There's pressure to live upto Salman's stardom:Ali Abbas Zafar

Agencies
December 21, 2017

Mumbai, Dec 21: Directing the much-awaited "Tiger Zinda Hai", starring Salman Khan, was a mammoth task for director Ali Abbas Zafar as he was under pressure to live up to the expectations of the superstar and his fans.

"Tiger Zinda Hai" is the second instalment of the 2012 blockbuster action-drama film "Ek Tha Tiger" that was directed by Kabir Khan. The sequel will reunite Salman and Katrina Kaif as secret service agents while Salman and Ali are also working together after the massive success of "Sultan".

Asked if there was a pressure on him, Ali told PTI, "Yes, definitely. He is such a big superstar with a huge fan base. As a filmmaker, it's your responsibility that you entertain the audience who are coming to watch the film.

"The pressure isn't only about Salman Khan's stardom. Everyone who spends money to watch the film is equally important."

With two films in a row with Salman, one would assume that there is a formula that the director has cracked but Ali insists that is not the case.

The director said it was important for him to stay true to the story while also charting out the character in a way that it lives up to the image of Salman.

"As a writer, you have to be honest with the character you are writing. Both Sultan and Tiger's characters are author- backed. The idea is, whenever you are working with a superstar like Salman Khan, you create a character which matches his stardom in real life.

"When the audience come and watch the film, they understand that the name is only Tiger or Sultan but it is Salman Khan there! But it has to be done in a real way."

The "realism", Ali said, comes only when one sticks to the story and not give in to the temptation of making things larger-than-life for the sake of it.

"The action in 'Sultan' wasn't defying gravity or physics. Similarly, the idea here is to keep him (Salman) real but at the same time, you give him a gun, which once he fires, becomes a 'wow' moment. A lot of his fans will feel this is a 'Salman Khan moment'.

"But it's actually the character who is picking up the gun and firing. The gun has a justification to be in that world because it's a war film."

"Tiger Zinda Hai" chronicles the story of two agents on a mission to rescue 25 Indian nurses taken a hostage in Iraq.

Ali has woven real-life incidents the abduction of nurses into a fictional setting as he believes the subject immediately becomes more accessible.

"What excites me most is what is happening around me, if I can weave a bit of fiction into it to bring it in front of the audience. Even 'Sultan' was inspired by a lot of real-life wrestler stories but was a completely fictional film. If we create something out of reality, it becomes more accessible."

While there is a lot of buzz surrounding the film in India, there were reports that Pakistan may not release "Tiger Zinda Hai" as they had some objections.

Asked about it, Ali said, "Right now, we are not very clear on what has happened. It is still in contention. YRF (Yash Raj Films) is still trying to get through the matter. We will get to know by the next week. There are still things which are going back and forth."

Ali said he is experiencing "a weird feeling of being excited and nervous" as the film is set to be released this Friday.

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News Network
February 21,2020

Kolhapur, Feb 21: Voicing against Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), renowned lyrics and thinker Javed Akhtar has said that the act was an assault to secularism and integrity of India and with the ongoing protests, the nation had reached a threshold for an another struggle.

Speaking here on Thursday night at an event organised on the 5th death anniversary of CPI senior leader and progressive leader Com Govind Pansare, Mr Akhtar said the newly amended citizenship act was a plot to split the country.

Mr Javed said that communalism has a deep root in India and it spread after the formation of Hindu Mahasabha and Muslim League in British India. "Muslim league got Pakistan but Hindu Mahasabha is still unsatisfied," he alleged and added that BJP was now 'working as a branch of RSS' and trying to 'split the country' through NRC.

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News Network
June 16,2020

Mumbai, Jun 16: Filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee remembers Sushant Singh Rajput as a dance loving 'chhokra' from an engineering college who, having made it in Bollywood, was “enthused, sincere and totally focused” on his craft.

Banerjeee said the actor always had “a book or two” with him and took pride in the fact that he had an “inner intellectual life away from the shallower aspects of showbiz”.

Rajput was found dead in his Bandra apartment on Sunday at the age of 34, leaving his friends, colleagues and collaborators in a state of shock.

The Patna-born actor and the director worked together in 2015 film "Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!" when Rajput was a relative newcomer in the industry. Banerjee says it was Rajput's vulnerability and willingness to do different that made him stand out for the role.

In an interview with news agency, the filmmaker looks back at Rajput's sincerity, his love for science and astronomy and how an outsider has to work harder than a "mediocre, unmotivated and entitled establishment elite" to succeed in Bollywood.

