An Interview With Kannada Star – Actor Sudeep

Pailwan, starring Sudeep, the biggest star from Sandalwood to make his mark in varied film industries across India, is one of the most awaited films in Kannada. It is the 3^rd film to be directed by cinematographer-turned-director S Krishna. Ever since its launch a few months ago, the film is in the news for one or the other reason. Sudeep the superstar of the film explains why Pailwan is a very special film for him. 

*After 2 decades as an actor, you started going to the gym for the 1^st time ever for Pailwan. What made you to become so serious? 

*You see as an actor, you always try to find variety in the roles you do. In the end, we actors are all entertainers. An actor will never reach a peak just like that. You are constantly trying to reach newer heights. That said, you cannot sell whatever you do to the audiences. The fact is that I do not show muscle on screen has lingered in my mind for some time. Then this script came along. Whether you like it or not, this kind of scripts motivates you. As the Pailwan script began to take shape, I realized that I needed to give more. When you are making a sports film, I should not be taking it lightly. I immediately joined the gym. Even before that I had a trainer who would come every day & I would have 10 reason every day to avoid him. The 2^nd reason was Kabir Duhan Singh. 6 months before I started with the film, I saw his photo on Twitter. It psyched me. The way he has done up his body. In the film, I will be in the same frame as Kabir. Both of us in our bare bodies! Forget how we look in the film, but what will the technicians and others on the sets think of me when they see me next to Kabir? That scared me. It was the question of my self-esteem. I did not want to become a joke in front of anybody. 50% of the credit therefore goes to Kabir. His dedication to his body motivated me. 

*How did you prepare yourself in terms of your body for this particular role?

*For the last 8 months, I have never cheated. Be it diet or workout. Even after the shooting for the fight scenes are complete, I have not stopped. Before this, I used to sleep at 2 am or even 4 am. But after I started training, I started waking up at 4 am. Even when I was shooting in Hyderabad, I would leave home at 4.30 am & spend time till 6.30 am in the gym. I would be ready for shooting at 7 am. After shooting, I would start swimming at 5.30 pm & go promptly to sleep at 9 pm. On weekends, when I shoot for Bigg Boss, I get sleep at 9 pm now. I have followed this routine for nearly 4 months. The actual training for the body started 8 months ago. 

*From budget to scale, Pailwan is reaching new heights.

*When you have a good story to tell, you cannot hesitate on the budget. It is not because we have money that we are spending. Krishna & Swapna have been very honest in their work & whatever they are spending is for the betterment of the film. It is not just to showcase the expenditure but to show what was required. Everything is shot on the sets. The honesty towards the script will show. Yes there was a calculation of how much the film would cost. But calculation alone will not make a film. The business today helps us make such a film. We are getting so many offers from people who have just seen the sets. It shows we have not compromised. Making a big-budget film was not the idea. We set out on a dream & every one of us is walking that dream. We have so far had 90 days of shooting & not a single day of that was unplanned. Every morning when I wake up for this film it excites me a lot. That has been the case every single day. 

*Dubbing for a film in 8 to 9 languages is a first for any Indian film. How did this happen?

*I always wanted to reach out in varied languages. By God’s grace I am known in the other markets. But I did not get to utilize it in my previous films. There were 1 or 2 failed plans. But here I got a very good platform & everyone agreed. It should have happened much earlier. But better late than never! Every single work, every single musical note in this film has been planned to cater to an all-India market. 

*But the film will not see a theatrical release in Hindi. Right?

*We are looking at much more specific markets. My films have been dubbed in Hindi for a long time. But a theatrical release in Marathi makes more sense. And so it is with Bhojpuri & Bengali languages. There will be Tamil, Telugu & Malayalam versions too. There is a culture of “kusti” in every region & culture that we are trying to reach out to. I have friends in these industries who are helping me. Ravi Kishan in Bhojpuri & Riteish Deshmukh in Marathi are setting it all up for me. 

