Bollywood Film Fame Canada - November Issue by Bollywood Film Fame Canada

BollywoodFilmFame.com

November 2020

TALKING MUSIC: Subhi

"They can delay me, but they cannot stop me"

Avina Shah Gurbax

Anangsha Biswas Not looking for a stamp of approval –

PREETI SOOD

“I don't want to take the craft of acting for granted”

As the weather cools down, things are heating up again in entertainment. And what's amazing is the diversity of content, artists, and creators who are starting to tell their stories and make waves on their own terms. One such person who has always paved a unique path and always engaged in meaningful cinema is the actor who is our cover story - Kirti Kulhari. Kirti has been instrumental in changing the game in ensuring that we have content that is consumable, content that makes sense. We talk to her about her exchange with the characters she plays, a sense of complacency in the film industry and growing out of that comfort zone. Someone who has always gone out of her comfort zone is Anangsha Biswas. We speak to her about her journey and how to keep sane with growing success. Preeti Sood has similarly had a knack for telling good stories, and tell a good story she did as a first time director with her short film. On the music front, we have wave makers like Gurbax, Subhi, and Avina Shah, all of whom have something unique to offer to the world. Get set for a whole slew of interviews with new, fresh, raw, and experienced talent, because we have it all, including a focus on mental health in this one. As the days get shorter and we compete against this raging pandemic, a lot of our queries focus on mental health, so check this one out for sure. Until Next Time,

Shubharna Shu Mukerjee

16 COVER PAGE Kirti Kulhari PHOTOGRAPHER Studio Riva Bubber HAIR & MAKEUP Vipul Bhagat

ANANGSHA BISWAS

PREETI SOOD

20 22 28

SHEFALI JARIWALA GURBAX

SUBHI

AVINA SHAH

DEEKSHA JOSHI

NYRA BANERJEE

KANCHAN RAI

RAJDEEP CHOUDHURY

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COVER STORY

I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to take the craft of acting for granted.

Exclusive Interview by Armin S. Photography by Studio Riva Bubber Hair & Makeup by Vipul Bhagat

COVER STORY

start off my conversation with Kirti Kulhari congratulating her on the Best Comedy nomination for Four More Shots Please at the 2020 International Emmy Awards. I ask her where she was and what her reaction was when she found out: “I was in Lucknow, UP. Kind of on a holiday. We were chatting in a group with the Four More Shots Please and that’s where we got the news. There was a little bit of disbelief and a little bit of “are you sure?” But honestly, it was enthralling to know the news was true. We girls were like wow! We were all very happy to hear the news. Those who are unfamiliar with Kirti Kulhari must know this – that her work speaks for itself. She has been a part of huge films such as Pink, Uri, and Mission Mangal and done work in films that most newcomers would not have thought of at the beginning of her journey, including Khichdi and Shaitaan. With her formidable journey in the industry, we talk about the importance of evolution in cinema, making meaningful films, writing layered characters, and defining passion. 17

COVER STORY

YOU’VE MENTIONED BEFORE FEMALE CHARACTERS ARE WRITTEN IN A ONE-DIMENSION SENSE IN HINDI CINEMA. DO YOU THINK THERE IS A CHANGE NOW?

I think when I have said this, I have said women, but really a lot of characters are written uni-dimensionally. That is how the writing has been for everybody. Women have taken a back seat a lot of times – not always – but a lot of times during the different phases of Bollywood. Sometimes, they have come to the forefront, but sometimes they have just been left behind.

WHAT ABOUT THE OTT PLATFORM – HAS THAT CHANGED THE GAME?

From the time I have started acting and the kind of improvement I have seen – I have been witness to this improvement. With OTT, you need so much material to make a series, so you end up delving into a lot of characters. You have the time and space to do what you should be doing with your characters even in a feature. While OTT gives you a freehand to go on with your character development, Bollywood has been very lazy with doing this with features. You should be able to know the character regardless of how long the character is on screen. OTT has really brought with it some healthy competition and made people uncomfortable enough to push them out of their comfort zones. I understand the time and effort it takes to reach a point of beautiful and rounded characters and storylines that feel complete. We are definitely getting better. As an actor, even when I was given characters that on paper, it felt like there wasn’t much to do or not enough meat to bite into it – I made sure that I brought those layers and made the character layers with my homework, my research, and my background and theatre. What I have never liked about the industry and what I still don’t like – we are very comfortable with mediocrity. We do not push ourselves enough. I know that there is scope for so much more. We get comfortable too quickly. We do something, it goes well, and everyone is like, okay this is great, and then we go back to doing nothing. Even with OTT, there is so much content and so much to consume, and I would say less than a quarter of it is actually consumable or has the quality for me to personally sit back and take notice. Now, and really compete at an international level with everything that is coming out on the big platforms in other countries. We just need to keep pushing.

WHERE DO YOU THINK THIS SENSE OF COMPLACENCY COMES FROM – IS IT BECAUSE OF THE AUDIENCE, THE PRESSURE ON PRODUCERS TO MAKE MONEY, THE LACK OF DIVERSITY IN WRITERS?

A little bit of everything you have said. When producers are putting in their money, they are wondering how they are getting money back? It is a business at the end of the day. I mean, OTT has changed it somewhat from being a pure business to actually working on some quality. You have to think about who will be in your film to bring that money back – so you are thinking about the people and what has worked before. I would want to take responsibility for this but also put the responsibility on the audiences as

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well. It is always the chicken and egg situation right? Do you change this first or wait for he audiences to change first? This is actually the country that you can make very different content in because you can have an audience for almost everything; we have the population to do that. I cannot expect commercial masala films to not be made. That would be impractical on my part. There are people who love watching all that and good for them, and good for the people that are making it. But I am part of a group of people that believe that there is more to cinema. It will be a gradual change – as long as everyone is genuinely working towards that. There are so many people who genuinely feel the way I feel and we just need to keep working at that.

DID YOU ALWAYS HAVE THIS OUTLOOK OR HAS THERE BEEN AN EVOLUTION ON YOUR END REGARDING THE KIND OF CINEMA THAT YOU WANT TO DO?

With my husband in the last five years, I have watched a lot of foreign cinema and it made me grow so much. But I came into the industry with the typical Bollywood formula in my mind. I think somewhere, I had a very serious approach to acting. I started doing ads – somehow, my attitude was that I want to learn acting. I don’t want to land up there and think I got this. I wanted to go through the process of training and workshopping, learning the craft. That is strange because while I came with a thought process of what Bollywood was about, I also came in with an inherent need to learn the craft of acting. I don’t want to take acting for granted. Like, when I got Shaitaan, I knew that it was not a role many would say yes to especially as a newcomer. It was anything but Bollywood. Here I was, choosing a film like Shaitaan. I also had Khichdi which happened almost together with Shaitaan. It’s very interesting that outwardly, I had a certain attitude, and inwardly, there was something in me that kept pushing me towards the cinema that I believe in – cinema that makes a difference. I was continuously fighting between these two things – what usually works in Bollywood versus what my heart was telling me to do. It’s been a journey. It hasn’t happened overnight. It’s taken me all these years, choice after choice, contemplation and evolution later, that this is what I want to do. I don’t have to think so much anymore though. Now, I think I am sorted regarding what I want.

