Celebrity Interview: Vidya Balan ...
Mumbai, April 9 (IANS) One of the most talented actresses among the new lot, Vidya Balan dismisses romantic link-ups with her "Salaam-e-Ishq" co-star John Abraham saying she hasn't found Mr. Right yet.
"We got along well enough for people to notice. But an affair! Have a heart! I haven't found a man I'd like to spend my life with. When he comes along, I'll give up everything, career included. Do you think I'd risk that kind of commitment at this stage of my career when things are going well?"
So what's the truth about John?
"We just got along well shooting 'Salaam-e-Ishq', as we were supposed to. So maybe people saw us getting along well and made up their own screenplay. From the little I know of Bipasha Basu, she's a no- nonsense honest person. She won't take such rubbish lying down," Vidya told IANS.
She was also linked with Sanjay Dutt.
"Poor thing! He's become so self-conscious after our link-up stories, he mumbles a hello and moves away."
Vidya says she knows how the story of her so-called affair with Sanjay was planted.
"After interviewing me the journalist called the next day to ask if something was up between me and Sanju. Obviously, the editor must have said, 'Vidya not interesting enough. Masala maro.' I'd rather be uninteresting than known for my link-ups," said Vidya who had four releases in the past one year.
"After 'Lage Raho Munna Bhai', 'Eklayva' and 'Guru' last year, the next year started for me with 'Salaam-e-Ishq'. There I played this fey and feisty woman married to John Abraham."
Revealing the rare side to her personality which people don't notice too often, she said: "I do have a sense of humour. That's why I enjoyed doing 'Lage Raho...' so much. I had a ball shooting with Sanju and Arshad."
In "Hey Baby" Vidya is cast as the baby's mother.
"I don't mind playing a mom if the role is as charming as the one in 'Hey Baby'. In fact I've no reservations about anything. Just bring on the challenging characters."
But it is Priyadarshan's "Chandramukhi" which would be a big challenge for Vidya since she plays a classical dancer in it.
"Since I'm a Tamil Iyer Brahmin, I'm trained in Carnatic singing. I was also trained in Bharatnatyam for a while but I lost interest. Later I took up Kathak and got busy with other things. But I need to brush up my dancing for 'Chandramukhi'. I've seen what Shobana has done in the original Malayalam film. I adore Shobana. To match steps with her would be impossible."
Isn't there a danger of Vidya getting typecast as the old-world heroine after doing "Parineeta" and now "Chandramukhi"?
"I don't mind the era and aura as long as the role is challenging. It's not as if I'm only playing old-world roles. In 'Lage Raho...' and 'Salaam-e-Ishq' I'm very much a woman of today."
Though Vidya is pivotal to 'Lage Raho...' she admits she didn't have that much to do in Vinod Chopra's 'Eklavya' and Mani Ratnam's 'Guru'.
"Just the thrill of working with directors like Vinod Chopra and Mani Ratnam is enough incentive to be part of their films," she said.
Celebrity Interview: Katrina Kaif ...
Mumbai, April 12 (IANS) Her portrayal of a British Asian girl in "Namastey London" may have earned her rave reviews, but Katrina Kaif is fed up of waiting for a big hit.
"I'm tired of waiting for my films to work. I know I am just three-films-old and my first film 'Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya' was quite a success. But I still haven't been able make a place for myself," Katrina told IANS.
She has a reason to be happy though. On the sets of her new film "Race", she has found a chess partner.
"Thank god, Saif Ali Khan is an avid chess player like me. Whenever the camera is switched off we play chess. Over here in India nobody plays chess. Earlier, I persuaded my sister. I had to virtually bribe people to play chess with me."
The London-born actress, who has found the perfect part of a Londoner in "Namastey London" so early in her career, said: "When Shah offered me the role, I wasn't very sure I could pull it off. Once I was on, he gave me the freedom to interpret the character how I wanted. That really helped me to come to grips with my character's language and personality.