*It seems that you forced S Krishna to get Suniel Shetty for the Kannada version. Is it true? *Yes! Indeed. Suniel Shetty is from here & it was his lifetime dream to act in a Kannada film. We are so proud that it is through this film. He is one of the biggest stars of his time. Anna has a beautiful role in the film. His character is called Sarkar & anyone will be impressed with what he has done. He was such a motivation on the sets. He would be ready on the sets at 7 am with makeup. He has raised the magnitude of the film. I saw an advertisement of his with the salt & pepper look. From that moment, I was behind S Krishna to get Anna for this film.

An Interview With Director S Krishna

 S. Krishna is an Indian cinematographer & film director who primarily works in Kannada films. He gave a new dimension for cinematography through his breath taking visuals in Mungaru Male which is considered as a romantic cult classic. His upcoming Kannada film is Pailwan which will have 9 other languge versions.  

*The budget of Pailwan has crossed Rs 45 crores. Had you planned the film this big?  *If we had a final budget in mind, we might have had to compromise. So we did not have a limit. We do not know how much more it will require. That is one of the reasons we are not finalizing on the deal for selling rights for which we are getting never before heard offers.  *What offers do you have? *We have been offered Rs 30 crores for the all-India TV rights (for all languages). This is the biggest offer ever for a film made in Kannada language. 

 *What was the need for such a huge budget?  The 1^st is the requirement of the script. It is a film with a huge canvas. Secondly, GST has made every industry equal. We do not have the luxury of subsidy. There was a little leeway when there were audiences who would choose a film whose ticket cost lesser. Now every film cost the same. We have to have Kannada films that compare favorably with all the high budget films of Hindi or others. We have to give justice to the paying audiences.  

*Is it a big risk you are taking with your 1^st ever home production?  *Making a film with a superstar is never a risk. And if you do good films, audiences will come to you. With films with superstars, you are guaranteed a minimum safety. That is why they are superstars. Be it audiences coming to theatres or TV telecast rights, you are assured of a return. As a film maker you need to enhance it. I did Hebbuli with Sudeep before this. It did great business. How do you enhance that? It is by adding more value to the film. 

 *There have been films on wrestling in Hindi recently. There will be obvious comparisons with your film Pailwan. Salman Khan’s Sultan & Aamir Khan’s Dangal released the same year within months of each other. Both were about wrestling & therefore similar. But both were also completely different. Audiences accepted both the films. It is good that the market for films on the subject is known to the audiences now. I am sure comparisons cannot be avoided. But those films give us the confidence that there is an audience for them.  

*So what is so different about Pailwan?  For the Kannada audience, this is one of the rare films with a superstar doing a sports film. Apart from that for every audience, a sports film gives real emotions. These are universal emotions. You know in the very beginning what will happen in the end. But you still want to find out how the hero achieves it. In sports even losing teaches us how to win. It is one of the purest emotions that are used in every sports film.  

*Why did you think of having so many dubbed versions of the film in so many languages?  The 1^st & foremost reason for this is Sudeep. He is known everywhere. But as Kannada film makers we have not used his potential in other languages. If we start now, who knows what will happen in 2 to 3 years. The 2^nd reason is because this is a sports film. We are not behind money. But we have a story that we think will work everywhere. We want to show them what we have made here. 

 *Can you let us know more about Pailwan in detail!  *Paiwan is directed by me Film & my wife Swapna Krishna is producing this film under our home production banner namely RRR Productions. Paiwan stars Sudeep, Suniel Shetty, Aakanksha Singh, Kabir Duhan Singh, Sharath Lohitashva and others, music is by Arjun Janya, stunt choreographers are Larnell Stowell from Hollywood & Ravi Verma.  Bollywood’s star – actor Suniel Shetty is making his Kannada debut with this film. For the 1^st time in his career, Sudeep is sporting a bare body as a wrestler & a boxer. He went to gym for the 1^st time ever in his career. The budget of the film has already crossed Rs 45 crores. The film will be in 9 languages including Kannada & will have a theatrical release in 7 to 8 of them. In fact Pailwan is getting bigger with each passing day. The entire film has been shot in over 20 specially erected sets. From boxing rings & stadiums to wrestling “akhadas” to entire villages, the sets at the Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad is already attracting curious visitors even when the shooting is going on. The film is being dubbed & released in several Indian languages. Apart from Kannada the film will release in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, Bhojpuri & Bengali. The film will also be dubbed in Hindi for television. There are plans to dub it in Punjabi too. In total, the film will be available in 9 Indian languages. It will be for the 1^st time ever that any Indian film will have so many versions. 

