R Madhavan recently talks over the making of movie Maara. Talking about restoration i.e., what heroine’s character does, he says – “This is exactly what we set out to do. Thank God you got  the point. When we set out to  do a remake  of  the Malayalam hit Charlie we were very sure we wanted  to do  full justice to it. I’ve the highest respect for Dulquer Salman who stars in  the original and I hope he’s as happy with what we’ve done with Charlie as  we are”.

R Madhavan talking about Maara being a remake says that – “Exactly. A remake  can be done in a hurry just to cash in on the  popularity  of  the original. We certainly didn’t want to  do that. I only do a remake if  I can pay some kind of a homage to the original even  as I  give myself the creative liberty to take the story further. In Maara I’ve added a character and a track featuring the great Mouli Sir which was not there in the original. I am so glad  people have liked it. Four years ago when  we started this project’s journey we were not sure where we would go . We started Maara with the original team from Charlie.”

Talking about why did they back out. R Madhavan states – “See, Dulquer Salman and the team that  did Charlie shared an amazing camaraderie. I just couldn’t get  the same vibes  with them. They were a family. They loved each other. I remained an outsider. For me to try and force myself into  that set-up meant I’d  be on trial in every shot. Also, Maara didn’t work out with the original  producers. We decided  to go with an entirely new  team. We looked at several directors, even paid them an advance fee, before zeroing in  on  Dhilip Kumar  to direct.”

R Madhavan explains his character in Maara

R Madhavan says – “Charlie was a spirit. Maara is a  human being ,  a  kind giving person. We are exceedingly into a shit  era, redeemed  only  by  good souls like Maara. There was an inherent goodness in our parents’ generation. That’s lost.  Our mothers loved to cook and feed  people. That’s gone.” He further talks if it was the best of his character till now, he says – “It was  the toughest film  in my career. We shot in Ooty’s winter with elderly actors  . Luckily the shooting was  completed before the lockdown. I  didn’t want  it to be an unworthy  project. I wanted it to be an  honourable precursor  to my next film  Rocketry. To get  the best  out of my team I was sometimes  quite mean to them. In fact I cancelled a whole schedule when I felt we were not prepared enough.We lost  time and  money. We also had to replace  our original cameraman as he was  committed  to another project.”

Shilpa Shukla never fails to enchant her audience in any sense. She is as versatile when it comes to acting, as she can be. Shilpa says – “The reach and acceptance of the audience has suddenly increased. I’m happy that people liked all these projects and my work. Thanks to the web, one thing that we’ve been talking about for years that time is going to change, it’s happening now. All the actors who’ve worked on their crafts for years are finally getting what they deserve.”

Talking about opportunities Shilpa Shukla says that OTT has been great than Cinema – “To me OTT sounds like a mix of theatre and cinema. The grammar is new, we’re beginning to learn and hopefully in the next couple of years it’s going to do much more.”

Shilpa Shukla further adds and says – “It’s not like either you’re a heroine or a vamp. Now female characters are layered, have shades of reality. Web is offering that space to women. Criminal Justice is one of the biggest examples. All those women who were waiting in the wings are now getting opportunity.”

Referring to the notion of actresses, Shilpa Shukla says – “When you’ve a limited shelf life you tend to compromise. But OTT has changed the perspective. Now, you can shine at any age. That way it’s much relaxed, encouraging. I feel the market is fairer now.”

Shilpa Shukla further adds and talks about her career, opportunities and more. Shilpa says – “Now I’m prepared. The offers have been better in terms of characters, stories, directors,banners… I’ve a couple of web shows and a film that’s happening. I’m not someone who gets bothered doing ensembles or length of my role. I’ve done smaller roles just to share screen space with a particular actor. As Konstantin Stanislavski says, there are no small parts, only small actors.”

Pankaj Tripathi recently decodes his journey to late success and say that – “I know that a day will come when I may face criticism because I am a human being and we all have some flaws. No one is perfect. But I am not, and will never be, that arrogant man who would say ‘audience ko kya pata performance kya hota hai (what does the audience know of performance)?’ I think that is a very wrong approach. I have a way and that has come from the fact that I have got late success.”

