Bollywood’s Own ‘Fairytale’

Bollywood’s Own ‘Fairytale’ • Imran Introspects • A Take Too Late

By the time you read this, chances are we’ll have had an overdose of celebrities tweeting their good wishes to Rani Mukherjee for tying the knot with producer Aditya Chopra on Monday night in Italy. This confirmation from the actress herself finally puts to rest months of rumours that the couple had already secretly tied the knot.

Their relationship, of course, was Bollywood’s worst kept secret, what with photographs of the actress spending Holi and Diwali at Aditya’s parents’ home finding their way into tabloids annually. Moreso, Rani had been openly stepping out for public events with Aditya’s mum Pam Chopra, further fuelling rumours that she’d moved in with the family.

Describing her life as a ‘fairytale’ in a statement thanking her fans for their good wishes, Rani added: ‘Now as I enter the most important chapter in my life, the fairytale continues.’ It’s an appropriate word to describe their relationship too, some would say, given that it was Aditya Chopra who spotted Rani in the 1997 dud Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat and recommended her to his buddy Karan Johar for his debut film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, which turned out to be Rani’s breakout hit. Charming, or a little creepy? You decide.

Imran Khan recently shot for a commercial with his Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu director Shakun Batra, but he probably won’t be in Shakun’s next feature. No, the director hasn’t ditched his buddy while the latter’s going through a rough patch professionally; it’s just that Shakun needs an older actor for his new film.

The next project is reportedly a light-hearted drama involving two brothers and a coming-out experience, and insiders say Shakun and his producer Karan Johar are currently in talks with Saif Ali Khan to take the older sibling’s part. For the younger role, the makers will likely lock one of the newer actors from the bunch that have descended on Bollywood in the last two years—think Sidharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan, Aditya Roy Kapoor, or Arjun Kapoor.

Imran, for his part, will go into Nikhil Advani’s next, a jumping-timeline love story that’s currently in search of a leading lady after the makers decided original choice Ileana D’Cruz may not suit the part after all. His friends say Imran is currently in a conflicted state of mind following the success of 2 States, which was originally offered to him, but which he turned down so he could work with Vishal Bhardwaj on Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola. While Vishal’s film tanked last year, 2 States took a sizeable opening at the box-office, prompting the actor to examine his choices.

Once a prominent star, this stylish Bollywood actor continues to land supporting parts thanks mostly to the goodwill he has acquired over the years. Consistently non-controversial, cucumber cool, and not in the least bit competitive even at his prime, he counts most of his co-stars and contemporaries as friends because they never saw him as a threat.

Not long ago, the producers of a small-budget spiritual movie had a brainwave to cast the former A-lister in the titular role of a revered saint. Turns out it was a genius idea. The actor certainly bore a passing resemblance to the spiritual guru, and the casting announcement itself made headlines. But the shoot was no smooth sailing… The makers complained that the moody star usually turned up on time but didn’t leave his make-up room for hours, locking himself in and smoking up till he was high.

The significance of playing a character as iconic as this had hit the actor late in the day, and he was working himself to a sweat getting into character, his staff would inform the impatient crew that was growing increasingly restless. Each time the director urged the actor to get into costume and come to shoot his scenes as the entire unit was on standby, he’d politely but firmly insist: “Abhi andar se aa nahi raha, bhidu. Thoda time de.” (I’m not feeling inspired yet, brother. Give me a little time.)

Somehow the makers managed to complete the shoot, they say, but the film didn’t exactly make a splash the way they’d hoped. Although devotees of the saint were curious about the film, they didn’t throng cinema halls the way they had years ago when an earlier incarnation of the story had been produced for the big screen. The actor, while accepting responsibility for the poor audience turnout, then asked the makers if they’d give him another chance to play the same part… in a second movie, if they might. Naturally, they didn’t return his calls.

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Rajeev Masand

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