Film: “Zero”; Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif, Anushka Sharma; Director: Aanand L Rai; Rating: ****1/2 (4 and a half stars)


When this achingly irreverent ode to misfits was over, I thought, how wonderful that “Zero” is dedicated to Sridevi. No more befitting homage could be paid to an entertainer who brought us smiles all through her career.

Bauua Singh of Meerut is like that only. He is a dwarf, and let’s not soften the blow by beating around the bush about his shortcoming. 

The brilliantly askew screenplay by Himanshu Sharma certainly does not shy away from addressing disabilities. This is a film that calls a spade a spade and then shovels us a welter of speckled wisdom that I last saw in “Forrest Gump”. 

“Zero” is like a box of assorted chocolates. You never know what the feeling would be in the next one.

Indeed Tom Hanks from “Forrest Gump” would have chuckled approvingly at the insolent antics of Bauua Singh and his pal Guddu Singh (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, torch in hand, hair dyed blonde) as they turn the crowded city of Meerat into their personal arena of gratification. 

The film opens with a wacky sambar-western dream sequence where we see a ‘normal’ Shah Rukh Khan taking on his worst enemy in the world his father(Tigmanshu Dhulia, doing a Sudhir Pandey) whose shrunken scrotum the dwarf hero openly blames for his shortcomings. Mom Sheebha Chadha is too jaded to be embarrassed.

This is the only time Shah Rukh stands at his actual height in the film. It reminded me of that one time in “Koyla” when the ‘mute’ Shah Rukh Khan spoke up in a dream sequence because the distributors and exhibitors wanted a ‘normal’ Shah Rukh to speak up.

Ask Bauua Singh if he cares.

“Zero” is a film that doesn’t believe in numbers. In no time at all we lose count of the number of times we loath Bauua’s self-obsession and then fall in love with his character again for doing something unexpected that nobody believes he could. 

Like that kiss which the super-hot Babita Kumari smacks on his wet lips. Or for that matter, like this completely unexpected film from a superstar who spent all his life playing only one role and has now discovered the freedom of exploring people who are flawed fractured and therefore simply fabulous.

Oh, I forgot! What is “Zero” about? Well, it is about three fractured lives , people who don’t feel sorry for their deficiencies and are never threatened to fall apart because there is really nowhere to go once you hit zero.

Rather, they pity those who waste time pitying them. Bauaa Singh in pursuit of a life partner courts and wins and loses the cerebral palsy inflicted space scientist Afia (Anushka Sharma, in an embarrassingly artificial performance) because well, he has the hots for screen-queen Babita Kumari.

As Babita, Katrina Kaif just tears the screen apart. Now where did that come from? Kaif is so stunning in her role as a dumped alcoholic actress, she gave me goosebumps every time her kohl-laden eyes swelled up with unshed tears.

In one of the film’s most enchanting episodes she drags Bauaa out of her party and then drags herself out of a relationship that has her chained to misery.

In another episode of magical misgivings Bauua woos Afia in the corridor of a posh hotel with the the colours of Holi, a symphonic orchestra and little girls creating a cascade of chorus rhapsodies that only a Bauua Singh could conceive. 

The mesmeric moments end abruptly with the hotel manager complaining about the mess on his premise.

Bathos, a word I am sure Bauua doesn’t know, rules his life. To no one’s surprise he decides to chase his lost love all the way to the US, becomes an astronaut and replaces the moody monkey that was supposed to fly to Mars.

Why would BauuaA want to be expelled to outerspace? Good question. He has a very special affinity with the stars, the ones and above. And when the stars on earth mock him for his overweening ambitions his ego, much larger than his physical stature, revolts.

There are many passages of lyrical beauty in this gem of a film, passages that may pass you by like ships sailing in the night, if you aren’t vigilant. Because, really, Bauaa, doesn’t care if you are watching or not.

