Film Industry

Abhinav Singh Kashyap who directed Salman Khan's 2010 superhit film Dabangg, took to his Facebook account after Sushant Singh Rajput's death to narrate his own bullying experience in the film industry and asked the authorities to probe further in Sushant's cause of death. 

In his scathing post on Facebook, Abhinav said that YRF talent management agency, a division of Yash Raj Films, may have played a role and pushed him over the edge to commit suicide. He wrote, "These people don’t make careers. They ruin your career and life. Having suffered personally for a decade, I can confidently say every Talent Manager and all Talent Management Agencies of Bollywood are a potential death Trap for Artists." 

He further called Sushant's death just the tip of the iceberg. He said, "Over a period of few years, mostly the prime of any actor, the talent is repeatedly broken till they either commit suicide or they succumb to Prostitution and escort services (Yes male escorts also) to feed the ego and sexual appetite of the rich and powerful, not just in Bollywood but also in Corporate world and politics." 

Abhinav later elaborated on his experience during Dabangg and said, "The reason I moved out of making Dabangg 2 ten years ago is because Arbaaz Khan in collusion with Sohail Khan and family was trying to take control of my career by bullying me. Arbaaz Khan sabotaged my second project with Shree Ashtavinayak Films that I was signed up with by personally calling their head Mr. Raj Mehta and threatening him with dire consequences if they made a film with me."

He then said, "My project was sabotaged and I was made to return my signing fee of Rupees 7 Crores plus interest of Ninety odd lacs. Its only then that Reliance Entertainment came to my rescue and we forged an enduring partnership for my film Besharam. Mr. Salman Khan and family sabotaged the release of the film and got their PROs to run a sustained negative smear campaign against me and my film BESHARAM before release. This scared the distributors from buying my film." 

Abhinav said, "My enemies are sharp, cunning and always attack me from the back and stay Hidden. But the best part is after 10 years, I know who my enemies are. Let it be known that they are Salim Khan, Salman Khan, Arbaaz Khan and Sohail Khan. There are many other small fry’s but Salman Khan family is the head of this venomous serpent. They use a clever mix of their ill-gotten money, political clout and connections with the underworld to intimidate anyone and everyone. I refuse to cow down and will fight on till I see the end of either them or me. Enough tolerance. It’s time to fight back." 

In another post that he shared after a couple of hours later, Abhinav said, "This is my own struggle against the Salman Khan family and I alone am enough to take these guys on.Yes.. I will never commit suicide but should anything untoward happen to me.. By now the country knows who to blame… Treat this as my police statement."

‘Epithets, accolades and glorious verbosity that come my way are undeserved’

Amitabh Bachchan

The hallmark of his 50-year career in the film industry has been his unfailing professionalism. An actor who highly values time and uses it preciously, Amitabh Bachchan is known to be the most punctual star in showbiz. And it is time that has embraced him with open arms. At 76, his commitment to his craft is unparalleled. He is unstoppable, and he’s an actor who has truly kept up with the times. And as the drill goes for every film, he engages in a conversation about his upcoming thriller Badla — helmed by Sujoy Ghosh and starring Taapsee Pannu in the other lead — only this time, it is short and sweet. But before the first question can be put forth, with characteristic elegance, he says, “Before all else, I wish to state that these interviews for the promotion of my film Badla come laden with our hearts and mind in condolence and prayers for the bravehearts we lost in Pulwama, and the bravehearts that fight and protect us each hour for our safety and security!”

He brings dignity and maturity to every project that he partakes in. Despite his aura, he doesn’t consider his stature and standing, special. An advertisement recently released by a popular dairy brand celebrated Mr Bachchan’s Golden Jubilee, and the caption read, ‘Tab Bhi B, Ab Bhi B’ (with two illustrations of the actor, one from the past and one from the present, and in both he’s shown in action — running). Bang on! Addressing the euphoria around this landmark year, he says, “Epithets, accolades and glorious verbosity that come my way are undeserved. I could not understand the ad.” Fifty years on, and he’s worked in almost every genre of film possible. His latest film, Badla, is a quintessential thriller where an old lawyer Badal Gupta (played by Mr Bachchan) comes to the aid of a young woman Naina (Taapsee), who is under suspicion for the murder of a man.



Amitabh Bachchan

‘YOUNG ACTORS GIVE YOU A DIFFERENT VIEW OF THE WORLD AND IT’S MOST EDUCATIVE’

Recently, thrillers like AndhaDhun and Tumbbad have put the spotlight on this genre, in Hindi cinema. When talking about the genre, which has a lot of potential for filmmakers, but remains quite untapped, he turns around and stresses that thrillers have always been an exciting part of the world of movies. “From time immemorial, thrillers have occupied a vital part of film history in our firmament. For someone from my generation, I can recall Mahal, Ashok Kumar and Madhubala’s 1949 film, as an outstanding production. Several others since and after have had their say and stay in Hindi cinema,” he explains.

Ask him if he has some favourites from this genre, and he replies, “There are several! Naming them would be a test for my memory at my age. Alfred Hitchcock and his films would be the choice for international thrillers.”