HAVING SAID THAT, IS THERE A PARTICULAR CHARACTER YOU’VE PLAYED THAT HAS IMPACTED YOU ON A PERSONAL LEVEL?

All of them. I think that’s what acting is all about. Acting for me isn’t just doing a role and moving on. It’s the process of putting myself in someone else’s shoes and seeing the world from their perspective. And their perspective is an exchange with how they see the world and the person that I am. Sometimes, the exchange used to or could have been a bit harmful – that you ended up taking parts of the character or connecting a bit too much with the character and cross over to the other side. That is also part of the journey. Playing a character is like meeting a new friend. Like, in life, you meet people, you connect and share with them. And then, there’s an exchange. You take back things from

COVER STORY

them. That’s what happens with characters. I think that’s why I love acting so much. The characters I have played seem like they are outside of me and are people I have come across in my life. They have remained with me. If the character is different than me, the more the difference, the more I want to do it because I want to get to know that person. That is a big criteria for me in choosing projects.

AND WHAT ABOUT LEARNING? HOW DO YOU ENSURE YOU KEEP LEARNING FROM YOUR CHARACTERS BUT ALSO THE PEOPLE YOU WORK WITH WHO PLAY CHARACTERS ALONGSIDE YOU?

I see cinema as more than just entertainment.

You know, you have all kinds of experiences with all kinds of people. Acting is something that I absolutely love. What can I learn from co-actors, from people around me – you always have to think about this. Mr. Bachchan is probably the biggest name that we have. For me to see him during Pink, be so invested and involved even at that age and stage of his life where he has nothing to prove to anybody…He was so into it – it made me wonder if I was doing enough. He was like a school student, where he would learn his lines and rehearse his lines over and over again. That kind of dedication towards acting has really kind of stayed with me. Now, if you think of Akshay – I have not seen a more chilled out person than him. IN the sense that he is as invested but his approach to it is very different. He is chilling out all the time, not always rehearsing the lines and yet here he is, doing the kind of work he is doing. He told me something the first couple of days of shooting – that you do not have to be serious to do what you are doing seriously. That kind of stayed with me. While I love what I do – for me to give everything to it, that’s what I enjoy. But something in me changed and now, I do not take everything so seriously. And, Vidya is one of my most favourite people in the industry and I’ve gotten the chance to know her personally. I absolutely adore her. She’s somebody who is such a wonderful person. Her vibe is so fresh and so positive and yet, it’s no nonsense. She is so efflorescent in real life and she brings that quality to the screen as well. She’s just so beautiful inside-out. That’s a quality want to take from her. Now, take Four More Shots – it is such wonderful group of people, the boys, the girls, everybody. It is one set – the actors are all in the same age group. Certain kind of people and actors have been brought in for the project. We are naturally on the same page. There is an instant space for collaboration and respect for what we do. There are no tantrums. It is an equal space. For me, if you cannot offer me a space of equality, something is amiss for me. This one set, this is the space it offers, and I enjoy that space the most as an artist. It’s just so organic to be on the set. Equality is necessary in order for everyone to shine through.

HOW DO YOU DEFINE PASSION TODAY?

Passion’s definition will never change. Passion is something that you just absolutely love. It’s something that tires you out but it still gets you going. It’s something that just drives you to an extent that everything along the way seems worth it. Never for a second do you go back and think, oh, I wasted my time. Passion goes beyond failure and success.

INTERVIEW

“THEY CAN DELAY ME BUT THEY CANNOT STOP ME”

ANANGSHA BISWAS Interview By Armin S.

20 BollywoodFilmFame.com

nangsha Biswas has been in the industry for a few years now, and with credits to her name which include Hostages 2, Aashram, and Mirzapur, all eyes are on her to see what she comes up with next. The journey has been filled with learning, believing, and continuously enhancing herself. A deep conversation about what it means to believe in oneself, and trust yourself to constantly work on your craft. Anangsha bats this one out of the stadium – read on to find out why I say that.

INTERVIEW

YOUR INSTAGRAM PROFILE TALKS ABOUT YOU BEING A “BELIEVER”. ACTING IS SUCH A PROFESSION THAT IT DOES NOT GUARANTEE MONEY OR WORK COMING IN EVERY DAY. HOW DOES BEING A BELIEVER LEND ITSELF TO YOUR PROFESSION OF ACTING?

When I say believer, it doesn’t just restrict it to my passion or my career. It applies to my entire life. I don’t believe in luck. You have to keep persevering and keep working on yourself. You cannot wait for that one day to come along. I believe I can make my own destiny. A believer means that I am very focused on what I want to achieve and I don’t want it overnight. I have a very practical approach towards things. I come from a very educated family and education. No matter what line of work you choose, education is a must because it is a building block for you and will help you throughout your life. Nothing happens overnight and if you think that, tough luck. Like, people are coming to know me now but I have been at it for years. That’s how it should be. You have to actively keep learning. You can’t say you know it all. So, in that sense, my beliefs are as strong as mountains. I know what the pinnacle of success is to me and I know nobody can stop me. They can delay me, but they cannot stop me.

YOUR PROFILE ALSO MENTIONS “KNOWLEDGE-SEEKER”. AND AS YOU SAY, YOU CANNOT POSSIBLY KNOW EVERYTHING. YOU HAVE TO KEEP LEARNING - WHERE DOES THAT DRIVE COME FROM ESPECIALLY DURING LOW POINTS?

My approach towards my passion is very methodical. If I want someone to put crores of money on me and trust my talent, first and foremost, I need to know what I’m doing very well. Like beauty and physical attributes, I don’t even think as an actor you should take these seriously. The first thing on your mind should be whether you are good at your craft or not, and for that, you have to be a knowledge seeker. You have to keep upgrading – like our phones are always upgrading. As humans also, we have to keep upgrading. As actors, we have to keep sharpening our rough edges. See, I studied acting in Australia and every teacher will tell you that they cannot teach you acting. But it can be polished, if you have the talent. You will receive the tools to groom you basically. You have to live a full life and pick up those experiences and that will help you become a better artist. I don’t know whether it is right or wrong but it is working for me. I’m also always reading. It keeps my mind sane. It keeps me from being anxious when I don’t have work. In my low times, and my father says this, that your character shines when times get tough. In happy times, when you have releases, everybody wants to be your friend. I recently went for a meeting and that person said that another person said you are his really good

When you have releases, everybody wants to be your friend. friend – and I don’t even know this person. I was telling my dad that you know, when the sun rises, everyone is that sun’s friend. And when the sun sets, nobody wants to the sun sets, nobody wants to associate with you. But that’s life and you have to take it with a grain of salt. I need to acknowledge that and work my mental fitness around it. And for me, I spend at least one hour every day blasting my mind with positive stuff.