Actor Pankaj Tripathi further adds and tells – “If there is constructive criticism, I will surely introspect, because that is the way to grow as an individual. I cannot say I know it all. No. As an actor, I am constantly working on the nuances in my performance, and the possibility is endless.”

Pankaj Tripathi further explains and says – “I am the same actor who started from zero, I started with one scene, one dialogue… a small part. My aim is to make that single opportunity magnify. I will make you remember that one dialogue. since I did not get success overnight, I do not have the arrogance. I could have, if I would have got success at the age of 30! I have crossed 45 now, and every achievement makes me humble and not arrogant.”

When asked about to Pankaj Tripathi, what probably has changed his success?

Pankaj Tripathi replies – “Firstly the fact that I know places, as in when I came to Mumbai, I did not know all the studios and production houses where I had to go and give an audition. After searching for the address, when finally I reached there, many a time the gatekeeper said that the shooting of the film was over and there was no audition happening! I do not give auditions anymore. Earlier I never said ‘no’ to any work because I needed the money to survive. Now that I have a fan-following, credibility matters to me.”

He concludes by referring to his upcoming OTT Web series and says – “Again, I am not talking about the length of the role, but the credibility. Of course, I would also like to be part of stories in which, I am the central character, for example Kaagaz.”

Kritika Kamra recently opens up about everything in an interview. Talking about her role in Tandav, Kritika Kamra says – “I am playing Sana Mir, a political science student. She hails from Kashmir and is politically very active. It’s actually very difficult to describe her in a few lines. Like most characters in the show, Sana is also very intense. She has these journalistic dreams even as she is involved in campus politics. There is a very interesting arc to her character.”

Talking about how Tandav happen, Kritika Kamra says – “I got a call from the casting team for an audition. While they did not give me any details, the scene I read was very interesting. That made me really intrigued, and I wanted to know more about the world. Till that time, I didn’t even know who was making it. The round went really well, and after we had a few more tests, I was given the bound script. Incidentally, I was traveling then and the script was so complex, with so many tracks running together, that I couldn’t read it at one go. I actually relished it and read an episode a day. By the time I finished it, I was blown away. I really wanted to do the show as I haven’t seen anything like this made in India.”

Kritika Kamra also shares her experience regarding director Ali Abbas Zafar. She says – “He is just great. Given his past work, we all expect his projects to be grand and a blockbuster. He does that so well. Since this is a political drama, everything is just so big and so amazingly shot. Ali is also very clear-headed and fast. He knows exactly what he wants and how you should do it. Once you are on the set, before you know, your scenes are over. It was actually a lot of fun shooting for Tandav.”

While further talking about her biggest takeaway from Tandav. Kritika Kamra says – “A lot. We shot for the show a long time back, and all of us have been really waiting for its release. I haven’t spoken about it, and no one knew I did this show. I have worked with some great people, and just the experience of being on the same set is my biggest takeaway. Tandav is the first series in this genre and it’s amazing as an actor to be a part of something so big. I think the experience, memories and learnings have been most important.”

Dino Morea recently opens up about his journey, exclusively in an interview. He says – “Everyone’s yardstick of due is different. I did a fair number of really good movies. I did a fair number of movies which were successful. Maybe I didn’t sustain because some of the offers coming my way were not great.”

Actor Dino Morea further adds and says – “If I look at it in a more selfish space, yeah, there is so much more I want to do. There is so much more I feel I could have done if I was given the right opportunity. But the opportunity didn’t come my way and that’s how I look at it, but I don’t want to sulk about it. I want to work on myself and I still got time to create that opportunity.”

Dino Morea also reveals about rejection and says – “But it has not affected me. I have not taken it to heart,”

He further says – “You get rejections, you get rejected and you will feel bad, you will feel sad because you feel that there is something you feel you can do justice to it, but they (producers) don’t feel that you can do justice to it. So, I can go home and sulk or I can go home and hope for another brighter better day. Rejections are part and parcel of this game and one needs to be ready for it mentally to take that rejection.”

