CELEBRITY INTERVIEWS...
Celebrity Interview: Arshad Warsi ...
By Devansh Patel, INDIAFM
As Arshad Warsi's career has expanded beyond the kinds of over the top comedies that he first became famous for earlier in his career with Tere Mere Sapne, he has done a great job of bouncing back and forth between edgier material such as Waisa Bhi Hota Hai: Part 2, Kabul Express and the more commercial mainstream like Golmaal. But Munnabhai MBBS and his role of 'Circuit' was a perfect project for Arshad because it provided an outlet for him to explore his more manic comic tendencies. He could also create a character that he could return to should 'Circuit' develop into a franchise. And believe it or not...it did with Lage Raho Munnabhai. In London filming for his next release 'Goal', the actor talks to IndiaFM's London correspondent Devansh Patel about his climbing career graph, the prank he played on his director and what he felt like when he was called a racist in London.
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Celebrity Interview: Madhuri Dixit ...
By Faridoon Shahryar, INDIAFM
Queen of hearts. The eternal Dhak Dhak girl. Madhuri Dixit continues to rule. She may have been away from the strobe lights of glamour, but her tantalizing appeal fails to diminish in the wake of fresh young talent. In fact, today she is looking fitter and even more radiant than even before. And of course she is dancing away to glory yet again in her comeback vehicle Aaja Nachle.
In a rare public appearance yesterday when she inaugurated a painting exhibition of young Painter Purnendy Mandal, Dixit spoke exclusively to IndiaFM about an illustrious career that most certainly signifies a very important era in Hindi films. There was a time when MF Hussain made paintings out of your Didi Tera Devar Deewana pose, today you are promoting a new artiste. Has life come full circle? “I think he was more obsessed with the film than me,” the muse laughed.
She was last seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas. But it would be fair to say that her last big hit was Yash Chopra's Dil To Pagal Hai. Be it Ek Do Teen from Tezaab, or the college going snooty babe opposite Aamir Khan in Dil, the heart-stopping Dhak Dhak moments in Beta or the charm personified family girl asking a lovestruck Salman Khan…Hum Aapke Hain Kaun. And of course her Pooja act in the poignant triangle tale in Saajan is as fresh as morning dew. How have things changed from Then to Now? “I don't believe in comparisons. Technology will always advance. Jo aaj hai voh kal nahin hoga. I don't look back. The kind of technology, sets, effects, camera work we had at that time, we still made good films. Today with the advancement in technology, we can make better movies, so I think it's wonderful,” Madhuri said.
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Celebrity Interview: Mimoh Chakravarthy ...By IndiaFM News Bureau, INDIAFM
So here is another star kid in the making. The legendary Mithun's son Mimoh will soon be seen making his debut with his upcoming film Jimmy. The debutant actor spoke to IndiaFM about his relationship with his father and his career in Bollywood.
Weren't you supposed to make your acting debut with 'He - The Only One'? How come your other film 'Jimmy' is releasing first.
He - The Only One was supposed to be my first film as we did the mahurat and also started shooting. But during the course of the shoot the Padmalaya film producers had a major rift between them. That's the reason the film is on halt.
Jimmy was my second film but because He - The Only One is on hold, Jimmy will release first. I shot nearly 60 percent of the film but then due to this problem the film is kept on halt. He - The Only One is an out and out action film. It's a complete contrast to Jimmy. Jimmy is basically a thriller and has everything in it whereas He - the Only One is a hardcore action film.
Your father Mithun's name in his biggest hit 'Disco Dancer' was Jimmy. Even your first film's name is Jimmy. Was that intentional on the part of the director to strike a connection?
It was never meant to have any specific connection with my father's and my film. When the story was being written, it struck the director that the title Jimmy goes with the story and later we realized that there is a connection. It just happened unknowingly. But then we realized that it's a plus point too. Jimmy was my father's name in Disco Dancer and now my first film has the same tile but it wasn't intentional. There is no connection in Jimmy and Disco Dancer. It's an out and out thriller film there is not even a single trace of Disco Dancer except the title.
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Celebrity Interview: Ravi Chopra ...
By INDIA FM News Bureau
If you have to re-establish the golden era of the Indian cinema, what else could be the best way than to re-release an all time classic like Naya Daur. And if this black n white film is beauty-personified with colour, it will breathe in a new life into this masterpiece.
