IN PASSING
Films all the way
SUCHITRA BEHAL
She’s not afraid of showing her age nor of being compared with past icons. But actor Sharmila Tagore refuses to believe that she ever went away from making films. “There is no comeback; I never left, not even after my children were born. It’s another matter that I do not want to work 24x7 or 365 days now. So I don’t really like the word ‘comeback’,” said Tagore discussing her new film.
While she balances films home and her work as censor board chief, Tagore, remains rooted in reality. She minces no words about a job that she feels is of utmost importance to her, the film fraternity and the viewing audience. “The censor board is not out to police people, but I definitely feel and would like all film posters and promotions to carry the right certification. That is important. There are certain films that cannot and should not be viewed by young children. After all they are not able to put the message of the film in the correct perspective because they are immature. That’s where the censor’s job is, after viewing the film to put the suggested certification.”
Reacting to son Saif’s choices of films and career moves, she said that Saif was grown up and needed to decide his career on his own. Meanwhile she remains the proud mother for both her kids giving them “enough space to grow”.
One step at a time
At 28, he is still blessed with cute chocolate boy looks. Actor Shahid Kapur grins when asked about the romance in his life. Easygoing to a fault, he answers, “Everyone except me is in a hurry to get me settled down with someone … anyone. But hey I’m only 28 and what the … it’s my life.” Kapur says he is unnerved by the current trend of price corrections. “I only demanded what I felt was right for me, I have a long way to go and prefer to take a step at a time. One has to be real about one’s performance and capability; I have time on my side so I’m not going to try and ask for more than what I think I deserve,” explaining why he did not sign multi-film deals or ask for huge price hikes. In the same breath he adds that he had given a lot of thought to advertising endorsements and come to the conclusion that they were necessary since “Visibility is important and I need to endorse only those brands and products that have credibility and complement my image.”
Testing new waters
Ekta Kapoor is known to speak her mind. So when questioned recently about employing only newbies for her telefilms, hinting that she was cutting costs, she shot back, “It’s great to work with newcomers who are really passionate about their work. All of them want to make it big on the small screen. Also I like working with people who are committed; like Ronit Roy. I know he is expensive and charges a lot; I do not have a problem with that because he is committed,” said Kapoor.
Known to be fanatic almost about her beliefs, Kapoor said that she does not “worry about what others think of her. Let people believe what they want to. But that does not mean that I am not connected with the real world. It’s just that I have my own set of values and I’d rather live by them.” Having pioneered the saas bahu era of TV, Kapoor is now venturing into new waters with her first-ever horror show. “It’s not a screamy kind of horror, but it’s more chilling stories, based on real life incidents from all over the country.” What the TRPs will show remains anybody’s guess for the time being.
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