How Alia rode the Highway to Udta Punjab and got the Audience Raazi!

Yes, yes Bollywood is a boiling cauldron of nepotism. If you ever nursed dreams of a career as an actor, and if you are still ruing why you weren’t born to Karan Johar, you can suck it up, take it in your stride or knock your head on the wall. The truth is it’s here to stay and let’s not make sweeping statements like it prevails in every industry because even if it does, it doesn’t justify succumbing to the pressure of following the herd. So firstly, let’s start by doffing our hats to all those filmmakers who go beyond the tried and tested and actually mentor and launch non-star kids. Having acknowledged this tribe, since the industry is teeming with star kids anyway, let us now look at some who have actually hit the jackpot. While there is a horde of stars who can thank their genes, surnames and privileged backgrounds for their launch and a longer innings than outsiders, we look at two girls who have risen above the ranks at breakneck speed, and managed to not only pave their way to get noticed but have also won adulation in the process. One of them in fact is actually reaping the benefits of going beyond all the prejudice levelled against her to please both the critics and the masses. Having made their debuts almost around the same time, the reason I am pitting them against each other is to also prove how sometimes it is not merely the banners you are working under, the marketing that goes in to glossing over an average caper or which designer is doing your wardrobe but much more that finally gets you the accolades. Pitch powerhouse talent to a well-etched story and voila! A gifted actor is born and by the end of this post, you will know who’s beaten whom, fair and square.

So here’s a brief look at the career graphs of Alia Bhatt and Shraddha Kapoor to see how you need much more than just a Business Class pass to make it big in Bollywood.

Shraddha made her humble debut in a film that starred Amitabh Bachchan, Madhavan and (low whistle!) Ben Kingsley called Teen Patti in 2010. Suffice it to say that the film did nothing to get her noticed, exacerbating her bad luck by its dismal failure at the box-office. She followed this up with another dampener Luv ka The End the next year which sank without a trace, once more doing nothing for establishing her star presence. 2013 turned her fate in favour of the box-office with Aashiqui 2 which served as a relaunch vehicle opposite Aditya Roy Kapur. The film released under the banner of Vishesh Films the patrons of which are the Bhatt brothers- Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt and revived the love saga popularised in the ‘90s (energised with cult music, love in the backdrop of conflicting drama and the fresh chemistry of a young couple played by Rahul Roy and Anu Agarwal). Aashiqui 2 was a surprise hit and suddenly, Shraddha’s name was catapulted to gain instant fame and recognition. She soon bagged roles in substantial films like Ek Villain and Haider, the latter helmed by Vishal Bhardwaj. The films fared decently and even though her roles may not have been meaty, the industry had finally accepted Shraddha with open arms.

Even while all this was afloat, 2012 saw the glamorous debut of another star kid Alia Bhatt under the

grand tutelage of Karan Johar. Having strategically chosen not to be launched by her own father, Alia got a dream vehicle to bite in to her share of the celluloid pie, starring as the sole love interest of two handsome hunks also launched in the same film. The film could have easily dismissed her as another chirpy teenager in a bubble-gum romantic date movie but Alia had other ideas on her mind. No sooner that the dhamaka of her launch started fading than she hit a hattrick in 2014 with 2 States, Highway and Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania. Now this was a girl who could hold her own opposite the male lead. This was an actor who had enough spunk to kill with her groovy moves in ‘Saturday Saturday’ from HSKD as deftly as she could nail a complex role as a captive girl who develops a bond with her kidnapper in Highway. Even a dud like Shaandaar produced by her Mentor Daddy-O KJo couldn’t keep her fans from going ga-ga over her artistic ability to change her colours as per the role, whether it was as a privileged but disturbed kid in Kapoor & Sons or a struggling drug addict in Udta Punjab. Alia has managed to walk a fine balance between the commercial and intellectual, drawing fans galore from both perspectives with a Badrinath ki Dulhania on one hand and Dear Zindagi on the other. Such is her professional knack and utmost discipline towards her craft that it has elicited praise from all her directors, be it the unconventional Gauri Shinde, or the more masala-oriented Shashank Khaitan of the ‘….Dulhania’ series of films. The cherry on top this year has been Raazi of course which now seals her status as a legit moolah-grossing actor of worth after hitting the INR 100 crore mark at the box office. It is almost as if she has justified her claim to the throne of ‘Twinkling Star Kid’. Her detractors and especially those trolling her under the nepotism tag may keep wagging a finger at the easy entry she may have won on account of her family name but Alia is someone who has dared to defy age, stereotypes and mixed opinions to hold her own among contemporaries like Shraddha Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra who are still clearly finding their feet in the cacophany that is the industry.