This is exactly what filmmaker Ravi Chopra has done to his father, B R Chopra's work of art which starred Dilip Kumar, Vyjayantimala, Ajit, Jeevan and Johny Walker. B R Films will now be releasing Naya Daur in colour format with 5.1 stereophonic sound.
In an exclusive interview to IndiaFM, Ravi Chopra talks about why he thought of re-releasing Naya Daur in colour, his memories from the film's shoot and his dream to colour some of the golden classics by Raj Kapoor, Bimal Roy and Guru Dutt.
Why did you choose to color Naya Daur?
Basically, I thought it is one of the most beautiful films made by my father which I consider as a classic. I used to feel that lot of people are not watching the film because it's not in colour. Especially youngsters, they don't want to watch a black-and-white film. I was worried that a film like Naya Daur might be forgotten. So, I decided to colour the film as I didn't want that to happen.
How long did it take to color the movie?
It took about two and half to three years because this is the first time that we are doing it and I wanted a certain kind of colour for it. I didn't want people to see that film and feel that this film was coloured later. I want the film to look as if it was shot in colour.
Will the sound quality of the film also be improved?
Yes. It's 5.1 stereophonic sound.
What are the technical challenges faced while coloring a film, since it takes lot of time?
One of the technical challenges is to see what the colour looks like. Since the film is black and white, you don't know what the original colour is. But there is a software which tells you approximately what the colour could be. So we had to make those selections as to which would be the right colour and that took a lot of time. .
Since the film is black and white, you don't know what the original colour is. But there is a software which tells you approximately what the colour could be.
When an old film is new packaged, what are the marketing challenges, as people have already seen the film?
There is one set of audiences who have already seen the film and loved it. The other set of audiences are the ones that we have to look at and those are the audiences who we are targeting. These audiences must know the beauty of the film. They must understand that this film is worth watching or they would say why would I see a film which is 50 years old. We have to make them understand that here's a classic which you should not miss.
Did the coloured version of Mugal-E-Azam inspire you to colour Naya Daur?
I had started even before the colouring of Mughal-E-Azam actually. And Mughal-E-Azam has in one way help me notice the mistakes that they made, so that I could get over them before they could get the film on.
Mughal-E-Azam unfortunately, though a great film and a great classic was not coloured the way I would've liked it to be. The film looked like it was coloured, painted. I didn't want my film to look like that. I wanted Naya Daur to look as if it was originally shot in colour. And when you see the film, this is one thing that you'll surely notice.
How will Naya Daur be marketed to today's audiences?
The strongest element of that film was the music. In fact, the music of this film is used in every marriage. Even today, during the sangeet ceremony of the marriages, Naya Daur is played. So, we are going to use all this and USP obviously will be colour of the film. The basic catch phrase will be 'Was it shot in colour or black and white?'
What kind of release will the film get?
The film will be given a full fledged release like a regular film. We are trying to release it by the first week of June.
I had started even before the colouring of Mughal-E-Azam actually.
From the technical aspects lets now talk about the emotional connect of the film. What were your first memories of the film Naya Daur?
Oh, I was a kid at that time. I remember going to shooting. I had gone to this outdoor shooting to Pune. I remember the total family atmosphere that was there. We had taken a big house out there and we used to live in together. We used to play badminton and football in the evening after pack-up. I also remember Dilip (Kumar) uncle making omelets for all of us. Those are some of the fond memories that I have.
How was the response to the film when it released in 1957?
It was mind-blowing hit of that era. The film was released in Minerva and Liberty in Mumbai and the film did so well that it completed silver jubilee in both the theatres. I remember the first day, it was raining cats and dogs and there was a spree of umbrellas outside the theatre as people were crowding to watch the film.
Will attempts like re-releasing old classics give the new age audience a feel of the golden era?
I hope so because there are some beautiful films made by my father (B R Chopra), Bimal Roy, Guru Dutt and Raj Kapoor which are black and white but classics. My concern is that we must not forget these films. It would be sad if people ever stop watching these films because they were black n white.
If this experiment works, I'll get all my father's films coloured. And I could do the same to some of the other works also.
Any other films which are in the process of being colored?
