We have a special Vishwaroopam (Vishwaroop Hindi) special feature just for you! Pooja Kumar, who stars opposite Kamal Haasan in the epic film, recently sat down with Ashanti Omkar, Bollywood editor for Cineworld Cinemas and we have some highlights from that fabulous interview. Check out what the actress had to say about the unique way she got the role, working with Kamal sir and more!
Here something interesting we bet you didn’t know, Pooja Kumar revealed that it was a chat on Skype that landed her the role in Vishwaroopam, “Gouthami ji, who has also done the styling for the film, saw my work online and recommended me for the project. The production contacted my manager and we set up a Skype call with Kamal sir. We spoke for about five minutes and he said that his team would get back to me. The next day I get a call and I’m on the plane to Chennai to shoot the film! This was what is so amazing about technology today – you can be anywhere in the world and get great work. I am very thankful to them for allowing me to be part of this wonderful project.”
In the film, she plays Nirupama, who is married to Kamal Haasan’s character Viswanath. “I play a nuclear oncologist. We live in New York and I basically married him to get my PhD and green card so that I can pursue my career. My character is working on curing cancer (something spurred on by the death of her father). However, my life is not what I thought it would be and my husband has more to him than meets the eye! Viswanath is a character who is a Kathak teacher and we have a marriage of convenience initially, but our story develops as the narrative goes on.”
Kumar said she really feels that Haasan writes wonderful female characters, “His female roles are filled with sub-texts, fine nuances and so much character.”
The actress admits she was nervous her first day on set, “On the first day I was scared, as I knew no Tamil. I was giving a lot of takes to make it happen, but he said I was on board after I thought I’d be ousted from the project for messing up. He looked beyond that – he wants people to come up, especially newcomers, who don’t get so many opportunities. I realised what a wonderful human being he was, and my nervousness transitioned into confidence.”
So, once the nerves settled how was it to work on Vishwaroopam and Kamal Haasan? “This has been a life changing experience for me. Working with a man of his stature and calibre has been a gift I will cherish forever. I am truly blessed for getting an opportunity to work with a man I admire and respect tremendously. His passion, tenacity, versatility, and humbleness drives you as an artiste and pushes you to achieve excellence. He is the epitome of a great artiste because he pushes the envelope to newer levels. Standing next to him on set was an incredible experience, because his knowledge of filmmaking is extraordinary. I still have to pinch myself and say that I worked with an icon. It’s been a dream come true!”
Now Haasan starred in the film but he also wrote it, produced it and directed the film, which Kumar says was an eye opening experience. “When we were rehearsing the scenes he was my director and then when we were ready to shoot, I shut off the director and switched to the actor who is my co-star. What was so fascinating to see was that he seamlessly transitioned between roles. There was no hesitation or conflict in his mind of what had to be done. This is one of the biggest films to come out of India, so we should all commend him for the effort. His patience and humility was astounding.”
Another amazing thing was that not only did she get to work with Kamal sir, but she also worked with the esteemed Shekhar Kapur, “I was so excited when I heard that I was going to be doing scenes with Shekhar ji. His vision, storytelling, and direction are truly unique and we should celebrate people like him. It was truly an amazing experience for me, being able to listen to two greats; Kamal sir and him share their film stories and projects. Hopefully we will work together soon.”
The film also stars Rahul Bose, “Rahul is a very versatile actor and although we didn’t get to work in any scenes together, I’m happy that he has been a part of this film. I met him briefly during the shoot and I do hope I get a chance to act with him.”
Calling the film an action ride that you are bound to thoroughly enjoy she says, “The audience will be in for a wonderful treat!”
The actress closed with a thank you to her fans, “Thank you for all the love and support! It’s because of your love that I keep on striving for excellence and the want to give you all something new to see every time. Keep watching movies, as we love making them for you!”
Deepika Padukone is on a high after the release of Cocktail, which got her critical acclaim, box office success and audience appreciation. Now, the actress will be seen as Aleena in Abbas-Mustan’s Race 2.
The 27-year-old sultry actress plays a beautiful, strong and passionate girl in this sequel to Race. She is a ruthless mind dwelling in a brilliant beautiful body.
In a candid and very quick chat with BollySpice reporter Sunny Malik, the Race 2 star talks about the film and much more!
How was your experience shooting Race 2 in Turkey? I saw some photos of you shopping there during the filming.
That is the fun part about shooting there. It’s a great place for holidays. We spent about a month there and whenever we had a day off, we would go shopping. The city offers some amazing food. It was a good experience.
That is the fun part about shooting there. It’s a great place for holidays. We spent about a month there and whenever we had a day off, we would go shopping. The city offers some amazing food. It was a good experience.
Saif told me you seemed a bit shell-shocked at times with Abbas-Mustan’s direction e.g. ‘Thoda Aur Sexy Karo’ (Do it sexier). What was going on in your head when you were told something like this?
