THE BUZZ

IIFA and women empowerment

The 14th edition of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards has added women empowerment as a cause that it will pursue under the programme ‘Power of 49’.

“It gives me great pleasure to announce that IIFA from this year onwards has taken upon itself, in addition to climate change, as a cause it wishes to pursue - the ‘Power of 49’,” veteran actress Shabana Azmi announced recently at a press meet.

BLAsT fRoM THE pAsT, BoLLwood’s goINg vINTAgE

Call it the filmmaker’s confidence in the bygone era or their love for the romanticism of the retro look - Bollywood’s forthcoming offerings like Lootera, Gunday, Bombay Velvet and Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai Dobara have oodles of the past in their look and feel.

Old world charm has gripped Bollywood, a key element of Indian cinema that is celebrating 100 years of its existence this year. But it requires the right mix of research and vision to hit the bull’s eye as far as styling such projects is concerned, designers say.

A retro look can be described as anything from the 1930s to the 1960s or even the 1980s, said designer Pria Kataaria Puri, who is responsible for actress Priyanka Chopra’s look in the remake of the 1973 film Zanjeer. Research is the key, claims Puri, stating that when styling an actress according to the fashion of the 1960s, knowing the way women wore saris and eyeliner, and made the beehive hairdo, is crucial.

There are different examples of films experimenting with some distinct looks of the past - some focus on bell-bottoms and some on fitted short kurtis, while others are inspired by the Sadhana cut, the bouffant, the cat eye makeup, the oversized glasses and the hairbands, as well as the unique sari drapes.

Lootera, a period romance drama set in the West Bengal of 1950, spells the vintage flavour from the word go - Ranveer Singh sports a clean-shaven, hatted and neat look, complete with crisp white shirts and chic braces to hold up his trousers. His on-screen lady love, essayed by Sonakshi Sinha, is seen in simple saris teamed with quarter-sleeved blouses and a big round bindi Fashion from the past years also reflects in Gunday, set in the Kolkata of 1971 to 1988. True to its time period, the film’s lead actress, Priyanka Chopra, dons a stunning retro look, with sensuous saris, sleeveless blouses and long tresses.

Similar is the case for Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Dobara, with the story backdropped against Mumbai of the late 1980s.

In her new film Bombay Velvet, actress Anushka Sharma will reportedly go retro as the movie chronicles the evolution of Mumbai over a period of two decades.

The trend is surely up and coming!

Ace designer Anju Modi, who has designed costumes for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period drama Ram Leela, co-starring Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone, said it is the “romanticism of the retro look” which inspires filmmakers to dig into the past.

“They like to recreate the old world charm. While there is no dearth of stories that they can derive from the modern era, there is a certain glamour that constantly draws Bollywood filmmakers to the retro look,” said Modi.

Globally known designer Ritu Kumar said of the trend, “It is a measure of confidence in India’s history and identity that any industry goes looking back to recreate a bygone feel and touch.”

Designer and stylist Pernia Qureshi, who was behind Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor’s uber chic style in Aisha, believed “Indian films have now started taking fashion more seriously”. “People have realised how styling can play a key role in portraying exactly what is needed,” Qureshi said.

“To go deep into a character, the clothing, accessories and the overall look are vital. The retro look is about imitating the styles from the past without losing out on the modernity of the clothing and the looks so that it is relatable to the people of today’s day and age,” she added.

“Fortynine percent is the figure of the women we have in our country today, and as a nation we can call ourselves civilized if this 49 percent gets empowered,” Shabana added.

Filmmaker R Balki believes films can promote the cause in a lot of ways - for instance superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s initiative to name Deepika Padukone first in the credit roll of their upcoming film Chennai Express

“It’s always ‘starring somebody’ and then the heroine. I think Shah Rukh was good enough to be the first person to say I’ll do it differently and Chennai Express will be the first film where Deepika’s name will come first and then Shah Rukh’s. So it’s a signal and not an end by itself, that focus on the 49 percent,” Balki said.

“So films can do it in a lot of ways and the same thing will happen at IIFA. IIFA plans to surprise you at the show. There will be a change which will signal something extremely significant as far as this cause goes,” he added. Well, at least the IIFA is now recognising the contribution of women in Bollywood. There’s a long way to go, but at least it’s a start!

What’s the drama about D-Day?

Spies and patriots, not gangsters and villains, says D-Day director Nikhil Advani. He vehemently asserts that his film is not a regular underworld or ‘bhaigiri’ one, but a serious espionage thriller based on the country’s intelligence agency RAW and its operations. Actors Arjun Rampal, Irrfan and Huma Qureshi are playing RAW agents in the film. “There is no connection to the underworld. It is about terrorism, it is about bringing back India’s most wanted man. It is an espionage thriller. All three of them and Aakash Dahiya, they are spies, they are RAW agents,” said the director recently. “There is no ‘bhaigiri’ in the film. It is about India, it is about four patriots,” he added. Shruti Haasan will feature in it, with Rishi Kapoor in the role of an antagonist. With that kind of impressive star cast, D-Day could well enjoy a V-day at the box office. It releases soon, so let’s wait and see!