The next film that we'll be working on is Gumraah. Then there will be Kanoon, Dhool Ka Phool etc. My dad has made 7 black and white films which I want to colour. I had talked to Guru Dutt's children and RK's Dabbu and Chintu (Randhir and Rishi Kapoor) and I will definitely talk to them again and tell them to do this to their father's films once this experiment works.
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Celebrity Interview: Emran Hashmi ...
Labeled as 'serial kisser', the shy guy, Emran Hashmi has come a long way. From Murder to Gangster, his acting prowess hasn't gone unnoticed with the audience and today he is the most unconventional sought actor for our commercial Bollywood cinema. Blame it on the song power or the lady killer's smile, this year Emraan is the man to watch out for. With his two upcoming releases Good Boy and Bad Boy and the coveted 'Awaarapan' Emraan Hashmi for sure has hopped on to The Train to success. We at IndiaFM spoke to him about his upcoming films and life after marriage
How has marriage changed you?
So far it's going good. It takes a bit of time to adjust from being a bachelor to getting married. So it's going through the ropes and I am getting used to it.
The promos for The Train are quite exciting
It was fabulous working in the film. This is my second film with Hasnain and Raksha. The song in the promos is something that has really got into my head. I am listening to it ever since I shot it. So the song is constantly playing in my car and in my house. I think it's a great melody and I think Mithoon is a very talented music director.
Mithoon was also a part of your superhit song Woh Lamhe?
In the orchestration of the song. Yes he managed that.
Music of your film always works. Luck seems to be in your favour
Well I don't know. As you said I am very lucky with the music. Time and again I had the good fortune of working with people who are very talented, like Mithoon, Himesh, Pritam, all of them. They have been very talented people, young and vibrant. wanting to give audience a fresh taste of new melody and voices. We have again experimented with Mithoon's voice in Train.
What are your forthcoming films?
Good Boy Bad Boy, Train, Awarapan. There are two other exciting films lined up which are under scripting at the moment. So these are the three films.
Which all directors would you like to work with?
There is a lot of fresh talent out their. I would love to work with anyone who gets me great scripts and character.
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Celebrity Interview: Preity Zinta
By Devansh Patel, INDIA FM
What do you think about the music of Jhoom Barabar Jhoom?
The music of Jhoom Barabar Jhoom is outstanding. After a long time I have done a film where in every song is my favourite. There isn't one song that I can't say is my favourite. Right from the title track to any track all are very well done.
What do you think about Shankar Ehsaan Loy
Shankar Ehsaan Loy are my lucky music directors. They did the music for Dil Chahta hai, KANK, Kal Ho Na Ho. These are all films of mine in which the music has been outstanding and it's really done well. It's gone down well with the audiences and I think they have upped their quotient with Jhoom Barabar Jhoom because they are so good in this movie. The variety they have is so outstanding. I think that's why they are three of them because each one contributes so much to the film and that gives us a whole picture.
Tell us something about your character in the film
I play Alvira Khan, who is from Lahore. Even though she's from Lahore she refuses to accept the fact that she is a Pakistani living in London. She's actually British and more British than the queen herself and that's the fun part. There's a lot of layering to her. She's actually a very endearing sweet girl but she's not this typical heroine with the salt on her nose. But she has this attitude and this image about herself. She is so into that image about herself that everything else dilutes the equation. She's a lot of fun and quite mad. I think its one of my most mad and totally energetic and crazy characters that I have played till now.
What was it about the script that made you decide to do this film?
I think the madness in the script. It's the only film when the script was narrated to me and I didn't have any point to pick and say that is a problem. It's very fast, it moves. Well it's really funny and it's got great humour. It's got great back story, each character has a layer. More than anything else when you watch it and come outside you have this whole feeling like phew!! And that's it!
What was it like working with Shaad Ali Sehgal
Shaad and I started our careers together. He assisted Mani Ratnam in Dil Se and I did Dil Se as my first film. He was an assistant director and I was working in that film. I think nine years down the line we come into a full circle now he's directing this film and I am in it. I absolutely love Shaad and he's one director very unassuming even if you joke about him and say he's the only communist on the set. He also has this madness in him which translates into his cinema. You will see a mad streak in me, in Abhishek, in Lara and also in Bobby and that's purely because Shaad has directed this film. If there was any other director you wouldn't have seen that madness streak. I think he's really relaxed and he's like a sweet teddy bear with his psycho hair out.
