Upendra Limaye of Animal fame all set to make his Kannada debut

Having wowed audiences nationwide with his portrayal of Freddy Patil in Sandeep Reddy Vanga's film Animal, National Award-winning actor
Upendra Limaye
is now set to make his Kannada debut. Upendra will soon be seen in a pivotal role in director
Kishore Bhargav
's upcoming film, which features Rishi in the lead.
Kishore, who earlier worked as an associate director with Ram Gopal Varma and made his directorial debut with the Kannada film Stalker, reveals that casting Upendra was a decision born out of admiration. 'His performance in Animal blew me away. While writing this character, I couldn't think of anyone else,' shares the filmmaker.
In the Kannada film, Upendra plays the role of Vasant Rao, who is 'wacky, aggressive, and funny'. Notably, the role comes with an unusual twist: the character suffers from misophonia, a condition where specific sounds trigger intense emotional or behavioural reactions. 'Vasant Rao is unpredictable. His aggression stems from his sensitivity to sound, but that's also where a lot of the film's humour lies,' says Kishore.
A connection with Karnataka
'My mother is from Belagavi, so Kannada feels like my mother tongue—it's a language of love,' says the veteran actor, who is widely celebrated for his work in Marathi cinema.

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Indian Express

2 hours ago

• Indian Express

Rekha's gun-wielding fans turned up on Umrao Jaan sets, Muzaffar Ali recalls how he made them a part of shoot: Umrao Jaan re-release

For those who have seen Muzaffar Ali's melancholic opus Umrao Jaan, with Rekha inhabiting the titular role like a faded dream, it is nearly impossible to move beyond its spell. The film simmers, its frames soaked in poetry, its sorrow rendered with grace. Rekha's performance aches tacitly, Asha Bhosle's voice weaves through Shahryar's verses like silk through smoke, and the Urdu… it breathes. And now, for those who have only heard of its legend, scratches of its songs, the verses of ghazals played late into the night, it is a moment to look forward to. Umrao Jaan returns to the screen on June 27th, inviting both the old lovers and the curious new to lose themselves once again. In a conversation with SCREEN, at his equally sumptuous villa in Juhu, Ali reflected on what first inspired him to adapt Umrao Jaan Ada, the novel on which his film is based. 'My passion has always been Awadh, Lucknow, its people, its culture,' he said. 'That's what I carried with me, even when I was in Calcutta watching Satyajit Ray at work. He was deeply devoted to Bengal, to its spirit. And I knew then, I wanted to do something about Awadh, to tell one of its stories. The idea was always about this girl, set a hundred years ago, yet facing something timeless. Torn from her roots, raised and sold into a kotha. And from there, becoming a creative force in her own right, shaping her own story. That moved me.' He found that story in Mirza Hadi Ruswa's Umrao Jaan Ada, 'a book,' he said, 'that truly inspired me.' Responding to Rekha's remark in an old BBC Urdu interview, where she humbly claimed she did nothing to deserve the National Award for Umrao Jaan, crediting instead the film's triumph to the craftsmen and technicians behind it, Ali agreed with her sentiment, yet offered a deeper view. 'Of course,' he said, 'she had to prepare on many levels. Language, singing, dancing. Yes, there were people to guide her, but she performed beyond expectations.' Expanding on this, Ali reflected, 'You see, Rekha understood from the very beginning that this film would matter. She sensed that it would give her a chance to express something deep within her. She honoured that instinct from the first frame. Working with her was a gift, because this film is woven from quiet emotions. And it takes an actor like her to absorb those feelings and translate them onto the screen.' Also Read | Rekha and Umrao Jaan: The story of women who learn to live with broken hearts Recalling another moment from the shoot, Ali spoke about an incident Farooq Sheikh once recounted, when a group of Rekha's fans reportedly turned up with guns, eager to catch a glimpse of the shoot in progress. Laughing, Ali said, 'It wasn't as scary as it sounds. But yes, there was a little episode. We were shooting in Malihabad, and some locals, clearly excited, showed up wanting to watch. So I let them in.' 'They were thrilled,' he smiled. 'And later, I even cast them in the film. You see, I made them all decoys, using the very same guns they'd brought.' Speaking about Sheikh, whom Ali had earlier directed in his debut film Gaman, he said, 'Farooq was a remarkably natural actor. He brought a sense of realism to his roles. He wasn't like anyone else I could have imagined.' 'There was a softness in him,' Ali continued, 'an aristocratic grace paired with a subtle sophistication. And yet, nothing about him felt 'filmy.' Even in Gaman, he carried a different kind of rawness, windblown, a little lost. In Bombay, people often grow hard. But Farooq held on to his gentleness, that innocence. That's what I needed in my characters, and he brought it beautifully.' While talking about Sheikh and Rekha, it is impossible not to mention the legendary song 'In Aankhon Ki Masti Ke', which was shot in long takes, as if the camera were soaking in all the grief and romance that hung in the air. Explaining this visual choice, he said, 'You have to bring out the meaning of the words, you have to bring out the language of the face, or the story on the face. So I think the face became a very important element; the stories are in the eyes. You have to dwell on that to be able to tell the story. You couldn't have had a quick, fast-paced film or too many movements. The movements are any way happening within the frame.' There is also a certain perception among audiences that Umrao Jaan was, even if subconsciously, inspired by Kamal Amrohi's Pakeezah. However, Ali denied any such influence, saying, 'I don't think Pakeezah had anything to do with this film. Because, you see, the character has a different look and feel. The film also has a different style. I don't think you'll find any frame where you feel it's inspired by Pakeezah. Except for the fact that this is a courtesan, and that was a courtesan. But that was a very commercial kind of treatment of the subject. In this, the treatment is very individualistic and abstract.' As the film gears up for a re-release, he shared how the entire cast and crew are planning to come together to watch the film with the audience, to live it all over again and witness its reception now. He also mentioned that the film might be best suited for OTT, as it's a reflective, mood-driven piece, ideal for personal, intimate viewing. But for now, he's glad it isn't on any platform, as that absence has created a thirst among audiences to see it again on the big screen. And as a filmmaker, what more could he ask for, 44 years after its release?

