Actor Vidya Balan’s thumb-sucking act in Abhishek Chaubey’s Ishqiya may have elevated the sex quotient of Hindi cinema, but her desperate attempts at recreating that scene by sucking Rani Mukherjee’s thumb in season 3 of Koffee with Karan, looked outrageous and as some said, not very dignified. Nor was Saif Ali Khan’s response “Reliable, Strong and Long”, when KJo asked him what would be his tagline if he ever endorsed a product. Kareena Kapoor looked away innocently but few missed the thrill that coursed through her eyes. Koffee With Karan, as critics have noted, is the new confessional chamber of Bollywood, showing B-town celebrities for what they really are. A bunch of ambitious, brash and cheeky people, as prone to self praise as to the criticism of their colleagues. It is the new rogue’s gallery, where the one who speaks most unguardedly notches maximum points. Dry humour, instant wit, self-praise and a bit of sexy banter — they allow it all to hang out. “People in the entertainment business appear on chat shows like these only to reaffirm their existence in the industry. It is all about image creation,” says director Mahesh Bhatt. “Slander is now legitimate,” believes Bhatt. Ad-man Alyque Padamsee says, “The film industry is now more competitive than it was and bitching is a part of it. It’s bound to happen,” he says. With dirty linen laundered openly, KJo’s dhobi ghat is the hotbed of a public display of lack of affection. Remember the shocking suds, don’t you? Deepika Padukone suggested that former boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor should endorse condoms and the three-flops down Sonam Kapoor, dissed Bollywood’s fashion sense. Kareena Kapoor snarled at Priyanka Chopra’s accent, Suzanne Roshan hinted at bedroom secrets and almost all guests on the gossip couch made fun of Ram Gopal Verma. Padamsee is right when he says, “I have also realised that this season, the women are more outspoken than men.”

Whenever you see Vidya Balan perform, you tend to believe that she does nothing by the book. Five years on, Vidya’s star has risen yet further, and it is a mark of how untouched she is – how real, if you like – that nothing has changed. Whatever it was, those formative experiences served her well in her chosen career as an actress. Those murky corners where pain, discord and ambiguity are rife have always attracted Vidya, and it’s really the truth if I may exaggerate, that Balan is swallowed by Bollywood and it will be an understatement if I again stress on the fact that Vidya’s portrayal of diverse and distinguished roles is a testament of quality, excelling in range, power and versatility.

Her forthcoming role of Sabrina Lal from No One Killed Jessica is just a few of the many more we will be a witness to in the days to come and in the near future. And as we come to an end of this exhilarating chat with one of India’s finest, I ponder and deliver – ‘What would possibly go wrong if Cleopatra had actually met Vidya Balan?’ I mean, ever wondered how Cleopatra would’ve looked if she was draped in a Sabyasachi’s saree? Our correspondent brings you part two of the exclusive chat with India’s very own – symbol of sexy and simplicity.

“When you talk about Jessica Lal, you talk about Sabrina”

Cinema is all about stirring emotions. For me, that happened in No One Killed Jessica. It was also about an emotional journey of Sabrina who was the face of the case, besides the media. When you talk about Jessica Lal, you talk about Sabrina because it was her bravery that got her sister justice.

“Raj Kumar Gupta saw me in my costume on day one and said, ‘That’s my Sabrina’”

I asked my director why he offered me the role of Sabrina and not the media person played by Rani Mukherjee. It’s an important question for me. He informed me that he needed an emotional graph of a woman and that I was the only one who could pull it off. This is one film that I’ve spoken very less about but yet I want to go on and on about it. The first day I did my costume trial and when my director saw me, he said, “That’s my Sabrina”.

“The promos never favoured Rani Mukherjee”

The promos never favoured Rani Mukherjee. The story is about these two people, played by me and Rani. The purpose of both these women were the same – to give justice, but their approaches were very different. Sabrina is about quiet strength and she looks very timid. Sabrina is almost like a wall flower. The promo can’t have too many silent moments. It has to have frenzy.

“Sabyasachi said that from a sexually aggressive character I’ve turned into an asexual unattractive one”

Sabyasachi went with Rani Mukherjee to London to shop for her clothes for No one Killed Jessica. He is such a designer that he doesn’t see films as a showcase for his clothes. Sabyasachi clothes characters. What took me by surprise is the fact that he came from London and said, “I got your clothes too”. So when I asked him why he didn’t take me along with him to London, he said, “I wanted clothes which were larger and not your size”. He gave me tees that were over sized and completely asexual. He told me, “From the sexually aggressive Krishna in Ishqiya, comes an asexual lady who ain’t pretty”. That was how real Sabyasachi wanted me to be in the film.