AmitAbh bAchchAn

Hirani’s not running races

Director Rajkumar Hirani has a slew of successful films under his belt, like Munnabhai MBBS, Lage Raho Munnabhai and 3 Idiots, which makes the curious compare his success to his contemporaries. But Hirani insists that he is not running a race with any director, instead his endeavour is to tell good stories. Currently, he is busy shooting P.K., starring Aamir Khan and Anushka Sharma in the lead.

“I don’t think any of us is running a race. I don’t think I am running a race with any other director or his films... I don’t think we are in a race at all,” Hirani stated recently, rather repetitively. Fortunately he elaborated, saying “All of us are telling stories which are completely different. If we tell good stories, if it connects with audiences, all the films will work. So there is no race!”

According to Hirani, there is no formula to make a successful film. “I don’t think any of us can make a formula. If we could, then every film would work. So the best thing is not to worry about whether your film will work or not. Try and make what will work for you. So my effort is to try and tell a story that works for me, I connect with, and which I believe in,” said the 50-year-old filmmaker. Well, Aamir can make any story work, so race or no race, Hirani’s onto a winner!

Intimacy, but in front of mummy

Sonakshi Sinha was in the news recently, when her lovemaking scene with co-star Ranveer Singh for Lootera was completed in the presence of her mother!

Apparently Poonam Sinha was there to make sure that the scene didn’t get too raunchy. Sonakshi usually has a nointimacy policy with her films, but this one scene is the plot twister, and couldn’t be avoided. So mum came along to keep it all clean. And what was her verdict? Well, no more acting lessons for Sonakshi! Poonam was so in awe of her daughter’s performance in the film, she admitted that even Sonakshi’s father, veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha, will think twice before advising her on anything after the film.

Directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, Lootera is a period romance set in the 1950s. Poonam was also generous in her praise for Ranveer. “Ranveer and Sonakshi, both have done brilliantly well. A mother doesn’t consider her children that talented, but when outsiders say so, she agrees. But I think I have to bow down to Ranveer and Sonakshi’s work in the film,” she said.

So while Sonakshi had mummy, who did Ranveer turn to for reassurance and inspiration? Director Vikramaditya, of course, who made both actors comfortable for the intimate scene. “Sonakshi is so cool that I never felt awkward. We all are professional actors and this is our work. Vikramaditya made a closed set for our comfort where there was only cameraman, Vikram, myself

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nikhil AdvAni And Arjun rAmPAl and Sonakshi. He gave us our own space and was very supportive,” said Ranveer, perhaps conveniently forgetting the presence of mummy Poonam. The actor said the director made it clear that if an actor is doing an emotional scene “then respect him or her so that they can perform”.

Ranveer’s look in Lootera has been inspired by late Hollywood actor James Dean and Bollywood legend Dev Anand, he said. “Vikram was very clear it had to be an amalgamation of James Dean and Dev Anand. So those were the references that he used to send me,” revealed the 28-year-old actor. “I did not do anything, he knew the kind of look he wanted, the kind of hair he wanted. Every detail he looked into, so I really didn’t give any input this time, it was all Vikram’s,” said Ranveer who is happy with the appreciation his clean look is garnering, especially from his female fans. Both stars are expecting the usual barrage of questions speculating about their offscreen romance, but are taking this in their stride. “Earlier, when I used to read such stories it used to bother me and I used to think how can they write such things about me, this is my private life. Then I realised such things will happen in the industry, so now I don’t even read these stories,” said Ranveer pragmatically. Lootera is co-produced by Anurag Kashyap, Shobha Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor, and will hit theatres soon.

Time for theatre? Big B thinks not!

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan says the stage is the most trying and difficult of all performing arts, and that it would be wonderful to get back to it. The thought came to the 70-year-old after he came back from watching a play at the Prithviraj Theatre recently. He says the experience reminded him of work in school and college.

“It would be wonderful to get back to it, but now it is frightening to get up there... a controlled environment is suitable to us today,” Big B posted on his blog. “We can make countless mistakes not so on the platform of the stage ... not so also the immediate reaction of the audience, not so also the immediate reaction and applause of the people sitting in front of you. That attraction is something only those that experience it can say,” (sic) he added.

Acting on stage is tough job.

“The stage is the most trying and difficult of all performing arts, a wonderful place to learn to get initiated of what may follow some of the greats have migrated from the stage to greatness of their own elsewhere, but have never forgotten the days of the smell of the wood work,” he wrote.

Bollywood actors Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi and Anupam Kher are often seen entertaining live audiences with their plays. But will Amitabh make a theatre comeback? Seems unlikely, but you can never know with the Big B!

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