Dino Morea says – “Even after Raaz, there were one or two films I wanted to be a part of but I couldn’t be a part of, but then I did Aksar which was also a success. So, this is all part of the game. This is how it works. You have good days and there are bad days,”

Priya Banerjee being seen on many OTT platforms and shows. Talking about the full censorship on OTT, she says – “It is going to be a challenge to censor so much of content that we have on different OTT platforms. I feel it is intenet and things are available online anyway. I don’t know how they are going to censor it. It is going to be difficult.”

Actress Priya Banerjee was last seen in “Twisted 3“. Priya Banerjee further adds and says – “I am not completely against censorship or for it but yes there are things that can be eliminated from a lot of shows. A lot of it is unnecessary and only for titillation. But still full censorship is not going to be possible at the end of the day. Let’s see, as an actor I can just sit and watch and follow the protocols.”

Priya Banerjee tells – “As an actor Bekaboo is my biggest success because of the story. I don’t think it was worked because of the erotic bit/I have met fans who has praised how they loved my performance. It is a feminism based show and that was what sold me when I read the script. I didn’t even read the intimate bits. There were part of the story. They are okay but that should not be the only thing selling in the show.”

Arjun Rampal opens up for the 1st time on son Arik. Arjun Rampal says – “He is the best company to have. He is my buddy. Being with him was a lot of fun. I am full of gratitude for the time I spent with him in this pandemic. My daughters dote on him. He is a complete charmer. Once this pandemic gets over, when you get to meet him, you will know what a charmer he is.”

Talking about that he did want to concentrate on his family, Arjun Rampal says – “I had consciously reduced my work. My mom was not well. She was diagnosed with cancer. My priority was to spend time with her. I have done only five projects, Daddy, Rock On 2, Kahaani, Paltan and Final Call in the past five years. For an actor, it is not much work. But my priority was my family. I was also going through a separation. I wanted to be there for my kids. It is only after 2018 that I started concentrating again on work. I feel blessed that makers find me good enough to give me good challenging parts.”

Actor Arjun Rampal also tells that – “You know you survive the low phases. You have done your best in a film, maybe people did not see it as much. I think you should ask yourself if you wish to see the movie in your filmography or not.”

Saiyami Kher recently opens about everything in an interview. She says – “It happened organically. When I started off, I didn’t know anything at all. The first step was going to school and learning the basics of being in front of the camera. After long tedious three years of auditioning, Mirzya happened. That too was a six month auditioning process. Unfortunately it didn’t do well at the box office.”

Actress Saiyami Kher confesses – “I had signed a few other films with big filmmakers, but after Mirzya, they decided to go ahead with someone else, who was commercially more successful.”

Saiyami Kher also shares more and says – “After Mirzya, Anurag said to me he wants to do a film with me, and sent a script. I was very excited, but it never took off. I was also doing a Tamil film and had done workshops, that also never took off. It was a low phase, my film hadn’t worked, and the few things I signed, went. Mauli was exciting… a hardcore commercial film, and at the same time, the girl had a lot to do. It helped me break my glam image that was created after Mirzya. Things started moving a bit after that.”

She concludes saying that she is busy now. She also tells – “I’ve just gotten back about 10 days ago from Manali. I was shooting for my film with Nagarjuna sir. It’s an action-packed one, and I’m playing a RAW agent.”

Milind Soman talks elaborately over many things. He says – “A lot of people lost their job, the economy has suffered. Not many know that I’ve been an event manager for more than 30 years. My own business which is an event company suffered. We do a lot of events but obviously when no travel is allowed and gatherings aren’t allowed, we can’t do anything.”

Milind Soman further laments – “We had around 65 people in our Mumbai office but now there are about 15. So many people had to leave, so many people we had to let go because we didn’t have money to pay them. A lot of people are only getting 30 percent or 50 percent of the salary because there is just no business.”

