Top model Dipannita Sharma is returning to turnstiles. She has signed three films. “The first is the UTV’s Hindi remake of Tamil hit Pizza. There is a film called Take It Easy where I am playing a middle class housewife and then there is an untitled thriller,” informs Dipannita. Much before the offbeat wave hit the screens, Dipannita tried to swim in the independent pool with 16 December. “It was not that I was not serious about acting. I didn’t pursue for roles seriously,” says the Assamese girl who ruled the ramp for a decade. She was seen in Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl and Jodi Breakers but could not create a lasting impact. “Things are changing for female actors. Earlier height was a big issue. The actors were conscious about being cast opposite tall girls. Also, the industry was conscious about casting girls who were thin. Now there is hardly any difference between top actors and models in terms of body type. The standards of judging an actor are also changing as the focus is shifting from histrionics to natural performance,” notes Dipannita.
Playing Amma
“If I am playing Amma, the first thing I will do before the interview is to take these two empty glasses lying on the table into the kitchen,” says Seema (Bhargava) Pahwa about her character in Rajat Kapoor’s Ankhon Dekhi. The known name on the theatre circuit is now turning to films. “I want to play characters that are rooted, somebody people can identify with. I am proud that whenever I go out people still call me Badki of Hum Log. Unfortunately, for a long time our filmmakers have not been drawing from life. They take references from films. If you have to play a mother, they will either go back to Nirupa Roy or Rakhee.”
Seema says she has yet to find a mother in real life, who would raise her sons to take revenge. “Somebody, who would take pride in saying mere Karan Arjun ayenge! In real life a mother likes to save her sons from any situation that can be dangerous for her children. In Ankhon Dekhi I found an ambience that I can relate to. Acting is all about reacting and if all the actors around you are on the similar wavelength, the results are generally satisfying,” says Seema who has been associated with Naseeruddin Shah’s Motley group for a long time. “Theatre productions keep me busy. So I have no time for daily soaps where the characters are usually immortal! I have signed Yash Raj’s Dum Laga Ke Haisha where a fat girl is the central character. For a long time we have had fixed notions about female characters. Like Amma is usually seen as a nagging wife, which is not always the case.”
Brand recall
In an interesting tie up, MTV has joined hands with Hindustan Lever to make six films promoting the brand philosophy of six products of the company. MTV has brought six of the most talented directors of this generation: Anurag Basu, Abhinay Deo, Shoojit Sircar, Rohan Sippy, Nikhil Advani and Anurag Kashyap to helm the films. The first out of the lot is Real FM, a 70-minute film set in a radio station. Directed by Akarsh Khurana, a long time associate of Anurag Basu, it is expected to promote Sunsilk. “Unlike what we see in films these days, the good thing is that there is no blatant product placement. The idea is to weave the brand philosophy in the narrative. It has been experimented before in Hollywood but it is not seen here. We were told the central character has to be a girl and the story should be about how she finds her voice. Anurag had a story about four friends who are forced by circumstances to run a radio station for a day. The day happens to be August 15. How they get over the obstacles and discover themselves during the course of the day forms the story,” says Akarsh, adding if it works it could lead to a healthy marriage between creativity and commerce.
Hunting for a hit
When an actor fails to impress with his lover boy image, he takes a break and tries to reinvent himself as an action hero. Harman Baweja is the latest to follow the muscular formula with Dishkiyaoon. Launched with much fanfare in Love Story 2050, Harman failed to lift father Harry’s sagging sci-fi ship. He was given a second chance by Ashutosh Gowarikar in What’s Your Rashee but he again proved to be a bad omen at the box office. Interestingly, it didn’t affect the career of Priyanka Chopra, his co-star in both the films. Yes, there was Victory in between as well but by then Harman was already dubbed as a loss making proposition. Now Shilpa Shetty has shown faith in him. She has not only co-produced Dishkiyaoon but will also be seen dancing to an item number with Harman. An action thriller, Harman has worked on his body, grown a moustache and has joined hands with Sunny Deol to look imposing on screen. He says the film has raw powerful action that goes with the theme. He needs all the support and who can be a better help than Sunny in a punch fest.
