Latest news with #Tanvi
India Today
36 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
Anupam Kher on Tanvi vs Saiyaara box office: Even SRK bounces back after 4 flops
Actor-producer Anupam Kher reacted to the box office performance of his latest film 'Tanvi: The Great'. In an interview with the veteran actor said he didn't mind that 'Saiyaara' performed better than 'Tanvi' at the ticket window, because he believes that his film will eventually find its audience. He also referred to actor Shah Rukh Khan to assert that the failure of the superstar's films doesn't speak of his skills as an triumphant, and I'm not faking it. I'm proud of being part of this film and this film will find its glory in terms of money also," he said, mentioning a social media post that he shared the other day about 'Saiyaara's' box office performance."That's why I could make that post where I sort of said 'Saiyaara' performed fantastically [at the box office]. I could do that, not faking it up. Four films by Shah Rukh Khan don't do well - it doesn't mean that he will not bounce back in a big way." Kher elaborated on the legacy of 'Tanvi: The Great'. He said his film is meant to change "people's thinking." The popular actor said, "I'm not saying it out of arrogance or anything, but in the next 7-8 years, it will be called a film that changed people's thinking. It's already done that. I've already got such unbelievable messages, people are crying after watching it, because it taps the goodness in them which is completely missing." "It taps the journey of a girl who has just no means but to sort of fulfil her dream, because that's what comes to your mind," he added."It made me a better person. It made me a person who believes in goodness completely. It made me believe that sincerity is the only thing that the camera captures. Of course, we all want the box office to go through the roof and I had also expected it, but strangely, I was telling somebody that 'I am a bit disappointed, but I'm not sad'." Both 'Saiyaara' and 'Tanvi: The Great' have young protagonists. Does 'Saiyaara's' success speak of the taste of the younger audience then? Kher said it's working because a love story has taken over the screens after a long time."No, I'm not cynical about it. I think after a long time, a love story has come - about a boy and a girl - after a long, long time. It's a sense of yearning - I don't know - I've not seen the film, so I don't know exactly." He went on, "It's a business thing now... the kind of advance (advance booking) they got. The system says that we must give more theatres to films which are already doing well. But having said that, I think it has somewhere touched the core of the audience. But that doesn't mean the same people cannot appreciate something for me. I don't agree with that."advertisementMahesh Bhatt, who cast Anupam Kher in his debut film 'Saaransh', recently appreciated 'Tanvi', adding that while he is aware of 'Saiyaara's' success, the Mohit Suri film didn't have an "original voice" like Kher's expressed his gratitude to Bhatt for standing by his film despite the popular verdict in favour of 'Saiyaara'."It makes me feel proud that my mentor thinks that it touched his soul. When I perform for a film and somebody says that your performance has been sold, I do feel happier. When I read that quote - somebody forwarded it to me - I read it out to my whole team," he said."He has - what should I say, not audacity, that is not the right word - he has the frankness to be able to say that. Look at the frankness that he has. He is very fond of Mohit. He's very fond of me, but he still has the truth in him to be able to say that. He has the courage." advertisementKher launched his book 'Different But No Less' on Wednesday. The book tells the story of an autistic girl defying odds in 'Tanvi: The Great', but also mirrors it with his own journey of resilience."I'm launching my book today. I spoke to all my investors. They're all fantastic. They're saying 'what a great film we are associated with. Whenever you have [money], you give it to us.' I don't have any issue. I made it on my own terms," he said, highlighting that he's happy with the response to the film and everything else will come together on its shared that every film is an experience for him, and even 'Tanvi: The Great' taught him so much as a person. He said it made him a "better human being"."When my financer unfortunately could not fulfil his commitment, I could have stopped the film. I was pushed to the wall, but I gave my best. Because that's only when you can discover your power. I thought 'let me use all my might and see what I can do'. That gives you self-worth, a perspective of life. I am happy, peaceful. It gave me immense joy. I have never experienced so much joy by making this film with so many difficulties," he concluded.- EndsTrending Reel IN THIS STORY#Anupam Kher
India Today
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
Slept on platform, played 65 at 28: How Anupam Kher knew he was different but no less
