Says John Abraham as he talks about his character in ‘Shootout At Wadala’ and choice of films

When John Abraham burst into the small screen with ripped body and dimpled cheeks in ‘Jism’, the critics were quick to put him under ‘models can’t act’ slot. The film grabbed a lot of eyeballs for its erotic content and audience approved of his chocolaty looks. After a string of flops, his role in Yash Raj’s Dhoom set him in the league of A-list actors and proved that he was here to stay. After 11 years in the industry, he is gearing up for a life-changing performance as Manya Surve in Sanjay Gupta’s ‘Shootout At Wadala’. In a candid chat, John talks about his character and why formula love stories don’t work for him.

Excerpts from the interview:

What were challenges involved in playing a real life character? Did you battle self doubt?
It was a challenge but I took it up. What helped me is the research for the character. Where he came from, his background. We spoke to the police officers,

Read More »from ‘Formula films don’t work for me’

Emraan Hashmi is an antithesis of his over-the-top screen image. In real life, he has a wicked sense of humour, for only those who get it. When he debuted in 2003, critics were quick to write him off due to his non-hero looks and his choice of films. It has been a long journey and not a smooth one for him since his ‘Murder’ days. From a mass hero catering to mostly frontbenchers to bankable star super-hit potboilers, he has coursed the long mile. His performance as Jogi Parmar in 'Shanghai' made the critics sit up and take notice of him. With Vishal Bhardwaj's 'Ek Thi Daayan', Emraan's filmi graph has taken a new turn as he stars along with Huma Quereshi, Kalki and Konkona Sen Sharma. In a candid chat, the star tells us about his role and why he wants to get rid of his ‘kisser’ image.

Excerpts from the interview:

How did ‘Ek Thi Daayan’ happen?
I was drawn to the story and the subject, written by Mukul which was adapted by Vishal. It was fascinating because thematically

Read More »from 'Ek Thi Daayan doesn't propagate witchcraft’

The rape scene in ‘Damini’ or Gabbar Singh’s attack in ‘Sholay’, here’s how Holi played a supporting role

Compared to Dushera’s good-over-evil theme, the festival of colours is considered less dramatic and more convenient for plot development leading to the most crucial scene in the film. For decades, Bollywood has used the festival to conjure images of passion, love, happiness and even violence to some extent. Indian Cinema’s first tryst with the festival came in ‘Aan’(1950s) when the director went gung-ho about exploring Holi’s cinematic potential. From V Shantaram’s Navrag to Vijay Anand’s Guide, Holi has been evocatively to display the emotions of love and joy. But the festival has also been used to break the stereotypes thereby using the festival to darken the plot. Here’s our list.

Damini: This is perhaps the most disturbing scene associated with the colourful festival. Director Raj Kumar Santoshi uses Holi as the dramatic turning point in his film where the son of a high-societyRead More »from When Holi played a spoilsport

Says Ajay Devgn on why he doesn’t like watching himself in his earlier films. Excerpts

After ‘Rascals’ bombed at the box-office and audience rejected this crude slapstick film, Ajay Devgn came out with a statement that he will never do any film, which has double-meaning jokes or vulgarity. True to his word, he has stayed away from anything remotely corny, making sure that his family audience is happy. Now he is back in the remake of the 80s hit ‘Himmatwala’ directed by his college buddy Sajid Khan. In a candid chat, Ajay Devgn talks about wearing white keds, dancing and his biggest critic.

Excerpts from the interview:

How did ‘Himmatwala’ come about?

Sajid and I are college friends and he has always been a ‘Himmatwala’ freak. Right from the college days, he has been talking about remaking ‘Himmatwala’ when he becomes the director. When he called me up, I knew what it was about. This film is an out and out commercial film with bit action, comedy and melodrama like the 80s. So it was

Read More »from ‘Embarrassed to watch my films’

Sajid Khan talks about how ‘Himmatwala’ changed the way he viewed films 30 years ago

When ‘Himmatwala’ released in 1983, an 11-year-old boy would go to one cinema hall every week to watch the film. Once a week, for 36 weeks, he skipped his lunch and used the lunch money to buy tickets. His love for films was so intense that he would enact few scenes from the film at Juhu beach and earn appreciation and money. 30 years later, he is all set to pay tribute to his favourite childhood film with his own version.

It is difficult to not feel the childlike enthusiasm in Sajid Khan as it talks about his latest film, set to be released in two weeks. As he sat smoking countless cigarettes (I have to give up smoking, he says) and talking about his larger-than-life take on the ‘83 hit, Sajid makes no bones about being unfazed by the inevitable comparisons with the earlier film. “When you see the film, you will realize that the script is different. Today, every film is a remake.”

Why the same name Read More »from '100-crore club will be outdated soon’

Aamir Khan is set to attempt the longest kiss with Anushka Sharma in ‘Peekay’. We’re waiting with bated breath

This doesn’t come as a surprise though. Before Emraan Khan created hype and controversies with his on-screen kisses, earning the title of ‘serial kisser’, our Khan had already earned a reputation of having atleast one mouth-to-mouth suction in his films which are a lot more than two flowers caressing each other. Needless to say, the audience isn’t complaining either.

When he debuted with 'Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak', he became an overnight star and his lip-lock with co-star Juhi Chawla was an instant hit. After shedding their inhibitions in the lip-lock department, they went ahead and shared quite a few in their later films, the last one being ‘Ishq’ in 1997.

But his loyalties didn’t rest with his first co-star only. His pairing with the reigning queen of that time, Madhuri Dixit in Dil resulted in light liplock. Madhuri had already become an expert after her steaming

Read More »from Heard This: Aamir to attempt smooch-a-thon, again!

Forget Emraan Hashmi, Bollywood now has a superstar for lip service

No, we don’t blame the Bollywood beauties for succumbing to his Greek God looks or his super hot bod and Katrina Kaif is soon to get his lip service in the remake of Tom Cruise- Cameron Diaz starrer ‘Knight and Day’. Not much is known about the coveted lip-lock, whether it is going to be a wink and miss one like ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’ or more intense, like the one in ‘Dhoom 2’.

Hrithik-Ash's passionate kiss in 'Dhoom 2'The Bollywood hunk is no stranger to passionate kissing as well and has indulged it in quite a few films. While his intimate lip lock in Kites sparked off rumours of their off-screen romance, it was his passionate smooch with Aishwarya Rai which shocked the audience. The self-righteous Indian audience was offended that a married man was locking his lips with the Bachchan Bahu (That was before the shaadi). The film became a hit and the kiss was one of the most You-Tubed scene of the year.

The actor is no stranger to kissing controversies

Read More »from Heard this: Hrithik Roshan on a kissing spree?

Sudhir Mishra on Inkaar, the women in his films and why he doesn’t remember his earlier films

When Sudhir Mishra wrote ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro’ in the 80s, little did he know that it will become a cult film in the history of Indian cinema. Made at a shoestring budget of roughly Rs 8-9 lakh, ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron’ was no blockbuster, but its contribution is unquestionable. Even his 1996 crime-thriller ‘Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin’ was ahead of its time, while the 2005 drama ‘Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi’ is perhaps what he is most remembered for. But Mishra doesn’t believe in resting on his past accolades. “For me, it is over because if you keep on thinking about your past achievements, it is going to be dangerous. I agree with what Danny Boyle had once said that every film should be like your first film. That adventure is the excitement,” he says.

Mishra’s films are known for the way he writes for his female protagonists who are not mere props in the films and he is quick to reveal that he draws

Read More »from ‘I'm Geeta in Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi’