Latest news with #Shubhchintak
Hans India
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hans India
Manasi Parekh on balancing creative worlds
Actress, singer, and producer Manasi Parekh is no stranger to donning multiple creative hats—and doing so with remarkable finesse. With her latest Gujarati film, 'Shubhchintak', Manasi takes on the challenging dual role of actor and producer, blending artistic passion with strategic vision to shape a story that's already turning heads. 'Every project I work on introduces me to new people, new perspectives, and new challenges. And all of those experiences come together when I approach a character like Meghna in 'Shubhchintak',' she shares. 'The layering she needs, the emotional range she has—I've drawn from life and everything I've lived through as a performer.' Her deep involvement in 'Shubhchintak' reflects her evolution not only as an actor but as a filmmaker shaping the future of regional cinema. 'I want Gujarati cinema to reach a level where non-Gujarati people recommend Gujarati films and say, 'You should watch this, it's a really good film,'' she says. 'Language should never limit good storytelling. That's the vision Parthiv and I share.' Working closely with her husband and musical maestro Parthiv Gohil, Manasi brings both heart and discipline to their joint production efforts. 'Parthiv and I are artists striving to push boundaries in Gujarati cinema. We aim to take risks and present never-seen-before concepts,' she says. 'His support in creative decisions is invaluable.' Their collaborative spirit guided the film from concept to screen, despite significant hurdles. 'The scripting phase alone took nearly a year,' Manasi recalls. 'We had 17 different locations, and it's an expensive film to make. Parthiv focused on the budgeting while I was deeply involved in the creative side—ensuring that we stayed true to the script without compromising quality.' From casting to sound design and visual aesthetics, Manasi made it a point that 'Shubhchintak' didn't 'look like a Gujarati film,' but simply, 'a good, well-made film.' The effort paid off. 'When Farah Khan saw the trailer, she was impressed. She didn't even realize it was a Gujarati film until we told her. That's exactly the reaction we wanted.' For Manasi, selecting the right stories to produce requires more than a catchy premise. 'A story has to be compelling right from the one-liner. But when you dive into a deeper narration, I look for a commercial appeal that's also dynamic and meaningful,' she explains. 'It has to entertain, but also say something.' Her grounded approach is rooted in a strong support system. 'My family—my parents, my husband, and my daughter—are my biggest grounding force,' she says. 'They give me a reality check constantly, and I'm grateful for that.' Having worked in acclaimed films like 'Kutch Express', 'Uri', 'Golkeri', and 'Jhamkudi', Manasi knows the value of discipline and staying focused. 'When you work hard and work well, opportunities come your way. That's how I won the National Award. That's how our films are doing well—by cutting out the frills and focusing on the work.' The journey of filming 'Shubhchintak' brought its own share of unforgettable memories. 'We were on the move so much across the 17 locations—I actually lost weight during the shoot!' she laughs. 'But the camaraderie on set was beautiful. After long days, we'd celebrate together, and yes—I'd always bring Undhiyu, Dhokla, and Ras for the team. Swapnil loved the Undhiyu!' One of the more unique challenges? 'We were shooting with a one-year-old baby! That's a different kind of complexity, but it brought so much joy and spontaneity to the project,' she says. With each role she takes on, Manasi Parekh is not just building her own legacy—she's clearing a path for future generations of female artists in regional cinema. Passionate, hands-on, and fiercely creative, her journey through 'Shubhchintak' is as layered and heartfelt as the film itself.