Speaking of Badla, it was the uniqueness of the story that caught his attention. He explains, “I liked the story; I liked the director, Sujoy Ghosh. I liked the suspense and the thriller element it contained.” Ghosh’s psychological thriller, Kahaani (2012) had redefined the narrative of thrillers in our cinema during that phase. To make a film with a solid, gripping and emotional story in this space, one needs a deep sense and understanding of the human psyche. Mr Bachchan, who has worked with Ghosh in the past (Aladin, 2009), adds, “Sujoy is an intelligent and talented mind. His directorial ventures give ample proof of his creativity. He is restless, yet most composed in his thinking and what he desires from his artistes. It’s been a joy working with him.”

Not just young filmmakers, lately, he has been collaborating with a lot of young actors like Taapsee, Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt (in Brahmastra) and many others. He is always lavish with his praise for the new breed of actors and he shows keenness and excitement to collaborate with them on a variety of subjects. “They do give you a different view of the world and it’s most educative,” he says.

Apart from acting, one of his other passions is music. For Badla, he has rapped for a track called Aukaat. In his 2018 release 102 Not Out, he sang a peppy track called Badumbaa, and he shook a leg to that, too. Even in the past, he has delightedly stepped in to lend his voice for several songs. He takes his passion seriously, and he also has a full-fledged recording studio at his home where he occasionally brushes up on his musical skills. Talking about his affection for music he says, “Who doesn’t love music? Music plucks the chords and strings of our souls… it’s divine.” Recently, acclaimed sitar player and composer Niladri Kumar presented Mr Bachchan with a zitar. Speaking about it, the acting legend says, “Yes, Niladri gifted me a zitar. I do not know how to play any instrument and I lament that.”

‘If supernatural shows excite the audience, how can actors have a say on whether the genre is good or bad?’

HARSH RAJPUT

Television has seen quite a few actresses turn daayans on screen. Now, it looks like even male actors are slipping into a similar avatar. Harsh Rajput is currently seen playing Daavansh — half human-half devil — on the TV show Nazar. Ask the actor if it was lack of good content-based roles that made him opt for the supernatural genre and he replies, “I have always believed in doing something different. So, when a devil’s role was offered, I saw it as an opportunity to do some good action sequences.”

He, however, denies that the genre is clogging the GEC space. He reasons, “The audiences decide what they want to watch. If supernatural shows excite them, how can actors have a say on whether the genre is good or bad?”


Interestingly, Harsh, who has earlier been a part of shows like Dharam Veer, Hitler Didi, Dharti Ka Veer Yodha Prithviraj Chauhan, Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke and Janbaaz Sindbad, was at one point thinking of giving up his acting career. He says, “After Saath Nibhaana Saathiya ended, I auditioned for a few shows, but they didn’t work out. Rejection and failure almost made me give up, but I have realised that patience and self-belief are the two most important traits for anyone. Fortunately, Nazar happened sometime ago. I feel that it is important to be happy with what you get and keep doing your work instead of being choosy.”

But does he feel that male actors don’t have much to do in shows, many of which revolve around women? “Not really. Even on my show Nazar, every character is as important as the daayan. Also, I am getting an opportunity here to play different characters at the same time.”

Harsh, who relocated from Navsari to Mumbai around 12 years ago, says it wasn’t easy for him when he first came here. He says, “Since Navsari is a small town, my world turned upside down when I came to Mumbai. Probably my confidence level was not that high then. It took me a while to understand the culture in a big city. But gradually I learned how to survive here.”

Harsh sports a six-pack physique and like others he too feels that it is important to be fit specially when you are an actor. He says, “I feel nowadays many actors have to do bare-chested scenes and you need to look extremely toned for that. My six pack abs actually helped me land a role in the show as it required many action scenes.”

The actor also feels it’s important to stick to your belief system and not compromise on your values. He says, “There are some people who try to take advantage of you. But it's up to you whether you want to compromise.”

The actor has quit the TV industry and India to pursue his Hollywood dreams

Dreams know no boundaries. Ask actor Amit Sarin. The Banaras-born TV actor, who has featured on several shows like Kkusum, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Doli Saja Ke and Pavitra Rishta, and was last seen on Nisha Aur Uske Cousins, moved with his family — wife Vineesha and two children — to the US in May, 2018.

BT met Amit when he was recently in India on a visit. He said, “Since the past five years, I was not taking up shows here unless they were really appealing. I was busy setting up a production house with my wife and I was completely focussed on it and hence, acting took a back seat.”


His life changed when Vineesha developed a Hollywood project and happened to meet the legendary actor, Al Pacino, for it. Titled Tiger Heart, the film will have five principal actors. While four of them will be Hollywood artistes, the fifth character will be portrayed by Amit himself.

The actor added, “Meeting Al Pacino gave me the faith and vision to look beyond what I was doing. At that point, I wasn’t too happy with what I was being offered on TV, but had to do it to run my home. Things started falling in place last year, and we shifted base to the US because it’s an outand-out Hollywood project.”

