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Our parents should decide, says Abhishek on marriage date (INTERVIEW)
By Subhash K. Jha, 

Mumbai, Feb 15   Abhishek Bachchan is upset with those who said his father Amitabh went overboard while praising him for his performance in "Guru".

"People who grudge him a father's pride are not nice. Please don't take that moment away from him. You've the right to express your comments on him as an actor. Please leave him alone when he's playing a father," Abhishek told IANS in an interview.

"My father's opinion means the world to me. He isn't only a father but also someone whom I consider to be the best actor in the world. His positive reaction to my work is enough! As an actor, I crave to make my parents happy."

If Abhishek is scaling new heights in his professional life, everything seems to be going in the right direction on the personal front too. He got engaged to Aishwarya Rai last month and the marriage is expected soon.

When asked about his marriage date, Abhishek said: "Nothing is decided yet. I've left it to our parents to decide. We're ready any time they are."

Right now he is busy shooting his first special-effect film "Drona" in Bikaner.

   

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Excerpts:

Q: You turned a year older.

A: Yes, 31.

Q: Is this birthday more special because you're getting married soon?

A: Birthday is a birthday. I was working through it. That's what I like to do on my birthdays. I like to spend my birthday with my family, if I can.

Q: When is the marriage going to happen?

A: Nothing is decided yet. I've left it to our parents to decide. We're ready any time they are.

Q: But it's not happening in February?

A: No.

Q: You are currently shooting for "Drona" in Bikaner.

A: It's a special-effects film. Interesting, because it's a new genre and therefore never done before by me. My mom plays my mom in the film, though she has a very brief role. We shot together and it was great fun.

Actually, we did a Bengali film "Desh" together. I spoke a bit of Bengali in the film. "Drona" director Goldie Behl is family. His sister Shristi and Goldie have grown up with me. Both mom and dad have worked for their banner. So, it's like homecoming. This is my second film with Goldie.

Q: Why did Goldie take so long to make another film after "Bas Itna Sa Khwaab Hai"?

A: That was his personal choice, and we should respect that. He wanted to be sure of what he wanted to make. Both Goldie and I have changed a lot as persons. The conviction will show up in "Drona". We've finished about 60 percent.

Q: "Guru" has got you unbelievable applause.

A: Unfortunately because I'm in Bikaner I'm kind of cut away from what's going on in Mumbai. But it's great to know a TOI editorial has been written about it. "Guru" is a very special film. It's so wonderful to know that our hard work has paid off. When I saw the film first, I was very inspired by the character. For the first time in my career I stopped being an actor and looked at the film as a member of the audience.

Q: How does your dad's vocal appreciation of "Guru" makes you feel?

A: If I may be allowed to sound a little pompous, let me say I didn't care what the rest of the world would say. His reaction would be more than enough for me. Did his reaction embarrass me? Not at all! Praise is what we live for.

My father's opinion means the world to me. He isn't only a father but also someone whom I consider to be the best actor in the world. To be honest, I don't care what the film's fate would've been. His positive reaction to my work is enough. As an actor I crave to make my parents happy. Thank god, I got the opportunity in "Guru".

As a son, I firmly believe I wouldn't want to come in the way of a father's praise. I'm not a father. So, I don't know what that emotion is. One day I hope to be a father. Then I'll know the same pride that my father does. As a father he's allowed to express his appreciation for his son, isn't he? And I love him even more for it.

Q: A lot of people feel he's overdoing the praise for you.

A: I think they're being very mean. Yes, he's Mr. Amitabh Bachchan. But first and foremost he's a father. People who grudge him a father's pride are not nice. Please don't take that moment away from him. You've the right to express your comments on him as an actor. Please leave him alone when he's playing a father.

Q: A lot of people are disappointed by your performance in "Dhoom 2".

A: I'm very proud of the film. I thoroughly enjoyed doing it. As for my subdued performance, as you called it, I had to go by the way the character was established in the first
"Dhoom". I was just carrying forward my character.

Q: Are you a more careful selector of parts after "Guru"?

A: I've never selected parts. Parts have selected me.

Q: Satisfied with life?

A: I don't think an actor can ever be fully satisfied. I'm very excited about the work that I'm doing.

Q: Looking forward to your role as a householder?

A: That sounds so scary. It's a new dawn, a new day, new challenges.... I'm looking forward to it. God has been very kind.
 

Farhan, Zoya donate KBC prize money to Shabana's cause
By Subhash K. Jha,  

Mumbai, Feb 15   Shabana Azmi says she is over the moon as director Farhan Akhtar and his sister Zoya have donated the money they won on the Valentine's special of "Kaun Banega Crorepati" to her group that works for slum dwellers.