Can you tell us something about your look in this film?
It's the first time I am working with Aki Narula and it's been a great pleasure working with him. He's very talented. He's this little guy but with a lot of talent. He is always open to ideas and ready to do something new since there is a lot of layering in my character. She is a very hoity toity character so we have a lot of changes. I must say he exceeded my expectations. When Aditya Chopra and Shaad told me that they were going to get Aki I was a little nervous because I had not worked with him before but I think he has done a fantastic job.
Any outfit in the film which you would like to wear even otherwise
All the outfits in the film are very wearable. They are not any filmi outfits that you can only wear it to work and you can't wear it any where else. Actually I have two outfits in the film which Aki bought for the movie and I also bought it for myself. We didn't know that and then we ended up having the same outfit. So I had this one dress which is a puffed up ball dress which I wear and the other one is this navy blue tight fitted little dress with a red bow on it so I have two of them.
What was it like working in a multi starrer film?
I started my career with Bobby he was my first co-star, so this film has been quite an emotional journey in a sweet way because I worked with both Shaad and Bobby nine year's ago. Abhishek is psychotic he's crazy and I love working with him. Lara again I have never worked with but she's a very sweet girl and very hard working. We got along very well. I think when you see the film you realize how well all of us got along because there is positivity in the film. There is a Jhoom equation which is happening so I hope everybody had the same experience I had working in a multi starrer.
And about Mr. Bachchan what can you say about him, he is like God and I just love him.
Are you comfortable doing glamorous roles like these
As an actor I would want variety in my career, in my life and off course variety is the spice. In KANK I play a much more serious and much more sober, a little bit more groomed and older character. In Jhoom Barabar Jhoom it's more fun, it's younger and of course it's glamorous. Thanks to Shaad and Adi and thanks to Aki Narula who makes such great costumes.
Any memorable incident during the shoot of the film
We were shooting this dance sequence and it was the first day of the shoot and everyone was really excited. We were like yes we are going to go for it. I was dancing and suddenly I felt this piercing pain in my foot and I looked down, Lara who is 5 ft 8inches tall was wearing a five inches heel that dug into my foot and made a hole in my foot. I went like ahhhhhhhh. And then just when I was recovering from it and I got rid of the stitches and I was getting ready to go on set again, Bobby put his 'Punjab da haath' and whacked my face. So I remember falling off and seeing the plane, train and the submarine together. I think leaving this aside whatever happened we had such a blast. I think this is the first time in my career after we shot a song we were just tired and we wanted to go home. The director Shaad just put the track again and besides the actors everyone else started dancing and they danced and danced and danced and I was looking at them.
Is true love real or fantasy according to you?
Love is always real and true love is even more real. I think love is romantic
On working with Vaibhavi as a choreographer.
I think Vaibhavi has done an amazing job. I haven't danced so much for very long time. I am dancing so much. It's a bit conceited for us to say we did this and that, I think it's for the people to say I saw the bits of one song and it's really well choreographed and it's very in sync with the film. Vaibhavi is exceptionally talented and she's very chilled out.
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Celebrity Interview: Bobby Deol
By Devansh Patel, INDIA FM
What you think about the music of Jhoom Barabar Jhoom
The music of Jhoom Barabar Jhoom is rocking its very nice. It's the second time I am working with Shankar Ehsaan Loy. They have always been different in their sound in whichever film they have done. Jhoom Barabar Jhoom is completely different from what they have done earlier. The movie is directed by Shaad who has his own mad side to him and he gets that out in his music as well. He has his sense of humor which everyone has seen in his earlier films and because it's a musical film the situations are handled with songs. The songs are amazing especially the title track Jhoom Barabar Jhoom which is going to rock this year. I am not saying so because it's my film but it's just such a great song. Even the promo brings out the energy of the film because this film is completely over the top. It is a romantic comedy and it deals with all situations and of course the music plays a very important part.
Which is your favourite track?
I think all of them are required for the situation they have been used for. All of them are great but the faster version of Jhoom was quite a killer because we were dancing to it. My favourite song is the title track of Jhoom. I think all the songs are good but more close to me is the song Kiss of Love because it's my song.