“I have pushed my schizophrenia to an unbelievable limit”

Words like ‘commercial cinema’ and ‘art house cinema’ are redundant in today’s time. Categories don’t exist anymore because I feel that a good film will always work. It could be anything. The scale of a film may differ but a good film that recovers its money is a hit. It could be a five crore, fifty crore or a hundred crore hit. Personally, every film I’ve acted in has given me something different to do and I have pushed my schizophrenia to an unbelievable limit (laughs).

“Zeenat Aman is a kind of sexy that is graceful sexy”

With the kind of clothes Zeenat Aman wore, she carried it with so much elegance. You never looked at Zeenat Aman and said ‘cheap’. She was an epitome of ‘sexy’. She is the kind of sexy that is ‘graceful sexy’. Even when you see her in her bellbottoms, she looked classy.

“My director stripped me of all the excesses”

Raj Kumar Gupta is someone who is very instinctive. Ever since I have made my debut, I’ve seen directors vision change and how. One in terms of treatment they give to their scenes. It’s real and not conventional. Directors like Abhishek Chaubey, Raj Kumar Gupta and Sujoy Ghosh are unconventional but very passionate and very high on conviction. That’s why they have the courage to make the types of films they want to make. Secondly, the new directors strip you of all the excesses. When I watched something of NOKJ, I asked myself, “Is that really me?”

“Rani Mukherjee is my favourite actress amongst my immediate seniors”

It’s exciting to work with a good actor and Rani Mukherjee is someone who I’ve always liked. I’ve liked her in Bunty Aur Babli, Raja Ki Aayegi Baarat and Black. Rani Mukherjee is my favourite actress amongst my immediate seniors. Like I said, acting is about reacting and when you work with an actor like Rani, its great fun. We don’t have too many scenes together in the film but we have worked together for a few days. We got along very well.

“I love the song ‘Aitbaar’ which talks about Sabrina’s journey

Amit Trivedi’s music and Amitabh Bhattacharya’s lyrics complement each other. The first time I heard the song ‘Dilli Dilli’ I thought that it had some kind of weird energy about it. There is another favourite track of mine called ‘Aitbaar’ which is really about Sabrina’s journey and there is a crazy song like ‘Saali’. Three diverse songs which has everything to do with the film and its characters – Delhi, Sabrina and Rani’s character.

“One of the newspapers carried a headline – No one killed Jessica, and that became our title”

The title is very ambiguous but it has a deeper meaning to it. The day after the initial court case of Jessica Lal, when everyone got acquitted and the witnesses turned hostile, the conclusion was seen in the next day’s newspapers with a headline saying ‘No One Killed Jessica’. I like this title because it says a lot about the film and yet says nothing. I loved the titles Ishqiya, Dabangg and Lage Raho Munnabhai, not because it had Munnabhai but because it had ‘Lage Raho’. It was simple. I loved Parineeta too without sounding biased.

Jhalak Dikhla Jaa 4 is getting to be one of the most interesting dance shows on the telly. The dance reality show that is aired on Sony Entertainment Television is creating a great platform to all the contestants as they are able to explore their talents not only in certain patent dance moves but also in very experimental dance forms.
The episode on Monday was a tad bit sad for the evicted contestant Renuka Shahane and her partner, but apart from that it was a mind blowing experience to see the other contestants shaking their legs in almost a varied form of dances that has never ever been seen before.
The episode had Sushant and his partner mesmerizing the audiences with their amazing dance moves in a dance form called the Chau, which was inspired from a movie. The two had reportedly called in a professional to teach them the right moves as the show organizers had allowed anyone who wanted outside help to get it in this particular round. They scored a perfect full on the score board with the best dancer of the day title.
The other contestant who made a distinct mark was Ragini. She along with her partner were excellent in a Tollywood number and most deservingly were awarded a full 30 on 30 by the judges along with the best dancer of the day award too.
The highlight of the episode was Rani Mukherjee and Vidya Balan’s presence.

The two had come to promote their forthcoming film No One Killed Jessica, and were astounding with their moves too. Rani Mukherjee got really mesmerized with Madhuri Dixit and declared that she was a self proclaimed fan of the great actress.
The episode was indeed a great refreshing one so tune in to Jhalak Dikhla Jaa every Mondays and Tuesdays at 9:pm IST.

