The actor talks about her role in Nesippaya, working with Akash Murali, perfecting her Tamil for the film, and more

When one thinks of Nesippaya, the striking image of a Tamil-Portuguese lawyer with distinctive hairstyles and eclectic costumes, riding a Harley Davidson bike, will surely come to mind. Kalki Koechlin, who speaks nearly flawless Tamil as Indrani in the Vishnu Varadhan directorial, says one reason she was drawn to the character was because she rides a bike. “When he approached me about the lawyer role, the typical image of a lawyer—always in suits, very proper—came to mind. But he said, ‘I don’t want that. I want to disrupt the traditional idea of a lawyer.’ He envisioned a strong, independent woman who has built her own path, and that independence was reflected in everything—from how she dresses to the fact that she rides a bike. For me, that angle was a real winner.”

In this conversation, Kalki also speaks about the Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani re-release along with Nesippaya, her definition of the word ‘identity,’ how she balances her interests and more.

News Credits: Cinema Express

In an exclusive interview with PeepingMoon, Anand Iyer, who has directed a few episodes of Mirzapur season 3, revealed it was his dream to work on such a project and he got an opportunity. He even talked about collaborating with actors, other directors, producers, and the team.

You got associated with one of the most renowned web series in India. How was it directing a violent series Mirzapur? How did you get on board for season 3?

Yes, it was incredible. I enjoyed directing and working with the actors and this is also seen in the end product of how much hard work we have done. When I was watching Mirazapur season 1 and 2 I decided I would do something like this. I got along with my wife, we were chatting and everything, and then one thing led to the other meet up with Excel and Amazon, and it all fell into place.

When you watched seasons 1 and 2 did you though of working with Amazon Prime or you want to work with the makers of Mirzapur?

The series is brilliant. If I do something, I would like to do something that is so well received, like Mirzapur but it was bonus that I got an opportunity to do it and I got a chance to work with Excel Entertainment also, and Amazon Prime as a platform with all the three it was like cherry on the cake.

You have directed only a few episodes so how did you manage to collaborate with your co-directors of Mirzapur S3?

Every season has always had two directors because it’s such a huge star cast and everything. So dealing with that becomes impossible for one person. So Guru has been associated since season one, so we used to divide scenes amongst us. So there used to be a certain scenes that I used to do, Guru used to do the others and so we used to always brainstorm, meet up, talk about it, discuss how the pitching, what the mood of the scene should be and everything. If there were some inputs that I felt would probably work, I would bounce it off the minutes. If it was fine, we would work that into the scene and stuff. We used to always brainstorm and talk, talk it out before being able to do the scene.

Was there any creative differences between you and the directors or the producers at the Excel Entertainment or Amazon Prime Team?

There wasn’t any great scope to have any creative difference because it is such a well-established show where in you have a season one and season two where you have such well-established characters who follow what has been said as a template in terms of the character arc and everything. It’s not that you are trying to suddenly disrupted by getting trying to do something completely different because it has a mood, it has a pace, it has a certain way to set, it has a certain sense of rawness to it. So all that keeping them keeping that intact, because finally it’s all about the show, the biggest take out of the suits, not about any character or any individual as such, it is about the show. So there was no scope of having any creative differences or issues with either Excel or Amazon. We were all on the same page right from day one.

As a director, how do you take suggestions or advice from your colleagues or the makers?

The thing is, you as a director, always need to be observant of what is happening around you so that you can do that. And at some level, you are collaborating with the brand custodians. If something is created from scratch it has been pegged in a certain manner so you have a brand with you. I was the latest entrant so I follow what the brand custodian has to say. So I just take that and add to it and ensure that there is a smooth transition.

How was it working with Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, and other cast?

So the beauty about it is all are stellar cast. You have a whole plethora of actors who are rock stars. Each one is a stalwart in own right. And it’s always a dream to direct such actors and it’s fantastic. As I said, it was my dream to work on a project like this but things happened when I worked on this project itself.

During an exclusive interview with Filmfare, Ridhi Dogra opened up about The Sabarmati Report, Jawan and more.