On Vaibhavi Merchant as the choreographer.
I call Vaibahavi Chinku, that's how I have known her right from the time she was assisting Rekhaji and Chinniji during Gupt. At that time she was a very shy girl but now she's a completely different person but the same at heart. She's a wonderful person and I really get along well with her. I am working with her for the third time now but this time we really worked hard for a film for all the songs. She was amazing not just giving great moments or dance steps but also getting the emotions right with the steps. That's very important for us all especially when you are playing a character which is very different
Can you tell us a bit about your character in the film?
Usually I do get roles which are always more connected to Punjab because I am from Punjab. My character is of this guy called Steve who is half British half Punjabi. I think when I heard the script it felt like as if the character was written with me in mind because it has a lot of similarities. It made it easy but then at the same time it gets more difficult because it's so you. You have to be slightly different in different ways but it was good fun.
What was it like working with Shaad Ali Sehgal?
He makes things so easy. He's a cool dude he gets along with everybody. He mingles with the whole unit and I think I believe in that because I love coming to my work and not just sitting in one corner and having an attitude. I like to mingle and get to know everyone so that when you are working it's a very friendly environment. So I think that really made us all gel together and it was fun.
What was it like shooting in London?
I shot in London and we were there for quite a few days and it was good fun. After a long time I have actually shot for a film where everybody knew what was going to happen on which day. So there were days off in the middle which was really required for anyone and everyone working. You had your own time off in London so it was good fun.
What was it like working in a multi star cast film?
I think the star cast was ruled by Aquarians because Abhishek, Preity and I are all Aquarians. So I guess they all love each other. Abhishek and I worked for the first time together and it was good fun. I have known him since he was a kid and we have always got along well. He and I started work so it was very chilled out. I call Preity Pritam Singh, she did her first film with me and we go a long way back from even before she started working. With Lara I have done quite a few films so everybody knew each other so well. So it was like really comfortable and everybody has done a great job, everybody was totally into the script and into their work.
What was your reaction when you first read the script? What made you decide to do this film?
When I read the script I felt like the role was written for me. Even Adi said that to me even before he mentioned the subject to me. I was like let me hear the script because there are so many people in the film. Then when I heard it I was like dude it's a great role. I mean I didn't expect to hear a great role and then I read the script and it was such a funny script, when you are reading it you start laughing. That's what every script should be. Everybody has worked hard and it's been written really well. When we were shooting the scenes and when we were doing the workshops everything was just falling in its place. So it's a very well written film.
What was it like working with Aki Narula who has created the look for the film?
The look is very important because it's a musical and music plays a very important part and there were a lot of clothes required. The character that I am playing is of this really big lawyer who's one of the big shots there and required an Anglo British kind of feel. This is the first time I am working with Aki and he is very creative, very talented. I mean he has given us the clothes which I would love to wear but it's like a little over the top. They were really amazing they just went so well with the characters. The clothes said what they were and that's how it should always be. The clothes spoke and made it so comfortable for the character to come across in a right way.
What according to you was the highlight of shooting for Jhoom Barabar Jhoom?
It was more like a big picnic though we worked really hard. We shot the title track for twenty five days in a row and that was like non stop work being done. We were dancing the whole day. But the thing is because we got along so well we really enjoyed doing everything. The script and the music were so good everybody just enjoyed being on sets. And that really was one of the most unique things of doing the film.
Any memorable or unusual incident that comes to mind during the shoot of the film?
The shoot schedule was very hectic and I fell ill while I was shooting for the climax song of the film. I think the work got to me because I was working everyday and before this I was shooting for some other film. I have never ever fallen ill and had to cancel work. Luckily the last day when I was feeling the worst (health wise) I didn't realize it and I finished the film shooting. I had one more day to go but to my luck that day the shoot got postponed for the next day for some technical reason and I got a days break and was feeling ok to work the next day.
This is your first Yash Raj film? What was the experience like?
They are such an organized company. Their production house is completely equipped and there is not a single stone left unturned to get the best .The songs were shot in London with so much emphasis on the look and the sets were so well done. Also we were very well looked after.
What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word Jhoom Barabar Jhoom
The first thing that comes to my mind is madness, crazy people, over the top. It's a moment where you are on a different planet all together. It's about love where your emotions run wild.
