The BUZZ

U P-TO-DATE NEWS ON WHAT’S HOT AND HAPPENING IN BOLLYWOOD

THE BOLLYWOOD HERO IS A CLICHÉ: NAWAZUDDIN SIDDIQUI

Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui feels that the “typical” Bollywood hero is the most clichéd creation one can think of, which is why he likes to maintain his distance from the hero image.

“I have played a variety of roles, gangster, writer or a policeman. Even if I get an opportunity to play the lead hero in a movie, I will do it only on the basis of my style,”said Nawazuddin.

According to Nawazuddin, anybody can play the hero but the difficult part is to play the same role differently each time.

“For this, you need education and practice. For me, a versatile actor is one who is able to play the same role differently. For example, I have played the mafia don several times, whether it is Faisal Khan (Gangs of Wasseypur) or Ganesh Gaitonde (Sacred Games). But each role is different, as there is always that one signature dialogue/move that sets the character apart from the other. I did the same even with Dilly Mahmood (in McMafia),” added the actor.

Starting off with bit roles in films such as Sarfarosh and Shool, Nawazuddin made a name for himself with films like Gangs of Wasseypur, The Lunchbox, Badlapur and Sacred Games.

The actor is set to appear in the television crime drama McMafia, inspired by the 2009 non-fiction book of the same name by Misha Glenny. The show is about Alex Godman (played by James Norton), an educated hedge-fund manager who unwillingly gets sucked into the lawless world of his Russian mafia family. Nawazuddin plays a Mumbai-based gangster Dilly Mahmood on the show, which airs in India on Zee Cafe.

Talking about his experience of working with director James Watkins on McMafia, Nawazuddin said, “James Watkins has been following me since Gangs of Wasseypur and it is my performance in that movie, along with Miss Lovely and The Lunchbox that eventually helped me bag my role in McMafia

“Watkins is an experienced and passionate director and has also directed a few episodes of Black Mirror. He is somebody who keeps a keen eye for detail and beautifully brings out the smallest element in each shot,” he said.

The actor found James Norton’s India connect quite intriguing. Apparently, Norton visited India almost 15-20 years ago as a backpacker and soon ran out of money. In order to make some money, he appeared in a crowd scene for a Bollywood movie.

Looks like things have come full circle!

DEEPIKA TAKES A JIBE AT SALMAN’S VIEW ON DEPRESSION

Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone indirectly responded to Salman Khan for his recent comments about how he could not “afford the luxury to be depressed”.

Padukone has openly spoken about her ordeal with clinical depression, and has actively been campaigning against the malaise since 2015. In a recent interview, she took on Salman, without naming him, insisting that depression is not a choice, and so shouldn’t be viewed as a luxury.

“People confuse it (depression) with being a bit sad. A male star said recently that he didn’t have the luxury to be depressed. As if depression is a choice!” said Deepika, speaking to Vogue magazine.

“The word that best describes my experience of depression is struggle. Every second was a struggle. I felt exhausted the entire time,” Deepika explained further.

Salman had earlier reportedly said, “I see a lot of people getting depressed and emotional, but I can’t afford that luxury of being depressed or sad or emotional because no matter what I am going through, it works against me.”

Padukone started the Live Love Laugh Foundation to create awareness about mental illnesses, on World Mental Health Day on October 10, 2015.

SHILPA SHETTY’S NEW PIC MOTIVATES FANS TO STAY FIT

Bollywood diva Shilpa Shetty’s love for fitness is well known, and the actress never tires of encouraging fans to follow a regime to stay in shape.

The svelte 44-year-old shared a picture of her working out, on Instagram, with the text, “30 days to make a habit, 90 days to make it a lifestyle. #ShilpaKaMantra.”

“The start will always be the toughest hurdle to cross. But the day you begin, is also the day you’ve won half that battle. Good habits become a healthy lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle = healthy, happy you,” she continued in her caption.

In a recent interview, the actress, who is also a yoga expert, said that she hoped more Indians would use yoga to stay fit and healthy.

On the work front, the actress is set to make a comeback on the big screen after a 13-year-sabbatical. She will be seen in Nikamma, a romantic comedy starring Abhimanyu Dassani and Shirley Setia, and directed by Sabbir Khan.

Nsd Awards Diplomas To Alumni Of Past 10 Years

Drama (NSD) in the last ten years have (finally!) been awarded their diplomas in a single convocation ceremony held on the campus.

NSD, one of the most sought-after theatre schools in India, awarded 237 diplomas for the completion of a 3-year course between 2010 and 2019.

Culture Minister Prahlad Patel handed out the certificates at the ceremony this week. In a shining example of timeliness (hint: sarcasm), graduating students had to suffice for a once-in-a-decade ceremony since the “annual” convocations didn’t take place at all, for the past ten years. Well, better late than never!

“Since the beginning, NSD has been trying to bring back the many traditions of performing arts that India has. But I think the time has come to rethink the institution as a central school of advanced theatre studies… We should make efforts to bring theatre close to the people in their own language, but at the same time look at a pan-Asian presence,” said Ratan Thiyam, former NSD director and an eminent theatre personality.

Established in 1959, NSD is an autonomous institution under the Culture Ministry and is “fully financed” by it. Its 3-year full-time, residential training program has produced alumni like Naseeruddin Shah, Anupam Kher, Irfan Khan and Neena Gupta, among others.

Role In The Girl On The Train Remake Most Difficult For Parineeti

Actor Parineeti Chopra is finding her role in the Hindi remake of the Emily Blunt-starrer The Girl on the Train quite

Over 200 theatre students who graduated from the National School of DEEPIKA PADUKONE difficult. And for the most millennial of reasons!

Tweeting a photo of herself from the film sets, Parineeti wrote, “So! We’ve started shooting for Girl on the Train in London. It’s my MOST difficult role to date; I feel like I’m in a hostel, with no time (or headspace) for social media or chilling or doing anything else.”

Based on a 2015 bestseller by Paula Hawkins, the film is narrated by a divorced woman who gets so entangled in a missing person investigation that it pushes her own life to the brink of chaos.

The actress calls it a new experience for herself. “Being cut off from everything and everyone else. Will share the first look soon. This picture was the only “time-pass” I’ve done on set so far,” she added.

The psychological thriller is produced by Reliance Entertainment and directed by Ribhu Dasgupta, who earlier helmed TE3N starring Amitabh Bachchan.

TIGER, HRITHIK’S WAR CHASE SCENES FILMED IN 7 COUNTRIES

Bollywood actors Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff’s chase and hunting scenes in War were filmed in seven