Vidya Balan says that designer friend Sabyasachi gave her such a plain Jane look in ‘No One Killed Jessica’ that any actress shouldn’t be sporting the same.

Vidya Balan has changed a lot in terms of her on and off screen styling. The actress received a lot of flak in the past for her poor dressing sense. Finally she seems to have taken the help of renowned designer and good friend Sabyasachi who has helped her get a beautiful, classy and graceful Indian look.

Interestingly the same designer is responsible for giving her a plain Jane image while playing a very regular ordinary looking girl in her forthcoming film ‘No One Killed Jessica’. The actress plays the character of Sabrina Lall in Rajkumar Gupta’s film based on the Jessica Lall murder case.

So Vidya will be seen in oversized T-shirts, ponytail and an extremely ordinary look in the film. Wasn’t there a risk to sport such an ordinary look especially when you have costar Rani Mukherjee in a super glam avatar in the film? “Not at all”, reverts Vidya. “Sabrina is a regular girl and the film is the story of her journey. She is an ordinary girl who emerges as a hero and stands out among the crowd while fighting this case”.

Vidya does admit that she was surprised when director Rajkumar Gupta and designer friend Sabyasachi told her about the look for the first time. “Sabya got me oversized T-shirts. I was shocked and asked him do you really think I should be wearing this? I am also sporting a ponytail and using nondescript glasses in the film. He gave me a look that any actress should not be sporting. But when I stood in front of mirror I could Sabrina Lall. I saw a real person and that was very exciting for me as an actor.”

Happy with the response her character has received, Vidya says, “It’s interesting when you get that kind of reaction to a promo. It’s very encouraging. We are hoping to live up to the expectations and maybe even go beyond that with the entire film.”

While addressing the media, a source said, “Vidya has not had a break since the past five months. Her schedule has been extremely hectic for the past few weeks. She is sleeping for barely 2-3 hours a day. She definitely needs some rest.

“Last afternoon, we reached the multiplex where a promotional event for ‘No One Killed Jessica’. She told Rani and a couple of people next to her that she was not feeling well.”

Vidya’s hectic to-do list includes shooting for director Sujoy Ghosh’s untitled film, an item number in Santosh Sivan’s film and several promotional events for her upcoming flick ‘No One Killed Jessica’.

It seems Vidya has taken the proverb “time and tide waits for none” a bit too seriously.

Vidya’s guardian angel
Rani Mukherjee, Vidya’s co-actor in the film ‘No One Killed Jessica’, along with the crew members helped Vidya to recover.

Rani, who had a clash with Vidya during the film shooting, setting aside all differences, turned out to be an angel for the enervated actress.

“A chair was brought for her and she passed out for a couple of minutes. Rani told the crew members to get something sweet for her and water. She was given all these and she sat down for sometime.Rani told her to take proper rest,” a source said.

NOKJ is not a biography or docu-drama
‘No One Killed Jessica’ (NOKJ) is an authentic story based on the Jessica Lall murder case that happened in Delhi.

Director of the film, Rajkumar Gupta said, “The film is inspired by a series of true events. The inspiration angle to the story attracted me. The case brought people together. So many unlikely heroes emerged. But it is not a biography or docu-drama.”

“I wanted to take the spirit of the story and add emotion and thrill. It is part fiction and part fact and very engaging and entertaining thriller. As a filmmaker I thought it was worth raising the questions,” he added.

The film was shot at well-known places like Nehru Place, Chandni Chowk, Kalkaji, Bus Adda, Paranthe Wali Gali etc in Delhi.

The film is slated to hit the silver screen on Jan. 7, next year.

If old Bollywood flicks had damsels in distress faint with shock on reel, today’s heroines are doing it in real life. Vidya Balan is the latest one to join the ‘too-stressed-to-stand’ fainting club along with Piggy Chops and Katrina. With the short expiry date on the female-actor package, Vidya is doing too much, too soon.

While promoting her latest flick No One Killed Jessica at a multiplex in Hyderabad, Vidya passed out for a few minutes. Thankfully, the crew members of the film were with her and ready to offer a helping hand. But playing guardian angel was none other than co-star Rani Mukherjee.

A source that was with her at the promotional event said, “Vidya has not had a break since the past five months. Her schedule has been extremely hectic for the past few weeks. She is sleeping for barely 2-3 hours a day.

She definitely needs some rest. Last afternoon, we reached the multiplex where a promotional event for No One Killed Jessica. She told Rani and a couple of people next to her that she was not feeling well.

“A chair was brought for her and she passed out for a couple of minutes. Rani told the crew members to get something sweet for her and water. She was given all these and she sat down for some time. Rani told her to take proper rest.”

