Close X
Saturday, November 30, 2024
ADVT 
Bollywood

Girl sells Article 377 story to Hansal Mehta on internet

Darpan News Desk Darpan, 30 Apr, 2014 02:03 PM
  • Girl sells Article 377 story to Hansal Mehta on internet
National award winning "Shahid" director Hansal Mehta, who describes himself as a subversive filmmaker, is all set to make a film on a gay character's journey from self-denial to social ostracism. Interestingly, the story came to him through the internet.
 
"It's a story that was mailed to me by a girl called Ishani Banerji. It just blew my mind. I have to tell this story because marginalised people in our society always interest me," said the director whose next release "City Lights" is about a migrant couple's self-effacing anonymity in the Maximum City.
 
"We've stopped seeing these nameless migrants in the cities. Their lives never concerned us. Now they've become invisible," said Mehta, who has again cast Rajkummar Rao in the lead.
 
He describes "City Lights" as a sequel to his year 2000 satire on migration "Dil Pe Mat La Yaar". To portray abject poverty and ground level austerity, Rajkummar and his leading lady Patralekha had to shoot under the harshest of circumstances.
 
"My producers Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt were willing to provide all the comforts required for shooting. However, I deliberately made them shoot under gruelling conditions. No make-up van, no luxuries were allowed," said Mehta.
 
His partnership with the very talented Rajkummar is "unbreakable", says Mehta.
 
However, his next film about the gay hero won't star Rajkummar, but Nawazuddin Siddiqui. 
 
"I need an older actor to play the gay character. The story takes the character through a very wide chronological arc. Nawaz is more suited to the character. But I am writing a very big biographical story for Rajkummar, which would be set in the Hindi film industry during the 1950s. That's the film Rajkummar and I are doing next," he said.
 
Marginal heroes would continue to haunt Hansal's cinema. In real life too the filmmaker is haunted by communal forces taking over the country. He recently signed a controversial petition pleading for voters to desist from voting for Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
 
"I am not asking voters to not vote for Narendra Modi. I am asking them to vote against communal divisive forces. God save this country if such forces come into power," he said.

MORE Bollywood ARTICLES

IIFA 2014: 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' sweeps the honours

IIFA 2014: 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' sweeps the honours
It was “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag” all the way at the 15th edition of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Weekend. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's directorial venture bagged the maximum top honours including best picture and best director as well as the best actor award for Farhan Akhtar.

IIFA 2014: 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' sweeps the honours

First Look: Kevin Spacey joins Deepika in 'Lungi dance'

First Look: Kevin Spacey joins Deepika in 'Lungi dance'
Hollywood actor-director-producer Kevin Spacey was the show stealer at the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards - he danced on the stage to "Lungi dance" number with Bollywood diva Deepika Padukone.

First Look: Kevin Spacey joins Deepika in 'Lungi dance'

John Travolta rocked IIFA stage with impromptu 'desi' dance

John Travolta rocked IIFA stage with impromptu 'desi' dance
Multi-talented Hollywood actor John Travolta, a dancer and singer par excellence, is so fond of Bollywood's song-dance that he matched steps with Priyanka Chopra on "Tune maari entry" without any prior preparation and wowed the audience

John Travolta rocked IIFA stage with impromptu 'desi' dance

Failure scares Priyanka Chopra

Failure scares Priyanka Chopra
National Award-winning Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra, who attended a panel discussion on acting with Hollywood actor-filmmaker Kevin Spacey at International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Weekend and Awards here, says she has a huge fear of failure.

Failure scares Priyanka Chopra

Too many awards affect credibility: Abhay Deol

Too many awards affect credibility: Abhay Deol
Actor-producer Abhay Deol, who graced the Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Weekend and Awards here, says it's good to celebrate cinema but when there are excessive number of awards, one tends to lose credibility.

Too many awards affect credibility: Abhay Deol

John Trovolta approached for Shekhar Kapoor's 'Paani'

John Trovolta approached for Shekhar Kapoor's 'Paani'
Amrican actor John Trovolta, who attended the International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) 2014 here Friday, said he has been approached by filmaker Shekhar Kapoor for "Paani".

John Trovolta approached for Shekhar Kapoor's 'Paani'