`I had to stop being a superwoman and just be a woman'

Lounging in the living room of her Juhu apartment, Vidya Balan looks as serene as the sea below even as `Wanted' posters of her are terrifying city kids who believe this woman wanted for the kidnap and murder of her daughter is a threat to them too. That's the reaction she wants for her upcoming 'Kahaani 2'! Four-and-a-half years ago, the original had marked a watershed in her career.Two days before its release, when Vidya was in Dubai for promotions, she learnt she'd bagged the National Award for Silk in 'Dirty Picture'. The day's a blur, what she recalls is that 'Kahaani' opened well and grew, Sunday's collections four times that of Friday's and held even on Monday."That was unthinkable for a heroine-centric film and suddenly, I was a 'Shero' and the fourth Khan," she smiles.

After the high came the fall, five straight hits, then, 'Ghanchakkar'. Vidya was in denial when it failed. 'Shaadi Ke Side Effects' didn't work either and 'Bobby Jasoos' was dismal. "I went through the usual emotions of anger and fear before withdrawing into a shell and trying to figure out what had gone wrong, till I realised that despite the tags, success hadn't been mine alone, so why should I hold myself responsible for the failure?" she reasons. Epiphany came during an eight month break which fuelled rumours of a possible pregnancy and an imminent retirement. She laughs away the buzz, saying naysayers have to wait another 50 years for her to retire. The `break' was to take care of niggling heath issues she'd neglected for too long. "Every doctor I visited reiterated that there was nothing clinically wrong with me, all I needed was to take it easy," recalls Vidya who having debuted at 26 when most actresses are moving on, put pressure on herself to make up for lost time while trying to make time for her family. "I would take breaks between films, but my mind was always occupied. Finally, I realised I needed to stop being a super woman and just be a woman."

She stepped out of the arc-lights to sit at home, catch up on films, shows and reading, till she was ready for action again. Again, isn't she trying to make up for lost time, shooting two films-'Kahaani 2' and 'Begum Jaan'--back to back, while prepping up for 'Aami' which rolls in December? She blames the hectic pace on the weather. First, it was the heat, then the rains.

They filmed 'Kahaani 2' in Chandannagar at the peak of summer(50 degrees Celsius), then moved to Jharkhand for 'Begum Jaan' in mid-June only for the monsoons to arrive a month early. "When it rained, it poured, so we'd wake up at 4 am and turn up on the set, ready and rehearsed, by the time day broke, trying to make the most of the sun. It was tough, with temperatures hovering around 45-46 degrees Celsius. We were drained, some fainted, tempers flared... We tried not to get personal, and those who did would on any set, irrespective of the conditions...haha," she says, quick to add that no one forced them to shoot at gunpoint. "But none of us wanted to abandon the shoot for a later date so we all worked overtime to make the film happen in a record 35 days."

Srijit Mukherjee, she reveals, had come to her with the Bengali original, 'Rajkahini', but she was on her `break' then. When he returned with the Hindi remake, she watched the Partition drama revolving around 12 women being pressurised to leave the brothel that's their own after it finds itself in the middle of the LoC, and connected with it instantly.

"From what I've been reading and seeing, nothing much has changed since the Partition and the role helped me give vent to my anger and angst as a woman.Also, even though our bodies define us, a woman still doesn't have first right over it. The film's fight for physical space parallels a woman's fight for right to her own body space," she points out, admitting the subject called out to her, in much the same way that 'Kahaani 2' and 'Aami' did.

The latter is the first biopic she's signed since the 'Dirty Picture'.Interestingly, Vidya would have made her debut with it's director Kamal's Malayalam film had it not stopped midway. She knew little about litterateur Kamala Das, also known as Kamala Surayya and Madhavikutty, apart from the controversy of her converting to Islam at 65 after falling in love with someone from that faith. "I read her autobiography, she intrigued me. I'm still wondering if she was who she's made out to be, pretending to be her or misunderstood, hoping to get some answers at some point during the film," she muses.

'Aami' will be the Malayalam film her parents have wanted her to do for years even though Vidya vowed not to do one, angry and hurt for being unfairly labelled a jinx after Kamal's film was shelved. "But today, I'm a greedy actor who'll go anywhere for a good role. Also, I've realised you can't let one experience put you off an entire industry," she argues.

