Stardust - August 2020

Independence Special: Films, Freedom & Patriotism

AUGUST 2020 India ₹ 75.00 UK/Europe € 3.99 USA/Canada $ 2.99

A MAGNA PUBLICATION

“People just didn’t give me films.”

– Amit Sadh

“No, It’s rubbish!

Sushant Singh Rajput wasn’t troubled in any way.”

– Mukesh Chhabra

Suicide, Mental Harassment or Murder Most Foul?

The Sushant Singh Rajput case files get murkier...

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Publisher Editor Head of Business Development Graphics Designer

: Nari M. Hira : Sumita Chakraborty : Prashant Rane : Sayad Zaid Inamdar

Please write to stardustindiamagazine@gmail.com and give us your comments, suggestions, opinions, criticism and feedback.

We have several new exciting things – from great articles, interviews, candid pictures and interactive competitions with great prizes in the offing, so watch this space for more…

COVER STORY

Suicide, Mental Harassment or Murder Most Foul! .............................................................................................13

IN FOCUS…

“No, that’s all rubbish. Sushant wasn’t troubled in anyway.” - Mukesh Chhabra .............................................25

INDEPENDENCE SPECIAL:

Films, Freedom & Patriotism ...................................................................................................................................19

FEATURES

Court Martial: Amit Sadh ......................................................................................................................................35 Music Room: Shruti Pathak ..................................................................................................................................47 Web Star: Neeraj Kabi ............................................................................................................................................57 Blast From The Past: Rakhee ................................................................................................................................65

COLUMNS

Neeta’s Natter ........................................................................................................................................................03 Wild Encounter: Madhurima Tuli ........................................................................................................................41 My Fave Things: Eli AvRam ...................................................................................................................................53 Starry Sashay .........................................................................................................................................................31 Stardust On The Go ..............................................................................................................................................33 Starry Look: Katrina Kaif .......................................................................................................................................63 Stardust Spotlight .................................................................................................................................................73

STARDUST is published monthly by the proprietors MAGNA PUBLISHING CO. LTD., Magna House, 100/E Old Prabhadevi Road. Mumbai 400025, India. Tel No: 91-22-67091234. Editorial texts and illustrations are the copyright of the publishers of this magazine. No one may reproduce any material before permission is obtained in writing.

All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent courts and forums in Mumbai (India) only 2020 Copyright Magna Publishing Co Ltd. Volume No 50 (No. 07) Please address all your advertising, subscriptions and trade enquiries for to: Magna Publishing Inc, 125 Central Park North, PH4, New York NY 10026. T: 212-725-7833 F: 212-889-3250 E: stardustmagazine@aol.com

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Salman Khan has been ignoring all the trollers who have been attacking him mercilessly instead, he’s deactivated himself from people and got connected to Mother Earth. That’s right, he’s been farming and rather earnestly by the look of it. Of course, girlfriend iulia is there right beside him wiping his sweaty brow.

Very romantic!

Talking about Salman Khan, where is his “best buddy” Shah Rukh Khan? SRK really has been quiet for some time. …Perhaps he’s been taking social distancing rather seriously. Very wise, we say, more so with the many controversies erupting in the industry, it’s best to keep a low profile.

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Not keeping a low profile are Anurag Kashyap and Ranvir Shorey. They’ve been squabbling with each other on social media on trivialities. Grow up boys, why don’t you call and iron out your differences? Better option no? Instead of making fools of yourself in the virtual world.

Who is really big in the digital world is the gorgeous Disha Patani. We are told that any post of hers garners a huge audience.

Perhaps it’s something to do with her posing day in and day out in skimpy Calvin Klein bra and panties that make the toughest men weak in their knees.

Tiger Shroff too has been setting the digital world on fire too. And, how! He’s been posing shirt-less quite a bit, no wonder there are so many swooning ladies swarming to see his pictures over and over again.

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Another hunky guy Sidharth Malhotra has, however, decided to give his bod a break and instead exercise his grey cells. Yes, this handsome lad has been catching up with his reading during the lockdown period. Who knows he may just stumble on the perfect script which may upset his perfect record of recurring flops?

Manoj Bajpayee however has no fear.

He’s been riding on the success of his web series Family Man for quite some time.

And now that Season 2 is just ‘round the corner, Manoj is back in the driver’s seat ready ‘n’ waiting to surf the wave of success yet again.

Talking about families, the Nawab’s family is going to be getting bigger. That’s right, Saif and Kareena have confirmed that there will soon be a new addition to their family. Looks like Saif and Kareena have made good use of the lockdown, right?

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Talking about Kangana Ranaut, she’s been fighting very hard to be heard in the Sushant Singh Rajput case. That girl has her heart in the right place, we know. However, all her poison tipped arrows have steadfastly pointed at the nepotism gang. Come on Kangana, new facts have emerged and guess what Karan Johar, the “nepotism flag bearer”, may not be involved in all the cases of the world! Really!

This girl sure is in love. Yes, we are talking about Sonam Kapoor who spent an entire week before her hubby Anand Ahuja’s birthday quizzing fans about Anand’s fave things. Yawn, ah well, we guess only Anand and she played this love game!

Games and Khiladi Kumar go together. Akshay Kumar decided it was about time to start work but he couldn’t shoot in corona ridden Mumbai. So he did the next best thing, he flew his entire crew to Scotland to shoot his next film. This man sure has style!

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Amitabh Bachchan ko gussa kyun aata hain? Well an anonymous troller got Big B’s goat by telling him nasty things including stuff like he should die from Corona.

Big B took to social media rather like his ‘angry young man’ avatar and thundered at the nasty troller who by now must have taken to his heels and decided never to get him cross ever again.

We didn’t know Katrina Kaif loved cricket. Well, she seems to be an avid fan and insists that she’s always ready to play the game whether attired right or not. Vicky are you listening?

Deepika Padukone seems to be in the news these days, however not for the right reasons. Her squeaky clean image has taken a bit of a beating when the news of her allegedly taking 5 crores to go for the JNU event came out. But we know our Dips, she’s going to bounce back… her battery of PRs will ensure that!

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Someone else who is waiting to ride the success bandwagon again is Taapsee Pannu. On the professional front, things have been a little quiet what with the lockdown and of course, her last few films hasn’t exactly got the box office ringing. But no worries; on the personal front, Kangana Ranaut’s frequent name calling keeps Tapsee in the news! So that’s not all that bad! Is it?

Varun Dhawan has something to celebrate about. It’s been four years of Dhoom and he put up a post of John and his buffed up body for all to see.

We say go for Dhoom 2, Varun, you’ll have the girls swooning over you and John. And, how!

With all these insider and outsider debates, Kartik Aryan must be feeling sandwiched. After all, he is an outsider who has made his way into the insiders camp. So does that make him an outsider insider or an insider outsider?

Something is not all that right in Bollywood this year. Sanjay Dutt who had recently got himself admitted into the hospital complaining of breathlessness, has been diagnosed with lung cancer. He has now been advised to take a break from films for medical reasons. Get well soon Sanju Baba!

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Talking about Sadak 2, Aalia Bhatt seems to have become troller’s favourite whipping girl. First they attacked her for being a product of nepotism, now as papa Mahesh Bhatt has got himself entangled into Sushant Singh Rajput’s case, she’s bearing the brunt of nasty maniacal comments too. Poor gal!

Cat’s Crown

This month goes to...

Abhishek Bachchan, who unfortunately, fell prey to Covid 19 and was sent packing to a quarantined hospital. But the good news is that his multi-layered performance in the web-series Breathe Into The Shadows was appreciated and he’s back in the running again! So get well soon Abhishek, good things are waiting for you.

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Cover story

Suicide, Mental Harassment Or Murder Most Foul?

+ + + Sumita Chakraborty probes into the shocking facts revealed in Sushant Singh Rajput’s untimely death.

It’s two months now that the very talented Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead in his rented Bandra apartment.

But the fiery embers of his controversial death refuses to be snuffed out.

More and more, Sushant Singh Rajput fans who now call themselves Sushant Singh Rajput warriors, are coming out in the open shouting for justice for their hero.

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That Fateful Day Let’s retrace our steps back to June 14, 2020. At about 1 pm, news channels clamourously announced that Sushant Singh Rajput, the powerhouse performer from Dhoni had committed suicide and was found hanging from a ceiling with his own FabIndia kurta. Supposedly his friend Sidharth Pithani, and two cooks were there in the house at that time. According to them, he had asked for a juice in the morning and after that gone into his room and had locked the door. Later when they didn’t get a response from Sushant, they called a locksmith to open his door, and found him hanging by his neck on the ceiling fan. The police pronounced him dead.

What was strange was that by 1 p.m. itself, the internet went viral with gruesome pictures of the dead Sushant Singh Rajput.

Nepotism Hit Suddenly there was utter chaos in Bol-

What was strange was that by 1 p.m. itself, the internet went viral with gruesome pictures of the dead Sushant Singh Rajput. lywood. Practically everybody started pointing accusing fingers at the insiders club headed by Karan Johar who as the “dubbed” nepotism flagbearer, remain a soft target for one and all having an axe to grind against nepotism. So yes, the ferocious topic of nepotism pioneered by the firebrand Kangana Ranaut reared its head yet once again. People whispered that this talented actor was pushed into taking this dreaded step by many selfish powers that ruled Bollywood. The tussle between insiders and outsiders became the hot subject for debate.

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Mumbai Police say Suicide At that point, the Mumbai police ruled out foul play and concurred that the post-mortem reports indicated suicide.

But was it all as clear cut as the Mumbai police portrayed? Just a week before Sushant’s death, his manager Disha Salian allegedly committed “suicide” or “accidentally” fell from the balcony of a 14th floor building in Malad, Mumbai. Was Sushant and Disha’s alleged suicides linked? The Mumbai Police emphatically said no and turned their gaze to various producers and directors in Bollywood. They questioned Rhea Chakraborty, Aditya Chopra, Mukhesh Chhabra, Shanoo Sharma, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Sushant’s friends Mahesh Shetty, Sandip Singh, Sidharth Pithani and some others. Disha Salian’s death was not an angle they wanted to pursue or even check.

It took two months for the whispers to turn into cacophonic outbursts. Unsavoury accusations were hurled all across…. From YashRaj jailing Sushant in a ‘no breach’ contract so much so that he lost A-grade films including Galiyon Ke Ram Leela and Bajirao Mastani offered to him by illustrious director Sanjay Leela Bhansali which at the end was bagged 15

by Ranveer Singh, ironically, from the YashRaj camp too. But strangely his contract wasn’t as water-tight as Sushant.