In a fickle world where fans may switch loyalties at the drop of your status with a flop on any given Friday, Alia is going from strength to strength, meticulously pacing her grip on her strengths and using her vulnerabilities to appeal to a cynical audience, quite like she does in her role as the surprisingly spirited spy Sehmat in her latest outing.

Meanwhile, Shraddha has kept the ball rolling with ho-hum films like ABCD 2, Baaghi, Rock on 2 and Half-Girlfriend none of which have actually earned her applause as an actor of high calibre. Full points for trying out a raw, edgy character with Haseena Parker but it ended up more like an ambitious experiment gone awry than one that was laudable. Incidentally, Aashiqui 3 has been announced and no prizes for guessing who will be taking on from where Shraddha left off. So who has the audience Raazi and who is more likely to face their naarazi? The verdict is clearly out on that one.

How to find your Prince Charming by rewriting the seven vows of holy matrimony

Yes, yes we can’t get enough of those ‘Happily Married’ shots of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry looking resplendent in their wedding gear and giving us life lessons on how to smile when in the throes of love. Now that the last royal wedding of importance is well out of the way, people have already moved on to the next delicious piece of news that could make its way from Buckingham Palace, that of the stork paying a visit to the newly weds. This ample obsession with domestic bliss is our way of seeking solace in other people’s happy endings when our hopes of finding our own version looks like a dim and bleak possibility on the horizon.

To such hoping-against-hope denizens, the newly sworn in Duchess of Sussex Meghan serves as an inspiration on how you could be over 30, divorced, half-coloured, non-British, from a highly public and publicised profession, independent, non-royal and unconventional-looking and still get your Prince Charming! Modern dynamics in the urban scenario these days dictate that most women stay unmarried well after 30, have probably undergone a series of unsuccessful flings/relationships and are really finding it hard to come to grips with a dangerously tipsy work-life balance to vow themselves to a lifetime of marital bliss, no questions asked. So what then should we women in 2018 be looking for when scouting for the love of our lives? Let’s take a rain check on this one.

1)      Say my name, say my name: The world over, women have been subjected to changing their maiden surnames to take on the husband’s name after marriage. If this is done for guaranteeing property rights to the wife in case of the early demise of the husband, we know not but the truth is, women who have been born to parents of another surname and who owe their allegiance and origin to them therefore, should by right be allowed to keep their own maiden surname if they wish to, simply because they bear it as a sign of their identity and independence. The good news is men of this day and age do not see this as a sign of rebellion or get pangs of insecurity over their manhood and authority. Case in point, actor and Nawab Saif Ali Khan Pautaudi let Kareena retain her Kapoor tag after marriage and did not insist on her converting to Islam after marriage. Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao named their child Azad Rao Khan and set a precedent with Sania Mirza to follow suit, having announced that her child will bear her own name with her husband’s i.e Mirza Malik, a move highly endorsed by her Pakistani husband. The recently married Sonam Kapoor was pleasantly surprised when her beau Anand Ahuja added an S to his name as in Anand S Ahuja after she changed her name to Sonam Kapoor Ahuja post her nuptials. So what’s in a name you ask. Apparently, plenty, my friend. In a nutshell, if your man is wise enough to not insist on changing everything about you (starting with your name) once you become his betrothed from being his beloved, marry him now!

