Asian Lite News Archive

Category: Big Interview

  • INTERVIEW: Preetika Rao

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    By Subhash K.Jha  Actress Preetika Rao is flummoxed by reports suggesting she is in a relationship with the director of her successful serial “Beintehaa”. She has clarified that she is single and that she has no time to ‘mingle’. “I don’t know where these tall tales come from. There are two directors for ‘Beintehaa’ –…

  • INTERVIEW: Boman Irani

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        At an age when most Bollywood actors end up with “itsy bitsy” roles, Boman Irani is getting to play strong and sensible characters and pitches for Indian cinema exploring such films where such actors get equal prominence – as in the recently-released “Finding Fanny”. “I think there are many situations where character actors…

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    At an age when most Bollywood actors end up with “itsy bitsy” roles, Boman Irani is getting to play strong and sensible characters and pitches for Indian cinema exploring such films where such actors get equal prominence – as in the recently-released “Finding Fanny”. “I think there are many situations where character actors are getting…

  • INTERVIEW: Mahesh Bhatt

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    Mahesh Bhatt told Nivedita that his daughters are far more intelligent than him Mahesh Bhatt has been one of the best filmmakers of his time and inspired generations with his movie-making skills, but the director, who now produces films with new talent, says his three daughters – Pooja, Shaheen and Alia – are far more intelligent and…

  • INTERVIEW: King Khan

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    Bollywood ‘badshah’ Shah Rukh Khan prefers to avoid being judgmental about others. He says he doesn’t like to judge shows and competitions because he considers himself “weak-hearted”. The actor, along with the team of his forthcoming film “Happy New Year”, will soon don the hat of a judge for a one-of-a-kind reality show “Dil Se…

  • INTERVIEW: Hrithik Roshan

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    He overcame stammering; witnessed his father’s failure as an actor and producer and his surviving a gunshot wound; saw his sister battle cancer; underwent a near fatal brain surgery; and has faced a broken marriage with his childhood sweetheart. Yet, Hrithik Roshan calls his journey a “fairy tale” and says it is life’s adversities that…

  • INTERVIEW: Hema Malini

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    Hema Malini and director Ramesh Sippy are working together after almost 40 years and the actress-politician says he is still the same and is very mischievous with her. The duo have given hits like “Andaz”, “Seeta Aur Geeta” and “Sholay” in the 1970s. Would they again generate the same hysteria with their fourth outing together…

  • INTERVIEW: Tommy Hilfiger

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    By Nivedita    Indian culture has inspired Tommy Hilfiger since the beginning of his career. The 63-year-old iconic American designer confesses that his heart lies in Indian wear and that he often uses in his creations “Ikkats, block prints and colours that are seen only in Jaipur”. “I have seen amazing Indian clothes and I love…

  • INTERVIEW: Geethu Mohandas

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    Haricharan Pudipeddi talks to Geethu Mohandas , director of India’s official Oscar pick for the best foreign language film category. she says my short film helped me make ‘Liar’s Dice’ Actor-filmmaker Geethu Mohandas says it was her short film “Are You Listening” that paved the way for her debut feature film “Liar’s Dice”, which is India’s official…

  • INTERVIEW: Nawazuddin Siddiqui

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    By Ashok Easwaran   For an actor who has made his mark playing an arrogant Intelligence Bureau officer in “Kahani” and the villain with the heinous laugh in the recent blockbuster “Kick”, one would expect Nawazuddin Siddiqui to project a larger than life image, or at least an air of entitlement that stars of lesser talent…

  • Interview: Nawazuddin Siddiqui

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    For an actor who has made his mark playing an arrogant Intelligence Bureau officer in “Kahani” and the villain with the heinous laugh in the recent blockbuster “Kick”, one would expect Nawazuddin Siddiqui to project a larger than life image, or at least an air of entitlement that stars of lesser talent don effortlessly. Instead,…

  • INTERVIEW: Boman Irani

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    Nivedita talks to thespian Boman Irani whos says diaspora is a huge market for Bollywood Versatile actor Boman Irani says the Indian diaspora is a huge market for Bollywood films and filmmakers should tap that for a wider reach and bigger business. “Diaspora is a huge market for us (Bollywood films) and we underestimate its power,…