WHEN YOU ARE IN THAT ROUGH PATCH, YOU TALK ABOUT READING. WHAT DO YOU DO TO MAINTAIN THAT CREATIVE CHAOS, THAT THE FULFILLMENT OF BEING CREATIVE AS AN ACTOR IS BEING MET?

The honesty of the situation is that creative self will not get the satiation or the outburst it is looking for in those dry patches and that’s the truth of it. As a professional, you have to wait for that opportunity to come. But in order to keep sane, there is a lot of material out there that you can work on. You can practice scenes. You can pick up an old film that you have done and see what you can do differently. So these are the things that you can do. You can do theatre, which doesn’t really pay in India – but performing in front of a live audience gives you a high, it actually gives me goosebumps. You can do workshops if you are not very pressed for money. You also have to make sure that you keep enhancing yourself because your day will come – it’s just up to you whether then you bat it out of the stadium or get out. You also have to surround yourself with real people and not just the ones that come and go.

GIVEN YOU GO BACK AND YOU WATCH YOUR OWN WORK, IS THERE A PARTICULAR ROLE THAT YOU ARE PARTICULARLY CLOSE TO, ONE YOU CRITICIZE THE LEAST?

(Chuckles) I am very critical of my work – I think every opportunity has helped me enhance myself as an actor so it would be tough to say what I’m closest to. I have been very conscious but also very fortunate about the varied roles that I have done so I tend to look at my work fondly.

SO WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST LEARNING LESSON THEN?

I did a film, which is out of Netflix, called Ascharyachakit – I played a very bold character, and there was a lot of skin show. That film taught me how to become very comfortable with myself. After that film, I thought it was okay to be me. It made me grow as a human and made me accept myself the way I am.

INTERVIEW

NOT LOOKING FOR A STAMP OF APPROVAL

PREETI SOOD

Interview by Armin S.

reeti Sood has been in the limelight recently as she turned director with her short film, Antoo Ki Amma, which released on Mika Singhâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s YouTube channel and made her digital debut in the superhit series, Aashram, directed by Prakash Jha. With a filmography consisting of films like Welcome to Karachi and Revolver Rani, Preeti is a delight to speak to because she is polished and clear about what she wants as a creative person today.

INTERVIEW

YOU DIRECTED, WROTE, AND ACTED IN ANTOO KI AMMA. WHERE DID THE BRAINCHILD COME FROM TO MAKE A FILM THAT WOULD BE KID-FRIENDLY AND INSPIRE THEM?

I have always been a very socially aware kind of person. I always wanted to make cinema that can contribute positively to society. I want to make people aware. Cinema is the only way to convey my thoughts to people.

WHAT WERE YOU LIKE AS A KID?

I used to write when I was a kid. Even though I was a kid, I used to write about child marriage or dowry. So when I got my chance in cinema, I thought I should do the things and talk about the things that I always wanted to. This film is a children’s film. If you want to change society, you have to educate your kids. It’s only then when you can change the younger generation. So that’s what I wanted and that’s how it happened for me.

“If you want to change society, you have to educate your kids.”

I STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT A GOOD DIRECTOR AND A GOOD ACTOR NEED STRONG OBSERVATION SKILLS SO THEY CAN INTERNALIZE STORIES. DID YOU RELY ON OTHER STORIES OR YOUR OWN TO COME UP WITH ANTOO KI AMMA?

You know, I came from a family that we used to sit together and watch shows together. It was such a positive and exciting environment. We had timings to play, timings to watch shows. Now, it’s becoming so difficult. There are so many shows – there is very little for kids – maybe just cartoons. So I wanted to make something that everyone can sit together and watch the film. And use the film to guide the kids.

BEING IN THE INDUSTRY FOR AS LONG AS YOU HAVE, DOES IT AFFECT YOU WHEN YOU FACE REJECTION OR YOUR WORK ISN’T RECOGNIZED?

When you see yourself as a hardworking and trained actor but you are not getting what you deserve, it’s tough – but I’m sure other actors are putting in that work too. But the best thing about today’s times is that I am no longer looking for that stamp of approval from other people. When you are confident, and you feel you are a good actor, you can either become positive or negative. It may be that people may not want to watch your content. People are talking about nepotism and bad acting on screen – but people chose to watch those people. I cannot control that. The best part is that nowadays, people can make their own content and use their different platforms to put their content out. Like Antoo Ki Amma, which I also did the screenplay for.

FEATURE

Born to be a Part of the Entertainment Industry

SHEFALI JARIWALA Interview by Armin S.

“I

had absolutely no aspirations of being a part of the entertainment industry. I was studying to be an engineer. I was outside of my college with my friends when the directors of the video, Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru, approached me with the song, “Kaanta Laga” instantly. I thought it was a prank because they were also young and back then, there was no social media so no awareness. But of course, later on, I came back home and did my research and they are very accomplished directors. Like any other teenage girl, I wanted to see myself on television and make pocket money. I was paid 7000 rupees at the time for the song, which at the time was a lot of money! That’s how it happened.” And that’s how Shefali Jariwala tells me about the start of her journey. And what a journey she has had over the last 18 years – as she has made her mark in some iconic songs, including of course, “Kaanta Laga”. Since then, she has been a part of the television industry, and of course, made her mark with the comedy, “Baby Come Naa”. 24 BollywoodFilmFame.com

