Bollywood Feature Story August 30 2019 Page 3

Taimur Ali Khan accompanies Kareena Kapoor for ad shoot; picture goes viral

Kareena Kapoor Khan has been maintaining the perfect work-life balance, even if it means flying from Mumbai to London every week. The doting mother and thorough professional that is Kareena Kapoor has her priorities set.

Taimur Ali Khan accompanies Kareena Kapoor for ad shoot; picture goes viral

The Angrezi Medium actress makes sure that she doesn’t compromise on the time she devotes to her little munchkin. Whenever possible she takes little Taimur along with her to the sets.

The actress took Taimur to an ad shoot today and a picture from the set is making everyone adore the mother-son duo. In the picture, Taimur is seen sitting on Kareena’s lap while they pose for the camera. Celebrity make-up artist Mickey Contractor took to Instagram to share the picture. Along with the picture, he wrote, “We have the cutest visitor on set today.”

Kareena Kapoor recently wrapped up the shoot for Angrezi Medium in London. She is also one of the judges on the reality dance show Dance India Dance. She was juggling between London and Mumbai until recently to spend time with Taimur who was with Saif Ali Khan in London as the latter was shooting for Jawani Jaanemann.

Anushka Sharma enjoys her time off with husband Virat Kohli and Team India in West Indies

Anushka Sharma is living the golden life as she is spending time with husband Virat Kohli. The Sui Dhaaga actress is currently in West Indies, accompanying her cricketer husband for Indian cricket team’s tour in West Indies. The actress has been posting pictures from her time off in the island nation. The pictures are all about beautiful beaches and the sun-soaked couple.

Anushka Sharma enjoys her time off with husband Virat Kohli and Team India in West Indies

Virat Kohli took to Instagram to share a loved up picture of him and wife Anushka Sharma on the beach.

Team Indian players  Ravichandran Ashwin, Mayank Agarwal and  KL Rahul along with Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma went on a cruise on the high sea around the Caribbean Islands after India’s dominating win over West Indies in the 1st Test.

Ashwin took to Instagram to share a picture which he captioned, “ Seaside+sunset+good company.”

While the cricketers have been sharing glimpses from their mini-vacation, it is Anushka Sharma’s bikini-clad shot which has gone viral and has become a favourite among fans.

On the work front, Anushka Sharma was last seen in the 2018 film Zero alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Katrina Kaif. She is currently taking her time to choose the right scripts.

Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy: Chiranjeevi opens up about how Ram Charan and Surinder Reddy made his dream come true

As the most anticipated movie of the nation, Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy whose trailer was loved by all the fans, the makers of the film hold huge pride over the same. Telugu actor Ram Charan gave us insights on how the film was his dad Chiranjeevi’s twelve-year-old dream project who is also, one of the producers and expresses his gratitude to the star cast in helping him fulfil his father’s dream.

Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy: Chiranjeevi opens up about how Ram Charan and Surinder Reddy made his dream come true

Talking about the same, Ram Charan shares, “I would take this opportunity to thank this great star cast we have put together. It wouldn’t have been possible if it was my Dad and the love that they have for him who wanted to be a part of this journey, which was his dream project, to get down recognized that was really kind of all the actors who helped me to put us together. Like Dad said its all about the content, coming with the right content matters a lot at the end of the day.”

Talking about Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy being his dream project, Dr. Chiranjeevi shares, “It was lying with the story since most of the decade, because of the budget constraint I couldn’t make this movie. Now Charan, Surinder Reddy came forward to make this movie at one point of another level. My dream came true.”

Ram Charan has received applause from all the fans and industry peers on standing true as an ideal son in fulfilling his father’s more than a decade old unfulfilled dream. The period drama is based on the life of freedom fighter Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy who fought in what is known to be the first war of Independence against the British Rule in India. The movie features an ensemble cast of Shri Amitabh Bachchan, Dr. Chiranjeevi, Kichcha Sudeep, Vijay Sethupathi, Jagapathi Babu, Ravi Kishan, Nayanthara, Tamannaah and Niharika which makes the movie unmissable.

Produced by Ram Charan, Excel Entertainment and AA Films in association with Konidela Productions, SyeRaa Narasimha Reddy stars the GREATEST Indian ensemble cast of all times. The film is directed by Surender Reddy and is slated to release this year.

