Bollywood Film Fame Canada - Fall Edition 2021 by Bollywood Film Fame Canada

BollywoodFilmFame.com

Inside ‘Mumbai Diaries: 26/11’

Natasha

Bharadwaj &

Tina Desai

A young cinematic journey:

Ritvik Sahore

FALL EDITION #1

I feel like it's been a while, and perhaps it has. With schedules shifted and some unexpected circumstances, we give to you our Fall I digital issue and we are stoked to have some of the finest artists featured in this one. Better late than never, success comes at various points in one's life. Many of our artists have been in the game for a while now, but it's taken them a while to get noticed. Our cover story is the wonderful Anupria Goenka, who speaks to us about understanding her character, her growth as an artist, and more. Ritvik Sahore catches us up with how everything began for him. Natasha Bharadwaj and Tina Desai speak to us about their journeys and of course, the recent Mumbai Diaries. Anindita Bose gives us a run-down of her trip back to Mumbai and taking risks and gaining confidence. We also feature Ruhi Singh, actor par excellence. Param Singh is another actor who dishes on his firsts. We hear the voices of the fabulous singers, Shilpa Rao, and the twins behind THEMXXNLIGHT. And of course, we wrap it up with our wonderful ace photographer, Aesana. This one's a good one. Until Next Time,

Working magic on screen

ON THE COVER Anupria Goenkar Photography: @rajeshgopinath_clicks HMU: @manjiri_trivedi Wardrobe: @uptownie101 Actor's Reputation Management: Raindrop Alter Ego (@RaindropAlterEgo)

Anupria Goenka

TINA DESAI

24 26

NATASHA BHARDWAJ

28 32

RUHI SINGH

PARAM SINGH

RITVIK SAHORE

SHILPA RAO

THE MXXNLIGHT

ANINDITA BOSE

AESANA

COVER STORY

Working magic on screen

Anupria Goenka Interview By Armin S.

NUPRIA GOENKA IS EASILY ONE OF

MY FAVOURITES. SHE HAS STRONG

ONSCREEN PRESENCE BUT SHE ALSO HAS A WAY WITH DELIVERING DIALOGUES

THAT JUST WORKS FOR ME. WHEN I SIT

DOWN FOR A CONVERSATION WITH HER, IT’S INCREDIBLE HOW SOOTHING AND

THOUGHTFUL SHE IS. SHE HAS BEEN A PART OF SOME MAJOR PROJECTS

INCLUDING PADMAAVAT, WAR, ABHAY, AASHRAM, AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE:

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. I ASK HER ABOUT THE JOURNEY SHE HAS BEEN ON, THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACTORS LIKE

HERSELF TODAY, UNDERSTANDING THE STORY BEHIND EACH OF HER CHARACTERS, AND MORE.

COVER STORY

I THOUGHT I WAS JUST TAKING A BREAK FROM MY CORPORATE JOB

NEW OPPORTUNITIES AND THE DIGITAL SPACE Words would fall short in defining what the digital space has done for artists like myself. It’s not that we were not getting work outside, but more so that the scope and kind of work we are getting has changed. The concepts that are being delved into are different and varied and hence, the roles also. I stepped into the profession to explore different characters and also explore different facets of myself. It was not just for fame, material aspects, and recognition but for the love of acting and do different things which were not being done in the film space earlier, as much. Content has become much more important universally, both in the digital and film space. Creators are having a blast as well. Audiences have also become more aware, thanks to the digital advent as you’ve said. They have started consuming much more universal content. They want something different each time. That has made artists look deep within and try different things as opposed to going with the masala concept. I mean, we still get typecast and get offered the same kind of roles. There is a certain perception of which actor fits which zone – those still get defined. The whole idea is to break the zone and push the envelope for yourself. The exploration is much more possible now than it was before. Somewhere in the 70s and 80s, we had a great range and was still very progressive. Somewhere, in the 90s, there was a huge slump and people started going for easy entertainment. The damage was so severe so now we have to rewind and go back to characters and stories which talk and don’t just entertain. But I think we are doing well in the time we are in now.

GREY CHARACTERS FOR FEMALES (OR THE LACK THEREOF) Yes, most of the projects are being headlined by male characters. I don’t remember the female characters in the lead who are grey or dark. They still have to redeem themselves and still have a valid reason to be the way they are. We are still some time away from women being reckless. I think it’s changing still though. In the film space, that has changed. I have been offered a lot of content in the past year which has been headlined by a female character who is strong, who has shades of grey, but not completely dark. If they are dark, they are similar to the villainous girls we used to see earlier, who have nothing decent in them, and they are out there to get anybody and everybody for their own good. Either these projects have not worked out, either because of COVID-19 or another reason – but the concepts have come. Stories are being explored where females are playing the central role but they may not be made as much or are in the process of being made. In the film space, things have started shifting though. We may not have many names. Overall, stories are being explored with females headlining the story.

NO NEED TO DIFFERENTIATE I want to reach a place where we do not differentiate between stories based on if they are female or male led. I don’t think that kind of differentiation is that stark in the West – I think. There are a few people that are important in each story – male or female. Even in my story, I am the heroine in my story but there are a couple of people who are important in my story. I have my father, my love interest, my friends, all the people I’m working with – they are all an important part of my life. The protagonist can be male or female but the alignment of the characters surrounding that protagonist needs to start shifting too. It’s not just important to have the central characters given to male or females but the surrounding cast members should also have defined characters. We have to shift away from calling them character artists. When that shift starts happening, this conversation will become more futile. You will start becoming more fulfilled – the weight attached is the problem.

EMOTIONAL GRAPHS IN THRILLERS One of the things about thrillers, especially here, is that we forget about the emotional moments of the characters because thrillers are so pacy. That’s what is missing with most of the stories and set ups that are being made. You would kind of notice that the stories that stick with you are where the characters are fleshed out decently. The genre and the

Photography: @rajeshgopinath_clicks HMU: @manjiri_trivedi Outfit: @uptownie101 Actor's Reputation Management: Raindrop Alter Ego (@RaindropAlterEgo)

COVER STORY

I PL N B B

I STEPPED INTO THE PROFESSION TO EXPLORE DIFFERENT CHARACTERS AND ALSO EXPLORE DIFFERENT FACETS OF MYSELF.