There's a mellowness and maturity to this new Vidya who sits opposite you, stirring only to see her husband off. Buzz is, Siddharth will head his own studio early next year. She will not discuss his business plans, but reveals that they will not work together. It's a choice they made after 'Ghanchakkar' through the making of which she refused to interact with the MD who she was dating."I wanted to safeguard our relationship, I didn't want any clashes. Ghanchakkar was my first release after marriage and I felt guilty, personalising its failure. Siddharth, more objective, told me it was ridiculous to feel that way. I know that now, but I don't want to put myself in a similar situation again," she says.

However, on a personal level, she can't imagine being married to any other man but Siddharth. She points out that no matter how educated or liberated one is, most women, wives in particular, are conditioned to put their spouses before them. "I caught myself doing that too, only for Siddharth to ask me if this was really what I wanted," she confides, adding that in the process of making adjustments, one is at the risk of losing oneself in a marriage. "But my husband lets me be me. More than anything else, marriage has taught me to value myself. It's all about do jisms and do jaans being together," she smiles.

Karan Johar slams filmmakers' 'irresponsible remarks' on Mohammed Rafi dialogue in 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'

Looks like Karan Johar 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' is gathering much attention for all the good and bad reasons.

The 44-year-old director recently spoke out on social media in response to his colleagues' negative comments for including a dialogue that was reportedly found 'insulting' to the legendary singer Mohammed Rafi."Filmmakers making irresponsible remarks at events..singers reveling in self importance...press releases sent to mask insecurities! Ufff...." he wrote on his official Twitter handle.In a particular scene, lead actress Anushka Sharma jocularly says, "Mohammed Rafi gaate nahi, rote the."This apparently did not go down well with the late singer's son Shahid Rafi, who now expects a public apology from the Dharma Productions head honcho.

'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' released on October 28 amidst much uproar for featuring Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, who was among the artists banned in the wake of the killing of Indian soldiers during the Uri terror attack.On a related note, all these protests however did not affect the movie's Box-Office collection as it has earned 165 crores globally in the very first week of its release.

From - Times Of India

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s birthday pic with daughter Aaradhya Bachchan, Also won our Heart

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan celebrated a private birthday with family and close friends. Few picture shows the beauty queen with daughter Aaradhya on her lap with other children surrounding her.

   

We told you how Aishwarya Rai Bachchan celebrated a private birthday with family and close friends on November 1. The diva who turned 43 didn’t hold a media briefing and preferred to stay away from cameras on her special day.
But we just had to have one picture of the Ae Dil Hai Mushkil star with husband Abhishek Bachchan and daughter Aaradhya and we found it. The picture was first posted by Abhishek’s friend Bunty Walia on social media and soon went viral on Aishwarya’s fan pages. He posted the photo with the caption that reads, “Birthdaycelebrations #aairabuntywalia #missedher #instafun #abhishekbachchan #aiswariaraibachchan #vanessabuntywalia #juspreetwalia #kiddos.”

The picture shows Aishwarya moments before she cut her multiple cakes. She has Aaradhya on her lap with a few other children surrounding her. Abhishek is standing behind her flanked by their friends.
The party saw the presence of Amitabh Bachchan, Kunal Kapoor, Manish Malhotra and Rohan Sippy. The birthday bash was held at the residence of Aishwarya and Abhishek.
Earlier, the Bachchans held a star-studded Diwali bash which had everyone from the industry present. Maybe after the big bash, Aish and Abhishek wanted to go low-key for her birthday.

                                              

From -The Indian Express

Why Ranveer Singh & Deepika Padukone Skipped Shah Rukh Khan’s Birthday Party!

Deepika Padukone decided to skip Shah Rukh Khan's birthday bash in Alibaug for beau Ranveer Singh.

Shah Rukh Khan‘s party in Alibaug has been the talk of the town since days. While his oldest friends like Karan Johar, Sanjay & Mahdeep Kapoor, Chunkey Pandey and Kajal Anand were there, new entrants like Ranbir Kapoor, Imtiaz Ali and Ayan Mukerji also made it to the list But Deepika, who has begun shooting for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmavati, skipped SRK's birthday bash in order to spend some quality time with beau Ranveer Singh. There have been rumours that their relationship is going through a rough patch. But it seems the lovebirds are doing everything possible to make things work.

According to a report in Stardust, Deepika who had an off from the shooting schedule wanted to spend time with Ranveer and hence decided to skip SRK's bash.