Abhishek Bachchan pens an emotional note as Dhoom completes 15 years

The film Dhoom which released in 2004 was not just any other action film. The film set trends with their songs and characters. Abhishek Bachchan became synonymous with his cop character Jai Dixit. As the film completes 15 years on Tuesday, Abhishek Bachchan who has played Jai Dixit in all three installments of the Dhoom series penned an emotional note on social media.

Abhishek Bachchan pens an emotional note as Dhoom completes 15 years

Sharing an audio poster of the film, he wrote, “15 years in a heartbeat! A film that changed it all! Especially for me. Will never be able to thank Adi (Aditya Chopra) and @sanjaygadhvi4enough for entrusting Jai Dixit to me. Their faith, belief and support came at a time when I needed it the most in my career. To @thejohnabraham @udayc@imeshadeol Rimi and the rest of the cast. Through the making of the film we made memories to last us a lifetime and friendships that stand till date. To the amazing crew, especially @anaitashroffadajania @mayurpuriNirav and @vaibhavi.merchant for making us look, sound and move so cool. To the audience, for the love and acceptance. My favourite memory of Dhoom was… Once the first teaser trailer was ready, Yash uncle ( the great Yash Chopra) called my father to see it. He especially organised for him to see it on the big screen as opposed to the edit room. After seeing it and then making the projectionist repeat it several times, when they walked out together, I still remember Yash uncle saying with immense pride लड़कों ने अच्छी पिक्चर बनायी है। the boys have made a good film. Coming from two men we had grown up in front of and whom we idolised it was the greatest stamp of approval ever.  Today, when I think about the entire process of making Dhoom, I smile!  And THAT is the greatest feeling!

Directed by Sanjay Gadhvi, the film also features John Abraham, Esha Deol, Uday Chopra and Rimi Sen in pivotal roles. The film is a cops-and-robbers saga that also featured high-end sports bikes prominently for the first time in Hindi cinema.

Aditya Chopra who was the producer of the film came up with the basic story. It was writer-filmmaker Vijay Krishna Acharya who completed the idea by writing down the screenplay and dialogues. Acharya wrote Dhoom 2 as well. He then went on to write and direct Dhoom 3 which featured Aamir Khan as the thief.

Varun Dhawan gets goofy with Nora Fatehi, tells how their ‘garam romance’ started

Varun Dhawan sure knows how to keep his fans engaged on social media. Recently, the actor shared goofy pictures with his co-star of the film Street Dancer 3D Nora Fatehi. The two were seen doing over-dramatic poses for the camera.

Varun Dhawan gets goofy with Nora Fatehi, tells how their ‘garam romance’ started

Along with the hilarious pictures of the two, the actor wrote, “SAHEJ wanted to dance…Nora wanted a chance …Together they felt some trance …Aise shuru hua garam romance #garmi  #streetdancer #3iscoming”

The pair will be seen together in Remo D’Souza’s Street Dancer 3D. The film also features Shraddha Kapoor, Prabhu Deva and Shakti Mohan in key roles. The actor is also shooting for the remake of Coolie No 1 titled the same.

On Monday, Varun had posted another picture with a caption that had his followers in splits. In the picture, he is seen with his co-star from Coolie No 1, Sara Ali Khan and choreographer Ganesh Acharya. Dhawan jokingly accused Sara of copying the colour of his T-shirt as both of them are seen wearing bright yellow clothes. Meanwhile, Sara Ali Khan replying to the comment accused Varun of copying her emojis, rhyming captions and asked him to not copy her dance moves as well.

20 Years of Baadshah: Twinkle Khanna got a good review because of this ‘emotive body part’

Out of the 13 films that actress-turned-author Twinkle Khanna has featured in, Baadshah is probably the most memorable among them. The film that had Shah Rukh Khan in the lead along with Twinkle completes 20 years today. On this special occasion, Twinkle Khanna who is known for her sense of humour, gave her views on a review she came across about the movie.