Actor, filmmaker and author Anupam Kher has launched his new book, titled 'Different But No Less'. In an interview with the veteran actor spoke about what inspired the idea behind the book, how he looks at his life so far, and what changed in him when he joined the shared his experiences as a director for 'Tanvi: The Great', a film that inspired his latest book. He said he didn't want Tanvi, the protagonist in his film, to be portrayed as a "bechari" (helpless), only because she was living with asked about the interesting title of the book, Kher said, "I look at life. What inspired me is how I have always tried to sort out the problem - what happens when you expect more than you need. Most of the problems come from it, and it has nothing to do with... I'm not talking about ambition; I'm very ambitious. I'm very hardworking. I'm very result-oriented, but then I also feel that life is the best teacher. So when I was making 'Tanvi', I wanted a tagline for her because I was portraying Tanvi as a superpower, not as a bechari, handicapped, autistic girl." For Kher, life is nothing but experiences, and he has had plenty of those to inspire book after book. In the interview, the 70-year-old shared that he has lived his life the way it came. Sure, he tried to provide a structure to his life, and worked hard to be where he is today, but he never feared going through difficult times. Kher said he always knew that he was 'different but no less'."The problem of comparative study in today's times is that you are constantly made to feel that somebody else is doing better than you. But how does somebody else do better than you? Maybe they have a better profile on social media than yours. Maybe they have a better set of clothes, but it is the mental power and the mental understanding of yourself that makes you powerful. That's why the book." He added, "Also, what I do is start my life right from where I started, and from that point of view, I feel like I'm the richest man on earth. I came to the city with Rs 37 on the 3rd of June 1981. So, it is to empower people. Don't let the world tell you that you are less in any way."The two-time National Award-winning actor added that he understood himself and knew his potential from the day he stepped into the industry. He said he dared to change the way the industry looked at actors and break stereotypes."From day one, I was a 28-year-old boy when I played a 65-year-old man. And I've survived because of that one role. If that was not my first role, maybe I would not have survived like this in the last 40 years. I was bald. I was thin at that time, and the hairstyle was much more important. But I knew that I was a drama school student. That 'I'm different, but I'm no less'. I was sleeping on these platforms. These are the stories. What happens is that what does not happen in your life or what you are experiencing is tragic or sad; later on, they become your stories." Kher continued, "Like when you asked me this question, I had a story to tell you that I'd slept on a railway platform. I was 28, but I played 65. I knew I was different. I was the first person to break the myth of typecasting. People were doing the same role again and again. When you're living life, you don't plan to do it this way; this is why you're doing it. You're just living life."Kher has established a solid reputation for cinematic greatness in his name. And all of that, he said, came from the way he observed life. For him, there's no plan B but "bouncing back"."I go through depression. I go through sadness. I go through disappointments. I go through heartaches. I have no alternative but to bounce back and tell myself 'I am different but no less'." Kher's book largely follows the behind-the-scenes experience of making 'Tanvi: The Great', which is still running in theatres. The film is about an autistic girl who sets out on a special journey to fulfil his deceased father's wish of saluting the flag at Saichen Glacier. It was released on July 18.- EndsTrending Reel IN THIS STORY#Anupam Kher
Scroll.in
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Scroll.in
Book excerpt: How Anupam Kher overcame the odds to make his passion project ‘Tanvi the Great'
January is the month for the unboxing of the New Year. Everyone, with renewed excitement, is in the mood to make resolutions, ranging from the most mundane to the most monumental ones. I had already made mine more than a year back, and now I was all set to live up to it in the year 2024. This is why, to me, this New Year looked newer than any of the New Years I had welcomed in the last two decades, at least. Of course, I had a great reason to be partial towards this New Year—because the shooting of my dream, Tanvi the Great, was about to commence in the next month! 