“Zero” is a film made out of the impulse to woo whimsy without getting anxious over the audiences’ attention. Not all of it coheres, many sequences stand apart in stubborn isolation, and Anushka’s performance brings the narrative down considerably.

But finally “Zero” works. 

It celebrates incompleteness as no other movie in any language has ever done. Like the film, Bauaa Singh isn’t afraid to fail. He has the great immortal Sridevi telling him it’s okay to fail. I couldn’t ask for more. Can you?

‘Bete’ Released On Drishyam Films Youtube Platform

Cine Buzz : Hot on the heels of producing critically acclaimed short film, Paroksh, Drishyam Films is out with another heavy hitter short film titled Bete. Written & directed by Ganesh Shetty, a veteran Bollywood line producer with films like Company, Sarkar, Budhia Singh: Born to Run & Newton to his credit. Bete has also been officially selected at Teaneck Film Festival in New Jersey, USA. The film would be up for both juried & audience awards in the categories: “Best Of Festival”, “Best Documentary” & “Best Short”. The festivals’ theme is Activism: Making Change, encouraging efforts to help make the world a better place. Inspired by true events, Bete is a snapshot, a day in the life of a farmer & his wife in Mangalore. The film follows the everyday movements of a regular farmer & his wife, Ganesh Shetty has used non-actors in this short. Bete meaning HUNT in Kannada is inspired by true events in the State that led to the disruption of a farmer’s livelihood with often-tragic consequences. 

‘Pushpa I Hate Tears’ Nearing Completion

 With the completion of 14 days’ shooting schedule in Mumbai the entire talkie portion of Pushpa I Hate Tears is now complete & now only 2 songs remain to be canned. Being produced under the banner of Films At 50 Productions this suspense comic thriller was shot at Future Studio & Madh Island. The credits of the film are produced by Amulya Das, written & directed by Dinkar Kapoor, screenplay & dialogues by Adesh K Arjun, lyrics by Kanwar Juneja & Mack & music by Ramji Gulati. The film stars Krishna Abhishek, Jayram Karthik, Arjuman Mughal, Anusmriti Sarkar, Anang Desai, Pradeep Kabra, Jimmy Moses & Akhilendra Mishra. 

‘Dhoka Cola’ Is The Title Of Tannishtha Chatterjee’s Rom Com  

Dhoka Cola is a contemporary rom-com with an element of dhoka & fraud. Tanishtha Chatterjee will direct this script after the release of her directorial debut Roam Rome Mein. Dhoka Cola will be produced by Ravi Walia of Rising Star Entertainment. Dhoka Cola’s concept & treatment was shortlisted amongst the 15 “Best Concepts” for the prestigious Asia Pacific Screen Awards Fund. Many Film Fund projects in the past have premiered to acclaim & awards and have put the APSA message in front of millions of viewers across the world. Filmmakers like Lee Chang-dong, Haifaa AlMansour, Rolf de Heer, Signe Byrge Sørensen & Asghar Farhadi have all been recipients of the funding initiative over its 1^stever 8 years. Films produced with the assistance of the Film Fund have gone on to win the Academy Award®, the Silver Bear at Berlin Film Festival, the International Emmy & have also played the Cannes, Venice & Toronto Festivals MPA APSA Academy Film Fund recipients nominated for APSA this year include Burning, The River, Memories Of My Body, Ayka & Bomb, A Love Story. Says Tannishtha Chatterjee,  ”When I told Ravi Walia that I have written a Romcom called Dhokacola which has been shortlisted for the APSA MPA film fund he immediately said “it’s a quirky title I want to produce it.” Writer-director-actor Tannishtha Chatterjee is currently working on the post production of her directorial debut Rome Rome Mein, which stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui.

