The Indian Weekender, 15 April 2022

16
WORLD
Friday, April 15, 2022 The Indian Weekender
Ratna Pathak Shah: Don’t
know why I didn’t get much
work when I was younger
Our filmmakers haven’t been very
adventurous when it comes to
casting. They always chose the ones who
grabbed eyeballs. In art cinema, it was
all about (actors) Naseeruddin Shah, Om
Puri, Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil.
Jr NTR completes 25 years in Telugu
film industry
RRR' actor Jr NTR, who shone as
Komaram Bheem, has completed
25 years in the Telugu film industry.
April 11 marks the 25th anniversary of
Jr NTR's first movie 'Ramayanam', better
known as 'Bala Ramayanam'.
Jr NTR had made his debut as a child
actor with 'Bala Ramayanam', which was
released on this date in 1997. NTR, who
was a classical dancer, had grabbed the
attention of the casting team, who had him
on board to essay the role of Rama.
'Shakuntalam' director Gunasekhar
wielded the megaphone for this
mythological drama which showcased Jr
NTR as Lord Rama.
The film had bagged two Nandi Awards
- Best Children Film (Gold) and Best
Child Actress (Swathi as Ravana) in
1998. Featuring more than 3,000 children,
'Bala Ramayanam' was produced under
Shabdhalaya Theaters.
With an illustrious career of 25 years, Jr
NTR has worked in over 30 films, some
of which are blockbuster hits. His career
is replete with massive hits such as 'Aadi',
'Simhadri', 'Temper', 'Janatha Garage' and
'Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava'.
'RRR', which marks S.S. Rajamouli's
fourth collaboration with Jr NTR, is the
actor's first pan-India movie.
Known for his multi-linguistic
approach, Jr NTR will be next seen in
'NTR30' directed by Koratala Siva. He
will also be starring in Prashanth Neel's
upcoming directorial.
Actor Ratna Pathak Shah, who has been a part of critically
acclaimed films like Mandi (1983) and Mirch Masala (1987),
says that star system was not only a part of the commercial
cinema space but it also penetrated the art film circuit back in the
1980s. And that, she believes, is what kept her from working
frequently back in the day. She elaborates, “Our filmmakers haven’t
been very adventurous when it comes to casting.
"They always chose the ones who grabbed eyeballs. In art cinema,
it was all about (actors) Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Shabana Azmi
and Smita Patil. Then came (actors) Farooq Shaikh and Deepti Naval;
they were thought of after these four names.” Shah rues the dearth
of opportunities for her other contemporaries too, who feels couldn’t
explore their potential to the fullest, despite their talent: “It was much
later that (actors) Pavan Malhotra and Pankaj Kapur got the parts that
they deserved.
Much like Deepti, Supriya (Pathak; actor and Shah’s sister) never
got the parts she deserved. And I was just not looked at, maybe
because I was Naseer’s wife, and they thought I was just not interested
in working. Thankfully, that’s done with and dusted.” The 65-year-old
adds, “I don’t know why I didn’t get much work when I was younger.
There was something about me that wasn’t acceptable. The only thing
I can do about it is I can reflect on that time and think if I was worth
being employed. Maybe I wasn’t.”
But she heaves a sigh of relief as she’s getting to work at a time
when most people have already retired. Talking about the shift, Shah
says, “I certainly know that my skill as an actor has improved hugely
in the last 20 years or so. Maybe that’s why I’m getting the kind of
roles across languages that you see me doing. And I’m enjoying every
minute of it. I’m not complaining anymore,” says the Kapoor & Sons
(2016) and Thappad (2020) actor.
Satish Kaushik: Young filmmakers have faith in their actors
Satish Kaushik explains
what he likes about the
new-age directors and
how their approach differs from
their senior counterparts
Actor Satish Kaushik has
worked across films and web
shows helmed by various newage
filmmakers, including
Abhishek Chaubey’s Udta
Punjab (2016), Shaad
Ali’s Soorma (2018) and Bloody
Brothers, Raj & DK’s Guns And
Gulaab, Raj Singh’s Thar, Shefali
Bhushan’s Gulity Minds, Hitesh
Bhatia’s Sharmajee Namkeen and
Tejas Deoskar’s Chhatriwali. He
enjoys working with the younger
makers for many reasons.
“What I like about them is
that they know the importance
of time and have faith in their
actors. They offer you a complete
script before the shoot begins and
conduct workshops and readings
with actors before the film goes
on floors.
"All this ensures that they
don’t waste time during the shoot
in explaining what they want,”
says Kaushik, who has also
directed over 15 Hindi films.
