'If I can make smaller films that are successful, why would I make big ones? The choice is Shah Rukh's: Would he like to work in smaller films?' Director Kundan Shah, who passed away on October 7, had asked in an interview first published in July 2001.
Kundan Shah passed into the ages on October 7. We go on the sets of his 2002 film Dil Hai Tumhaara, and look back at the way the director made his movies.
'The stereotype of an actress is that she's dumb, somebody who will sit on your lap, giggle on stupid jokes, come to the van when she's being called, receive a call at 3am and come over to your house. So when a girl comes along and challenges this, people get uncomfortable.'
'Bollywood runs on the idea of age.' 'The moment you're single, even if you're 40, you're still appealing, you're still young.' 'The moment you're married, even if you're 25, it's uh huh. She's not sexy anymore.'
'I used to be humiliated.' 'If I would approach an actor, he would just say hello and then turn away.' 'That's when I understood the whole game of the industry.'
'People want to blacken my face for showing "leaders in a bad light".' 'People want to show loyalty to the party.' 'There's no end to it.' 'How many people should I show the film to?' 'Where do we draw the line?'
'There has been a lot of ups and downs, unexpected highs and unimaginable pain, almost thinking that I'm going to die.'
'Unfortunately, prostitution is looked down upon.' 'It should be legalised.' 'Imagine the sexual frustration in the country if it didn't exist!' Chunky Pandey tells Rediff.com's Ronjita Kulkarni how he bagged Begum Jaan and more.
'I never imagined I would be a father and complete my family without getting married.' 'I'm privileged that my parents supported me, a lot of people don't have that.'
'You have to be very equipped to even want to have children.' 'There are entrance exams for even MBAs ...and this is a life we're talking about.'
'My grandmother taking me to the jamatkhana was like a different world.' 'Like I had a key to a door which no one else seemed to have.' 'She doesn't take me anymore because she says I'm an embarrassment!'
'With Tanu Weds Manu, I discovered myself.'
'I just lucked out.' 'I got good roles. I was in the right phase, selected at the right time.' 'But I had no great ambition.' Suchitra Krishnamoorthy gives us a glimpse into her career.
The gorgeous Karan Kapoor will be back in India soon. Very soon!
'It's very expensive for a girl to become an actress. I remember I was nominated at all the award shows for Tanu Weds Manu, and conscientiously, like a new actress, I attended all of them and I was bankrupt by the end of it! I had to find a costume stylist, a hair stylist, a makeup stylist...!' Ronjita Kulkarni/Rediff.com gets inside Swara Bhaskar's mind.
Shanoo Sharma -- the woman responsible for launching the careers of Ranveer Singh, Arjun Kapoor, Vaani Kapoor, Bhumi Pednekar and Alia Bhatt among others -- tells Ronjita Kulkarni/Rediff.com what casting is all about.
'I still fight with my sister.' 'I still get scolded by my mom.' 'I still travel by autos sometimes.'
'I'm a rebel. I'm not easy.' 'Once a top actor wanted me to sing a song and a top music company was involved. They wanted changes in the song. I told them not to take pangas with me.'
'My kids have never seen my films. I'm too embarrassed to show them. When they come on television, my husband calls me over for a laugh but I just switch off the TV and run out of the room.' From actress to author, the glamorous Twinkle Khanna tells Ronjita Kulkarni/ Rediff.com who she really is.