20 Years of Baadshah: Twinkle Khanna got a good review because of this ‘emotive body part’

The review which was brought to her notice by designer Manish Malhotra commented on Twinkle and her navel which was in ‘full view’ throughout the film. Twinkle shared a screenshot of the review and even gave a hilarious response to it. She wrote, “Did I say I never got good reviews? I apparently did with the support of an emotive body part! Have to say that 20 years on and the Baadshah couple still have it – SRK still has his dimples and I still have that fine navel:) Thank you for sending this and brightening up my morning @manishmalhotra05 ????#navelgrazing”

Baadshah was directed by Abbas Mustan and released in 1999. The film showcased the story of a detective, who plans to rescue a kidnapped girl. His life takes a drastic turn after he is mistaken for a CBI agent. The film garnered two Filmfare Awards and emerged as a hit at the box office.

Bollywood celebrities congratulate PV Sindhu for winning the World Badminton Championship 

Ace shuttler P V Sindhu created history after she won the World Badminton Championship. She is the first Indian ever to win this title. Sindhu defeated Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara in straight games 21-7, 21-7 to lift the women’s singles title in Basel, Switzerland.  Soon after she won the final match, congratulatory messages were in order.

Bollywood celebrities congratulate PV Sindhu for winning the World Badminton Championship 

Members from the Indian film fraternity including Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, and Anupam Kher praised and congratulated Sindhu for her historic achievement.

Amitabh Bachchan tweeted, “PV Sindhu .. !! Champion of the World , Badminton .. such an incredibly proud moment for INDIA .. just so honoured to have spent sometime with you at KBC .. YOU PERSEVERED AND NEVER GAVE UP ! THAT IS THE SPIRIT OF INDIA AND OF CHAMPIONS SUCH AS YOURSELF.”

Taapsee Pannu tweeted, “Finally!!!!! Ladies and gentlemen, let’s welcome the new world champion!!!!! It’s THE GOLD finally!!!!!!”

Rishi Kapoor tweeted, “So proud of you PV Sindhu. Congratulations. India dotes on you!”

Karan Johar tweeted, “What a proud moment for India. Congratulations on this amazing achievement of becoming the first Indian ever to win a gold at the #BWFWorldChampionship! #WhoRunTheWorld.”

Anupam Kher tweeted, “Congratulations dearest @Pvsindhu1 for becoming the world champion. Your victory makes Indians all over the world so so proud. Thank you for giving us reasons to rejoice. Your journey is greatly inspirational. Jai Ho and Jai Hind.”

Ayushmann Khurrana tweeted, “Congratulations @Pvsindhu1. The whole country is proud of you. Hail the new world champion!”

Rakul Preet Singh tweeted, “Congratulationsssss @Pvsindhu1!! You are such an inspiration to sooooo many in the country !! So proud of you girl.”

This is Sindhu’s fifth medal at the World Championships, which is the joint highest in women’s singles in the history of the tournament along with Xhang Ning of China, a two-time Olympic gold medallist.

Farhan Akhtar shares an adorable picture of his ‘sunshine’ Shibani Dandekar on her birthday 

As actress-model Shibani Dandekar celebrates her 39th birthday, boyfriend Farhan Akhtar showered love on the actress on social media.

Farhan Akhtar shares an adorable picture of his ‘sunshine’ Shibani Dandekar on her birthday 

Akhtar shared a solo picture of Shibani and calling her sunshine, he wrote, “Happy birthday sunshine. May you always have a reason to smile. Love you loads  @shibanidandekar #womenwhodontlook60.” Soon after, Shibani replied to this cute message as she called Farhan as her ‘Foo’.”

The couple often treats their fans with their loved up pictures from their vacations together. Recently, the two walked the ramp at the Lakme Fashion Week for designer Payal Singhal.

However, there were rumours doing the round that Farhan Akhtar’s family were not too happy with his social media PDA because the Bhaag Milkha Bhaag actor had never indulged in PDA with his ex-wife Adhuna Bhabani.

On the work front, Farhan Akhtar will next be seen with Priyanka Chopra and Zaira Wasim in director Shonali Bose’s The Sky is Pink and currently, he is prepping up for Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra’s Toofan, in which he will play the role of a boxer.

Shah Rukh Khan shares pictures of his kids keeping up the tradition of Tae ‘Khan’ Doh 

Actor Shah Rukh Khan who is the proud father of three took to social media to share the achievement of his youngest child, AbRam Khan. AbRam who trains in Taekwondo received the yellow belt. Sharing this news, the Raees actor mentioned that it is a family tradition to learn the martial art and further shared Suhana and Aryan Khan’s throwback photos from their sessions.