WANT TO REACH A LACE WHERE WE DO NOT DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN STORIES BASED ON IF THEY ARE FEMALE OR MALE LED.

COVER STORY

emotional graph of each character is being explored as well – so it is not just uni-dimensional. That aspect is more worrying for me – when the character is not explored.

UNDERSTANDING THE STORY OF EACH CHARACTER I think a lot of understanding comes from life. Point in case, Chuha Billi, the short film you are talking about talks about depression primarily. Even though it was Adah’s character going through that, who is depressed as a struggling actor, I have seen quite a bit of it in my real life, personally, with people around me – with close relations as well. We understand depression today and we understand the importance of talking about it. For a story like Chuha Billi, the goal was to exhibit the story. For Adah or my character, in some sense, we could have been in each other’s shoes. It’s difficult as a friend, as a mother, boyfriend or girlfriend. Nobody puts you in a class to deal with a person who is going through severe depression. A lot of those motivations or threads for those characters come from your life. That’s why they say I think that the more chance you have of going through more in life, the better actor you are. You have to be open to all sorts of experiences, you have to want to grow and not become stagnant. Recently, I was doing another short film and the director is someone I’d known for a while. We really wanted to work together and I had been in a couple of projects which she had written but we hadn’t really worked together. This time she was directing. She had written this beautiful script. The team was very new but there were a lot of problems on set in terms of coordination. But the writing was so good. The whole thing was supposed to be shot in one room with Vinay Pathak – who is fabulous. Even Adah in Chuha Billi, was so wonderful. But with Vinay sir, we were losing light, and we still had seventy percent of the film left to shoot but only three hours left. There was so much confusion. We had no rehearsals. The director, myself, and Vinay sir had to be sat down in one place with the script. I was so convinced that we shouldn’t be sitting together or constrained but we were sat a certain way. But we had no time to discuss. Both of us resigned to it and said let’s just do it. It became such a beautiful experience because the writing was so good. We both had such a beautiful sort of contained feeling after this scene. We had emoted and released something and discovered something in the characters. A lot happens during the writing stage, which is so important.

CATCHING UP WITH A CHARACTER One character who was very close to me was a woman from a story of Rabindranath Tagore. She was the central character – a ghost who is narrating her past life. She was full of herself but very poetic. I’m an old soul and I loved the environment. I just felt at home. I had such a beautiful time shooting for that character. Subconsciously, I think of her very often because she was such an interesting person. I would love to know what she’s doing now.

TO THE FUTURE… I hope that five years down the line I hope to have done two or three things that I am extremely proud of, which when I look back, I feel a sense of contentment. I’m still waiting for that one character who will create a shift in me as a person. Most of my characters have been so much like me in some ways that perhaps I’ve been expressing a part of me. With Nikhat, I remember feeling nice because there was no burden but I struggled with that because she was supposed to be docile. With Aashram, she’s quite spritey and reckless – but she is also righteous and fighting the cause for other people. The spriteyness was refreshing. I’ve played one or two characters primarily in episodic set ups which were really dark. I loved playing the badass girl – there was no burden of being right or doing the right thing. That’s why acting is so beautiful because all these shades remain in you. Acting lets you explore those shades and you get paid for it. This is one of the perks that you get. I hope that five years down the line I hope I am more aware, comfortable, and accepting of who all resides in me. As a woman, it is so hard to break certain patterns within us, as independent and liberal as we are, especially as an Indian woman and women worldwide. I want to be far more self-assured and accepting of myself. I’m okay to make mistakes, and that is a recent learning for myself too. I want to continue to learn like that.

INTERVIEW

A LOOK BACK, A LOOK FORWARD:

TINA DESAI Interview By Armin S.

TINA DESAI STARTED OFF WITH YEH FAASLEY AND ALTHOUGH THE FILM DIDN’T REALLY TAKE OFF, TINA DESAI IS DEFINITELY A FORCE TO RECKON WITH. WHETHER IT BE IN THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL, SENSE8, THE SHOR FILM GOOD LUCK, OR THE LATEST MUMBAI DIARIES 26/11, SHE IS ABLE TO LEAVE HER MARK WITH HONEST PERFORMANCES. I TALK TO HER ABOUT HER JOURNEY SO FAR, AS WE LOOK BACK AT CHALLENGES, LEARNING LESSONS, AND THE PROJECTS SHE HAS BEEN A PART OF.

INTERVIEW

I SAW AN INTERVIEW OF YOURS IN WHICH YOU SAID THAT THE OTT PLATFORM HAS OPENED UP A LOT OF SPACE, WORK, BUT YOU ARE NOT JUST DOING WORK TO JUST EXPERIMENT. FROM THE TIME THAT YOU FIRST STARTED TO NOW, WHAT WAS TINA LIKE WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED AS AN ACTOR AND AS A PERSON, AND WHAT OR WHO IS SHE NOW?

That’s a cool question. It’s very hard for me to say these things for myself but I will try. When I came in, I was a lot more naïve because I didn’t understand the business side of things. I would read interviews of actors because it felt like it was the bible. I paid attention to the grooming bit. I paid attention to practising in front of the mirror. I always wanted to be an actor but I knew I wouldn’t go to acting school because I didn’t have the guts to tell anyone about that. I trained myself on the creative side. The business side was something I had little or no understanding about. It is not talked about a lot. Based on success stories around me, I have either seen a big launch under a big banner, or you work your way up through strong performances. I would initially base all my decisions on good scripts and good characters but that’s not how it used to work because a lot can go wrong in the execution, in the production. There can be ego battles, re-writes, and so many other things. My launch film – the story was being rewritten as we shot for it. There were budget problems. What was supposed to finish in four months took two years. Also, how it is promoted, marketed, and how many screens it has – it all impacts on the way the project is perceived. Even when reviews come out, the reviews come out and they are also biased based on the quality of the project, the makers, the names associated with it. I’ve learnt a lot of that. A lot of the film is also the packaging. That’s what I look at now as well. Yes, it is important to play a character but also it’s important to choose a project that also makes your character shine. I now have a better understanding of what else goes into filmmaking.

