Esha Gupta: audiences accept quirky movies

Plus, Southern star Malavika postpones movie comeback; Om Puri refuses payment for Suman’s debut film; Dungarpur bemoans state of film archiving in India.

Arjun Rampal and Esha Gupta star in Prakash Jha's Chakravyuh. IANS
Powered by automated translation

Esha Gupta: audiences accept quirky movies

The actress Esha Gupta says India's changing society means that audiences are now more open to unconventional films. "Bollywood has changed a lot – not because of the filmmakers but because of the audiences who have started accepting such movies," claims the 26-year-old former model. She says her new movie, Chakravyuh, in which she plays a tough police officer, is a good example. "Considering it's directed by Prakash Jha, I knew it would be a hard-hitting movie and I was prepared for that. It was a great opportunity for me," she says. As well as her movie roles, Gupta will also soon be appearing on the small screen to present the technology-based show Supercars on the National Geographic channel. * IANS

Malavika postpones movie comeback

The Southern actress Malavika says she will only return to acting if her comeback vehicle is a film with a social message. The 33-year-old star of Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films is currently taking a break to raise her two children. "I don't think I will return to acting in the near future because my children need all my attention," she says. "Besides, shooting means travelling to various outdoor -locations, which I'm not comfortable with because I don't want to leave my kids with someone else. But if I ever return to acting, I'd like to take part in a socially responsible, female-orientated film." * IANS

Om Puri refuses payment for Suman’s debut film

The legendary actor Om Puri has agreed to star in the TV personality Shekar Suman's first film – and has refused to be paid for his efforts. Heartfelt, Suman's directorial debut, is a tribute to his son Ayush, who died of heart disease in 1994 at the age of 11. "It is so generous of him. He said he'd do the film only on one condition – if I don't mention money," claims Suman. "He didn't even read the script. More than anything else, he is a good human being." Puri is known in the West for his roles in the British comedy East is East and Tom Hank's political thriller Charlie Wilson's War. * IANS

Dungarpur bemoans state of film archiving in India

The preservation of historically important Indian films is woefully inadequate, meaning future generations could miss out on watching them, said the documentarist Shivendra Dungarpur. As the Indian film industry prepares to celebrate its centenary next year, Dungarpur called for urgent measures to improve the archiving process. During a panel discussion at this week's Mumbai Film Festival, he pointed out that even one of the biggest Bollywood movies of all time, Sholay (1975), had not been properly archived. "When it comes to India, we have not yet moved forward. People are still unaware of the need for preservation," said Dungarpur, who chronicled the work of the film archivist P?K Nair in his documentary Celluloid Man. "We make more than 1,000 films a year and producers don't donate a single print to the archives." * IANS