Actor Milind Soman says – “In 2021, I hope I can resurrect my business, we can start working again, rehire people.” He further ends by saying – “Other than the business part, 2020 has been good for me. As a person, I’m very adaptable, and want to continue to do that forever. The shoot of the show was fun. Now there’s a lot of work, people want to catch up and do stuff.”

Bhavana Pandey recently tells about how difficult it was to put herself in front of everyone. She shares – “My Instagram DMs used to be full of messages like, ‘Ma’am, I’m a big fan of Ananya or Chunky but now those messages are, ‘Ma’am, we loved you’. That’s the change that has happened.”

Actress Bhavana Pandey further confesses and says – “I was very apprehensive. It sounded very exciting and fun — in your mid 40s you suddenly get an opportunity like this — but I wasn’t sure if I should I put myself out there. I’ve been a VJ and model in my early 20s but that age was different. Now, I’m in my 40s, I’m Chunky’s wife and Ananya and Rysa’s mother. Suddenly putting myself out there for the world to judge you was a little scary.”

Bhavana Pandey further adds and says – “The four of us have been friends for a very long time and having them around made the apprehensions slowly go away.” Bhavana Pandey says – “Acting is a big no-no because that’s not my priority, and I know I’ll not be able to act to save my life. Two actors are enough in the family.”

Bhavana Pandey concludes and says – “Initially, it used to affect me a lot. I used to feel very hurt, more than Chunky and Ananya. I wondered why they’re doing it. It’s unnecessary and get too much, especially making comments on Ananya or any other young girl or boy about their body, face, appearance, is horrible and unacceptable. I agree they’re actors and should be open to criticism, but it should be constructive and meaningful. That’s where it has gone toxic.”

Shoojit Sircar did announce his social media sabbatical on June 22. He says – “If you want to be sane and concentrate on your work, you need to get out of that space. There was too much happening and the pandemic only made it worse. Irrfan left us (April 29). I was already disturbed. Then Gulabo Sitabo’s release on OTT drew flak and also from the film industry. I thought let me get out of it first.”

Filmmaker Shoojit Sircar further adds – “You can try to avoid these to an extent, but it does affect you. The kind of foul language people used, wasn’t apt for a public platform. I didn’t want to be in that muddy well and wanted some peaceful time.”

Shoojit Sircar also tells “In fact, I felt more relived and relaxed,” he continues, “I was getting all the necessary updates on the internet, TV and newspapers. There are many ups, but sometimes a lot of manipulative waste goes into your head via social media. That disturbs you.”

Shoojit Sircar says – “It should be up to you, what you want and what’s rational for you. Also, when you have so many followers, you need to be responsible. Especially the film industry… a lot of people look up to you. I can’t just say I don’t care it’s my life and I’ll lead it my way.”

He further concludes and says – “We want to release it in theatres. We had the same intention with Gulabo Sitabo, but the situation was different. Though the response was good, many were against us releasing it on OTT. But then, many 2020 films took the same route. So, we need to be open; we can’t deny that OTT has seen a change in consumption pattern.”

Gauahar Khan is playing Maithili Sharan in Tandav. Talking about the series she says – “There is not a single lead or one character that can drive this kind of a series. The strength of this series is the variety of characters that come in and add to the story. I think he is smart enough to know how important each element is for the show. And that’s how he treated us even on set. Each character was given such weightage on the show that it was really impressive.”

Gauahar Khan talks about her reaction during when she got the script. Gauahar Khan says – “I was like, ‘Wow, this is a huge show with so many characters.’ At the time, I didn’t know who was going to play which character. I just knew that there will be a lot of very strong characters and my part is one of them. And when I got to know that Saif is on board with such an amazing cast and finally Dimple ma’am came towards the end, I was very excited.”

Talking about her character, Gauahar Khan says – “She’s not someone who would panic and come under pressure, and that is why she is so close to Dimple ma’am’s character Anuradha. Maithili is a special character to me because of this overall power that she has in this game of power.”

