadiye-i-gulab mein' was a Nazm written by my father Professor Shahryar on the death of Indian President Zakir Hussain sahab. Abba had a lot of respect for Zakir sahab. This Nazm is not part of any of Abba's poetry collections. Abba and Ammi (Professor Najma Mahmood) had created a Dhun for this Nazm and they used to sing it together. I have retained the dhun created by them in the following lines

Naseem e soobh ro rahi hai wadiye-i-gulaab mein
Lahoo ki ek boond bhi nahin hai aftaab mein

The remaining lines have been musically composed by my friend Navneet Kedar who
has also done beautiful music arrangements. I have sung it. I hope you like it.

Naseem e soobh ro rahi hai wadiye-i-gulaab mein 

Lahoo ki ek boond bhi nahin hai aftaab mein 

Safed-o-surq phool aasuon mein bheegne lage

Faza mein titliyon ki hichkiyon ke shankh baj utthe

Udaas nikhaton ki reshmi zubaanon par

Khuda ka naam hai 

Hayaat baab-e-marg se guzarke jaavedaan hui 

Hisaar-e-jism se nikal ke rooh bakeraan hui

Safar ka laazawaal nassha 

Aakhirash utar gaya

Safeer-e-shahr-e-zindagi ne dhoondli hai

Ek jagah khayaam ki

Taveel ho rahi hai 

Sarhaden sukoot-e-shaam ki

Farishte aasmaan se durood padhne aaye hain 

Khuda ki rahmaton ka 

Aetraaf tum pe farz hai

Tavaaf-e-khabr-e-Zakir-e-Hussain 

Tum pe kharz hai   

Naseem e soobh ro rahi hai wadiye-i-gulaab mein 

Lahoo ki ek boond bhi nahin hai aftaab mein

Kahaani: Brilliant Cinematic Experience

I guess everyone has their own idea of a 'perfect film'. A film that satiates you as a viewer and you are unable to pinpoint loopholes despite using your 'critic' lens to the optimum. Sujoy Ghosh's 'Kahaani' did satiate me as a viewer, more importantly it surprised me with its absolutely novel story telling technique.

A labyrinth of characters are assiduously involved in a conspiracy drama while Kolkata enjoys generous attention as a character in itself. There are several beautiful montages of the city that are seamlessly integrated in the narrative. The Metro, glowing lights over the Howrah Bridge, black holes of never ending lanes-n-by-lanes, crisp usage of Bangla in all its pristine naturalness, the rich Durga puja festivities and the indispensable trams that are so synonymous with the city....Kahaani is a heartfelt ode to the spirit of Kolkata.

This film doesn't boast of a big Khan. The superstar of the film is its 'Kahaani' and its treatment. This is undoubtedly one of the finest story-screenplay that has emerged out of Indian cinema in recent times. Bidya Bagchi (Vidya Balan) is a heavily pregnant woman in search of her missing husband. She becomes a pawn in the hands of the intelligence bureau as key witnesses are shot dead by a potbellied killer with a child-like-smile. The climax stuns you with its chilling turn-of-events.

Several Bangla actors have been given prominent roles. Parambrata Chattopadhyay, the idealistic police officer who falls in love with Bidya Bagchi boasts of an earnest appeal. The scene where the physical proximity between the two (Vidya getting information from his computer) ignites romance in the young police officer. Chattopadhyay displays minimalistic expressions thus giving the 'moment' an understated nuance. The guest house receptionist or Bob Biswas the unsuspecting assasin, Kahaani showcases several fine Bangla actors.

Vidya Balan delivers another spellbinding performance. She looks a far cry from the tempestuous Silk of her last film. There's anguish written all over her body language and yet in spite of being in a tricky situation, she manages to find fun moments with little Vishnu, Poltu or Inspector Rana. The beauty about this incredible actress is that she totally 'becomes' the character that she is meant to play. Tears, smiles, resilience...myriad facets, all conjoined in this stoic performer. The vulnerability gives way to the super strength of Durga. What a transformation!

Nawazuddin, the no nonsense Intelligence Bureau official is impressive. Amitabh Bachchan's Ekla Chalo Re is one of the highlights of the film. Clinton Cerejo's background score is special. The emphasis is on minimalistic usage of sounds to create the desired impact.

Setu's Cinematography is very creatively done. Namrata Rao's editing is first rate. Yes the film tends to meander aimlessly for some portions in the second half and it could have been tighter. Story (Sujoy Ghosh and Advaita), Screenplay (Sujoy Ghosh and Suresh Nair) and Dialogues (Sujoy Ghosh and Ritesh Shah) are the backbone of the film. Writing is consistently engrossing. Despite the serious subject, there's an underlined sense of humour that makes the film even more endearing.

Kahaani is a brilliant cinematic experience with loads of thrills-n-excitement. Don't miss it at any cost.