Sharing the pictures of his three children, Shah Rukh Khan wrote, “Keeping up the tradition of Tae ‘Khan’ Doh in the family, the latest entrant to the Kiran Teacher Fight Club. Yellow belt it is…

Meanwhile, AbRam was spotted at Shahid and Mira Kapoor’s daughter’s birthday party on Monday. Shah Rukh Khan, on the other hand, has stayed away from the screen for a long time. His last release was the 2018 film Zero. The actor has not announced any film as of yet, but he is producing the Netflix original series Bard of Blood featuring Emraan Hashmi and Sobhita Dhulipalia.

20 Years of Baadshah EXCLUSIVE: Abbas-Mustan rubbishes reports that Akshay Kumar was the original choice; calls Shah Rukh Khan ‘Dil Ka Baadshah’

They have given some of the biggest films of Bollywood which are consumed by viewers even today on digital and television. But director duo Abbas-Mustan remains as humble and approachable as they were when they started their career in Bollywood in the early 90s. They dabbled in various genres from comedy to thriller to suspense to even romance with many films having tremendous repeat value. But one film that stands out has to be Baadshah. It starred Shah Rukh Khan and Twinkle Khanna in leading roles, along with hordes of talented actors like Johny Lever, Amrish Puri, Rakhee Gulzar, Sharat Saxena, Deepshikha, Prem Chopra, Deepak Tijori, Sachin Khedekar, Pankaj Dheer, Saurabh Shukla, Ananth Narayan Mahadevan etc. The story primarily is of a private detective from Mumbai who gets mixed up in a comedy of errors while on a mission in Goa. Despite the complicated narrative, Abbas-Mustan managed to keep the narrative simple so that it could reach out to viewers pan-India.

20 Years of Baadshah EXCLUSIVE Abbas-Mustan rubbishes reports that Akshay Kumar was the original choice; calls Shah Rukh Khan ‘Dil Ka Baadshah’

When approached for an interview, Abbas and Mustan both were unaware that Baadshah is nearing its 20th anniversary but also were humbled to know that it continues to receive so much love. In this Bollywood Hungama exclusive, they open up like never before on the film’s rare trivia, experiences of making this film, why Shah Rukh Khan is irreplaceable and a ‘baadshah’ in real life.

Were you aware that it’s Baadshah’s 20th anniversary on August 27?
Not at all. Dhyaan mein hi nahin tha!

How did the project come about?
After Baazigar, we all decided to work together – us, Shah Rukh Khan, the producers. We just had this basic idea that the film should be about a private detective. Very few films had dealt with such a character in the lead then. Shah Rukh liked the concept and suggested we should make it entertaining, even if we have to get into slapstick comedy territory. We didn’t name the film Baadshah after the script was completed. It was the other way round! We had the title registered and then began to think of a story. There was technological advancement even in late 90s and we began to think how to incorporate that and even get a bit imaginative. Tab toh VFX ka zamana hi nahi tha. So it was difficult to show the gadgets used in the film. Also, the scenes where Baadshah’s office is converted into his house and later into an eye hospital were all done without green screen. So we actually erected a set and there were 3 or 4 parts to it.

When Baadshah was announced, there was a perception that we both and SRK are making another anti-hero film after Baazigar. Also, the title of both seemed in a similar zone and this further fuelled the perception. But our idea was to make a diametrically different film. We realized that if we add multiple tracks, misunderstandings with a dash of humour, it will make for a great watch. For us, it was very difficult to write these parallel tracks and weave them seamlessly into the narrative. Baadshah remains our most difficult script till date!

Would you say it’s even more difficult than Race?
Yes, definitely. To add humour along with the misunderstandings and that too 20 years ago was a lot of hard work. Race was also difficult. But Baadshah was a comedy and to make audiences laugh was quite a challenge.