Economic Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Economic Times
Farah Khan admits Katrina Kaif's ‘Sheila Ki Jawani' is the 'cheapest song' she ever worked on
Behind the Scenes: No Set, Just 10 Dancers Quick Production with Limited Resources Comparing Budgets and Impact Released in 2010 as part of the film Tees Maar Khan, 'Sheila Ki Jawani' quickly became one of Bollywood's most celebrated dance numbers. With Katrina Kaif in the lead and Farah Khan handling choreography, the song became a chartbuster. Its infectious rhythm, composed by the duo Vishal-Shekhar, and Sunidhi Chauhan's powerful vocals helped it secure numerous awards, including Best Female Playback Singer and Best Choreography. More than a decade later, the song continues to be a crowd favorite at weddings, college events, and dance its glitzy appearance and iconic status, Farah Khan recently revealed that 'Sheila Ki Jawani' was produced on a surprisingly minimal budget. Speaking in a vlog filmed at actress Manasi Parekh's residence, Farah discussed their upcoming film Shubhchintak and expressed amazement at its low production cost. When Manasi shared that their entire film was made for Rs 5 crore, Farah responded by saying that in today's times, many individual songs cost more than went on to recall her own experience, noting that elaborate budgets don't necessarily guarantee quality. She said that when people flaunt the cost of producing a song, it doesn't impress her. According to her, 'the lesser budget you have, the better you think.' She revealed that Sheila Ki Jawani remains the cheapest song she has ever worked revelation shocked both Manasi Parekh and actor Swapnil Joshi, who were also part of the discussion. Farah shared that the song had no set at all, and was completed with just ten dancers. The entire shoot was wrapped up in three and a half days. She described it as not just the cheapest but also one of the biggest hits of her career, ranking it among her top three or four most successful while the song turned into a cultural phenomenon, Tees Maar Khan itself failed to meet box office expectations. Featuring Katrina Kaif and Akshay Kumar in lead roles, the film also included cameos by stars like Salman Khan and Anil Kapoor. Despite a hefty production budget of Rs 45 crore, it grossed Rs 101.89 crore globally. However, due to negative reviews and high costs, it was labeled a commercial perspective offers a contrast to current industry trends, where budgets continue to soar. For instance, actor Ram Charan's film Game Changer made headlines for spending nearly Rs 75 crore on just four songs, choreographed by Ganesh Acharya and involving over 1000 dancers. Despite the massive investment, neither the songs nor the film managed to capture audience 15 years after its release, Sheila Ki Jawani remains etched in public memory. Katrina Kaif's performance, paired with memorable music and choreography, helped the song transcend the limitations of the film it belonged to.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Farah Khan admits Katrina Kaif's ‘Sheila Ki Jawani' is the 'cheapest song' she ever worked on
Farah Khan recently revealed that the chart-topping song Sheila Ki Jawani from the 2010 film Tees Maar Khan was the cheapest song of her career. Despite having no set, only 10 dancers, and being shot in just three and a half days, the song became one of her biggest hits. In a vlog with actress Manasi Parekh, Farah emphasized that creativity thrives on limited budgets and said high-cost productions don't impress her. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Behind the Scenes: No Set, Just 10 Dancers Quick Production with Limited Resources Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Comparing Budgets and Impact Released in 2010 as part of the film Tees Maar Khan, 'Sheila Ki Jawani' quickly became one of Bollywood's most celebrated dance numbers. With Katrina Kaif in the lead and Farah Khan handling choreography, the song became a chartbuster. Its infectious rhythm, composed by the duo Vishal-Shekhar, and Sunidhi Chauhan's powerful vocals helped it secure numerous awards, including Best Female Playback Singer and Best Choreography. More than a decade later, the song continues to be a crowd favorite at weddings, college events, and dance its glitzy appearance and iconic status, Farah Khan recently revealed that 'Sheila Ki Jawani' was produced on a surprisingly minimal budget. Speaking in a vlog filmed at actress Manasi Parekh's residence, Farah discussed their upcoming film Shubhchintak and expressed amazement at its low production cost. When Manasi shared that their entire film was made for Rs 5 crore, Farah responded by saying that in today's times, many individual songs cost more than went on to recall her own experience, noting that elaborate budgets don't necessarily guarantee quality. She said that when people flaunt the cost of producing a song, it doesn't impress her. According to her, 'the lesser budget you have, the better you think.' She revealed that Sheila Ki Jawani remains the cheapest song she has ever worked revelation shocked both Manasi Parekh and actor Swapnil Joshi, who were also part of the discussion. Farah shared that the song had no set at all, and was completed with just ten dancers. The entire shoot was wrapped up in three and a half days. She described it as not just the cheapest but also one of the biggest hits of her career, ranking it among her top three or four most successful while the song turned into a cultural phenomenon, Tees Maar Khan itself failed to meet box office expectations. Featuring Katrina Kaif and Akshay Kumar in lead roles, the film also included cameos by stars like Salman Khan and Anil Kapoor. Despite a hefty production budget of Rs 45 crore, it grossed Rs 101.89 crore globally. However, due to negative reviews and high costs, it was labeled a commercial perspective offers a contrast to current industry trends, where budgets continue to soar. For instance, actor Ram Charan's film Game Changer made headlines for spending nearly Rs 75 crore on just four songs, choreographed by Ganesh Acharya and involving over 1000 dancers. Despite the massive investment, neither the songs nor the film managed to capture audience 15 years after its release, Sheila Ki Jawani remains etched in public memory. Katrina Kaif's performance, paired with memorable music and choreography, helped the song transcend the limitations of the film it belonged to.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Farah Khan says Katrina Kaif's ‘Sheila Ki Jawani' is the ‘cheapest song' of her career: ‘We didn't have any set, had to shoot it with just 10 dancers'