LET’S TALK ABOUT WHEN A PROJECT IS NOT GOING YOUR WAY (YOU NEED NOT NAME ANY) AND YOU ARE IN THE PROCESS OF SHOOTING IT. WHEN YOU ARE TRAINING YOURSELF CREATIVELY AS AN ACTOR, HOW DO YOU ENSURE THAT ALL OF THE FRILLS ATTACHED TO CREATING CONTENT ARE NOT DISTRACTING – HOW DO YOU KEEP MOTIVATED AS A CREATIVE PERSON TO KEEP GOING?

I’ve become a little more wary of things so I only go into a project if I am convinced. I want to discuss the producer, who is marketing it, because they make a project far bigger. I know that if that team is intact and it is great on paper, then the project will live way past its release. I’ve turned down a couple of projects where I feel as though those aspects are not fleshed out. I don’t think that just the writing can make a project anymore because of the business side of things. There was this one project which had great writing and it was an issue-based script, on a very current issue. But because the packaging wasn’t great, nobody cared. So I pay attention to the business side of things now. I can’t just trust the writing anymore.

“WHEN YOU ARE IN A HIGH STRESS SITUATION, AT LEAST THAT’S MY PERSONALITY TYPE, YOU ARE JUST LIKE GET ON WITH IT.”

Since Marigold (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) in 2013, everything has now gone well. Everything I have done in the last few years, has done well. I stand by the fact that overall, the project has to mesh well – the names and the writing both need to be there. The motivation is good when it is a good team.

HAS THERE EVER BEEN A CHARACTER THAT HAS STAYED WITH YOU LONG PAST YOU PLAYING THE ROLE IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA?

There are two which I really enjoyed. One is my debut film, Yeh Faasley – it being a disaster didn’t matter to me because of the scenes I had in it. They were very high intensity in which I am yelling or crying a lot. Now, it’s not a big deal for me to cry but at that time, there was no glycerin, and my director wanted to do multiple shots because it was his first film. He wanted to make sure that he had enough to play with each edit. Every scene, we would shoot for five or six hours and to cry with such high intensity for that long, without glycerin, is no small feat. This was all my training. Now, when I get a project that is high on intensity and drama, like Mumbai Diaries, I am ready for it because I did it back then, without glycerin. The other character I really like is for a short film for Sujoy Ghosh which is called Good Luck. I play a twisted character. It is something I love doing when I am offered something grey or twisted. It was just a five day shoot, but I had so much fun playing a character with duality. I naturally love stuff that has murkiness in it.

INTERVIEW

“WOMEN BEGAN TO BECOME IMPATIENT AND THEY WANTED TO SEE BETTER REPRESENTATION AT A FASTER RATE.”

INTERVIEW

DO YOU THINK THERE HAS BEEN PROGRESSION OF LAYERED AND ‘GREY’ FEMALE CHARACTERS? I FIND MOST OTT PROJECTS SEEM TO ALSO HAVE MALE LEADS AND FEMALE LEADS WHO ARE ‘GREY’ ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS?

I don’t think I consciously understood growing up that we were not watching a lot of multi-dimensional female characters. Watching films growing up, I thought that’s what the girls do. They grow up, they fall in love, they get married. The cuter they are, the better, and that determines the success of the story…until the whole movement began. Women began to become impatient and they wanted to see better representation at a faster rate, which was great. I’m really happy with how quickly things have changed. From the time I started when I feared how I would play the bubbly girl who falls in love twenty different ways – how do I make one character different from than next? At least I’ve come from there to I like playing murky characters. That’s a big switch. The pace has elevated because of how fast people are consuming things. I also think that women are generally probably more on the peaceful side – maybe. Writers maybe aren’t able to give women that spin in terms of murky characters or positions of power – check any government, including some of the leading nations in the world, and there aren’t a lot of women in power. When there are enough women given that spotlight and the focus is on them, then it’ll inspire more stories. Women go out there and make more noise. Right now, there seems to be some struggle in the imagination department. I could be wrong but that’s how I see it.

LET’S TALK ABOUT MUMBAI DIARIES AND THE FACT THAT IT IS BASED ON A REAL LIFE INCIDENT. HOW DO YOU BRING TOGETHER THE EMOTIONALITY OF YOUR OWN CHARACTER WITHIN A REAL LIFE SITUATION?

You derive acting scenes from life experiences. The initial panic and stress hits you, the adrenaline rush happens, and all that happens initially. Now, what do you do? Get on with it and fix the situation. That’s what I like about my character in Mumbai Diaries as well. My character looks at the fact that something is happening, help is coming, help is not coming, so now I have to take that on. She has a solid escape plan. There is the stress of meeting the terrorists as well – but you can die hiding in a room or you can survive perhaps by meeting with the terrorists. Now, do whatever you can and fate will handle the rest. I like the ups and downs. And she comes out with one guest short but she managed she got on with it. When you are reading the script itself, you kind of understand, you understand what the arcs are. You remember the notes you have made and you basically then base it on instinct.

INTERVIEW

Natas Bharad

PLAYING DR

Interview By A

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R. DIYA

Armin S.

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INTERVIEW

NATASHA, WHAT WAS IT LIKE ANNOUNCING THAT YOU GOT THE ROLE TO YOUR MOM? WHAT WAS HER REACTION LIKE? Where I’m sitting now (over Zoom) is exactly where she was sitting and I walked in through the door to tell her. But leading up to that, I had no confirmation. I thought maybe it’s not happening. Then, I got the call and I remember I was driving and it was pouring. I kind of stopped the car and then I was like, okay, wait a minute, and I instantly wanted to call my mother and be like, “mom, I got the part!” Then I scripted the whole thing. I came home. She asked me what I wanted and asked if I wanted lemon tea because I was drinking lemon tea at the time. I was like, no – I said, “do one thing. Get me your lab coat and get me your stethoscope.” I wear her lab coat and wear her stethoscope and she goes, “Ohh! You got the part!” So that was super dramatic and super exciting.

