Wife swapping has become a reality: Paoli Dam

May 1, 2012

Paoli_Dam

She created a stir with the bare back poster in Hate Story. But Bengali beauty Paoli Dam has no qualms about playing bold characters. Paoli will be seen next in Vikram Bhatt's 'Love Games', a film on wife- swapping.

You play a sex worker in Hate Story. Love Games is another bold film. Aren't you uncomfortable doing intimate bold scenes? How did your family react to Hate Story?

No not at all. I knew very well what character I was playing. Hate Story is a bold film so there will be bold scenes in the film. I loved playing Kavya because she is like any girl of today's generation who will take her revenge. In Hate Story, Kavya uses her body to do so. Hate Story has become a success and there have been very positive reviews. People have loved the film and they are not talking about the erotic aspect of the film but my performance. As for my mom, she is my biggest critic but even she loved the film!

After the release of Hate Story, are you riding high on the success? What does success mean to you?

I'm not riding high on success. I have really enjoyed the entire process of shooting for the film. I came from Kolkata to Mumbai and stayed here for three months. I had a lot of fun and success is more like a personal thing. It just feels good that I am being appreciated.

Did you have more friends before you became an actress? Or do you find that people are more interested in becoming your friend now that you've become an actress?

I still have my old friends. They have been there for me from the beginning. But I'm also making new friends and my circle is widening so that feels good too.

The bare back poster controversy is most talked about and your posters were painted blue in Bengal. Were you hurt by these reactions, especially in your homeland?

Frankly, I was not happy and was a bit sad because I had worked so hard on my body. That poster reveals everything: hatred, power and revenge. It was very impactful. But at the same time, I know the censor board is doing its job. There are certain rules that need to be implemented.

You also lost 10 kilos for the role in your first film. Is it essential to be skinny to survive in Bollywood? Any intentions on gaining the weight back on?

I don't think it's essential to be skinny to survive in Bollywood. I lost weight because Vikram Bhatt had a certain look in mind for this character. There are many types of actresses in Bollywood and as long as you look good, you will survive in the industry. I'm putting on a little weight for my next character but let me tell you, maintaing this body is not easy because I'm a foodie. But heroines should be flexible with their bodies.

What if a role demanded you to put on an obnoxious amount of weight, would you accept the role?

I really can't say right now. It all depends on the director, script and character.

What sets Paoli Dam apart from other sexy actresses who have bared before the camera?

Everyone has their own identity and I don't like comparing myself to others because I'm still new in Bollywood. All the others are my seniors. I only focus on giving my 100% to a film because I'm a perfectionist.

Love Games, your next film, is based on 'wife-swapping', an act very much prevalent today. Your thoughts on wife-swapping? Is it a healthy practice?

I have yet to sit with Vikram and decide on the script and my character. I need to research more on the topic as I'm not too familiar with it but I do realize that it has become a reality today.

Will you get typecast in the Bhatt camp or will you move onto working with other directors?

I am very thankful to Vikram Bhatt for giving me Hate Story. I believe in doing all genres of films and would love to work with all directors, producers and actors. I'm a filmaholic and love Bollywood so I wouldn't want to be typecast.

Who do you think will swipe away the female debutant award this year? You or other newcomers like Esha Gupta?

Laughs. You are the first person to ask me this question! I haven't thought about it and I don't really know. All I can say is that I have given my best-performance.

What league of Bengali actresses does Paoli belong to - the commercially successful ones like Bipasha, Rani and Kajol or the arty ones like Nandana and Konkona Sen Sharma?

I don't like to get categorized because I believe I belong to all kinds of cinema.

You have been linked to a few Bengali actors (like Parambrata). Are you dating anyone currently? Do you see yourself dating someone connected to the film industry or outside it?

No I'm happy single. I am not dating anybody and at this point, I cannot comment on who I'd like to date.

How was it working with Vivek Agnihotri in your debut film? Did you enjoy working more with Gulshan Devaiah or Nikhil Dwivedi?

I was very happy to have done my first film with Vivek and couldn't have asked for anything more. Without him, Kavya would not have been possible. He was so encouraging, positive and supportive. He's a very good director. Nikhil is my senior and I had few scenes with him but he was equally supportive. With Gulshan, I had complicated sequences and we worked well together! I also want to thank my dialogue writer Rohit Malhotra for helping me out.

The one actor in Bollywood that you'd really like to romance on screen?

Not one but many! Aamir, Salman, Shahrukh, Ranbir, Emraan and Abhay Deol.

Any crazy fan experience recently?

This was in Kanpur while we were promoting the film. There were so many people screaming my name and people were jumping with joy. They were trying to grab me. It was absolutely crazy and I had to be pulled out of there but I was happy with that experience. It was the sheer thrill of so many people recognizing me.

You have come a long way from doing Bengali Television and cinema to Bollywood. Will you ever return to TV? What about Regional cinema?

I started my career with regional films and have worked with some of the best names in Bengali cinema. But I'm not focusing on TV right now because it requires time and commitment which I won't be able to give at this point. Maybe sometime later but right now its Bollywood for me.