So you can imagine the mental trauma this young actor went through when he watched his pet projects being bagged by somebody from his own camp. At that

“Mumbai police doesn’t listen to me and take investigations to completely different direction.”

– K K Singh, Sushant Singh Rajput’s father point, director Mahesh Bhatt was the first to point fingers at Sushant’s mental health. He claimed that “Sushant was going the Parveen Babi way.” Of course, his clarion statement made people look at that direction which kind of backfired because they also started suspiciously examining his closeness to Sushant’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty, and that raised quite a few eyebrows.

Was It Murder Most Foul?

But the curious case of Sushant Singh Rajput wasn’t just a simple one of mental health. In fact, as time lapsed, the case became murkier and murkier. Things reached a zenith point when Sushant’s father filed an FIR in the Bihar High Court against Rhea Chakraborty and her family members “of giving an overdose of medicine to Sushant Singh Rajput to “grab” his property. In the affidavit, filed by senior superintendent of Bihar Police, Rhea Chakraborty has been accused of coming in contact with Sushant “with the sole motive of grabbing his money and later painting a false picture of his mental illness.” In the affidavit, Bihar Police mentioned that KK Singh in his complaint said that Rhea Chakraborty took Sushant Singh Rajput to her house and “started giving him overdose of medicine”. The Bihar police also added that despite total non-cooperation from Mumbai Police, they found several leads in the investigation. They told the Supreme Court that since the investigation points are scattered in different places in India, they suggested a CBI probe into Sushant Singh Rajput death case.

Incidentally, supposedly Sushant’s father K K Singh as far back as February contacted a top Mumbai cop on whatsapp claiming that Sushant’s life was in danger. But the Mumbai cop did not pay heed as he felt it wasn’t formally filed.

Not Listening Strangely enough the Mumbai police kept insisting that the Sushant Singh Rajput case seemed like an open and shut case of suicide.

But something was rotten in the state of Denmark as the great bard Shakespeare would say. KK Singh told the Supreme Court that the “Larger picture is I lost my son. Mumbai police doesn’t listen to me and take investigations to completely different direction. My daughter could enter into after body was reportedly brought down. Nobody in family has seen his body hanging.”

Explosive statement because until now people assumed that the police brought down Su-

The Forensic investigators do admit that they hadn’t even videographed Sushant’s post-mortem. shant’s body after his sister came to his apartment. But to the contrary, according to Times Now, the body was brought down by Sidharth Pithani before the police walked into the scene.

Again supposedly the forensic team carried out their examination of the “scene” only after three days. According to a senior Forensic

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investigator, they were called on the second day of his death, but they could make it only on the third day as there were too many Covid

Supposedly, the body was brought down by Sidharth Pithani before the police walked into the scene.

19 cases. So in three days, valuable clues could have got lost.

Torn Pages TV actor Ankita Lokhande, Sushant’s live-in partner of seven years, who was strangely not interviewed at all by the Mumbai police, claimed that Sushant used to always write in a diary about whatever he did. So it was rather strange that a man who wrote every little detail of his life in a diary, did not leave a “suicide” note.

The Times Now probe further confirmed that Sushant’s diary had been tampered with. There were about 5 to 6 pages torn so there was no record of the last few days of his life.

Strange And Stranger What was strange again was that Rhea had walked out of Sushant’s house on June 8, 2020, the same day that Disha Salian fell to her death from the 14th floor. She went on to block him 17

and refused to take his calls.

Of course, strange whatsapp messages did the rounds stating that Disha Salian allegedly had gone for a party thrown by Sooraj Pancholi at his penthouse, and supposedly there was a rape and she was found fallen to her death.

And somehow she managed to tell Sushant about it. At the same party allegedly Dino Morea, Sidharth Pithani, Shouvik Chakraborty (Rhea’s brother) were present. Sooraj Pancholi however, averred that he had never met Disha in his life so there was no question of a party. Disha’s parents too insisted that Disha had met Sushant only once so there was no question of any connection with him and they just wanted to be left alone to grief for their daughter.

“It is submitted that the transfer of investigation to CBI by Bihar Police is illegal and bad in law.” – Rhea’s lawyer Money Removed Keeping the Disha Salian angle aside, KK Singh, Sushant’s father, however, alleged that from Sushant’s account almost 17 crores was embezzled. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) called Rhea Chakraborty and her brother to their

office and grilled them for more than 18 hours.

Supposedly according to Times Now, Rhea’s ITR showed a dip in her income but her income had increased almost more than double. She had allegedly also bought two posh houses in a luxe area in Bandra. Her brother too had gone on an international holiday and spent a lot of money. Irregularities that needed to be examined, no wonder the ED took so long to grill them.

True or False?

But what was a cause of alarm was the media expose of an ambulance personnel who had taken Sushant’s body. Supposedly the man allegedly said that his legs looked bent as if they were broken. Also the bruise on his neck looked as if it came from a rigid object and not from a kurta. These claims however have not been authenticated or verified. Was the forensic botched up. One doesn’t know but the Forensic investigators do admit that they hadn’t even videographed Sushant’s post mortem. In fact, supposedly, even his nail clippings weren’t taken.

Calls Galore What is further very strange is that supposedly Rhea had made several calls to a top cop on the day Sushant died. She had also made many calls to Mahesh Bhatt. Further more, it does seem suspicious that she who had put on her Instagram a message to Amit Shah asking for a CBI inquiry, was now roadblocking a CBI enquiry into Sushant’s case. According to her lawyer,

“It is submitted that the transfer of investigation to CBI by Bihar Police is illegal and bad in law.

However, the Petitioner reiterated that she has no objection if this Hon’ble Court refer the matter to CBI by its order and even if the CBI investigates the matter the jurisdiction will still be with the Courts at Mumbai and not at Patna.”

Is there a bigger and more dangerous hand in all this?

Or was it suicide?

Case Files Indeed, the Sushant Singh Rajput case files are becoming murkier and murkier. What is the truth? Why are the Mumbai police roadblocking the Bihar police? Is it merely a “territorial” battle or is there more to it? Is there a connection between Disha Salina’s death and Sushant Singh Rajput’s death? What has Rhea to do with all this? Why would they get rid off the golden goose which Sushant Singh Rajput must have been for some people? Is there a bigger and more dangerous hand in all this? Or was it suicide? As things are moving, perhaps the truth will be revealed soon. But for now, we would like mourn the death of this truly sensational actor Sushant Singh Rajput who could have gone extremely far in his pursuit of stardom and broken the nepotism seal on Bollywood.

May his soul rest in peace.

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Border: It’s been 23 years yet this fabulous film from JP Dutta has not been forgotten. Released in 1997, this film was set on the battle of Longewala during the Indo-Pakistan war in 1971. It was an adaption of real life incidents and starred Sunny Deol, Suniel Shetty, Akshay Khanna, Rakhee, Jackie Shroff and so many others. Who can forget the soulful song ‘sandesa aaya hain’ from this film that sends goose-bumps to our spine even today?

Sunny Deol who portrayed a pivotal character in Border avers, “Living a life dedicated to our country is always special. However, Border will always be different as it is a film depicting the realities of the war in its truest essence. While I did not have to do any special preparation to play Major Kuldeep (now retired as Brigadier Kuldeep Singh Chandpuri), what I did was, live in the moment, and be a proud Indian.”

Rang De Basanti: The story is about five young men from Delhi who lived a carefree life until they acted in a documentary film on five revolutionary Indian freedom fighters. Inspired from the freedom fighters, they assassinate the Indian Defence Minister for his act of corruption that was responsible for the death of their friend, an Indian Air Force pilot.

Trivia: Supposedly, Shah Rukh Khan was supposed to play Ajay Rathod which was later played by R Madhavan, but things didn’t work out. However, the film went on to become a cult film inspiring millions.

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Swades was on the true-life story of a NRI who comes back to India to serve the country. Produced and directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, the film starred the great Shah Rukh Khan and Gayatri Joshi. The song Yeh Jo Desh Hai Mera was so popular that it almost became a national anthem. Shah Rukh Khan was so pleased with the way Swades had turned out that he had commented: “I cant thank Ashutosh enough for Swades.”

Parmanu in short was the fascinating story of Pokhran directed by Abhishek Sharma and jointly written by Saiwyn Quadras, Sanyuktha Chawla Sheikh and Sharma. It was released in 2018 and starred John Abraham who went through severe training and physical transformation to become his character Ashwat Raina, a junior bureaucrat in the PMO. John was so involved in this film that he said after its release, “ Releasing Parmanu is like giving birth.”

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Raazi starring Aalia Bhatt and Vickey Kaushik was a spy film directed by Meghna Gulzar. It was released in 2018. Based on Calling Sehmat, a novel by Harinder Sikka, it is the true story of a RAW agent who is married into a family of military officials in Pakistan prior to the 1971 India-Pakistan war. This film also starred Aalia’s mum the talented Sonia Razdhan. In fact, Aalia said, “I was nervous not for myself but for her. I hoped my mother had memorised all the dialogues. I would get nervous if she forgot her dialogues. Obviously, she has worked for far longer than I have and she is a much better actor than I am so she was so chilled out.”

The Legend of Bhagat Singh is a 2002 film directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. The film is about the legendary Bhagat Singh, who fought for Indian independence along with fellow members of the Hindustan Republic Association. It starred Ajay Devgn along with Sushant Singh, D. Santosh and Akhilendra Mishra as the other lead characters. Raj Babbar, Farida Jalal and Amrita Rao play supporting roles. The film chronicles Bhagat Singh’s life from his childhood where he witnesses the Jallianwala Bagh massacre until the day he was hanged to death -23 March 1931.

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Lakshya was released in 2004. It was a war-drama directed by Farhan Akhtar and produced by Ritesh Sidhwani, starring Hrithik Roshan, Amitabh Bachchan and Preity Zinta.

Hrithik Roshan played the role of Lieutenant (later acting Captain) Karan Shergill, who develops from an aimless young man into an army officer. It is a coming-of-age story set against a fictionalized backdrop of the 1999 Kargil War. Hrithik Roshan at the celebrations of 15 years of Lakshya said, “It was a beautiful story that touched my life.�

The Ghazi Attack released in 2017. It was a war film written and directed by Sankalp Reddy.

