The Indian Weekender, 26 March 2021

16 ENTERTAINMENT
Friday, March 26, 2021 The Indian Weekender
SUNIEL SHETTY: Being
judged over 'success'
is mentally disturbing
67TH NATIONAL AWARDS:
Prakash Raj, Satish Kaushik,
Nani express gratitude
He has been in the industry
for three decades now
and has had his share of
hits and misses. Suniel Shetty says
that an actor is judged according
to his success, which can be
mentally disturbing.
Suniel, 59, made his Bollywood
debut in 1992 with Balwaan. He was
later seen in films such as Sapoot,
Hu Tu Tu, Krodh, Hera Pheri, Dus,
Kaante, Border, Gopi Kishan and
Chup Chup Ke among many others.
Talking about living the fastpaced
life in Bollywood can be mentally
exhausting, Suniel.
"It is not the pace or the effort that
is exhausting. It is people around
judging you all the time. Success
and failure means so much. You're
judged according to your success
which is mentally very disturbing,"
said Suniel.
The actor, who is all set to host
a show titled "21 Din Wellness" on
BIG FM, stresses on mental and
physical fitness.
"That is why staying mentally
and physically fit is very important
-- because it keeps you going and if
you are not then you aren't an actor.
That is why wellness means a lot to
me," he added.
Suniel, who is the father of actress
Actor Emraan Hashmi,
whose film Mumbai Saga
is currently running at
the box office, has a slew of films
coming out. The actor has three
very different films in his kitty at the
moment. While he is committed to
Chehre and Ezra, the actor is yet to
confirm playing the villain in Tiger
3. He says he seems to have finally
got rid of the "Serial Kisser" tag.
"I haven't done those films for a
bit. People don't address me that way
anymore. I have never really thought
of how people think of me. It's as per
the film, I have never thought of how
people perceive me," he said.
The actor, however, says that he
has never bothered trying to change
Actor Manoj Bajpayee on Monday
was declared Best Actor at the
67th National Film Awards
along with Dhanush. While Manoj won
for Bhonsle, Dhanush received the award
for the Tamil film Asuran.
"I am very happy and thankful to
each and everyone who believed in this
film and believed in me. I'm thankful
to my director Devashish Makhija and
my co-actors Santosh (Juvekar) and
Ipshita (Chakraborty), my producers
Sandiip Kapoor, Piiyush Singh, Saurabh
(Gupta) and all of these guys. I'm feeling
Athiya Shetty and debutant Ahan
Shetty, finds radio a very expressive
medium.
"The reach is a lot more and
this is one medium which is
very expressive. I thought if the
people's perception.
"It's up to people to
think how they want to
think. I can't catch people by the
throat and force them to look at me
thankful to each and everyone who have
supported this film and supported me
from the depth of my heart. I really feel
this is an award not only for me but for all
of yours guys. When Bhonsle completed
its journey with this National Award, I am
only feeling thankful and nothing else,"
said Bajpayee.
The film deals with the real problem
faced by migrants in Mumbai, which is
relevant in the present times.
Bajpayee plays the lead role of Ganpat
Bhonsle, for which he has received
critical acclaim.
Honourable Prime Minister reaches
out through this. I don't think there is
a better medium than this. So, thanks
to radio. You add the visual layer to
it, we'd give the expression through
voice," he added.
in a certain way. I just do my job
as an actor and I don't think about
the perception as such," he says.
Meanwhile, Emraan says that he is
relieved that his film Mumbai Saga
got a theatrical release.
"There was a bit of nervousness
and excitement as it's our baby
which has been ready for
while. We couldn't release
it last year. But better
late than never," he says.
He says that films like
Mumbai Saga need to be
released in the theatres.
"This film was always
meant for a theatrical release.
People will enjoy this film maximum
there," he says. However, he adds
Actor Prakash Raj's film
"Wild Karnataka" won
the National Award in the
"Best Exploration Film" at the 67th
National Film Awards on Monday.
The actor was the narrator in the
documentary film and is elated with
the achievement.
"Being a part of the vision that
brought to life the ‘Wild Karnataka'
documentary was truly a beautiful
experience. A culmination of four
years and almost 500 hours of footage,
it was an absolute pleasure to be the
voice, narrating this extraordinary
story in my language, Tamil and
Telugu, of the exquisite outback of
Karnataka, one of the last places in
the world where big wild animals can
roam safely. I've always loved nature,
it's something that keeps me rooted
which made me proud to have been
a part of this project and I'm grateful
to the Discovery team for trusting
me to be its voice. I congratulate
the producers, award-winning
filmmakers Amoghavarsha JS and
Kalyan Varma on this fantastic win
Emraan Hashmi on 'Serial Kisser' tag:
People don't address me that way anymore
"There
was a bit of
nervousness and
excitement as it's our
baby which has been
ready for while. We
couldn't release it last
year. But better late
than never"
that when it comes to predicting how
his films will fare at the box office,
he has no idea.
"You have nurtured this baby and
you want to know if the world will
accept or reject it. But at the same
time, you don't know what a Friday
brings," he says.
"I am concentrating on these films
at the moment. I am gearing up for
release of my upcoming films and
then I will move over to the new
projects," he says.
Emraan's next film is Chehre, a
psychological drama co-starring
Amitabh Bachchan and Rhea
Chakraboty. His other upcoming
film Ezra takes him back to the
horror genre.
Manoj Bajpayee on 'Bhonsle' National
Award: Thank everyone who believed in me
at the 67th National Film Awards,"
Raj said.
Actor Satish Kaushik's film
"Chhoriyan Chhoron Se Kam Hoti"
won the National Award for "Best
Harayanvi Film''. Even though he is
currently under treatment for Covid,
the senior actor expressed his joy
through a statement.
He said: "When I was working on
this film, I was sure that the project
would be impactful and it would send
the right message in society. This
recognition goes on to prove that
my vision was right. I'm so grateful
to the director Rajesh Babbar & his
team who contributed towards this
amazing project.
I'm from Haryana and working
for the development of the Haryanvi
Film Industry ,hence I was personally
connected with the subject of this
film. The project definitely deserved
an award as big as this, and I feel
humbled to have produced the film
along with Zee Studios and the team
who believed in my vision and acted
in it."
Sanjay Suri: With
success comes a
bit of isolation
Actor Sanjay Suri, who has
been a part of the industry
over the last two decades,
says that actors should try and get
along with each other on the sets
of their films. He says that this can
only happen when people leave
the "burden of their achievements"
behind when they are on the set.
"What happens is that you have a
lot of perceptions and when the walls
become higher and thicker, then you
are not allowed to be natural. Or you
feel that your space is invaded. For
example, you can't expect a star to be
sitting out on the road. But I feel that
if you work and get along without
the burden of your achievements,
then you can connect and interact
every easily, like you do on a train
journey," he said.
However, he says that one should
not build walls around oneself.
"But when you build walls around
yourself or are not accessible. Then it
becomes like first class travel where
you don't talk and are expected to be
silent. I think with lots of success
comes a bit of isolation," he says.