I don’t think there was ever a point when they precisely told me ‘Thodha Aur Sexy Karo’ but there is definitely a type of acting that was expected from all the actors. It took me a couple of days to figure out what exactly they wanted because I have not done such a film before. Because of the fact that Saif has worked with them, he knew what they expected. He helped me understand that.
I don’t think there was ever a point when they precisely told me ‘Thodha Aur Sexy Karo’ but there is definitely a type of acting that was expected from all the actors. It took me a couple of days to figure out what exactly they wanted because I have not done such a film before. Because of the fact that Saif has worked with them, he knew what they expected. He helped me understand that.
Was it difficult at times to do a scene because there are so many twists in the film?You know, every time we were shooting a scene, we were almost given a narration of the entire script again. The baggage that we are carrying in every single take changes in every scene because the equations between the characters change. This is also true to the Race style as the first film was like that. As the equations keep changing, the performance has to change accordingly too. Every time we were shooting a scene, we would sit down with Shiraz (storywriter) and he would tell us this has happened before the scene and this will happen after this scene, then we would play act the scene accordingly.
Are you disappointed that you don’t have songs in the film which you could perform on stage? Katrina Kaif was given great songs to perform on like ‘Zara Zara Touch Me’ and ‘Khwab Dekhe’.
I think, for some films the music catches on with the audience after the release of the film. I think thatRace 2 is one of those films. Also, I disagree with you because the music has become quite popular. All four songs in fact, ‘Party On My Mind’, ‘Be Intehaan’, ‘Lat Lag Gayee’ and ‘Allah Duhai’ are great songs. I also feel that when the film releases tomorrow, the music will catch on with audiences post that.
I think, for some films the music catches on with the audience after the release of the film. I think thatRace 2 is one of those films. Also, I disagree with you because the music has become quite popular. All four songs in fact, ‘Party On My Mind’, ‘Be Intehaan’, ‘Lat Lag Gayee’ and ‘Allah Duhai’ are great songs. I also feel that when the film releases tomorrow, the music will catch on with audiences post that.
The film has already released in the UAE. Have you been getting feedback?
I believe that it has opened very big. But it is not something I followed up because I have been giving interviews all day. I don’t know what the update is.
I believe that it has opened very big. But it is not something I followed up because I have been giving interviews all day. I don’t know what the update is.
You smashed it with your performance at a recent awards ceremony.Thank you. I did a live performance after a long time and I think Shiamak choreographed it really well.
The first look of Ram Leela was released today. How are you feeling about the film?
I am very excited about the film. We have had very positive response to the poster. I am excited to see how the film shapes up and I am excited for it to release later this year. It is a very passionate and intense love story. It is a Gujrati take on Romeo and Juliet.
I am very excited about the film. We have had very positive response to the poster. I am excited to see how the film shapes up and I am excited for it to release later this year. It is a very passionate and intense love story. It is a Gujrati take on Romeo and Juliet.
What are your expectations from audiences for Race 2?
I hope the film does really well. The film is true to the brand Race. There are a lot of twists and turns and everyone is plotting and betraying the other to get what they want. It is a very entertaining film.
I hope the film does really well. The film is true to the brand Race. There are a lot of twists and turns and everyone is plotting and betraying the other to get what they want. It is a very entertaining film.
Race 2, a Tips Film, releases on 25th January 2013 nationwide in UK and worldwide cinemas through UTV Motion Pictures.
I am from a middle class family in Bheemavaram. Cinema was the best and cheapest form of entertainment when I was a kid. I used to watch a lot of films. It was during my 10th class and when I was 14 years old, I decided to become a film director. Though my goal was to become a director, I didn’t have any road map. Getting money to buy a ticket to Hyderabad from Bheemavaram was the biggest task for me in those days. I studied in Bheemavaram till my degree. Then I went to Vizag to do my M. Sc in Andhra University. I have completed my M Sc in 1 year and 3 months. I used to watch movies every day during my stay in Vizag. All this while I made sure that I didn’t let my intentions of becoming director known to my parents.
I am also an avid reader. I am so addicted to books that I still get a high while reading books. I feel that book is the only thing that we interact with by keeping our ego aside. Once we keep our ego aside, we submit ourselves to the vision of the writer. We also keep ego aside when we seek information on Internet.
Searching for opportunities
I came to Hyderabad after completing post-graduation. A friend has given me a contact where I can teach tutions. I survived with the income generated by tutions and I started looking for film opportunities in the spare time. I met Kommanapalli Ganapathi Rao and he is such a kind person that he invited me in his house and gave me a cup of tea. He asked for my plans and I told him that I am a writer. I had a hand-written story called ‘Road’ with me. He liked it. He made me send it to the editor of Andhra Jyothy magazine. That was my first and only story published so far. He was writing dialogues for a film titled Merupu (Vikram, Anand and Kasturi), which was loosely based on ‘Sleeping with enemy’. He said that I can work for the film, but the producer can’t pay. I expressed my interest and started working for it. When they have shofted the shooting location to Gandipet, I couldn’t go such a far distance due to lack of money. Hence I had to disassociate from that film after working for 10 days.