The film was based on the mysterious sinking of PNS Ghazi during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. It starred Rana Daggubati, Taapsee Pannu, Kay Kay Menon and Atul Kulkarni. The story was about an executive naval officer of the Indian Submarine and his team, who remained underwater for 18 days. The film explores the mysterious circumstances under which submarine PNS Ghazi sank off the coast of Visakhapatnam in 1971.

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In Focus

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No “

No,that’s all rubbish!

Sushant wasn’t troubled in any way! – Mukesh Chhabra

”

In a candid conversation with Sumita Chakraborty, Mukesh Chhabra, the king of casting and the director of the late Sushant Singh Rajput’s last film Dil Bechara, talks about Sushant and more.

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Every actor knows Mukesh Chhabra… after all he is the king of casting in Bollywood. But more than that, he’s the one who discovered and cast the late Sushant Singh Rajput. Ironically, Mukesh’s directorial debut Dil Bechara was Sushant’s last film. Extremely close to Sushant, Mukesh is still in shock about Sushant’s untimely death.

In a candid interview, Mukesh gives deep insights into his relationship with Sushant, working with him in his directorial debut and his profound shock on Sushant’s untimely death.

Along with that, he shares some wonderful unfiltered pictures of him and Sushant. Read on…

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“

Sushant was so charming in his auditions.

”

Why did Dil Bechara take so long to release. I know circumstances forced you to release it on the OTT platform but perhaps if it had been released earlier, it would have had a theatre release?

The film wasn’t ready earlier, then we decided to release it on May 8th, 2020 and the day was locked too. Then came the pandemic, so that’s why we released it online. We really just want everyone to watch it safely at this point.

Dil Bechara was Sushant’s last film... how was it working with Sushant?

Sushant was like a brother to me. We worked like we were a family. Not as actor-director but like two brothers having fun on the sets.

“

Sushant was like a brother to me.

We worked like we were a family.

�

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“

Sushant too kept pushing me to be a director and make my own films.

”

There are so many conflicting reports about Sushant’s last days and behaviour, did you find Sushant troubled in any way?

No, that’s all rubbish!

Being so close to Sushant, his suicide must have devastated you, what kind of person was Sushant?

Of course, I’m still in disbelief about Sushant’s death. Everyone knew the person he was, jolly and happy, creative and super talented. He always found joy in little things.

You discovered Sushant too as a casting director, what was the x factor you found in him to make you cast him as a lead?

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He was so charming in his auditions. His ‘X’ factor was his charm as well as him being a really good actor. It was an instant click.

What made you change course - from casting director to director?

During my process of casting, I really liked how I used to audition actors. I developed the interest to direct from casting itself. I probably voiced it to a few close friends. Sushant too kept pushing me to be a director and make my own films.

You’ve seen different sides of Bollywood, do you think the film industry is closed to outsiders and more receptive to star kids?

No! Even in web-series, there is a constant demand for the lead to be a known face, isnt this biased towards outsiders?

We have not come across this, we have cast for so many web shows and cast actors that are absolutely new faces. I guess it depends on the show.

“

I didn’t know what was going on with him, I only wish I did.

Your lead heroine Sanjana Sanghi did a remarkable job in the film, how was it working with her?

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I had a great experience working with Sanjana. She was always up for any challenge and kept surprising me every time.

Mukesh in all this, you must be hurting... is there something you feel you could have done for Sushant or would like to say to him? How are you coping with all this? It is a personal toll and you must be traumatised.

I didn’t know what was going on with him, I only wish I did.

What’s next for you?

I haven’t decided as yet.

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Starry Sashay Blue is the hue of fashion this 2020. Not just any blue, but the brilliant blue of a mellow mid-evening horizon. That’s right, the style trend-o-meter has spoken and deep blue rules the colour palette on the ramp. So if blue is the promised hue, can our Bollywood and Hollywood trendsetters be far behind? Watch them ramp up the style quotient on the fashion front.

And how!

Aishwarya Rai

Anushka Sharma

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Kajol

Kareena Kapoor

Sonam Kapoor

Disha Patani Selena Gomez Sunny Leone

Jennifer Lopez

Priyanka Chopra

Rakul Preet

Kriti Sanon

Shraddha Kapoor

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Stardust on the go

Are actors outside their shooting world as glamorous as they look on the silver screen? Can female actors in Tinsel Town be good friends?

Who are the new lovebirds in B-town? Team Stardust brings you a bird eye’s view into the private lives of Tinsel Town eye candies.

Bhai Bhai - Salman Khan and Khandan enjoy Rakshabandhan

Hey mommy - Ayushmann Khurana and brother Aparshakti truly believe mom knows best

Click click - Disha Patani shows her stuff

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Cha cha - Varun Dhawan and his lil niece

Hunk o meter - Tiger Shroff shows off his mean muscles

Do Not disturb - Kajol takes a coffee break

Charpoy break - Vicky Kaushal and Taapsee Panu enjoy some fun n frolic between their shoot

Fun n frolic - When the Kapoors meet

Foodies paradise - Kartik Aryaan enjoys gorging on some good food

Sibling bond - Sara Ali Khan and her brother Ibrahim enjoy spending time together

Hooked n booked - Sid Malhotra loves his books

Munchkins ahead - Taimur Khan and Inaaya Khemu pose for the shutterbug

Cake queen - The gorgeus Katrina Kaif spends her birthday counting cakes

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t ial r u rt o C a M

“People just

didn’t offer me too many films. – Amit Sadh

”

Explosive and fearless, one of Bollywood’s most under-rated yet powerhouse performer, Amit Sadh tells Sumita Chakraborty why he hates being called an outsider, why the industry didn’t give him work after Kai Po Che, why the TV industry banned hm and how he’s currently lovin’ it that he is being finally accoladed as an actor ad performer.

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“Remove this “outsider” tag and realise that are we creating a fair environment especially for people who come from small towns?”

You are the most understated and underrated actor in the Hindi Film Industry, is that a conscious decision? Are you like that as a person too, you do your work single-mindedly, go home and do your own thing?

Its better to be under-rated than over-rated. As for being understated, well that’s my personality. I always tend to stand behind. Sometimes actors tend to get worried about the camera angle, light kis pe hain, are they being seen, not seen… I have two logics behind that. Even as an actor or if I’m doing a part, I’m like an animal, I don’t care who is being seen, who is getting more prominence, I just don’t care. I’m just happy doing what I’m supposed to be doing. In life also, I’m like that. I read something about animals that they are not bothered who is watching them, they do whatever they should be doing. They are constant in their gaze, their actions or the emotion they are in. They don’t care about what’s happening around them. Somehow now that you’ve asked me this, I feel over the years, finally I’m understanding what I am. So I’m that sort of a guy who likes doing his own thing, who doesn’t care what’s happening around him, who just does his thing and moves out.

Its funny to see or hear about other people’s perception of me. They tell me, ‘Aap kachua ho’ (You’re a tortoise). I don’t really care. I think I’m just very comfortable in my skin and in my stride. So I work and do my own thing and I think I’ve struck out a nice balance.

You’ve been in the in the industry for a decade or more.. but you haven’t been seen in too many films.

Everybody agrees that you are a powerhouse performer, so was signing less number of films something you decided?

No That’s not true at all. People just didn’t give me too many films.

Why is that? Is it the same tussle between ‘insiders versus outsiders’?

That’s not my problem! If they don’t want to give me work, I never complain because in life you can’t crib.

Somehow the producer, directors I wanted to work with, I did! Also, you can’t work more than this especially if you want to do quality work. I prefer to work on my character rather than worry about why people aren’t offering me films. Also I never had options to choose from. It’s just that was lucky that if I lost one film, I got another good film.

Why is that? More because you’re a fantastic performer…

That’s something you should ask the industry. Ask the producers and directors about this. If I had the answer to this, then I would be in a different league. But I don’t care or pay attention to that. If you don’t want to give me work, don’t give. I have the arrogance that if you don’t give me work, I’ll do something else. In life, there is no work that I can’t do. If necessary, I can be a security guard but I’ll do my work with diligence, dedication and respect. But if you don’t give me 36

“I just love Abhishek Bachchan for being fair and treating me equally.” respect, I don’t want to work with you.

So consistency is very important in life especially for an artiste. If you are going to become a puppet in somebody else’s hands, then you should be ashamed to be called an artiste.

Is it because of your attitude? You call a spade a spade, you don’t butter up people or fawn over them…

You know me… I’m nice and polite to everyone. But I wont go out of my way to unnecessarily praise or flatter any or anybody, I’ll praise my cook if he’s done a good job or somebody who is working hard, I’ll boost his confidence. But I won’t butter up anybody just to get myself some advantage. I have a lot of confidence in myself to do that.

In Anupama Chopra’s interview with you, you say you’re not an outsider but you say that with protest. What do you mean by that?

You know people have gone on and on about me being an outsider. It started irritating me so I decided I’ll end the matter by saying I’m an insider. I decided I won’t allow anybody in the world, nor in this industry or elsewhere to make me feel inferior. …To make me feel less. That’s why I made that statement that I’m not an outsider. I have another philosophy of “outsiders” and “insiders” – I even did a TEDx talk on this. Today, I’m in a good position. But I believe it’s the duty of everybody who is in a good place to help and be kind to people who are behind. So this debate is not about “insiders” and “outsiders”, 37

this debate should be about people who are ahead and in a good place, are they big enough to realise there are people behind. Remove this “outsider” tag and realise that are we creating a fair environment especially for people who come from small towns? They are not ready-made actors. Do we have a system here that encourages them rather than chasing them back, feeling inferior? There’s no rocket science in this. These are basic things. All we need is the will to understand that in this industry we should be equal. We should be fair. And I hope this starts.

2020 may not be happening for many people but for you, it’s really going good. From Breathe Into The Shadows, Shakuntala Devi, Yaara, Avrodh to more, you are now being seen and appreciated a lot. Are you happy? (laughs) I think everybody is struggling.

I think if I can be a catalyst during this time to make you happy or smile with my shows, that makes me happy. So I’m happy that during the lockdown I have brought a smile to people with my performances. But yes, thanks to Covid 19 things are bleak. So how can I be fully happy when the world is happy? But yes, I’m happy that my shows helped people through these difficult times. I’m associated with five teams and that gives hope.

You’ve been associated with Breathe Into The Shadows for some time. How was it playing Kabir Sawant?

