Tabu to play Amitabh's love interest again

After doing "Cheeni Kum", a contemporary take on relationships, Amitabh Bachchan and Tabu are teaming up again for period film "The Legend Of Kunal".

The film, to be directed by Chandraprakash Dwivedi and produced by Amitabh's company AB Corp Ltd, has the Big B playing emperor Ashoka and Tabu his wife Tishyarakshitra.

This would be the first film Tabu is signing after R. Balki's "Cheeni Kum" last year.

"Tabu had not a moment's hesitation in saying yes to the role of emperor Ashoka's powerful wife Tishyarakshitra, so powerful she swayed the entire Mauryan empire with her politics and aura. We needed an actress with the strength of conviction," Dwivedi, who has earlier made period film "Pinjar", told IANS.

"History and its cinematic treatment demand the characters to be true to their antecedents. And emperor Ashoka, who is caught in his twilight years in my film, had to be played by Bachchan saab. Only he possesses the gravity, sobriety and personality along with being the age required.

"I wouldn't make Ashoka without him. As for Tabu, she plays his young, fiery, assertive wife. She's an actress I've wanted to work with for a very long time. Again, only she could play Tishyarakshitra," Diwedi said.

In addition, the film will star Arjun Rampal as emperor Ashoka's son Kunal. Amrita Rao will play his wife Kanchanmala.

"Again, I cast them because of their suitability rather than saleability," Dwivedi said.

"In fact, Amrita was recommended by Jaya Bachchan. Tabu and Amrita have many dramatic confrontation scenes together. I needed an actress who could hold her own against someone as powerful as Tabu. Amrita is delicate but strong," he added.

The director, who became a name to reckon with after directing the television epic "Chankaya", is determined not to make compromises with history or with his creativity in making "The Legend Of Kunal".

"It's a big responsibility, not only to history but also to Bachchan saab, who has never in his long and distinguished career played a historical character. Isn't that ironical? It's also a responsibility because after 'Cheeni Kum', audiences would want to see what has been done with the very unusual and striking pair of Bachchan saab and Tabu. I can't afford to slip up."

Dwivedi has just wrapped up the very complicated process of writing the "Upanishad" for the small screen, which his wife, the very talented Mandira will direct.

"I'm now devoting all my time to 'The Legend Of Kunal'. I'll be accompanying Bachchan saab to Bodh Gaya in Bihar, the birthplace of the Buddha, for a visit. My film deals with those years when the warrior Ashoka reforms into a saint. I need to get both Bachchan saab and myself into the mood."

Tabu: ‘Break’ing news!

Actor Tabu who last tasted success with Cheeni Kum, seems to have disappeared into oblivion.

Doing one film at a time, the actor is currently in the US on a holiday. Tabs, who has on her plate a movie titled Toh Baat Pakki , has taken a break from the shooting and gone on a 10-day vacation to the US.

She intends to let her hair down, relax and rejuvenate! Doing just one film here and there, life must be one big break for the lass, we’re sure. Then, why this urgent need to take time off we wonder? Is there more to her US breaks? Well, if there is, look out for a ‘news break’ of sorts!

Tabu goes Bindaas

Tabu was unavailable for Ravi Chopra’s film; was seen zipping around in Juhu with Upen Patel

Tabu seems to have a taken a leaf from co-star Govinda’s book on how to be unpunctual. On Monday, the actress didn’t turn up for the shoot of Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai nor did she inform director Ravi Chopra.

After waiting till 2 pm, frantic calls were made, but the actress remained unavailable.

However, the same evening, she was seen with Upen Patel (with whom she has been spotted in the past) zooming around in the by-lanes of Juhu.

Says a unit source, “The shoot was for a song featuring Tabu and Govinda. It was a 12-hour shift from 9 am.

Tabu’s secretary called to say that she was flying in from Hyderabad the same morning and would reach the sets straight from the airport.

Govinda arrived at noon. Raviji called her up several times but she took no heed. Later, Tabu’s secretary, too, didn’t have an clue about her whereabouts.”

