Sandy: Hai Priyanka......How was it to play a cancerian girl being one yourself? Priyanka Chopra: sandy...felt very special...felt like me

Niraj: Did you attend any acting courses etc or you learnt it on the job?
Priyanka Chopra: On the job Niraj....trial and error

mins94: hey ...how r u....saw u yesterday in Ahmedabad...u look awesome...but why didn't u do sum garba????Anyways i am followers on tweeter ...please keep replying to my tweets...do u have any other email accounts...like on yahoo ...if yes then please give...all the best !!!
Priyanka Chopra: I am also on Face book...don't know the garba yet...trying to learn.

Mo: \ hello priyanka i think u should make another film with Bipasha because u 2 are my favorite
Priyanka Chopra: mo....Thanks so much...will definitely try

Chetu: Hi Priyanka. Nice work done in kaminey. Tell me something about your character in What's your Raashee?
Priyanka Chopra: chetu...I play 12 characters...one girl of each Raashee.

Sharron: How was it working with Abhishek, Salman, Shahrukh, Hrithik, and Shahid?
Priyanka Chopra: All of them are very professional and nice people Sharron.

Mel_77: Hi Priyanka! Good to see U here! I've heard that you are playing the lead-role opposite Shahid Kapoor in his father's debut. Is that true?
Priyanka Chopra: No its not true Mel

Shweta: if ever u are offered more than 12 roles would u take up that challenge?
Priyanka Chopra : Shweta...always up for a challenge

Simran: priyanka, where do you see yourself in five years?
Priyanka Chopra: transitioning between movies and marriage.

Shweta: If u are offered a film with Aamir but the script is average would you still go for it?
Priyanka Chopra: Yes because I trust his instincts.

Mel_77: tell me something about 'What's your Raashee?'? Priyanka Chopra: its a story about a guy who meets 12 different girls and picks one to get married

Chetu: Which is ur fav character in WYR?
Priyanka Chopra: Chetu....Anjali...the Aries girl

Niraj: Did Aditya Chopra visit the shooting of 'Pyaar Impossible' often?
Priyanka Chopra: Niraj...not really

Iqbal: how was it working with Ashutosh?
Priyanka Chopra: Iqbal....Brilliant...he is one of the most brilliant minds I have ever come across.

Mel_77: tell me something about 'What's your Raashee?'?
Priyanka Chopra: its a story about a guy who meets 12 different girls and picks one to get married

aj_005: hey what will be ur next flick after WYR????
Priyanka Chopra: Pyaar Impossible

Meghan: Which is ur fav direactor..?
Priyanka Chopra: Meghna...I've worked with too many fantastic directors so its difficult for me to pick.

Vicky: hey Priyanka what's next? How confident are u for your upcoming flick 'Whats your Raashee?'?
Priyanka Chopra: Vicky....i am nervous

Kevin: Ashutosh Gowariker has worked with A R Rahman always in his film but not this time were u heart broken when u heard that Rahman is not part of this film?
Priyanka Chopra: kavin...well i felt that it was unfortunate because i really wanted to work with him but I think Sohail Sen has done a commendable job.

Tanveer: Which movie was the toughest for u in ur career?
Priyanka Chopra: Tanveer...What's your Raashee? for sure.

Kevin: animation movie in India do not work, why?
Priyanka Chopra: its just the beginning kavin....give it some time.

Kaveri: hi Priyanka, are you doing any other action flick after Don & Drona...??
Priyanka Chopra: Don 2 probably

AmitgopalSA: what are your future projects? When are you coming down to South Africa? Priyanka Chopra: not any time soon Amit...After Pyar Impossible its Anjaana Anjaani.

Prashant: Priyanka, are u friends with Preity Zinta?
Priyanka Chopra: Yes Prashant

Shweta: You're diplomatic yet not boring...thats great!
Priyanka Chopra: I like that compliment shweta

AmitgopalSA: what are your future projects? When are you coming down to South Africa?
Priyanka Chopra: not any time soon Amit...After Pyar Impossible its Anjaana Anjaani.