My journey as Kabir started four years back when Vikram Malhotra gave me this role on a platter. There was a section of people who thought I couldn’t do this role. They thought I couldn’t do a tough cop role and my image was of

“Whoever has banned me before, I’ll work with them too provided people respect each other and where art and artiste are given importance.” a lover boy. But the producer Vikram Malhotra stuck his neck out for me and I so thank him. The good thing is that people who said all this weren’t my detractors, they loved me. And when the first season came, they came upto me and said, “Amit we were wrong yaar.”

In Season 2, there’s a change. There’s a new dimension for Kabir but he’s the same guy. He has healed from his traumas. This guy is somebody who doesn’t leave things undone. If he has made a mistake, he likes to rectify it. He’s also a very intelligent cop.

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“Sushant and I both have the same spine. Both of us are fearless.�

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Is there a bit of Amit Sadh in Kabir Sawant?

Lots of it. (Laughs)

How was it working with Abhishek Bachchan?

I can just say this in one simple sentence that he’s my favourite co-star and my favourite senior. He’s so fair. I’m waiting for him to recover so that I can just go and hug him.

I worked with a lot of senior actors and they all have been very nice to me. But Abhishek has been extremely fair, the most giving and loving co-star. I just love him for being fair and treating me equally.

You’ve worked with Vidya Balan in Shakuntala Devi, what was the experience like?

Shakuntala Devi was a fabulous experience. My role is beautiful.

It was produced by my mentor Vikram Malhotra again who gave me Breathe into the shadows I’m a huge Vidya Balan fan so I’m really upset that I played her son-in-law.

I’ve made it clear to her that this is just something I’ve done in this film, next time I have to be her lover.

Jokes apart, the cast was stellar and I’m really happy.

Amit, you recently lost a colleague and friend Sushant Singh Rajput who you worked in Kai Po Che with…

Yes, I get choked when I talk about him. The memories of our friendship and his essence will always stay with me. The stuff we did, the mischief, the laughter, the banter… it will always stay with me. There’s so much I want to say about him but when I want to talk about Sushant, I get so choked. We were so full of mischief when we were doing

“I made it clear to Vidya Balan that next time I have to be her lover.”

Kai Po Che and I will remember it all my life. We both have the same spine. Both of us were fearless and I think that’s something I will remember all my life.

Who is the real Amit?

I’m a normal boy in torn jeans with an un-ironed white shirt. I have the same dreams, hopes and aspirations and that’s the way I want to continue living. I love being with normal people, doing normal things. I love being grounded. Its called earthing and I love being connected to the earth, and only when you do that, you have the energy and the spark.

You were banned by TV, you said once in an interview?

Well, it was a statement said in anger. But it was a true statement but I’m not a cry baby. I’m fearless now.

I’ll work wherever there is a good ambience and good work. Where people respect each other and where art and artiste are given importance. Whoever has banned me before, I’ll work with them too provided the same criteria’s exist.

What’s next for you?

I will give some good news soon. It’s really amazing.

Will you give us good news on the personal front too?

Well whenever I get married, I’ll send you the card first (Laughs).

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Wild Encounter

“ Yes, I have encountered t

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the casting couch twice! ” – Madhurima Tuli

I

n a fun-filled conversation with Sumita Chakraborty, the sensual Madhurima Tuli talks about films, casting couch, sexual fantasises and more.

“ I want to be marooned on an island with Hrithik Roshan.

She’s debuted in Bollywood in the film Baby opposite Akshay Kumar. But she became the the talk of the town when she walloped ex-boyfriend Vishal Singh on the rear with a frying pan in Bigg Boss and was chucked out because of her ‘violent’ behaviour. Spunky, sassy and super sexy, the gorgeous Madhurima Tuli explores her dark side – fantasies, dreams and more…

You became an actor because…?

I became an actor because I always was fascinated by the idea of glamour and the idea of playing various characters. I wanted to be Miss India but that didn’t happen. So I pursued modelling and then acting happened. Acting is not just about glamor, it’s a lot of hard work, patience, and perseverance. You have to give your life, your faith and belief here otherwise, it’s really very difficult.

You’ve worked in regional movies too, tell us about that?

I have worked in four different languages in movies. They are not very different. They are all movies and you are working in front of the camera. The people are different. The culture is different. Though we all are Indians, we are all from a different culture. That’s all.

However, we are professionals and down south, they are also very professional. It’s great fun to work in good content and we know that content is the only hero. The content is different otherwise it’s the same.

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”

You have done movies and television, what do you think about the digital platform?

I have done movies and TV both.

Digital platforms have become a huge hit too. Every actor is coming on this platform and that’s the best part. They are coming out with great content. Now-a-days, people mostly are watching digital series. I too am currently doing a digital webseries for Applause Entertainment. So hopefully, it should come out soon.

The film you absolutely loved working on… …Baby. My all-time favorite director Neeraj Pandey directed it and it had Akshay Kumar who is my all time favorite actor. These two were the huge pluses. I always wanted to do a good big film. Though my role wasn’t big enough I am quite content as it finally shaped up well. The second is Warning - that’s also one of my most favourite films. It was a youth-centric and very challenging. We shot in Fiji for 53 days and we were in the water in the middle of the ocean for almost 40 days.

We got tanned, there were jellyfish. We got stung by jellyfish but we never gave

“I am a very passionate lover. up… and that is something which will always remain special to me.

The character you thought suited you to the ‘T’: The character which I played in Warning suited me to the T. She was a lawyer - a confident independent woman. She had her own mind. She was hardworking and she never gave up. So I could relate to it as I am somewhat that. So I loved playing the character.

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”

“ I saw Fifty Shades Of

Grey for the sex as it was promoted as such but it had beautiful emotions in it.

”

The most wonderful thing about being an actor is….

You can play different roles. You can be a doctor, magician or anything. It’s about how you take the character. Also travelling to different places is also one of the perks of being an actor.

What is the worst possible thing about being an actor?

One wrong move you make, and you fall hard. The audience stop accepting you.

They criticize you. How you take it is important. You fall a lot. Some go into depression and such things. But that’s a phase and like we say, everybody has ups and downs and it will pass. You just have to be strong. You must be patient.

What are the three most essential things you carry along with you all the time?

My wallet, my mobile, and my charger.

What in a man turns you on?

I think how he behaves with a woman, his odor and his sense of humour.

What in a man turns you off?

Lies and dirty nails.

What’s the mantra to impress the opposite sex according to you?

There is no mantra to impress the opposite sex. Just be who you are. If the right person likes you, it’s just going to happen. The magic just happens. So just be yourself and if someone has to like you, he will like you for just the way you are.

Have you ever been hit on by the same sex? What was your reaction?

I have been hit on by the same sex. I was a little taken aback. But then again, they are also human beings. So once you break that ice, they are amazing people. It’s nice to be hit by the same sex.

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“ I am hard

”

Madhurima Tuli

working but I am a bit lazy as well.

When was the last time a guy or a girl chased you? Or you chased someone?

The last time a guy chased me was during one of the shows I did. I asked him to stop and when he stopped, I chased him… so yeah that was it.

Which is the most awful one-liner you have come across or used till date?

There have been people who have said awful one-liners but I don’t really remember.

There have been some cheesy people who say things which just disgusts you and it’s a turn off.

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A situation you felt awkward in?

It was when this guy was chasing me, he used to sing songs with all the DOPs and I was embarrassed. So I asked him to stop. So he stopped. But then that’s what I was enjoying.

So I asked him to be the same fun loving guy he was.

Have you ever drunk dialed anyone?

Yes, I had drunk dialed my boyfriend once. That was the first and the last time.

What’s the most awful situation you faced in Bollywood?

The casting couch.

Bollywood’s dreaded casting couch has reared its ugly face many-a-times. Have you faced it?

Yes, I have faced the casting couch. It’s very, very ugly. These people don’t understand where the girl or boy is coming from. They just hit on you in such a sleazy way. It makes you completely numb. You are left with no words.

You are here to work and not to give pleasure.

That’s something which is very very wrong. It shatters your confidence and self-respect. It happened to me twice - and I was scared of men for a year and a half. It took me a while to get back. It just shatters your confidence and its a terrible thing to do to anybody.

As an actor, what are your three most valuable strengths…

The three most valuable strengths I have is hard work, patience and maybe, my smile.

As a person, what are your three biggest weaknesses?

The biggest weakness would be I think I sometimes think too much. I am hard working but I am a bit lazy as well.

If marooned on an island, which actor would you want to be with?

I want to be with Hrithik Roshan.

In a relationship, would you be a daunting or chilled out partner?

In a relationship, I am a chilled out partner but I am a little possessive but otherwise, I am quite easy.

Have you ever been cheated on and at what age? What was your reaction?

I was cheated on by one of my boyfriends. I was

“ The casting couch is very very ugly.

”

24-25. It was not a good phase. I lost trust in men. But now I have moved on and not every man or girl is like that.

What kind of a lover are you?

I am a very passionate lover. I am an extremist.

I don’t care or think about the world. I just want to be with that person. I want to grow with him and do everything possible with him. So yeah that’s what I feel love is about. Being with the person, caring and being happy.

What is the first thing you notice in the opposite sex?

His behaviour and overall persona.

What’s your take on open relations?

For me, it’s a big no but there are some people who are very comfortable with that. For me, there is no security in it. For it to happen, both the partners have to be so evolved and secure to be in an open relationship but I cannot be in an open relationship.

Which is the strangest place you’ve made out in?

I haven’t experienced the strangest place to make out yet. It still is on its way and hopefully soon.

A film you saw only for the sex in it?

It would be Fifty Shades Of Grey as it was promoted as such but it had beautiful emotions in it.

What’s your perfect date like?

My perfect date would be somewhere out of town near a beach or a mountain. Candlelight dinner under the stars with beautiful breeze and great food. That would be my perfect date.

If you had to describe yourself, what would it be?

I am fun loving yet at times shy. Hardworking and loving. I am sometimes selfish but more of time, loving and a go-getter.

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Music room

“ I’ve had a special association with Priyanka Chopra in my career graph.

”

- Shruti Pathak

Her soulful Bollywood debut ‘Mar Jaawaan’ is still remembered for its heart-wrenching connect.

Meet the super talented Shruti Pathak who tells Sumita Chakraborty how she entered Bollywood, her pet project Guzzler and more...

How has your musical journey been so far?

I have music in my life because of my father. He was an avid listener and a music lover. It wouldn’t have been the same for me if it wasn’t for him. I started learning Hindustani classical music at the age of 10 from my guruji Shri Divyang Thakore in Ahmedabad and then later from Shri Sunil Bargaonkar after moving to Mumbai. Music defines me and has made me the person I am today. I can proudly say that is the most beautiful part of my life.

