'Arbaaz is an all-rounder'
Sonakshi Sinha made her Bollywood debut with Dabangg, opposite Salman Khan, and is now starring in the movie's sequel — with the same cast but a different director. This time, Arbaaz Khan will be the man behind the camera and given that this is his debut and that the first installment was so popular, the pressure is definitely high. Sonakshi, though, is all praises for him, claiming that he should have gone behind the camera a long time back.
"I personally feel Arbaaz is so well-versed with his work that he should have turned
director a long time back. I didn't feel for a minute that he is directing for the first time. He is an all-rounder. He knows his work so well that I am thankful to be working with him again," Sonakshi says.
Arbaaz turned producer with the 2010 film Dabangg, which turned out to be a blockbuster. Now, with Dabangg 2, he decided to take on the additional
responsibility of directing it too. Sonakshi assures that the sequel, which has Salman Khan as corrupt cop Chulbul
Pandey once again, will be more entertaining than the original movie. "I would say it was great working with the Dabangg team again. It's always fun to work with Salman Khan. I am very excited about Dabangg 2, which is scheduled for a Christmas release. I'm sure it will be much more entertaining than Dabangg," the 25-year-old adds.
Sonakshi, daughter of veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha, has so far worked with A-list actors like Salman and Akshay Kumar. She considers herself lucky to have received such chances in tinsel town. "I consider myself lucky and fortunate to work with such wonderful co-stars in all my films. For me, more than anything else, the content of the film matters and I have been lucky with that as well," she sums up.
Ash's special connection
Although many people don't know this, Aishwarya Rai says the reason she made an appearance in the film circuit is the late film-maker Yash Chopra. "Yash ji is very special to me because he is one of the reasons that I am in the film industry. He is the one who kept talking to me for two years before I joined the industry, to convince me," the 39-year-old shares.
"He always used to tease me, he used to say become an architect, design my sets and then, you will definitely come in front of the camera. I'll see to it. So he is just such a special person even to me," she adds. Aishwarya, who worked in Yash Raj Films' (YRF) Mohabbatein and Dhoom 2, says she shared a very personal relationship with the film-maker, who passed away on October 21 following dengue and subsequent multi-organ failure.
"Today, of course, I am married to Abhishek (Bachchan) and part of the family and he (Yash Chopra) used to say that Ab toh tum bahu ban gayi ho (Now you are like a daughter-in-law). That is how personal it was. He has a very special place in my heart and my life (sic)," she adds. Aishwarya also featured in the hit item number Kajra Re in the YRF film, Bunty Aur Babli.
Taking a much needed break
Genelia D'Souza has been keeping a low profile after getting married — but she says she has not signed on any new film yet because she is enjoying her post-marriage break. The
25-year-old actress, who got married to Riteish Deshmukh on February 3 this year, says that she was eagerly waiting for a break after constantly working in five film industries — Bollywood, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam for a decade.
"I have not signed on a new film yet as I am on a small break. I started my
career at a very young age and worked for ten years — all 365 days — without
taking any break. I was a part of five film industries, including Bollywood, and I feel I
deserve this break now after marriage," Genelia explains.
The actress, who was last seen with her husband in rom-com Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya, adds that life has not changed post marriage. "No, life is still the same. The only thing which has changed now is that I am seen less on TV. But there are other things happening off-screen which keep me busy. Riteish has purchased a cricket team in Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) and also produced his maiden home production, Balak Palak," she says.
Genelia will next be seen in Anees Bazmee's 'It's My Life' and zombie comedy 'Rock the Shaadi' opposite Abhay Deol. She had signed both the films before marriage.
No differences with Aamir
Aamir Khan is often tagged as 'Mr Perfectionist' in Bollywood. But Reema Kagti, the director of his upcoming film Talaash, says the actor's enthusiasm and sincerity are that of a first timer. The film, slated to hit theatres on November 30, also stars Rani Mukherji, Kareena Kapoor and Nawazudin Siddiqui in pivotal roles.
Aamir is playing a cop for the third time in this film after Baazi and Sarfarosh.
There were reports that Aamir and Reema had differences over some scenes that he wanted re-shot — but both of them have denied it. Reema, who made her debut with 'Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd', admits that the actor was very involved with the project but without interfering with her vision. "The kind of enthusiasm and sincerity that he shows are that of a first timer. He is very involved and really obsessed with getting the best possible thing for a product. He puts in a lot of effort and I could see that he took a lot of
trouble to understand what I was trying to do in the film," Reema says. "What is really notable about him is that even though he had a lot of input, he was honest to my vision and went along with that," she adds, quashing reports of any differences with her lead actor.