HOW DID YOU ENSURE YOU UNDERSTOOD YOUR CHARACTER? WHEN DID YOU BEGIN TO FEEL LIKE DR. DIYA? We had a lot of workshops before we started filming for the whole show. Because it’s a show that’s kind of one of a kind. We haven’t really had medical dramas so Nikhil Advani, the captain of the ship, really wanted everything to be very authentic and true. He wanted proper medical terms and procedures. For me, it was extremely important to be in the emotional continuity of the character rather than the professional part of the character. Diya is a really good doctor, she knows she has to prove herself but at the same time, she’s also having this massive emotional journey and she is suffering from anxiety and depression. I have to integrate her mental health with her job, which is not an easy job. When I felt like Diya was when I started to get my hair and make-up and they would do blood stains on me. The story takes place over one day so there is no time to grasp the situation. So just the time when all the blood and dust would come on me, that’s when I felt like Dr. Diya.

I LIKE THAT THIS SHOW SHOWS THAT DOCTORS CAN BE VULNERABLE. FEW SHOWS DO THAT. HOW DO YOU DEVELOP YOUR CHARACTER GRAPH WHEN THE JOURNEY OF DR. DIYA IS TECHNICALLY OVER ONE DAY, ONE EVENT? I think what you just said, that’s exactly what Dr. Diya feels. And I’m going to switch to calling her just Diya because I think playing the person was important. It’s not the profession that matters. That’s your instinct, that’s what you are trained to do. But anxiety is such a huge part of who she is and she is so apologetic about it. She hides her pills and she tries not to talk about them. It’s a parallel world that she lives in and it’s sad. There’s the confrontation scene between Dr.

Diya and Dr. Oberoi in which she tells her she can talk about it and it’s fine. It’s okay. Just the fact that she has to balance everything out – she isn’t able to see that she doesn’t need to be apologetic. She realizes that people think she is privileged and that is why she is here. I was extremely clear about the medical procedures and how Mr. Advani wanted that to play out. After that, I wanted to make sure I was focused on the emotional and mental journey. The arc that is written for her is just so beautiful. The amount of learning and acceptance was beautiful and it was shown beautifully. That understanding was important for me.

HAVE TO INTEGRATE HER MENTAL HEALTH WITH HER JOB” WAS THERE A LEVEL OF RELATABILITY OR SOMETHING YOU COULD PULL FROM IN YOUR LIFE – THE CONCEPT OF PRIVILEGE AND TRYING TO PROVE YOURSELF DESPITE THE PERCEPTION OF PRIVILEGE? I derive as much as I can from the character I create with my director. I ask a million questions of my director. I annoy him and create an entire person. I do take some inspirations from what I’ve been through in the past. There is a scene in Mumbai Dairies in which I’m talking to my mom on the phone about the attack and that was something that was extremely real to me. When I had read it first on paper, I was like oh, this has happened to me. Because when my mom was working in a hospital at the time in town, it usually takes her a n hour to commute. It took her three hours that day and I was like, what is happening. All this news is coming in. Finally, she made it home. I could relate to that. I create a new person though, altogether. I don’t want to make it me. To play Dr. Diya I had to learn and unlearn things. A sense of privilege is so vast. Today, I sit here and say I’m privileged, but someone with so much more could say they are very privileged. The lines of being privileged can keep changing. I really had to get into what that privilege did to her. Everyone tends to overlook how good she is at her job because of that privilege.

IF YOU COULD HAVE COFFEE WITH DR. DIYA TOMORROW, WHAT’S THE ONE QUESTION YOU WOULD WANT TO ASK HER? What is anxiety and how does that affect you? These are certain emotions you feel that you can empathise with until a certain point. You can never really know. I can understand and be a phone call away but you can’t really understand what they are going through. I would want to talk about that and move on to the fun stuff after for sure…

INTERVIEW

RITVIK SAHORE

Interview By Armin S.

INTERVIEW

WHEN ACTING BECAME THE DREAM.

nyone remember watching the heartwarming Ferrari Ki Sawari? I sure did. What was interesting though was that I never made the connection that the kid in Ferrari Ki Sawari was the same teenager in Dangal and then a young adult in subsequent projects like Flames. Up until I really sat down…and actually realized – it’s the same person! Always thrilled with his on-screen presence, this interview is all about those first initial moments of acting and how they’ve culminated into his present today.

I started off quite young. I’m still quite young (chuckles). Actually, I think, becoming an actor, or pursuing a career here, or being a part of films was never a dream. It so happened that I was at a mall with my parents and we had gone there to shop. We went to McDonald’s for dinner. The Assistant Director for Ferrari Ki Sawari, which is also my first film, he saw me. I don’t know what he thought of me. He asked me to come for a couple of workshops. My parents asked me if I wanted to do it and I agreed. We went for the workshops for around two months. There were a lot of kids auditioning but I had a lot of fun. I was eventually selected and the whole process of Ferrari Ki Sawari – everyone made it so special for me. I was only 12 then, but the actors, Sharman Joshi and Boman Irani, really everyone, went out of their way to make it special for me. They took extra care of me. That’s when I realized that this is what I want to do. It became my dream

THE IMPACT OF PARENTAL SUPPORT

Oh, the support impacted me greatly, it was multi-fold. It really helped me because at the first instance itself, when I was approached at the mall, it was my parents who asked me if I wanted to do it or not. That’s how it started. That’s how supportive they have been since the beginning. My parents did always want me to complete my studies and they did want me to focus on that first but they were equally supportive of what I was doing. They really helped me manage both things simultaneously. I couldn’t have done it without their support.

MY FIRST SHOT

I remember it like it was yesterday. I had no idea, my whole family – nobody is from the industry. We had no idea how a film is shot. It was like magic. My whole family came on set and we were given a vanity van; we had never thought we would get one. That was also quite exhilarating for me. Then I met all the actors, the team, gave my first shot. It was a shot of me getting off down the scooter and giving Sharman Joshi a peck on the cheek. I was really excited doing that. They made it so easy for me.