*************************************************************************************Celebrity Interview: Manoj Bajpai
By Avanti Dixit, INDIA FM
Climbing the Bollywood ladder has been quite a bumpy journey for this talented actor. Manoj Bajpai was thrice rejected by the National School of Drama and gained his acting credentials through theatre. The actor who is better known for his intense performances didn’t have a great start and went almost unnoticed in films like Bandit Queen and Pooja Bhatt’s Tamanna. Then came the jackpot Ram Gopal Varma’s Satya in which his character of Bhiku Mhatre, still remembered as one of his best performances, left everyone awestruck.
But even with a highly acclaimed film like Satya the actor faced a lean period for a while. Now he is back to woo the audiences with his stunning performances again. Recently seen in a war epic 1971, he left critics mesmerized with his performance. Still on a high about the appreciation he says “It feels great. It was a complete team effort. It was one of the best films that I was a part of.” But even with rave reviews for his role in the film, the film as whole did not strike a chord with the audience. Was it because the film wasn’t promoted well or the war genre doesn’t work anymore? Manoj has the answers “The film was badly promoted and marketed. Also it was released during the World Cup. People weren’t even aware of the release. Till they don’t see it, they can’t say if they like it or not. But eventually the DVD sales had broken all records. But it’s sad that the release was poorly planned.”
After playing a prisoner of war in 1971 Manoj will be seen playing a Maharashtrian husband in choreographer turned director Ganesh Acharya’s film titled Swami. So what is it that the actor is experimenting with this time around? “He is a simple village guy who works in a jewellery shop. He is madly in love with his wife. His family starts with his wife and ends with her. He is somebody who doesn’t have any dreams or ambition. Whatever are his wife’s dreams are his dreams too.” Knowing that Ganesh is one of the finest choreographers we have today does this simple village guy get to shake a leg in the film “Not really. On the contrary he chose to make Swami where he doesn’t fall back on item songs that he is known for. There is music but it is mostly in the background. The music flows very well with the story. Nothing is put without any reason.” Probably not in this film but has the actor had an opportunity of dancing to the tunes of this renowned choreographer “Definitely! He has directed me for one or two songs. We have known each other from before. But I never thought that he would make such a fantastic film and he would cast his career as a director and not depend on the kind of things he is known for.” The film which also stars one of the finest actresses today Juhi Chawla will be seen playing Manoj’s wife. “She is very passionate about acting. She always wants to do her job well. And this kind of passion is really admirable.”
His next in the pipeline is one of the ten films from Sanjay Gupta’s Dus Kahaniyaan. His episode is titled Zahir and also stars Dia Mirza. “The film is directed by Sanjay Gupta. I can’t talk much about the film as it is a 15 minute film. If I tell you anything then I will give out the whole film. But my experience was great. We shot the film in 5-6 days.”
The actor is soon to be seen in an English film titled The Whisperers. This would be the actor’s first English film. So how difficult or easy was it to do an English film “It will be my first English film which will be released. I have already worked in one English film earlier called Return to Rajapur but it never got released. The director and producers were NRI and I didn’t get to hear much from them after completing the movie. For me language is not a problem at all. What is difficult is to act.” Now that he has cleared the facts, what is The Whisperers all about? “The film has won two awards at the Houston Film festival. The film is a psychological thriller. My character is of a rich person and his fall from the top. The film is directed by Rajiv Virani and stars Rahul Bose, Tara Sharma and Kim Sharma.”
Somehow we still don’t get to see the actor in a lot of out and out commercial Bollywood films. So is he quite choosy about the films that come his way? “Ask them to offer me a new kind of story. Till they don’t do it you will not find me in any of those mindless games.”
Satya was a film which brought Manoj into limelight. But somehow his relations with director Ram Gopal Varma got strained after a personal issue and he refused to work with the director anymore. His last film with Ramu being Road, does he ever plan to get back with the director. He is quick to answer “Not at all.”
What is happening to his long delayed film Paanchi “Paanchi is forgotten. It was seven years back. They kept running into some financial problems. I am through with that film.”
And finally after a lot of up and downs in his acting career does the actor plan to turn director someday “I don’t see it happening in the near future.”
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