Actor Gowtamraju is a good friend of Sunil. Gowtam Raju took me to TVD Prasad (National Art movies) who was going to make a film titled ‘Akka Bagunnava?’. Gowtam Raju asked the producer if he can help me. He said that the entire version is complete but for the climax. He has narrated the story and asked me to come up with the climax. I wrote a climax version and narrated it. Posani Krishna Murali was also one of the writers and he took a liking to the climax. After that I lost contact.
Traveling with Posani Krishna Murali
I was also writing for a film based program conducted by Gowtam Raju in ETV. Gowtamraju has connected me with Posani again when he was in Chennai. I took the remuneration of Rs. 3000/- from ETV and used it to travel to Chennai to meet Posani Krishna Murali. He was staying in Transit Guest House. He was writing for Pavitrabandham at that time. He has asked me if I knew how to write script and dialogues. I said yes like an experienced professional. In fact, I didn’t know anything at all. He went into another room when he got a phone call. During that time, I looked into the script of Pavitrabandham and understood the format of writing scenes/dialogues on paper. He has narrated me the story of Pavitrabandham and asked me to come up with my own version. He is an open guy and he makes all of us readout our own versions. He adapts the best scenes if they match with the original story line. I learnt a lot from Posani Krishna Murali. Contrary to controversial image projected by him, he is a sincere and hardworking writer. He used to sit in room for days to complete his work faster. He only comes up during meals time. He used to finish writing story and dialogues in four days for big films. I used to have misconception that film writers booze and smoke cigarettes to write dialogues and scripts. All those misconceptions were proven wrong when I saw Posani Krishna Murali in action. I got the confidence that film writing is a respectable job to take up.
Posani Murali also give lot of respect to his team members. He used to introduce me as his assistant writer or associate writer to others. He introduced me to directors like EVV, Muthyala Subbayya and B Gopal. He never uses us as ghost writers. He used to pay us our salary on 30th or 31st of every month irrespective of where he is. I got a vast experience in all genres of film writing with my stint of 1 year 8 months with him. I started realising that by writing to films, I am getting away from my goal of directing films. I didn’t want to become relaxed in life because I am taken care well in tutelage of Posani Krishna Murali.
I am personally against ‘bhava dasyam’. By working with Posani Krishna Murali, I got an assurance that I could continue working here without doing any ‘bhava dasyam’.
Swayamvaram
I used to be in the same place (I interviewed Trivikram at the place which he continue to use as office and hangout place from the time he entered Hyderabad to become a film director) and used to hangout at an Irani Chai cafe called ‘Try Luck’, which used to be there opposite to ETV office in Somajiguda. I used to meet Venu (actor) and Shyam (producer) at that cafe. I narrated the story of Swayamvaram to them. They believed in the story value. I have told the dialogue ‘Prema ane swargam nundi 7 adugula dooramlo vunde narakame pelli’ as the gist to the story. After listening to this, Vijay Bhaskar insisted that I should pen dialogues for this movie. Shyam took many risks and crossed several obstacles to produce and release the movie. It became a hit.
Nuvve Kavali
I had no interesting offers after Swayamvaram release. I went back to Bhimavaram and spent over one and half month. That is when I got a call from Sravanthi Ravi Kishore to accompany him to Madras. I went with him to Madras to buy the remake rights of Malayalam film Niram directed by Kamal. I saw the Niram film and understood the essence. I didn’t want transcript of Niram as I wanted to write dialogues afresh. I used only one dialogue ‘Nuvvendukuraa Naaku mundu I Love You cheppaledu’ from original as it is the key scene and incorporates the essence of the movie. I added humor with the dialogues and incorporated few characters like that of Sunil. During Nuvve Kavali making, I had simultaneously penned story and dialogues for Chirunavvutho.
Nuvve Nuvve
I had narrated the script of Nuvve Nuvve during the making of Nuvve Kavali to Sravanthi Ravi Kishore. He liked the story and asked if I could direct it. I had accepted his offer but asked for more time as I needed more confidence. I directed Nuvve Nuvve film after the release of Nuvvu Naaku Nachav. I couldn’t do that film the way I wanted. I was not completely satisfied with my work. I think the dialogue writer in me dominated the director in that film. However, it was a commercially successful project for the producer.
Athadu
I narrated the story of Athadu to Mahesh Babu before the start of Nuvve Nuvve shoot. Before making of Athadu, I fixed myself that I should not compromise at any cost. I wanted to make the film the way I envisioned it. I wanted to satisfy the audience in me after shooting every scene. I doubled checked each and every scene as an audience. I could able to do 80% of what I had imagined when I wrote the script. If you look at the first 15 minutes of Athadu movie, you will realise the level of intensity and technical finesse.
