Short Takes

REINVENTING THE TAPORI
He sports a leather jacket and an eagle pendant, and not to forget, every bit of the streetsmart tapori attitude in the movie. It’s SHAH RUKH KHAN’s turn to play the tapori this time, in Josh, which hit the screens, last Friday.

And the Khan sports every trait in the tapori manual in Josh -- he’s crass, loud, quick-witted, and has oodles of attitude. What’s more, he even has a mandatory song, Sailu sailaare that seems all set to work its way up the charts in coming weeks.
So yes, the tapori is alive and well in our movies, never mind the ‘eclipse’ since Aamir last took Rani Mukerji to Khandala in Ghulam. The taporis have been reinventing themselves in Hindi cinema over the years, from the adorable Shammi Kapoor in sundry turns like China Town, Junglee and Jaanwar to Shah Rukh and Aamir, via the likes of Amitabh Bachchan in Don and Kaalia to Sunny Deol in Arjun and Anil Kapoor in Ram Lakhan. The Shah Rukh act marks a departure from convention, too. He plays a don who’s sworn to eliminate his rival, Sharad Kapoor, in Josh, standing convention on its head.

Obviously, live and let live is a philosophy that no longer excites our taporis.

ANYTHING FOR A MEAN SHOT
TALKING of taporis, how can one forget the redoubtable AAMIR KHAN who brought them back in vogue?

First with Rangeela, where he sported a colourful wardrobe in a role to match, and Raja Hindustani, where he played a taxi driver. Aamir’s tapori act, mark III, was Ghulam, a performace which has, however, come to be remembered more for sundry "items" such as the Aati kya Khandala track and, not to forget, the risky stunt, wherein he’s shown running towards a speeding train, only to jump out of its path in the nick of time.

But Aamir’s always been a perfectionist. Apparently, few sacrifices are too big for him, when it comes to lending his performances that extra edge. To make his face appear weather-beaten enough in Ghulam, for instance, he’s said to have refrained from washing his face for ten days before some vital shoots. He’d even dub at 5 am, because he felt his voice sounded better in the mornings. Or take the case of the more recent Sarfarosh, where he’d brave the biting cold of Jaisalmer only to watch co-star Naseeruddin Shah perform. But the afore-mentioned shot on the railway track in Ghulam takes the cake. Aamir is known to have admitted later it was foolish of him to play with his life, all for the sake of a stunning sequence.

But when it comes to a great shot, our hunch is, he can still be persuaded to take a few reasonable risks. Especially, if they’re crucial to the plot.

BATTLEFIELD HOLLYWOOD
Actions's always been his forte, whether on the tennis ircuit or in the movies. The also-ran on the grand slam arena’s already had 50-odd Hollywood productions against his name, many of them thrillers that generated big money at the b-o. Double Impact, for instance, grossed over US$ 100 million worldwide, while Night Eyes grossed over $30 million.

Now, tired of co-productions, as it were, ASHOK AMRITRAJ is launching out on his own, with the evocatively named Hyde Park Entertainment. The banner’s maiden offering will be, you guessed it, another actioner, this time starring Sylvester Stallone, no less.

Evidently, the box-office dud, Battlefield Earth, based on the Ron Hubbard potboiler, is behind him. The John Travolta starrer not only earned him rotten press but also burnt a hole the size of $ 45 million in his pockets. No, the Travolta charisma did not work its old magic at the turnstiles, neither did the glut of expensive special effects he’d tagged on to the movie. Even the Pulp Fiction formula he’d adopted to a nicety failed to translate into big money.

But what’s one rotten egg, when you’re producing 12 a year on an average -- that’s a new launch every month? Amritraj has tall ambitions for his new baby, Hyde Park, to make it the best production house in Hollywood. And there will be more offerings like Jeans especially for the Indian audiences, we hope. Offerings that click.

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS CAN WAIT
INDIA’s minister of state for external affairs, AJIT PANJA, is a happy man. He’s been taking on the world in a new guise, as sage Ramakrishna Paramahansa in the Bengali play, Nati Binodhini. He’s been touring the world with the troupe, with stopovers at London, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington and New York, winning plaudits for his sensitive performances. Based on a true story set around 1870, the play, written by Bijendra Kumar Dey, deals with the birth of Calcutta’s Star Theatre and raises issues such as women’s rights. And among those who’ve applauded the Trinamool Congress man on his role, are the likes of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Jyoti Basu.

No, this isn’t Panja’s first role on stage. He’s been a member of the Calcutta High Court Advocates Drama Association for quite a few years now, and played a key role in the play Shajahan (1987). Then, in 1999, Mihir Bhattacharjee offered him the role of a Punjabi youth who takes to Bengali theatre. The play never got staged, but Bhattacharjee offered him "a bigger and better role next," of "Thakurji" (Ramakrishna Paramahansa) in Nati Binodhini.

Panja seems to have a way of moving the predominantly Bengali audiences to tears as the sage. And he’s loved every minute of it. So what if his ministerial duties have had to wait in the meantime? After all, ministers, too, are entitled to their bit of leisure, aren’t they?

LONG TIME NO SEE
SO Rajesh Khanna isn’t the only yesteryear hero who’s giving the small screen a try (he’s putting in an appearance in the new soap, Batwaara, remember). RAHUL ROY is, too.

