'I have no respect for commercial Bollywood films'

Kangna Ranaut is in an explosive mood. May be it has something to do with the 'explosive' cinema that she has been a part of ever since she made her debut with ‘Gangster’. From playing a gangster's love interest (which was straight out of headlines) in Gangster to re-enacting the trauma of Parveen Babi in ‘Woh Lamhe’ and most recently expressing the dilemma of Senior Executive at a Call Center in ‘Life In A Metro’, Kangna has been busy making her own space outside a world which goes by the name of Bollywood.

While working in aforementioned films, didn't she feel like being a part of a hardcore Bollywood commercial film to at least stay in the reckoning during her relatively leaner period?

"Everybody asks me this. But I never felt like being a part of a hardcore Bollywood commercial film because I have no respect for such cinema", Kangna makes a shocking confession.

She continues, "It is like an immortal work of art. For me my movies are my heart-beat. I cannot do a stupid film in which people laugh while they are watching it. So I have to be very careful".

Seems like she detests such cinema? "Yes, because it hurts me emotionally and mentally when people make fun about the characters in the film. I don't like people making fun of movies and characters. You should be given respect in society and for the work you do."

In that case, is ‘Fashion’ the kind of film which should get the actors in it the kind of respect she aims for? "I really hope so. Fashion will change the thinking of the society and what they think about the fashion world. I don't have a crystal ball to see what the future holds, but yes I do know that the film will do very well", says Kangna in a positive tone.

There has been long gap between her last film ‘Life In A Metro’ and ‘Fashion’. Was a break like this planned? Replies Kangna, "It was not planned. Some times it just takes too long for a project to complete. Even Fashion for that matter took about 6- 7 months to complete. In fact I did a film in the middle called Roshan but it didn't come. It will now come out after Fashion"

Big B in India

Amitabh Bachchan will star in a pivotal role in Sanjay Dutt Productions' India. As the actor-turned-producer is too shy of asking Amitabh Bachchan, he has left word with the Big B's office asking him to be part of India.
Bachchan's reaction? "All he (Dutt) has to do is ask."

It's a known fact that Dutt loves Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan like a father and brother and would not like to put any emotional pressure on them, and so has approached them very professionally.

Dharam Oberoi, CEO Sanjay Dutt Productions, confirms, "Sanju Baba does want Mr Bachchan in the film to be directed by Soham Shah. He quietly left a message. But now when he and Bhabhiji (Manayata) return from their holiday Baba will drop in to finalise it."

Bipasha to break stereotype of Kashmiri women

After "Corporate", Bipasha Basu once again gets real for her role in Rahul Dholakia's hard hitting drama "Lamha" and she says the biggest challenge for her is to break the stereotypical image of Kashmiri girls in Hindi movies.

"When you think of a Kashmiri girl in our movies, what comes to mind is a fair-skinned, light-eyed girl. But I want to disprove that myth. The pre-conceived notions have to be overcome," Bipasha, whose performance in "Bachna Ae Haseeno" got her much praise, said.

Bipasha had asked her producers to invite a born-and-bred Kashmiri girl to Mumbai to study her body language, speech patterns and mannerisms.

"I've never done a film like this before. The role requires me to be someone else altogether. I've to change my entire personality. And for this I needed help. I wanted to play the character the way girls really are today in Kashmir. Very basic.

"I've done a bit role in another authentic film - Prakash Jha's 'Apaharan'. For that matter, Madhur Bhandarkar's 'Corporate' was very real and so is Rituparno Ghosh's 'Sab Charitra Kalpanik'. But 'Lamha' is something else."

The actress is hell bent to look convincing in the role.

"I think I'm going to be more keen on getting it right than the director. Going to Kashmir and getting to know the local way of life was difficult. All said and done it's still not entirely safe in Kashmir.

"My boyfriend John (Abraham) shot in strife-torn Afghanistan for 'Kabul Express'. Now it's my turn in Kashmir."

Ha, ha, Harman

They kept talking about a kiss in Love Story 2050, but Harman Baweja didn't even get a peck from his real-life girlfriend Priyanka Chopra in the film .

But newcomer Arjan Bajwa has a full-fledged love-making scene with Priyanka Chopra in Fashion her boldest to date, far more than what she did with Akshay Kumar in Andaaz and Aitraaz.

Says Priyanka, "Please! You make it sound so HOTTTT! It is NOT! I'm too much of a girl-next-door to do that. Arjan and I do have a lovemaking scene. But it's nothing to get bothered about." She laughs, "Arjan was more petrified than I was. I had to forget my nervousness."

The newcomer admits he was nervous, "Although I've done six Telugu films, I hadn't really done a scene like this before, and that too with someone of Priyanka's stature. She put my nervousness to rest. For a newcomer, the co-star is a decisive point in his confidence level for all time to come."