How did you come to Mumbai and adjust to the vibe of this super busy city?

I hail from Ahmedabad, which absolutely has a different vibe, different culture... Initially when I moved alone to Mumbai there were struggles but along with difficulties, this city also comes in with a lot of learnings. Mumbai is home now... It welcomed and embraced me with so much love and experiences that changed my life. This city has carved me as a musician and a human.

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Tell us about your first break in Bollywood and how it all happened?

I happened to meet Salim Merchant through a college friend of mine. And Salim is the one who not just recognised my singing talent but also discovered the lower octave texture I was not even aware of. He is someone I have learnt a lot from and will forever be grateful to him for giving me my tailormade debut song ‘Mar Jaawaan’ from the film Fashion starring Priyanka Chopra and Kangana Ranaut. My life changed overnight and the feeling is indescribable.

on hold as I was an absolute newcomer. But Salim-Sulaiman really believed in me and bent backwards to get me to do the song.

How is your rapport with the other singers in the industry?

All my friends are from the music industry. Be it singers, composers or writers. And of course, some of them are my best friends.

In an industry which is so competitive and so fast paced, it’s difficult to have such connections on a personal level. But I think I am blessed. I might not have made billions but I have earned real friends, genuine relations that will last a lifetime, people I surely know will always have my back.

“Any artist who is born in India and who sings professionally, would love an opportunity to work with A.R. Rahman sir.”

‘Mar Jaawaan’ got you a lot of accolades and awards too, how did you get this break?

I happened to meet Salim and he decided to try my voice out on a Gujarati track for Vaibhavi Merchant’s musical. While recording that song, he discovered my voice texture in the lower octave which he absolutely loved and then when he was composing the songs for Fashion, he called me and said - I have the perfect song for you. Which initially was put 49

Have there been times when you didn’t connect to a song you sang?

Not really. From the very beginning I was clear I wanted to focus on quality and not quantity. I still try and follow that. When I moved to Mumbai, I had made a list of people I wanted to work with. I think I’ve almost achieved that... And that matters more to me as an artist.

What do you think about the digital platform? Do you wish to work on the digital platform any time soon?

When I started my career, there was no social media or digital platform but now there is ... Which is wonderful... I recently started my Youtube channel where I put up a mashup or a cover song every month. Its a series I call ‘Shruti Pathak discovers’.

It’s fun connecting with new audience and catering to them. While the old ways had its own charm, the new platforms do help artists showcase their passion projects without being dependent on anyone. And I think that’s amazing. As they say, change is the only constant.. And if it is a good change, one must embrace it and grow with it.

How do you define Indian music? What do you think platforms like Coke Studio bring to Indian music?

I think Indian music is something you cannot define... It’s vast. There are so many genres...

There’s so much to learn, to listen to... Music I believe should just be felt ... Whatever genre whatever language ... Indian music has so many layers, it will take a lifetime to explore. So why define? Just get on the ride and enjoy..

Properties like MTV Coke Studio or MTV Unplugged are amazing platforms to showcase music that can reach out to the music lovers without any backing of a film, purely on the basis of its musicality. I’ve been a part of three seasons of Coke Studio India and that’s been one of the finest experiences working with and collaborating with some extremely talented musicians like Shafqat Amanat Ali, Karsh Kale, Hans Raj Hans, Hitesh Sonik...

Actors from the Bollywood industry you would want to playback for: Honestly, a piece of good music or a beautiful song is what an artist craves for ... It doesnt matter who is acting in it ... Of course, you expect it to be enhanced and you always have your favourites you would like to sing for. But at the end of the day, a good song makes it all worthwhile 50

“My debut song from Fashion or my songs like ‘Tujhe Bhula Diya’ and ‘Aas Paas Khuda’ were a part of Priyanka Chopra starrer film Anjaana Anjaani.”

What significance do you think does an item number hold in a Bollywood film?

All kind of songs have its own value addition..

While it works wonders to promote a film, it’s not easy to sing an item number. The energy level, the expressions, the character a singer adds to an item song is real talent and hardwork. We as human beings can easily relate to the emotions like love or heart break, but an item song I think requires a lot more from the singer because it’s not the most natural thing to be able to relate to. You’re becoming that character and delivering the song.... It’s not a cake walk... You’re blessed if you have music in your life, it doesn’t matter what language or what genre.

When you compose a song, how do you visualize the tunes matching with the films you are composing for?

I’m still to explore that. I’ve been creating a bank of songs during this lockdown. I’m using all my musical knowledge, skill and time into composing songs and exploring different genres and moods, before I kickstart post covid.

Do you think you have got your due in the industry?

As an artist, you never feel satisfied... There’s always more you can do and you want to do...

There is no limit to how much you can explore in music... I’m greedy as an artist... I have a long way to go, lots more to do and will always have more to attain, till I physically can...

Which is your favorite genre and why do you prefer that genre?

I don’t limit myself to a genre... Whatever my heart craves at the time... While I absolutely love ghazals and poetry. It totally sails my boat. There’s this crazy connect I feel with poetry in any form ... That’s why at the peak of my career I decided to not limit myself and explore ghazals simultaneously... It’s called Is there any actor you think your voice Guzzler - the spirit of ghazals - a project by suits best?

Shruti Pathak... I have performed at many I’ve had a special association with Priyanka music festivals and concerts with this unique Chopra in my career graph. My debut song concept, which I personally explain as, ghazals from Fashion or my songs like ‘Tujhe Bhula Diya’ with a twist. I also have a special look for it... and ‘Aas Paas Khuda’ were all a part of a PriyanThe nose accessory which has now become ka Chopra starrer film Anjaana Anjaani. Plus I symbolic to Guzzler... I also hosted a radio have huge respect for her, for her art, for the chat show with Fever FM to promote Guzzler, passion she has for her work and of course, where I successfully managed to have 24 guest the intelligent brain she is. artists like Gulzarsaab, Sonu Nigam, Hariharan, Rekha Bhardwaj, Richa Sharma, Javed Ali and Given that there is a rise of actor singers in so many more ... While that did really well, I Bollywood, who would you love to compose decided to take Guzzler to the next level with for and whose voice do you like the most? a series called Guzzler Cafe on my Youtube I haven’t really thought about that. It’s nice that channel.. Looking at the beautiful response actors enjoy singing, but it cannot be comfor the series of conversations about ghazals pared with a song delivered by a singer. In the and jamming over it, I’m prepping for season times of technology and auto-tune, it isn’t dif2. Guzzler is one of the best things I’ve done in ficult to make anyone sound good. But that’s my musical journey. It’s extremely close to my not the point, right??? How an actor works so heart. hard to hone their craft and give it their all, there is years of riyaaz and practice that goes behind the making of a good singer. I would love to see that kind of efforts put in... Like how in Hollywood so many actors are properly trained in music. It adds so much more value.

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“I cannot wait for the lockdown to get over and finish these projects.”

Your all-time favorite songs and your favorite artists: Its difficult to pick... Every single artist I’ve heard and have learnt from, has influenced me in many ways. I have no qualms in saying I get my inspiration from my fellow singers as well. They all have something unique and special, I try to learn. But if I really have to pick from the music released in 2020, I loved the songs of Chhapaak composed

by Shankar Ehsaan Loy, especially the title track.

It was heart-wrenching... Love Aaj Kal 2 had some really great songs like Shayad Kabhi. And my latest connect is the song Friendzone from Sushant Singh Rajput’s film Dil Bechara. The reason is obvious and very emotional.

Any artist with whom you would want to collaborate in the near future?

Any artist who is born in India and who sings professionally would love to have an opportunity to work with A.R.Rahman sir.. Likewise, it would be an honour for me to work with him... Another music director and film maker I highly respect and would die to sing for is Vishal Bhardwaj. I’m a huge fan of his music and movies.

What are your upcoming projects?

This lockdown has given us all a lot of time to do things that we are passionate about. I have set up a home recording studio, been composing songs as I mentioned earlier, working on a lot of original singles, some interesting collaborations with my friends and colleagues from the industry... I cannot wait for the lockdown to get over and finish these projects, so that these songs see the light of the day in the best way possible.

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My Favourite Things Salman Khan called her a Katrina Kaif look-alike when she was in Bigg Boss 7. But Elli AvRam has blasted all past comparisons to smithereens by carving out her own identity in films and webseries. Her last film Micky Virus earned her brownie points, while her webseries Inside Edge garnered accolades. Here’s hoping to see more of this gorgeous beauty.

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These are a few of my favourite things!

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T T Web Star

An Actor Prepares…

The brilliant Neeraj Kabi talks to Sumita Chakraborty about his journey as an actor, his struggle, portraying a multi-layered character in Pataal Lok, how Ship Of Theseus changed his destiny as an actor and more…

In these days when nepotism has become the buzzword, we decided to spotlight some of the most brilliant talents in our film industry. Neeraj Kabi is one of them. Whether as the troubled father in Talvar, a suave journalist in Pataal Lok, a crooked cop in Sacred Games or so many of his other characters, Neeraj has aced it to perfection. Read on as he fascinatingly talks about his journey as an actor, his struggle, pain and more…

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Neeraj, you are indeed an amazing actor, why is it that we haven’t heard or seen more of you? …And I thought I have been heard and seen enough by now. But if you feel that way, it could be that I choose my work carefully so that I am able to continue working in the industry as an actor for many, many years to come. But I am happy that I have been able to create a panoramic performance range as an actor up until now with an Indian and an international audience continuously wanting to see more of such performances. It’s a blessing.

Of course, there’s a whole reservoir of performances that I am waiting to tap - provided they are written, directed and produced by more and more people who have the belief and courage to invest in actors and not only entertainers - both of which need to coexist.

There’s an audience slowly building up over the last few years to watch and appreciate actors’ performances and content driven films, than mere entertaining movies. This is growing and I am certain you will see more of my work coming up.

How has your journey been?