  • INTERVIEW: Sonam Kapoor

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    Sonam Kapoor tells Subhash K. Jha that she doesn’t like repeating roles A girl-next-door, a simpleton, a fashionista and a go-getter in different movies — Sonam Kapoor says she has tried to play myriad roles in her career because she doesn’t like to repeat characters. For her latest Bollywood release “Khoobsurat”, she has shed her inhibitions and…

  • INTERVIEW: Hrithik Roshan

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    Actor Hrithik Roshan is currently happy and content in his space as an actor, but when the time is right and if he has a subject, he may go behind the camera to direct a film. However, he says “it will take time”. His father Rakesh Roshan is a successful director and producer of films…

  • Deepika Padukone: Respect us as women off-screen

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    Deepika Padukone says she has an issue when people “propagate objectification of a real person and not a character being played” and wants them to “respect” artists as women off-screen. Ever since she condemned a photo titled “OMG: Deepika Padukone’s Cleavage Show” on Twitter, saying: “YES! I am a Woman. I have breasts AND a…

  • INTERVIEW: Naseeruddin Shah

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    Uma Ramasubramanian talks to Naseeruddin Shah. The thespian says that he is not sure of penning second half of autobiography Seasoned actor Naseeruddin Shah, who quietly released his autobiography, says he hasn’t chronicled his entire life in the book and is unsure if he would pen the second half or not! One can read about his first…

  • INTERVIEW: Shabana Azmi

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    Subhash K. Jha talks to veteran actress Shabana Azmi who says for an actor, life must be the resource-base Known for her realistic portrayal of characters on the screen, seasoned actress Shabana Azmi says and actor can enrich the character they play by drawing upon all the depth of their own experience. When asked who…

  • INTERVIEW: King Khan

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    Can’t do more than one film at a time: Shah Rukh Khan reveals his latest style to Arpana  In his over two-decade career, Shah Rukh Khan has maintained his on-screen charisma, his craze and an average of two and a half films per year and he wants to keep it that way. The Bollywood Badshah says he…

  • Never bothered with my image: Bips

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    Bipasha Basu, who has done a string of horror and supernatural movies, says this is the only genre that allows an actress to drive the plot towards box office success. “I want to travel that dark road,” she said when asked about her choice of cinema. “…I’ve just done five supernatural films. This is a…

  • INTERVIEW: Sushant Singh

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    Financial considerations are not an issue for me, Sushant Singh told Subhash K. Jha  Two-film-old Sushant Singh Rajput, who has wrapped up shooting for director Dibakar Banerjee’s “Detective Byomkesh Bakshi”, says he prefers unconventional roles and won’t do a run-of-the-mill kind even if he will get big bucks for that. Excerpts: Q: How was the experience of…

  • INTERVIEW: Parineeti Chopra

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    Not doing anything startlingly glamorous: Parineeti told  Subhash K. Jha  Bollywood’s favourite girl-next-door Parineeti Chopra says she will wear a bikini only when she is in the right shape, but not right now. Yash Raj Films is known for presenting their heroines in the most glamorous avatar on the screen. However, the 25-year-old, who has done…

  • INTERVIEW: Dimple Kapadia

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    Uma Ramasubramanian talks to Dimple, the star of Finding Fanny Veteran actor Dimple Kapadia, who will be soon seen on the big screen when the English-language film “Finding Fanny” hits the screens Sep 12, says she found the script of the film “brilliant” and her role “lovely” There are not too many filmmakers in Hindi…

  • INTERVIEW: Om Puri

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    Om Puri says older couples too can have a love story The star of parallel cinema, Om Puri, romanced Oscar-winning British actress Helen Mirren in the gastronomic love story “The Hundred Foot Journey”. The movie has evoked good response and the actor says romantic films with older couples can be a good watch too. “I…

  • BIG INTERVIEW: Nimrat Kaur

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    Subhash K. Jha talks to the Lunchbox heroine  Nimrat Kaur. She said that she has declined about 450 scripts in two years Nimrat Kaur wasn’t craving for international stardom, but that seems to be her calling and destiny, given that she has landed a part in the hit foreign TV series “Homeland”. She says in the time between…