Adds director Madhur Bhandarkar, "This isn't the first time that I've shot intimate scenes. There were more sensitive scene between Tabu and Atul Kulkarni in Chandni Bar. Page 3 had some hard-hitting moments of sexual content. Fortunately for me, the actors trust me and my judgment. Priyanka surrendered completely to my vision. When you see her love scene with Arjan you'll realise there's absolutely nothing that's meant to titillate."

I'm not seeing Kunal Khemu

It has been widely reported that Soha Ali Khan has broken up with her long time boyfriend Siddharth (who acted with her in Rang De Basanti) and has fallen in love with Kunal Khemu with whom she is currently doing a couple of films.

But when we cornered the damsel, she rubbished all the reports.

“I’m not seeing Kunal Khemu and that’s the truth. I never talk about what I’m doing in my personal space and I’m always reticent about answering questions about my personal life and relations. It is a trend to link a person up with their co-stars. I have been linked to every co-star I have worked with. So, it doesn’t bother me anymore,” she says.

Soha has a diverse mix of films like Dil Kabaddi, 99, Tera Kya Hoga Johnny and a film about the 2005 Mumbai floods among others under her belt.

Does Soha think hard before choosing a film?
“I’m happy with the work that I’m doing but let me tell you this — I have no ability to plan. I have no vision for my career. If I get excited about a script, I sign it without thinking twice. I’m going to work very hard till June after which I have no work as of now. I like doing different things but at the moment comedies are what I’m really liking doing,” she says.

Soha has shown her acting prowess in intense dramas, period films and now she is trying her hand in comedies but there is a genre that we have not seen her doing and that’s action.

“I’m very fond of action films. I’m a very sporty and athletic person. There are many female actors who are doing some cool action films and I’m also looking to do this. I would like to do most of my stunts myself though,” she says.

Soha had recently made jaws drop when she shed her inhibitions and posed for a men’s lifestyle magazine. We quizzed her if she was ready to do something as explosive for a film.

“I don’t really think I did much. I think it was in good taste but it was really blown out of proportion. Lots of people thought I was very elegant. My mother personally thought what I had done was very tame and she also told me to check out what she had done before. If a film requires me to do anything of this sort, I don’t think I would have any problems,” she ends.

Katrina feels sad

Though she will be part of SRK’s Temptation Reloaded in Dubai, Katrina Kaif tells Soumyadipta Banerjee that she is disappointed about the superstar’s much-hyped shows being cancelled in Europe

Katrina Kaif is ‘disappointed’ at Shah Rukh Khan’s tour Temptations Reloaded getting cancelled. But she says that she was never a part of the shows to be held in Europe and Germany.

“I read the other day that the shows scheduled in Europe have been cancelled. I felt really sad. But, I was never a part of any show other than the Dubai one because I would be shooting in the US at that time,” says Katrina over the phone from New York where she is currently shooting for Raj Kumar Santoshi’s untitled film. “I’ll have to travel for 20 hours from the US to be part of the Dubai show and come back immediately to New York after the show is over!” the actor added.

Katrina, who has looks and accent for international projects, rubbishes reports of being flooded with Hollywood offers. “A Tom Cruise or a Will Smith hasn’t come knocking at my door and neither have they said that they are prepared to wait for me. The other day, I was seeing a film called Body of Lies and was surprised to see an Indian girl in it. It’s so heartening to see Indians featuring in Hollywood films,” the star says.

Katrina has catapulted to the top ranks in Bollywood given her recent bunch of hits (including Singh is King and Namastey London). “There used to be a lot of criticism about my accent. I’ve never hid the fact that I don’t speak Hindi. But I’ve trained a lot to get my diction right. I can now both speak and read fluently. I read all my scripts and dialogues in the Devnagari script. Can you believe that?” she asks.

Katrina’s success story is no less dramatic than a Bollywood script. “Four years ago, if somebody had told me where I’d be today, I would have rubbished him. But today, all that I had dreamt of has come true. Life throws some amazing surprises at you,” she muses adding, “But I’ve worked towards it. My success isn’t accidental.”

bollywood

Bollywood (Hindi: बॉलीवूड, Urdu: بالی وڈ) is the informal term popularly used for the Mumbai-based Hindi-language film industry in India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the Indian film industry.^[1] Bollywood is the largest film producer in India and one of the largest in the world.^[2][3][4]

The name is a portmanteau of Bombay (the former name for Mumbai) and Hollywood, the center of the American film industry. However, unlike Hollywood, Bollywood does not exist as a real physical place. Though some deplore the name, arguing that it makes the industry look like a poor cousin to Hollywood, it seems likely to persist and now has its own entry in the Oxford English Dictionary.

Bollywood is commonly referred to as Hindi cinema, even though "Hindustani", understood as the colloquial base common to both Hindi and Urdu, might be more accurate. There has been a growing presence of Indian English in dialogue and songs as well. It is not uncommon to see films that feature dialogue with English words and phrases, even whole sentences. There is a growing number of films made entirely in English.