Star rating: ****

New: SRK-Katrina On The Sets Of Yash Chopra's Film

Salman's Being Human Photoshoot, Saif's Interview

Doing an interview with Saif Ali Khan is always an interesting experience. I brushed up on a lot of information. He was in an amiable mood (that always helps). He is happy with the response to the promos so far. I told him, i have liked the talkie portions a lot, especially the Vinod Khanna and the Kapil Dev dimension. Saif said that he enjoys the American movies and doesn't really follow the trend in desi movies.

Saif says that Agent Vinod is going to be his widest release. Approximately 2500 screens (unconfirmed). He is confident that the film will sustain beyond monday as well. They are planning a premiere of the film at Eros theater in Bombay (theater yet not confirmed) with the red carpet and the other trappings of premieres of yesteryears. He admitted that he is primarily a multiplex star but with Agent Vinod, he aims to break the barrier and strike a balance between multiplexes and single screens. Agent Vinod will also be screened at Muscat Film Festival on March 25.

Saif said that the name of 'Cocktail' may be changed. He says that they are looking for a Hindi title. It may be releasing in five months time. He is happy with his role in 'Go Goa Gone' (cameo).

I asked Saif about the Taj Hotel incident where he allegedly got into a scuffle with a South African NRI family. He says that he has a gut feeling that it will subside. Was it a publicity stunt?

We did Saif's interview in Mahboob Studio, Bombay. Salman Khan was doing a photoshoot for Being Human at Stage 3 in Mahboob Studio. The Khan-Khandaan was present in full force. Sailm Khan, Alvira, Arpita, Atul Agnihotri, Malaika Arora were there. Anees Bazmi was present as well.

Earlier in the day, I interviewed Mimoh Chakraborthy, Shazahn Padamsee and Zarine Khan.
Sent on my BlackBerry® from Vodafone

Sukhwinder Singh Sings A 22 Minute Song For Aamir Khan's TV Show

"I am very lucky to sing for genuine and genius people," said Sukhwinder Singh in a Bollywood Hungama exclusive interview to my colleague Zoheb Jamadar yesterday. Singh was referring to Aamir Khan. The breaking news is that Sukhwinder Singh has sung a 22 minute song for Aamir's television show 'Satyamev Jayte'. The song has been composed by Delhi Belly music composer Ram Sampath and written by Prasoon Joshi. Singh told Zoheb that Aamir mentioned to him his preoccupation with this TV show since the last one and a half years. 

First Look:SRK-Katrina In Yash Chopra's Film

Bored In London Paris New York, Shekhar-Tigmanshu Interview

After an invigorating interview with Ram Gopal Varma, I got a call for an interview with Guru-Shishya Shekhar Kapoor and Tigmanshu Dhulia during the special screening of Paan Singh Tomar. I had some time and went to watch London Paris New York. I am fond of Ali Zafar and admire his music but the film was a let down. Here's the text of the SMS that I sent to my team members after watching the film:

London Paris New York is a perfect example of 'fun promos, but boring content in the film'. Director Anu Menon is obviously 'inspired' by some European films that go way above the head of us-mere-mortals. The entire film is filled with high funda dialoguebaazi (mostly in Hinglish and many a times in French too) between Ali and Aditi....no other characters in the film except a fleeting Monty. You've seen all the interesting dialogues in the promos, there's little else apart from that. In fact the entire premise of the love story is absolutely unconvincing. Shot beautifully but the music is strictly average. Ali is impressive with his easy charm but Aditi bores with her relentless 'gyan'. Avoid this self absorbed love story. If you are a die hard Ali Zafar fan, then its your call. Star Rating: 2 stars.

Immediately after watching London Paris New York, I rushed to the nearby multiplex where Paan Singh Tomar screening was taking place. I was told, Shekhar Kapoor is inside the theater and we will get the byte during interval. I watched the first half of Paan Singh Tomar along with my cameraman. Extremely rivetting stuff. Intermission....we rushed out. Shekhar Kapoor came out of the washroom and we were ready with our boom and cameras.

Interview started and Tigmanshu Dhulia joined in as well. I mentioned the Bandit Queen and Paan Singh Tomar connection, especially because of the Chambal setting. Kapoor denied the similarities. Dhulia said that he is glad that his guru is watching the film today. Kapoor praised the writing of the film. Tigmanshu was all praise for the superlative performance of Irrfan Khan. I asked if a film like this can make a difference in the lives of sport stars in India who live a poor life. The realistic filmmaker that he is, Dhulia gave a 'real' answer devoid of sentimentalism. I was tempted to ask Shekhar Kapoor, why he has made very few films since Bandit Queen and what are his future plans, but maybe some other day.
Sent on my BlackBerry® from Vodafone

Will Ram Gopal Varma Dance?

Did a fun-n-informative interview with Ram Gopal Varma today. He spoke about Nathalia Kaur, the Indo-Brazilian girl who features in 'Dan Dan', the item song in RGV's next film 'Department'. Varma says the producers are very excited with the song and it seems the song is more of a talking point than the film itself. So, is Nathalia his latest muse? Since he has openly admitted the love for the physicality of women, does he get close to actresses he works with? Interesting stuff for you guys to watch.