FEATURE Yet, when you put Shefali Jariwala into Google, it loads with references naming her as “The Kaanta Laga Girl”, which can be a blessing – it was an iconic song, it was one of the first remakes of an iconic song, but at the end of the day, being associated with that, I wonder if it has come with disadvantages. “I mean, I don’t see it coming with a disadvantage. I consider myself really fortunate and lucky to be able to create this identity for myself with my very first song. People work really hard for a long time before they are able to create an identity like that for themselves. I feel very proud and lucky that I could create such a strong identity for myself because there cannot be another “Kaanta Laga Girl”. Given her history with dance, I ask her what dance means to her today. She says, “I’ll be honest with you. When I started off “Kaanta Laga”, I was a non-dancer. I was certainly not looking my best. I don’t know what Vinay and Radhika saw in me. It’s like they came with a fairy wand and gave me some magical dust. So dancing for me was a task. They worked very hard on me. I had to do a lot of rehearsals. After the song, then what? I mean, I didn’t know the song would become such a big hit and so much work would come my way, so many stage shows. So I had to learn how to dance.” So today, what does dance mean to her? “Now, dance is like coming home. It is now a way of expressing myself. I dance when I’m happy, I dance when I’m sad. I’m dancing all the time, in my dreams. It has become a part of me. I love dance and that is who I am. I have learnt so many different forms of dance now. I have dance in the rain, in the middle of fire, in the air with aerial acts. I have learnt salsa, Bharatnatyam, bachata – dance is now a part of me.” I ask her if dance is like coming home, what challenges does acting come with today? Shefali is sorted as she explains that she took on acting to challenge herself because after a number of years of doing one thing, that thing can become monotonous. She goes on, “[t]hough my first love will be dancing, but as an artist, I needed to grow. Work was not satisfying to me anymore. It was just dancing, dancing and dancing. So, acting was the next step. Dance is my comfort zone but acting, I was not sure in the beginning.” She goes on further and explains the challenges that came with doing comedy: ““Baby, Come Naa” came to me from Balaji. Getting someone to cry is very easy but getting someone to laugh is very difficult. Comedy is actually one of the most difficult genres as an actor. I was also acting with veterans like Shreyas Talpade, Kiku Sharda, Chunky Pandey – these guys have been doing comedy for years together. It was quite a challenge for me. I learnt a lot in the process. In comedy, your timing has to be bang on. But it is also slapstick so you have to almost overact and be very expressive and that loud with emotions, it was very difficult. Our director was a gem – he did a lot of workshops with me. I knew my lines but I was goofing up with my timing on my first day, but by the second day, I was comfortable. I am a funny girl but I just had to go with the flow and have fun. That’s when it translates well on screen. It was an adult comedy but hey, we’re all adults (shrugs).”

We then shift conversation to her participation in Bigg Boss as I candidly reveal that I cannot watch the show because it makes me nervous as a viewer and I internalize that tension. I ask her what the show does to her as a contestant when she participated several months ago? “That’s what the game is. The game is you need to keep your sanity in times of crises. As a viewer, you see one hour but as a participant, we are in the house 24 hours a day. There are 150 cameras. If you feel nervous as a viewer, you can imagine how we would feel as contestants. It is a very difficult game. But once you know you are in the game, you need to prepare yourself for it.” So what has she learned from her experience there, I ask, as I ponder over whether I could do something like Bigg Boss myself. She explains, “the one thing I learnt is that there is a reason why you have been put there. You have to try to be yourself as much as possible because they have put us all together because of our unique personalities. The better you are at being yourself, the longer your journey will be.

there cannot be another “Kaanta Laga Girl” See, our season was long, and it was extended by five weeks. So, when you are ther and cut off from your family and friends, trying to peacefully co-exist with a bunch of people that you may or may not like, and Bigg Boss is giving you challenges to determine your captaincy – so there is a mini-crisis every minute. You need to have friends and alliances in the house and that was the difficult part for me because everyone has an agenda, everyone wants to win the trophy…especially as a wild card. You are not given time to warm up to the game. Also, there is so much that happens that you don’t get to watch – sometimes you don’t see the action that caused the reaction that you saw. You also need to keep your patience. You got to keep it together but you have to be expressive and stand up for what you believe in. Regardless, I had a lot of fun though!” Today, then, having done all that she has done, what is the inspiration behind her drive? As an artist, you need to constantly keep reinventing yourself if you want to last long. I have studied to be a computer engineer – so I have something to fall back on. I used to dance and when that got monotonous for me, I went into acting. Acting is a challenge for me, I am learning something new every day. You cannot stop having fun. All I know is that I’m here to stay and I think I am born to be a part of the entertainment industry.

INTERVIEW

AN EXTENSION OF EXPRESSION THROUGH HER MUSIC

Subhi Interview By Armin S.

Delhi born

Indo-American Singer-Songwriter Subhi is all of this talent bunched together which comes out through her songs. Her songs are extensions of herself, as she pours her life stories and observations into her melodies as she plays the piano and croons. Whether it be my favourite “Aaghosh”, “Cage” or “Naqaab”.

“ALL OF MY SONGS, UP UNTIL NOW, HAVE BEEN VERY PERSONAL TO ME – SOMETHING THAT I’VE GONE THROUGH AND I ALSO OBSERVE A LOT.”

INTERVIEW

SUBHI, WHEN I LISTEN TO YOU SING, I FEEL YOU SING FROM WITHIN. YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO ACT THROUGH YOUR SINGING, AND THAT MEANS TO ME THAT THE EXPRESSION COMES FROM WITHIN. I UNDERSTAND IT WAS YOUR GRANDFATHER WHO USED TO RECITE URDU POETRY. THINKING BACK TO YOUR CHILDHOOD, WHAT WAS THE ENERGY LIKE THAT HAS IMPACTED YOU TODAY AS A MUSICIAN AND SINGER?

Lyrically, my grandfather has played a huge role in my interest in poetry in general. My grandmother and grandfather were in Lahore, Pakistan and when the partition happened, they moved to Delhi so he knows how to read and write Urdu. He would recite a lot of poetry to me and explain the meaning behind the lyrics. That’s how my interest in words and poetry came to being and the storytelling behind those words. My grandmother was always interested in Indian classical music. My grandfather was also the General Secretary of DAV (a big chain of schools in India) so we used to go to a lot of these schools for annual functions and watch all of these performances. My grandparents always made it a point to take my sister and I to watch these kids. I think that really internalized the love for music. My parents really loved Bollywood music, playing old songs and I grew up listening to that at home and in the car. Bollywood was really in my blood growing up. So, even though nobody in my family comes from a musical background, the fact that everyone was a music lover, that really helped me fall in love with music in general.

AS I LISTEN TO YOU SPEAK, IʼM SMILING BECAUSE THAT POSITIVE ENVIRONMENT GROWING UP JUST RESONATES WITH ME SO MUCH. BUT YOU WERE WORKING ON WALL STREET SO WHAT MADE YOU QUIT FOR YOU TO PURSUE YOUR PASSION FOR MUSIC?