Hinna: Hi Priyanka, you are always so busy at public events from one show to the next, how do you manage to stay so active and on the go?
Priyanka Chopra: I still don't know henna

TANU: Can u tell me something about ur character as tauras inWYR?
Priyanka Chopra: Tanu....She is the daughter of a very rich cotton king and she tests the guy to see if he is good enough for her or not.

sweety12: is it true that u r thinking about getting a sports car? Which one?
Priyanka Chopra: I wish...Not at all sweety

st1888: what's your fitness regime??
Priyanka Chopra : Ha Ha HA...Pizza and Burgers.

Sahil: Hi Priyanka, who do you think is the best mainstream actress in Bollywood today? Feel free to name yourself
Priyanka Chopra: Sahil...I am not so pompous. I would say Kajol

Priyanka Chopra : Thank you very much for logging in such huge numbers...Its always fantastic to talk to you'll...Stay in touch with me through Twitter and Face book and let me know What's Your Raashee?

In case of What's Your Raashee, appreciation has been pretty universal

While your honesty and sincerity is quite visible in the film, it must have been quite challenging to bring in consistency since you had to feature in 12 different stories, isn't it?
Wow, you have picked up quite a few adjectives here! I am flattered (smiles). On a serious note though, instructions from Ashu sir were quite clear. I was required to be in a particular space and I pretty much stuck to that. Of course I don't wish to take away from my performance but a lot has to with the way the character was written. I pretty much stayed with its realms.

Some critics/reviews weren't as flattering though...
Yes, I did feel disheartened reading a few reviews about the film but then everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Even some of the most award winning performances have been panned when seen first. In that context, I am still beginning. It's ok because it only helps you reflect on that extra something that you could possibly bring along in your future outings. But if you ask me how I do I feel after What's Your Raashee? , I would say that I am very content. I am satisfied with my work and believe that I have successfully managed to hit a platform from where I can grow further.

Industry may throw in some conflicting comments, reviews could be mixed and audiences could be biased. However, a father would never lie, especially someone like Harry Baweja who has been the part of the industry for close to three decades and has seen and done it all. What did he have to say after watching your performance in What's Your Raashee? ?
[Pauses for a while before replying] He told me that now in my third film; I have managed to grope the technical aspect of cinema quite well. See, I have done a lot of theatre in the past. There you are in an open space and are not bound. You can be relatively relaxed in your body language. On the other hand while acting in a movie, you have to say dialogues, move around and then also be worried about the trolley placement. You keep wondering if you have been following the marks well or not and hence a little awkwardness does come in. You feel ki chalo shot de diya toh kaam ho gaya. Par aisa hona nahi chahiye. And something like this becomes easier and almost your second nature once you have acted in a few films. Dad told me that I have managed to do that well in What's Your Raashee? . He felt that I was much more relaxed and Ashu sir has pulled that awkwardness out of me.

Dad told me that I have managed to do that well in What's Your Raashee?. He felt that I was much more relaxed and Ashu sir has pulled that awkwardness out of me.

So, overall happy with the state of affairs?
Very happy [laughs]. The film is doing steady, family audiences are liking it and we are quite comfortable moving into the second week. There have been so many cases even earlier when family movies have moved from average to very good business in days to follow. I can pretty much foresee that happening for What's Your Raashee? too. My expectations from the film were to see a growth in me as an actor and have a good box office success too. While former is pretty much accomplished, things are looking positive for the latter as well.

Shailendra Singh, producer of the National Award-winning Kanchivaram, tears into starry hype and starry

Shailendra Singh

fees.