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Agencies
June 6,2020

Hollywood star Angelina Jolie feels discrimination and impunity cannot be justified in any way, and says she hopes people in the US can come together to "address the deep structural wrongs in our society".

The Oscar-winning star, who turned 45 on Thursday, also donated $200,000 to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, reports people.com.

"Rights don't belong to any one group to give to another. Discrimination and impunity cannot be tolerated, explained away or justified. I hope we can come together as Americans to address the deep structural wrongs in our society," Jolie said.

"I stand with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in their fight for racial equality, social justice, and their call for urgent legislative reform," she added.

Meanwhile, the actress celebrated her birthday amid lockdown with her six children -- Maddox, 18, Pax, 16, Zahara, 15, Shiloh, 14, and 11-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne.

The actress and activist has been active since the COVID-19 pandemic spread around the world and has donated to different organisations.

Jolie previously donated $1 million to No Kid Hungry, the organisation working to feed children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I knew that there were problems in America, that there was poverty, but I could not believe when I realised how many school children in America were dependent on a meal to not go hungry. I was so disgusted that we have gotten to this point as a country and that we would let the most vulnerable be in such a state. I can't imagine what it feels like for those parents," she said while opening up about her reason to get associated with the organisation.

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Agencies
August 2,2020

Mumbai, Aug 2: Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuaron has come aboard as an executive producer on filmmaker Chaitanya Tamhane's movie The Disciple. The Marathi feature is set to represent India at the 77th edition of the Venice Film Festival. It will be screened in the Competition section of the prestigious film gala.

The movie, which is Tamhane's follow-up to his National Award-winning feature Court, has also been selected for 2020 Toronto International Film Festival's official line-up.

"I met Chaitanya through a mentorship program where I had the opportunity to watch his very superb debut film, Court  I was immediately impressed by his sense of cinema and fearless confidence to tell stories.

"He was part of most of Roma's process and I jumped to the opportunity to be part of the process of his second film The Disciple. I believe Chaitanya is one of the most important new voices of contemporary cinema," Cuaron said in a statement.

Tamhane said he is honoured to have Cuaron aboard the film.

"It’s a bit surreal and an incredible honour for me to have one of the most recognised and acclaimed filmmakers in the world be part of 'The Disciple'. In some ways, this validation from Alfonso Cuaron is even more," he added.

The Disciple, a 127-minute long feature, stars Aditya Modak, Arun Dravid, Sumitra Bhave, and Kiran Yadnyopavit. It has been produced by “Sir” actor Vivek Gomber through his Zoo Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

The Disciple marks Tamhane’s return to Venice after he won the Best Film - Orizzonti and Lion of the Future award for Court in 2014.

Court, a poignant commentary on India's judicial system, also won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in 2015 and was India's official entry for the Best Foreign Film at the 2016 Oscars.

Endeavor Content will sell North American rights and New Europe Film Sales boards the film as an international sales agent.

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News Network
April 8,2020

Mumbai, Apr 8: Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has started the process of transferring funds into the accounts of daily wage workers of the film industry, the Federation of Western Indian Cine Employees (FWICE) said on Wednesday.

The actor had recently pledged to financially support 25,000 daily wage workers who have been badly hit by the 21-day lockdown to contain the coronavirus spread in the country.

According to B N Tiwari, FWICE, President, Salman has made an initial payment of Rs 3,000 each to the daily wage workers of the film industry, starting Tuesday.

"We had given him the final list of 23,000 workers so far, who were in dire need of financial help. He is going to transfer money in installments as he doesn't want people to misuse it. He has transferred about Rs 3,000 to every worker yesterday and he will transfer money again after some time. We are thankful to him for helping our workers," Tiwari told PTI.

A source close to Salman said the superstar will continue to support the workers until the situation improves in the country.

"We have started the process from Tuesday. We will be giving sufficient money to workers monthly, we will also give money next month and if the situation is still the same, we will continue to financially help the workers till it doesn't return to normalcy," the source said.

FWICE said Yash Raj Films have also provided a financial help of Rs 5,000 to around 3,000 workers.

"Besides Salman, a lot of people from Bollywood have come forward to help the workers, including Ajay Devgn and Rohit Shetty, who have given Rs 51 lakh each. Boney Kapoor and Arjun Kapoor too have given money and there are few more who have offered financial assistance to the federation. We also received Rs 1.5 crore from the Producers Guild of India on Tuesday.

"The federation has received a total amount of Rs 3 crore from film industry people. We are yet to receive money from Netflix, which they had announced for daily wage earners and also from Amitabh Bachchan, who is going to provide ration to one lakh workers. He is going to provide coupons which we should receive in a day or two," Tiwari said.

He further said Bachchan's ration coupon for workers will also be given to other associations across the country, such as in Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Karnataka.

Tiwari said FWICE is in the process of making another list of needy workers and then they will begin the process of transferring money.

"The Rs 3 crore that the federation has received will be distributed among our five lakh workers in Maharashtra. We will start sending money from April 14 in phases. Those who haven't received any financial aid will be helped first. We are in the process of making a list of such workers for the same," Tiwari said.

"FWICE has also begun distributing ration to workers in suburban Andheri and Jogeshwari. So far we have distributed 5,000 packets of ration and we will give more, he added.

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