Soha set for Harvard

Soha Ali Khan is on cloud nine. The actress has been specially invited by the acclaimed Harvard University to deliver a lecture on Hindi cinema in an interactive session titled Cinema – Then and Now.

What's making the Oxford grad's visit to Harvard even more special is the fact that her mother, Sharmila Tagore, would be joining her during the session. The event will also screen Soha's works like Khoya Khoya Chand, Rang De Basanti and Antarmahal.

She will pay tribute to icons of Hindi cinema like Madhubala, Meena Kumari, Waheeda Rehman and her mother Sharmila Tagore in her lecture. "I'm quite excited and tense about my Harvard visit," says an excited Soha. "I have never really delivered a lecture on cinema before and I will be in front of the most academic followers of Indian films there. It's a really humbling experience that I have been chosen by them to speak about Indian cinema and that my films are also being screened."

About her lecture, Soha discloses, "I have done a thorough research of the cinema we have created over the ages. I have a pretty huge period to cover in my lecture, but I will touch upon landmark films, directors and actors who have made huge contributions in shaping up cinema as it is today. I will specially talk about how Meena Kumari, Madhubala and Waheeda Rehman and also my mom helped Indian cinema to shape up as it stands today."

She adds, "I will also talk about the actors and the directors (both commercial and art-house genre). Though commercial films might be called brainless films, they are films that the masses like and thus cannot be ignored at all. "

Every project is a first: Soha Ali Khan

She hasn't been seen on the big screen since the 2009 release Tum Mile, but that doesn't mean Soha Ali Khan has taken a cinematic hiatus. 

Her last release was supposed to be Tera Kya Hoga Johnny, which has been delayed for more than a year. However, she's been keeping herself busy shooting for films in "a whole gamut of genres" that she hopes will all release this year. Her next film, Life Goes On..., is very much a family affair and not just because it's a family drama. "This is the first time I've worked with my mother ( Sharmila Tagore) and perhaps the only time I'll work with her because she keeps threatening to retire. But I don't take her seriously in that regard," Soha tells TOI.

The film, which is set in London and is about how an Indian family comes to terms with the loss of the mother (played by Sharmila), will see Soha play a character very much like herself. "It's just me with a British accent. Of course, the fact that my mother plays my mother makes it all the more real. My character, who's the youngest of three siblings, is also someone who has been very protected and molly-coddled by her father and who's always keen to make her parents proud. She's very much like me — I have a big desire to make my father proud and it's crippling to me to disappoint him," explains Soha.

Right now, Soha's working on Soundtrack, which is the remake of the 2004 film It's All Gone Pete Tong about a DJ who goes deaf. "I play the girl in his life who's born deaf. It was quite challenging for me to learn how to play a role like that. I had to learn sign language and work on the speech a little bit because there will be a speech impediment," she says. There's also Chemistry, her first comedy, and Accident, her first horror film. When told that it seems to be a year of firsts for her, Soha says, "That's what excites me about cinema — getting a chance to try out new things. Every project is a first."

Unlike her contemporaries, Soha doesn't seem to have joined the rat race to be Bollywood's numero uno heroine. She also hasn't shied away from talking about her relationship with Kunal Khemu on the pretext that it would detract from her career. "I haven't experienced that yet. Obviously, there is an interest in your life. People like to know about it and read about it. They can also get ahead of themselves and ask when you're getting married; if you're married they want to know when you're getting divorced. But once it's out there, there's no scoop. So there's nothing interesting to talk about other than whether you're in a fight or secretly married. But people have the right to ask and you have the right to say 'no comment'," she says as a matter of fact.

While she is candid about her personal life, the one thing Soha won't discuss is her role in Winds of Change, the film adaptation of Salman Rushdie's Booker Prize-winning Midnight's Children. "I'll get into huge trouble if I do," she laughs, adding, "All I can say is that I'm in it and very excited. I think I'll be allowed to talk about it soon."

Why get so excited about Hollywood, asks Sharmila Tagore (Interview)

New Delhi, March 6 – Bollywood veteran Sharmila Tagore, who plays a key role in the British movie ‘Life Goes On’ by an Indian- origin filmmaker, says she can’t understand why Indian actors clamour for Hollywood. She believes the focus should be on being at par with the international film industry instead of merely being a part of it. 

‘We have got a very supportive Indian diaspora. As long as we get good and meaty roles abroad where we are at par with international actors, it’s fine. Otherwise, what’s wrong with our own industry which is doing well?’ Sharmila, who is the Indian censor board chief, told IANS.

‘Indian actors are getting a lot of international recognition anyway…Of course, I understand actors want to broaden their horizon, but I don’t know why we get so excited about Hollywood,’ she added.

The 64-year-old, who has over five decades of experience in the Indian film industry, acknowledges that some Indian actors have definitely made a mark internationally.

‘ ‘Namesake’ was a fantastic film – Irrfan (Khan) did a wonderful job. Of course, Mira Nair is not 100 percent international, but take Kabir Bedi’s example. His work in ‘Sandokan’ (Italian-German-French TV series) was a big success and he was quite a well-known name in Italy for many years.

‘Even (composer) A.R. Rahman is at par with any other music director in the international space now. It is high time we answered ourselves – is our aim to work in the international arena or in our language?’ she said.

Sharmila, who made it big in Bollywood with films like ‘Kashmir Ki Kali’, ‘An Evening In Paris’ and ‘Chupke Chupke’, will soon be seen in filmmaker Sangeeta Dutta’s ‘Life Goes On’, which will release in Britain March 11 and in India March 25.

