The Asian Independent 16 - 30 Nov. 2019

18 16-11-2019 to 30-11-2019 ENTERTAINMENT
www.theasianindependent.co.uk
Arun Mozhi : The ‘thotakaran’ of Tamil cinema
Dealing with Arun Mozhi’s sudden
demise seems to be silencing me; not
adapting the spirit of Bharati’s poems to
an entirely new terrain located in the
the locations.
Why did he choose to efface himself
letting me express my feelings about the
cement factories of Thalaiyuthu, thus? Why did he project himself as the
moment when I heard the news in a
crowded Bengaluru railway platform
from my student Omar, in Chennai.
Forty years of friendship that has seen
periods of intense togetherness and long
separations pack themselves into a state
of mind unable to reconcile with his
death.
Back in November 1979, I remember
meeting him as one of film director
Rudraiah’s comrades when he joined
me as my assistant. At that time, let me
be honest, I needed him much more than
he needed me. His willingness to accept
my FTII-carved ideas with his ‘native’
intelligence drove him to be my toughest
critic, in the process of shaping a
film titled Ezhavathu Manithan. Thanks
to him, I had the guts to embark on a
Tirunelveli. He was much more at home
in the rural hamlet than I was and translating
our scenes into action was very
easy for him.
Sadly, when the film went on to win
the National Award and was selected for
the Moscow Film Competition, it was
me, the suave urban ‘intellectual’, representing
the film. Looking back, I can
only say that Arun Mozhi was extremely
gracious in letting me grab all the laurels,
accolades and status that came
along with it. He never once felt or
expressed that he deserved more than
what he got. In my later projects, where
he was my associate director, his argumentative
mind was solely restricted to
the private scripting space. On location,
he projected himself as the jester in
pied piper followed by nomadic film
buffs? Why did he not stabilise himself
in one place? His only film Kaani Nilam
remained unreleased and he did not
complete any of the films, documentary
or fictional, that he commenced with his
little handycam. I teased him often to
release all that footage in one package
called ‘The Incomplete Works of Arun
Mozhi’, and probably, it could start
something new. And along with everybody
else, he would join in a hearty
laugh. At 63, Arun Mozhi, when he collapsed
in a cinema theatre, represented
the true status of Tamil cinema, a large
field where the soil is packed with
human nutrients for an orchard producing
so many feature films. Arun Mozhi
was the faceless ‘thotakaran’, the gardener,
film about the venerable poet
King Lear’s court. Readily obeying my
nurturing that soil packed with
Subramania Bharati. Being a Bombayite,
my Tamil was just good enough then
to read bus boards and menu cards.
Without Arun Mozhi, comprehending
Bharati would have been impossible.
After several debates on scripting
Bharati’s complicated life to cinema,
Arun gave me the courage to abandon
the biopic approach and move on to
commands but constantly critiquing the
organised systems which I was used to,
he brought a new buoyant energy into
impoverished dreamers but who were
rich enough to enshrine the ornate pillars
of Tamil cinema.
‘I love my body the way it is’
Getting candid about her journey from being fat to fab, actress
Anusha Mishra shares, “Moti.
Golmatol. Laddu. Football…
these are some of the names I
have been called by people. Yes,
you guessed it right. I am overweight.
Worse still, a young,
unmarried girl, who is overweight.
And, society has a massive
problem with it. We
laughed at Tun Tun. We laughed
at Guddi Maruti. We laughed at
Bharti Singh. Because they’re
all fat women, which makes
them less of a woman and more
of a joke. Our body is our pride
and we need to accept it. While
people will always find a reason
to walk up to you and somehow
tell you about your not-so-perfect
body size, ignore it.” She
adds, “The only one who should be comfortable about your body
is you. I have always been pointed out for my weight, even by my
mother or ‘concerned’ aunties, who would just come and say
‘you’ve changed a lot’.
I knew how to decode that into ‘Oh, you’ve gained a lot of
weight’ but I didn’t care enough to feel offended because I was
confident with my body. I love my body the way it is. And thanks
to this very body, today I have been given this incredible opportunity
of becoming an actress.”