The episode was aired Wednesday on STAR Plus.

"I'm over the moon!" said Shabana. "My children Zoya and Farhan Akhtar were on 'Kaun Banega Crorepati'. They won Rs.2.5 million and they have donated it to my group Nevara Haq. I'm so deeply touched, I can't express my joy," Shabana told IANS.

The Akhtar siblings - the children of Shabana's husband Javed Akhtar - needed no prompting for this act of philanthropy.

"I'm so gratified and grateful for them to do it on their own. At our organisation, we're so strapped for funds. In one scoop we have a windfall for our cause. It is certainly no small matter for my slums."

It certainly seems the amount is more than what Farhan the producer paid Shabana for acting in his upcoming film "Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd".

"Oh absolutely! I did get paid, but very little."

The mother in Shabana surfaces proudly. So, what's her opinion on Farhan's "Don"?

"I didn't understand 'Don'. Farhan looks at me as if I'm stark raving mad when I say so. He wants to know what there was to understand. But let me tell you, it was an extremely stylish film.

"I think Farhan is seriously one of our best filmmakers today. Cinema is also about images. And his images are very strong. But they don't scream out at you. That, I think is a very special ability."

Shabana is equally proud of Zoya.

"My daughter Zoya has worked with Mira Nair on her short film on AIDS. It's called 'The Migration'. And it's a very good script. She'll be directing her own film in April."

And why isn't Shabana in it?

"There's no role for me. Otherwise, I'd bulldoze both my kids Farhan and Zoya to cast me in them."
 

Feel strongly about an issue? Make a movie
By Azera Rahman, 

New Delhi, Feb 15   They may wear tattered jeans, use colourful words and give the feeling that they wouldn't really care if the world comes down, but when it comes to real issues - communalism, conservation of water and child labour to name a few - they do more than plain talk. They make movies on them.

Documentary filmmaking is gaining popularity as a medium of expression with more and more youngsters being vocal about issues that concern them.

"Films are a medium through which we can share our thoughts and send messages across to a large audience. It is an incredible platform," said Arbuda, 20, and Shweta, 21, both students of Delhi University.

"Child's Own God", their 10-minute documentary, is based on a child's perception of god in the midst of sectarian riots. When three children of different families - Parsi, Hindu and Sikh - are asked about god in the film, they say, "God bhagvan hote hain. Hum unki puja karte hain!" (God is god. We pray to him). Then another child says,
"There is just one god we all pray to."

The documentary explores the fact that children are not born with preconceived notions about religion. It is as they grow up that families and societal norms influence their tender minds.

Priyanka, 20, made a documentary film on street children - "Platform number 8". Along with her team members, she visited the New Delhi Railway Station daily for a month before making the movie.

"Some children have been duped by their own family members, some run away from home while still others get lost. Everyone has a story to tell. For them it's not about what they want to be when they grow up, but about survival," Priyanka told IANS.

"At times some rehabilitation centres like Prayas take some of the kids. But what happens to the rest? What do they do? This movie is about them and unlike others, does not end on a happy note. It's an open-ended film because we want the audience to think about these children," she added.

Manmeet, 21, another student of the Delhi University, made a one-minute documentary on water conservation. "The deplorable condition of the Yamuna has affected us deeply. It's time we did something about it," she said.

Made on a shoestring budget and in a limited time, most of the movies are recorded on digital cameras and edited on PCs. "Child's Own God", for instance, was made in two days on a budget of only Rs.20,000.

The 'Bring your own film' (BYOF) festival at Puri, the 'Fringe Festival' and various other college festivals are some of the platforms where these youngsters get to showcase their cinematic talent.
 

Shooters join Nana Patekar's fan brigade
By Abhishek Roy, 

Guwahati, Feb 15   His acting prowess may have earned film star Nana Patekar millions of fans but it's his shooting skills with the gun that have made him quite popular in sports circles.

His obsession with the gun has made the star of many Bollywood films like "Ab Tak Chhappan" and "Krantiveer" a big hit among some of the top shooters of the country like Raunak Pandit, Avneet Kaur Sidhu and Anuja Jung.

"He (Patekar) is a just a wonderful man to deal with. When he takes part in any tournament he is just like any other shooter," Pandit told IANS on the sidelines of the ongoing 33rd National Games here.

"Nana is very down to earth and when you sit down with him and talk he will never make you feel that he is some kind of a superstar."

The Bollywood actor has been taking part in many national tournaments in the past 12 months and also won a silver medal in the rifle prone (big bore) 300-metre event in the 14th G.V. Mavlankar shooting championship last year and qualified for the National Shooting Championships last year in Indore.

