Glam avatar
After making big impact in small films, Aditi Rao Hydari is finally doing an out and out masala entertainer, Boss , a remake of Pokkiri Raja . “Such films have a bigger reach and I want to move ahead of the innocent girl image.” Is that the reason that she is showing her glamorous side both on and off screen? “See, now I have spent some time in the industry. So my designers friends like to try out different outfits. And I am comfortable with that. Also, when I say I want to try different roles, I don’t mean compromising on my inherent identity. I know I can never look like a man eating seductress.” Cast opposite Shiv Pandit, Aditi says she knows that Boss is a male dominated film but she is the only female actor in the film. “So the focus is on me and I wanted to be a part of a massy film as I have grown up watching such entertainers.” But she has also grown up learning Bharatanatyam from Leela Samson and classical music from her mother Vidya Rao. “Yes, classical dance and music are integral to what I am and perhaps it shows in my acting. It is the expressions that make me different from others but unfortunately we don’t have roles which require these skills.”
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A few friends find themselves marooned in the midst of a sea. For long it was the premise of many a B-grade Hollywood film. Now producer Anubhav Sinha seems to have indigenised it courtesy the friendly Fiji government, which is on an overdrive to promote its islands. Directed by debutant Gurrmeet Singh,
Shekhar is back
After a sabbatical, Shekhar Suman is back on television with a series on comedians of Hindi cinema on ABP News. Starting this Saturday
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Masti in print
The synergy between cinema and books is getting deeper. No, we are not talking about cinematic adaptations of literature but publishing and production houses joining hands to create tomes to generate interest in the film. This week we saw two such books making their way to stands. While Om Books International has come up with the making of Satyagraha , Harlequin India has released “Grand Masti: Fun Never Ends” in collaboration with Maruti International. Now Harlequin is known world over for its female readership and romantic novels with Mills & Boon being a household name but Amrita Chowdhury, Country Head and publishing director, Harlequin India reminds us that the publishing house also has Spice, a section dedicated to erotica and “Grand Masti” is released under this imprint. Isn't Masti franchise seen as a brand of corny adult comedy? Maintaining that the book and the film are complementary to each other, Amrita says, “The producers have told us that the first film was enjoyed by both male and female audience. And at the end, the boys do realise the importance of integrity in matrimony. Also, the book is a softer version of the adult comedy and is not a rehash of the screenplay.” She clarifies that author Neha Puntambekar has created fresh episodes around the characters of the film. She informs that the e-version is already out in the international market.