Jalsa
I met Pawan Kalyan during the climax of Bangaram film and narrated a story. When returning back, I narrated a characterization and a couple of scenes. He liked it better. He asked me to develop that character. As we started making the movie, the character’s consistency got affected as I wanted it to be more of a romantic comedy than pursuing the character from terrorist angle. I know that there is no solution to terrorism. I made a satire on entire police vs naxalite conflict as ‘evari daggara gun vunte vaadu right’ (might vunnavade right). I asked Mahesh if he can give voice over to Jalsa and he did it. I never felt that there is an angle of friction till Allu Arvind jokingly told that its a big issue to get hero from one camp to do voice over for a hero from another camp.
Khaleja
Khaleja is a film that had millions of problems during production. It was stalled in between for 6 months. There was no producer for the movie for 6 months till C Kalyan took over it. Mahesh Babu and me took as a personal responsibility to complete the film and release it. I had learnt a lot of lessons during the making of Khaleja. I learnt to be unrmotional about the creative aspect of the film and concentrate on the practicality aspect from the producer point of view.
Conflicting result for Khaleja in India and overseas
Khaleja is a big hit in overseas and a flop in India. I take pride in one aspect of Khaleja. That is the consistency of character. The hero character will be doing fights, romance and comedy. But I maintained the same characterization throughout the film irrespective of what he is doing. I think it is a very difficult job for the writer to maintain that consistency. Probably, that consistency in characterization, entertainment and Mahesh Babu’s craze worked in USA to become a big hit over there.
Why did Khaleja went over-budget and how come Julayi is made in pre-decided budget?
It’s just the span of making that made the difference. Khaleja’s working days were 135 days and Julayi’s working days were 110 days. Hence there is not much of difference in working days. But Khaleja was made in a span on 2 years and Julayi was made in 6 months. The producer saves huge on interest money when the film is made in short span.
You have been labeled as an expensive director after looking at budget and making spans for films like Athadu, Jalsa and Khaleja?
As a director I want to make films that work at box office so that producer will make money as well. If you look at Shankar, he always make sure that there is always a profit margin for the producer irrespective of the vast budget. As a director I want my producers to be profitable and make many more films. Likewise, I also want to make successful films. We all work towards the single goal of success. i cant go to each and every person who claims that I am the cause of over-budgeting by telling them real reasons. For example, me and Mahesh Babu have returned 40% of our respective remunerations to the producers for Khaleja so that it could be completed and released. Nobody knows about it as we don't like telling about it outside. Did any of the producers stop making films or went out of business because they made films with me?
After my experience with Khaleja I made sure that I don’t charge a penny to producer for pre-production. I did pre-production of Julayi in my office and producer is not charged for anything. If preproduction for a big film is happening at producer’s office, the coffee/tea and hospitality charges for visitors and staff will come to 25 lacs and if you include interest till the release of the movie, it may go upto one crore. The people outside don’t look at how that figure is arrived and they generally comment about the same. Hence I decided to have all pre-production work done at my office so that there is zero pre-production cost for the producer.
You do generally keep your film’s story/scenes/dialogues secret till the movie is released. Why did you narrate story and dialogues through the theatrical trailer of Julayi?
I thought that it will be good to let the movie lovers know about the film from horse’s mouth than through gossips.
Tell us about Julayi?
‘laksha rupayala lottery ticketni kooda kastapadi sampadinchina okka rupayithone konali’ (you have to use your hard-earnt one rupee to buy a lottery ticket that wins 1 lac) - this dialogue has the essence of the movie. We always feel that our goals are easy to achieve till we start pursuing them. You realize the difficulties as you start your journey towards the goal. There is a kodi dialogue between father and son (Tanikella and Bunny) in the trailer. There will be a retort to son from father towards the end which will serve as eye-opener.
You always have nice lyrics in your movies. How come there is the usage of word ‘osey osey’ in julayi song?
(laughs). That word is used to catch attention. But if you listen to the rest of the lyrics, you will find beautiful poetry and nice thoughts like “Prema pundu meeda karam petti, gunde anchukemo daaram katti, istamochinattu danne egareyyake ala ilaa”. All of Julayi songs have poetic value to them.
Whats your reading on actor Allu Arjun?
There are a lot of people who think that they know everything. Allu Arjun is one of the few people who think that they don’t know anything and they have to learn a lot. He is always on his toes to learn new things. He is very grounded. He knows his real stuff and doesn’t get carried away by the sweet words of the people around him. He has no tantrums and he is an easy actor to work with.
You are very close to Pawan Kalyan and Mahesh Babu. Tell us your personal observations?
Both of them have terrific sense of humor and only people who are very close to them know about it.
Pawan Kalyan: A personal observation
Pawan Kalyan is a simple man who wears Lungi and Lalchi during free time. When I met him for the first time at his farmhouse, he was carrying the generator for repair along with a worker. He is a passionate reader though he is a +2 dropout. He is like a walking library. He has personally signed books of Paulo Coelho (Author of The Alchemist) and Ashok Banker (Ramayana).
When I met Pawan Kalyan during Bangaram climax, I observed an something interesting. A lady working nearby came and kept her sick baby in the hands of Pawan Kalyan. He listened to her problems carefully and called his friend Sharat Marar and asked him to take the kid to Rainbow hospital. Later on, he paid all the expenses required to get the baby to normal health.