In the nationals he failed to make a mark but won the hearts of fellow shooters.

Both Raunak Pandit, the son of shooter and Arjuna Award winner Ashok Pandit, and Patekar hail from Maharashtra. The actor is also helping some upcoming shooters from the state, Pandit said.

"He is also helping some of the shooters and frequently visits the shooting academy in Kolhapur," said Pandit.

Patekar's other state-mate Anuja Jung added that the actor was also a big prankster and loved to joke with fellow competitors.

"He knows everyone of us by name and is always making fun and joking with us. He never makes us feel that he is very different. It is always fun to have him around," said Anuja.

Anuja's husband, Samresh, has not interacted much with Patekar but said: "I met him only once during the National Championships in Indore but he was a fantastic guy. He wanted to be like any other shooter but people around him never gave him the chance to do so."
 

Reality cinema in peril again
By Subhash K. Jha, 

Mumbai, Feb 15   It looks like headlines don't augur well for movie screenings. After Rahul Dholakia's "Parzania" was stopped by rightwing activists in Gujarat, two other reality-based films have faced strange ban orders.

Madhur Bhandarkar's "Traffic Signal" has been banned in Himachal Pradesh for apparently using a word 'kinner' that's derogatory to eunuchs.

And Anurag Kashyap's hard-hitting "Black Friday" was supposed to be the inaugural film at a film festival organised in Patna recently. But that never happened and Kashyap is clueless as to why.

According to sources, the government feared communal repercussions if Kashyap's film, on the 1993 Mumbai blasts, was shown in Bihar.

Bhandarkar makes a shocking revelation about his film.

"Kinner, the word that I've supposedly used for eunuchs, isn't there in the film! Nobody refers to the eunuchs in my film as kinners. And yet I've received a notification from the Himachal government telling me my film cannot be screened there because it is likely to cause a breach of peace. Why? We had set aside seven prints for the state. For a small budget film this is a big loss."

What could have triggered this inexplicable ban?

"I don't know," Bhandarkar told IANS. "Maybe one of my actors was heard using the word 'kinner' on television. I don't think it's a derogatory word. I think this intolerance is engendering a new kind of fear on filmmakers, especially realistic directors like me or Anurag. We can't be doing truthful films if we've to be careful of every word we use."

Dholakia is still fighting to have "Parzania", the real life story of a boy who went missing in the 2002 sectarian violence in Gujarat, released in the state.

Said Dholakia: "When I got through the Indian censor board, I thought my hurdles to seeing 'Parzania' released were over. I didn't know other censors were waiting around the corner."
 

Celina to launch her own line of saris
By Swati R. Chaudhary, 

Mumbai, Feb 15   Bollywood actress Celina Jaitley, who is the brand ambassador of Jashn saris, plans to start her own line of saris, reports Bollywood Trade.

"Not only am I endorsing 'Jashn' but I'm also coming up with my own line of saris called 'Celina's Jashn'. My range would also cater to non-Indian women and includes bridal and contemporary wear in various colours."

"I've always been actively involved in creating my clothes. I love the sari and I want to make it world famous. I'm very comfortable wearing it at film premiers and other formal occasions. I think a sari targets the woman audience more than a Western outfit," said Celina.

Celina believes the sari is the most sensuous dress.

"I am very fond of lace saris in particular. I think a sari is the most sensuous outfit and it flatters women like nothing else. It graces every woman irrespective of her age and
marital status.

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Acting just happened for Anjana

The very petite Anjana Sukhani, who was seen in Nikhil Advani's love saga "Salaam-e-Ishq" opposite Anil Kapoor, never thought of acting as a career.

"Acting just happened to me. I never intended to pursue a career in acting but I'm thoroughly enjoying it now," said Anjana.

An MBA in foreign trade from Cardiff University in Britain, Anjana forayed into filmdom with the game show film "Humdum", reports Bollywood Trade.

Apparently her sizzling number "Babujee dheere chalna" and the much-hyped lip lock with Anil in "Salaam-e-Ishq" created quite a stir.

"I was nervous about 'Babujee...' since it was a sensual song. I just happened to speak about it to Priyanka Chopra and she made me really comfortable. It was sweet of her to come on the sets and boost my morale," she said.

Not one to be deterred by her non-filmy background, Anjana wants to explore various genres.

"I don't have a godfather in the industry but I believe it's one's talent that works ultimately. I personally feel luck plays an important role in shaping one's career. A sound combination of luck and talent and success is bound to come. I want to do lots of comedy and experiment with different genres."
 

