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‘After Saiyaara, Ahaan Panday will be known as a lover': Director Mohit Suri says it's ‘amazing how things have fallen into place for the new boy'

‘After Saiyaara, Ahaan Panday will be known as a lover': Director Mohit Suri says it's ‘amazing how things have fallen into place for the new boy'

Indian Express7 days ago
Mohit Suri's romantic film Saiyaara has now earned Rs 83 crore over its opening weekend. It's the biggest opening for a Hindi film with newcomers ever. Suri is also glad that it's worked out well not only for him, but also the film's lead cast, newcomers Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda.
'It's amazing how things have fallen into place for a new boy,' said Suri in the latest edition of Creator X Creator edition on SCREEN. He also credited longtime collaborator and music composer Mithoon for coming up with the apt introduction song for Panday in the form of Dhun, sung by Arijit Singh.
'I couldn't have asked for a better song to introduce a new boy into this world. He's going to be known as a lover even when he had nothing! It's got a lot to do with the song you gave for the situation,' said Suri in an intimate conversation with Mithoon.
Suri and Mithoon have collaborated for 20 years now, and delivered hits like Woh Lamhe Woh Baatein in Aksar (2005), Aadat in Kalyug (2005), Phir Mohabbat Karne Chala Hai Tu in Murder 2 (2011), Tum Hi Ho in Aashiqui 2 (2013), Humdard in Ek Villain (2014), Main Phir Bhi Tumko Chahunga in Half Girlfriend (2017), and most recently, Dhun in Saiyaara.
ALSO READ | Karan Johar slams troll for calling him 'nepo baby ka daijaan' after he praises Ahaan Panday's Saiyaara: 'Khud kuch kaam kar'
'It's like life's come a full circle after 20 years. We're still here, and we're still working with newcomers. If Aashiqui was the midpoint, we were working with newcomers even then, and we're working with newcomers even now,' pointed out Suri. He recalled telling 'the great' Tabu that it feels like he's been on this treadmill, in the sense that he's constantly running, but isn't going ahead. 'But you're so much fitter today,' she said in response.
'Sometimes, I miss the innocence of when we started off in 2005, when we didn't know anything,' said Suri, adding, 'When we started this film (Saiyaara), I always wanted to go back to the core of how we did things. In a pure way, there's no trapping, there's no big actor, there's no controlled way of making a film, but have a lot of heart and love in the way we made it.'
Saiyaara, produced by Akshaye Widhani, and backed by Aditya Chopra's Yash Raj Films, revolves around the turbulent relationship of a budding singer and a lyricist.
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When Dhanush revealed Aanand L Rai put in his own money to hire him for Raanjhanaa: ‘They didn't have the right kind of budget for me'
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Is Dulquer Salmaan doing something astonishingly right in Telugu that he can't seem to replicate in Malayalam?
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Indian Express

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  • Indian Express

Is Dulquer Salmaan doing something astonishingly right in Telugu that he can't seem to replicate in Malayalam?