Pawan Kalyan doesn’t know the value of money. When somebody goes for help, he asks if 20 is sufficient. It’s not 20 thousand, but 20 lacs. He feels that if he offers anything less, we might get offended.
Recently Pavala Syamala went to Pawan Kalyan and requested for help. He listened to her problems and he has 20k with him in the van. He gave the money to her. He called his manager after she left and asked him to deposit another 80k in her account the next day. He felt that he helped her only after giving her 1 lac. He called me and asked me if 1 lac will be sufficient for her to sustain for a couple of months.
Mahesh Babu: A personal observation
Mahesh is very jovial and a very simple guy. He doesn’t care much about materialistic possessions. He used to have two shirts and two pants during Athadu time. He used only one car (Opel Astra) till he got married. It was Namrata who gifted him Mercedes Benz E Class after his wedding. Mahesh is a soft-spoken guy. He never uses cuss words. The biggest bad word he uses when he gets extremely angry is ‘choosukondanyya’. When Mahesh says ‘Choosukondayya’, his staff get really hurt as if he scolded them heavily. I think it has a lot to do with his upbringing. He is very composed and down to earth. The best thing is that he pays for his staff and his family when they travel with him to shoot. Namrata makes the list of all personal expenses (family and staff) occurred during the shoot on monthly basis and ask the producer to deduct it from the remuneration. They take those bills and submit it to Mahesh’s personal auditor. The values of people will be reflected in small issues like these.
He loves his brother Ramesh Babu very much. When Ramesh Babu was admitted in hospital in an afternoon due to typhoid fever during the shoot of Khaleja, I asked Mahesh to go to hospital and visit his brother. I told him that we can use the next day to cover up the lost time. But Mahesh insisted that we should shoot. When I started my work, I observed that his eyes were wet and his cheeks were red. I understood how much he loves his brother and how dedicated he is towards his work at the same time. I forced him to go to hospital and called for a pack-up. Occasions like these make our respect towards such persons grow at an exponential level.
You got a special recognition for your thinking pattern and dialogues right from Swayamvaram. What is the secret behind your signature entertaining and thought provoking dialogues?
It could be my interest in reading books or humorous conversations with friends. I can’t point out and say that my dialogues have become popular due to this reason. Just like how a beautiful painting is made with several strokes, a skill in one person will be developed due to several factors and influences. I also feel that one’s various experiences, skill and unrelenting passion towards goal make their work special. Why do people follow idlebrain.com when there are 10s of websites? That is because it is started by a person who developed a signature for himself with his work. ‘picha vunna vaarini prapancham ignore cheyyadu. They always shine’. You may love them or you may hate them. You can never ignore such madly passionate people.
Reviews and mouth talk
I am also a human being and I get little disappointed when somebody criticise my work. That is the reason why I don't read reviews for at least 10 days if my film gets released. Just like I have a right to direct movie, reviewers too have a right to criticise the film. When I watch movies by other directors, I watch them as a normal audience like I did when I was studying in Bheemavaram. I don’t like to ask for talk of the film. I want to enjoy the pleasure of watching film myself and make an opinion than going to a movie with a pre-conceived opinion that is influenced by others. I don’t derive the sadistic pleasure when somebody speaks negatively of others movies. I never let negativity come into my life and to my movies.
Next project with Pawan Kalyan
My next project is with Pawan Kalyan and it will be an entertainer based on human relationships. Nuvvu Naaku Nachav was the last such kind of movie I had worked on. If a similar subject on human relations is enacted by a powerful and mass hero like Pawan Kalyan, the reach will be much higher. It will be a pure and prestine Telugu film on Telugu manava bandhavyalu. It’s a film on Telugu padikattu (Telugu tradition). This film’s shoot will start after the release of Cameraman Gangatho Rambabu.
The gorgeous Sonakshi Sinha is back and this time she is opposite the great Ajay Devgn in the masala flick Son of Sardaar. Directed by Ashwini Dhir, the film also stars Sanjay Dutt and Juhi Chawla. Son of Sardaar is a romantic comedy which takes you straight into the heartland of colorful Punjab. It is the story of Jassi (Ajay Devgn), a peace loving, happy-go-lucky Sardar, who lives in London while trying to make a living. While coming to Punjab from London, Jassi meets Meet (Sonakshi Sinha) and love happens! Of course, many twists, turns, action, drama and comedy also happen when he arrives. Will Meet and Jassi’s love story see a happy ending? You can find out tomorrow because SOS hits theaters on November 13th! We got the chance to have a quick chat with Sonakshi about the film. Read on to see what she told us about what made her laugh, about riding that bike, of course working with Ajay and all things Son of Sardaar.
So what made you say yes to the role in this film?
Just the fact that when Ashwin sir, our director, came to me with the script while he was reading it I was really laughing my heart out and I felt that if a film like that can get a reaction like that out of me on paper I’m sure it will be able to do a lot more when it’s finally done and after it’s on screen. I guess I went on instinct. And I really love the character that I’m playing too so I just went ahead and said yes.