BALANCING IT ALL AT A YOUNG AGE

After Ferrari Ki Sawari, since I was on the football team and I was in the seventh grade, my parents told me that this time, school time with friends, this will never come back again. They were like, focus on your childhood, and work will happen. Don’t work at the cost of missing out on your childhood. I am really grateful to them because all those experiences have really helped me become who I am today. I cherish having real friends, and my parents, and my school was very supportive of what I was doing. My friends were also very supportive – they helped do my projects and homework!

A DINNER DATE WITH A CHARACTER OF YOURS

It’s quite interesting. I think I would like to sit down and have dinner with Kunal from Indori Ishq. I think that would be quite interesting.

COFFEE WITH A CO-ACTOR'S CHARACTER

I think I would like to have coffee with Ishita, Tanya’s character in Flames.

LEARNING LESSONS

There are quite a few lessons I have learnt from these years. I think the first is to be yourself; have good people around you because they help you stay sane and grounded. Also, I think humility, hard work, and perseverance can take people places. I’m a firm believer in that. Be nice to people – we are just actors doing our jobs, we are not God, so behave that way. We are all human beings first. That is one lesson. The second one is to not be too disheartened with rejections. I mean, as actors we face a lot of rejection; most of us, to the face. Initially, it was really hard to face that and come to terms with it. But I’ve learnt to accept it over the years. Personally for me, another lesson is to work with good people and be a part of good projects and just have fun with what you’re doing.

INTERVIEW

RUHI SINGH: THE REALIZATION OF AN ACTOR

Interview By Armin S.

CTOR AND FORMER MISS INDIA, RUHI SINGH, HAS DEFINITELY IMPRESSED MANY. RECENTLY, SHE HAS BEEN SEEN IN A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT ROLES WITH PROJECTS SUCH AS CHAKRAVYUH, RUNAWAY LUGAI, AND OF COURSE, BANG BANG. SHE APPEARED ON THE TIMES’ 50 MOST DESIRABLE WOMEN OF 2020 LIST, AND SHE KEEPS ON SHINING. HERE’S OUR CHAT OF HER JOURNEY – THE REALIZATION OF THE ACTOR SHE IS TODAY. 28

INTERVIEW

RUHI, DO YOU RECALL YOUR FIRST TIME IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA?

The first time I was in front of a camera was when I was in a teen pageant kind of situation but I remember being very confident and yes, there was slight nervousness but there was more confidence (chuckles). I knew this is what I wanted to do, although I did not look or act the way I thought it was translating in my mind, when I saw the final outcome. It was pretty embarrassing! (chuckles). I just remember I enjoyed it. That was when I was a teenager

WHEN DID YOU FIRST REALIZE YOU WOULD LOVE TO DO WHAT YOU ARE DOING TODAY? I always knew that I would be in some kind of performing arts. I love being on stage and I love performing and I really enjoyed co-curricular activities. I knew I would either get into sports or something like this. It would always be external. When I started getting opportunities, when I met people who thought I had potential, that really boosted my confidence. I started getting through beauty pageants, and I realized that it was happening and that really boosted my confidence.

WHAT'S BEEN THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU HAVE FACED? ON THE FLIPSIDE, WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT YOU HAVE HAD? The challenges I have faced are probably the will to keep on going, rejection, and to get back up on your feet after being rejected because that happens a lot. That has been the biggest challenge. The belief in you - You have to motivate yourself and really encourage yourself because there is nobody really out there believing in you. It’s such a competitive industry so to keep the spirit going – that’s the most challenging factor. The chances of someone not making it versus someone making it are higher. There are very few who actually make it in the industry. There are also people not believing in you. That it is a very difficult dream to have so despite that, keep going. The most memorable moment are probably all the moments where I proved those people wrong. When I won my beauty pageant, national pageants, when I did my first movie, when I got Calendar Girls, Runaway Lugai became a superhit – all of these were great moments. Once, I was the ninth most desirable woman in the country so that was a great moment. The most memorable moments are the ones in which you see your hard work translate into success. I cherish these truly, because they have come after a lot of hard work.

WHAT DOES SUCCESS MEAN TO YOU THEN?

Success is to live my character, very honestly. I want to be able to feel the emotions my character is going through; the situation she is going through. If I feel it truly, then I feel it is translating. There is more to it – directors may want a certain pitch, so I always try to tweak it according to their preference but at the same time,

I KNOW THAT PERFORMANCE LOOKS THE BEST WHEN YOU DON’T REALLY PERFORM, YOU LIVE IT.” LET'S TALK ABOUT PROCESS. WHEN YOU FIRST HEAR ABOUT A CHARACTER YOU HAVE TO PLAY, HOW DO YOU WRAP YOUR HEAD AROUND THE CHARACTER'S THOUGHT PROCESS? The process for me is to tap into my past incidents and emotions and relate them to the particular situation my character is going through.

WHICH CHARACTER OF YOURS INTRIGUES YOU THE MOST?

It has to be Sagarika in Chakravuyuh definitely. It is the toughest character I have ever played. Very intriguing. Even Bulbul in Runaway Lugai. It was fun sharing the screen with such well-known actors – like the best actors in the country but Sagarika is the most intriguing.

NEXT ON THE PROFESSIONAL BUCKET LIST?

My professional bucket list is really to be doing a lot of movies but I really want to be doing some global work. I believe cinema should not be restricted to one language for an actor so I want to do international projects and collaborate with actors and directors from different.

INTERVIEW

THE VOICE OF

SHILPA RAO Interview By Armin S.

EARING IT FROM SHILPA RAO HERSELF, SHE TALKS TO US ABOUT DIALING IT BACK TO HER ROOTS OF SINGING, HOW INTEGRAL MUSIC WAS TO HER, AND MORE. BE IT "GHUNGROO", "ISHQ SHAVA", "BULLEYA", OR "KHUDA JAANE", SHILPA RAO HAS ALWAYS MESMERIZED US WITH HER ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE AND SPEAK TO OUR DEEPEST FEELINGS. HERE'S OUR INTERVIEW WITH THE POWERHOUSE.

