Anurag Kashyap looks forward to work with Big B soon

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap says he grew up wanting to become like megastar Amitabh Bachchan and now looks forward to working with him soon.

"When I as a kid I wanted to grow up and become Amitabh Bachchan. Lot of things happened, but there has been a re-connection now and I am looking forward to make a film with him," the 40-year-old said here Wednesday at the premiere of his film "The Last Act".

Once Kashyap had accused Amitabh of using his clout to delay the former's film "Chittagong", to promote his son Abhishek Bachchan's film "Khelein Him Jee Jaan Sey". The subject of both the films was almost the same.

Kashyap's new production "The Last Act" is co-directed by 12 young filmmakers. The film revolves around a murder mystery where 12 clues have been dropped by the killer. Each director has directed a portion regarding one clue each.

Kashyap says these young filmmakers keep him going.

"I think we have all become old foggies compared to these new, young filmmakers who are more balsy and edgy than us. Their courage shows in their cinema and they work fearlessly," he said.

"We fear if the film will work or not, but they don't have any such fear. These young filmmakers are the ones who keep inspiring us. It's because of them that I also keep going," he added.

Filmmaker Sudhir Mishra is also a part of the project and was involved in the selection of the directors.

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No Jumping Jack, no Angry Young Man! Bollywood moves away from labels

`Tragedy King` Dilip Kumar, `Angry Young Man` Amitabh Bachchan and `Jumping Jack` Jeetendra - ever wonder why new age Bollywood stars have no such tags. It`s difficult to pin them down to any label because they experiment not just in terms of scripts but also with their looks.

Take Shah Rukh Khan, for instance. He returned to his classic romantic hero avatar only after seven years for 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan'. And Akshay Kumar, who built his forte as an action star, made a comeback as `dhishoom dhishoom` star also after some years with 'Rowdy Rathore'.

"Earlier, if an actor became popular in a particular genre of the film, they were offered similar kinds of roles every time, which gave rise to such titles. I guess actors today are experimenting a lot," explained film historian SMM Ausaja. 

"Perceptions have changed now. The actors are giving a lot of attention to the script, their look in the film, which is why they don`t get typecast," Ausaja told reporters. 

The current breed of actors like Aamir Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Abhishek Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan, Shahid Kapoor, Abhay Deol, Imran Khan and John Abraham bear him out. They are doing anything and everything to keep their filmography varied and experimental. 

Very different indeed from yesteryear actors. 

While Jeetendra`s distinct dancing style earned him the Jumping Jack title, Dharmendra`s love for action sequences landed him the tag of Bollywood`s He-Man. Legendary Guru Dutt was called Matinee Idol, and Dilip Kumar`s repeated portrayal of a doomed lover made him Bollywood`s Tragedy King.

Amitabh`s power-packed and action-oriented performances made him the Angry Young Man. And Mithun Chakraborty revolutionised the way actors grooved and was tagged the Dancing Star.
Then came in Shah Rukh, who changed the way romance was portrayed on screen. With most of his hits being romances, he came to be known as the King of Romance. But he moved away from the label, trying to do different things, like playing a superhero in "Ra.One" or by recasting the lover profile.

He said he has tried to portray the role of a lover boy in a different way, each time.

The actor feels these titles are a way to simplify things.

"We bracket everything very quickly. Like a lover boy, action hero, romantic hero...We always look for genres to simplify things," said Shah Rukh.

"But I am happy that I got a chance to work with so many actors, who taught me so much and I got to perform the role of a lover boy in a different way. Every time I could add something new to it and entertain people," he added. 

According to filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, tags are mere creations by the media. Since there were few actors earlier, it was easy to label them into specific genres. 

"These kind of labels are all media generated. These labels were created by the media, may be without the willingness of these stars. During those days (yesteryear era), we didn`t have too much entertainment media, so there was very little choice and they created the label," Bhatt told reporters.
"Over the years things have changed and market has taken over in numbers. Bollywood got some respectability and the huge weekend collections changed the ball game. And these labels have vanished," he added. 