Basically, it’s funny, I was just following my sister’s lead. We both went to the same school, college, and got a job on Wall Street – just like a traditional, Indian girl. I mean, I had amazing co-workers and a great working atmosphere but I started realizing that I could not spend in my life in a cubicle. I started realizing this because when I got free time, I would read up on Vishal Bhardwaj and R.D. Burman and all these personalities. I thought maybe I could do this on the side. But what really did it for me was, I was a television anchor for a lot of Asian television shows like Times Now and Headlines Today and that’s what I did in New York. I met a lot creative people through that and it was fulfilling me in a way – like I had my day job and then my evenings and weekends were filled with that. I interviewed Mira Nair and she said she is looking for a Punjabi person who is into music and for some reason, she kept thinking, I’m from Himachal. I told her that I’m actually Punjabi! I ended up with an internship with her to help her create the reference for Monsoon Wedding: The Musical. When I worked on that project, and eventually,

other doors opened for me. That’s why I realized that there are people who do this for a living. And that I can do this.

IT DOES TAKE COURAGE BECAUSE MAKING IT BIG IS NOT GUARANTEED. SINGERS ARE ALSO NOT AS WELL COMPENSATED AS ACTORS. SO KUDOS FOR FOLLOWING YOUR DREAMS AND FOLLOWING YOUR GUT.

Yes, I mean, I was going to be promoted at work, and I realized I was not happy at work – and if I wasn’t happy then, I wouldn’t ever be happy. It was a difficult choice to make because you are financially stable in that job but I decided to quit after three years.

NOW, I SHOULD TELL YOU MY FAVOURITE SONG OF YOURS IS “AAGHOSH”. I REMEMBER LISTENING TO IT SOME TIME BACK AND I REMEMBER THINKING I COULD DRIVE ALONE FOR A LONG TIME TO THIS SONG. WHAT GOES THROUGH YOUR HEAD AS AN ARTIST WHEN COMING UP WITH A TRACK?

Usually, songs just come to me. At least, that’s what was happening to me when COVID happened. Specifically, “Aaghosh” happened to me like that. I learned that word through my husband; he always says “Aaghosh mein aja” and that’s when I realized what that word means. Since 2012/13 to 2016, I was going back and forth from Mumbai to Chicago because I wanted to get into Bollywood and write for Bollywood directors and films. I was making these rounds and I had just gotten married. My husband was in Chicago and I was in Mumbai – and we were in this long distance relationship and so, I wrote “Aaghosh” for him. That’s how the concept came about. All of my songs, up until now, have been very personal to me – something that I’ve gone through and I also observe a lot. Very rarely do I write a song and the words just come to me. But “Naqaab” did just come to me like that – while I was on the piano. But I don’t like to force words.

I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ENVIOUS OF THE ABILITY OF SONGWRITERS AND SINGERS TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES BUT DO YOU GET STUCK SOMETIMES? HOW DO YOU COME OUT OF THAT?

I think this has been the toughest year for everyone, like I can’t go out and play music. We’re all trying to stay away from crowds, friends…and I drive my energy from people. So it’s been hard writing songs sometimes this year. And every few months, I’ll go through this where I feel like I can’t write songs anymore. I have this fear of whether I’ll be able to write again. “Cage” is actually about a writer’s block. Sometimes, if things aren’t coming to me, I don’t force it. Like, if words aren’t coming to me, I will turn to nature. I will go for long walks. Earlier before this year, short trips would really heal me. I also try to listen to other music. I also try to make sure I have flowers at home – specifically, yellow flowers.

INTERVIEW

PUSHING BOUNDARIES IN MUSIC

AVINA SHAH Interview By Armin S.

hen you listen to her music and see her work, her style is varied. You cannot fit her into a box and that’s exactly what she’s doing for. She does not want to be predictable, and she walks that delicate line of ensuring she has what it takes to perform but that her work also holds meaning to her. Speaking to Avina Shah is like getting into the headspace of an artist – and that’s what we hope we’ve done.

INTERVIEW

I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU STARTED PERFORMING AND SINGING AT A VERY YOUNG AGE, AT AROUND 3. TELL ME ABOUT GROWING UP AND WHAT THAT WAS LIKE.

My first stage performance was actually when I was three years old. My family is very musical and they actually put me on stage at the age of 1 and I played the baby (chuckles) in a big, musical play they did.

WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO GROW UP IN A HOUSEHOLD THAT FOSTERS AND NURTURES THE ARTS BECAUSE IT ISNʼT ALWAYS THE CASE THAT SUCH THINGS ARE ENCOURAGED IN SOUTH ASIAN HOUSEHOLDS, ESPECIALLY OUTSIDE INDIA?

They never really pushed me into doing it as a profession or anything like that but it was always a hobby. Studying was always a priority and I was in college, university to fulfill that. Music, however, was always a part of my life but I was doing it on the side. I guess it has really shaped my future, without realizing it. Like, I wasn’t a child thinking I wanted to grow up wanting to be a singer but it was always just a passion and that is the same in my family.

WHAT DID YOU GROW UP LISTENING TO AND WHAT WERE YOUR MUSICAL INFLUENCES GROWING UP?

I remember as a child, I listened to a lot of Bollywood, old songs. My dad used to play them in the car – they were the classic, beautiful, old Bollywood love songs. Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle – all of them. That’s really stayed with me all these years. I sing so many of these songs and I love them. Now, growing up in the U.K., I started to listen to a lot of Western music. That’s really all a part of me. With the music I’m releasing now, you can really hear all these difference influences come in – in the music I put out there. And I love looking at Rihanna, who is my all-time favourite, and then Beyonce and J.Lo and what they are doing.

INTERESTINGLY, ALL THREE THAT YOU MENTION BEYONCE, RIHANNA, J.LO – ALL THREE ARE WONDERFULLY GREAT PERFORMERS. HOW DOES WHAT THEY DO IMPACT YOU?

I like to change myself through every release and adapt and I really like to be unpredictable with my audiences and really pushing the boundaries in doing something that hasn’t been done before by anyone else. That’s my influence. People like that, Beyonce, Rihanna, J.Lo – they have always pushed the boundaries so much. They are super iconic. So, I don’t like doing the same thing every time. You will see something new every time.

YOU ADDRESS ADDICTION TO SOCIAL MEDIA IN A NUANCED KIND OF WAY, YOU ADDRESS THE ESSENTIAL WORKERS DURING COVID WITH “SITARON PE NAZAR”, YOU WRITE SONGS TO SHED LIGHT ON DOMESTIC ABUSE. HOW DO YOU ENSURE YOU

If you look a bit deeper, there is normally a message behind each song. STRIKE THE APPROPRIATE BALANCE BETWEEN THE SOCIAL MESSAGING, BUT KEEPING THE FEEL OF THE SONG INTACT?

