[ItzToday.com] Slumdog Millionaire star Freida Pinto feels bollywood doesn't treat women like dolls

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• Slumdog Millionaire star Freida Pinto feels bollywood doesn't treat women like dolls
• 'Tera Kya Hoga Johnny' not an answer to 'Slumdog Millionaire': Sudhir Mishra
• Vivek Oberoi's cousin Akshay Oberoi to debut with 'Isi Life Mein'
• Katy Perry would put babies before career
• Emraan Hashmi didn't want to do 'Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji' initially

Slumdog Millionaire star Freida Pinto feels bollywood doesn't treat women like dolls Posted: 29 Nov 2010 02:46 AM PST Indian actress Freida Pinto, who made it to Hollywood after the Oscar winning "Slumdog Millionaire", says women are not treated like dolls in Bollywood and she is certainly game for a Hindi movie if a good one comes along. "Women are not treated like dolls in Bollywood," Freida said addressing a press conference on the sidelines of the 41st International Film Festival of India (IFFI), where her film "You Will Meet a Tall, Dark Stranger" directed by Woody Allen, is being screened. Freida also accused the media of sensationalising her comments on Bollywood. "I never said I don't want to be in Bollywood... Bollywood is like a big celebration. It is wrong to say Bollywood treats women like dolls," Freida said, when a reporter asked her to clarify her statement to the media earlier, where she had allegedly said she wanted to avoid roles in masala movies and Bollywood films per se. "The media picks and chooses what people say. There are slots in newspaper which they need to fill with sensation. You put people like us in a tough position," said Pinto. Claiming that "Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge" and "Sholay" remained her favourite films, Pinto said she was certainly game for a Bollywood role if one came by and if it was good enough. She also chided the media for equating Bollywood to Indian cinema. "Bollywood is a part of Indian cinema. There are other alternative cinemas in India too," Freida said. She has also had enough of big budget films - "Slumdog Millionaire" and the Woody Allen venture - for the moment and now wants to do "realistic cinema" for a change. "A film has to satisfy you. I don't want to do that kind of a film again right now. After two big budget films, I am looking at doing more realistic cinema," Freida said. She said names in cinema like Stephen Spielberg were not a big draw for her and that she would love to work even with debutants who were making films on interesting subjects.

'Tera Kya Hoga Johnny' not an answer to 'Slumdog Millionaire': Sudhir Mishra Posted: 29 Nov 2010 02:37 AM PST Sudhir Mishra's much-delayed project "Tera Kya Hoga Johnny" will finally hit the screens Dec 17, but the director has brushed aside comparisons with the Oscar-winning sensation "Slumdog Millionaire" and says his film is an insider's tribute to Mumbai. "This is an insider making a film. I belong to Mumbai, I live here. So there are a lot of things I take for granted (when it comes to the city and its influence in the movie). And I like 'Slumdog', but I didn't make 'Tera Kya Hoga Johnny' as an answer to that," Mishra told IANS in a telephonic interview from Mumbai. "However, it could be called an answer too, as some people who saw it in London said so directly," he added. "Tera Kya Hoga..." was shown as a work in progress at the London Film Festival and has been awaiting release since 2008. Negating the "Slumdog" comparisons, Mishra, however, asserted that the movie is an ode to the maximum city. "It is the story of hope, ambition and life of an unfortunate 16-year-old boy Johnny, who lives on the streets of Mumbai and sells coffee. The story is about how he pins his hope on another man (Neil Nitin Mukesh) and how it eventually turns out to be a thriller, seen through his eyes and a mysterious character," said the National Award winner. "It is a story of resilience of all sorts of people who are trying to rewrite the screenplay of their lives. Mumbai is one of the cities in India that offers one a chance to do so and lets one be what one wants to be. It is a tribute to the maximum city," he added. The fascination of Mishra, co-writer of Bollywood's cult classic "Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron", with Mumbai is not new. He has earlier explored the city through movies like "Dharavi", "Is Raat Ki Subah Nahi" and "Chameli". "I have a fascination for the city. I adore it and love it. I have an affection for that place. You can smell it in my work. I have always made films that revolve around Mumbai and its spirit," he said. Set at a time when the city's officialdom is busy turning it into another Shanghai, "Tera Kya Hoga..." stars debutant Sikandar Agarwal in the lead. Neil, Soha Ali Khan, Karan Nath, Kay Kay Menon and Shahana Goswami have pivotal roles. It also stars filmmakers Anurag Kashyap and Aditya Bhattacharya. So what led to the long delay in its release? "There were some issues... nothing to do with the film per se but with money, etc. It's all over now," said the director, whose last outing was "Khoya Khoya Chand" in 2007. Major chunks of "Tera Kya Hoga Jhonny" were also leaked on YouTube. Asked if it will mar the commercial viability of the venture, Mishra said: "Not at all. It will in fact serve as a good promotional platform for the movie and help it. It will work as a kind of trailer." "The version that people earlier saw was an older rough cut that went to a film festival as a work in progress. That's it. But it is now a brand new film with brand new music, some additional new footage and some scenes that have been reshot. It is now an absolutely fresh film," he added. The new cut of "Tera Kya Hoga Johnny" will also traverse the festival circuit. "The real 'Johnny' will now go to film festivals after the release. We want to release it in Mumbai and the rest of India first. The main purpose of the film is to engage the Indian audience and then the real cut will go to festivals post-that," he said. Mishra doesn't rule out the possibilities of a sequel too. "Yes, if the script works out, then we will definitely try out a sequel as the ending is such that it can be taken forward," he said. His future projects include "Yeh Saali Zindagi", "Dhruv" and "Hitman".