 Nivedita Basu Launches NGO “Pehla Kadam”  

“Pehla Kadam”, an initiative by Nivedita Basu for the welfare of the girl child & women, was held at Bombay Adda, Bandra and was a huge success. The event was all about women celebrating their feminity as well as men celebrating the women in their lives. The who’s who of the entertainment industry was in attendance. A calender featuring TV celebrities styled by Lalit Dalmia was also launched. Ashish Rai also joined hands with Nivedita to take the NGO plan forward. Says Nivedita, “Pehla Kadam is going to take care of a girl child from the time she’s born. So whether it’s her education, her profession or good health care, good upbringing or anything to do with a girl. Pehla Kadam will help any & every woman to fulfill her dreams.  I always had this thought because my grandparents did 3 decades of charitable work in Vrindavan. When I told Lalit Dalmia about Pehla Kadam, he was on board. We decided to call our 1^st ever chapter “Pehla Kadam”. This was a calendar shoot & a video shoot. We did this with 30 actors from the film industry.There are times girls are not allowed to study further & grow in life. So, “Pehla Kadam” will help them nurture their skill set. There are a lot of things women can do even if they are not educated I will provide them a platform & connect A to B.” 

Dia Mirza Launches New Herbal Tea!  

Singer -actor Sophie Choudry says that you can get high on tea, specifically her brand new Ayurvedic herbal tea, Daily Brew which was launched by her close friend, actor, UN goodwill ambassador & nature lover, Dia Mirza, who said that if anyone cares about fitness & wellness, it’s Sophie Chaudhary & that she was proud Sophie Chaudhary had ventured into this field last year with Fittox and now her Daily brew! And not only that, she spoke about how great the tea tasted as she sipped it on stage! In fact the 2 friends & stunning ladies indulged in a fun Q&A “Shots with Sophie” where they spoke about fitness, crushes & cheat meals and drank a tea shot every time they answered yes to a question!.The tea party was held at a suburban watering hole & the ever-fit Sophie Chaudhary shared tips on health & well-being accompanied by her partners & founders of Fittox, Gaurav Kumar & Hansika Chandiramani. Last year they had launched India’s first Ayurvedic Detox Tea, fitTOX paving the way for a unique tea offering which offered 30 days Teatox. Bollywood & Fitness enthusiast celebs including Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon, Bipasha Basu were also seen loving fitTOX and raving about its benefits! And now the same trio is back with an all day tea!  Daily Brew by fitTOX is an All Day, Anytime Herbal Tea with Zero Caffeine. It is meant to replace your daily need for that hot cup of tea without the worry of high caffeine and with the benefit of great taste. With premium ingredients like Rosehip, Spearmint, Fennel, Lemongrass, Cinnamon, Daily Brew helps in building good gut health, lowering stress levels, managing weight, has anti-ageing properties & reduces bloating & cramping. All ingredients of Daily Brew are 100% Organic, Gluten Free & Hand Picked to give you the best brew possible!

G-Shock Comes On-Board As Time Partner 

Renowned watch brand G-SHOCK from the house of Casio will be the official Time Partner at Mood Indigo, Asia’s largest college cultural festival held at IIT Bombay. The festival will be taking place from 27^th Dec, 2018 to 30^th   Dec, 2018.The association comes with a purpose to have a deeper connect with the progressive Indian Youth who can correlate with the ideologies of the brand which has been widely accepted internationally. In addition to G-SHOCK being the Time Partner, the following associations will also take form during the festival.G-SHOCK will also be the

 Title Sponsor of International Nite. Keeping to the celebrated spirit of rock & metal music through festivals,Mood Indigo’s International Nite on 28^th Dec,  2018 will see Norwegian progressive metal band Leprous performing their chartbuster numbers. Popular women’s fashion & fitness timepieces brand BABY-G by Casio will be the Co-Title Sponsor of the “She’s Got The Look”beauty pageant, tailor-made for women aspiring to be the next glamorous diva. The “She’s Got The Look” competition shall be held on 29^thDec, 2018. Festival attendees will have access to exclusive brand engagement zones on campus for the duration of the Mood Indigo festival. The brands shall be hosting multiple fun activities & competitions with chances of winning cool & exciting G-SHOCK & BABY-G merchandise.  Kulbhushan Seth, Vice-President, CASIO India says, “We are proud to be associating with one of the most popular and largest college cultural festival of Asia, Mood Indigo. Known to be tough, trendy and unconventional, our watch brands G-SHOCK and BABY-G are highly popular among the youth. Through this collaboration we get an opportunity to engage with them and at the same time encourage and promote talent.”