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SO BEFORE I WAS BORN, THERE WAS ALWAYS MUSIC IN MY HOUSE.” DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN YOU FIRST REALIZED YOU COULD SING, LIKE REALLY SING?

I still don't realise it, it's a learning everyday and a very weird cycle of the more you learn and the more you do Riyaaz, you feel the lesser you know. So the only trick is to keep working at it. It's an everyday day effort until you die. So you have to keep working hard.

YOU HAVE AN INCREDIBLE DISCOGRAPHY. WHAT'S A SONG OF YOURS THAT BLEW UP WHICH YOU DIDN'T EXPECT? CONVERSELY, A SONG CLOSE TO YOUR HEART THAT DIDN'T GAIN A LOT OF POPULARITY?

One song was obviously 'Tose Naina' for a very small film, but the music was loved by the audiences and everyone gave me a lot of love throughout and kind of became my identity. It has been almost fifteen years to its release and people still connect with it so deeply. Another one would be ' Manmarziyan' from Lootera, which is an incredible song and personally very close to my heart. I guess it didn't get that much commercial popularity which it should have but I really feel it was incredible.

WHAT WAS IT LIKE GROWING UP - WAS MUSIC INTEGRAL THEN TOO?

Music was an integral part of my house and family through decades. Even much before we were born, there was always music in my house, my grandfather used to play harmonium, my father has been such a music lover that he learnt music himself from scratch and he has done his MA in Music. So before I was born there was always music in my house. I think, for my brother Anurag and me our first education was music before we could even learn to read and write. I feel it was more of music and our first education was Sa Re Ga Ma Pa.

TODAY, WHEN YOU LOOK BACK, WOULD YOU DESCRIBE A PARTICULAR MOMENT OR A SONG AS YOUR BREAKTHROUGH?

Life actually doesn't give you one breakthrough and in fact, many and it's up to someone that they see it and recognise it and do everything in their capacity to be a great musician. All one has to do is keep their mind and heart open for good music and always make yourself part of good music. Surround yourself with friends who encourage you to be a better musician so it's a constant process and learning.

WHERE DO YOU NEXT WANT TO CHALLENGE YOURSELF?

Well, there are so many new projects that I am working on. some are for films and some are independent releases. I am really trying to do something new and something which I have not done before but always wanted to. Plus, I'm working on a few Ghazals renditions and will always put my efforts on it as Ghazals were my first training in music.

INTERVIEW

GETTING TO KNOW:

Interview By Armin S.

ANINDITA BOSE IS A WELL-KNOWN NAME ALL OVER INDIA. SHE STARTED OFF HER ACTING CAREER JUST OVER A DECADE OR SO AGO ON TELEVISION. SINCE THAT TIME, SHE HAS NURTURED THE CRAFT OF ACTING WITH QUALITY ROLES AND PROJECTS, IN FILMS SUCH AS ‘BHOOTER BHABISHYAT’ AND SERIES SUCH AS ‘PAATAL LOK’, FORBIDDEN LOVE, AND RAY. I CHAT WITH HER OVER ZOOM ABOUT THE PAST DECADE, HER INITIAL DREAMS, AND HOW ACTING AND MUMBAI HAPPENED FOR HER.

INTERVIEW

BACK IN 2009, WHO WERE YOU THEN, WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED? I READ SOMEWHERE THAT YOU WEREN’T REALLY THINKING ABOUT ACTING AT ALL BACK THEN. WHO WERE YOU THEN AND WHO HAVE YOU BECOME NOW?

So, I graduated in 2008, specializing in Ceramics and Painting. I thought that is what I wanted to do and the career path I had chosen for myself. When I was finishing up college, something about the media field pulled me towards it. So I knew I wanted to be a part of this field but definitely didn’t think I wanted to act. So, I thought that production designing would be something I would be doing. Even now it interests me. In 2009, I got an opportunity to work for a channel in Calcutta – I was doing some production work for them. Somebody asked me to do an audition. And before that, I hadn’t acted except for school plays. I was working in Calcutta at that time; I had to speak in Bangla but I had been born and brought up in Mumbai so my language was not as sophisticated as those who speak Bangla there. But I went ahead and the director instantly liked me and said you are a part of this project. That time, I didn’t know what to think of it – I was like, fine, maybe I’ll do this for a year or two and then go back to Mumbai, and get back to track. That’s around the time I started my first show which became quite a big hit, and I didn’t even know how to handle getting mobbed at a mall or getting these pictures clicked. It was all so new to me and I was thoroughly enjoying every bit of it. Even then, I never thought that I would keep doing this the entire time.

SO WHEN DID IT SHIFT FOR YOU?

It was two years after that, when I was planning on coming back to Mumbai, that I got a call from Mr. Rituparno Ghosh’s office to be a part of this show, which was to do with Rabindranath Tagore and it was quite a big deal. Mr. Ghosh is himself, such a big deal. I really could not turn down that opportunity and I thought I’d stick around a bit more and work with him. Being mentored by him that year, it just changed my perspective of the entire field and I started falling in love with this craft. I was never a confident person. For me, to have a conversation in a room full of people was very difficult. But I was playing characters who were so confident. I had to start being those people right? Eventually, somewhere, these characters’ confidence rubbed off on me, and ten year laters, I’ve become this confident person who can’t stop talking now (chuckles). I actually ended up getting an award for that show that he directed. I decided to nurture the craft more then – and stayed on that path. Slowly, I started getting so many projects in Calcutta – and that industry has really supported me.

WHEN DOES MUMBAI HAPPEN?

I was petrified of trying in Bombay because I felt somewhere, maybe actors like me are still not given

a chance. But four years ago, I noticed a shift in this dynamic when I saw Radhika Apte and Rajkummar Rao and how well they were doing. That’s when I was like, I’ve got nothing to lose, I’ve got my family here, and I will go try in Mumbai. So it’s been a good journey.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST THING YOU LEARNT ABOUT YOURSELF THROUGH THIS JOURNEY?