What about Madhu Shalini, the South actress (he was linked to her recently)? "Madhu is doing an important role in the film and we have also picturised a song on her," says RGV. The theatrical trailer of Department will be launched at an event on March 12 in Bombay. The film is releasing on May 18. Dan Dan promo will start on TV in mid April.

I spoke to RGV about his ambitious film on the 26/11 attack on Bombay. The film starts on March 10. He has cast new actors for the roles of various terrorists. He didn't reveal names of any actors to me. He considers 26/11 as one of the most significant events in the recent world history, next only to 9/11. He will be using multiple forms of Cameras for the film depending on the situation.

RGV had tweeted a few days ago about how much he loved the songs sung by Sunidhi Chauhan in his film Mast and that he alongwith music composer Sandeep Chowtha were dancing to it. I told Mr Varma, there must be millions of people who would love to see him dance in real. He said, "my heart was dancing and chances of people seeing me dance is not there at all".
Sent on my BlackBerry® from Vodafone

Paan Singh Tomar: Stumps You with Magnificence

Amidst the marketing circus riding on 'stars' with spiraling egos, here comes an unassuming film (Paan Singh Tomar), driven by the gigantic talent of Irrfan Khan that simply stumps you with its Magnificence. The story of this Olympic steeple-chase-athlete-turned-'baaghi' is exceptionally told by director Tigmanshu Dhulia. Dhulia was an assistant director to Shekhar Kapur on 'Bandit Queen' and that must have surely helped him in being acclimatised with the ruthless terrain of Chambal. The naked rusticity, both in language (it can't get more 'real' than this) as well as the over all persona of all the characters and their setting lends this film an extraordinary honesty that is rarely seen in Indian films.

Let me make my point more clear by giving you a few examples. A spoilt young man ogles at a local dancer's moves under a tree. Now, in usual movies, it could have been a full blown item number with raunchily choreographed steps to lure the front benchers, but out here, you get to hear the blaring of a dhol and a rather ugly dancer (the kinds that would be enough to whet the fantasies of a bereft-of-all-forms-of-entertainment villagers). Maximum villagers seem straight out of the heartland of the country and not some theater or actors from parallel cinema. The village sarpanch or the barber that alerts the dacoits are just a couple of examples.

The film tries to highlight the incredulous plight of the sporting stars of India (other than cricketers of course) in end credits with names of a few distinguished Indian athletes who had a miserable end (one of the Asian Games athlete actually had to sell his gold medal to make his ends meet) despite making the country proud. Paan Singh Tomar was a tireless steeple chase runner who was a National record holder and represented the country in various international competitions. Circumstances forced him to become an outlaw. His grievance with the world was that his medals for the country couldn't earn him an iota of respect but once he took up the gun in his hands, everyone bent-their-backs to pay obeisance to him.

Haasil, directed by Dhulia, is one of the finest works of Irrfan Khan. Dhulia, once again gets out one of the finest performances from Irrfan. The physical transformation from very-young-to-middle-age, detailing in the dialect, convincing portrayal of an athlete, quirky flirtations with wife Indra (Mahie Gill) smeared with the matter-of-fact sense of humour (The orange juice fixation is funny), leading a bunch of nobodies in an effective manner and most importantly saying with mere eyes without any dialogue (scene where he watches his son go away in the army camp with moist yet detached eyes). The 'pointless' Indian awards need not bother to compete amongst themselves, this Khan deserves nothing less than an Oscar (if that is the yardstick for merit and credibility).  

Mahie Gill as Tomar's wife is effective. She looks every bit a villager (including a dark tan). Her bouts of jealousy brings out a cute moment in the film. Supporting cast is impressive, specially Vipin Sharma as the army officer who always stood up for Tomar. Rajendra Gupta as Tomar's coach is good. The scene where he requests his most promising athlete to give up 5000 meter race in favour of steeple chase, stays with you. Writing is first rate. There are several delightful moments in the film, evocatively brought out by some very finely written lines. Aseem Mishra's camera work is first rate. The grainy effect throughout the film gives a clear idea of the era in which the film was supposed to belong. Music score by Abhishek Ray is noteworthy. It is haunting and caresses the inner recesses of your heart-n-mind.

One must note that the film has a documentary element to it. Obviously when you are presenting a biopic on screen, that aspect will always be there. The second half tends to drag a bit due to the absence of too many substantial events that could have possibly been attention grabbing. It slows down the proceedings to an extent. The climax makes up for it, the final race-and-the-jump bringing back all the memories that Tomar always treasured. When you get out of the theater, you carry an elevated feeling and it doesn't happen too often after watching Hindi movies these days.  

Well done Tigmanshu Dhulia. More power to you. As for all of you guys out there, do yourself a favour....go and watch Paan Singh Tomar. 

Star Rating: ****