Entertainment
With 'Sarfarosh' to be screened 25 after its release, a look at where its cast is today
Mumbai, May 9 (IANS) The Aamir Khan-starrer ‘Sarfarosh’ has completed 25 years since its release. The film emerged as the first ray of meaningful cinema after the singularity of the redundant narratives prevalent in the Hindi cinema of the 1990s.
It broke the clutter and cultivated a wide and ardent fan following owing to its excellence in all departments of filmmaking, with the taut screenplay and its casting sharing the top spot.
The film starred some of the finest talents from Hindi cinema. Interestingly, all the actors who starred in the film went on to carve a niche for themselves.
As the film prepares for a special screening on Friday, IANS takes a look at the actors from the film and how their journeys have unfolded in these 25 years.
Aamir Khan played the role of a cop hot on the heels of a cross-border terrorism case, catching the trail of an arms trade. The film marked an important chapter in the actor’s filmography as it cemented the audience’s faith in Aamir’s choice of scripts, a decision that not just established him as a bankable superstar but also course-corrected the commercial Hindi cinema in terms of better scripts.
Currently, Aamir has the cleanest track record at the box office compared to other superstars of his league, barring a few misses like ‘Thugs of Hindostan’, ‘Mela’, and his passion project, ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’.
If the film had a commercial star with Aamir, it put the perfect antagonist to him across the spectrum with one of the biggest cinematic forces of the Indian parallel film movement, Naseeruddin Shah. The actor essayed the role of a Pakistani Ghazal singer who turns into a terrorist to avenge what happened to him after the partition of India. The actor, who is an NSD graduate, boasts a stellar body of work today and across the genres in Hindi cinema.
Gen Z might know Mukesh Rishi from his ‘Gunda’ meme, but the 1990s kids used to shudder whenever he walked into the frame given his negative roles. ‘Sarfarosh’ gave a chance to the actor to explore the other side, and he set off like a sprinter on the track with lightning speed. He served as the perfect partner to Aamir’s cop in chasing down the criminals in the film. If Aamir was the brain behind cracking the case, Salim, played by Mukesh, provided the muscle to the police machinery. Mukesh went on to do many films across the film industries of the country and also explored the mediums of television and streaming. He was most recently seen in superstar director Rohit Shetty’s OTT debut, ‘Indian Police Force’.
Sonali Bendre, another favourite of the 1990s generation, brought much relief to the tense narrative with her character as she played the love interest to Aamir in the film. It’s a delight to watch her in the song ‘Is Deewane Ladke Ko’. Who could forget the sensuous track ‘Jo Haal Dil Ka’? The track not just boasted one of the earliest electric guitar riffs in Hindi film music but also featured a heady romance between Sonali and Aamir. The actress rose up as a true fighter as she battled cancer and came out victorious on the other end. She recently returned with the second season of her hit streaming show ‘The Broken News’, where she reprised her role as Amina Qureshi, the head of a news channel.
Actor Pradeep Rawat, who essayed the negative role in the film, went on to work with Aamir in ‘Lagaan’ and ‘Ghajini’, in the latter, he essayed the titular role of a villain who kills Asin’s character of Kalpana. The actor has worked across many film industries in India, including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Bengali.
Actress Surekha Sikri, who was a theatre veteran, essayed the role of Pradeep’s mother in the film, who is questioned by the cops from Aamir’s team. Though she had a limited role, she made a huge impact with her performance. The actress went on to work in one of the biggest television shows in the country, ‘Balika Vadhu’ and the Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer ‘Badhaai Ho’. She was also seen in the streaming anthology ‘Ghost Stories’. The actress died at the age of 76 in Mumbai after suffering a cardiac arrest.
While the film saw terrific performances from its stellar cast, it also gave Hindi cinema one of its finest actors in the form of Nawazuddin Siddiqui. The actor played an uncredited role in the film of a goon, who is tortured by the cops from Aamir’s team in order to extract the information. Nawaz, upon seeing his friend get almost killed by the cops after they fire the gun from close range, gives away the information to Aamir and his team. Nawaz played many small roles in his career to stay afloat in the testing city of Mumbai before he broke out on the scene with the Anurag Kashyap directorial ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’.
He went on to work with all the leading Khans of Bollywood, having reunited with Aamir in ‘Talaash: The Answer Lies Within’. He worked with megastar Shah Rukh Khan in ‘Raees’ and with superstar Salman Khan in ‘Kick’. Nawaz, who came from nothing, having worked as a watchman as well at one point to make ends meet, owns a swanky bungalow in the Yari.