I think I realized that I had a passion towards this field. This isn’t something that can just come like that. I think when that confidence came in, I realized that I was born to do this. And that’s when I was like, I want to nurture this, do these workshops, and I started watching a lot of movies and reading a lot of books.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS HEARTENING FOR YOU TO SEE WHEN YOU TRANSITIONED TO MUMBAI, WAS A RAJKUMMAR RAO, SO TO SPEAK, BEING APPRECIATED. WHEN OR HOW DO YOU THINK THAT PERCEPTION SHIFTED IN THE AUDIENCE’S MINDS? DID YOU SEE IT COMING?

I think it happened very organically. I think it started off with Irrfan, and Nawazuddin. I remember Kahaani came out, and everyone wanted to cast Nawaz. I think it started from there. I did see it coming. I knew it was coming at some point. I think what really helped this process was the boom of this OTT platform. Suddenly, the process was accelerated for these kind of actors. Everyone wants to see new pairs, and different actors from all over the country right now. There is this beautiful amalgamation happening with actors from everywhere in India right now.

A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO, IT WAS THE LENGTH OF THE ROLE AND WHETHER HE OR SHE WOULD BE ON THE POSTER THAT SEEMED TO MATTER. A LOT OF THE MORE SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS SEEM TO BE “MULTI-STARRERS” SO TO SPEAK THOUGH. WHAT HAVE BEEN THE BENEFITS OR DRAWBACKS OF THIS FOR ACTORS LIKE YOURSELF?

I’ve just seen a lot of progress, not any drawbacks. If the OTT platform didn’t exist, I’m sure I would not be having this conversation with you right now. The length of your screen time doesn’t matter anymore so long as you know your character is impactful within the story. I think that’s what actors are wanting to experiment with. As actors, we are selfish and want to try different characters but that’s why actors are not backing down when approached to do collaborative work. There is a lot of creative satisfaction that comes from it. Also, the box office pressure is not there so you can just focus on the craft again.

INTERVIEW

PARAM SINGH Interview By Armin S.

WE CATCH UP WITH THE WONDERFUL PARAM SINGH WHO IS KNOWN AS AN ICON BECAUSE OF HIS WORK IN SADDA HAQ: MY LIFE, MY CHOICE, GHULAAM, AND ISHK PAR ZOR NAHI.

Artist - Paramsingh Shot by - Trilogy Studios Makeup & Hairstyling - Arun PR & Coordination by - Preyoshi Bhattacharya Khanna

INTERVIEW

FIRST TIME FACING A CAMERA

The first time I faced the camera was when I was roughly seven or nine years old for a show on Doordarshan named “Jadooi Bacche.” At that point of time some uncle had approached my mother for me to portray the character of a cute looking sardar who would essay the lead in the show. This makes me recall how timid I was then. I kept on demanding chocolates and ice cream through the initial days and didn’t deliver a single shot. The expenses incurred were heavy for the production and, at last the show never got launched (haha).

FIRST TIME FACING REJECTION AND HOW YOU DEALT WITH IT.

I remember the first time I faced rejection was in the year 2006. I had gone to pick up my sister from Aram Nagar in Versova where she was giving a look test. The coordinator had asked me to give a test for a Colgate commercial and I got selected as well for the same. I then received their call for commercials & my quote was exhorbitant for them - thereby ringing in my first rejection. I didn’t feel anything because I wasn’t too interested in acting at that point of time.

FIRST TIME FEELING ACCOMPLISHED

I think the first time I felt accomplished was when my first show named Sadda Haq - My Life, My Choice, was perceived well by audiences especially the youth comprising of mainly teenagers for that matter. I think it was a really special feeling and I still owe my career to the show.

FIRST TIME YOU TRULY FELT HAPPY IN THE PROFESSION

I truly felt elated after completing my acting course from Barry John Acting School. It was the moment where I actually found something that I love dearly and would like to keep doing all my life.

THE FIRST PERSON YOU CALL WHEN YOU GET GOOD NEWS

I am very secretive as an individual & hence I don’t really call up anyone if something is up my sleeve professionally.I prefer breaking the word only after signing up the project or when I am about to start shooting for the project.

THE FIRST THING YOU DO IN THE MORNING

The first thing I do in the morning is to drink water, have black coffee and then meditate.

THE FIRST LESSON YOU LEARNT IN THE INDUSTRY

I think the first lesson I learnt from the industry was to not take rejections personally. There are a lot of reasons behind a certain project not working out and one should not spend their time thinking about it. One should keep working towards their aim and move on from the rejection. The challenge is to stay graceful and motivated whilst dealing with rejections I feel.

INTERVIEW

THE TWINS

TheMXXNLIGHT

Interview By Armin S.

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THE 25-YEAR-OLD IDENTICAL TWIN BROTHERS AKASH CHANDANI AND KRISH CHANDANI WHO MAKE UP THEMXXNLIGHT (PRONOUNCED “THE MOONLIGHT”) – THEIR BIG COMMERCIAL BREAK ARRIVED WHEN THEY ATTRACTED THE ATTENTION OF WIZ KHALIFA, WHO FEATURED THEM ON ‘MR. WILLIAMS’, ‘HOMEWORK’, ‘ALL OF A SUDDEN’ OFF ROLLIN’ PAPERS 2 IN 2018 AND ‘G.O.A.T. FLOW’ AND ‘ALL FOR YOU OFF FLY TIMES, VOL. 1: THE GOOD FLY YOUNG IN 2019. SINCE THEIR MAINSTREAM SUCCESS, THE DUO HAVE AMASSED IMPRESSIVE RADIO PLAYS AND STREAMING NUMBERS FOR THEIR EPS ‘XX’, ‘DOUBLE TROUBLE’, ‘MASHALLAH‘, ‘THE CURE’ AS WELL AS THEIR ALBUMS ‘MOOD’, ‘LUVKUSH’. JUST AS WIZ KHALIFA MADE HIS WAY INTO INDIA, FOR HIS SUNBURN ARENA SHOWS IN 2017 AND IN 2019, THEMXXNLIGHT ALSO CRAFTED THEIR HOMEGROWN FANBASE, PERFORMING ALONGSIDE THE HIP-HOP HEAVYWEIGHT AT HIS SHOWS IN MUMBAI AND DELHI NCR. WHILE THEY WERE IN INDIA, THEY TAPPED EVERYONE FROM SUKRITI AND PRAKRITI KAKAR (‘MASHALLAH’) TO EMIWAY BANTAI (‘NIGHT RIDER’) AND IKKA (‘INTEZAAR’ AND ‘BODY LANGUAGE’). BEFORE SECURING ENGINEERING DEGREES FROM RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE, THEMXXNLIGHT FIRED UP GARAGEBAND AND BEGAN MAKING MUSIC IN THEIR DORM ROOM. AT THE TIME, THEY WERE ALREADY MULTI-INSTRUMENTALISTS, PICKING UP SAXOPHONE, VIOLIN, GUITAR AND DRUMS. AFTER GAINING LOCAL ATTENTION FOR THEIR SLICK COVERS OF ONE OF THEIR INSPIRATIONS, THE WEEKND, THEY STARTED THEMXXNLIGHT TOGETHER.