2024 was indeed a leap year for me, in more ways than one. I returned from Delhi on New Year's Eve with the script draft file saved as 'TTG-Final-Final' on my iPad. And that file name pretty much said it all! Once in Mumbai, I was in marathon meetings with my direction team associates and other department heads, while typing or recording some three to four thousand 'Same to you' New Year messages on the side. There was more exuberance than blood in my veins. Prep work was going on with the greatest possible intensity. I wanted everything to be well-planned and well-managed so that everyone had the best and most memorable experience while making this film. After all, we were creating the blissful, utopian world of Tanvi. So, the real life ought to match the reel life somewhere. A few days later, we had made our travel agent busy too. We were ready with a long list of about 250 names. These were the names of the crew members – across departments – who were going to travel with us to Lansdowne, a small town in the state of Uttarakhand, at a height of 1,780 metres above sea level. Being the headquarters of the valiant Garhwal Rifles, the administration of this little-more-than a-century-old town is also looked after by the Cantonment Board. Therefore, we prepared ID cards for each and every member of the crew. One afternoon, Pranit Kher, the director's assistant on this film and coincidentally my nephew, walked in with the samples of ID cards printed for the crew members. The designs looked really nice and elegant, and he wanted my approval. 'Hotels have been booked,' he informed further. 'We now only need to make a list of who is staying where – the room allocation, basically.' I nodded, smiled, and gave a go-ahead look. This somewhat measured response from me betrayed the enthusiasm I had been wearing on my sleeve by that point. I don't think Pranit noticed it; only I knew the reason for this. I had been trying to reach out to the gentleman who had agreed to come on board as our chief financier and co-producer of the film. For the last few weeks, for reasons best known to him, he was being evasive – or so I felt. A lot of my calls were not being answered promptly, and the replies to my messages were also getting terser by the day. And yes, we did exchange the mandatory, saccharine-sweet New Year wishes a few days back, but now was the time to discuss something far more urgent –the transfer of funds. I had been following up with him, reminding him about our agreement for a few months. I could sense that things were moving at a pace slower than expected. And one expected a lot more curiosity, involvement, and participation from someone who had expressed great interest and passion in the story. I assumed that being a busy and successful businessman, he must be really hard-pressed for time. But now it was our turn to be hard-pressed for time. We were travelling to a location where no film crew had ever shot anything before. We were going to be the first ones to shoot a full-fledged movie there. We, as producers of the film, were responsible for the safety and comfort of these 250 people who had come together to make a dream come true. In the midst of all this logistical madness and excitement, I was still chasing down our main financier, hoping everything would come together soon. Finally, after much relentless persuasion on my part, our chief financier responded, and he refused to transfer the money at that juncture – just 25 days away from the shoot. Yes, he had pulled out of the project! Think about my plight as the producer-director! Two hundred and fifty people were waiting for the shoot to begin, and dozens of invoices from technicians were piling up in the inbox of Herman D'Souza. Meanwhile, I sat in my cabin, staring blankly at a map of Lansdowne on my laptop screen. To me, the height of Lansdowne looked way higher than 1,780 metres above sea level, as mentioned on the screen. We had everything and everyone geared up for the shoot, except the money and the co-producer, who now said that his board of directors did not agree to spare funds as they were hesitant to invest money in a film venture. He sounded like a scratch card saying, 'Better luck next time.' The journey to make Tanvi the Great had become an uphill one indeed. Suddenly, I noticed something I had scribbled long ago on a piece of paper on my desk. I pushed it to Herman. He read it: 'Life likes surprises. But it loves the stubborn.' If his silence didn't, the look on Herman's face said it aloud – this was the time for action, not philosophical reflection! After that pregnant pause, he suggested we postpone the shoot. Much to my disappointment, I had to bury the moment loaded with great cinematic poignancy and explain to him what I had on my mind. After being on the roller coaster of life for more than six decades, I knew that throwing surprises was life's favourite pastime. It really likes to do so with everyone – only the frequency and intensity vary. But what it truly loves is the stubbornness of those who do not give up easily. After all, like all of us, life too doesn't enjoy one-sided matches. It exults when someone is ready to give good competition as a worthy opponent, even with their back to the wall! And hence, I decided to pull out my old pair of boxing gloves— metaphorically, of course.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Back on podium after 13 years, junior women shuttlers hope to build on Badminton Asia Championships success