She also spill the beans over strongest point of Tandav says – “One of the strongest points of Tandav is that there are so many women who play really strong characters. It is interesting to watch even women in power. So, it’s not just for effect. It is actually what Tandav is all about.”

Talking about getting a tag of being selective, Gauahar Khan says – “I’m not choosy but I do relate to quality. For me, the kind of production house and the people I’m working with matters a lot. Every year, I have done projects that have stood out. So for me, quality matters and not that I should just keep churning out things back to back.”

Gauahar Khan concludes sharing about her marriage with Zaid Darbar. She says – “I found love and got married in a year like 2020. My life is always about being happy and positive. That’s how I have been and that’s how I plan to lead it in the future as well.”

Ranvijay Singha feels blessed over the fact that he belongs to a family which has served the nation for almost 100 years now. Talking about what it feels like being a army kid, Ranvijay Singha says – “When my dad was posted in Delhi, we used to go to this parade, and there all other awards which are not gallantry and presented on January 26, would be given. It wasn’t for the public. The time from December to January made you feel appreciated by the rest of the country, as all these events would happen back to back. It would start from Christmas, Happy New Year and go on till Republic Day.”

Talking about the service that army offers, Ranvijay Singha says – “It’s a selfless organization. I can’t imagine how a soldier or Army officer stays away from their families. It’s not like the incentives are very high, it comes from respect, integrity and honor. It’s the way the family feels about anyone who is in the Army, they are very proud. I just wish that other people who don’t have members in Army also respected the Army, Navy, Air Force as much. There are times when the heart breaks, there are tensions, these guys give their life to the country.”

Ranvijay Singha feels proud and shares – “There was no bhed-bhaav, it was the most secular place, until I didn’t get out of the Army bubble. My dad was a Sikh, in the Rajputana Rifles. We would celebrate Christmas, Eid, Holi, Gurpurab, everything. We would be excited and go out with friends to a Christmas lunch here, for kheer. There was no inequality. When we would go out to play in the evenings, it wasn’t as if the girls would play with dolls and the guys football,, everyone would tough it out. We were brought up in a way, with chivalry, honour. It’s not something to be taught.”

Sunny Leone feels excited of getting back on work after a long whole gap of 2020. She says – “I think in 2021 a lot of things have been planned and a lot of things unexpected as well. Taking a break for so long one doesn’t know what’s going to happen. I feel grateful to have work at hand. So with everything that’s happening in the world, with coronavirus and people wanting to get back to work, I’m hoping this year is going to be better and filled with surprises for everyone.”

Sunny Leone further adds – “I’m not taking it slow and booked for at least next six months straight. I’m happy. Going back to shooting is absolutely amazing. I’m also grateful to have work amid the pandemic.”

Talking about her projects, Sunny Leone says – “I don’t look at what other people are doing or the choices they’re making. I look at myself and my own family, what I need to do and how I need to get through my day. Also, what’s on my plate and what choices I need to make. It’s as simple as that. I don’t compare myself with anybody else. I want to live my life the way I want to, do better work and enjoy my family.”

Sunny Leone also shares about how too many stories being female based are not made in Bollywood. Sunny Leone says – “Most of the things I do are female centric or female fronted, so with that said I would’ve to not agree. As far as playing strong women characters are concerned, I think it’s more about the story. Whether it’s a strong female or someone who’s weak or isn’t making it through…”

She further adds – “It really just depends on the story. That’s the great thing about cinema and now digital has paved the way where we can play any character we want. So women can be strong, vulnerable, amazing or glamorous. I think it’s a mix of everything that matters now and not just one type of strong woman.”

Sandhya Mridul recently talks about one the weirdest rumour regarding her. She says – “I was associated with people I had never met. After Page 3, I was associated with people and they would say I am having affairs with this one and that one. But I think the weirdest rumour I remember I was very new and I was working with Ashutosh Rana and somebody spread a rumour about me getting married to him or something. And I was like, what the hell is just going on?”