  • BIG INTERVIEW: Soha Ali Khan

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    Soha Ali Khan tells Subhash K.Jha that there’s no perfect relationship Be it Bollywood or Hollywood – in the world of showbiz, several marriages are crumbling. Actress Soha Ali Khan, who recently got engaged to her beau Kunal Kemmu, says the key to a healthy relationship is to “work around the dissatisfactions” as nothing is…

  • BIG INTERVIEW: Kareena Kapoor

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    Uma Ramasubramanian talks to Kareena who says biggest film or best script, no midway for me “Take the best, leave the rest” seems to be Kareena Kapoor’s mantra for choosing films. The actress, who is said to have refused six scripts lately, says she is keen to do a few but fantastic films as there’s never…

  • ‘Beintehaa’ a serious responsibility: Preetika

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    Preetika Rao, who has a chequered career behind her as a model, journalist and now actress, can’t believe the impact of her serial “Beintehaa”. She says her character Aaliyah is a “serious responsibility on my shoulder”.“When I took up the offer, I knew I was getting into something special. I loved the storyline and my…

  • ‘The Lunchbox opened the doors’

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    Nivedita talks to Nimrat Kaur, the lovelorn Ila in the super hit movie the Lunchbox   She was born and raised in a simple middle-class Indian family, but she got exposed to the world courtesy her internationally-acclaimed film “The Lunchbox”. Actress Nimrat Kaur says the movie “opened all doors” for her, allowing her to do…

  • Vidya Stokes at 86

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    At 86-years-young, there’s nothing to stop Congress veteran and Himachal Pradesh’s senior minister Vidya Stokes. As the No.2 in the state cabinet, she spends most of her time in office but has no desire to take that one final step to the chief minister’s slot. On an average, I daily spend at least 10-12 hours…

  • INTERVIEW: Mehbooba Mufti

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    The PDP will contest the forthcoming Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections on its own, says party chief Mehbooba Mufti, while stressing the need of an improved “ground situation”, implementing suggestions for “self-rule” and understanding between the central and state governments for a political solution to the Kashmir issue. Mufti said the Narendra Modi government could…

  • BIG INTERVIEW: Kashaf Murtaza

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    Having immortalised strong women-oriented roles on TV screens across the border, young and multi-faceted Sanam Saeed, known to Indian audiences as Kashaf Murtaza of “Zindagi Gulzar Hai”, says that while India makes the most of its filmmaking capacity to tell stories, the medium in Pakistan is TV. The 29-year-old is ecstatic and “grateful” that “Zindagi…

  • BIG INTERVIEW: Arjun Kapoor

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    Radhika Bhirani talks to Arjun Kapoor. The young Kapoor arguing the Indian audiences ready for films like ‘Finding Fanny’ It’s an English language “offbeat” entertainer; made by an Indian director with three veteran and two young stars of Bollywood, and topped with one promotional Hindi song – that’s Homi Adajania’s “Finding Fanny”. Arjun Kapoor, who plays one…

  • BIG INTERVIEW: Varun Dhawan

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    Subhash K. Jha talks to Varun Dhawan, th rising star of Bollywood. ” Want everyone to feel happy after watching my films,” Varun said Young actor Varun Dhawan, whose latest Bollywood release “Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania” is entertaining movie-goers, says his aim as an actor is to leave viewers “happy” after they watch his films.…

  • BIG INTERVIEW: Samina Peerzada

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    Samina Peerzada told Radhika Bhirani that Pakistan-India content exchange will push connect She grew up watching the films of Bollywood’s late ethereal beauty Madhubala, has enjoyed new wave Indian gems like “Parineeta” and “Barfi!”, and loves to catch up on “Comedy Nights With Kapil”. But Samina Peerzada, a veteran actor-filmmaker from Pakistan, says exchange of content from…

  • BIG INTERVIEW: Shraddha Kapoor

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    Subhash K. Jha talks to Shraddha Kapoor for Big Interview. After flop films, I could’ve disappeared, she told Asian Lite  Shraddha Kapoor, who began her Bollywood journey with films like “Teen Patti” and “Luv Ka The End”, made it big only with “Aashiqui 2”. The actress, who is loving all the attention she’s getting with her…