The decision was not an easy one, as it required leaving behind a career of 20 years and starting from scratch in a new country. Amit recalled, “Everyone around me was shocked at my decision. Honestly, it was tough, but when the drive to succeed and excel is powerful, it takes over everything else. We tried making the film from Mumbai, but it was impossible. For such things, there are no half measures. The age of my children — my daughter was six and my son, four — was also right for us to move. Since Vineesha was raised in New York, she understands the culture there.”

Amit said that he had to say ‘no’ to a lot of offers back home in Mumbai. “My biggest challenge was to break away from the comfort zone here. In June 2018, I got a big offer, and it was heartbreaking to decline it. I keep getting offers, because most people don’t know that I have shifted base. It did take a toll on me, as I couldn’t take up the offers because I was pursuing a bigger dream. Fortunately, Vineesha coped with me. She’s my pillar of strength and was there when I needed her the most,” he signed off.

All of us have grey shades and I find that aspect in people’s personalities very interesting: Sujoy Ghosh

In a chat with Bombay Times, Sujoy Ghosh talks about movies, his passion for capturing intense conversations between his characters on camera, his comfort with rejection, ideas of revenge and his upcoming film, Badla.

Sujoy, you take your own sweet time to make movies. How do you keep away from the rat race which comes with the territory?


I come from an average middle class family. Mine is not a sob story, but everything in my life has been a struggle and is still a struggle. I don’t expect anything on a platter. I have had to work hard for everything in my life and I am okay with it. I am used to rejection. In fact, I am very good with rejection as I have not tasted success at every step in my life. I had to give tons of interviews before I landed my first job. I wanted to do Computer Science from Manchester University, but I got rejected. But then, I worked hard and got in.


Taapsee Pannu and Amitabh Bachchan in a still from Badla


Sujoy Ghosh

I have always been around capable and strong women, so I feel I know where they are coming from: Sujoy Ghosh

I know this process and I am cool with it so I think that helps me stay sane. I could write a script and I am aware that it may not get made into a film because it could also be a shitty script.

Your films are led by strong female characters. Vidya Balan in Kahaani for instance or Taapsee Pannu in Badla...

I have grown up around strong women. I don’t know if strong is the right adjective, but I have seen my grandmother, then mother controlling and taking charge of our family. Even now my wife takes care of us in a way. I have always been around capable and strong women so I feel I know where they are coming from. Be it Ahalya (his Bengali short film starring Radhika Apte) or Durga (Vidya Balan in Kahaani 2), I have seen such strong women who have influenced me. Even as an individual, I get to learn a lot from Taapsee or a Vidya as people.

As a filmmaker you tend to be intrigued by capturing conversations on camera.

It’s interesting. Why are we talking for the past 10 minutes? There has to be something about this conversation. How do I present this to the audience, who would then be equally interested in knowing what you and I are talking about. That’s the challenge I like. That’s making a thriller out of a normal conversation. I enjoy that and the master of this was Satyajit Ray and Rituparno Ghosh. Their films were about conversations.

Many believe that the best form of revenge is no revenge, instead you just move on. If you were to keep the film aside for a while, what’s your take on revenge?

Interesting question. I live by the Mahabharata. I am not willing to let go of anything without putting up a fight. That’s me. I don’t know if that translates into revenge or confrontation. If somebody has wronged me in life, I will fight back but it also depends on the situation. The question determines the answer. If someone punches me in the face, I will punch him back but it all differs from situation to situation.

Badla is a Hindi adaptation of Spanish film The Invisible Guest. What made you choose this film in particular for a remake?

Initially, I didn’t want to do it. It is Taapsee’s fault (smiles). She kept telling me that it’s interesting. I finally read what was written and felt that I can contribute to it. As a director, I need to know if I can contribute to a certain story. The challenge was to tell something that was already told in a fantastic manner (Spanish original), so how do you top that?

You seem to have a special connect with Mr Bachchan. Is it intimidating to tell him what you (as a director) think he needs to or doesn’t need to do for a particular shot? What’s the process like when you work with him?

I will always draw a line, but he expects you to say what you feel, else you are doing a disservice to your film. If there is anything I don’t agree with, I will always discuss it with sir. That discussion is of utmost importance. I will always voice my concerns or interests to him and sir is very clever. He does control checks to see whether we are sleeping on the set or not (laughs!). He knows exactly what you want to say even when you don’t say it. He has this process of understanding the script over and over again. Once he studies that, he does what he thinks is correct and if that’s okay with me, we go ahead. If not, I explain to him my point of view and if he agrees, we change it. It’s very organic, we discuss and improvise.

You are particularly drawn to layered thrillers, isn’t it?

It’s a coincidence but I do feel I am attracted to stories which are of this nature. Given another story or genre, I think I will be able to tell that too. I started my career with Jhankaar Beats after all. I don’t care about genres as long as it’s exciting enough for me to give nine months of my life to that film. As far as layering is concerned, when I was growing up, everything was very black and white. Hero, heroine, villain... it was all very compartmentalised but as we go through life, you see things about yourself which you didn’t know existed. The good and the bad side. You evolve. When I fight with my wife and think about it later, I feel I am a very bad person but in my head I was right in doing what I did. It all exists within us and that’s how the layering comes. We have different sides to our personality, all of us have grey shades and I find that aspect in people very interesting.