The resilient Ridhi Dogra was recently seen in The Sabarmati Report. She opened up to Filmfare about her experiences navigating the character, who was seemingly an antagonist. Ridhi also talked about her character in Jawan, the constantly changing landscape of films and her take on Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal. Having worked in the entertainment sector for more than 20 years, she has moved from television to OTT platforms and now to movies with ease, meeting each obstacle head-on with poise and resolve. She talks about her current work, the craft of portraying complex characters, and her undying love of movies. Excerpts.

Congratulations on completing two decades as an actor.

I genuinely feel I’m only getting started. I am an accidental actor. I didn’t plan things then, I don’t plan things now. For me, it has always been like I’m starting all over again. I was doing television and then for the next six years, I was doing OTT. And now suddenly, I’m doing films. The first risk I had taken was to leave my job to pursue acting. We all like to have pushing jobs where we get a salary at the end of the month. We know we’ll take these two or three vacations a year. I left that and became an actor. I left the cocoon of television because it’s like you’re on a salary. I left that and got into OTT. It’s not like I’m comfortable now. But I’m really grateful that I’ve been around for so long.

How did The Sabarmati Report come to you?

Amol (Mohan), the producer, approached me. I was very skeptical. I had, sort of, said no. But he insisted that I meet the director once. We met up and that’s how it happened. I had a little idea about the film being made. I just hoped they didn’t come to me with a twist. Sometimes you don’t know which way things will go and you don’t know how it will be perceived. However, I had assurance once I spoke to the director, the team and the writer. Every time I had a question, I was given an answer. So that made me feel confident.

What kind of research did you do before playing your character?

My character is based in a particular time and she is a journalist, so it was important for me to have some understanding of the time. I sat with the writing team to help humanise a character in a scene. Apart from understanding what the story was and how the script rolled, it was also important to build the character.

News Credits: Filmfare.com

Vivek Oberoi shared highlights from his day at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he met Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis and other leaders. He praised the collaborative spirit towards India’s mission of ‘Viksit Bharat.’ Oberoi also discussed technology strategies with Cognizant CEO Ravi Kumar S. On the work front, Vivek will appear in ‘Masti 4.’

Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi recently took to social media to share a highlight from his “inspiring day” at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, where he had the opportunity to meet and engage with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and other prominent leaders.

Oberoi, who has been actively involved in advocating for India’s economic growth, expressed his admiration for the collaborative spirit and shared vision of progress that emerged during discussions centered around the national mission of a “Viksit Bharat”.

Taking to his Instagram handle, the ‘Masti’ actor shared a video and wrote in the caption, “What an inspiring day at the @worldeconomicforum Davos, meeting and hearing the CM of Maharashtra, Shri Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtra Minister of Industries, Shri Uday Samant, Secretary of DPIIT, Shri Amardeep Singh Bhatia, Tamil Nadu Minister of Industries, Shri TRB Rajaa and other leaders. The philosophy of #OneNationOneVoice uniting all states in working towards the collective mission of ‘Viksit Bharat’ came alive on a global stage.It was a pleasure meeting Mr. Ravi Kumar S, CEO of @cognizant and discussing some new-age strategies together. Looking forward to the next few days of grind and collaboration at #WEF25.”

The actor also had the opportunity to engage with Ravi Kumar S, CEO of Cognizant, during the event. The two discussed cutting-edge strategies in the fields of technology and artificial intelligence that could drive India’s industrial and digital transformation.

On the work front, Vivek was last seen in Rohit Shetty’s debut web series, “Indian Police Force,” where he shared the screen with Shilpa Shetty, Sidharth Malhotra, Sharad Kelkar, and Shweta Tiwari.

He is set to appear in the much-awaited film ‘Masti 4’, where he will reunite with co-stars Riteish Deshmukh and Aftab Shivdasani. The upcoming film, directed by Milap Zaveri, will also star veteran actor Jeetendra.

The ‘Masti’ franchise, which kicked off in 2004, has since seen two sequels: ‘Grand Masti’ and ‘Great Grand Masti’.

News Credits: Times of India