Madhuri launches Vijayta Pandit's debut pop album

Mumbai, Feb 15   Composer Aadesh Shrivastava has produced a pop album titled "Propose - Pyaar ka Izhaar" which marks the debut of his wife Vijayta Pandit as a pop singer.

Apparently, Bollywood's comeback queen Madhuri Dixit Nene, who is currently in Mumbai busy shooting for a Yash Raj film, was so impressed with the song that she agreed to be the chief guest and released the pop album at an event held Wednesday.

An excited Vijayta said: "Madhuri even said that the numbers were ideal to be used in films."

Before tying the knot with Shrivastava, Vijayta had acted in hit films like "Love Story" and "Mohabbat" in the 1980s.
 

British author aims to clear myths surrounding Big B
 
New Delhi, Feb 15   Here is another book on Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan and a British author claims to "explode the myths" surrounding Hindi cinema's most famous star.

Penguin Books India will distribute the much-awaited book "Looking For The Big B - Bollywood, Bachchan & Me" by Jessica Hines. It will be launched at the Kitab Festival in Mumbai next week.

Funny, irreverent and affectionate, the book published by Bloomsbury is Hines' first literary work that takes a look at Mumbai's film industry and tells the tale of a very unlikely friendship.

Hines describes Bachchan as India's most legendary film star and says he is a mixture of Clint Eastwood, Al Pacino and Elvis Presley - with more than a hint of John Travolta.

She notes: "In a country like India where film stars are treated as gods, Amitabh Bachchan is the über-god, the Big B. As for me, I am a British, almost thirty and not the least bit famous. But here I am in Mumbai, about to start writing his story. How did I get here? Why did I get here?

"Mumbai is mayhem and Bollywood maddening. The Big B is strangely aloof, the magazines are full of lies, and no one is talking. I want to write a book that explodes the myths surrounding India's most famous man. But is anything there?"

Hines, who has a Masters in filmmaking from Britain-based institution Because Films Inspire (BFI), spent several years in Mumbai doing research for the book.

The book is priced at Rs.495.

Time for 'Water' to flow freely in India
 
New Delhi, Feb 15   Making "Water" was sailing against the tide for critically acclaimed filmmaker Deepa Mehta, who is overjoyed as her Oscar nominated movie is set to hit Indian theatres in March.

"I came here this morning and leaving for Canada tomorrow. The release of 'Water' is so special for me that I have come especially for it. I am thrilled that the film will be seen by Indian audiences and I thank B.R. films to make it possible," said Mehta at a press conference here Thursday.

Seema Biswas and John Abraham, who play important roles in the film, were also present there along with Ravi Chopra, whose production and distribution company is releasing the film.

About other two actors, Lisa Ray and child artiste Sarla, Mehta said: "I wish Lisa and Sarala were here. Sarala is in school right now and Lisa is in Hollywood."

"Seema and I still can't believe that Deepa is sitting here now. She's come all the way from Toronto. The best support all of us have is that Deepa is with us here today," aid Abraham who requested Chopra to watch the movie while he was shooting for "Baabul".

Chopra was so impressed with the movie that he instantly decided to distribute the film.

Mehta's first attempts to make the film in Varanasi in 1999 sparked protests by Hindu radicals and she had to shelve the project. She took it up four years later and filmed in Sri Lanka with major changes in the cast - with Shabana Azmi making way for Biswas and Nandita Das being replaced by Lisa.

"Water" focuses on the relationship between a widow seeking to escape stifling social restrictions and a man from a lower caste who is a follower of Mahatma Gandhi.

"I didn't feel any anger when the film was shut down. What happened with 'Water' was unfortunate. I felt bewilderment and a sense of loss. When I re-launched 'Water' it was without any bewilderment. I don't think India was responsible for what happened with 'Water'. It was a particular political group who raised objection. But I never for a second felt that the film would be abandoned."

"Water" completes Mehta's trilogy of "Fire" (1996) and "Earth" (1998). And all of them were controversial.

"I chose such subjects because I am a storyteller and I feel that filmmaking is a difficult process. When I spend two years making a film, I feel I should make something meaningful. 'Water' is one of the most important films of my career."

Abraham, who underwent rigorous training for the film, learned to play flute and Sanskrit language for his role. The media got a glimpse of his hard work when he recited scriptures in Sanskrit from 'Meghdoot' on Mehta's behest.

When asked what inspired her to make a film on widows, Mehta said: "When I was shooting for Krishanmurthy 11 years ago in Varanasi I got an opportunity to meet these widows for the first time. When I saw the 'ashrams' there I was deeply moved and decided that one day I will make a film on these widows. So, it is the widows of Varanasi who inspired me to make the film."

  
IANS