Tell us about your character.
My character is of a young, modern Punjabi girl who is well educated, she’s loud, she’s funny, she’s talkative, and she is brought up with really nice strict Punjabi values. That’s pretty much my character in a nutshell. And along with all this I got to do a lot of new things in the film, for instance, riding a bike, doing action for the first time, I’ve done 2 action films in the past but never got a chance to do any action so in this film I’ve done that as well. She’s a very lively character.
Tell us about working with Ajay Devgn.
Fantastic. He’s a very, very professional actor, a very intense actor. When he is working he is very serious on the set. Work is work. When cameras aren’t rolling and the entire team is sitting together he’s a very fun person as well. So it was nice to see both sides to him. It was quite cool actually and it was good fun.
Now he is known as a prankster, did he get you?
Yes he did! He did pull quite a big one on me. He hid chilli paste in gajar ka halwa, which is an Indian sweet delicacy. I took a bite and my mouth was on fire because it was so spicy. That’s one thing I’m going to remember for the rest of my life and make sure that I look at what I’m eating (laughs).
Did you also have scenes with Sanjay Dutt and Juhi Chawla?
Yes I did. Both are wonderful actors to work with. Sanjay is actually being more like an elder brother, he’s seen me when I was really little so it was quite emotional working with him and sharing screen space with him. Juhi-ji is such a wonderful person she’s got such a nice, wonderful positive aura around her and she is always smiling. It’s really nice to be around her and work with her.
The song sequences looked like they were fun to film, tell us about that.
It was definitely fun because Ajay is really not known as a dancing actor but in this film the songs are so catchy, they are so foot taping numbers that he automatically enjoyed himself as well. He’s gone all out. He’s given his best. We know that he doesn’t like to dance (laughs) but he’s gone ahead and done that which is commendable. We really had fun!
What do you think the director brought out in you as an actress?
The director actually was he made it very easy for me because if you meet my director he’s a very typical Punjabi man, the way he speaks, the way he acts, the way he behaves, his everything is so typical Punjabi that if I ever got stuck I’d just have to observe him and see what he’s doing and how he’s doing it and replicate that. Even in terms of the language, I don’t speak Punjabi. I understand it, but I got the opportunity to speak it, lines here and there, he’s really a big help for getting into character.
So as you said you got to do action scenes for the first time. Were you scared?
Yeah, it was a bit scary at first but I’ve always been a very sporty person. In school I used to play a lot of sports, so I enjoy any kind of physical activity. I made sure I had no body double for this. It was something I wanted to do by myself. It seemed something very challenging so I really wanted to take it up. I think I did it well and the result is on screen to see. It was definitely a lot of fun.
What are you happiest about your career so far?
I think that it is that things have really fallen into place for me. People have appreciated a certain way that I looked, certain way that I act, and that’s most important to me. Not only that, the fact that I’ve enjoyed working with each and every one of my films. I’ve always taken something back from it. I’ve learnt something from it. That’s what is really important.
So what have you learned from this film?
From this film, I learned how to ride a bike. (Laughs)
What else do you have coming up?
I have Dabangg 2 at the end of this year in December and after that there is Lootera and there’sOnce Upon a Time in Mumbai the second part.
What do you think audiences are going to love about Son of Sardaar?
This is a film that everyone would like to see it. Just that it’s going to cater to every age group. Everyone is going to appreciate it because it has something for everyone right from kids to adults to seniors. So I think everyone is going to take back home a lot of entertainment, a lot of laughs. It is a complete commercial masala film Bollywood film which has action, romance, drama everything rolled into one. You know Indians like it that way. I think this film has all of that to offer and much more you know. It’s a very, very entertaining film and that’s all that matters. It definitely will be a good Diwali for them.
Rahul is one of the lead actors in the upcoming film ‘Andhala Rakshasi’, along with Naveen and Lavanya.In the movie, he plays the character of Gautham. We caught up with Rahul for an exclusive interview and he spoke at length about his experiences working for ‘Andhala Rakshasi’. Rahul is very well educated, jovial and professional. Read on to see what he has to say.
Q. What are your expectations from Andhala Rakshasi?
A. I have very high hopes on Andhala Rakshasi as I sincerely believe that have a good product on hand. We have done a smart job with the film, primarily because the director had terrific vision and clarity. I am slightly nervous and I am hoping for everything to fall into place for the release.
Q. Can you tell us more about Gautham, your role in the film?
A. Gautham has so much love inside him for everyone. The word Gautham means the moon faced one. So just like the moon reflects light, Gautham reflects the positive emotions of people around him. Gautham is also very silent, calm and patient. He is a great listener and he will do everything in his power to make people around him happy. It is a very well written character. It took me a few days to get into the zone and understand Gautam, but once that happened, I just had a great time.
Q . How were you picked for this role?
