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Films Lite Blogs

Priyadarshan’s 97th Film to Star Saif Ali Khan, Bobby Deol, and Samudrakani

In a chat, Priyadarshan said that the first one to roll is the Hindi remake of the Mohanlal blockbuster film ‘Oppom’…reports Asian Lite News

He said the ayurveda break that he takes is a yearly affair but this time, it took place after a gap of three years on account of the Covid pandemic.

Veteran Malayalam director Priyadarshan is fresh from a full-fledged ayurvedic rejuvenation therapy as he gets ready to do two Hindi films this year

In a chat, Priyadarshan said that the first one to roll is the Hindi remake of the Mohanlal blockbuster film ‘Oppom’.

“Saif Ali Khan, Bobby Deol and Samudrakani play the lead roles and the shoot will begin next month,” said Priyadarshan, who is now based out of Chennai.

“We have made certain changes to the Malayalam version of the film and that’s to suit a wider audience, but the thrust of the film remains the same. Khan plays the role of Mohanlal,” said Priyadarshan, a three-time National Award winner.

He said the ayurveda break that he takes is a yearly affair but this time, it took place after a gap of three years on account of the Covid pandemic.

“Look, I am getting old and my target is to reach 100 films. The upcoming film with Khan is going to be my 97th. The 98th film is also ready and it will be with Akshay Kumar, which is planned for the end of the year,” added Priyadarshan.

He shared that the plan is to do the 100th film with Mohanlal.

“Of course, that’s what we have been planning for a while and though at the moment, there is nothing on the drawing board on what sort of film it’s going to be, one thing is decided: the century film of mine would be with Lal,” said Priyadarshan. 67-year-old Priyan, as he is popularly known, burst into the tinsel world with a slapstick Malayalam comedy ‘Poochekoru Mukuthi’ in 1984 and has no reason to look back as he, along with Mohanlal, brought out some of the biggest blockbusters in the Malayalam film industry and hence, he has made elaborate plans for his century film — but prefers to keep that under wraps.

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Interview Lite Blogs

‘Idea is always to do something new each time’

Believing that making movies is an art, and not just about money, the actor feels it is about putting the right people together, marketing, and creative packaging…writes Sukant Deepak

One of the few mainstream Hindi film actors of his generation to constantly plunge himself into uncharted territory, and opt for unconventional roles — like in ‘Omkara’, ‘Go Goa Gone’, ‘Parineeta’, ‘Sacred Games’ and ‘Laal Kaptaan’ among others, Saif Ali Khan says while at one point, he wanted to play it safe and survive, but soon realised the importance of trying new things and offering something novel to the audience.

“If you are having fun playing such roles, chances are the audience will enjoy watching you too. In the case of ‘Omkara’ and ‘Go Goa Gone’, I agreed to essay the roles which many people did not want to. For me, the idea is always to do something new each time,” he tells.

Stressing that the OTT allows for much space to experiment, Khan opines that when it comes to making content for the digital medium, it is important to be completely honest about contemporary realities and human conditions, and then dramatise the situations. “Only then will you be able to move people. Let us not forget that whatever we make for this medium is immediately compared to international work.”

Even as he agrees with the evolution of content and treatment with the advent of OTT, the actor maintains that it would not really have an impact on how mainstream cinema in terms of storytelling. “Though mindsets are bound to change, I am unsure of the actual impact as it depends on how much of a chance mainstream is willing to take in terms of evolving scripts and not playing it very safe.”

He may have worked with a diverse set of directors, but now he does not really think on terms of script or the person behind the camera. “I now approach work as a producer. My thought process is — what kind of movies I would like to make?”

When it comes to signing the dotted line, it is about how he feels at that moment in time. “It has to be instinctive. Your gut tells you if it is worth the time and energy. Now, I prefer the comfort of home, so, if the project is going to take me away to a hotel room for weeks, it has to be worthwhile in every way, otherwise, I might not want to do it. It has to be something that I would want to be part of my history.”

Believing that making movies is an art, and not just about money, the actor feels it is about putting the right people together, marketing, and creative packaging.

The actor, who is the first-ever brand ambassador for Lay’s Gourmet and was associated with the brand for several years, says he is thrilled to rejoin the Lay’s family. “I am a firm believer in freedom of choice and believe all things in moderation are fine. And if it’s legal and I am fond of it too, I will endorse it,” says the actor who is currently working on a romantic comedy titled ‘No Kids’.

“I am also shooting for a big action-packed South Indian movie. Besides that, a film for Siddharth Anand’s production which is a Netflix original. So, there are a lot of things in the pipeline,” he concludes.

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Bollywood Films Lite Blogs

‘I am quite proud of my journey’

The actor, who is married to actress Kareena Kapoor Khan, talked about the change in shoot culture from the time he started to now…reports Asian Lite News.

Saif Ali Khan has completed 28 years in the Hindi film industry. Looking back at his journey the actor said that his parents thought he would “end up in a slightly destructive life” and “it seems to have gone rather well”.

How does he feel when he looks back at his journey?

“I am proud of that fact…when I was in school and I was a teenager my parents used to worry about me that maybe I will not be…end up in a slightly destructive life and it seems to have gone rather well. So it is great and I am very happy,” Saif, son of late star cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and actress Sharmila Tagore told.

“When I look around the apartment where I have decorated with things from over the years and the things that one does in life. When I look around the apartment really and the house and the education really given to your kids and the kind of security for your family or whether it’s restoring parts of Pataudi, I feel very proud because it has been hard work at different times,” added the 51-year-old star.

The actor, who is married to actress Kareena Kapoor Khan, talked about the change in shoot culture from the time he started to now.

“Doing songs in bad conditions back in the day and our generation has worked hard and we’re still working and loving it. Films have become much higher quality and the atmosphere on sets is interesting and much more absorbing now,” said the actor, who was recently seen in ‘Bhoot Police’.

Saif concluded: “It wasn’t always like that and I am quite proud of my journey and I enjoy looking to the future but I also enjoy looking back and saying ‘that it has been quite something constructive really'”.

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