There are reports on the internet that the film was delayed a lot. Is that true? What was the reason for the delay?
So what happened was that the script was not even fully ready. However, the producers thought of having the mahurat sometime in 1996. So, we shot just the intro casino sequence, which also serves as the entry of Shah Rukh Khan’s character. It was a bit of a random sequence although we knew that it fits well with the basic storyline and Baadshah’s character. Also, in those days, we used to not make films in one go. We’ll shoot the film for around 15 days and then there’ll be a gap of anything between a fortnight and a month, sometimes even more. So as per the availability of Shah Rukh’s dates, we’d shoot. He was then also doing another film for Venus, Josh. So dates got further divided. Apart from these two, he shot for a few more films too. This was very common then. Hence, the delay.

Talking of the casino sequence, is it true that Johny Lever shot for it despite his father being quite ill?
Yes this is true. Johny Lever seemed a bit upset during the casino sequence shoot as his father was hospitalized. When we found out, we told them that we can postpone the shoot. But he refused, saying that the show must go on. He’s a great man! If you see that sequence, not even once you’d feel that he was going through so much stress as his comic timing is spot on, just like it is every time.

There are reports on the internet that Akshay Kumar was signed to play the role of Baadshah
Not at all. Shah Rukh was always the first choice.

A popular website even mentions that Shilpa Shetty, Karisma Kapoor, Anupama Verma, Manisha Koirala were approached for the role of Seema, played by Twinkle Khanna and that Sushmita Sen was for the first choice for Rani, ultimately played by Deepshikha…
Even this is not true. Twinkle and Deepshikha were the only actors approached for their respective parts. Even Johny Lever, Amrish Puri, Rakhee Gulzar etc were original choices.

Baadshah is quite popular with the kids. Another such film that you made was Taarzan: The Wonder Car. Bollywood however rarely make such films that can appeal to the under-adults. Recently, Total Dhamaal was a hit with the children. Do you think more such films should be made? Hollywood always makes a lot of such films…
Yes, such films should be made. As directors, we are ready for different kind of genres, including kid-friendly movies. However, the producers should also be open to such films and only then it can materialize. Our own children even today watch Baadshah. A lot of people message us saying that they are watching Baadshah on television and that we should make more such films. We just tell them that we’ll try our best. The producers of Taarzan: The Wonder Car – Baba Films – has told us so many times to make another such film. Some of our writers are even working on such ideas.

Tell us about the music of the film. Just like the film, even the songs are popular to this date…
Yes, the songs are quite integral and suit the film. The title song had the grandeur and there were two romantic songs, in each half of the film. Then we shot ‘Main To Hoon Pagal’ in Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad. This same song is also sung by Shah Rukh Khan and Sharat Saxena when they are confronted by a dog. Let me tell you here that some of the humourous moments were not scripted and were thought of spontaneously on the sets. Initially, we had just written that a dog comes and goes away. But on the set, we then incorporated this part that both SRK and Sharat Saxena get petrified on seeing the dog and the former escapes by singing ‘Main To Hoon Pagal’. And Sharat fails to run and gets attacked.

Go on…
Shah Rukh provided a lot of inputs. Woh kamaal ke actor hain! Whether it’s in humour or serious scenes, he’s too good. Some of the card tricks were actually done by him, after a magician on the set taught him. No graphics or VFX were used. People still see the film and wonder how he managed to do it!

He even sang a fast-paced monologue in ‘Main To Hoon Pagal’ song. Did you guys had to convince him to do it or did he readily agree?
No we didn’t have to convince him. He was involved in the script and so he knew that the ‘Main To Hoon Pagal’ song requires him to record this part.

Which is your most favourite scene of the film?
The entire sequence of the airport to the madness that happens in the flight is our favourite part of the film. We also particularly love the part where Prem Chopra calls Shah Rukh, assuming that the latter is that their man. The conversation they have and the misunderstanding that occurs comes out very nicely. Also the shot where Shah Rukh is humming ‘Samose Mein Aloo’ in the flight and even the scene where SRK changes the glasses with his theory were again all spontaneously done by SRK. And it is sync with his detective’s character too. Detectives are supposed to be smart. Shah Rukh not only brought that aspect to the fore but he also made it so entertaining and funny.

Have you ever thought of a sequel to Baadshah? The subject has potential and moreover, it’s quite popular…
If we get a subject which is in the same league with misunderstandings and humour galore, then we are of course ready. But it has to be one level up and that itself is quite a challenge. Also, the producers – Venus – are like family. We have done seven films with them. They give us free hand. But we don’t want to make a film for the heck of it. So if a writer comes up with a perfect script, only think we can think of a sequel.