She further adds – “This is weird. Are you mad? I was like these people will say things out of anything. Then I became a recluse and rumours about me stopped. I was not a publicity person. I wouldn’t talk to the press much unless there was work to talk about.”

Talking about turning points of her career, Sandhya Mridul says – “As of now, the takeaway from this show would be that Tandav for me could be a huge turning point in my career as an actor. Giving me a role that people wouldn’t think about me in, I think it is going a key and a turning point in my life.”

Sandhya Mridul further shares about her time when she entered in Bollywood industry. She says – “When I started off in the industry, there were no hardships for me. As soon as I started on television, I started to get good work with really good directors. I worked with Imtiaz Ali, Sudhir Mishra, Anurag Basu and Anurag Kashyap. The struggle started for me when I stepped away from television and started getting stereotyped. When I got that success of television and I kept getting the same kind of roles, I got bored. That’s when the struggle started, I did not know where to go.”

Sandhya Mridul says that she is finally getting the role she also wanted to play. Taking about that, Sandhya Mridul says – “This is the space I wanted to be in. I always believed in characters, I will always play characters that you will remember. But now it seems a culmination of all that struggle and I am glad that I did not overexpose myself. I am glad that I saved myself to prove my point of being a versatile actor and get the roles I am getting. I am glad I did not allow myself to get stereotyped. Because if I would have been stereotyped, I wouldn’t have got Sandhya (her character in Tandav) today.”

The popular and one of the steady date of Arbaaz Khan, Giorgia Andriani is soon going to make her digital debut through a Tamil web series. While, Arbaaz Khan is keeping busy with his South commitment Sridevi Bungalow, his rumored girlfriend Giorgia Andriani is all set for making her acting debut in the OTT world with the Tamil web series, Karoline Kamakshi.

Mentioning about the career credits, she said, “I have shot for several action sequences, including hand-to-hand combat. I have never used his influence to bag work. I won’t deny that knowing him helps me get a contact, but in the end, I have to prove myself.”

Naseeruddin Shah shares that there was the time when his mother told if he wanted to let her wife Ratna to change the religion but he refused to do so. He says – “I am really furious with the way divisions are being created, like the love jihad tamasha in UP. Firstly, the people who coined this phrase don’t know the meaning of the word jihad. I don’t think that anyone would be so stupid to actually believe that Muslims will overtake the Hindu population, it is unimaginable. For that, Muslims will have to have so many babies. So, this whole notion is unreal.”

Taking about Love jihad, Naseeruddin Shah says – “They not only want to discourage inter-faith marriages but also curtail social interactions between Hindus and Muslims.”

Naseeruddin Shah shares – “We have taught our children about every religion. But we have never told them that they belong to any particular religion. I always believed that these differences would slowly fade away. I believed that my marriage to a Hindu woman would set a healthy precedent. I don’t think this is wrong.”

Taking about an instance from his life, Naseeruddin shares – “My mother who was uneducated, brought up in an orthodox household, prayed five times a day, observed Roza all her life, went for the Haj pilgrimage, she said, ‘The things that have been taught to you in your childhood how can that change? It is not right to change one’s religion’.”

John Matthew Matthan recently tells that Sarfarosh’s sequal is gonna be more realistic. John Matthew Matthan says – “The sequel is about internal security of the country. It was extremely challenging to write. The film is more realistic because I don’t have the compulsion to put songs in it. I had to do it then because that’s how the business was.”

John Matthew Matthan says – “The sequel to acclaimed Aamir Khan-starrer Sarfarosh will focus on the issue of country’s internal security and will have a more “realistic” approach.”

Filmmaker John  further adds – “Today that has changed. My film will be more realistic and dramatic. It, of course, also has politics, but it isn’t about a political party. India’s security is more important than anything else, anyone’s belief.”

Talking about script of Sarfarosh 2 and clearance over the project. John Matthew Matthan shares his views. He says – “As of now, there’s no clarity on when it’ll go on floors considering the current (COVID-19) situation. I don’t have the money to put in this film. So somebody who’s producing the film will take the call. My duty is that he gets his money back first.”