The friend added, “Vidya has been shooting for Sujoy Ghosh’s untitled film since the last two months and the moment she got back, she has constantly been promoting No One… She has not had a break in a long time and she is stressed and tired.”

Vidya remained unavailable for comment. However, the spokesperson of No One… said, “She has been shooting non-stop for Sujoy Ghosh’s film, an item song for Santosh Sivan’s film, and also has been dubbing and promoting No One Killed Jessica.

She was exhausted and a day’s rest is just what she needs. She is fine now and there is nothing to worry about.”

The only news about ‘No One Killed Jessica’ is about its lead stars Rani & Vidya not getting along. Will this help the film?

When two actresses work together in a film, it is obvious to expect rivalry but can that be used as publicity gimmick? Well that’s Bollywood! A film based on a subject as serious and sensitive like Jessica Lal’s murder case ‘No One Killed Jessica’ is in news for all the wrong reasons.

The problem between its leading ladies Rani Mukherjee and Vidya Balan has become the talk of the town. Interestingly, both the actresses flatly denied the news.

The promos of ‘NOKJ’ are out and getting extremely good response. Now the question is does a film with a strong subject need such publicity? Director Rajkumar Gupta feels that their focus is on the story, which is the hero of the film. Declaring all the bits regarding problems between the leading ladies false, he says, “The stories of them not getting along are baseless rumours. I think the focus is very much on the film while we were shooting it and now while we are promoting it.”

Hope the audiences realize that ‘NOKJ’ is more than just the leading ladies Rani and Vidya. The film is slated to release in January 2011.

No One Killed Jessica is a poignant, hard hitting and also an entertaining film. Made on a small budget with two of the best actresses of the country, Vidya Balan and Rani Mukherjee, the film is centered on the infamous Jessica Lal murder case.

Director Rajkumar Gupta who earned recognition with his film Aamir got inspired to make the film on Jessica’s case from a headline in a national newspaper. He believes that the courtroom trial of the case was a very important event in contemporary India, signified by the society that rallied around for justice for Jessica who was shot dead point blank by the son of a rich politician. The film is Rajkumar Gupta’s dramatic interpretation of the entire Jessica Lal case.

Rani plays a passionate reporter Meera in the film, and Vidya is Sabrina, sister of Jessica, who, with her undaunted spirit, continued to fight to seek justice for her dead sister. Recently the film’s promo released, and indeed it was a thrilling watch. No One Killed Jessica is releasing on January 7.

Rani Mukherjee is back again with her next release No One Killed Jessica. She is pairing up with actress Vidya Balan as the lead characters in the film. The film is directed by Rajkumar Gupta, critically acclaimed for his last film Aamir starring Rajeev Khandelwal.

No One Killed Jessica is a film based on the Jessica Lal case. Jessica Lal was an aspiring model in New Delhi and was well known as a celebrity bartender. She was shot dead on April 29, 1999 at a party. The murder within no time became the talk of the town. Mani Sharma, the son of a politician was convicted on December 2006, accused of Jessica’s murder.

Rani in the film portrays the character of a reporter who was covering the murder mystery. Vidya Balan portrays Jessica’s sister, Sabrina. The film’s released dates are not announced, but the film’s promo will be released in next few weeks.

Rani Mukherjee was last seen staring opposite Shahid Kapoor in the film Dil Bole Haddipa. The film was based on gender stereotypes, however, it failed to make a mark at the Box Office. Taking into consideration that Rani will be seen on the silver screen after a long time, lots of expectations have definitely risen. Hope her hard work for the film pays-off. Wishing all the luck to both Rani and Vidya for their film No One Killed Jessica.

Rani Mukherjee is currently working with Vidya Balan for their upcoming movie No One Killed Jessica. But the latest buzz is that the two Bengali beauties are not the best of buddies on the set.

Crew members revealed that Rani, who is a senior actress with many awards in her kitty, maintains a distinctive behaviour that inhibits Vidya from talking to her. Vidya is not very keen to break the ice either. The two beauties give their shots and then scurry back to their vanity vans.

Although no one has seen the two actresses fight, the cold vibes on set is apparent. So, what is the reason behind this strife? Reports suggest that designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee ditched Vidya for Rani Mukherjee for his directorial debut, and since then the two actresses are not in talking terms. Rani, on the other hand, asked the director of No One Killed Jessica to make certain changes to the script, which would cut Vidya’s role short. As the saying goes ‘hell hath no fury like a woman scorned’.