The report further suggests that the two were inseparable. Reportedly, Deepika and Ranveer were spotted at a car showroom near Deepika's house, deciding on which car to buy. Their chemistry was very obvious and they also didn't shy away from indulging in some PDA.

It seems all in well in their paradise, finally.

On the work front, Deepika and Ranveer will yet again be seen in a period drama. Padmavati, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, also stars Shahid Kapoor. The film is set to hit the screens some time next year. 

Actor Shraddha Kapoor has sung three songs in her upcoming film Rock On 2

Shraddha Kapoor has already impressed everyone with her acting prowess with films like Aashiqui 2, Haider, Ek Villain and Baaghi. The occasional singer is now trying to explore new horizons in her career. Her upcoming film Rock On 2 is all about music and some more music. And Shraddha looks the perfect casting, considering she even required to croon all her numbers in the musical drama. Giving her company will be actors Farhan Akhtar, Arjun Rampal, Purab Kohli and Prachi Desai, who are all reprising their roles in the sequel. But Shraddha is fitting in perfectly.
Singer-composer Ankit Tiwari had sung the blockbuster number “Teri Galliyan” in Shraddha’s film Ek villain, that also starred Sidharth Malhotra. He believes that the actress is well trained to take up singing as a profession.
“Shraddha is a classically trained singer. So, when she renders a song, she delivers all the musical nuances beautifully. I think she is well trained enough to take up singing professionally,” Ankit told IANS.
Shraddha has lent her soothing voice to “Galliyan Unplugged”, also composed by Tiwari. Her other songs “Bezubaan Phir Se” and “Sab tera” have also been well appreciated by listeners. Now, she got a chance to sing her own songs in the Rock On 2.
In Rock On 2, she has sung three songs — “Tere Mere Dil”, “Rock On Revisited” and “Udja Re”. The actress is also performing live on the concert for the promotion of the film. It is slated to release on November 11.

It's a challenge to maintain radiant skin tone of Shivaay characters

Shivaay which released on Diwali weekend alongside Karan Johar's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, has been directed by Ajay Devgn.

The experts who worked on colour gradation of the Ajay Devgn-starrer Shivaay say that it was a great challenge to maintain radiant skin tone of the characters while they were falling from Casa Grande (CG) mountain in the film.
Media services company Prime Focus delivered Digital Intermediate (DI) services for the film, which has been directed and co-produced by Ajay.
“The film itself is visually stunning and Aseem Bajaj’s brilliant camera work has helped create an immersive, surreal experience that instantly draws viewers into the story. The challenge was to maintain a radiant skin tone for the characters as they are falling off a CG mountain,” Ashirwad Hadkar, colourist at Prime Focus, said in a statement.

From - Indian Express

Rakesh Roshan: 'Krrish 4' will be high on action and VFX

Rakesh Roshan, who has begun work on Krrish 4, says the film will have heavy dose of action sequences and VFX     

Filmmaker Rakesh Roshan, who has begun work on Krrish 4, says the film will have heavy dose of action sequences and VFX. Roshan is working on the script of the upcoming installment of superhit superhero franchise Krrish.

“We will start shooting next year in April or May… or may be in 2018. It’s a huge project. We need to work on VFX and that too in our budget. But it should be appealing enough for audience,” Roshan told PTI.

“We will rope in international action director for the film. We want to up the scale of action and VFX. Show something that is not done,” he said.

he germ of the idea for “Krrish 4” happened after Roshan’s wife showed a picture of Lord Ganesha that had the face of “Krrish” but the director is not willing to reveal the plot. Hrithik has successfully carried the superhero mantle with “Koi Mil Gaya”, “Krrish” and “Krrish 3”.

Bollywood’s blockbuster superhero franchise Krrish is set to return with its fourth installment, and the search of the film’s female lead has already begun. And with several names popping up, to think of who will match the powers of Hrithik Roshan, is as exciting as the wait for Krrish 4. Daddy Roshan has confirmed that the female lead will be an A-list actress for sure. And this has triggered speculations about who the leading lady will be this time. With several names in the fray, let’s take a look at the top women who will fight it out to fight and romance alongside our homegrown superhero — Krrish.

Hrithik Roshan is excited about his next production Kaabil featuring son Hrithik. The film directed by Sanjay Gupta is set to release on January 26 next year.