What brought you to Delhi?
My peace initiative in Kargil, of course, and my new venture in stand-up gigs. I’m expecting a return of Rs 10 crore on that, and I’m going to invest Rs 2-3 crore in the next three years. Stand-up comedy is serious business for me. It was four years ago too, when I recommended it to Star Plus, and they took it and made it into Laughter Challenge. I lost an opportunity with them, but it’s okay. I waited for that to mature and came back to the idea. This time, it’s in six languages – English, Punjabi, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi and Bengali. It’s simple, low on investment and a great product. People want uncomplicated entertainment, they don’t want to get confused. I think cinema is cheating them, they don’t want to spend 250 bucks and get a shit looking film.

Why is North India so interesting to producers now?
Bombay’s packed. There are nine press conferences in Bombay every day, with a Salman and a Shahid and an Asha Bhonsle standing there. The media there doesn’t even care now. Delhi doesn’t have celebs – you have politicians and fashion designers. So put ’em (actors) on a flight and take them to the city, and boom.
Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Lucknow – that is the future. UP is the largest player for Manmohan Singh, not just for you and me. It’s population-based – the consumer exists, it’s all about technology reaching them. The one thing I understand is the consumer. That’s why, in motion pictures, I’ve stuck to what I know best – content. It just reinforces my belief that in cinema, content is king. Packaging cannot rule. Bollywood had 300 releases this year, and 292 flops. Promos show songs – why? Where’s the story, where’s the dialogue promo?

So the consumer’s evolved to the point where they don’t want just ‘the song’?
Of course. It’s 250 bucks for a ticket, some cola, popcorn. What do you spend 10 dollars for? Timepass? Some average looking product? Value for money is going to get even sharper now. The North is huge – it has six states. And now, due to telephony and the media, the level of understanding has grown. The spending power was always there. People just didn’t know how to spend their money. Now, they’ve understood that it’s not about saving. Abhi ke liye jiyo, f*** tomorrow, man.

The food and beverages offtake in the North is huge, and its 65 per cent of the money. The interval has gone up from five minutes to 24 minutes, and they don’t play trailers in intervals now – so that people can go and eat.

The common belief is that since all you get is the first weekend, in ‘multiplex cinema’, you have to make a movie with stars to get the audiences.

I don’t think so. I think the star who has the most false packaging is Akshay Kumar. He’s my best friend, but I’m saying it on record. It was my biggest mistake – Jaaneman, with Akshay and Salman, got a 22 per cent opening. There was no reason for that. It was well-shot, great music, the works. The star doesn’t get the opening. The consumer has matured to the point where he knows what content he has an appetite for. Akshay doesn’t get an opening. Tasveer 8x10 was fine. I got a 12 per cent opening. Akshay doesn’t have a fan following. It’s all media-created. They can get written about, but they can’t get people to watch their films. After Kanchivaram’s success, I believe in content. Akshay without content is nothing, just hot air.

Has Kambakkht Ishq proved it?
Everything is proving it. He just surrounds himself with talent. When he succeeds, he says it’s him, when he doesn’t, he blames it on his support cast. His first movie with the ‘lucky’ Katrina didn’t run for a day. He doesn’t have the aura. Aamir has it, Shah Rukh has it, he doesn’t.

And Salman?
No. He’s lost his equity over the years. But he’s fun, he’s my best friend, I love him, and he’s in – he has a blast, he doesn’t care. I think his fans also believe in that, and they live his lifestyle more than his cinema.

Was Nagesh (Kukunoor) a factor in the failure of 8x10?
No. He’s making brilliant films for me... Aashayein, Yeh Honsla – and he was super in Dor, in Iqbal. He also has his space. But he also trusted Akshay. It’s happened before with another director – Madhur (Bhandarkar) made a film called Aan – Men At Work with Akshay. That flopped too. The media gives Akshay the license to remain A-list when the ROI (return on investment) doesn’t permit that. ‘

What do you think of Aamir and Shah Rukh’s films?
They make their mistakes too, but their success is greater than their mistakes. They don’t cheat the customer. Akshay is a buddy, he’ll kill me for this, but there it is.