Very long and arduous..! I dreamt of being an actor in 1991 right out of college. I did try applying at the NSD and the FTII for a formal training but never made it. I got my first film in 1997 called Shesha Drishti (The Last Vision) directed

by A.K. Bir and produced by the NFDC. Then nothing happened. A long hiatus for another 14 long years till Ship of Theseus was created in 2011. And then began the slow and steady journey of my life as an actor. All along this journey from 1991 onwards as I was auditioning for roles, I was continuously trying to find ways of learning my craft and making a living by exploring all kinds of odd jobs hopping from one to the other for sustaining myself and later my family. I won’t be revealing more than this about my personal journey because I hold these long years of hope, pain and struggle very close to my heart and soul. These experiences are what I draw from and add to my craft and technique as an actor. Theatre became a strong foundation for me in those years where I learnt the way of the actor. There was a time I gave up on auditioning. I found it taking my dignity away. I began focussing on creating my own grammar of acting. I learnt many things,

read a lot and watched world cinema with whatever means and wherever I could. By now I was certain that I wanted to be a well-trained actor in Theatre and Films than be a mere Entertainer or a Star. This was clear and this clarity helped me balance myself emotionally and gave me courage to carry on. When so many years had passed, a considerable amount of anger and ego had built up inside me.

Now that nothing had come my way, not even a small role, I decided that I will wait till a role befits my hard work over the years of learning, creating and sustaining a livelihood.

And waiting for me meant more focus, more patience, more courage and more work on myself as an actor in the making and more self-dignity.

Post Ship of Theseus, I did in 10 years what I could not have done in those 25 years. I came at the right time into the industry - at the age of 42 with fire in my belly.

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You hear these stories of outsiders not being welcome in Bollywood, you’re from a small town, how difficult was it to make your mark?

Yes, I am from a small town called Jamshedpur and I take immense pride in that.

That small town upbringing has kept me rooted to the ground and simple at heart. It has also taught me to value the smallest of things and the respect for people.

I would begin to answer the question by calling it the Indian or Hindi Film Industry and not the conventional Bollywood. Our Film Industry has welcomed everybody with open arms. If you have the skill, the craft, the determination, the willingness to work very hard, then there will be opportunities to showcase your talent and be part of the business of films. Of course, it’s not as easy as it sounds. Sometimes with all the above qualifications, you still don’t make it for a very very long time. Having said this, I would also state that when the stakes are high for a particular film, it has been seen that preferences are mostly given to performers belonging to film families or from the film fraternity. These are the decisions of the producers and based on market values, for after all film making is a business like any other. It is their call. These again are specifically related to big budget Hindi commercial films made purely for entertainment. tainment Films ruled high and there was little or no room for “actors”. It had a lot to do with the way you looked and carried yourself and I had neither (laugh).

I understood very early the limited field I had to impress upon. That is where my belief in my craft and techniques helped me to carry on relentlessly until I finally made it.

Which is why I do not believe in comparisons, competitions and complaints because that will emotionally and psychologically drain anybody out. It has to be just you and your levels of excellence.

Despite being someone who didn’t belong to a film family, I have been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity As far as acting, talent is concerned or films to work with the likes of Shyam Benegal, involving pure Actors are concerned then Goutam Ghosh, Meghna Gulza, Anurag the field is completely open to “outsiders”.

Kashyap, Dibakar Banerjee and to have But yes, it was very difficult for me for a performed with the legendary Naseeruddin long time to make it in this industry as I Shah, Irrfan Khan, Nawazzuddin Siddiqui came in at a time where Commercial Enter- and more.

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“Of course, there’s a whole reservoir of performances that I am waiting to tap.”

What is your take on nepotism?

Nepotism takes away the very spirit of work. It discourages hope and loses out on many great talents leaving the industry with a stagnating quality of work year after year.

If we need to excel in our quality of films and in every department of film - making, then nepotism stands as a stumbling block.

It is evident from the multiple web series projects that nepotism has very little space here. Which is why for the very first time we are unveiling the enormous mountain of hidden talents in our country. They are coming out one by one with every web series. They are writers, actors, directors and talents from all the other departments of Film Making.

Pataal Lok was very interesting... What made you pick it?

Pataal Lok is the story of human triumph. The triumph of an ordinary police inspector called Hathiram, the protagonist. It essays the backstories of “criminals” giving a different perspective to the class divides in India, namely the Upper class, Middle class and the Lower class.

The character offered to me was of Sanjeev Mehra, a prime-time journalist and a media tycoon.

He was described as suave and charming belonging to the swarg Lok (Upper class) who appears as an attractive persona in the beginning but transforms into “disgust” for the audience as the series progresses. I had to play a multi-layered human

Nepotism takes away the very spirit of work. It discourages hope and loses out on many great talents leaving the industry with a stagnating quality of work year after year. psyche which was complex to understand. His professional career rises from an all-time low but his personal integrity is bargained in the process, thereby making him a loner although he keeps basking in the limelight with every news he exhibits to his viewers. I found the plot, the team of actors, the chief writer, the directors and the technical crew impressive. Also, my managers and I were waiting to do a big show with Amazon in a big role after having worked on Sacred Games with Netflix. It all came together very well and so I agreed to do this.

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It is very important to train as an actor every single day of your life to take your performances to higher levels of excellence.�

Which is your favourite character that you played?

All the characters that I have played up until now are very close to me. Because I give each of my portrayals the same amount of vigour and intensity of preparation as an actor.

But if I were to really mention just one then it would be the character of Maitreya that I played in Ship of Theseus. It is special to me because it took away so much of me physically, emotionally and psychologically while I was doing the film. I remember giving this 61

film all I had. I had put all my hopes and efforts into a film which didn’t even have a proper producer nor the funds to create it.

Fortunately, as the shoot progressed the film got a producer and financier on board. And then of course, there was no looking back.

Ship of Theseus became an icon of Indian cinema, creating waves in the International market, winning awards at every single film festival and being called a rare gem from India. It changed the way the world looked at Indian cinema. What it did to my career I can never thank it enough. It catapulted me to the skies as an actor‌..(smile). A performance that I take pride in!

How different do you think are web-series as a platform from films?

Web-series are longer in time period, allowing the viewer a much larger story than what films would offer. For us actors, it gives a longer space to create our character graphs and add much more nuances and complexities to our characters. For the film maker, a web-series gives ample time and space to tell the story and build it to its mammoth size.

As a platform, web-series have more liberty

to explore various subjects and experiment.

They have a wider and quicker reach to their audience as compared to films.

Any experiences or anecdotes you can share with us while shooting on location, with Anushka Sharma, the producer and the cast?

Anushka, I never met on set or otherwise.

What I quite enjoyed while working on this series was the importance given to preparations before the shoot. The sittings we actors would have with the director and writer on the script unveiled so many complexities and ways to interpret our characters. We also did acting workshops which I felt was refreshing and a time to learn and explore more about the character relationships. I quite enjoyed that. And there was this little Bengal club that we had secretly formed with Prosit, Swastika and myself where at the drop of a hat we would break into Bangla leaving everybody else gaping at us…..(laugh).

What’s next on the pipeline?

Next on the pipeline is a mainstream Hindi Feature film and a Hollywood web series being produced by a huge production house.

“And when you are a practising actor who teaches his craft, it’s overwhelming to know how many people are waiting to learn from you.”

European methodology of acting. This came about when I was conducting various kinds of workshops for children many years ago to make a living while auditioning for roles.

These workshops were invented by long hours of experimentation. Much later, this extended itself to my acting workshops for adults that I now conduct for actors, models, aspiring actors, etc. Teaching became an important exercise for me to validate what I was exploring as an actor on stage and in films. And when you are a practising actor who teaches his craft, it’s overwhelming to know how many people are waiting to learn from you.

It is very important to train as an actor every single day of your life to take your performances to higher levels of excellence.

What do you prefer best – theatre, films or the digital platform.?

All three. Each of these have their unique qualities.

You are an acting coach too… how did you become one?

Yes, I am an Acting coach and have been one for many years now. I conduct 12 day workshops on acting that specifically teaches the grammar that I have personally invented for myself over the years. Nothing of it is a copy or imitation of any Western method nor any

Lastly, how do you balance your personal and professional life?

By consciously ensuring that despite the long hours of shoot and odd hours of shoot, I am always there for my family.

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Starry Look

Kat’s Crown The gorgeous Katrina Kaif is one of the best looking heroines in Bollywood. Her ethereal beauty and super fit figure has made her the poster gal all across the globe.

So it’s but obvious, we wanted to pry out her beauty secrets, and so we did.

Go ahead, and read on…

She’s super hot, super fit and gorgeous.

Yes, we are talking about one of Bollywood’s most beautiful heroines – Katrina Kaif. No wonder, everyone wants to know all about her beauty secrets. So we sniffed out all her beauty secrets.

Read on…

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Natural Beauty: Salman Khan was once asked which actress looks best without makeup and he, without a pause said, “Katrina Kaif”. True. Kat doesn’t need too much makeup because she’s blessed with the traditional peaches and cream English complexion. So she hardly uses makeup when she’s not shooting. Supposedly, before she applies her makeup, she daubs her face with an ice cube wrapped in a muslin cloth and that’s the secret of her glowing face.

Another secret we managed to pry out is that she puts a few drops of apricot oil on her face before sleeping and never steps outside her house without her moisturising sunblock.

Day Right: Her day makeup is simple. She makes sure she has her moisture cream SPF 30, her lip balm in the hue of apricot, her ‘can’t do without’ blush and her favourite curved brush mascara, and then, she’s all set to conquer the world.

Night Light: In the evening, she enhances her eyes with kohl and uses a cream concealer, and voila, she looks super alluring and mysterious.

Mane Attraction: Katrina uses Kiehl’s leave-in conditioner to get the shine in her hair. She also uses a nourishing hair pack to get that healthy glossy look to her hair.

Kat Living: She makes sure she drinks at least four glasses of water to wash off the impurities of the night.

She has a macrobiotic diet and eats a lot of fresh boiled veggies and fruits every two hours. She has fiber rich food but carbs are a ‘no no’ for her.

Fit ‘n’ fine: Kat loves doing yoga and it helps her look super svelte. Her weight and gym training is supervised by fitness trainer Yasmin Karachiwala who vouches for her dedication and diligence. Katrina loves dancing and according to good friend Salman Khan, she’s the best dancer in Bollywood.

So now you know the ‘Kat’ mantra, go ahead and follow them, and look as stunning as Katrina Kaif.

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Raakhee’s

‘Double’ Trouble!

STARDUST 1983

The ‘Man’ Who Makes Her Unpredictable!

“I think like a man and feel like a woman!” Raakhee Gulzar had made the above statement nearly five years ago, but it has stayed in my mind ever since. I was impressed, rather intrigued, and spent quite a bit of time and thought on it over the years. Initially, it had sounded downright contradictory; later, it denoted a constraint mind-vs-heart conflict within the actress; only recently, have the words acquired substance and begun to ring true … at least as pertaining to Raakhee’s life, if not to yours or mine!