Tanvi Sharma continued her recent impressive run, winning bronze at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships on Saturday (July 26, 2025), along with Vennala Kalagotla, as India returned with two individual medals for women in the event for the first time ever. Tanvi and Vennala, the last two remaining Indians in fray, went down fighting to their respective Chinese opponents in straight games in Solo, Indonesia. While Vennala saved three match points in the second game before going down 21-15, 21-18 to Liu Si Ya, Tanvi, the current World No. 1 in juniors, lost to eighth-seed Yin Yi Qing 21-13, 21-14. These were also the first medals for Indian women in the event since P.V. Sindhu in 2012. The 16-year old Tanvi, who idolises former World No. 1 Tai Tzu Ying, had recently become only the fourth Indian woman to reach the final of a BWF Super 300 event at the US Open. 'There were a lot of unforced errors which was disappointing but I am still happy to get a medal for India after 13 years. I have to get stronger and I was not well also through the week so overall it was ok,' she said. Switching between senior and junior events isn't easy either, she admitted. 'Out there I go all out and play freely, the level of players is very different and I know I have to improve to match them. In juniors, there is a little more pressure because there is more expectation. Add studies and the balance is not easy to manage. The big target now is the World Junior Championships later this year,' she said, adding that competing on home base – she trains at the NCOE, Guwahati, venue for the event – would not matter. Vennala, on the other hand, was the surprise element, the current World No. 103 in juniors overcoming higher-ranked opponents before falling short in the semifinals. 'What I realised is that I have to work on playing slower opponents and keep the rallies going, get faster and not allow the other player to control the pace,' the 17-year old trainee with Pullela Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad since 2019 admitted. 'This is my first international medal so I am really happy with the result but I know I can do better. More than myself, my coaches – Rahul Yadav and Jayant Rana – would be happier today. They have been instrumental in pushing me to work hard in singles even when everyone else, including myself, thought I was not good enough and should stick to doubles. This medal will push me to focus more now but I won't give up doubles completely,' Vennala insisted.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Back on podium after 13 years, junior women shuttlers hope to build on Badminton Asia Junior Championships success
Tanvi Sharma continued her recent impressive run, winning bronze at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships on Saturday, along with Vennala Kalagotla, as India returned with two individual medals for women in the event for the first time ever. Tanvi and Vennala, the last two remaining Indians in the fray, went down fighting to their respective Chinese opponents in straight games in Solo, Indonesia. While Vennala saved three match points in the second game before going down 21-15, 21-18 to Liu Si Ya, Tanvi, the current World No. 1 in juniors, lost to eighth-seed Yin Yi Qing 21-13, 21-14. These were also the first medals for Indian women in the event since PV Sindhu in 2012. The 16-year-old Tanvi, who idolises former World No. 1 Tai Tzu Ying, had recently become only the fourth Indian woman to reach the final of a BWF Super 300 event at the US Open. 'There were a lot of unforced errors, which were disappointing, but I am still happy to get a medal for India after 13 years. I have to get stronger, and I was not well also through the week so overall it was ok,' she said. Switching between senior and junior events isn't easy either, she admitted. 'Out there I go all out and play freely, the level of players is very different and I know I have to improve to match them. In juniors, there is a little more pressure because there is more expectation. Add studies and the balance is not easy to manage. The big target now is the World Junior Championships later this year,' she said, adding that competing on home base – she trains at the NCOE, Guwahati, venue for the event – would not matter. Vennala, on the other hand, was the surprise element, the current World No. 103 in juniors, overcoming higher-ranked opponents before falling short in the semifinals. 'What I realised is that I have to work on playing slower opponents and keep the rallies going, get faster and not allow the other player to control the pace,' the 17-year-old trainee with Pullela Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad since 2019, admitted. 'This is my first international medal, so I am really happy with the result, but I know I can do better. More than myself, my coaches – Rahul Yadav and Jayant Rana – would be happier today. They have been instrumental in pushing me to work hard in singles, even when everyone else, including myself, thought I was not good enough and should stick to doubles. This medal will push me to focus more now but I won't give up doubles completely,' Vennala insisted.
