No roles after certain age in Bollywood for women says Dia Mirza

Agencies
June 22, 2018

Mumbai, Jun 22: Dia Mirza says exciting work opportunities start thinning out for female actors after they reach a certain age as filmmakers and some male actors "above 50" prefer to cast young heroines.

Dia, who is returning to the silver screen after a gap of six years with Rajkumar Hirani's "Sanju", believes the film industry is not that welcoming to female actors in their mid 30s.

"For women (actors), especially once they hit their mid 30s, opportunities, unfortunately, start shrinking because some filmmakers want to cast young actresses and most male actors, who have well passed their 50s, (also) want to work with the younger talent.

"One needs to break through this. It is going to take some fundamental changes in the way we approach our cinema whether it is about every woman making her choices or choosing to marry when she wants and continue to be a professional," Mirza told PTI in an interview.

Citing the example of yesteryear stars Sharmila Tagore, Waheeda Rehman and Smita Patil, who continued to get roles after marriage, Dia said today's actors "have to push themselves, explore opportunities, and even create them for themselves".

Dia, 36, said she waited for the right kind of roles and never accepted the offers that she felt were not good.

"I waited for two-and-half years from the time I finished my Iranian film to hear from a credible filmmaker asking me to be a part of his film. In December 2016, I got a call from Rajkumar Hirani for 'Sanju'. I was leaving for a vacation at that time. Raju sir (Rajkumar Hirani) told me to come to my office as he wanted to narrate a film.

"I told him that I am travelling. He said I might have to cancel the trip. He said that if I like the film and role, we will have to start reading immediately as the shooting will begin in 15 days," she recalled.

The actor said she was excited to resume work as not working on a film is "terrifying".

"I was relived and excited because I wasn't working on a film...it was scary and terrifying. I was excited and pumped to be part of a film that would be credible. To work with Raju sir, who I have always admired, on 'Sanju' was a very nice experience," Dia said.

Though Dia had not done any film for six years, the actor said that during the period she worked harder than she had worked in her entire career so far.

"..It's just that I was not in front of the camera. As an actor you feel most alive in front of the camera. I was doing a lot of work off-camera which was very satisfying and wonderful," the actor said.

She recalled various assignments she did while she was not acting in movies.

"I had the opportunity to meet some extraordinary human beings and to cover extraordinary stories whether it was 'Ganga -The Soul of India' or work for environment. It has been an enriching ride so far. But I guess as an actor, the one place where you feel most comfortable is in front of the camera," she said.

Dia had worked as a marketing executive during her college days before she started modelling for print and TV commercials, which led to a career in acting.

"I have had my share of ups and downs. I had to deal with the pressure of public attention and the pressure of brickbats, but it has been very exciting. I came to Mumbai with nothing. (Today), I have everything that I could have possibly asked for," she said.

"The greatest thing is that I could stand my ground and work with my own values. In my opinion, as long as you are happy, financially secure and have opportunities, you are successful," she said.

Dia is currently awaiting the release of "Sanju", a biopic on actor Sanjay Dutt, in which she plays the role of Dutt's wife Manyata.

The film is scheduled to be released on June 29.

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News Network
June 22,2020

New Delhi, Jun 22: Musician Madonna, who is a mother of six, wished herself on the occasion of Father's Day on Sunday by posting adorable pictures with her kids.

Along with pictures, the 'Crazy For You' singer penned down a beautiful caption, wishing herself and every parent a 'Happy Father's Day' for nurturing and guiding their children in the best way possible.

"Happy Fathers Day to Me and to every parent out there doing their best to Nurture, Guide, Inspire, and Teach! #Lola #Rocco #David #Mercyjames #Estere #Stella," the 61-year-old singer wrote in the caption.

Madonna is the biological mother to two of her six children and has adopted the rest four.

She had adopted her first child Davida Banda back in 2006 and then she adopted a boy in 2009. The last addition to her family were the twins she adopted from Malawi.

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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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News Network
February 10,2020

Feb 10: Bong Joon-ho’s film “Parasite” starts in a dingy, half-basement apartment with a family of four barely able to scratch out a life. There must be no place to go but up, right? Yes and no. There’s nothing predictable when the South Korean director is on his game.

This dark, socially conscious film about the intertwining of two families is an intricately plotted, adult thriller. We can go up, for sure, but Bong can also take us deeper down. There’s always an extra floor somewhere in this masterpiece.

It tells the story of the impoverished four-person Kim family who, one by one, and with careful and devious planning, all get employed by the four-person affluent Park family — as a tutor, an art teacher, a driver and a housekeeper. They are imposters stunned by the way wealth can make things easier: “Money is an iron. It smooths out all the creases,” says the Park patriarch with wonder.

Bong, who directed and wrote the story for “Parasite,” has picked his title carefully, of course. Naturally, he’s alluding to the sycophantic relationship by a clan of scammers to the clueless rich who have unwittingly opened the doors of their home on a hill. But it’s not that simple. The rich family seem incapable of doing anything — from dishes to sex — without help. Who’s scamming who?

Bong’s previous films play with film genres and never hide their social commentary — think of the environmentalist pig-caper “Okja” and the dystopian sci-fi global warming scream “Snowpiercer.” But this time, Bong’s canvas is a thousand times smaller and his focus light-years more intense. There are no CGI train chases on mountains or car chases through cities. (There is also, thankfully, 100% less Tilda Swinton, a frequent, over-the-top Bong collaborator.

The two Korean families first make contact when a friend of the Kim’s son asks him to take over English lessons for the Park daughter. Soon the son (a dreamy Choi Woo-sik) convinces them to hire his sister (the excellent Park So-dam) as an art teacher, but doesn’t reveal it’s his sis. She forges her diploma and spews arty nonsense she learned on the internet, impressing the polite but firm Park matriarch (a superb Jo Yeo-jeong.)

The Park’s regular chauffer is soon let go and replaced by the Kim patriarch (a steely Lee Sun-kyun). Ditto the housemaid, who is dumped in favor of the Kims’ mother (a feisty Jang Hye-jin.) All eight people seem happy with the new arrangement until Bong reveals a twist: There are more parasites than you imagined. The clean, impeccably furnished Park home will have some blood splashing about.

Bong’s trademark slapstick is still here but the rough edges of his often too-loud lessons are shaved down nicely and his actors step forward. “Keep it focused,” the Kim’s son counsels his father at one point. Bong has followed that advice.

There are typically dazzling Bong touches throughout. Just look for all the insect references — stink bugs at the beginning to flies at the end, and a preoccupation with odor across the frames. And there’s a scene in which the rich matriarch skillfully winds noodles in a bowl while, in another room, duct tape is being wrapped around a victim and classical music plays.

Bong could have been more strident in his social critique but hasn’t. There are no villains in “Parasite” — and also no heroes. Both families are forever broken after chafing against each other, a bleak message about the classes ever really co-existing (Take that, “Downton Abbey”).

“Parasite” is a worthy winner of the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, the first South Korean movie to win the prestigious top prize. The director has called it an “unstoppably fierce tragicomedy.” We just call it brilliant.

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