Comfortable in dancing shoes
Sunny Leone has definitely learnt the ways of Bollywood. She recently put on her dancing shoes for the first time ever in India, at a programme that was watched by 2,500 people.
Sunny's husband and manager, Daniel Weber, mentioned that the entire location at the Delhi locale was a sellout and the audience enjoyed the performance to the fullest. It was Sunny's first ever dance performance on stage to Bollywood numbers.
She performed to a medley of a few numbers and received a thundering response. These included songs like Yeh Jism Hai Toh Kya, Abhi Abhi, Disco Deewane and a Jennifer Lopez number.
Her second entry was to songs like Anarkali Disco Chali, Ooh La La and Chikni Chameli. Sunny emulated the performances of seniors like Malaika Arora Khan, Vidya Balan and Katrina Kaif as she shook a leg to these songs. The Jism 2 debutante was blown away by the warm reaction of the audience to her dance numbers.
"The energy levels of the audience were pretty amazing and I loved their intensity and their reaction as well," says the actress.
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'Salman is a fitness icon'
Among the many Bollywood heroines who sport toned bodies, Bipasha Basu certainly stands out. The actress has always been known as a fitness freak — she works out for long hours to ensure that she looks fit and fabulous. In fact, Bipasha recently launched her second fitness DVD, 'Break Free', where she shares more tips on staying trim.
However, when it comes to the men of the industry, Bipasha feels it's tough to pick one particular fitness icon — although if she had to, she would give the title to Salman Khan. According to her, actors like Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan each has his own story to tell. Salman, however, can be credited for popularising a fit body, she feels. "I think Salman Khan has brought fitness into our industry.
He is just going to be iconic forever. He is a fitness icon," the 33-year-old reflects. "Hrithik is an extremely handsome guy — great body. He has a lot of issues, which he fights, and he triumphs to look the way he does. So, definitely, there is a great story there with Hrithik's kind of physique," Bipasha adds.
She makes it a point to mention her first co-star, Akshay, saying, "Akshay Kumar is my first hero. He is a guy who is not just physically fit, but also mentally fit. So, everyone is iconic and inspirational and every one has their story."
Her latest DVD is based on dance workouts. Bipasha's first fitness DVD was 'Love Yourself'.
Losing money in the bargain
Actor Arjun Rampal admits that LAP, his nightclub in Delhi's Hotel Samrat, is losing money following restrictions on its functioning in the wake of the gang rape of a 23-year-old woman in the capital.
Personally, he feels that shutting down nightclubs early is not a solution to the growing crime rate against women. The actor says, "The minute something like this happens, the first place that people close down early are nightclubs. I don't agree with it — many feel that people will get drunk and come out, but those are not the rapists. Rapists are the people who are sick in their head. It is wrong to just clamp down on nightclubs."
After the brutal incident, which took place on December 16 last year, the authorities had asked all discotheques and nightclubs to close by 1 am. LAP was one of the very few permitted to remain open till 3 am. The actor says people need to be protected with more manpower, rather than by restrictions on nightclubs.
However, he is all for adequate security for his club's patrons. "Despite closing everything early, you couldn't stop the rape that happened on December 31.
You need more protection, more people. If you feel uncomfortable about letting places open after a certain hour, then make a special licence. If I buy that licence, you give me some police officers who can protect my place and the people who come there. As a club owner, I only want the people who come there to be safe," he adds.
Arjun opened LAP in 2009 and says he has employed staff who were ruffians earlier, but have now turned over a new leaf. "We also employ people.
When you shut clubs and institutions down, those people will lose their jobs. What are they going to do? — they are going to commit more crimes because they are not graduates. My bouncers and my security people were gundas, who have got a decent job now.
I am rehabilitating them. The government needs to look at all those things," insists the 40-year-old.
Lots of roles in her kitty
Finally, it seems that Sandeepa Dhar — the debutant discovered by Suraj Barjatya — is getting around to making a mark in Bollywood. She had a short cameo in Dabangg 2 — but there is more in her kitty.
Apparently, she has signed a three-film deal with a leading production house. The young Kashmiri girl has been busy shooting for her next solo lead, with Kunal Roy Kapoor and Vir Das, of 'Delhi Belly' fame. Her next release is titled Golu-Pappu. In this laugh riot, Sandeepa will be romancing both Pappu and Golu.
The film is complete and ready for release this year. Besides this, she has a film called 'Black Sheep', that will be shot with Zayed Khan. Thrilled with Sandeepa's performance, Kabir Sadanand, the director of Golu-Pappu, is repeating Sandeepa in another upcoming project. It's obvious that this actress is quite busy.
'Awards hold no value'
As Bollywood prepares to meet the award season head on, there is one actor — namely, Irrfan Khan — who certainly doesn't seem to be buying into the brouhaha. This is despite the fact that he had two pretty powerful films in 2012: Paan Singh Tomar and 'Life of Pi'.
"As far as India is concerned, no award creates any kind of market value for you. It is just there. Of course, you may go to Cannes or the Oscars and then, definitely, your whole positioning changes. However, in our country, neither are the awards genuine nor do they have any value whatsoever.
This is the reason why I never do a film keeping in mind that I will get an award for it. For that matter, no genuine writer would ever write a story keeping in mind awards," Irrfan asserts.