Excerpts:

You worked with Sushant when he was less than two-year-old in the film industry. What struck you the most in him to cast as Detective Byomkesh Bakshy?

Banerjee: His vulnerability and intensity and the ambition to do different things than the usual Bollywood stuff.

What were your memories of Sushant- the actor and the person?

Banerjee: As an actor he would tense himself up for the scene and then completely plunge in take after take. He would put a lot of value on preparation. He would be up the previous night of the shoot, reading the scene and making notes and land up on the sets all raring to go.

He would be on, ready and give his hundred per cent throughout the shoot of Byomkesh - no matter how hard or long the day. The unit did not really have to worry about him - considering he was the star. That's what I remember - a total pro, enthused, sincere and totally focused.

As a person, he seemed to me a happy dance loving 'chhokra' from an engineering college who had made it in showbiz and now was serious about acting. He was deeply nostalgic about his carefree student days in Delhi. We used to laugh a lot - I remember that quite clearly.

Sushant's friends say that he spoke more about books and his love for astronomy than films and their fate, which is rare for an actor in the industry. Do you also remember him that way?

Banerjee: Totally true. He was a science and astronomy nut. Always had a book or two with him - and was proud of the fact that he had an inner intellectual life away from the shallower aspects of showbiz. I recognized it as a reflex, protective action to prevent the Bollywood swamp sucking him in totally. And also an identity he wanted to protect and project.

Sushant's death has brought to the fore the struggles of outsiders and the alienation they often face from the nepotistic culture of the industry. Did you feel that Sushant was also fighting this battle despite being a successful actor?

Banerjee: We all fight it, day in and out - whether successful or failing. But the trick is to define that success and failure ourselves and not let the narrative constantly forced by the establishment to get to you. Those who know this weather the storm and ultimately survive and thrive.

The biggest unfairness in all this is that it takes double the talent, energy and hard work for an outsider to convince the audience and the industry that he or she is as safe a box office bet as a mediocre, unmotivated and entitled establishment elite.

The media colludes in this by wallowing in family, coterie and celebrity worship. This leads to deep anger and frustration. Those who can let this slide survive. Those who can't - those who hurt a little more or are vulnerable and impressionable - they are at risk.

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News Network
July 1,2020

Los Angeles, Jul 1: Bollywood stars Alia Bhatt, Hrithik Roshan and costume designer Neeta Lulla are among the 819 artistes and executives who have received invitations to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).

Bhatt's last movie, the Zoya Akhtar-directed Gully Boy was India's official entry for best international feature category at the 2019 Oscars. However, the film had failed to make it to the final five.

Other prominent Indian names to receive invitations are casting director Nandini Shrikent, documentary filmmakers Nishtha Jain, Shirley Abraham, Amit Madheshiya, visual effects supervisors Vishal Anand and Sandeep Kamal.

In a statement, the Academy said the new invitees include 36 per cent of people of colour and 45 per cent women. Artistes from 68 countries have been invited as members.

Those who accept the invitation will have voting rights at the 93rd Academy Awards, scheduled to be held on April 25, 2021.

"The Academy is delighted to welcome these distinguished fellow travellers in the motion picture arts and sciences. We have always embraced extraordinary talent that reflects the rich variety of our global film community, and never more so than now," Academy President David Rubin said.

The Academy has been actively working to introduce more diversity in its voting to avoid a controversy like 2016 when the Oscars were dubbed "white" for failing to recognise talents of colour.

The 2020 batch boasts of major Hollywood names like Cynthia Erivo, John David Washington, Constance Wu, Zazie Beetz, Florence Pugh, Zendaya, Awkwafina, Yalitza Aparicio, Mackenzie Davis, Ana de Armas, Adele Haenel, Thomasin McKenzie, Olivia Wilde and others.

The stars of multiple Oscar-winning South Korean movie Parasite -- Jang Hye-Jin, Jo Yeo-Jeong, Park So-Dam and Lee Jung-Eun -- are among the invitees.

Directors Lulu Wang, Ari Aster, Terence Davies, Matthew Vaughn, Robert Eggers, Matt Reeves, Alma Har’el are on the list as well.

The Academy has announced a new five-year plan that includes implementing inclusion standards for nominees.

"We take great pride in the strides we have made in exceeding our initial inclusion goals set back in 2016, but acknowledge the road ahead is a long one.  We are committed to staying the course.

"We look forward to continuing to foster an Academy that reflects the world around us in our membership, our programs, our new Museum, and in our awards," Academy CEO Dawn Hudson said.

In 2019, the organisation had invited 842 new members which included Indian names such as filmmakers Zoya Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap and veteran actor Anupam Kher.

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