2)      Sharing is Caring: Kareena Kapoor Khan has often been found to be applauding her husband’s hands-on attitude to parenting their son Taimur since birth which enabled her to get back to work mode soon after her delivery. Most married women who choose to work after marriage swear by the support and sensitivity of their partners that helps them achieve their professional goals without guilt or neglecting their household responsibility. So when it comes to doing the dishes, changing the diapers or whipping up a dinner on a hectic work day, women are falling for those men who do not feel ashamed to do all this and more if only it means having a self-assured, financially secure and equally qualified woman as their life partner. Buy that apron for him on your next dating anniversary and see if he takes the hint! ;)

3)      We are same same, but different! Having similar tastes and being on the same page when it comes to certain major decisions in the household are good but one has to accept that two people will have different personalities and preferences after marriage. So women want their men to accept the fact that they might not wish to see eye to eye on several of their choices- whether it is their taste for music or sport or personal habits. From one partner being social and outgoing while the other is an introvert to one partner preferring action films as opposed to the other opting for romantic comedies, you will have differences in a relationship, guaranteed. History has proven that marriages work despite these differences if based on mutual respect and consideration of space and freedom. Look for a man who accepts the fact that you will want to enjoy your me-time to indulge in activities that only you want to be part of, in stead of forcing him to accept and like those as well.

4)      Flaws of Attraction: So yes, you two are in love and can’t imagine spending the rest of your life without each other. Do however accept the fact that there will be others who may distract you from this purpose over the course of time. No matter how much a couple may be in love, there may be others who may hold the threatening potential to rock the boat. So make sure you know why you married your partner in the first place. If your foundation is rock-solid, a dalliance or fling will be the last thing on your mind especially if it could shake the very trust on which your relationship with your partner is based. Look for a man who is able to invest a certain amount of faith in you and know that he has your loyalty even if you have friends of the opposite sex with whom you continue to interact with post-marriage. So if he is not checking on your Whatsapp and stalking your guy friends on Facebook because it will only raise his anxiety by going there, you have a winner. If he is curious though, approach him directly by mentioning who your friends are and may be, plan an outing where you can get him to know them better so that he knows you are in good company next time you plan an outing without him.

5)      Will you do frandship with me? As cheesy as this line goes, we forget how important its purpose is in the long run as soon as we change our status from ‘dating’ to ‘in a relationship’. It gets significantly worse after marriage with responsibilities, child bearing and in-laws getting enmeshed with your lives soon after you sign the marriage certificate. So do not turn your partner in to an adversary by assuming a formal or non-negotiable stand after marriage. Rekindle the joy of friendship because when you marry, you are looking to share your need for a companion and a confidante for a lifetime. If your man gives you this, make sure you return the joy of fulfilling these roles when it comes to him as well. Listen, appreciate, understand, respect. Soonafter the physical excitement of being in a relationship fades away, it will be the togetherness that makes you bond with each other over a joke, during a movie or with a simple glance that will hold weight much after your hair turns grey.

6)      Guardian? No thanks! Counsellor? Yes Please! Women have a lot on their plate most of the times what with changing roles that challenge their status quo constantly, abandoning their maternal homes to adjust to a new marital environment and constantly balancing their duties to make the home and workplace function efficiently. So most women would tell you that they are pretty capable of doing what’s right for themselves, for their homes, for their men. They don’t really need someone to tell them how to run the household, how to keep budgets, what a healthy diet for their kid should look like or where to go for the latest shopping bargains. Most of them would therefore, pretty much be amused or insulted (Take your pick!) by their men’s need to tell them what time to get home by, which career move they should be making and how much more they can do in a day when they are most probably multi-tasking more than their fair share already! So don’t let your man assume the role of a guardian, in stead if he really must dispel advice, try identifying if you have a problem in the first place, then gently approach the topic and see if you need his counsel. Advice that is rooted in genuine concern is much more useful than advice that is unwanted and worse, misplaced. You’ve scored if he sees the wisdom of this tact.

