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Numerology plays an important role in the industry. And the biggest [and most successful] names believe in it. Take the case of SINGH IS KINNG, one of the keenly-anticipated films of 2008. Producer Vipul Shah’s Akshay - Katrina starrer, directed by Anees Bazmee, was initially slated for release on 15th August, but has now been preponed by one week. Yes, you read it right — the film will hit the marquee on 8th August now. Reason for the preponement? “Akshay and I feel the number 8 suits us well. It has been lucky for both of us in the past, which is why we decided that 8th August would be a far more appropriate date for our film,” Vipul Shah tells me. Meanwhile, August seems to be a crowded month. While SINGH IS KINNG is confirmed for 8th August, the much-awaited Abhishek Bachchan starrer DRONA, directed by Goldie Behl, is expected to arrive on 15th August. Also, there’re whispers that Yash Raj’s Ranbir Kapoor starrer, directed by Siddharth Raj Anand, is scheduled for release in August. “We are through with more than 65% of the shoot. August is what we’re looking at,” Siddharth Raj Anand confirms.
Archive for the 'Ayesha Takia' Category
She said no to Nagesh Kukunoor, the guy who gave her career’s best film Dor.”I just couldn’t do the kissing scene in Aashayein. We tried to find a way out. But it didn’t work out for me.Fortunately for me, Nagesh is a dear friend. He didn’t hold my no against me. We completed Tasveer with Akshay Kumar in Canada. And there was nothing there to make me uncomfortable.” Ayesha is aware that her more uninhibited colleagues are making hey-hey-hey while she refuses to get bold on camera. “But I don’t mind losing out on roles. At least ten years from now I don’t want to look back and cringe at anything. I’ve a family and a boyfriend. And I don’t want to embarrass anyone.” Ayesha has an exciting year ahead with films with big-league heroes. “I’m working with Ajay Devgan in Sunday, Akshay Kumar in Nagesh Kukunoor’s supernatural-psychological thriller Tasveer. We shot it in one stretch in Canada.
Then I’ve Prabhu Deva’s Wanted, an action film with Salman Khan. Here I don’t have much to do. I hang around doing whatever leading ladies do …sing, dance and purse my lips when the hero fights,” she says with disarming honesty.
Candid in her self-assessment, she sees a boyfriend as no impediment to her career.
“In fact I’m so glad Farhan is no part of the industry. And that he’s a self- made man who loves me for whom I am. I don’t think having a boyfriend is any problem for a career.
The only annoying part of having a boyfriend is that every time I’ve a release I’m informed by the press that I’m getting married in two months. It irritates me. When I get married I’ll announce it from rooftops. I’m proud of my boyfriend.”
Boyfriend is no problem. But her selfcensorship code does hamper her onward progression. “There’re things that I wouldn’t do, like kiss and wear certain kinds of clothes. And yes that does put me at a disadvantage. But I’m very happy with the work that I’m getting. After Dor I’m being taken seriously as an actress. ”
Last year she had a patch of rough whether when Salaam-e-Ishq and No Smoking bombed. “Everyone kept asking why I reappeared in No Smoking in a double role.
I’d like all questions about that film to be directed to the director Anurag Kashyap. please. I’ve no clue.It was small role, just ten days’ work I’d do another film for Anurag anytime. He’s a friend.”
Strange things keep happening to the unconventional Ayesha Takia. Last year she was meant to play only one role in Anurag Kashyap’s No Smoking.She ended up playing two roles. This year she plays a dubbing artiste in Rohit Shetty’s Sunday….and dubs for a baby cheetah in Nikhil Advani’s animation film. “It’s all so strange,” Ayesha laughs. “When I decided to be part of Sunday I just wanted to have fun after the serious Dor and even more serious No Smoking. And I did have loads of fun. But initially we hadn’t chosen a profession for my character. When Rohit suggested a dubbing artiste I jumped at it. I don’t think any heroine in our films has played a dubbing artiste.” Being a natural mimic, Ayesha worked hard on getting her voices right for the role. “I watched a lot of cartoons. But I found the voices very shrill and unnatural.I wanted to bring in a more natural tone to my voice. A professional dubbing artiste Vikas and the veteran sound recordist Rakesh Ranjan helped me with getting it right for my dubbing artistes’ role.”Ayesha had great fun doing a number of voices in Sunday. But even more fun is her role as the baby cheetah in Nikhil Advani’s animation film.
“I get to speak for a cub named Yuvraj. Nikhil wanted me to dub in my natural voice. That was more fun than assuming an unnatural pitch.
What added to the fun of this whole experience is that all of us who speak in Nikhil’s animation film—Akshaye Khanna, Boman Irani, Govinda and me—sat together worked on our dialogues at reahearsals and then Nikhil designed the film on our voices.”