I always try to do that with my music, to strike that balance, because that’s actually how I started off my career – with ‘Tera Bina’, which you rightly saw was about domestic violence and raising awareness surrounding it. It is a very sensitive subject and one that not everybody likes to talk about, especially in the Asian community. I feel music is the best way to communicate a message. It has so much power to bring change within people – I try to do that as much as possible, whether it is through the words, lyrics or songs or the visuals to a song. Visuals can really bring a song to life and reflect what the song is really about. I do still want to keep my songs peppy and catchy and something people can groove to, but

NOW, THIS YEAR, YOU HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN VERY BUSY – YOU HAD “GROOVE” WITH CHRIS GAYLE COME OUT. ITʼS A SONG I CAN REALLY VIBE WITH AND BOTH OF YOU HAVE DONE A VERY COMMENDABLE JOB IN INFUSING VARIOUS TASTES IN MUSIC. WHAT WAS THE THOUGHT PROCESS BEHIND THE SONG?

“Groove” was a song I created about a year and a half ago – what you hear without the part of Chris Gayle in it. I already wanted to infuse the Western and Indian flavours into it. It is my Eastern and Western side – and add all of these different flavours to the song. Chris was the perfect person to come on board – he came on during the lockdown period. When we got introduced to each other, we had the idea to put the Jamaican/Caribbean flavour into it. We thought it would work perfectly. The flavour he has added is just on another level. I guess we put all of our ideas together and it just came out wonderfully.

SO WHAT WERE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES WHEN MAKING THE SONG DURING THE LOCKDOWN?

We started communicating during the lockdown period and I was on holiday in Greece. He was in Jamaica and he was going to leave for Dubai very soon for the IPL (cricket) tournament. It was such a smooth process working together – it was very quick. The idea was initially that he was going to remix one of my other songs, “Playboy” but then we started talking about “Groove” and we then started talking about adding the Caribbean flavour to “Groove” because it may work a lot better. Within a week, he wrote his part, shot the video, and I was just very much blown away with the way it sounded and what he created. There were no creative differences and we just vibed straight away. To be honest, “Groove” has even exceeded my expectations.

INTERVIEW

MUSIC IS THE FUEL AND FIRE THAT MAKES IT WORTH LIVING

Interview by Armin S.

t hasn’t taken long for Bengaluru based DJ/producer Kunaal Gurbaxani aka GURBAX to build a legacy for himself in the Indian electronic music scene. Leaving the conventional path for others to follow, he started out playing guitar in punk and thrash metal bands before discovering his love of bass music while attending college in Atlanta. Today he is one of the most fresh and ubiquitous DJ/ producers in India. In Summer 2020, the ‘Boom Shankar’ and ‘Aghori’ hitmaker also featured on the line-up of global digital music festival ‘Electric Blockaloo’ & has a bunch of music scheduled to release this year. Hailed as one of the fastest rising names in the country’s electronic dance music scene, GURBAX is the first Indian trap artist to debut at the psychedelic playground ‘The Mushroom’ at the virtual edition of the revered annual weeklong desert gathering, ‘Burning Man’ which was scheduled from August 30th to September 6th this year.

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INTERVIEW

FROM INDIA TO THE STATES AND BACK, HOW HAVE YOU GROWN AS A PERSON WHICH HAS FED INTO YOUR MUSICAL PERSONA?

My relationships, personality & interests all revolved around music throughout high school & college. Being in Bangalore during the mid 2000’s was a strong factor in spawning my early love for rock & metal, and similarly, living in Atlanta during the EDM explosion around 09’-14’ was where I started to grow an affinity towards dubstep, trap, hip hop, soul, funk, etc.

TELL US ABOUT BURNING MAN AND YOUR EXPERIENCE AND DEVELOPMENT FOR IT.

Honestly, it’s been the highlight of this year. The feeling of seeing my name on the same lineup as some of these artists whom I’ve looked up to for years is worth so unreal. I can’t even begin to explain it.

WHAT ACTUALLY GOES INTO THE MAKING OF A LIVE SET - WE ARE SO USED TO SEEING DJS RELY ON A SMALL LAPTOP AT VARIOUS WORLD EVENTS?

I treat it as a form of story telling. One that uses sounds to make you feel the ebb & flow of life’s emotions - love, excitement, melancholy, suspense & escape. The laptop is a powerful performance tool - some artists would just do the bare minimum with it, but for me, every track I’d play is tweaked to fit my vibe & energy..

WHAT DRIVES YOUR PASSION FOR MUSIC TODAY?

Imagining just 1 person out there in the world shed a happy tear & get some solace from my music

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE MUSIC IN YOUR LIFE?

It’s my ikigai. The fuel & the fire that makes it worth living.

INTERVIEW

EMBRACING DIFFERENT LIVES THROUGH ACTING

DEEKSHA JOSHI Interview By Armin S.

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Actor Deeksha Joshi, who

primarily works in Gujarat cinema, has paved a path for herself that is harmonious with her passion and what she has learnt. She recently received the best actress award for her film ʻDhunkiʼ, and keeps going strong with her recent release 376D. I ask her about her first realization of her passions, how her education has helped her in her work, and what acting means to her.

o i r r . t m g k f n d .

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WHEN DID YOU FIRST REALIZE YOUR LOVE FOR FILMS AND ACTING?

I realized my love for films and acting when I was very young, in school. I always wanted to be a theatre actor but as I started exploring acting in front of camera, it excited me and I wished to do more and more of it. I figured that this along with writing was my passion.

YOU HAVE BEEN A PART OF SOME VERY NOTABLE GUJARATI FILMS IN THE PAST THREE YEARS. DO YOU FIND THAT REGIONAL CINEMA IN INDIA DOES NOT GET ITS DUE AND IF SO, HOW DOES THAT IMPACT ACTORS LIKE YOURSELF?

Regional cinema has started getting noticed now. Some wonderful Malyalam and Marathi films have been made in the past several years. The rawness and authenticity of such films is what draws the audience towards them. Gujarati regional content is also making a huge mark, take Hellaro for instance. It is the age of good content.

Regional cinema has started getting noticed now.

YOU'VE STUDIED GENDER AND LITERATURE. HOW HAS THAT CRITICAL THINKING SHAPED YOU AS AN ACTOR?

I loved all the subjects I studied in college however, my favourite was Gender and Literature. It has shaped my life. It enabled me to start questioning and thinking critically. I began to discover my voice and this helped me while doing the characters in most of my works. I would question the director. I would choose characters that were of great value or had some substance. Of course - Not every work gave me that opportunity, but my search was always towards finding the soul of the character.

376D LOOKS EXTREMELY INTERESTING BUT LOOKS LIKE IT COULD TAKE AN EMOTIONAL TOLL ON THE ACTORS WORKING IN IT. WHAT WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE? HOW DID YOU COME OUT OF AN EMOTIONALLY CHARGED SCENE?

Once I am connected to a character, I start empathizing with it, feeling its pain and stop judging it. I keep Deeksha aside for a while and really start to understand the character's psyche. In 376D especially, I had the opportunity to do so. To feel the pain of Sandhya (the character) and Sanju (her boyfriend ). Having said that, I knew exactly that I was acting and so I could snap out once the scene was over.