TELL ME WHAT INSPIRED YOUR NAME.

AKASH: We just thought of what our last name meant and we were able to come up with THEMXXNLIGHT, pronounced as The Moonlight. It’s also cool because people say our music makes them think of the moon!

AS TWINS, ARE THERE MOMENTS WHEN YOU TWO LITERALLY THINK OF THE SAME THING MUSICALLY?

KRISH: Yes this happens all the time! There have been many moments when we are even in front of Wiz or other artists and we just start singing the same melody and lyrics at the same time and everyone goes crazy! We call them “twin moments” - it happens often with us haha.

HOW DO YOU BALANCE BEING REALTORS WITH YOUR MUSIC CAREER?

AKASH: It is definitely a challenge, but it is starting get easier! We are able to time manage very well and get everything done. We are also self-managed, so you can definitely get an idea of how much work we have to do behind the scenes. KRISH: We have so much content ready and we are constantly creating, but we were raised in a way that we know how to handle many things at once so this all comes naturally to us. It is very stressful and is a lot of work to handle, but if we don’t work hard to achieve our goals then we would be doing ourselves a disservice and not utilizing our full potential.

YOU'VE DONE SOME MAJOR COLLABS WHICH ARTISTS ARE YOUR FAVOURITES TO COLLABORATE WITH?

AKASH: Wiz has been our favorite collab so far because he has been such a great friend and mentor. His support means the world and we are so excited to be able to work with such a legend. KRISH: Roy Woods is a favorite as well since we were inspired heavily by his music in college and then working with him was just a next level experience.

WHAT'S IN STORE FOR BOTH OF YOU NEXT?

AKASH: We have an album releasing in January that we are very excited about! Lots of amazing collabs dropping as well, so stay tuned! KRISH: We have a bunch of unreleased music videos too that we can’t wait to drop. We will keep working hard and staying focused to make sure that we reach all our goals.

INTERVIEW

Aesana

PHOTOGRAPHER EXTRAORDINAIRE Interview By Armin S.

Top Photo Credits: Model @im_akankshamohan Bridal wear by @kalaniketanco Jewels by @aamotiwala Makeup n Hair by @makeupbypoojabhavnani Styling by @wenicya Bottom Photo Credits: Model @emile_zola9 @mezoratalents Makeup @knottymakeupbyd Hair @blush_n_fringes Styling @anishagandhi3 Jewellery courtesy @milsilaccessories

INTERVIEW

WHAT MADE YOU PICK UP THE CAMERA?

The wish to express how impactful and rich a human’s soul can be made me pick up the camera.I felt that freezing any shot whilst keeping its naturality intact would be a good picture for me.

WHAT IS IT REALLY LIKE BEHIND THE SCENES?

The topic of behind the scenes comes in three stages i.e. pre-production, on set production & post shoot production.The pre-production deals with planning a moodboard, on set deals with executing it in available sources without compromising on quality & post production deals with selecting the best from the lot & then retouching the same. Apart from all this, keeping the integrity of one and all in the team is important at all times.

WE GET CHATTING WITH AESANA, WHO PHOTOGRAPHS LIKE A GEM, AND HAS A KEEN EYE FOR DETAIL. HERE'S THE SCOOP OF WHAT REALLY HAPPENS BEHIND THE CAMERA, HOW THE SCENE IS SET, AND HOW CREATIVITY IS EXPLORED.

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN STAR STRUCK - BY WHO AND WHEN?

Yes I have been star struck. From where I see, the word star struck mainly applies for public figures but for me it holds a different meaning altogether. Every human is a star to their parents & vice-versa.One’s approach towards life differentiates one person from another. Understanding an individual is the most enticing view for me in the world and every experience of the sort leaves me amazed.The positive qualities of one and all I cross paths with leave me awestruck at any given point of time.

HOW CREATIVE CAN YOU REALLY GET WITH A PHOTOGRAPHY ASSIGNMENT? HOW DOES IT WORK?

The intensity of how creative a shoot can get depends on a lot of factors. It’s subjective for any one to figure the level of creativity any shoot will require because some look eccentric in the simplest way possible & some need add-ons in terms of aesthetics, lighting set-ups & props.The requirement of the clientele decides how I go about it at times.I personally aim at enhancing the vision behind the set moodboard by letting creativity flow in the spur of the moment.

IN A WORLD INCREASINGLY ASKING CELEBRITIES TO BE REAL, HOW DO YOU MAKE SURE WHAT WE SEE OF OUR CELEBRITIES THROUGH YOUR LENS ARE THEM BEING THEIR AUTHENTIC SELVES?

When we specifically talk about celebrity photography, the rules are different.Shoots with them pivot around capturing their expressions & moods keeping naturality intact. It’s like capturing them when they aren’t being conscious about themselves.The mood of music in the background also influences how the shoot heads on. The aesthetic cell is preferred minimal in most cases. I personally work on keeping the shoots raw by setting grids in a way that works for everyone in the team.