7)      I, She, Ourselves- So first there was Adam, then came Eve, and that gave way to a ‘we’. Most decisions that you take regarding your house, right from what kind of furniture you buy to how many kids you wish to have, should be based on a two-way conversation. If you wish to happily take charge of some things that you have the expertise in for example, redecorating the house, do it but take time out to ask your partner for an opinion or comment on your efforts. When it comes to working out your home expenses or when should be the right time to extend your family, make sure you discuss these between yourselves first and come to a consensus without him being biased in his parent’s favour or because society dictates it a certain way. Look for a man who doesn’t let external influences mar his independent opinion, your perspective and ultimately your major decisions in life together.

Make him adopt these new modernised seven vows that can sanctify your marriage and voila! You have yourself the Prince Charming you have been waiting for!

These Veere need much weeding!

If you are making a film on girl power and how your girl gang is bent on questioning a man’s right to all the fun, why not celebrate the same with a title that justifies the same themes? So Veere Di Wedding itself is a very misleading nomenclature for a film that wants to put its women on a pedestal. It’s like saying you can’t be cool enough if you are sisters from different mothers, you got to be ‘brothers in arms’ or bros before foes’ because that is way cooler. It’s like making a film on Queen Elizabeth to showcase her as a quintessential epitome of female dominion and then calling it The King! If you want to make a film about women, be (wo)man enough to make the gender specificity shine through in stead of trying to force it to succumb to an indirect gender bias. There are several other lessons we need to unlearn before we start labelling our films ‘feminist’ and ‘liberating’.

1)    Got a fiery spirit, will smoke: So if you are a modern, 21^st century girl-loving, men-deriding, Type A personality who loves to wear the pants, your favourite accessory is not a clutch sweetheart, it’s a cancer stick in your hand. You see, if you have to look gutsy, free-spirited and bold, you got to smoke baby. Smoke till those lungs start screaming feminism from your nostrils and exhaust the other gender into claiming your worth.

2)   Love risque, play frisky: So as per the new feminist lingo in town, if you are standing at a public place, could be a bus stop, could be a bar table, and you see a nice butt obviously attached to a person of the opposite gender, go ahead and give a squeeze to that sweet little tush. You thought that was obscene and so totally no-can-do? God! Didn’t you know that if you are a feminist, you get away with these things? So what if the man in question did the same to you and you’d probably pull a martial stunt on him and make him kiss the edge of your killer stiletto for it? Most men itch for that little gesture of lust after all, and if a woman is volunteering to do it, who’s he to see red?

3)   Need props, try men! So you are dancing at your best friend’s sangeet, or that annual Holi bash in your neighbourhood? Adding a prop was never so easy! Go beyond those loud dhols and oh-so-girlish ghunghats. Use a man as a prop, the more lanky, flat-bellied chiselled and dork-looking, the better. Get him to sway in the background, embellish your Royale Play wall, make him nuzzle over your knee and look at you all puppy-eyed, dying to be petted, or better still, let him drool over your shoes as you point your manicured glitter-studded nail at the door or wherever else you would like him to go fetch!

4)   Sing in a man’s voice: Fed up of all those sexist, chauvinistic and bawdy lyrics that Punjabi rappers keep crooning to? Switch places and change the words to get back at the opposite side, the more offensive and lurid your vengeance, the better.

5)   Get boorish, kick butt: Go on a superwoman binge watch- Wonderwoman, Catwoman, Black Widow, or the warrior women of Wakanda, trip on all of them and infuse enough steam in yourself to get in to a boorish brawl at a public place with another woman. You see, unless you aren’t aggro enough, you aren’t man enough and hence not feminist/liberated enough. 

In other words, make sure you imbibe all those traits that we have been calling out as misogynistic for so long among men and then go ahead and emulate those, with a high dose of feminine chutzpah. Then, and only then, have you arrived, my dear, Bridget Jones kissing, Sex and the City loving, Daenerys Targaryen (but secretly) mean muscle-wielding Cersei Lannister-worshipping woman that you are. Live upto your gender by misleading your clan into doing everything that is wrong with the other gender in the first place!