WHAT IS ACTING TO YOU?

Acting is an opportunity to embrace different lives. It is a chance to do my human revolution and expand my life force. Acting is a way of life I feel, it keeps me grounded and I keep growing. I am now spiritually connected to this art form.

INTERVIEW

yra BanerjeeÊ¼s work has been varied, from appearing in Telugu and Hindi films and receiving love and adulation with Divya Drishti on television. Given the number of years she has under her belt and the adoration she has garnered, we thought it would be fun to ask her abouts her firsts: FIRST TIME FACING A CAMERA I did not really know what a camera even looked like. I was also surprised that a lot of close shots are directly into the camera and not to the person Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m supposed to be communicating with. It was scary.

FIRST TIME FACING REJECTION AND HOW YOU DEALT WITH IT It was weird. Sometimes, you just feel like you gave a good audition. And then, after all the appreciation, you wonder what goes wrong. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disheartening.

FIRST TIME FEELING ACCOMPLISHED I felt like Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m just so loved by so many people â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and the fact that they want to see me on screen. It just pushes me harder to become a better person.

FIRST TIME YOU TRULY FELT HAPPY IN THE PROFESSION: Divya Drishti â&#x20AC;&#x201C; indeed. It was the best response I got out of all of my work.

THE FIRST PERSON YOU CALL WHEN YOU GET GOOD NEWS Mommy always.

THE FIRST PERSON YOU CALL WHEN WHEN YOU GET BAD NEWS No one. May be mom.

THE FIRST THING YOU WANT TO SAY TO YOUR FANS I love you. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m filled with gratitude.

INTERVIEW

RAJDEEP CHOUDHURY BEING AN ACTOR IS A CONTINUOUS STRUGGLE Interview By Armin S.

INTERVIEW

WHEN DID YOU FIRST REALIZE YOU WANTED TO BE AN ACTOR?

Perhaps as a kid watching Utpal Dutt in Golmaal or perhaps as a student at school whilst performing for school plays but I never got around to take it as a career. Academics became a priority, then studying abroad, jobs, switching countries from India to Australia, then the UK. It’s only recently that I was in a position in life where I could switch my career and go and pursue something I always wanted & believe me, I couldn’t be happier.

YOU'VE BEEN A PART OF PROJECTS LIKE CHECK YOUR PRIVILEGE, AADAT DIARIES, JACK AND DIL, AND DANGEROUS. WHICH PROJECT HAVE YOU LEARNT THE MOST FROM AS A PROFESSIONAL?

I am definitely not allowed to use my mobile whilst having dinner with family

Rajdeep Choudhury

pursued other avenues that life brought his way before he realized acting was his calling. He has never been happier, and while he has been a part of some great projects, there is a lot more in store for him and the audiences. Here’s my interview about his projects, those close to his heart, staying healthy, and what the future has in store for him.

My debut film Jack & Dil was with very experienced actors. It’s given me a strong base and a lot of confidence. I genuinely believe every project teaches you something. What I enjoy most in every project is who I meet. There are always such talented people on sets from various departments of filmmaking.

ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, WHICH PROJECT HAS IMPACTED YOU THE MOST?

All projects have an impact but your first film is always very special and stays with you forever and hopefully for good reasons. I remember my first scene vividly. It was great.

HOW DO YOU ENSURE MENTAL WELLNESS AT A TIME OF THE ERUPTION OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE CONSTANT MICROSCOPE ON THE MOVEMENT OF ALL ENTERTAINERS?

Great question. To be honest I have great bunch of friends and family around me who keep me sane from everything. Being an actor isn’t easy; it’s a continuous struggle which the audience perhaps does not see. I travel a lot, meet my friends, engage myself in various activities to keep myself busy such as horse riding, gym, cricket, and painting.

DO YOU DO ANY SOCIAL MEDIA DETOXING? IF SO, HOW? IF NOT, HOW DO YOU STRIKE A BALANCE OF BEING OFF YOUR PHONE SCREEN AND BEING ON?

I must admit my phone is always with me. My sisters are the ones who tell me off. One of my elder sisters who lives not too far from me in London... tells me off big time for using the phone all the time. I am definitely not allowed to use my mobile whilst having dinner with family or if we are watching a program together.

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HAVE IN STORE (OR COURSE WITH THE CAVEAT THAT SOMEHOW WE RESUME SOME SORT OF NORMAL AFTER THIS PANDEMIC)?

I have been lucky that I am already back on set and filming. I have just shot a televsion commercial for a major UK brand Specsavers & I have also been signed for a feature film for a British Production house. Apart from that, my lovely agent Gina keeps me busy with auditioning and self taping.

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AWARENESS

A WOMAN through a

MALE’S GAZE in Bollywood By Niva Sandhu

t is the year 1960, and a Bollywood film in faded colour comes on screen. The opening act begins with the villain who is obnoxiously laughing while he attempts to rape a woman who is clearly fearing the worst. This a very common scene from films from the 1960s-early 1990s. Physical abuse like slaps, shoving and rapes were so common in film scenes during these decades, that they seemed to showcase the norm among men in society. Just this year, northern India has been in the spotlight for brutal gang rapes, the most recent case of a 19 year old Dalit woman just outside of Delhi. Let’s not forget the most vicious attack and gang rape of Nirbhaya on a bus. The question I would like to pose, “Is the objectification of women more prominent in South Asian Culture due to media’s negative portrayal of the way men treat women?”

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The sexual objectification of women in films is a recurring problem in Bollywood Films. I am not just talking about dramatic and violent films in which the villains sexually objectify females. But even the most loving films have normalized the objectification of females. Take for example romantic comedies such as Hum Apke Hain Kaun (1994), Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), and Kabir Singh (2019). All three of these films have one thing in common: loving and romantic couples who are deeply in love with each other. But yet, the objectification has become so normalized that it is often overlooked by the audience. In some instances, both parties may consent to the light foreplay however, in many cases you see an uncomfortable woman who either wants to appease her male lover or is too shy or afraid to say anything because society has normalized his actions that even if she were to speak out no one would take her seriously. This subjective treatment of women is not just problematic in South Asian cultures but also prevalent in Western culture. I remember nearly 2 decades ago when I was a junior in a predominantly white high school in New Jersey. It was gym class and we were all doing our warm ups before volleyball practice. One of the popular boys who was on the football team and a cheerleader were goofing around during warm ups. He came up close to her and began making humping motions while the class laughed and the gym teacher told him to simply “get back to his warm ups.” The girl’s reaction? She uncomfortably and quietly let him make those motions close to her body, cracked a fake and extremely uncomfortable giggle here and there and just waited for him to finish goofing off. The scene always made me think what made that boy’s actions okay to the point nothing was done to stop the incident or make it right? Have such actions become so normalized among males that even school authority figures like the teacher didn’t think it was inappropriate? The girl did not ask him to stop and students around joined in the

laughter. Because the “boys heavily ingrained in the mind

Hathra’s recent gang rape ca taken so seriously in my opi A former judge of the highe stated that the reason Hath because there is a massive India, therefore, males are u marry them. He also went on natural and necessary urg deprivation is due to the fact can only have sex through are not happening this is raping women.” Let this rea sink in. This is the type of mi power have.