There was a time when Dulquer Salmaan soared higher than any of his contemporaries in Malayalam. Almost anything and everything he touched turned into gold. Even when he stumbled once in a while, Dulquer bounced back with stellar force, repositioning himself at one of the top spots pretty soon. However, that hasn't been the case for the past few years. I am not insinuating that he has completely lost his fan base, clout or even suggesting that he has lost his touch. But a series of poor decisions and misjudgments have indeed taken a toll on his base in Malayalam, which, once lost, is not easy to regain, considering that the audiences are quite fastidious and pernickety. As he's the son of Mammootty, one of the biggest stars in Malayalam cinema history, there's nothing wrong with describing Dulquer Salmaan as 'one of the biggest nepo kids in the industry'. While outsiders with no godfathers or any prior connection to the show business have to toil endlessly to even land roles that get their faces registered in the minds of audiences, Dulquer undoubtedly benefited from his father's legacy to receive a debut film. And much like most other nepo babies, he received the lead role in his first film. However, what set him apart was the kind of movie and role he chose to commence his journey with. Director Srinath Rajendran's Second Show (2012) was not just a unique noir gangster film, but it leaned significantly towards the emerging aesthetics and narrative style of that era, characterised by the unfiltered portrayal of grey in both people and society at large. Revolving around a group of young perpetual-troublemakers who eventually get involved in organised crimes, Dulquer played a character, Lalu, who wasn't noble and pure-hearted, nor instantly likeable in the movie. In a way, Lalu can be called the anti-hero of Second Show. But since the film did not feature any virtuous characters and it was a story of raw, unpolished people, among them, Lalu was the lesser evil. Although the movie became a hit and Dulquer's performance opened to widespread acclaim, the risk he took here cannot be overlooked. Take the case of Bollywood nepo kids like Agastya Nanda, Khushi Kapoor, Suhana Khan, Ibrahim Ali Khan, Aaman Devgan, Rasha Thadani or even the latest sensation Ahaan Panday of Saiyaara, who made their debut in recent years. Not just that they were projected as stars or sure-shot stars even before their debuts, through massive PR stunts, they all played in their respective first outings characters that were carefully sutured to make people instantly develop an affinity towards them. Whether these efforts yielded positive results for all of them or if these actors' performances matched the monstrous levels of hype they received is a different topic altogether. But a closer look at the characters they all played would lay bare the master plan. The same can be said about the major nepo kids of Dulquer's generation in Malayalam as well. From Fahadh Faasil and Prithviraj Sukumaran to Pranav Mohanlal, Kalidas Jayaram, Kalyani Priyadarshan and Vineeth Sreenivisan, most of them made their acting debuts playing good-natured characters, with the only exceptions being Indrajith Sukumaran and, to some extent, Keerthy Suresh. But Dulquer took on a character, if not executed properly, could make people loathe him completely. And considering that Second Show was Srinath Rajendran's directorial debut as well, the risk was even greater. Nonetheless, all of them emerged with flying colours. Subsequently, Dulquer kept delivering bangers after bangers, mostly playing characters that were tailor-made for him in movies like Ustad Hotel, ABCD: American-Born Confused Desi, 5 Sundarikal and Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi. When he attempted to break out of his comfort zone and try his hand at something new in Theevram, it didn't get much reception from people, although his efforts didn't go unnoticed. Despite facing setbacks with movies like Pattam Pole, Salalah Mobiles, Samsaaram Arogyathinu Haanikaram/Vaayai Moodi Pesavum and Njaan, he took no time in making a comeback with Bangalore Days, Vikramadithyan, 100 Days of Love, Charlie and Kammatipaadam. Meanwhile, he also won over the hearts of Tamil audiences with his striking performance in Mani Ratnam's OK Kanmani, where his breathtaking chemistry with Nithya Menen received the most appreciation. With Jomonte Suvisheshangal, Comrade in America, Parava (where he played an extended cameo) turning out to be massive box-office successes, Dulquer cemented his position in the industry. But that was 2017. Since then, Dulquer's Malayalam career has been a rollercoaster ride. 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There too, he received an enviable debut, playing Gemini Ganesan in Nag Ashwin's biographical drama Mahanati. Delivering an extraordinary performance and that too as a yesteryear star, he quickly won over the audience's hearts. Hanu Raghavapudi's period romantic drama Sita Ramam was just what he needed after that to take him to lofty heights. With the movie capitalising fully on both his charm and cuteness, and his mesmerising on-screen chemistry with co-actors, particularly women, it gave him the sort of push that his Malayalam movies weren't offering him. Considering that Dulquer had more arrows in his quiver than most of his Telugu peers — many of whom were also more fixated on larger-than-life mass entertainers — DQ was quickly crowned their heartthrob by Telugu audiences, who had been desperately searching for one. Unlike in Malayalam, where he struggled amid actors who were arguably far more talented, and burdened by his own ambitions fueled by the excessive expectations of his fans, DQ cherry-picked the best of the guy-next-door roles in Telugu and experimented with them whenever possible. In Venky Atluri's Lucky Baskhar (2024), he found the best mix of both, and Dulquer managed to bring out his A-game effortlessly, contributing to the period crime film's massive success. The reception that his cameo appearance in Kalki 2898 AD received in the Telugu market, and the disappointment of the audience over his role being too small, further underscored the space DQ has managed to carve in the hearts of Telugus. A post shared by Dulquer Salmaan (@dqsalmaan) Interestingly, his performance in Lucky Baskhar also earned him the Special Jury Award at the Gaddar Telangana State Film Awards, presented by the state government to recognise excellence in Telugu cinema. Later, he met with Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy in Hyderabad to express his gratitude for the honour. As a result of all these, despite his next outing, Aakasam Lo Oka Tara, being only in its pre-production stage at the moment, expectations are high among the audience already. For an actor with a massive fan base in his home turf, staying away from it for so long — especially after delivering a major disappointment — is no small move. It remains to be seen whether this has affected his box office pull. For that, we will have to wait for Dulquer's next, RDX director Nahas Hidhayath's I'm Game, to find out. Nonetheless, if he manages to replicate in Malayalam what he's been doing right in Telugu, DQ's journey back to the top may not take long.