"Some reviewer in Mumbai commented that I pronounced words wrongly. Hello! This is probably some guy who has spent his life in Mumbai. I lived in London and know how to speak like young Indians out there. I've a good mind to dash off a letter to him."
In fact, one of Katrina's chief attractions in doing "Namastey London" was that she had the chance to finally dub her own lines.
"But you won't believe this, I finally wanted to chicken out of dubbing my own lines. I had this lengthy 45-minute discussion with Shah, convincing him why I couldn't dub. He heard me out quietly. I think, secretly he had decided I'd do the dubbing. I finally relented. But I made the sound recordist's life miserable. He finally told me to get out of the recording studio and return only during my next film. Thankfully, it's turned out well now."
She's grateful to Akshay Kumar for agreeing to do "Namastey London" with her. "Not too many actors in his position would want to do a female-oriented subject. But Akshay had absolutely no qualms. I like that."
Surprisingly, Katrina had more off-camera fun with Akshay during the making of their other film "Humko Deewana Kar Gaye".
"People are talking about the compatibility visible between us in 'Namastey...' but it was the other film where we really had all the fun. This time it was a far more serious business. Off-camera we were discussing scenes, getting our stance right, and so on. In 'Namastey...', Shah and I had more fun."
Katrina and her director Shah have now established a gratifying comfort zone between them.
"Before the film released I'd ask him the same question 20 times. I guess I was just nervous. He would patiently answer the first few times and then cut me short saying, 'The answer isn't going to change, no matter how many times you ask me.'
Next Katrina will be seen in Anil Sharma's "Apne".
"Though my co-star in the film is Bobby Deol, I'm completely captivated by Sunny Deol. He's the hero I've watched in my growing years. Whenever he's on the sets, I'm totally tongue-tied."
Celebrity Interview: Kareena Kapoor ...
Mumbai, April 11 (IANS) Kareena Kapoor is excited about the "double bonanza" of working in Mani Ratnam's new film "Lajjo" with Aamir Khan for a co- star.
"I feel I'm in seventh heaven. First the amazing response to 'Omkara' and now I've signed a formal contract for Mani Ratnam's film. He wants me to prepare for the role until next winter," she said.
"To work with Mani sir again and Aamir for the first time... It's like a double bonanza for me," Kareena told IANS.
On the success of "Omkara", she said: "I'm waiting for Vishal Bharadwaj to sign me again. I'm hugely satisfied with 'Omkara'. I had hoped it would be a new beginning for me. And that's exactly how it turned out."
On the newly mellow and contemplative phase in her career, she said: "You know, it can't be a coincidence that I'm doing two literary adaptations one after another - first Shakespeare in 'Omkara' and now Ismat Chughtai's story 'Lajjo'.
"I know Urdu is a long way off from Shakespeare. But literature is literature, and I'm glad I've arrived at this new juncture in my career so effortlessly."
"Lajjo" is Kareena's second period film after "Ashoka" and she has already started reading Chugtai's period love story.
"I remember how excited I was when I had signed 'Ashoka' with Shah Rukh Khan. Now it's with Aamir in 'Lajjo'. It's every actress's dream to work with Aamir. When I saw 'Rang De Basanti', I was jealous. I wanted to be a part of it," she said.
Kareena shares a very special bond with Ratnam. In fact, the director has gone on record to talk about what a special performance she gave in "Yuva".
"Is it so?" Kareena asked delightedly. "He is definitely one of the most special directors I've worked with. When he contacted me to do 'Lajjo', I couldn't believe my luck. This was just what I wanted to do after 'Omkara'. I can't forget what fun I had shooting for 'Yuva' in Kolkata and Chennai."
"Now I can't wait to start work on 'Lajjo' with Mani sir and Aamir. You know, I came close to working with Aamir in Bharadwaj's 'Mr Singh & Mrs Mehta'.
"That was a love story about two married people who aren't married to each other. Now I'm doing another intense love story with Aamir and I can't wait to start," she added.