Actors are now not just happy expanding their expertise in handling different roles but are also entering the music scene, production scene and going behind the camera.

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Besharam Ranbir-Rishi to do an Amitabh-Abhishek

Although Rishi Kapoor and his son Ranbir are finally coming together in Abhinav Kashyap's Besharam they won't be sharing any screen space in the film! Yes, the father and son, long desirous of being seen together, are finally working in the same film. 

But not together!

Instead in Besharam Ranbir will play a deadly cat-and-mouse game with his father Rishi Kapoor and Ranbir's mom Neetu Kapoor. 

Says a source, Ranbir is cast as an outlawed con-person operating in and around Delhi. Rishi and Neetu Kapoor play a couple of cops pursuing Ranbir's character all through the film. It's like Bachchan Saab's cop- character in Shaad Ali's Bunty Aur Babli pursuing his own son Abhishek, though they're not father and son. 
The difference, we are told, is that the father and son Bachchan did come together in Bunty Aur Babli for the iconic Kajra re number. In Besharam as the script stands, the Rishi-Neetu Kapoor pair never run in their own son in the entire narrative. 

In fact Ranbir is very clear on the father-son issue. He will play his father's son only when he turns director for their home banner R. K. Films. 
Incidentally Ranbir Kapoor goes into Besharam without finishing his current film Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani. A source close to director Ayan Mukerjee confirms that they have 20 more days of shooting to complete, though the film has already gone on the editing table. 

Says the source, Ayan has to shoot two songs with Ranbir and Deepika. These would be shot in January. Then after that there will be one more song to shoot. It will be done somewhere down the line. 

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Shatrughan Sinha keen on film with Big B

Shatrughan Sinha, fondly known as Shotgun, is keen on doing a film with Amitabh Bachchan. The two are said to have discussed various possibilities of coming together, and a project is now being designed for them.

"We haven't worked together since 'Shaan' and 'Kaala Patthar'. It would be really nice to work with him again. He's a good actor and a fine human being," said Shatrughan.

"After my heart surgery, (one of) my first social outing was to his 70th birthday party. I told him I wouldn't have stepped out to such a crowded gathering for anyone else. I broke my golden health rule for a golden human being," he added.

The veteran actor-turned-politician is very impressed by Akshay Kumar.

"He has been very inspiring in his good-health talk. He came here and very humbly told me how important it is to eat sleep and exercise well. I am now on to a different routine altogether. I wake up very early in the morning, go for a long walk.

"I'll be resuming my yoga very soon. Late nights are completely out. Not that I partied late anyway," said the 67-year-old, who underwent surgery earlier this year.

As soon as Shatrughan is back to completely normalcy, he will start a film with Akshay.

"It's a subject that he has been desirous of doing with me for a long time. Akshay came and told me, 'Sir, ab to meri baat maan lijiye (Agree to me now at least)'. I've agreed. But he has laid down a pre-condition. Akshay says our shooting shifts would be 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. I am game," he said.

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Never forget your past, says Big B

He hails from the small town of Allahabad, but has made it big like no other. Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, known worldwide for his acting prowess, believes it always helps to stay close to one's roots.

The 70-year-old feels it is important that everyone remembers the beginning of their career as it helps them to face tough times.

"Many beginnings of our lives are easily forgotten when there has been extreme progress ... in our condition. I believe being in honest touch with your start up days, it's circumstances and conditions keeps one grounded with reality," Big B wrote on his blog.

Amitabh has given the film industry blockbusters like "Deewaar", "Don", "Sholay", "Coolie", "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham..." and "Black".

However, the actor says he went through a lot of struggle during his over four decade-old Bollywood career. He feels the lessons learnt from bad experiences always help in life.

"The humble days of yore, of hardships and how they were overcome, tests and trials, embarrassing rejections ... all go to play an important role in the days to come or the present times.

It is good to remember every now and then where we began from," he added.

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