Filmi Fundas

It’s more than just a pet name

What's in a name, especially if one is talking about celebrities, one may ask. They are loved and will always be loved unconditionally. But for some inexplicable reason, Bollywood has had a soft corner for star pet names. Perhaps pet names have added an extra dose of adulation and brought to the fore some fun stuff for the fans.

Let’s start with Salman Khan whom the world calls Sallu. But oh, the irony of it all… his ex-girlfriend Aishwarya Rai’s pet name is Gullu! Well, this Sallu and Gullu affair is an old story now, so we better move ahead.

Hrithik Roshan’s pet name is Duggu, because his daddy Rakesh Roshan is called Guddu. Wow, what a lovely combination and it’s all in the family.

Aamir Khan is truly one of his kind, so his pet name is anything but common. His friends call him AK.

Shah Rukh Khan doesn’t have a specific pet name, but his best friend Juhi Chawla loves calling him Lucky Ali, because she believes he is a fluke.

The actress with the most beautiful smile, Madhuri Dixit, is fondly called as Babbly, though we think this name suits the bubbly Preity Zinta better. But anyway, Preity is her pet name, as her real name is Preetam Singh Zinta.

Vir is not just a comedian

The Gujarat-born stand-up comedian Vir Das had made his debut in a
serious role in Vikram Bhatt’s Mumbai Salsa, after having been brought up in
Bangalore. The fact that the film did not do well at the box office has not deterred Vir at all. “I wanted to prove wrong people’s perception that a comedian cannot do anything beyond comedy.  I was signed to play a straight character called Raj, not a comedian in Mumbai Salsa,” says Vir, who is a gold medalist graduate in BA (Psychology).

Though he was offered a lot of stuff, some good, some not, Vir says that after Mumbai Salsa, he chose to do only Aamir Khan’s Delhi Belly and Parmeet Sethi’s untitled directorial debut for Yashraj Films. While in Abhinay Deo’s Delhi Belly, Vir’s co-stars are Imran Khan, Kunal Roy Kapoor and Shehnaz Treasuryvala, in Parmeet’s film he has been teamed along with Shahid Kapoor, Chang (of Indian Idol fame) and Anushka Sharma.
Vir feels that though as a comedian, you have to look hot, as a leading man, you have to act.

It is interesting to note that Vir, who is an eligible bachelor, has a rock band where he plays the lead guitar and sings as well. 

Sound of silence

Madhur Bhandarkar’s latest film Jail has explicit  scenes of homosexuality in prison.

However, the censor board has seriously modified the scenes. In one sequence, two jailmates make love while making loud appreciative sounds of pleasure  all the time using expletives and colourful language. The censors asked Madhur to delete the sounds in the scene.

Maharaja Features 

Displaying chivalry on sets

Madhavan is one chivalrous actor say sources. While shooting for the film Tanu Weds Manu’ Kangana Ranaut had an episode where a lewd crowd harassed the actress constantly while she was shooting for her scene. Reveals a unit source, “While shooting outdoors in Uttar Pradesh, an unruly crowd started passing vulgar remarks at the actress and she was very disturbed by their behaviour. Madhavan is a very chivalrous actor. He saw to it that the mob was kept away from the shoot and spoke to her till she calmed down.”  Also adds the source, “Madhavan and Kangana have both become good friends. Both of them have struggled to get where they are and now they are respected names in the industry.” Madhavan and Kangana will be seen opposite  each other for the first time in Tanu Weds Manu.

‘I want to do theatre’

Punjabi actress Mahie Gill, who made her mark in Bollywood as Paro in Anurag Kashyap’s Dev D, is on a high as her kitty is full of prestigious projects. However, the actress maintains that the road to success was not that easy.

“It is very difficult to create a place for yourself in the industry. I struggled my way through it. By chance Anurag saw me in a party and I got Dev D, otherwise things wouldn't have shaped this way,” said Mahie.

Talking about her days of struggle, she said, “When you dress up every morning, go for auditions and at the end of the day, you don’t get work, you feel bad. Sometimes you feel that you are better than the other person, still you don’t get work. That’s when you feel very frustrated. But one needs to be patient.”

Her next release is Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Paan Singh Tomar. She teams up with Irrfan Khan in the film, which is scheduled for release in February next year. Mahie said, “In this film, I am playing Paan Singh Tomar’s wife. He was an athlete who later became a dacoit. His wife is still alive. She is very old now. I am playing a woman who is very talkative and short-tempered.”

The actress had to darken her complexion for the role. When asked about the experience of working with an actor like Irrfan, the 33-year-old said, “It was great working with Irrfan. He is such a wonderful actor.”

As far as her future projects are concerned, she has signed two films to be made by Abhinav Kashyap.

She is also doing Arbaaz Khan Productions’ Dabang and a Saurabh Shukla film, which is tentatively titled Bhaang.

Mahie has also signed a film with Naseeruddin Shah called Surmai Shaam. It will be helmed by debutant director Bhramanand Singh.

Then there is action film Gulaab Gang that also stars Tabu and Raveena Tandon. After completing her masters in theatre, Mahie got her first break with Punjabi film Havaayen and then did couple more Punjabi films like Mitti Wajaan Maardi and Chakk De Phatte. Asked if she would like to return to theatre, the actress said, “I really want to do theatre. Right now, I don’t get the time to do that, but some day I will definitely do it. I will be meeting Naseeruddin Shah very soon; so maybe one day I happen to do theatre with him.”

IANS