John Matthew Matthan, the director of the film, got the inspiration for ‘Sarfarosh’ in the aftermath of the 1993 serial bomb blasts in Mumbai. John, who worked as an assistant to Govind Nihalani, was intrigued by the idea of Pakistani ghazal singers coming to India on the pretext of performance but carrying out shady jobs in the back end. His narration to Aamir was so intense that the 30 minutes of borrowed time from the superstar stretched beyond 3 hours in the narration table because the latter was completely hooked by the film’s story. Before working on the film, he worked on several advertisements as the new economic policy of globalisation and liberalisation bolstered the boom in the advertising sectors, with television still being in its nascent stage in India at the time. The filmmaker has been away from the limelight for quite some time.
–IANS
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Entertainment
Pushpa 2 earns RS 1085 CR in pre-release collection
Allu Arjun is poised to dominate the box office with his highly anticipated film, Pushpa 2: The Rule, set to release on December 6, 2024. The excitement surrounding this film is phenomenal, already making headlines with an impressive pre-release collection of RS 1,085 crores! This achievement is particularly notable, given that it reached this milestone well before the movie even debuts in theaters.
Fans are eagerly looking forward to Allu Arjun’s return as Pushparaj, the character that earned him a National Award for Best Actor in the first installment, Pushpa: The Rise. The buzz surrounding Pushpa 2 is unparalleled, and the film is expected to break even more records upon its release. The pre-release collection includes a record-setting deal for theatrical rights, sold for ₹640 crores, making it one of the most lucrative film deals in Indian cinema.
Additionally, Pushpa 2 has secured a significant digital distribution agreement with Netflix, which acquired the rights for ₹275 crores, highlighting the high demand for the film. The overall pre-release earnings have been impressive across various regions, with ₹220 crores collected in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, ₹200 crores in the North, ₹50 crores in Tamil Nadu, ₹30 crores in Karnataka, ₹20 crores in Kerala, and ₹40 crores from overseas markets. The music rights were sold for ₹65 crores, while the satellite rights fetched ₹85 crores, contributing a total of ₹425 crores from non-theatrical rights.
Directed by Sukumar and produced by Mythri Movie Makers, Pushpa 2: The Rule features a talented cast, including Rashmika Mandanna and Fahadh Faasil alongside Allu Arjun. The film’s music will be released by T Series, further adding to the anticipation.
With Allu Arjun’s National Award win and the remarkable pre-release collections, it’s clear that Pushpa 2 is set to be a blockbuster. As the release date approaches, fans are excited to see how this film will perform at the box office. If the pre-release collections are any indication, Pushpa 2 is bound to shatter records and become a massive success!
Entertainment
'Aashiqui' star Anu Aggarwal recalls how filmmakers would come to her without scripts
Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) Actress Anu Aggarwal, who rose to fame with “Aashiqui”, and “King Uncle”, recalled the time when filmmakers would come to her with money for signing a film and would not have a script ready.
In a conversation with Lehren shared on Instagram, the actress could be seen talking about it.
“I was shocked to see that people who don’t have their scripts are not ready when they would come to sign me up for a film. They would have the money ready and I would say I don’t want to sign with the money. I would like to hear the script.”
“They would say the script will be made so you can sign,” she added.
“This was the way and because I am an actor I would like to see what my role, story is. Everything is important. Nobody would have a script… 98 per cent of people would not have the script,” she said.
Anu Aggarwal gained immense popularity in the 1990s after featuring in the musical romantic drama “Aashiqui” directed by Mahesh Bhatt.
She starred alongside Rahul Roy and Deepak Tijori.
The film was known for its music, by composer duo Nadeem–Shravan establishing their careers.
The soundtrack album has been rated fourth by Planet Bollywood on their “100 Greatest Bollywood Soundtracks”.
It was the best-selling Bollywood album at the time of its release.
The film was remade in Kannada as “Roja” in 2002.
A sequel to the film, “Aashiqui 2”, with a completely new theme, directed by Mohit Suri, with Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor, was released in 2013.
–IANS
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Entertainment
Ram Charan's daughter Klin achieves this milestone on grandfather Chiranjeevi's birthday
Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) On the 69th birthday of actor and politician Chiranjeevi, his son Ram Charan has shared a peek into their family vacation to Paris, France, which is also the first trip of his daughter Klin Kaara with her grandparents.
Ram took to his Instagram account, where he has 23.9 million followers, and shared a family picture from Paris.
The snap shows his parents– father Chiranjeevi, mother Surekha, his wife Upasana Kamineni, and their furry friend–pet dog. We can see Chiranjeevi holding his granddaughter Klin adorably in his arms.
Ram looked dapper in a black shirt, matching trousers and an olive green jacket.
They are posing against the backdrop of Eiffel Tower.
The post is captioned as: “Klin Kaara’s first trip with her grandparents!!! Memorable”.
In another post, Ram dropped a photograph with his father, wearing matching South Indian ethnic outfits.
He wrote in caption: “Happpiest birthday, Appa!!”
Meanwhile, on the occasion of Chiranjeevi’s birthday, UV Creations and director Vashistaa Mallidi have unveiled the highly anticipated first look poster for ‘Vishwambhara’, a fantasy adventure film.