There’s something called the right price. You have a cup of tea at a five-star for 400 bucks because of the ambient music and the surroundings, but the cup of tea is worth 40 bucks. Akshay is a good talent, but he has to know his price. You can’t charge 50 crores and not get an opening.

Priyadarshan (the director of Kanchivaram) has said on record that Shailendra Singh forced him to make the movie. He had this film for nine years and no producer backed it. But the corporatisation of Bollywood won’t last long if the prices are not right. On the past few weekends, Bollywood’s collectively lost Rs 350 crores. Aagey Se Right, ShortKut, Luck – even Kaminey, after being successful, is a loss for UTV. Ghajini is the most hyped movie of recent times – on the stock market, UTV showed a loss of Rs 9 crores on it.

On what do you blame this?
Hype. Aamir Khan! Ghajini! By the time Blue releases, it’ll be purple. The price is not right. Even George Clooney, when he charges a lot for a film, takes a stake in it. The whole unit of Kanchivaram did the film for free. They said, if you make money, you give it to us. And everybody’s benefitted. What does Akshay have? 1000 crores? He always says I don’t care for awards, but he’ll never get one. You can pull a bluff once, not 10 times. SRK is so candid about it – he’s said, a movie with me, if it crosses 40 crores, it’s going to go into a loss. He makes all his money from endorsements and dancing at weddings, cinema is for the creativity.

Is that why the big stars are all turning producers these days?
I think they’re being wise. Saif is being wise. George Clooney, Brad Pitt, everybody’s done it. Because you reach a point where you can’t cut you price any longer. You’re a superstar, you charge 20 crores, 30 crores, right? But every movie can’t afford that. Akshay hasn’t got this yet. When you want creativity to be at the helm, you must take a stake in the film, and not charge the cinema. Bollywood is the only business in the universe that has a 90 per cent failure rate and is still running.

By Taran Adarsh, September 15, 2009 - 08:11 IST

Karan Johar Karan Johar is deep-neck into WAKE UP SID, directed by his erstwhile assistant, Ayan Mukherji. Besides, the supremely talented film-maker is completing his talked-about biggie MY NAME IS KHAN; its penultimate schedule is currently in progress in Mumbai. Also, KURBAAN is slated for release before the end of the year. Plus, there's the animation version of KUCH KUCH HOTA HAI, the remake of AGNEEPATH, the sequel to DOSTANA, another project with Imran Khan and Sonam in principal roles and a few more projects. His plate is full…

Incidentally, the above-named projects are being directed by his assistants [except KURBAAN], who've been an integral part of Dharma Productions over the years.

"It's not possible to do everything yourself. Outsource, Delegate and Trust - that's my new mantra. Plus, I've decided against making films with established directors or known names. I want to nurture talent in Dharma and I would be glad if they attain success, branch out independently and produce movies themselves some day," Karan tells me.

Karan feels WAKE UP SID will herald the birth of an exceptional storyteller - Ayan Mukherji. "I think all of us have passed through the stage that Ranbir goes through in the film. The identification with his character and also the story are tremendous. Most importantly, Ayan has done a brilliant job. He has narrated the story with utmost sensitivity," Karan reveals.

The remake of AGNEEPATH, produced by his father, is another project that he's excited about. Is it true Hrithik Roshan will enact the role of Vijay Dinanath Chavan, the role immortalised by Bachchan Sr.? "Let me clarify a few things," Karan sets the record straight, "It's the present-day adaptation of AGNEEPATH. We're making changes in the script, in keeping with the current times. Also, the casting is not yet finalized."

Karan also denies that Ranbir Kapoor and Imran Khan will be included in the cast of DOSTANA 2. "I don't know how this rumour originated. The sequel to DOSTANA will also star Abhishek and John in principal roles. That won't change. But, of course, a few names would be included as and when the script is ready," Karan elucidates.