The London-based movie explores the relations between a grief-stricken father, played by acclaimed actor Girish Karnad, and his three daughters, after the death of their mother Manju, essayed by Sharmila.

The actress, who has played a mother on screen umpteen times in films like ‘Viruddh’ and more recently in ‘Break Ke Baad’, says nothing is extraordinarily different about her role in ‘Life Goes On’.

‘Manju is a mother’s role – she has children and she connects very well with them. But you know, every family is different – your grief, the way you cry, my grief, the way I cry….every individual is different. So the treatment of the film and the way it has been handled, is different; the role isn’t different,’ she said.

The movie marks the first-time pairing of Sharmila and her daughter Soha, who plays the youngest child in ‘Life Goes On’, and Sharmila says she enjoyed every bit of it.

Sharmila, especially, loved the optimum utilisation of time and professionalism on the sets of the film.

‘We managed to pack in a lot of work in very little time. Nobody was late, everything was clocked. The cast and crew used to eat something before starting work, and worked five hours at a stretch. It was unlike here, where we start at 12 p.m. and then break for lunch at 1.30 p.m. So I really liked that about working on this film.’

However, she admits the work culture in Bollywood has improved by leaps and bounds.

‘Indian cinema has also become pretty good. When we worked on ‘Break Ke Baad’, it was quite professional. If Imran (Khan) and Deepika (Padukone) were told to get ready with make-up at 5 a.m., they used to make sure they are ready by 5 a.m.

‘Now nobody comes late on the sets – things are very organised. It’s just that we don’t have the five hours non-stop work culture yet. I found it a good thing. Other than that, the work culture is pretty much the same except…it’s just that they are a little quieter and we talk a bit more. Indians are a little more talkative, isn’t it!’ she quipped.

(Radhika Bhirani can be contacted at radhika.b@ians.in) 

IANS

Soha-Sharmila together on screen!

"Both Sharmila Tagore and Soha Ali Khan have been approached by a lot of film directors to come together on screen as mother and daughter, but they never agreed as they were not convinced about the script," says director Sangeeta Dutta,

She has accomplished the feat of getting the mother-daughter duo Sharmila Tagore and Soha Ali Khan together for the first time in her debut movie titled Life Goes On.

According to Sangeeta, it was the script and tight screenplay that sealed the deal. "What they really appreciated was the bonding between the mother and the daughter that comes naturally in the movie. It wasn't forced, and that's what both of them liked," Sangeeta tells us about the film.

And how was it working with both Sharmila and Soha? "Well, they both are great actors, but Sharmila is a legend. She has been there for so many years and has worked with the likes of Satyajit Ray, Shyam Benegal and others. She raises the bar with every movie. She is a perfectionist," Sangeeta says, adding, "Sharmila would get involved in the preparations from the core – be it costumes, dialogues, make-up – she wanted everything to be perfect. Soha is a natural. She brought the fun element on the sets."

Though complimenting Soha's acting prowess, Sangeeta says that Soha was terrified to work with her mother. "As an actor Soha is very relaxed, but on day one of the shoot, she was absolutely terrified. You see, Sharmila as an actor has tall demands, and one has to work hard to match up to her charm and charisma. But Soha sailed through and I'm sure the audience would appreciate her dedication and hard work in the movie," she says.

What after Life Goes On? "I'm working on a script, and it would definitely be a more ambitious project. The story would talk about a woman's journey — her journey from India to abroad and then back to India. It would be more on the lines of a biopic," shares Sangeeta. Does she have a lead actress in mind? "I would ideally want somebody of Vidya Balan's calibre to do that role. Though I haven't spoken to her or any star as yet," Sangeeta concludes.

Censor's teen rating: 15 plus

A new category of film certification, to be called 15-plus (15+) is likely to be introduced for movies in India.

This was indicated by Sharmila Tagore, the chairperson of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) recently. "I think the CBFC should have a new category, a 15 plus category, between U/A and A, because there is a huge difference between a 12 and a 15 year old. The bill for the change is yet to be tabled in the Parliament but I think most producers will be happy with the development," said Tagore. Currently, movies in India are certified under four categories – U, U/A, A and S. Filmmakers like Prakash Jha, Sudhir Mishra and Madhur Bhandarkar have not been happy with the certification of their movies in the recent past, but Tagore, who took over as CBFC chairperson in 2004, says the Board has been trying to match the changing times with a liberal approach. "I cannot deny that the Board has become liberal during my tenure. The audience has matured over the years and so has cinema," said Tagore.

The Board has passed controversial movies like "Omkara", "Kaminey", "Ishqiya" and "No One Killed Jessica" without any cuts, although with an 'A' certificate. Tagore said she is not in favour of cuts as deleting scenes destroys the film. "We're trying to do with just certification. But sometimes the producers come to us saying that they do not want an 'A' certificate. "For example, if the producers of 'No One Killed Jessica' would've asked for a U/A certificate, we'd have had to cut the abusive language and Rani Mukerji's character'd have been destroyed," says Tagore. But she does not agree with filmmakers who question the need of a regulatory body. Tagore says it is important to maintain a standard for cinema in India, where sensibilities differ regionwise. "Self-regulation is the best policy but it's due to the absence of one cohesive film body that the CBFC does the part. In other democracies like the US and the UK, film bodies ban films and order cuts, though theirs is a much more mature society," she said. PTI