Interviews

His last two films may have been trashed for being poor imitations of "Sholay" and "What Lies Beneath", but Ram Gopal Varma confesses rather defiantly that he copies - "from everywhere"! "I copy from Hollywood films. Not only from Hollywood I also copy from Tollywood, Kollywood... in fact from everywhere. These days I am copying from news channels as I am zapped by their speed," said the man whose last two films "Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag" and "Darling" were super duds in the box office.

Flops like "Nishabd" and "Cheeni Kum" have not dissuaded Amitabh Bachchan from experimenting with different roles under new directors. "I don't know if the audiences are ready or not for such films. From the box office results, perhaps not, but for me as an artiste it gave me tremendous creative satisfaction, on a par with what I experienced in 'Black'," Amitabh told IANS in an interview. His latest experiment was with Bengali director Rituparno Ghosh. Big B teamed up with him in "The Last Lear", which was well received at the Toronto Film Festival.

Bollywood elites don't like mingling with her, others make fun of her, but the popularity of bold and 'bindaas' Rakhi Sawant is growing by leaps and bounds. Post Sony TV's "Bigg Boss", she managed to appear on Karan Johar's swish chat show "Koffee with Karan" and now she is doing an item number in Rakesh Roshan's "Krazy 4". "Look at my good fortune, I've been signed by Rakesh Roshanji to do an item song in 'Krazy 4'. I had tears in my eyes when Rakesh Roshanji called," said Rakhi, who was seen in bit roles in "Chura Liya Hai Tumne" and "Mumbai Express".

He wasn't visible at all on the big screen last year but he's already had four releases this year and three are in the pipeline. After the success of "Apne", Bobby Deol's career is finally looking up and he is upbeat about his first realistic film, being directed by Kabeer Kaushik. "Kabeer had come to me with 'Saher'. I didn't know what he was capable of. I get very panicky with new directors. Now of course I'm far more confident. But at that time 'Saher' looked too similar to the Ajay Devgan film 'GangaaJal'," Bobby told IANS in an interview.

. It was difficult to find an individual identity. Connection with a star family sparks the expectation of people both inside and outside the industry," Abhay told IANS.

Director Mahesh Bhatt, threatened by a person who claimed to be underworld don Ravi Pujari for sympathising with minorities in his film "Dhokha", says he did that to discourage him from making a socially conscious film. Directed by Pooja Bhatt, the film, starring Muzamil Ibrahim and Tulip Joshi, was released on Aug 31. It revolves round a Muslim cop whose wife turns out to be a suicide bomber. The film had an objective and neutral attitude towards all the religion and it irked Pujari who called the Bhatts and threatened them.

Versatile Konkona Sen Sharma, who has played a wide array of roles and acted with many top actors, insists a long-lasting friendship is possible in Bollywood. "Of course, lasting friendships are possible! I've made some very good friends, like Ranvir Shorey, Sandhya Mridul and Tara Sharma. I don't like problems with anyone. I'm a typical laidback hassle-free Sagittarian. Don't want to take anything to heart because it's too much stress," Konkona told IANS.

Indian cinema's enduring star continues to shine, with greasepaint or without, behind the camera or in front and now as author. At 83, the indomitable Dev Anand is yet again "Romancing With Life", an autobiography he promises will "feature little known secrets" through his six decades in showbiz.

The first trailer of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Saawariya" has created an extra buzz and the people 's expectations are soaring. The director is overwhelmed but scared too. "I'm overwhelmed! I'm now growing aware of how much people expect from 'Saawariya'. Just a one-minute-30-second trailer has evoked tremendous reactions," Sanjay told IANS.

"Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag" has been panned by critics and audiences, but the maverick filmmaker insists that his aim was to pay homage to Ramesh Sippy's classic "Sholay" and not to outdo it. "I was not trying to outdo 'Sholay'. I was doing a homage to 'Sholay'. And it would be foolish of me to think I can better the original," he told IANS in an interview.

Bollywood actor Bobby Deol, whose ready-to-release film "Nanhe Jaisalmer" was extensively shot in Rajasthan, is all smitten by the beauty of the state and says that he feels de-stressed in the lap of mother nature. "Nature de-stresses me! I think as you mature you understand better the power and energy it holds in itself," Bobby told IANS.

Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, who scripted his daughter's latest film "Dhokha" that puts the spotlight on terrorists and the fear in which Indian Muslims live, says this is his first political film. "I've co-written with Shagufta Rafiq. As a Muslim, she shares the dread and fears of the Indian Muslim," Bhatt, who has taken a break from direction, told IANS.