The unitwalla adds, “The long wait made Govinda terribly upset and angry. He wanted to complete the shoot as he was leaving for Bangkok the next day for a long outdoor. As a result, Raviji had no choice but to shoot his portions which will then be put together with Tabu through chroma.”

Chopra, however, maintains, “Tabu was not supposed to shoot with us on Monday. We were to only can Govinda’s scenes. She arrived on the sets on Tuesday and we have been now shooting with her.”

Guess Tabu only pays heed to Upen’s calls.

Sonal Chawla

"The media should publish better pictures of me" - Tabu

Tabu on her Telugu film, the item number she would like to do, her desire to act as a waitress and reluctance to promote her films. No, she will not talk about her lunch with Uma Thurman.

You are back to your vanishing acts, avoiding the media and making minimal public appearances?
I'm bored of this question.

How was the lunch that Uma Thurman hosted for The Namesake cast in New York?
That lunch has been over-hyped. Ask Irrfan Khan.He'll give a more interesting answer.

So, is this going to be one of those interviews again?(Laughs) You tell me? Ok, let's start again, shall we?
After last year's double whammy of Cheeni Kum and The Namesake, you have signed a Telugu film Idi Sangati.

How do you explain that?
I can't sit at home and wait for something big to come my way. I had to choose from what was offered to me and Idi Sangati made sense. The director waited for two-and-a-half years to make the film with me. Also, it's a comedy-a genre I've wanted to do for a long time.

Isn't doing a regional film after The Namesake, which took you to a global audience, a bit unsettling?
I started out with Telugu films and shooting in Hyderabad suits me. Since I'm not a cosmopolitan city-bred girl, doing a regional film is not really a departure for me. I can relate to it. That's why I've signed another Telugu film, Panduranga, directed by my guru, K Raghavendra Rao. I'm really excited about it since I play a Devdasi-something I've never attempted before-in it. I didn't plan for this big project though. Like everything else, this too just fell in my lap.

So, you never plan?
Never. Planning doesn't suit my temperament. I act on instinct when I am offered a film.

What is your most important selection criterion for doing a film?
Personal comfort. I've become choosy about the people I work with.

Why are you so reluctant to promote your films?
I feel fake saying all those good things about a film. I can't do that unless I really believe in a film.

Which was the one film you really believed in and liked promoting?
(Thinks hard) Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities. I enjoyed doing every shot of the film. It was like a treat.Recently, there were reports of you doing Deepak Tijori's film in English, Zoya Akhtar's untitled project opposite Farhan Akhtar and Shoojit Sircar's Shoebite starring Amitabh Bachchan. But you have denied that you are working on these films.(Sighs) The directors and I were only in the process of talking about whether or not to do the films. I was never doing them. I hope to find better ways to deal with such reports. So far, the only way I've dealt with them is detaching myself from them so that they don't occupy my mindspace.To be honest, I'm unable to cope with the media's intrusion in our lives. I can't handle "who wore what, who ate what, who said what"kind of reportage. I tell myself to ignore it. Even denying such news would give it undeserved importance. I have just two requests. I wish the directors refrain from announcing that I am doing their film until I sign the contract and that the media publishes better pictures of me.

Fair enough. So what's the deal with this sensuous dance number that you've done in Idi Sangati?
(Shocked) Where did that come from? It's not even a dance. It's just a slow, sensuous song.

Ever want to do an item song?
Oh, yeah. Why not? It'll be great. There won't be any onus on me in that case. I'll go as a guest on the sets and have fun.

At the Star Screen awards, you said Amitabh Bachchan made you look good in Cheeni Kum. Do you really think so?
Of course. It was unusual for the two of us to be cast together, that too in a romance. If we were to do another film together, the script would have to suit both of us.

Do you feel bogged down by the heavy roles that filmmakers offer you?
That's the disadvantage of being stereotyped. On the one hand, it's good to have a type for yourself and then it's up to you to continue with it or not. If people feel I can do heavy and emotional roles well, then I must be convincing. But it has nothing to do with who I am as a person. Maybe, my face or appearance suits such roles. Physicality is the first thing a viewer notices while judging an actor's performance. But all this doesn't bog me down. I know I'll do a role only if I want to. Otherwise, I say no.