Sharing the poster on social media, the makers wrote: “When darkness and evil take over the world, a Magnanimous Star shall shine bright to fight, Happy birthday, MEGASTAR @KChiruTweets, Let the world witness your aura with #Vishwambhara, Get ready for a MEGA MASS BEYOND UNIVERSE, In cinemas from January 10th, 2025.”
The movie promises to be a cinematic spectacle, featuring Chiranjeevi in a lead role. The film also stars Trisha Krishnan, Ashika Ranganath and Kunal Kapoor.
The film will be released on January 10, 2025.
Chiranjeevi was last seen in Telugu action drama ‘Bhola Shankar’ directed by Meher Ramesh. It also featured Tamannaah Bhatia, Keerthy Suresh and Sushanth.
Meanwhile, Ram Charan last appeared in action drama ‘Acharya’, directed by Koratala Siva. The film starred Chiranjeevi, alongside Pooja Hegde, Sonu Sood and Jisshu Sengupta.
He next has ‘Game Changer’, and ‘RC16’ in the pipeline.
–IANS
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Entertainment
Rani Mukerji: Shivani Shivaji Roy shows how a woman can lead from front in a male-dominated field
Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) Actress Rani Mukerji has talked about why she loves her character Shivani Shivaji Roy from “Mardaani,” which has completed 10 years in Hindi cinema on Thursday.
She said: “Shivani Shivaji Roy is my most favourite on-screen character. She is a defiant, fierce force of nature who will stand up for what is right no matter what. She is someone who subverts gender norms in cinema and shows how a woman can also lead from the front in a male-dominated field.”
As the film celebrates its 10th anniversary, Rani is grateful for all the love and acclaim that she has received.
She said: “I’m truly proud of my ‘Mardaani’ franchise. It is a franchise that keeps on giving. The love, adulation, and the respect that I have received from Mardaani is truly humbling.”
On Thursday morning, the makers of the film teased fans about the next chapter of the franchise.
Production Yash Raj Films banner took to YouTube, where they dropped a teaser of sorts, which begins from the first installment, which first released in 2014.
The production company captioned it: “10 years of #Mardaani and the next chapter awaits… Celebrating the feisty, daredevil cop #ShivaniShivajiRoy and the spirit of #Mardaani today. Thank you for a decade of love and appreciation for our beloved franchise. We are inspired… again… thanks to you. #RaniMukerji #10YearsOfMardaani.”
Rani is too excited to reprise the role and don the cop uniform once again.
She said: “I’m looking forward to bringing back Shivani Shivaji Roy on the big screen soon. It’s been a while since I have donned the cop uniform and paid tribute to the women police force of our country.”
“Each (woman cop) one of them relentlessly works hard to keep our families safe and I have always loved to salute these fearless women. Shivani will be back and I hope you will give as much love to her as you have always showered for 10 years now!” added the actress.
–IANS
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Entertainment
Sonam Kapoor flaunts her ‘minimal, bold and effortlessly on point’ look
Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) Bollywood actress and fashionista Sonam Kapoor brought out her A-game in fashion, where she flaunted “minimal, bold and effortlessly on point” look.
The actress took to Instagram, where she shared a string of pictures. In the pictures, she is seen wearing a powder pink shirt, paired with a blazer and long skirt. She completed her look with sunglasses.
“Celebrating @perniaq season 2 podcast drop with that sleek @phoebephilo energy—minimal, bold, and effortlessly on point. Shoutout to the squad for keeping the vibe,” she wrote and also mentioned that she is styled by her sister Rhea Kapoor.
Recently, Sonam shared several glimpses from her son Vayu’s vintage car themed cake as he turned two on August 20.
Sonam took to Instagram, where she shared a reel of the two-tier toddler friendly, refined sugar free chocolate cake. It featured a vintage ice blue car atop of the cake with the number 2 written on it.
The actress had also penned a heart-felt note for her son Vayu.
“My baby turns two today!!! Happy 2nd Birthday to our sweet, precious Vayu! W Being your mom is the greatest gift I could ever receive. You’ve filled our lives with so much joy, laughter, and wonder,” Sonam said.
The actress shared that with her son, everyday is an adventure filled with “your boundless curiosity, your infectious laughter, and your sweet, loving nature.”
“You’ve brought so much light and happiness into our world, making every moment more beautiful and every relationship stronger. You’ve deepened the love between your dadaa and me in ways we never imagined, and you’ve brought pure, unfiltered joy to everyone who loves you-your nani and nana, dadi and baba, kaaa masa, Masi and chachu,” she said.
“Your sweet spirit and playful energy make our family complete, and we are so blessed to have you in our lives.”
She tagged Vayu as her sunshine, music, little genius, and their endless “source of happiness”.
“We love you more than words can say, and we can’t wait to see all the amazing things you will continue to bring into our lives,” Sonam said.
–IANS
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