The last laugh: Bhansali, centre, with Ram Leela pair Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone at the premiere.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali managed to release Ram Leela last Friday but not before he had to endure quite a bit of grief. And that, too, from mostly nuisance mongers. What finally worked for Bhansali was his willingness to make compromises even when he was not in the wrong. It started with lawsuits being filed just before the release, which is the most vulnerable period for a producer. The stated complaint was that Ram Leela is a title which has the name of a deity and therefore, people would think it is mythological. Instead, they would find a movie which is vulgar and glorifies violence.
The court, recognising that this was only a publicity stunt, chucked the case out and fined the complainant, an NGO, Rs50,000 for wasting its time. You would have thought that was a victory for Bhansali but soon enough there was another case in another court which, in fact, granted the stay. But then the court retracted it stating that it had not been aware about the earlier order. Bhansali was in the clear again.
But he decided to change the name of movie anyway from Ram Leela to Goliyon ki Rasleela Ram-Leela. That was an unwieldy mouthful of a name but even this gesture didn’t stop his problems. There was one more case filed relating to two warring communities which feature in the movie. They were based on real communities and it was alleged that this would lead to tensions between them. Bhansali once again decided to relent and changed the names of the two communities in the movie. And so, finally, after practically conceding to everything he managed to bring the movie out. This is not the first time that a filmmaker has been blackmailed using the courts by publicity seekers and politicians. If something is not done to check this opportunism, then it is definitely going to get out of hand.
What was Aamir up to?
Aamir Khan has been a great fan of Sachin Tendulkar, the iconic cricketer, who retired after playing his 200th Test, a world record. To watch his cricketing idol, Aamir, a rational man otherwise, bowed down to a few superstitions. Sporting a clean look, he came wearing a t-shirt that he must have last worn two years ago. That was during a semi-final match of the One-Day World Cup which India won. And not just that. He also accepted an invite to step into the commentator’s box and give his opinion on Tendulkar and the Test. But what was interesting was that when India opted to bowl after winning the toss, Aamir decided that Tendulkar wouldn’t be batting that day. He left the field and then suddenly the opposite team, West Indies, were all out and Aamir returned once again to the stadium to watch the game. What was intriguing was that a public relations company, which represents the upcoming movie Dhoom 3, was sending messages to journalists about Aamir’s movements. At a promotional event in the evening, he was to dedicate a song from the movie to Tendulkar. This instantly raised questions in people’s minds whether he was using his friendship also as a marketing tool. Aamir’s situation was however, much better than Shah Rukh Khan, who, in fact, has a more direct connection to cricket being the owner of an Indian Premier League club team. But Shah Rukh was nowhere to be seen at the Tendulkar Test for a very good reason. He was banned last year from the stadium after he misbehaved with a security guard, who was trying to stop his daughter and her friends from entering the grounds. This was after his team had won a match and they were celebrating.
When the officials of the state cricketing body intervened he had abused them, too. Shah Rukh had later refused to apologise and got the five-year ban.
Kashyap, Koechlin separate, for now
Anurag Kashyap was, for some time, a really troubled personality in Bollywood. Even though recognised as a good script and dialogue writer, for almost half a decade he just couldn’t get movies directed by him released. Black Friday, based on the 1993 bomb blasts in Mumbai, got so entangled in politics that its release was stalled for years. And then No Smoking was panned so badly by critics that Kashyap went into serious depression. He was prone to anger directed against himself and a blog he ran at the time describes his turmoil.
But then fortunes changed. His movies like Dev D became both critical and commercial success. And on the personal front, he got some stability after marrying actress Kalki Koechlin. It worked for both of them as they achieved professional growth.
But now, the marriage seems to be falling apart. Recently, the couple issued a statement that they were separating. They were clear that it was not a divorce but only a sabbatical to sort things out.
Jiah’s ghost returns to haunt accused boyfriend
On June 3, actress Jiah Khan was found dead in her flat hanging from a ceiling fan. There was a suicide note in which she had blamed her boyfriend Suraj Pancholi’s insensitivity and cheating for making her do it. Suraj was put in jail for a rarely used section of the penal code which deals with abetment of suicide.
He was released on bail after three weeks and started to rebuild his life. He also gave interviews and spoke about his grief, while also claiming that he had, in fact, stopped Jiah from committing suicide earlier. The issue slowly faded from public memory. Last week, however, something more serious emerged which could upset Suraj’s life all over again. A forensic report found flesh under the fingernails of Jiah’s body and that, according to the tabloid which broke the story on its front page, can indicate a struggle and possibly murder.
Jiah’s mother now wants the body to be exhumed and investigated again. Meanwhile, Suraj’s father, Aditya Pancholi, said that his son was in a hotel the day Jiah died and that they have CCTV camera footage to prove that.
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