What is that one role that you really want to do?
A waitress in an American diner kind of setting. I like those characters.

Any plans of directing a film?
Maybe. I don't know. Not for the next five years though. If I have a story to tell or even one line that I want the audience to know, I'll do it.

Harneet Singh, The Indian Express

Rajinikanth to woo Tabu

In 2008, Rajinikanth will be seen in a new bilingual film titled Kuselan. The film is being made in Tamil and Telegu. Rajini’s co-actor in the Tamil version is Pasupathy. Jagapathi Babu will be his co-star for the Telugu version.

K Balchander is producing the film in Tamil. But the female leads are still to be finalised. Currently Tabu and Simran have been short-listed. . The final decision will be taken very soon as the film will go on the floors in February. The shoot is expected to be completed by June.

(With inputs from Galatta.com)

Tabu for Oscars ?

The Oscar fever for Mira Nair’s The Namesake has intensified.

With the event just three months away, Mira and her team are going all out to ensure the much-lauded film’s optimum visibility in LA. And the one nomination that the team is working the hardest for, is Tabu’s.

Regrettably, the stunning actress has entered the Best Supporting Actress category. Explained Mira,
"That’s because Tabu is part of a large ensemble film. But people are knocked out by the maturity of her performance, and they are stunned by her youth and beauty when they meet her. If there’s any justice in the award-getting world, she definitely stands a chance. Irrfan Khan’s nomination as the Best Supporting Actor in the Spirit Awards was a great boost. I also look forward to my writer Sooni Taraporewala being remembered at the Oscars."

Describing her campaign to get high-visibility for The Namesake among the Oscar jury, Mira said from New York, "Our distributor has been doing a modest campaign screening it for all the guilds, academy, etc. And the fact that our DVD released to smashing reviews, has maximised the film’s presence on the airwaves."

But Mira knows it’s an uphill task. "I also know what a battle it is to convince the gora public to vote for a non-gora film and our actors when they’re being inundated with millions of dollars in Oscar campaigns for the known stars there. After all, don’t forget that the Oscars were invented to celebrate Hollywood cinema, and that’s the way it will always be. Sure, some of us get through the radar but it’s essentially a crapshoot."

For the first time a film with a totally Indian theme is being considered in the mainstream categories for the Oscars. "Apun to bilkul desi hai, regardless of whether committees choose my film or not. I believe our distributor is pushing The Namesake in categories beyond Best Foreign Film, which is as it should be," added Mira.

TNN

No age bar in Bollywood

Shah Rukh Khan, 42, finds it hard to digest that his heroine, Deepika Padukone, who towered over him in Om Shanti Om, is a mere 21.

I’m double her age, but if I were to kiss her, I’d probably reach her stomach,” SRK joked on a television show, when asked about the age gap between them. And down south, Shriya Saran, 25, sizzled on the streets of France with a 58-year-old Rajnikanth in Sivaji. Earlier in the year, Amitabh Bachchan romanced a 34-year-old Tabu In Cheeni Kum and an even younger Jiah Khan in Nishabd — but in these cases, the stories themselves were May-December romances.

But with most of the reigning heroes in their 40s and a new crop of very young lead actresses arriving on the scene, pairings across age divides are a trend these days. “Older heroes have always romanced younger starlets in our films, but it has become more common now,” says Ashwin Naidu, assistant director of Cheeni Kum. “Stars like MGR, Shivaji and and N T Ramarao have always run around trees with girls half their age. And as long as an artiste is saleable, age doesn’t make a difference,” he says. Ashwin adds that the Indian hero never grows old. “Even if he’s 50 or 60, the audience will still accept him playing a 25-year-old college-goer. But I’m not sure if the same applies to heroines,” he says.

Filmmaker Indrajit Lankesh too had a 19-year-old Deepika romancing a 30-plus Upendra, in Aishwarya. “But I made Uppi look much younger by giving him a makeover and he looked a convincing 25. He played an ad executive in the film, so the look suited him — he had a goatee, ear stud and some really cool wristbands and chains. The pairing was a big hit,” says Indrajit. He agrees though that when a 40-year-old hero plays a college-goer, it does look silly. “But big stars like SRK, Rajnikant and Chiranjeevi get away with it because of mass appeal,” says the filmmaker.