Vivek Oberoi's cousin Akshay Oberoi to debut with 'Isi Life Mein' Posted: 29 Nov 2010 02:30 AM PST Newbie Akshay Oberoi, who is making his debut with Rajshri Productions' "Isi Life Mein", has a filmy link, his actor cousin Vivek Oberoi, but he clarifies that he got into the industry on his own and did not take any tips from his relative. "Vivek is my uncle's son. While growing up, we were both travelling and were at different places and so couldn't spend too much time together. So unfortunately the relation is not such that I ask him for any tips," Akshay told IANS. "I'm sure if I had asked for his advice, he would have given me some excellent tips. But we don't share such a bond that I would have approached him, as there is not too much interaction," said the youngster. If "Isi Life Mein" is Akshay's launch pad, it also marks the debut of Vidhi Kasliwal, niece of filmmaker Sooraj Barjatya, as a director. In the film, Akshay plays college student Vivaan. He says: "My role is of a very hardworking and passionate guy who loves theatre. He is someone who believes that one should achieve one's dreams in this life itself and that one should not stop wanting them even if society tells you to do so or your parents ask you to do it." Drawing similarities between him and his character, he said: "The character is very similar to the real me, so I really relate to him. In college I was in theatre. I also have the same ideologies in real life. The only difference is that in the film this guy has a temper, but I'm not like that." Akshay, who has done his Bachelors in theatre from Johns Hopkins University, Maryland, went to Los Angeles to study theatre at the Stella Adler Conservatory. He has also studied theatre under Hollywood actors - John Astin and Sean Astin from "Lord of the Rings". In spite of being a qualified theatre person, Akshay was always clear that his ultimate destination is Hindi films. "My dream has always been films. Although I love theatre I wanted to be in films because I am a great fan of Hindi cinema. But I realised very early that a right training ground for an actor is theatre. It gives you the technical skill of being an actor. It makes you understand emotions and I feel that I made the right choice by taking this path." Despite his background, Akshay had to struggle for almost two years before being discovered by the Barjatyas. "It's a dream coming true that Sooraj-ji is launching me. He is so humble and taught me so much. He wasn't always on the sets because he wanted Vidhi to take charge. But he was a driving force for all of us. He never made me feel like a newcomer," he said. Akshay and Vidhi are not the only newcomers in the film. The female lead, Sandeepa Dhar, and many others from the supporting cast too faced the camera for the first time. Akshay feels the fact that the film is swamped with new faces doesn't go against them. "I was actually excited that I'll be working with so many newcomers. Since we all are new, we bring a new energy to the film. We have no baggage attached. We all wanted to go out there and do our best. The only thing lacking was experience and that will obviously come with time. So I don't think that it is a negative thing for us," he said. "I had a belief in the banner, the script, the director. Also, all of us are confident and believe in our talent."

Katy Perry would put babies before career Posted: 29 Nov 2010 02:16 AM PST Singer Katy Perry is not yet ready to have children but says that when she does, her career will have to be fitted in around her family life. The pop star wants to focus on her family when she and husband Russell Brand - who she wed in India in October - decide to have a baby and she insists she will fit her career around her responsibilities as a parent, reports femalefirsrt.co.uk. "My singing is really important to me, but when children come along they'll be my main focus. I'd never put my career in front of my babies - it'd be a case of fitting jobs around them," she said. Although the 26-year-old singer has been thinking about having a baby, she insists it could be years before she and her spouse start a family, though she admits she would like more than one child. "Look, any couple in a serious relationship has that talk about babies, but we haven't decided when. Russell wants lots of children and I think there's something amazing about tons of kids running around. We probably won't have the talk again for a few years - it's important to enjoy each other before having babies," she said.

Emraan Hashmi didn't want to do 'Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji' initially Posted: 29 Nov 2010 02:49 AM PST Emraan Hashmi, who is making his maiden foray into comedy with Madhur Bhandarkar's directorial venture "Dil Toh Bachchan Hai Ji", says he was initially sceptical about taking up the role. "I was initially sceptical about the film. But Madhur (Bhandarkar) has brought in a certain amount of realism even in this genre and that made the film very interesting. So then I was keen," Emraan told IANS. In the film, which is slated to hit screens Jan 28, Emraan will be seen essaying the role of a flirt who mantra in life is women and money. "The character that I play in this film is not very different from my previous roles but the genre is different. Generally I have played intense, brooding characters, but in this film my character has grey shades with a humorous streak," said the 31-year-old. Helmed by Bhandarkar, "Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji", is the story of three men and their encounters with love. Apart from Emran, the cast includes Ajay Devgn, Omi Vaidya, Shruti Hassan, Shraddha Das and Shahzan Padamsee. The tagline of the film says that men can never grow. When asked Emraan about his opinion on the same, he said: "This is an apt tagline for the film and I completely believe in it. I feel that men usually don't grow up. Women are more matured. Even when men are 30-35, they are still immature." The actor is known for his roles in "Murder", "Jannat", "Gangster - A Love Story" and "Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai". Doesn't his onscreen image ever bother him? "All actors have images. You have do the roles that are given to you and sometimes your onscreen image bleeds into your personal life and people start believing that you are that way in your real life as well. But I'm okay with that because roles are roles and people close to me know how I am in reality," said actor.

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