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Industry paid a price for being high profile, says Akhtar
VYAS, ET SUME
Not one to mince words, Javed Akhtar has been vocal about many issues, including the vilification of the entertainment industry. “It paid a price for being high profile. Film industry se logon ka strange relation hai; they love, hate, admire, envy. What happened was an unjustified and extreme attack. Chalo, yeh bhi hona tha. Today, the industry is back on its feet. Things keep moving on,” says the veteran writer-poet.
With many great talents making the industry what it is, Akhtar finds the allegation of nepotism absurd, as “you can give a chance to your kid but you can’t make them a star”. “Sure, a star kid gets a break more easily but that won’t mean anything if they don’t have talent. It is the audiences who decide who to love, make a star,” he says.
As the chairman of Indian Performing Rights Society (IPRS), Akhtar worked towards helping musicians and technicians in financial crisis, last year.
And while most of 2020 was spent in lockdown, he reveals this year will be hectic for him. “I am working on three scripts and, for the first time in my life, writing a short film. I also intend to do some work on OTT… and later, a celebration of 100 years of (lyricist) Sahir Ludhianvi is being planned,” he shares.
The veteran writer also plans to get the Covid-19 vaccine soon. “It isn’t enough to think rationally but one should act rationally. Don’t be rash. Read and enquire about the vaccine that’s most trustworthy and has got good results and go for it,” he concludes.
What happened was an extreme and unjustified attack... Today, the industry is back on its feet. JAVED AKHTAR,
Monika Rawal Kukreja
Kiara Advani has had quite a fulfilling 2020 with the web film Guilty, Laxmii, which opted for a direct-toOTT release, and Indoo Ki Jawaani that came out in theatres. And 2021 is looking equally exciting for her with Jug Jugg Jeeyo, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 and Shershaah on her plate. Since her debut in 2014 with Fugly, the actor has tried her hand at a variety of roles and genres, and being a rank outsider, it won’t be wrong to say that she has secured a place for herself in Bollywood. In a freewheeling conversation, Advani looks back at her journey, getting accepted in the industry, and how things have changed for her over the years, from not having many choices to now being flooded with offers.
I always knew the kind of films I wanted to do. Even though I didn’t have many choices back then, I waited patiently. Today, fortunately, there are more options, but I must admit the choice becomes even harder. I’m the kind of person who wants to do it all and I’d need to learn the art of balancing.
It has always been about quality for me. When I’m offered a role, the most important consideration is the story, then, does my character take iti forward, is it contributing to the nar rrative, and most importantly does it t connect with me instinctively. Having said that, I’m a director’s actor. I believe a director truly brings out the best in an actor and that’s what I strive for. So, I just surrender to his vision. The better the director, the better the actor.
It’s very hard to say no, especially when it’s a date issue. It’s actually funny. They say na, dene wala jab deta hai chhappad faad ke deta hai. It’s so exciting that suddenly all these fabulous scripts are coming my way at the same time. And it’s like, which one do I do? I want to do as many as I can. Of course if there’s a script which I’m not particularly connecting with, I’ll not just do it for the sake of it. But if I really love a script, I’ll do everything to make it happen.
Home for me is my family; Bollywood is my place of work. But, the people I work with here are very special and I’ve a lot of respect for them.
They’re an integral part off my journey. And today, with the amount of content that’s being created, the platforms that are available, there’s ample amount of work for everyone and we’ve discovered that in this pandemic. I believe there’s a place for everybody here.
Acceptance did take some time. But today, it feels so encouraging that people from your fraternity go out of their way to message or call you after watching your work. I have a wonderful working relationship with everyone I’ve worked with. Be it in the South film industry or Bollywood, those equations have stayed. Though we don’t see each other often, we appreciate each other’s work. More than anything, I always wanted the audience to accept me, as they’re the ones we make films for. And I think when the audience accepts you, you get more work.
Kavita Awaasthi
SLove is in the air, and so is the threat of a virus, this year. But the pandemic can’t put a dampener on Valentine’s Day plans of couples, who are eagerly planning the perfect weekend getaways.
“More than 70% of bookings for the weekend starting February 13 have been made for couple-friendly hotels. This is only expected to go up as V-Day approaches. Goa, Jaipur, Digha and Manali have emerged as the popular destinations. We are playing Cupid by offering access to safe, hygienic and cost-effective couple-friendly options,” says Sunil Suresh, group chief marketing officer of a travel portal.
A trend indicates that nearly 70% of the bookings for couple-friendly hotels are finalised a day before the date of travel or on the day of check-in. Rahul Upadhyay,
umeet Vyas had four digital releases — Official Bhootiyagiri, Wakaalat From Home, Dark 7 White and Unpaused — last year, but not many know that the actor is also a writer. He has written scripts for Love Per Square Foot (LPSF; 2018) and web shows Tripling and Bang Baaja Baarat. With no shoots this month, he has taken up more writing projects, including a romantic comedy and some films.
“We were supposed to shoot abroad in January but due to the new wave of corona, it got pushed to next month. As for writing, I am at a nascent stage and I don’t write full-time. I prefer to write a story and then pitch it. Thankfully, all my scripts have been made into shows or films,” he divulges.
Vyas prefers to write without a deadwho runs a hotel in Manali, says, “Couples inquire on call about room availability and precautions we’re taking amid the pandemic. The payment is done on the same day or at the time of check-in.”
Given that V-Day falls on a Sunday this year, bookings have surged, says Devendra Parulekar, founder of a private vacation homes chain. “All our couple-friendly properties were sold out in the last week of January itself,” he adds.
And couples, on their part, are leaving no stone unturned in planning the perfect V-Day. Delhiite Payal Aggarwal, who recently got engaged, plans to spend the day at Narkanda, Himachal Pradesh. “We were supposed to get married in March last year, but it got postponed due to the pandemic. We can at least spend some quality time on V-day. Booking was hassle-free, we even got a couple discount,” she says.
Jankee and I did our best to spend most of the pregnancy together. NAKUUL MEHTA,
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line as that’s when he works best. He shares, “In LPSF’s case, my friend (actor) Anand Tiwari had a story and we wrote the script in 2012, which got made in 2018.”
Despite having found a creative outlet as a writer, Vyas admits he is “essentially an actor”. “Once an actor, always an actor! Writing keeps me away from feeling insecure as an actor. Actors feel left out when not working, and in order to not feel dissatisfied or think about what I don’t have, writing is a good outlet for me. I enjoy it and use my downtime to write scripts,” he says.
Glad the vaccine is out, he says he wants everyone to get it soon. “We took the fact that we could breathe freely for granted and the universe taught us a hard lesson. I want to see people without masks on the road and I hope the vaccine works,” says the actor.