Hindustan Times

5 hours ago

• Hindustan Times

Review: Rama Bhima Soma by Srikar Raghavan

Srikar Raghavan's Rama Bhima Soma; Cultural Investigations into Modern Karnataka requires the reader to have vast reserves of reading stamina, an empathetic world view and a willingness to travel deep into different geographies, perspectives, communities, stories and movements, even those whose politics the author may not agree with. A Yakshagana performer; just one of the many facets of Karnataka (Shutterstock) A self-professed 'inveterate bookworm,' 'more of a reader than a writer' and 'a Kannada-nut', Raghavan speaks to the English reader who may or may not be Kannada literate as well as to the Kannada reader who has felicity with the English language. How this book unites two universes that have their own complicated history of separation is its strength and success. 598pp, ₹899; HarperCollins Neither its extensive research nor its collation is as impressive as the fact that the author did not learn to read and write Kannada in school. He learnt it as a post-graduate student, using a Kannada-Kannada-English dictionary. In the prologue he writes that the first Kannada novel he read was Shivaram Karanth's Chomana Dudi. And from there began his journey towards Kannada literature, Karnataka's history, culture, politics, socio-economic realities and drama. Raghavan dives headlong into all of these, following every lead and thread, sometimes interviewing sources on their death bed (though neither he nor the source knew that). As the cover suggests, the title references a game played by school boys. 'It requires only a ball, no fixed number of players, no teams, no designated boundary and no premeditation,' he writes. It is a game with no end, though the beginning is very clearly indicated by the pitching of the ball into the air three times (that's counted as Rama Bhima Soma!) After the ball is thrown in the air, the nearest person grabs it and aims it at some other player – it could be anyone nearby or farther afield. Whoever grabs the ball after the hit, then repeats the cycle. This goes on till 'collective exhaustion sets in, or the bell rings...' This game is the book's underlying metaphor. Will every player get a chance to hold the ball, aim and strike? Will the ones getting hit often (for whatever reason) manage to dodge the ball and also get to wield it? And more importantly, will everyone get to play on the same field [of Karnataka] together? The author follows his curiosity to delve into relationships between various socio-political movements, events, books, people, communities, performers, writers, artists and others who shaped or were shaped by the state's morphing landscapes, in any order that draws him. This volume, therefore, is not the history but 'a history, a personal micro-history' of Karnataka, writes Raghavan. He makes no bones about where he stands with respect to the politics of the state and the country, yet, goes to great lengths to probe the thought processes of those who hold the exact opposite positions. This adds to the book's texture. If you are a feminist reader, however, you might despair at the scale of masculine energy in the politics and sociology represented here. You will, however, encounter bright places like the interview with Du Saraswathi or the story of doctor-turned-activist Kusuma Sorab, known as Kusumakka to the girls she worked with. The chapter entitled On Conversions, Controversies and Communalism stands out in how it juxtaposes the syncretic history of the Baba Budana Giri shrine in North Karnataka with an account of the rise of right-wing ideology in the region (and state). It describes the fluid times when 'the Veerashaiva and Sufi orders in North Karnataka interacted and fused with a rare syncretic spirit,' even as Ibrahim Adil Shah II ruled Bijapur and Akbar ruled the north. Scholar Rahamath Tarikere is quoted: 'The gurupanthas (local guru-shishya traditions that stand outside organised religious orders) recognised that caste, untouchability, gender inequality and social concerns were the key hindrances to spiritual achievement,' as were religious differences between Hindus and Muslims. It is ironic that fundamentalism looms against this backdrop. Srikar Raghavan (Courtesy A Suitable Agency) Intensive interviews feature throughout but the ones in the chapter entitled Forests, Conservation and the Ecology of Change' that track environmental movements and protests are especially good. The story of how Indian Forest Officer SG Neginhal 'planted and raised one and half million trees,' told by veteran environmental activist, SR Hiremath, co-founder of the Samaja Parivartan Samudaya (SPS) is one among many others. The formation (and fragmentation) of the Dalit movement, trade unions, workers' movements; the arguments and friendships between socialists, Marxists and communists; the travails and triumphs of artistes across forms and genders; the average do-gooders working on the fringes of society but holding its fabric in place with their idealism and hope – all this and more are presented in great detail. If you are interested in how people make history and enjoy examining layers of belief, thought and action; if you like stories about how politics and religion are being cast aside by some citizens who nevertheless are making a positive impact on their world; if you like random facts (Did you know there is a variety of rice named after the former Prime Minister, HD Deve Gowda, in Punjab?) and want to grasp the stories behind the storytellers; if you have an appetite for tales that take you on trails, and if you have strong wrists – it's a heavy book! – you will be happy to read Rama Bhima Soma. Charumathi Supraja is a writer, poet and journalist based in Bengaluru.