“I don’t think it’s a big deal if you’re paired opposite a hero who’s older to you, because it’s all make believe anyway,” says Sivaji girl Shriya. “People shouldn’t confuse reel-life with real; it’s not like I’m romancing a 50-plus man off-screen,” she laughs. “Anyway, when I was doing Sivaji, I never felt awkward playing the love interest of Rajni sir. In fact, I felt lucky because I was getting to learn so much from him; his age was not a concern,” she adds.

Actress Priyanka Upendra, who debuted in Kannada in Kotigobba with a much older Vishnuvardhan, says “But I don’t think the age gap is an issue because most established stars are over 40,” she says. “Also, they don’t look their age because they’re fit and well-maintained. And fans who treat their heroes like gods will accept anything they do. Kotigobba ran for 100 days. Besides, I think fans might actually like to see their heroes romancing a younger heroine.”

Madhu Daihtota, TNN

Tabu for the Oscars ?

The Namesake has breathed a new life in Tabu’s diminishing career even as she now prepares to visit Hollywood.

There has been a lot of speculation, debate, and anger over the nominations of Oscar news.

But producer Ronnie Screwvala and Mira Nair have quietly been doing their rounds of screenings of their film, The Namesake for the Oscar jury members and have been aggressively promoting the film.

If the buzz and talk in international papers are to be believed then it looks like Tabu stands a very good chance to get nominated as best actor (female) in the main stream awards for her outstanding performance in the film.

The Namesake had also done very good business in the USA and had managed to impress both, the mainstream and NRI audience.

Let’s wait and watch how far and wide this film actually manages to travel. In the meantime, we are wondering what’s the news on Eklavya? Vidhu?

TNN

Tabu tours her inner world

On her birthday, the taciturn Tabu gets talking about rewards and relationships.

Hers is a face that mirrors life’s myriad moods. A prodigious cusp between the popular and parallel, brand Tabu adds deference to every project she embraces. While Mira Nair’s ‘Namesake’ has trotted to festivals, ‘Cheeni Kum’ with Amitabh Bachchan promises uncharted romance. On her birthday, the reticent Tabu tours her inner world.

Free spree: She’s delighted with this ‘liberating phase’ and says, “I’m looking forward to new possibilities. Considering the work I’ve done, the stakes are not many now. I feel empowered.” Ask her if she’s got her due and she counter questions, “Is it any less that I’ve reached this far? We (referring to sister-actor Farah) never aspired to be actors. From a middle-class family in Hyderabad, life for us began and ended in our haveli. So when I’m asked if I’ve got my due, it disrespects my achievements.”

She also dismisses her elusiveness explaining, “I’m not a genie in a bottle that people have to pull out and put back again. Since the past two years, I’ve been doing up my house in Hyderabad. It’s my second love after acting.”

No regrets : The actor, who resonates poignancy in her performances, welcomes the rites of passage. “I’d never trade what I have for anything, though I wish that few things hadn’t happened. The marks left behind haven’t always been great. But it takes something bad to learn something good,” she admits.

Reviewing love: The actor who has unplugged love in a million ways scrutinises its changing seasons. “Today love doesn’t mean what it meant 10 years ago. Then it meant staying together and saying ‘I love you’ all the time.” Stating that she hasn’t been in a relationship for a while, Tabu doesn’t negate its importance either. “We’re made in pairs. You’re meant to be with the opposite sex. But love today doesn’t mean remaining constantly troubled. It doesn’t have to be as dramatic as its cinematic concept.”

Mr Right: Quiz her on whether she misses a companion and she replies, “I’m not pining for a man. It’s not that I’ve been deprived of relationships.” Confessing that it’s difficult for her to change, Tabu ends, “If he’s not helping me grow, he shouldn’t be obstructing me either. My man should be someone who’s comfortable with himself.”