'Sheila Ki Jawani' became the 'It' song when Farah Khan's Tees Maar Khan released in 2010. Featuring Katrina Kaif and choreographed by Farah herself, the song won multiple awards. Sunidhi Chauhan was honoured with Best Female Playback Singer award at several award shows, while Farah received accolades for Best Choreography. Music composers Vishal-Shekhar also earned widespread praise. Even today, thanks to its infectious tune, 'Sheila Ki Jawani' remains a go-to choice for dance performances at various events. But did you know it's also the 'cheapest' song Farah Khan has ever made? In her recent vlog, the director-choreographer visited actor Manasi Parekh's house. While discussing their upcoming film Shubhchintak, Manasi shared it was made on a small budget of Rs 5 crore. Impressed by the looks of it, Farah said, 'It doesn't look like a film made with such less budget. In today's time, a song's budget is more than your entire film's budget.' She then shared, 'When someone boasts to me that they made their song on a huge budget, it doesn't impress me. I believe the lesser budget you have, the better you think. The cheapest song of my life is 'Sheila Ki Jawani.'' ALSO READ | 'Shabana Azmi and I sleep on streets': Javed Akhtar claps back at Pak actor Bushra Ansari's comment that nobody rents him a house in India Farah Khan statement surprised actors Manasi Parekh and Swapnil Joshi. She added, 'We didn't have any set for it. All we had was these 10 dancers. We finished shooting the entire song in just three and half days. It is the cheapest song I have done and the biggest hit of my career. One of the top three-four hits.' A few months ago, actor Ram Charan's film Game Changer made headlines when the makers shared they spent about Rs 75 crore on the production of its four songs. These songs, choreographed by Ganesh Acharya, featured over 1000 dancers. However, both the film and songs failed to leave a mark.
Time of India
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
I choose films where women have a voice: Manasi Parekh
Manasi Parekh Bhoomi Trivedi and Parikh in a still from the song Jogni Winning the National Award for Kutch Express made me realise that we are on the right track,' says Manasi Parekh , who will soon be seen in an interesting role in Shubhchintak . The Jhamkudi actress, who also runs a production house with her singer-husband Parthiv Gohil, was in Ahmedabad recently. She shares, 'My focus as an artiste and producer has always been to bring out unheard stories. There is never a formula that has worked for my films. But the National Award gave me belief-jo kuch bhi hum kar rahe hain, woh sahi hai. I aim to continue that.' 'Till when will we cast only men as leads?' Manasi has mostly done films with strong female characters, and she says it's a conscious choice. She shares, 'For how long will we cast only men as leads? I choose films that have women in a strong space. It may not be a lead character, but they should have a voice-not just as a 'group of women', it can be a story about one or two women.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Google Brain Co-Founder Andrew Ng, Recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo She adds, 'Today, writers are keeping me in mind while writing certain scripts, and they are all experimental or untapped topics. So, I feel grateful. When such films are liked, we know that the audience wants to watch such content.' 'It's great to see the rise of Gujarati cinema ' Manasi says 'it is a great time for regional cinema,' adding, 'While I keep doing Hindi projects too, I believe Gujarati cinema is on the rise and people are enjoying watching our films. It feels great and I love being a part of this phase. With no formula present, it is challenging too.' She adds, 'What happens in big industries, especially for Hindi cinema, is that there is already a path that has been created and you can follow that to get success. But in a growing regional film industry like ours, we are still figuring out our space and that is very exciting for me as an artiste and producer. I don't want to get stereotyped by playing one kind of role. I want makers to be spoilt for choice while casting me in various genres. My next film, Maharani, is the remake of a Marathi film. I believe adaptations (from one language to another) are amazing. Content is the king now, and audiences want something that clicks with them amidst the many options they have.' 'As producers, we believe in taking risks' Manasi, who has co-produced some hit Gujarati films with Parthiv, says, 'Parthiv and I are artistes, we aren't filmmakers per se. We are just taking risks and following our gut feeling while casting actors and making films, like Ratna Pathak Shah in Kutch Express , Viraj Ghelani in Jhamkudi and Swwapnil Joshi in Shubhchintak. We have explored different genres till now. We experiment with the aim to just have fun and do the kind of films that haven't been made till now.' 'Bhoomi and I wanted to collaborate for a long time' Recently, Manasi collaborated with Bhoomi Trivedi for Jogni, a dance number. She shares, 'Bhoomi and I wanted to do something like this for a long time. Parthiv had composed a song which he and Bhoomi wrote together. We realised that there are not many good garba videos available, and the ones we have are by Bollywood makers. So, we wanted to do something in Gujarati. Also, it was like a message-two contemporary female artistes can be supportive of each other and be happy about being on screen together.'