20 Years of Baadshah EXCLUSIVE Abbas-Mustan rubbishes reports that Akshay Kumar was the original choice; calls Shah Rukh Khan ‘Dil Ka Baadshah’

In some of the funny dialogues, names of popular figures and brands have been used for comic effect like Lokhandwala, Bata, Manikchand etc. In the end, Johny Lever gets a call from then US President Bill Clinton, offering $1,000,000 for assistance with the ‘Monica Case’! When Johny Lever hears the name of Gayatri Bachchan (Rakhee Gulzar), he assumes that Amitabh Bachchan got married for the second time! Were there any apprehensions that the film can get into trouble due to these references? 2 years ago, Bata had sued Jolly LLB 2. In today’s times, these dialogues could have been problematic…
These references were added for the sake of humour and were not meant as an offence. Also, social media was non-existent then while media was also not so big. Our writers Neeraj Vora and Shyam Goel used to come up with these punchlines. We liked them and hence, added in the film.

If a remake is to be made of Baadshah, which actor do you think will suit the lead role?
We have never thought of a remake. Kaun sa actor Shah Rukh Khan jaisa kaam kar sakta haipehle woh dekhna hai! We feel no one can replace Shah Rukh. No actor has the same kind of fluency and sense of timing in today’s times.

On August 27, #20YearsOfBaadshah is sure to trend a lot of people are going to post their good wishes and memories about the film. Are you ready for the deluge of love and adulation that you’ll get on this day?
Yes of course, we are ready. Viewers have given so much love to the film. There are kids who were not even born then and even they call us to tell how much they enjoy watching Baadshah. In fact, just 10 days back on Sunday, Baadshah was aired and we got hordes of messages. We get so shocked when people call us even today. We thought people must have forgotten this 20-year-old film!

Shah Rukh Khan is facing the most difficult time of his career right now. Do you think he should attempt something similar to Baadshah since it worked so well for him? Have you’ll offered him any film post his last film, Zero?
All actors go through highs and lows in their careers. He has his own thinking and doesn’t like to repeat his acts. We did meet him once but we don’t have any subject for him. Otherwise he is always open to reading our scripts. We need an ideal subject for him that is fitting for his stature. Real life mein bhiwoh dil ka baadshah hi hai! He’s such a good-natured man. Itna achha aadmi hai woh!

20 Years of Baadshah EXCLUSIVE: “I am the only girl in the whole world who has kicked Shah Rukh Khan on his bum” – Karishma Jain Chhajer

The popular entertaining film, Baadshah, which completes 20 years today, had an ensemble cast. Shah Rukh Khan in the leading role obviously was quite entertaining but the other actors too left a huge mark. One actor who however stood out was Karishma Jain Chhajer, daughter of Baadshah’s producer Girish Jain and niece of Ratan Jain, who played the young Sonu. She had a crucial part in the film, her chemistry with Shah Rukh was lovely and she also contributed to the film’s humour quotient.

20 Years of Baadshah EXCLUSIVE “I am the only girl in the whole world who has kicked Shah Rukh Khan on his bum” - Karishma Jain Chhajer
Cut to 2019. Karishma Jain Chhajer is now 27 and quite unrecognizable. Baadshahwas her first and last film and in an exclusive interview to Bollywood Hungama, she goes down memory lane and recollects moments from the sets, how she bagged the part, working with SRK and other actors, why she didn’t continue acting and a lot more.

What are your first thoughts when I say Baadshah and that it has completed 20 years?
That I have grown old! Shooting for it was one of the fondest memories of my childhood. When you say ‘Baadshah’, flashes of the shoot happening run right across my eyes.

How did you bag the film?
As a kid, I was always fond of dancing. My father (Girish Jain) and Bade Papa (Ratan Jain) also knew about my passion. So we had gone for the trial of Salman Khan-Sanjay Kapoor starrer Auzaar at Gaiety-Galaxy’s Grace preview theatre. When the Hindi version of the ‘Macarena’ song ‘Dil Le Le Lena’ plays, my bade Papa, who’s always been fond of me since I am the youngest, put me on the podium at the screen and told me to dance. I performed there and Abbas and Mustan uncle saw me. Then there were a couple of more such incidents where both of them must have seen me at parties. To build confidence in me, my father used to challenge me to go and talk to celebrities at these parties, ask them how they are doing and then ask them for a picture. Also, I was kind of a notorious kid running around here and there. So when they wrote Baadshah, they felt I was perfect for the role of Sonu and asked Bade Papa who without a second thought, agreed. So yeah this is how I landed up the role since they realized that I didn’t have the fear and was open and extroverted.