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ust see the way she has managed to establish each and every member of her family on his/her own feet, for instance.

Like with every other heroine, Raakhee’s people expected, even took it for granted that she would look after them when they piled on to her one by one from their home in Calcutta. But the daughter didn’t get over-emotional about her ‘duty’ and sacrifice her whole life (desire for marriage, children, etc.) for their survival. Nor did she cold-bloodedly take them in as parasitic poor relations, or worse, disown them completely. In her role of provider, Raakhee supplied the capital, set them up in business, but made sure they worked on their own steam to earn every penny after that! She bought a farm on the outskirts of Bombay, named it after her mother and gifted it to her parents, where the latter grow vegetables and market them. She launched one brother (Shibranjan Majumdar) as a producer with ‘Taaqat’ and when the youngest showed no inclination to find a job for himself, big sister brought him into the trade too. Quite the ‘man’ of the house – though the woman still comes to the fore when any of the above are in trouble and ‘please didi please didi’, Raakhee into shelling out a lot of dough, influence, etc., on their behalf.

The dual personality was very apparent even when I visited her last month. As Raakhee

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sat curled up in an armchair opposite me, I was reminded of a beautiful Persian cat, licking her whiskers warily, yet at the same time, ready to meeoow and pounce if I came too close. I was wondering how to break the ice when Baby Bosky breezed in from school and ran straight into her mother’s arms.

The two exchanged a hundred kisses, and the atmosphere automatically lightened with their typical ma-beti kootchie-kooing…

Sensing her mother’s momentary vulnerability, Bosky, the smart kid that she is, tried to coax her permission to bunk piano lessons that day.

As indulgently, Mama refused and stuck by it with growing firmness when the child became more petulant and cribbing. The matter was finally settled when Raakhee unwrapped a beautiful volume on classical dancing and offered it to the child as a present in return for her attendance. Bosky squealed in delight, hugged the book and ran off to change for her class…

Left alone, Raakhee turned sheepishly towards me and said simply, “I feel very guilty when I tempt Bosky with presents.

It’s almost like blackmailing a child. But what to do, there’s no other alternative.”

The concern was typical of any mother who believes in not sparing the rod and spoiling the child. Raakhee went on to talk about the

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other means she uses to check and discipline her daughter. “Bosky is crazy about all those English films like ‘Superman’, ‘Spiderman’, ‘E.T’.” she revealed. “I’m so scared that one day I might not be at home and she might jump from the balcony thinking she’s some superman!

You can never say with children, how they get carried away … So to make her understand.”

Mama went on self-assuringly, “I’ve bought her a book on how they make these kind of films and how all this is fictitious, so that Bosky can know for herself what is false and what is real!”

Seeing her in such a communicate mood, I asked if it wasn’t hard to be both mother (love) and father (discipline) to the child.

Wouldn’t things be better if Raakhee got married again? Raakhee instantly froze, but surprisingly didn’t dodge the issue. Instead, she said with cold finality, “Marriage is not for me. I’ll never get married a third time!”

Getting charged, she continued fiercely, “Bosky does not miss out on anything, because she lives with her father and her mother. And be-

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Why does one need good friends in the industry? I think hard work is enough to keep me going!

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ing an actress does not by any chance make my love any less! In fact, it’s much more, because an actress is seasoned to all these emotions much before her time! Besides, I find that when I come back home after a month of outdoors, the affection, the attachment, is much more since both of us have missed each other terribly! But otherwise if I was hanging around her all the time.

Bosky would probably tell me to go out of the room and shut the door because she doesn’t want me when she’s playing with her friends!”

Going onto convince me that she took motherhood very seriously and made quite an ideal mother, Raakhee spoke explicitly, “As far as possible, I try and spend as much time as I can with Bosky. I see to it that I don’t have any

shooting schedules during her summer vacations. She goes to a Parsee school where they have ‘Gatha’ holidays in August. I try my best to be at home at that time. But even if I have an outdoor shooting, I see to it that it is in some nice place, where Bosky can come along and enjoy herself.”

As she finished, she withdrew into a shell of silence, shutting me completely out of her thoughts. I didn’t know how to break through and suddenly it dawned on me that these barriers were probably the reason why everybody labelled Raakhee as moody, proud, distant, unpredictable, and were more scared of her than of any other actress. She snapped out of her trance when I pointedly remarked that her cold aloofness had left her almost friendless in the industry. Rakhee sat bolt upright at that and snapped irritably, “I have seen the type of friendships in the industry, and I’m sorry to say that they are not my cup of tea.

I can do without them! Why does one need good friends in the industry? I think good and hard work is enough to keep me going! I do believe in having a good rapport with those I’m working with – but that’s all. I don’t like to give importance to some people just because they are big stars. Like it is rumoured that I give maska, but far from it. Much to the contrary, I try and stay away from big stars. Maybe that’s why the industry thinks I’m proud and aloof!

“Frankly,” she went on seriously, “my policy is go gain confidence from my seniors and give confidence to my juniors. I don’t lose my identity, but at the same time I behave as though I’m one of them. Like, whenever I go for outdoor shootings, I see to it that I remember the names of each and every member of my unit. I quite detest it when people call them ‘boy’ and ‘bearer’ and all that. In fact, I even cook for each and every one and not only for the big stars!”

Raakhee was openly contemptuous of the actresses who cheapened themselves by hovering around the big daddies just because there was a ‘scope’ for a role! “By now I’ve attained a certain position in the industry so the roles which demand talent and sensitivity automatically come to me. I don’t go to them,” she said proudly. “In fact, I have a hard time selecting films because I prefer to do only three or four films at a time. The rest I reject. So when people insinuate that I’m scared of the older actresses (Nanda, Waheeda), making a comeback because they’re doing my kind of roles, it’s not really true. I still get the films of my choice, whether I put on weight or not! That’s because I don’t do those type of roles where I

“

If these strong type of roles come my way, I’d love to do them. But I won’t go out of my way to tell a director or producer that I’d like to do these types of roles.

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have to wear modern clothes and flaunt around.

Besides, I don’t think that starving yourself and looking haggard is worth it. But if I can look like the hero’s mother (‘Shakti’) even though I’m much younger to him, I’m also capable of looking much younger than I really am! In ‘Amma’ I was supposed to loo0k like a girl of eighteen! It’s only the passion for acting which keeps me going now…”

Since Raakhee herself spoke about meaningful roles I demanded why she did so many ‘Tapasya’ kind of roles which projected her as a self-sacrificing martyr. Why didn’t she portray the strong, independent woman that was closer to her reallife personality, and try to influence her female fans to revolt against down-trodden status and become more assertive?

Frankly, I was surprised when Raakhee went all helpless and said defensively, “I am only an actress who is supposed to do what the directors want of me. I have no say in the matter. If these strong type of roles come my way, I’d love to do them. But I won’t go out of my way to tell a director or producer that I’d like to do these types of roles. I don’t believe in putting my foot down on the sets either, and unnecessarily wasting time making changes in my roles. I pay a lot of attention

while I’m listening to the script. If I find something I don’t like, I point out at that time itself, or I don’t sign the film at all! It’s these actresses who don’t have the time to listen to the scripts properly who later on make a big noise on the sets. Frankly, I feel it’s a way of showing off!

Raakhee didn’t believe that such ‘liberated’ roles made any difference to the public.

Personally I feel that though every Indian woman has a small flicker of awakening in her as she sees those type of films, it dies down

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I hate it when people make me out to be a tragedy queen, when I’m not one!

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as she leaves the hall,” the actress insisted.

“Because a woman in India is suppressed and conservative. We still respect our old values. Maybe in Bosky’s generation, things will be different and those type of films will be more appreciated and applauded.” So where Raakhee was concerned, there was going to be no drastic breaking out of the Sati Savitri mould a la Shabana Azmi. I asked her how she liked being called the ‘Tragedy Queen’.

Instead of being flattered, Raakhee got mad and I only understood why when I realised that she’d taken the title personally instead of professionally. “I hate it when people make me out to be a tragedy queen, when I’m not one!” she shouted angrily. “I have always done what I wanted to in life.” She paused, took a deep breath and went on more placidly, “I admit I have made a lot of sacrifices, which only I know of. But I strongly disapprove of weak people who cry and make themselves out to be miserable. After all, no one has forced me to do it. I have done it out of my own accord! And it’s become a habit by now because I have been fending for my family right from the time I was a little kid! I abhor those who brag that they’ve done this and they’ve done that for their family, because then they don’t remain sacrifices anymore! But, she went on purposefully, “I’ve decided to give, give, give till it hurts…” Seeing my puzzled expression, she added defiantly, “Hurts not ME, but the taker, I will give till he gets tired of taking!”

She was far happier about being stamped the ‘Tragedy Queen’ on screen, though. “People think that I’m the tragedy queen on screen, it’s okay with me. I like it. I take it as a compliment,” she declared coolly. “But personally, I really don’t think that I cry all the time as people make it out to be. In fact, I haven’t done a single sobbing scene in the last so many films.”

Contrary to expectations, Raakhee revealed that teas didn’t come easily to her. She re-

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called the first time she had to cry hysterically in ‘Reshma Aur Shera’. “At that time I was new and didn’t know how to react,” Raakhee explained. But the actress gave such a perfect shot that the entire unit was moved. “Ranjeet who was with me in the shot, also started crying,” Raakhee quipped. “Suddenly I realised that everybody around me was weeping! The scene was so hilarious, that I was the first one to burst out laughing.” The actress laughed again at the memory, then explained matter-of-factly, “You know, in most of my films, I don’t cry. I have that tearful face, but I hold back my tears.

Crying, anyone and everyone can do, but to have a strained, shocked expression is far more difficult and injurious to the facial muscles.” Raakhee continued casually, “Actually, what you see of me on screen, is only 15% of what I emote, I’m a very spontaneous person.

Half of my emotions come through when I’m listening to the script. Then, with every take, I get dried up and eventually I’m doing only 15% of the histrionics I’m capable of! So I usually request my cameraman and spot-boys to take their positions at the very first take itself, so that if the director likes it. I request them to make do with that. For according to me, it’s my best take. It’s like a sad novel you read. You may cry when you read it for the first time.

The second time you may be moved. The third time you read it, you may be totally unmoved!”