  • BIG INTERVIEW: Anurag Kashyap

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    Radhika Bhirani talks to Anurag Kashyap who wants to bring freshness to Indian TV  Innumerable melodramatic family dramas and romantic sagas are currently dominating the small screen and filmmaker Anurag Kashyap is hoping to break the clutter with his finite series “Yudh”. He says if the medium allows “good” tales, he’s ready to make more…

  • BIG INTERVIEW: Falguni-Shane Peacock

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    Nivedita speaks to designer duo – Falguni-Shane Peacock.  They say designing for West gives them creative freedom Indian designer duo Falguni and Shane Peacock, who have designed for renowned international figures like Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears and Lady Gaga, say that it’s always fun to make clothes for both ‘desi’ and ‘videshi’ stars. But their creative freedom…

  • BIG INTERVIEW – Rahat Ali Khan

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    In an interview with Asian Lite’s Natalia Ningthoujam, Pakistani qawwali maestro Rahat Fateh Ali Khan says Bollywood music big investment unlike private albums. Asian Lite, the newspaper for the Asian Diaspora, will regularly carry interviews with Asian artistes Pakistani qawwali maestro Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, known for giving hit Bollywood numbers like “Jiya dhadak dhadak” and…

  • Film festivals teach us something: Mani Ratnam

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    Ace filmmaker Mani Ratnam, a regular at film festivals across the globe, attends the movie extravaganzas as a movie buff because he feels every film teaches something worthwhile. “Every film you see at a festival teaches you something. Any good film you see gives you enough motivation and adrenaline rush to produce good content, while…

  • BIG INTERVIEW – John Abraham

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    Radhika Bhirani speaks to John Abraham. He says Indian football needs a hero Football fanatic John Abraham is ready and steady to make the country “live the magic” of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The actor-producer, who is doing a film based on the sport and has even invested in a football franchise, believes the…

  • No bikini, no kissing for Tamannaah

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    Actress Tamannaah Bhatia, whose forthcoming movie is entertainment loaded “Humshakals”, says she has her reservations about donning a bikini and kissing on-screen. “I have always maintained that I will not wear a bikini and will not do kissing scene on-screen. This is something that I have maintained, and I intent to keep that. I am…

  • BIG Interview: Sonakshi Sinha

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      Bollywood actress Sonakshi Sinha about her forthcoming film: ‘Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty’, which releases on 6th June 2014 Q. So back to your rowdy co-stars how rowdy was this movie or was it not that rowdy? A. This movie, being, working with Akshay Kumar is always rowdy because he is such a fun person to work…

  • BIG Interview – Sonakshi Sinha

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    Natalia Ningthoujam interviews Sonakshi Sinha. The star is now ready for sports films Actress Sonakshi Sinha, mostly seen as the traditional Indian girl on the screen, will be seen as a boxer in a sequence in A.R. Murugadoss’ forthcoming directorial “Holiday: A Soldier is Never Off Duty”. She says “personality wise, the role is closest to…

  • BIG Interview – Akshay Kumar

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    Uma Ramasubramanian talks to super star Akshay Kumar and his new movie ‘Holiday’ for Asian Lite, the NRI newspaper for the South Asian diaspora. The star says Holiday is not a typical Akshay Kumar film No one can fault Akshay Kumar’s dare-devilry on screen, but Bollywood’s action titan insists his forthcoming film “Holiday – A Soldier Is Never Off…

  • INTERVIEW – Soundarya

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    Asian Lite, top Asian newspaper in the UK, profile Soundarya, the eldest daughter of Rajni Kant Soundarya R. Ashwin, whose debut directorial “Kochadaiiyaan” happens to be the country’s first photo-realistic performance capture entertainer, says gender is no longer an issue – neither within nor outside the entertainment space. She is proud that she brought in…

  • BIG INTERVIEW – Kangana Ranaut

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    Her performance in her latest movies like “Queen” and “Revolver Rani” has earned Kangana Ranaut the epithet of being Bollywood’s ‘rani’. She says she has been receiving respect and acknowledgment for her work like never before. “I feel like this is a beautiful time of my life. I’ve never been respected or treated the way…