Can you share some memorable moments from the sets of Baadshah?
My first scene with Shah Rukh was me and him climbing a flight of stairs when he is rescuing me from the kidnappers. The original scene was that he was supposed to lift me and climb. He had not seen me then and I was quite healthy. In the first take, he lifted me but he could climb only till half way. He then came down and told Abbas uncle, “Iss scene ko thoda change kar sakte hai kya? Baby thodi si heavy hai.” He suggested that he’ll hold my hand and run up. Then there was a scene which I feel was edited from the film where both of us had to get off the stairs. We did 4-5 takes as we were not getting the timing right. And in one of the takes, I lost my balance and fell down and I took Shah Rukh also with me. My leg hit him and he got a bit hurt.

20 Years of Baadshah EXCLUSIVE “I am the only girl in the whole world who has kicked Shah Rukh Khan on his bum” - Karishma Jain Chhajer

Go on…
Then there’s a sequence where the kidnapper, played by Saurabh Shukla, urges me to talk on the phone with Shah Rukh Khan. So here I am supposed to slap Saurabh Shukla. I was however slapping him very aaram se. He’s an adult after all. I was eating cheese balls in this scene and due to so many retakes, the snack was about to get over. This is when Abbas uncle spoke to me. He told me to imagine that those cheese balls have been snatched away by Saurabh Shukla and hence I have to get angry and slap him. That was it. I then slapped him really hard and the shot was okayed in one take! My first ever shot for the film was when I tell those two bald actors, ‘O Taklu uncle, chocolate do na’ and I slap them on their bald plate. So I banged their hard really hard! One of those actor even told me ‘Aap ne bahut hi zor se maar diya’! Hence when I was supposed to slap Saurabh Shukla, I was very apprehensive.

How was it to work with Shah Rukh Khan?
He’s a very humble person. Some people feel that he has a lot of attitude but in reality, he’s a very nice human being. He made me feel very comfortable and help whenever I would get stuck with any scene. The scene where we both slide down, usme timing baith hi nahi rahi thi. He slides down and I follow him and then he has to get up after which I kick him. So we were not able to get the timing right. So he told Abbas and Mustan uncle to adjust the monitor towards him so that he can see when I am coming down and thus the timing can match. And I think I am the only girl in the whole world who has kicked Shah Rukh Khan on his bum! During meal times, he would tell me ‘Yeh kha lo’ or ‘Woh kha lo’. He’s very sweet and down-to-earth despite being a superstar!

Which are other actors of Baadshah who were nice to you?
All of them were very nice. Rakhee Gulzar was like a mother to me. In the climax, the car breaks the glass and enters the hall. Before that shot was canned, she asked the spot dada to give me cotton which I can put in my ears. She feared the loud noise of the breaking glass might cause me hearing problems. So she was so caring and its small things that make a lot of difference. Johny Lever uncle kept the environment on the set light and humourous. As for Amrish Puri, he has the Mogambo aura but in real life, he was complete opposite. I have grown up watching Mr India. And I was a kid and so I used to feel that in real life, he would be exactly the way he’s in films. Hence, before shooting with him, I was very scared. But he made feel very comfortable.

20 Years of Baadshah EXCLUSIVE “I am the only girl in the whole world who has kicked Shah Rukh Khan on his bum” - Karishma Jain Chhajer

Why didn’t you do any more films?
My father is highly educated. I used to miss out on my school while shooting for Baadshah. So my father felt that I am actually missing out on my education. He felt that education should be my priority and after that, I am free to choose whatever I want to. There were a few offers after Baadshah but he declined.

Do you feel like going back to acting now? Or would you like to dabble in any other department of filmmaking? What do you do now?
Not really. As I grew up, I realized I’d like to be behind the camera rather than be in front of it. After I finished my post-graduation in digital marketing, my father took control of the YouTube channels of Venus and asked me to join him. I really enjoyed my time there. I have seen these channels to what they were before and how they have million plus subscribers today. Then I joined Voilà Digi, a company I started with my brother Vinit Jain. Since he’s studying and doesn’t get much time, I take care of the work that needs to be done. Voilà Digi is also related to music. So my life and career is related to music and films!