Though Raakhee was trying to make light of her heavy ‘tragedies’ I persisted that the strain and tension of the roles could rub off on her in real life someday. I mentioned the example of Dilip Kumar who had recently confessed in an interview, that his screen characters (‘Devdas’ ‘Babul’, ‘Dastaan’) had become so ingrained in him that he had literally begun to believe that he was born for tragedy! A psychiatrist had asked him to put a full stop to his tragic roles and go in for comedy, and hence came ‘Ram Aur Shyam’. Raakhee wasn’t the least bit worried. “In Dilip Kumar’s case it is different,” she said coolly. “Before a take, he rehearses so many times that the character goes deep down inside and he begins to believe in it. While in my case, it’s just the reverse. I give my shot in one or two takes and then try and snap out of the mood. By now, this comes naturally to me. And especially if the director praises the shot, the happiness immediately rubs off the depression!” As an after-thought, she conceded reluctantly, “Of course, there are times when I’m emotionally exhausted and start shaking very bad-

Even after so many years of flying and trying out different seats in the plane, I still get so frightened,

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ly. But that’s because I suffer from low blood pressure. And I try and compose myself soon.”

I was wondering whether Raakhee was trying to show her superiority (emotional, disciplinary, etc.) over the opposite sex, when the unpredictable star suddenly reversed her stand and started talking about her secret fears, her superstitions, her paranoiac experiences, which brought me back to the reality of the vulnerable woman she was.

I couldn’t believe it when Raakhee confessed that her biggest fear in life was flying! “Even after so many years of flying and trying out different seats in the plane, I still get so frightened.” she revealed wryly. “My heart starts beating faster and I start feeling nervy from one day before my flight.

And the worst is yet to come. As soon as the plane door closes, I just shut my eyes tight and sit numb. My palms start perspiring and my feet are wet, but I don’t even have the guts to wipe them. And I feel like screaming if anyone tries to make conversation with me.” Of course, the actress had tried to analyse the fear, and concluded. “I think it’s that feeling of helplessness which gets me. Once I’m in the plane, I feel my life is in someone else’s hands, there is nothing I can do to help myself. If I’m travelling by car. I can tell my driver to go slow or to stop the car when I want to, but I cannot do the same when I’m in a plane.”

Raakhee narrated what to her was “a terrifying experience,” but which I found rather amusing.

“Usually, I don’t leave my seat once I sit in the plane, even if it is a thirty hour journey!” the ac70

tress quipped. “But that day the flight to London happened to be unusually pleasant, so I picked up the courage to go to the cloak. Just as I’d finished. I read the sign. ‘Tighten your seat belts’ and before I knew anything, there was such a jerk that it sent me flying into a seat. I was too shocked to look back or forth, so I just sat tight till it was time to unboard the plane. It was only then that I realised that I had been sitting on a man’s lap! That man was naturally foxed and he kept on following me right till I left the airport. He was probably looking for signs of madness in me. Oh God! I was so terribly embarrassed; I hoped never to see that man again!”

Raakhee remarked that a similar feeling of suffocation came over her whilst staying in any palace hotels. She said emotionally, “I don’t know why, but I feel that a palace may have been converted into a hotel because of a series of misfortunes in the family to which it belonged. The people who lived there must have been princes once upon a time, and now they were reduced to paupers! So the very thought of staying in such an unfortunate place puts me off. Sometimes this becomes so embarrassing for me because the whole unit stays there and only I have to be put up somewhere else. So of course, I have a lot of explaining to do every time I shift out!”

A similar phobia made the actress shift out of her own bedroom in her own home! “I had got a beautiful bedroom built for myself in the other wing of the bungalow,” Raakhee explained.

“After the room was furnished and everything

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My parents used to lock us up in a dark room when we were naughty and used to frighten us with bhoot stories. So to this day, that fear is still in my mind.

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was ready and I was supposed to move in, I suddenly realised that the ceiling was too high.

All of a sudden, I felt this nagging doubt that if something happens and I scream and shout, no one will be able to hear me. And that did it!

That room has been deserted ever since. Now I sleep in the common bedroom with Bosky and my brothers and sisters-in-law and everyone else. I feel safe there. I think I’ve got this fear because my parents used to lock us up in a dark room when we were naughty and used to frighten us with bhoot stories. So to this day, that fear is still in my mind. That’s why I’ve made up my mind I’ll never do that with Bosky!

“Frankly, I am very chicken,” the actress admitted sheepishly. “You won’t believe it, but I still cannot get myself to see any of these scary movies like ‘Omen’. Once, something really funny happened.

I’d gone to the film festival with Sachin Bhowmick and they were showing ‘Omen’. He conned me into seeing it. So on his assurance, I went. But somehow we got separated and he happened

to be somewhere down, while I was sitting in the balcony. I was quite petrified. But no sooner had the movie started, that I went up to the box, scribbled Sachin’s name and requested the manin-charge to show it on the slide saying he was wanted immediately. Everyone was scared as to what had happened to me. And Sachin was so relieved when I told him to sit next to me and tell me all the scenes beforehand so that I wouldn’t see all those frightening shots! And true enough, now if you ask me to relate what I saw, I can’t because I didn’t see more than half the film!”

After that, of course, it was only natural for Raakhee to extend the supernatural fears into real life as well. I was surprised at how much the actress knew about voodoo, witch-craft, ‘nazar etc. And when I showed scepticism, she insisted that she herself hadn’t believed in the stuff until she experienced it personally! “While I was shooting for ‘Shriman Shrimati’ in Madras,” Raakhee related seriously, “I was in quite a foul mood, since I was feeling depressed and had had continuous fever for four-five days. I couldn’t fathom what was happening to me till Khatija (her hairdresser, friend, confidante) turned up the next day with a piece of alum from the canteen and started heating it on the tawa. What happened later was un believable. The eye of the person who had lagaoed nazar on me formed on the tawa! At once, my temperature went down and I was hale and hearty the next day.

I could’ve gone on listening to Raakhee’s life stories endlessly, but luckily my nazar fell on my watch and I realised that if I didn’t leave immediately. I’d be in danger – of out-staying my welcome and of being voodoo-ed by the half-a-dozen producers, directors, writers, etc., who were impatiently waiting for their turn with the star! witch-craft, ‘nazar etc. And when I showed scepticism, she insisted that she herself hadn’t believed in the stuff until she experienced it personally! “While I was shooting for ‘Shriman Shrimati’ in Madras,” Raakhee related seriously, “I was in quite a foul mood, since I was feeling depressed and had had continuous fever for four-five days.

I couldn’t fathom what was happening to me till Khatija (her hairdresser, friend, confidante) turned up the next day with a piece of alum from the canteen and started heating it on the tawa. What happened later was un believable.

The eye of the person who had lagaoed nazar on me formed on the tawa! At once, my temperature went down and I was hale and hearty the next day. I was plain lucky that I came to know of it.” I could’ve gone on listening to Raakhee’s life stories endlessly, but luckily my nazar fell on my watch and I realised that if I didn’t leave immediately. I’d be in danger – of out-staying my welcome and of being voodoo-ed by the half-a-dozen producers, directors, writers, etc., who were impatiently waiting for their turn with the star!

FAST FORWARD Nepotism may be ‘the’ word today. But this doeeyed heroine has proved herself without having any Godfather or knowing key people in Tinsel Town.

In fact, she was everything that they said a heroine cannot be – she was married and then divorced, had come from Bangladesh, could barely speak Hindi… But still through her hard-work and dedication, she conquered Bollywood. In fact, her amazing performances have earned her many an award including the coveted National Film Award and the Padma Shri.

Today, Rakhee is a bit of a recluse – not seen at parties or any social event, but her repertoire of films showcases her immense talent. On the personal front, Gulzar, her husband and she have lived amiably separate for many years though they have never been officially divorced.

Their daughter Meghna is married and is an eminent filmmaker in her own right.

Rakhee’s last film was in 2003 with Shubho Mahurat, which won her the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress.

After that, one has not seen much of her. But her fans still clamour to get one glimpse of this eternal beauty and we hope she returns to the silver screen soon.

-Sumita Chakraborty

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Stardust Spotlight

There’s great news for all the fans of the hot ‘n’ handsome Romil Chaudhary. Well, this promising actor is going places. And, how! He’s bagged not just one but two good films as a leading man, putting to rest the raging debate on nepotism and outsiders not getting fair opportunities. In fact, Romil’s debut film has him in an author-backed character of an inspirational surgeon. And going by the rave reviews from people in the know, Romil has done a wonderful job of essaying this amazing character. The other film is an edge-of-the-seat suspense thriller and the shoot is going to start soon. Great going Romil! Looks like here’s another welcome addition to the powerhouse performer’s club in Bollywood!

If Sonu Sood is being called the “messiah of the migrants”. Film producer Ajay Dhama, a close friend of Sonu’s is not far behind. He has also selflessly been helping migrants and so many others. In fact, he’s done his bit by coming out with an initiative of providing masks for the needy. There are many unsung heroes and Ajay is one of them. Kudos to this humanitarian.

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The first time I met Aneesha Madhok was when she burst into my office huffing and puffing to be right on time for our appointment. She had raced up 15 floors to be on time as the lift in our office building was taking too long. “I want to act because I can use this medium to express my emotions and tell inspiring stories not just because I can be famous. It is my calling and my desire to entertain people, and that’s why I want to give it my all,” said she.

Since that meeting, Aneesha has made her presence felt as a stand-up comedian and has bagged the main lead in the coming-ofage Hollywood movie ‘Bully High’ which revolves around a Muslim girl who gets bullied in an American high school, but then learns to stand up for herself and defeat violence with love. Aneesha has also been cast in the Israeli movie “Book of Rachel” produced by Oscar winning David Silber.

Incidentally, she has also done stand-up comedy shows all around LA. On her summer vacation to India, the spunky gal even

became a finalist on Queens of Comedy 2017. While studying at USC, Aneesha also made short films including The Dancer Girl inspired by her own life which won at many prestigious festivals. Aneesha is also the writer of the critically acclaimed play “Aliza-Free”, which she staged in India at the age of 17.

After noticing that she was followed on Instagram by Sushant Singh Rajput, netizens who are Rajput fans are even more motivated to support Aneesha.

So what’s Aneesha’s wish list? “I want to work with Anurag Kashyap, Imtiaz Ali, Aamir Khan, Nawazudin Siddiqi, Zoya Akhtar, Guneet Monga and Gauri Shinde. I am also writing a feature film with my writing partner about a North Indian family living in the United States, and I am being guided by Muzaffar Ali. I hope that this story can create an impact and bridge the gap between the east and the west.”

-Meeta Mishra 74

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