The Aashiqui hero has just been signed to play the lead role in Yugo Creations forthcoming serial, Aas. For Roy fans, who never had enough of him, here’s the chance to renew their acquaintance. And playing his co-stars in the family drama are Shikha Swaroop, Alok Nath, Rohini Hattangady, Satyen Kappu and Beena. Rajkamal (remember DD’s erstwhile serials, Ghar Ek Mandir and Jeene Ki Rah) is the director.

And guess what Roy’s playing? The pampered son of a filthy rich businessman (Alok Nath), who breaks his promise of marrying Satyen Kappu’s daughter, and weds Shikha Swaroop, instead. However, he soon realises he cannot father children, and the emotional tangle that develops should keep the serial, written by Rajiv K Arpan, up and running for 52 episodes. Which means Roy will be on view on the telly, for the next 12 months at least.

SEESAW OF FORTUNES
HIS Hum To Mohabbat Karega hasn’t really set the box-office on fire. And critics are already hinting at a jinx again, talk that had been laid to rest with an emphatic hit in Soldier. Or so we thought. But one thing you must admit for BOBBY DEOL -- he’s improved with each outing at the turnstiles.

Once dubbed a non-actor, Deol the younger has had fans exclaiming at how much he’s evolved with every film, for a change. Even in average grossers like Aur Pyar Ho Gaya, Dillagi and the currently-showing Hum To Mohabbat Karega, Bobby’s walked away with a fair bit of applause, each time. And it’s Soldier, where he played a contract killer, which provided him with that much needed turn-around in fortunes. For till then, he’d had to watch his co-stars get all the credit, as Kajol did with Gupt and Aishwarya Rai with Aur Pyar Ho Gaya.

"I have all it takes to make a successful star, and I shall be around for a long, long time," Deol had told SCREEN in a recent interview. Some of our readers had said in their letters that followed, that modesty was obviously not one of his virtues. But when you’ve been at the receiving end of brickbats and criticism practically all your life, it’s hard not to be a trifle defensive, don’t you think?

FAMILY FIRST, COMEDY LATER
THERE was a time, not so long ago, when his name was synonymous with good and serious work. Today, that seems so hard to believe, for ASHOK SARAF’s gotten typecast as a comedian. And it’s hardly coincidental, for the actor himself has a weak spot for comedy. Only, in his case, the weakness is his strength as well.

We encountered the Sarafs on the sets of their home production, Don’t Worry Ho Jayega for Sahara, where he was seen dressed as a lady, of all things. And Saraf told us he was much more at home, doing television serials than bit roles in films. Not that he has any dearth for film offers, though, for there are as many as three promising ones coming up -- Beti No 1, Joru Ka Ghulam and Jodi No 1, besides the Marathi movie, Aabhalaachi Sawli.

Don’t Worry Ho Jayega has his actress-wife NIVEDITA’s story, and is also being produced by her. And there’s more where it comes from, Yeh Tanhai, a soap with Nivedita and Kiran Kumar in the lead. Currently Ashok is also doing Rakhi Tandon’s Professor Pyarelal and the forthcoming Beta Numbri Baap Dus Numbri for Sahara.

It’s a busy family, as you can see, but Saraf’s keen on keeping a devoted eye trained on son Aniket’s growth. Fatherhood certainly is tops on his agenda. As well it ought to be, did we hear you say?

MAKE OR BREAK TIME
HUNKS Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Akshay Kumar have unabashedly confessed they’d love to have her for co-star in film after film. It’s a sentiment the audience seems to share, her ‘alleged’ marriage to Jai Mehta, notwithstanding. JUHI CHAWLA’s tickets to the big time? Well, put it down to her bubbly effervescence on screen, her infectious smile and a certain childlike innocence, all of it coupled with a fair measure of talent.

Surprisingly, come to think of it, Juhi’s had but two successful years at the top, 1993 -- when she had blockbusters like Bol Radha Bol, Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, Lootere, Darr and Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke, and 1997, when she had three hits one after the other -- Yes Boss, Deewana Mastana and Ishq. Of course, she’s had eventful years before, between and since, but none really to help her stake a claim to the queen bee tag. Even home production, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, has failed to help her cause. Can the forthcoming Karobar revive fresh interest in the actress, whom some critics dub as a fading phenomenon?
For the actress once touted by a leading website as India’s answer to Julia Roberts, the fate of Karobar may well be crucial.

ARYAN COME LATELY
HE’S the current Graviera Mr India. But, as reported in SCREEN last week, the limelight it’s attracted has won him just the break he was looking for -- an offer to play the lead in a forthcoming film, Heartbeat, opposite Pooja Batra.

Now, ARYAN VAID, who first caught the eye with the late Sanjeev Bhattacharya teleserial, Campus, has also been signed for a film by Anshuman Swami. Aryan is thrilled to bits about the movie offers, for it’s acting he’s always set his sights on doing. And he is at pains to point out that his idol, Shah Rukh Khan also started off on the boob tube, before he turned to films. Says Aryan Vaid, "I’m an unabashed Shah Rukh Khan fan even now. I’ve watched all his films, some of them a number of times. But I’d better cut down on studying his performances too closely, for, after I saw a few clippings from Heartbeat, I feel I tend to imitate him a lot. I can’t afford to become a clone, not even of Shah Rukh!"

Camera wiz, Jayesh Seth, is among those who’re willing to stick their necks out and say Aryan has potential. "Take my word for it, Aryan’s going to be the next Hrithik Roshan," gushes Seth. "He’s very talented."

Well, we’ll soon see for ourselves.

Compiled by Shaju George Alex
With inputs from Namita Nivas and Lopamudra Bhattacharya