Kunal Kapoor looks nervous. Certainly, he is watching the screen intently, as if trying to judge the quality of the preview reel. Post the press conference that introduced Lamhaa – a movie scheduled for release in July – Kunal is still in the room with a few friends.
The 35-year-old will star opposite Bipasha Basu, Sanjay Dutt and Anupam Kher in the film that is being billed as “the untold story of Kashmir”. Having made quite an impression in Aamir Khan’s successful film ‘Rang De Basanti,’(2006) Kunal has failed to deliver a big win at the box office – he now risks being written off as a one hit wonder. Will Lamhaa be the movie that changes his fortunes?
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| Indian models display designs at IIFA Rocks on Friday. AFP |
“As an actor when you’re watching a film you’re hoping that it all comes together,” he says, “you’re hoping that what you read in the script gets translated into what you’re watching on screen...you’re also rewinding in your head all the chaos that was going around you when you were filming.” He says he’s satisfied with Lamhaa. The preview reel displays all the polish and drama that Indian films have mastered. Movies like Hrithik Roshan’s ‘Kites’ represent an extraordinary leap in Bollywood production standards – these are action films that can compete in the same global market that Hollywood has effortlessly dominated for so long.
For actors like Kunal, this is good news, but it’s not as interesting as Bollywood’s increasing willingness to explore unconventional plots and difficult issues. Though the actor is rumoured to be dabbling in screen writing, he says he’s currently enjoying working with a new breed of thoughtful, adventurous directors. “More than the production, more than the techniques, I think the most exciting thing is that there are directors who want to tell new stories. These are directors with completely new stories.” Kunal, like many other Bollywood actors, supports the industry’s love of escapist cinema, but says it can still be rooted in reality – “you don’t need to get absurd,” he says, dimpling.
Bollywood doesn’t confine itself to producing movies – it also churns out celebrities. The hoopla and adoration which greets the better known actors needs to be seen to be believed. Kunal’s colleagues were mobbed by eager press – Sanjay Dutt fled, Anupam Kher followed and Bipasha Basu had to be rescued and is now ensconced in a private room.
Here, the model turned actress answers questions posed by more subdued journalists. In distinctive, husky voice tones, the actress once famous for declaring that being sexy was her USP, talks about embracing a new facet of her persona in the character of Aziza.
Aziza is meant to be a “delicate” Kashmiri woman, with a backbone of steel. To play the role, Bipasha abandoned her love affair with dark skin and outright sex appeal for that of an almost militant young woman in demure clothes. “Even when I wore a salwar kameez and PT shoes Rahul [the film’s director] told me, ‘don’t walk like a girl, walk like a man’... I’m going to be dark, dusky and sexy for the rest of my life – in fact I’ve always said I would love to be a sexy grandmother,” says the actress, going on to add, “but you have to detach yourself, and you have to be the actor that that particular part requires.”
Kunal, for one, didn’t expect her to succeed so well. “Bipasha really surprised me. I was one of the people who thought she couldn’t look Kashmiri, I wasn’t sure she could pull off the part. When I started acting with her and interacting with her, I was really shocked into how she had transformed into this character and how convincingly she was doing it,” he says, frankly.
For him it’s an illustration of how “when an actor really believes in something, you can see that on the screen.” For Bipasha, her acting resulted very naturally from her surroundings. “In this particular film, it wasn’t the actors who made an impact on me, it was the situation in Kashmir, the mindset of people in Kashmir,” she says. In one scene, Aziza is publicly humiliated in a marketplace, and her face is blackened as a symbol of her shame. “These were scenes which were very tough – they were humiliating as a person and as an actor also,” says Bipasha, adding that shooting in tumultuous Kashmir was sometimes frightening, but that the state amazed them with its natural beauty.
The very same sentiments are voiced again that evening – except this time they are a part of the film preview being screened for a global audience at the IIFA Rocks fashion extravaganza. Though the event starts two hours late, it follows through without a hitch. In their text alerts preceding the event, NDTV, an Indian channel declared: “11th IIFA awards kick off in Colombo, for the first time in a decade it’s not the stars but the venue that’s attracting attention.”
Sri Lanka certainly made its presence felt. Opening the event were Bathiya and Santhush, who led several local singing stars in a melodic and patriotic tribute to Sri Lanka. They were followed by Sri Lankan designers Yoland and KT Brown – both of whom presented very creditable collections. Their Indian counterparts, Vikram Phadnis and Manish Malhotra (he of the enviable cheekbones) also presented collections of heavily worked saris, lehengas and salwar kameez.
But the fashion show, glamorous as it was, was far from being the show’s biggest attraction. In between models taking to the runway, Vivek Oberoi and Dia Mirza entertained guests and introduced a variety of acts. Actress Zarine Khan took to the stage, backed up by Shamak Davar’s dance troupe – all resplendent in skimpy, heavily sequined costumes.
Anil Kapoor hosted a surprise chat show with Boman Irani, Ritesh Deshmukh and Lara Dutta for his guests and Bollywood legends Salim and Sulaiman played several of their biggest hits for the audience. Of the singers that shared the stage with them, one time VJ and model Anushka Manchandani shone. Her deep voice and “spunky” performance upped the ante.
Now, the Fashion Show simply kicked off a weekend devoted to all things IIFA – one that culminated in the celebrity blitz that was the award ceremony itself. For legions of local fans, this may be the closest they will come to seeing their favourite stars, but it won’t be their last chance. While only a few can afford to buy a million rupee ticket, the event also marks a new intimacy with all things Bollywood.
You can expect more film premieres, more film crews and more visiting film stars as the two countries start acting more neighbourly. One wonders how local cinema will fare. Will it thrive in the face of this boom or lose itself in imitation? We’ll have to wait and see.
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Bipasha Basu |
Kunal Kapoor |
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| Our very own Jacqueline Fernandez. AFP |
Lara Datta poses with tennis player Mahesh Bhupati. AFP |
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Sophie Chaudry |
Neil Nitin Mukesh |
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Sanjay Dutt |
Anil Kapoor |
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