Are your friends aware that you have acted in such a popular film?
Actually, I don’t boast about this fact. I used to feel that once I tell people that I have acted in a movie, they might want to be my friends just for that aspect. So only those who became my close and good friends would I tell them. Also sometimes I have to tell them the truth when they ask me how come I have not worked in a film since I am Ratan Jain’s niece. And once you tell one person, then it spreads. Funnily, many people are not able to believe that I am the same person who was in Baadshah. “Lagta nahi hai yaar, your face has completely changed,” is what they tell me. But that’s obvious as I have long hair now; then I had a bob cut.

Are you in touch with anybody from the team of Baadshah?
I am very much in touch with Abbas uncle and Mustan uncle. They are like family. For every function in our family – whether big or small – they are always there. Johny Lever and Charlie recognize me. Razak Khan also knew me well. But if I go and meet Shah Rukh Khan, he obviously won’t come to know who I am unless I tell him that I acted with him in Baadshah.

Ticket prices hiked for Prabhas starrer Saaho, trade reacts

Okay, patrons, if you are holding your breath to see Saaho, if you are as eager to see it as you say you are, then pay more for the tickets. Apparently the ticket rates for Saahowould be on a par with what is charged for films that fall in the ‘blockbuster’ category, which means ticket buyers would have to pay at least 1/3rd more than the original price, if not more.

Ticket prices hiked for Prabhas starrer Saaho, trade reacts

This unfair practice of saddling the audiences with the extra budgetary costs of a big film is nothing new. Says Bihar distributor Roshan Singh, “Yes, we’ve been given instructions to charge the blockbuster rates for Saaho, the same as the Salman Khan starrer Bharat. But it’s only for the first three days from release.”

Rationalizing the sudden steep hike trade analyst Girish Johar says, “Increase of ticket pricing is a joint call of the producer/distributor and exhibitor for a particular film, with the onus of the same lying with the producer/distributor. Now for Saaho, if they feel that the excitement levels are very high and audiences are super-excited to see the film that they will be willing to pay much higher prices, than the normal, it is their business decision.”

Girish admits this financial burden on the consumer is unfair. “Yes, audiences may feel the pinch but then it all boils down to content. It’s a very thin line to tread. If they feel satisfied then they would not complain but if they are not, then it backfires badly. If the content is disappointing they shun it vehemently when the ticket rates are hiked. This makes the collections fall faster, which is not good. So the makers opt for higher pricing only if they are pretty much confident of their offering to the audiences. Saahois a MEGA film with huge budgets and investments, so naturally the expectations are MAMMOTH from it.”

Trade insider Atul Mohan feels ticket-rates ought not to be hiked. “Everybody is after breaking records and setting new benchmarks. One of the easiest ways to achieve this is to hike ticket price. They know that paying public easily falls prey to this trap. But it should justify your demands. We all remember Thugs Of Hindostan right? There also, the ticket prices were hiked. But what happened to it after day 1? Historical opening and historical fall in 24 hours. As an audience I would rather wait for the views, reviews and initial madness to settle rather than to rush madly to watch the film. Hiking ticket prices, forming early judgments should be discouraged.”

Watch: This is what Zareen Khan says is her drug

Zareen Khan has been copiously missing from the Bollywood circuit. After her last appearance in the film 1921, the actress is busy with other ventures in Punjabi, but is yet to announce her next Bollywood release. But away from films, Zareen Khan was recently in conversation with Bollywood Hungama where she revealed what she thought is something like a drug.

Watch This is what Zareen Khan says is her drug

Talking about her passion for reading Zareen Khan opened up that she is an avid reader, “I am reading Hippi by Paulo Coelho. I am an avid reader, I mean once I have a book in my hand I cannot keep it down, I have to finish it.” Further detailing what reading is like to her, Zareen compared it to a drug saying, “It is like a drug, I need to finish it. I love reading.”

Back on the work front, Zareen Khan will next be seen in the Punjabi film Daakafollowed by Chanakya.