A. It was purely a stroke of luck. I was referred to Hanu through some friends and once he saw my pics, I was asked to come over. I landed in Hyderabad and met Hanu. I assumed Hanu was an assistant director as he was very young. We had a chat and that is when I realised how mature he is. His vision is so clear. He just wanted to interact with me and check out my body language. “Once you fit into the character, it becomes easier for you as well as me”, said Hanu. To a large extent, I fit the character of Gautham as I am positive and I hate emotions like jealousy. I believe in spreading a lot of love and happiness.
Q. When did you decide to become an actor?
A. I have very high hopes on Andhala Rakshasi as I sincerely believe that have a good product on hand. We have done a smart job with the film, primarily because the director had terrific vision and clarity. I am slightly nervous and I am hoping for everything to fall into place for the release.
Q. Can you tell us more about Gautham, your role in the film?
A. Gautham has so much love inside him for everyone. The word Gautham means the moon faced one. So just like the moon reflects light, Gautham reflects the positive emotions of people around him. Gautham is also very silent, calm and patient. He is a great listener and he will do everything in his power to make people around him happy. It is a very well written character. It took me a few days to get into the zone and understand Gautam, but once that happened, I just had a great time.
Q . How were you picked for this role?
A. It was purely a stroke of luck. I was referred to Hanu through some friends and once he saw my pics, I was asked to come over. I landed in Hyderabad and met Hanu. I assumed Hanu was an assistant director as he was very young. We had a chat and that is when I realised how mature he is. His vision is so clear. He just wanted to interact with me and check out my body language. “Once you fit into the character, it becomes easier for you as well as me”, said Hanu. To a large extent, I fit the character of Gautham as I am positive and I hate emotions like jealousy. I believe in spreading a lot of love and happiness.
Q. When did you decide to become an actor?
A. After completing my degree, I pursued my MBA in Marketing from MICA, Ahmedabad. After working as an Assistant Brand Manager with Radio City. One day, I was having a meal at a restaurant in Mumbai. A lady came upto me and asked me if I was interested in auditioning for an ad. That ad was directed by Dibakar Bannerjee. I got more work in the ad field and during this time, I also was asked to dub for the Tamil version of Power Rangers. It was great fun. I was then approached for my first film “Moscow Kavery’ by the office of Oscar Ravichandran. I decided to give up my marketing job and get into acting full time. After a couple of Tamil films, Andhala Rakshasi happened.
Q. What are your hobbies?
A. I watch tons and tons of movies. I read a lot and I am a major sports freak. I play football and Tennis regularly. I am so passionate about sports that I follow almost all of them. Apart from that, I also play a lot of sports games on my PS3. I also make friends very easily. But my old friends are still my best buddies. We hang out for a juice or a snack once in a while. I don’t smoke or drink (smiles)
A. I watch tons and tons of movies. I read a lot and I am a major sports freak. I play football and Tennis regularly. I am so passionate about sports that I follow almost all of them. Apart from that, I also play a lot of sports games on my PS3. I also make friends very easily. But my old friends are still my best buddies. We hang out for a juice or a snack once in a while. I don’t smoke or drink (smiles)
Q. How do you like Hyderabad?
A. Hyderabad is brilliant. People here are so good and warm. There is time for family here and people are not impersonal. I have lived in a few metropolitan cities but Hyderabad is the best. I just love the people here.
A. Hyderabad is brilliant. People here are so good and warm. There is time for family here and people are not impersonal. I have lived in a few metropolitan cities but Hyderabad is the best. I just love the people here.
Q. How was it to work with Hanu and the team of AR?
A. Hanu is a friend for life. Andhala Rakshasi is a project that I will cherish and be proud of all my life. Naveen and Lavanya are great to work with. Lavanya is very professional and she lets you do your job comfortably. She is always ready with her dialogues and since she is good with her performance, it automatically brings the best out of you. Naveen is the sweetest chap. He is such a good co-star. He watches out for me and promotes me more than he promotes himself.
A. Hanu is a friend for life. Andhala Rakshasi is a project that I will cherish and be proud of all my life. Naveen and Lavanya are great to work with. Lavanya is very professional and she lets you do your job comfortably. She is always ready with her dialogues and since she is good with her performance, it automatically brings the best out of you. Naveen is the sweetest chap. He is such a good co-star. He watches out for me and promotes me more than he promotes himself.
Q. Are you happy with how AR shaped up?
A. Extremely happy. AR is magical. I have seen some visuals from the film and I was just swept away. I sincerely believe that movie lovers will have a great time when they come in to watch the film in a theater. Special thanks to Sai Korrapati garu and Varahi for doing a great job and promoting the film so well. I have received great compliments from people after the trailers came out. Hanu complimented me after watching the final edit of the film and it felt special.
A. Extremely happy. AR is magical. I have seen some visuals from the film and I was just swept away. I sincerely believe that movie lovers will have a great time when they come in to watch the film in a theater. Special thanks to Sai Korrapati garu and Varahi for doing a great job and promoting the film so well. I have received great compliments from people after the trailers came out. Hanu complimented me after watching the final edit of the film and it felt special.