Kaushik goes on to highlight
the key difference between the
younger makers and senior
ones: “I have worked at a
time when films were shot
leisurely in 18 months.
"But nowadays, filmmaking
is pacier and more systematic. I
love this new way of working.
Filmmakers today have a strong
team of DOPs and assistant
directors, and their duties are
divided perfectly.”
He adds that gender parity is
also a highlight, as far as the film
industry of today is concerned.
“There’s inclusion of women
across all the departments. From
DOPs to production assistants --
you see strong-minded girls who
believe in giving their best to the
film and working passionately.
This inclusivity is great to see,”
says Kaushik.
Being a senior filmmaker
himself, does it ever become
difficult when a younger maker
asks him to do something?
“Not at all,” says the 65-yearold,
adding, “In fact, when they
ask me to do something new, it’s
like a learning process for me. At
the time of shoot, the director is
the captain, no matter what his
age is.”
RRR box office day 16 collection: SS Rajamouli's film enters Rs1000 crore club worldwide
SS Rajamouli's film RRR has entered
the Rs1000 crore club worldwide just
after two weeks of its release. So far,
only Dangal and Baahubali 2: The Conclusion,
had crossed Rs1000 crore globally. The film
features Ram Charan, Jr NTR, Alia Bhatt, and
Ajay Devgn among others.
Taking to Twitter, trade analyst
Manobala Vijayabalan wrote on Saturday
evening, "#RRRMovie enters the
PRESTIGIOUS Rs1,000 cr club."
He also tweeted, "Rs1000cr+ club Indian
movies. #Dangal #Baahubali2 #RRR."
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh also tweeted
on Saturday, "[Week 3] refuses to slow down,
RRRock-solid on [third] Fri... Continues to
attract substantial footfalls in mass circuits...
Expect higher numbers today and tomorrow
[third Sat and Sun]... Fri 5 cr. Total: Rs213.59
cr. #India biz."
On Saturday, Ram Charan thanked fans
in Britain for the success of RRR, which
registered strong numbers at the UK box office
during its opening weekend.
"A special thank you to our UK fans for
showering us with so much love and support.
It is this love and affection that makes us who
we are and drives us to work harder and present
you all with good films.
"I have both vacationed and filmed in the
UK several times and it has always been a great
experience,” he told news agency.
Book on yesteryear actress Priya
Rajvansh to be adapted for screen
National Award-winning filmmaker Pradeep
Sarkar is all set to helm a film based on Subodh
Lal's book 'Priya Interrupted' which documents
the life of late actress Priya Rajvansh and her filmmaker
husband Chetan Anand. However, the makers have not
made any official announcement yet regarding the cast
and movie's shoot schedule.
Commenting on the development, Author Subodh
Lal says, "Priya and I were very close. She shared a lot
of information about herself, her schooling, her years
outside India (especially in England) and of course her
association with Chetan Anand and his brothers Dev
and Vijay. I could see that she really wanted to remain
truthfully frank. Most details and episodes in the book are
based on these conversations."
"Then, of course, being a frequent visitor to Chetan
Anand's house, conversations with the extended
Anand family helped. She, of all persons, was much
misunderstood, which pained her.
"Thus, her going away was very painful for me and my
wife. Hence the book 'Priya Interrupted'. I feel so good
that her story will now reach a wide audience", he adds.
On collaborating with producer Deepak Mukut,
Subodh shares, "I first met Deepak during my term with
Zee Telefilms in the early '90s.
"I was, as Executive President of the company, required
to meet a lot of people - including so many from the film
world. Among those people was this young man in his
twenties - clear headed, correct and persuasive. He made
a fine impression on me. To once again work with Deepak
after a gap of a quarter of a century is really such a good
feeling!"
Deepak, who will be producing the film, said he wanted
to acquire the rights of the book because of its "mystery,
thrill and suspense element".
Talking about the film, Deepak says, "It's a very unique
and untold story of the journey of the yesteryear actress
Priya Rajvansh. The mystery and suspense associated
with her life really attracted me to make a movie.
RRR is a multilingual action movie that
narrates a fictional tale based on the lives
of two freedom fighters in the early 20th
century – Alluri Sitarama Raju and Kumram
Bheem, played by Ram Charan and Jr NTR,
respectively.
"The film became one of the fastest
to enter the Rs100 crore club at the
Indian box office.
According to the RRR team, the film is
also making waves in the UK, amassing
USD 1.20 million at the box office during
its opening weekend.
In the US and Canada, the film
earned $11 million, while it minted
1.89 million in Australia.