Aamir Khan in and as
Laal Singh Chaddha
Aamir Khan has been the talk of the town ever since Mr
Perfectionist announced his upcoming project titled Laal Singh
Chaddha co-starring
Kareena Kapoor
Khan. The buzz
around the film was
already sky-high
when Shah Rukh
Khan tweeted about
his association with
the film. It brings
Aamir and Kareena
together for the third
time post 3 Idiots and
Talaash. Recently,
Kareena headed to
Chandigarh for schedule of the film and her first look from the sets
of the film went viral. After seeing Kareena’s look, we now have
Aamir’s. As the name Laal Singh Chaddha suggests, Aamir is seen
as a Jatt in a turban. The actor looks unrecognisable with a long
thick beard. Dressed in regular shirt and pants, he is wearing sports
shoes and flaunting a kada too. Kareena, as well as Aamir, will be
playing two regular individuals living in Chandigarh.
Bigg Boss 13: Khesari Lal Yadav says ‘have
come long way from not having even Rs 10 in
my pocket to touching people’s lives’
Wild card entry Khesari Lal Yadav talks
about his strategy inside the house, his
journey till date and more.
Bhojpuri star Khesari Lal Yadav, who
recently entered Bigg Boss 13 house as a
wild card entry, has said he once did not
even have Rs 10 in his pocket. He also said
that he aimed at expanding his popularity
to national and international levels with his
Bigg Boss stint Speaking with Indian
Express in an interview before entering the
show, Khesari said, “I have survived life
and all the hardships it got me. From not
having even Rs 10 in my pocket to now
touching crores of people’s lives, I have
come a long way. And this was an opportunity
for me to reach out to more people.”
“I will never change my ideologies for
anyone. I will go with dignity and come
back with dignity. I will never hurt anyone
to win the show. I don’t want to come
across in a wrong light that after the show,
I don’t even get work offers,” he added.
Ever since he entered the house, Khesari
has stayed true to his word - he has never
shied away from voicing his opinions. He
even had fights with Sidharth Shukla after
he confronted him about his attitude
towards others. Khesari also aims for international
fame with the reality show. “Bigg
Boss is such a popular show that it will help
me increase my national and international
reach. I am here to stay and so want to
broaden my horizons. Bhojpuri industry is
my motherland, and I would keep doing
more regional films. But I also want to
reach out to a bigger audience.” Khesari,
along with Shefali Jariwala and Tehseen
Poonawalla, were kept in the secret room
from where they watched the housemates
for a few days before entering the house.
PROUD IN THE UNIFORM
Vivek Dahiya, who hails from
Chandigarh, will be next seen as an Army Arjun Rampal set to return
Officer in ZEE5’s upcoming web series
Operation Terror: Chabbis Gyarah. He will with supernatural thriller
be playing the role of Captain Rohit Bagga Mumbai, Actor Arjun Rampal, who next will be seen
who was away on leave when the terror in the supernatural thriller “Anjaan”, says he will start
siege in Mumbai took place and the NSG shooting for the film in March next year. “We will start
Commandos were called upon. Setting shooting for ‘Anjaan’ in March. I am very excited about
aside his personal leave, Bagga had driven it. It is one of my first super-natural films,” said Arjun,
four hours to reach the flight in the nick of while interacting with the media. Earlier in September,
time for the operation.
Arjun had tweeted about the film, saying: “Spooked and
Vivek shares, “This one is special for excited… for my next film #Anjaan it’s gonna be one
me as it has helped me grow as a human hell of a scary ride. Can’t wait to start filming.”
being and brought me closer to my own “Anjaan” is being directed by Amitebdra Vats, written
country. Being on a set in an army officer’s by Pooja Ballutia. Asked which web series is his
uniform is one thing but the show has been favourite, Arjun said: “My favourite series in recent
made with so much attention to details that time is an English series called ‘Succession’. which is
my respect has grown towards our army streaming on Hotstar.” Arjun made his digital debut with
officer and commandos after actually stepping
into their shoes.”
do the second season of ‘The Final Call’,” he
a web series named “The Final Call”. “I hope I will soon
said.