HOLLYWOOD BOLLYWOOD TELEVISION ‘WE AREN’T TRYING TO SELL SEX’
Ihana Dhillon says that the next installment of Hate Story is quite different from the previous films
Actor Ihana Dhillon was initially skeptical when she was offered the lead role in the fourth installment of the Hate Story franchise. Hailing from the Punjabi film industry, Ihana admits that she didn’t want to embark on her Bollywood career with a “bold” character. But after hearing the script, she decided to take the role.
“I’m an actor and open to all kind of roles. It’s just that I didn’t want to enter Bollywood doing a lot of erotic scenes or exposure because if you debut with such a film, you end up getting only those kinds of roles. Filmmakers are not open to give, offer or even consider you for something different and they make an image in their minds,” says Ihana, who will start shooting for the film in two weeks.
Clarifying that Hate Story 4 is quite different from the previous three films, the actor adds, “The fourth installment is based on a true incident.”
Asked if the film would be able to break away from the set notion of it being an erotic thriller, Ihana says, “If we say that we are not trying to sell sex, nobody will believe us at this point because people have such strong notions. The moment you mention Hate Story, people associate it with sex scenes. But this is the first time that the makers have not put too many erotic scenes because they also want to change the image and positioning of the film.”
Being a part of the film franchise, she agrees people have certain expectations and they will draw comparisons, but she isn’t worried. “I know Hate Story is already a brand but, I am not under any undue pressure. Of course, I feel nervous and this is my first film, so my whole career is at stake. This will decide my career path in Bollywood, so I will give my best shot,” shares the actor.
Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali, who has worked with musician AR Rahman for quite a few films, says the Oscar winning composer’s life is worth a biopic, but feels it can wait. “Definitely... I think a biopic should be made on AR Rahman sir, but I don’t think this is the right time. One can start with the research but it should be made later on. He is too young and he has not even reached the middle point of his career,” said the filmmaker, who has worked with Rahman in films such as Rockstar (2011), Highway (2014) and Tamasha (2015).
On Thursday, Rahman marked 25 years of his career in films, with the premiere of One Heart: The AR Rahman Concert Film. The movie’s premiere was attended by celebrities such as Ashutosh Gowariker, Armaan Malik, Boney Kapoor, Akriti Kakar, Javed Jaffery, Alka Yagnik, Udit Narayan, Lalit Pandit, Pankaj Udhas, Jubin Nautiyal and others.
After a mixed response to his last film Jab Harry Met Sejal, what is Imtiaz planning for his future project? “I am writing new scripts. I am trying to figure out which one is good and as usual, I am trying to find best scripts to which I can do justice.”
The Salman Khan starrer Dabangg (2010) turns seven today. It was undoubtedly a film, which brought back the single screen audience to the theatres in hordes. Salman was paired opposite debutant Sonakshi Sinha, for whom it was a dream launch.
Actor Sonu Sood, who played the role of the antagonist Chedi Singh reveals that he had initially rejected the film. And only agreed to come on board after getting some changes done to the script — when the makers agreed to give a humourous twist to his sturdy and raucous character.
He says “I suggested that we should bring a comedy element to this man, who always carries a photographer along with him saying ‘Bhaiyyaji Smile!’”
He narrates the story behind how the photographer element came into place. “My character is heavily inspired by my batchmates when I was pursuing engineering. (Bet you didn’t know Sonu is a graduate in electronics engineering!) I used to live in a hostel with Bihari roommates. They used to be very excited to get their pictures clicked, and since there weren’t any mobiles phones then, they used to have a photographer accompany them everywhere. My character’s personality and the photographer were incorporated into Dabangg.”
He reveals during the shooting of climax scene, “Salman accidentally used too much force, and the punch landed straight on my nose! There was so much bleeding, and I was rushed to the hospital, where there was no electricity. I finally shot for 5-6 days more with that broken nose”, he laughs.