New Indian Express

5 hours ago

• New Indian Express

‘Would be amazing to explore projects here' actor Alia Bhatt gets candid about the city

From the poised and sophisticated teen girl in the film Student of the Year to milestones like portraying the unapologetically strong Gangubai Kathiawadi – which earned her a National Award, and stepping into motherhood, actor Alia Bhatt's professional and personal arc is something all of us have witnessed over the years. One such milestone in the journey was her initiative to start a sustainable clothing brand for children and mothers – Ed-a-Mamma. Recently, the brand, in partnership with Reliance Retail, opened their first store in Bengaluru aiming to bring sustainability and conscious living to the city. 'Bengaluru has a vibrant and conscious community, and I hope it becomes more than just another brand here; I hope it becomes a part of the city's larger conversation on mindful, sustainable living,' she shares. She started it before becoming a mother, unmindful of the significant changes she would have to incorporate post the life-altering event. 'Becoming a mother has only deepened my connection to the brand in such a personal and powerful way. I'm always thinking about comfort, texture, safety, softness, and even how easy something is to put on and remove,' she says. Besides her entrepreneurial journey, she also gets candid about her potential entry into the Kannada film industry. 'I have always admired the storytelling and creativity coming out of Karnataka,' she says, adding, 'Whether as an actor or even on the production side, it would be amazing to explore and collaborate on projects.' Sharing a special bond with the city, she adds, 'Even though my visits to Bengaluru have been short, they have been full of love and warmth. The food, the energy, the city have always been welcoming.' Adorning many hats as an actor, mother, singer, and entrepreneur she embraces the challenges and laughs them off. 'The biggest challenge for me is time – there's never enough of it! But I'm learning to prioritise and be fully present in whatever I'm doing at the moment,' she laughs. As the store comes into its own, Bhatt is hopeful of it bringing a change. 'In Bengaluru, I believe our planet-friendly approach will really resonate, encouraging families to make better and kinder choices. It's about planting seeds of change, one product at a time, and the 'garden city' feels like the perfect place to do that,' she says.