Q. What are your future projects?
A. I have a few projects in hand but I do not want to finalize anything until AR releases. Telugu films are a priority for me and I will be doing Telugu projects for sure very soon.
A. I have a few projects in hand but I do not want to finalize anything until AR releases. Telugu films are a priority for me and I will be doing Telugu projects for sure very soon.
Q. Any message you would like to convey to our readers?
A. Hanu has taken great pains to create special characters. Allow us to showcase that magic and entertain you. There are great songs, visuals and the whole thing is very colourful. AR is a pure love story. I hope people will like it.
A. Hanu has taken great pains to create special characters. Allow us to showcase that magic and entertain you. There are great songs, visuals and the whole thing is very colourful. AR is a pure love story. I hope people will like it.
The last few years we have been witnessing this trend of young talented singers who hope to get noticed by putting up videos on YouTube singing their own version of several current hit songs. Think of Sam Tsui, Nataly Dawn and Esmee Denters, and of course one of the most famous examples, who now has a succesfull singing career, is that of teen idol Justin Bieber, who got noticed by Usher.
It seems that now in India we have found one young talented boy named Armaan Malik. Malik gained a lot of curiosity and a lot of views in the last few months when he released his version of Bruno Mars’ song ‘Just the Way You Are’.
The video went viral on Twitter and Facebook, after actress Priyanka Chopra praised the 16-year old and has since then been viewed more than 60000 times. Armaan is really happy with the response he gets on YouTube and replies personally to all who leave a comment. He assures us we can expect more exciting stuff. “Yes, I am really really happy to know that Priyanka Chopra , Gul Panag and many other people have dearly appreciated my cover. I am planning on some other exciting stuff. They too will come out soon 
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When I heard and saw him singing his version of Bruno Mars’ ‘Just The Way You Are’, I was taken right back to SRGMP Lil Champs. I clearly remember watching this little boy on television singing songs such as ‘Tere Naam’ and ‘Thoda Sa Pyaar Hua Hai’ with such depth. And to think, he was only 10 years old. It has been six years already and here was an all grown-up Armaan Malik, ready to mesmerize India with his voice. Let’s get to know him a little better.
Armaan Malik comes from a musical family. He is the son of composer Dabboo Malik and nephew of composer and Indian Idol judge Anu Malik. Therefore it comes as no surprise that he has always wanted and has been singing. “I have always been interested in singing. Singing is one thing that defines me. Since I hail from a family of musicians, music came naturally to me.”
He started singing at a very young age. “I started singing from the age of 4. As I recall, as a kid I was always inclined to music and singing. My parents still remember the day when I cried in tune! I have learnt singing from Mrs. Rita Kaul and Qadir Mustafa Khan (son of Padmashri and Padmabhushan recipient Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan Sahab). Yes, and I am still taking singing lessons.”
And with this talent in his pocket, he participated in the singing competition SRGMP Lil Champs and also appeared in the Zee TV show Chota Packet Bada Dhamaka. So many reality shows at such a young age. According to Armaan the experience was “amazing”. “Participating gave me immense confidence and taught me what the real world out there is like. At the age of 10, I was competing against contestants of 15 or even 16 years of age. So I felt really great having reached the 7th position in the competition.”
But his singing career had taken off even before he was participating in these shows. Though participating did give him a big break. “I had already started singing for ads and jingles, before I participated in Lil’ Champs. But the competition surely did give me a strong push in my career. My biggest break was when I sang for the musical duo Vishal-Shekhar alongside Mr. Amitabh Bachchan for the song ‘Mere Buddy’. Thereafter I sang for about 15 Bollywood films, the prominent ones beingRakht Charitra, Chillar Party, Taare Zameen Par and Hanuman Returns. I also acted and sang inKachcha Limboo. Besides that, I have also acted in ads like Kurkure and Country Club.”
The young singer also compose his own songs, but admits that he loves singing the most. “I haven’t composed for movies, but I do compose my own songs as a Singer-Songwriter. As a musician I feel that composing is an integral part of your growth as an individual artist. I believe composing a song is as important as singing it. I love both, but singing is and always will be the closest to my heart. And as the trend goes…where composers have started to sing as well, Armaan says that is what he wants to do eventually. I want to sing for films and compose, write and sing my own songs. ”
Armaan enjoys Western songs as much as he loves Indian songs. We asked him about his favourites.
Who are your favourite singers?
Sonu Nigam and Shreya Goshal
Sonu Nigam and Shreya Goshal
And Western artists?
Michael Bublé and Rihanna. I also like Coldplay.
Michael Bublé and Rihanna. I also like Coldplay.
In the future Armaan hopes to release an album and sing for films. “I have already done a short course in Berkley College of Music, for which I had received a full-tuition scholarship and honours at the end of the program. In future, I want to sing for movies, come out with my album and study music production and sound designing.”
Armaan Malik is definitely one talented singer to look out for. I am sure, he will take this industry by storm.
Here is the video!