Sarzameen: Ibrahim Ali Khan's terrible film accidentally gets you to root for a terrorist to kill an Indian soldier, and you can't even deny it
Sarzameen: Ibrahim Ali Khan's terrible film accidentally gets you to root for a terrorist to kill an Indian soldier, and you can't even deny it

Indian Express

time8 minutes ago

  • Indian Express

Sarzameen: Ibrahim Ali Khan's terrible film accidentally gets you to root for a terrorist to kill an Indian soldier, and you can't even deny it

In Sarzameen, a stern military man allows his only son to be murdered by terrorists in Kashmir because… nation comes first or something. You often hear about parents who proudly declare that they are willing to sacrifice their children for the country, and perhaps Prithviraj Sukumaran's Vijay Menon is cut from the same cloth as those folks. The only difference is that his son isn't a soldier on the front-lines, but a child for whom he feels no love. Played by Ibrahim Ali Khan, the child's name is Harman, and the only reason his father hates him is that he isn't like the other boys; he's timid, he can't play sports, and he speaks with a stutter. Bizarrely enough, Sarzameen implies that Vijay wouldn't have let his son die had he conformed to the 'norms' of boyhood. If Harman didn't have a speech impediment, the movie suggests, he'd likely have lived. It's an astounding thought that struck absolutely nobody in the Dharma writing incubator that coughed up this script, which relies almost exclusively on contrivance, convenience, and coincidence to keep the plot moving. Sarzameen expects us to root for a reunion of some kind after it reveals that Harman miraculously survived a bullet to the head — nobody dies in this movie, even after being shot at point-blank range — but unintentionally gets us to cheer for a terrorist to kill a member of the Indian Army. Also read – Nadaaniyan: Ibrahim Ali Khan makes one of the worst debuts in years; is Karan Johar determined to set fire to his career before it even begins? Only a complete failure in storytelling can send a viewer so wildly off track. Sarzameen is directed by Kayoze Irani, who showed such promise with his heartfelt short film in Ajeeb Daastaans. For him to have selected this as his feature debut makes no sense; as it is, it feels like he wasn't involved in the conceptualisation and execution of the action scenes at all. His focus, presumably, was on the drama. And it's drama straight out of a poor '90s movie; you can imagine how competent Sarzameen is when you realise that even Netflix, which gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up to Nadaaniyan, drew the line. As with that film, it feels like every line of dialogue here has been dubbed in a booth and not performed on set. Hindi isn't Prithviraj's mother tongue, and acting doesn't come naturally to Ibrahim. He shows up only after the first act, when Harman inexplicably escapes from the clutches of his captors and reappears in his parents' lives. For some reason, his mother, played by Kajol, is still married to Vijay, even after he abandoned Harman and left him to die. Had Sarzameen shown us what happened during those eight years, her decision would've made sense. But because it doesn't, you're left to assume that the only reason she stuck around is because she has a job to fulfil in the film's third act. Unlike Brody from Homeland, who was closely monitored by the CIA after he returned from captivity tried to begin his life afresh, Harman is simply allowed to go home to his parents. They barely recognise him. He no longer has a stutter, and he seems more confident than he used to be. Vijay is convinced that he's an imposter — the fact that he believes Harman would be the same person who 'died' eight years ago is bananas. Vijay knows that Harman was living with terrorists; he knows that Harman was probably tortured and brainwashed. And still, he welcomes Harman into his house without having him cleared first. Sarzameen seems to think that the dramatic conflict of these scenes rests in whether Harman is Vijay's son, and not whether he's a terrorist. The more suspicious Vijay becomes of Harman, the more you want to lean in and remind him that it's all his fault. Consequently, you root for the kid to shoot him in the face. This almost happens in the pre-interval scene, by the way. But the scene ends with a twist so wild that its sole purpose, seemingly, is to disarm you for the further insanity that Sarzameen has prepared for the climax. Let's talk about it. It is revealed that Harman was, indeed, a militant brainwashed against his father, who, it wouldn't be a stretch to assume, is the living manifestation of India. The villains didn't have to work too hard; Vijay did have him murdered, after all. The movie would've been far more complex had Harman come from a loving home, or if it had shown Harman commit a terrible crime before resurrecting himself. It's almost as if the most interesting chunk of the story — the eight years that Harman spent away from home — was deliberately edited out. Read more – Ae Watan Mere Watan: Heartbreaking, the worst film you've seen just made some strong political points Vijay, of course, has an awakening. But nothing can redeem him; he's like the dad from Udaan, but if he was also a child-killer. The real twist — and Abbas Mustan would be so proud of Kayoze — is that Kajol's character was a double agent all along. It's like they're gifting the Saiyaara generation with their own version of Gupt: The Hidden Truth. She was sent to spy on the Indian Army, but she fell for Vijay and had a child with him. Why she fell in love with a man like him isn't something that the movie feels confident enough to explain. And, having seen what sort of guy he is, it's impossible for the viewer to fill in the blanks either. Sarzameen is, after all, a movie that paints an Army officer as the villain and projects militants as morally justified in their actions. So, why can't it be appreciated like the scores of films made about America's war crimes after 9/11? Why does Sarzameen have more in common with Kajol's own Fanaa — the film's Harry Potter connections deserve a separate article — than it does with something like The Forever Prisoner, a film that understands the difference between empathising with a wrongdoer and actively cheering them on. By relying on trivial tropes, the movie does a disservice not only to its own characters, but also a very real geopolitical issue.

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