Another common practice t Asian culture is manipulation groping. This way of woo practice in the film DDLJ (19 “Ruk Ja O Dil Deewane” in w on stalks Kajol in order to ge way of gaining a girl’s attentio in films to the point women d Please tell me how acting lik guy is really into me? In the shown forcefully laying his he clearly wants nothing to do games with her several ti confused, “He likes me? He plays around with Kajol’s bra

Hum Apke Hain Kaun (1994 that has undertones of male male central film in which the by their wives and daughte important life decisions for Pooja’s marriage to Rajesh.

s will be boys” mentality is ds of society.

ase recent in India was not inion. Where is the outcry? est court in India, publicly hra was gang raped was e rise in unemployment in unable to find a female to n to say that since sex is a ge in men, their severe t that in Indian culture men marriage since marriages the reason why men are asoning by a former judge indset people in position of

that is prominent in South n, stalking, cat calling and oing a girl was common 995) specifically in the song which Shah Rukh Khan full et her to like him back. This on has become normalized do not realize this is wrong. ke a predator equals to this e train scene, SRK is also ead in Kajol’s lap when she o with him. He plays mind imes where Kajol is left e likes me not?” He even a in the train scene!

4), is another romantic film hegemony. HAHK is a very e men are treated like gods ers. The men make all the the women. For example, I don’t recall her parents

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asking Pooja if she even wants to get married? Second, Nisha’s marriage to Rajesh after her sister passes away. The marriage was fixed due to the fact that their grandson needed a mother and who better than his massi to fulfill that role. The women in this film, I felt, were completely voiceless. Then we come to the popular song “Didi Tera Devar Deewana” and the famous scene where Salman Khan uses a sling to hit Madhuri Dixit’s bum. It was done with an “I can” attitude and everyone laughed rather than find it strange. Kabir Singh (2019) is a modern day film that runs off of ideologies from the 1940s and 1950s when women hardly had a voice and alpha males were prevalent. Kabir Singh is an alpha-male, hot tempered, violent young man who flings around his girlfriend as he pleases. Although their relationship is consensual, along with the on demand sex, Kiara Advani is a submissive girlfriend who lurks in Kabir’s shadows. She barely speaks and only speaks her mind at the end of the film when she is fed up and feels she has nothing to lose. The most hard hitting scene for me was when Kabir slaps Preeti because she does not choose Kabir over her father at that very moment. Although some may argue that the scene portrays real life events, I am here to argue that the film industry is extremely influential. Showing scenes of men hitting women makes it seem like it is okay to do that. Our impressionable society tries to enact these characters in their real lives. Is this the path we want our society to head towards? Hollywood has recently made some progress in their films by changing focus from sensualizing womens’ bodies to focusing on the woman as the center of the story. Films like Hustlers (2019) and Netflix Series Unbelievable (2019) have been at the forefront of this positive change. These films do not just show females one dimensionally using a male gaze. In fact, these films were praised for actually representing women’s stories at the forefront rather than focusing just on their sexuality and bodies.

INTERVIEW

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Even reading negative comments can be triggeringâ&#x20AC;?

KANCHAN RAI Interview By armin S.

anchan Rai, a mental wellness coach, sits down to chat with us about her own journey of depression and what we can do in times like these to keep our spirits up. Kanchan believes that there are definitive ways to take care of your mental health, and now, more than ever, we need to pay attention to triggers. We speak to Kanchan about mental health issues in light of COVID-19 and social media.

INTERVIEW

I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU WENT THROUGH A TIME OF DEPRESSION YOURSELF. DO YOU REMEMBER HOW YOU CAME OUT OF THAT?

So my journey to depression was really very hard. Coming out of it, initially, I went to doctors and I started taking medicine to help me sleep for a good number of hours. After a certain period of time, I realized that it wasn’t working. Sleeping all day and just waking up to eat was just difficult to maintain. Then I tried a coach. I appointed a life coach for myself and she really helped me come out of depression and lead the life I am leading now.

WITH THE INCREASED STRESS OF DEALING WITH COVID-19 AND THE ISOLATION THAT COMES WITH IT, WHAT DO YOU THINK PEOPLE CAN DO TO KEEP THEIR SPIRITS UP?

To deal with stress during COVID-19 and isolation – you have to remember that you have to isolate yourself socially, not emotionally. You have to be attached to your near and dear ones emotionally more rather than physically. If you have to do something, try to create a positive zone for yourself. You have to make space in your head and thoughts in your mind that are positive to boost you to do something that could be seen as unachievable, do something new and do something challenging. Take the next step to achieve the challenge. Do not sit at a point where you feel like you are not stretching yourself. Push your limits. Be there emotionally for your family. Hobbies are also very important so work on something that you have always wanted to do. Best thing is that you should spend “me” time and develop the real person inside you.

WITH THE ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS TODAY, SOCIAL MEDIA IS SUCH A HUGE PART OF CELEBRITY LIVES. HOW DO YOU THINK TROLLING CAN AFFECT SUCH PUBLIC FIGURES?

Public figures are aware of the likes and dislikes of certain people. Every celebrity understands that whatever they do may be appreciated by some people but not be appreciated by others. They have that mindset that they do not look for one hundred appreciation for whatever they do. They are usually comfortable enough that they cannot make everyone happy. While it affects them, they are usually trained in such a way, so the side effect may not be that big that it plays a huge part in their mental health.

CAN NEGATIVE COMMENTS ALSO BE TRIGGERING FOR OTHERS READING SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS AND THE SUPPORTERS OF A PARTICULAR CELEBRITY?

If you talk about a topic or a person who you are connected to, emotionally or physically, so that will definitely impact you and you may not feel good about it. If something negative is happening to someone you follow or someone you support, it may create triggers for your own mental health.

DO YOU FIND THOSE IN THE LIMELIGHT MAY BE MORE PRONE TO MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES? WHY OR WHY NOT?

I think a huge big myth around mental health is that it is only for certain people – it is not limited to a profession, age, gender. Mental health issues can arise in anyone’s life. There is not one particular profession or gender which is more prone to such issues. It can happen to anyone.