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To convince another part of the world that Bollywood is not just jokers who break into song and dance was very difficult. I'm literally ploughing the ground and making people understand that Indian actors are not a joke.
My parents were never into films, but I hope to make them proud with my work some day. In any case, in Bollywood, your surname matters only till your first, second, or third film at most. Beyond that, you are on your own.
Bollywood has a pretty chilled out approach. For instance, we don't wear shoes inside the studio. There is a strict behavioural protocol to be followed in the regional studios, while here in Bollywood, it is more informal.
I had no choice initially as an actress to get a break in Bollywood. Moreover, in those days, I was just feeling my way through Bollywood. I almost felt like an intruder, as I was not familiar with the ways of the industry.
I think I am feeling comfortable in Bollywood more than in Hollywood because I have spent more time here now and I am understanding a lot of things. I am feeling pretty good here. I really don't plan on running off anywhere.
I've been working on the screen right from childhood and am completely in love with my work. And this experience has taught me that ultimately, it's a good script, good work that matters, whether in Bollywood or in the South.
For people that don't know and haven't seen a Bollywood film, you need to go and see one. They give you everything in one. They give you your comedy, your fear, your horror, your thriller, your rom-com. It's everything in one.
I need to focus on other things before I carry on in Bollywood. I can't be doing what I've done in 'Lungi Dance' and now the song 'Party With Bhootnath' with Bachchan over and over again. I've to reinvent myself for Bollywood.
I like Telugu movies, then comes Bollywood and then English movies. In Tollywood, I like Mahesh Babu and Prabhas. But no, I don't watch all their movies. I first find out if the movie is nice. If it's a flop, I don't watch it.
Bollywood is a place which is completely free from caste, region and religion. Some people might work in the industry with the help of networking but I feel is that it's your artistic competence that gets you work in industry.
Your influence and remuneration is directly proportionate to your film's success. So in that sense, Bollywood is a level playing field. If you are delivering on certain parameters, regardless of your gender, you will get paid.
Earlier in our country, rapping was not considered as a proper art form, as it is not a song. But now, incorporation of rap in Bollywood songs, is giving rappers a chance to show their talent and it is coming to the mainstream.
I love doing movies that are content-driven, but at the same time, I would love to dance around trees and do those things that are typical to Bollywood. I have grown up watching such films and I would love to be a part of them.
Bollywood is not a stepping stone to the West. I am extremely picky and in no hurry to sign a Hollywood film. I am only greedy for great roles; language and country is no barrier. And yes, I'll always be a Hindi film star first.
What we had on was BBC Asian Network and Bollywood sound-tracks - they were my reference points. But of course, where I grew up, I was one of two Indian guys in my school, and I didn't really have anyone else to share that with.
It was great working with Salman. He doesn't come across as the 'bad boy of Bollywood.' He is a very generous actor. There are actors, who don't let you have your space on screen and try to steal it. But Salman is not like that.
We know so many people who have gone into the family business even when they had no interest in it because that was the easiest choice. I feel this is a huge debate in India because it applies to every field and not just Bollywood.
For me, it is very important to believe in the kind of movies I do. 'Rang De Basanti' made me feel good about Indian cinema. The movie instilled in me a confidence so strong, that I wanted to be a part of the revolution in Bollywood.
We see so much violence in films, whether it is Bollywood or south films. People are shown blowing up each other onscreen. It's like a seed that is planted and you keep feeding it with small doses. It's cancerous and does affect society.
The kind of songs I sing have been existing in Bollywood music since a long time. In fact, the reason my music is so popular amongst the millions of youth is because I sing in their own language, in their own slang, and about their lives.
I haven't faced a casting couch in the South or Bollywood. But yes, I have faced my share of harassment in both industries. I don't have the guts to name them because they are powerful people - men and women who made sure I felt helpless.
I spent half my life in a boarding school where we were shown only the sporadic wholesome classic like 'The Sound Of Music.' So, I am not familiar with most of the works of the acting greats in Bollywood, Hollywood, or Tamil-Telugu cinema.
Earlier Bollywood was a fly-by kind of business which few wished to be involved in. Now Bollywood is good business and everybody wants to be associated with films. This is definitely a very significant change that I have seen in Bollywood.
When I started off with 'Dance India Dance,' even the TV show people thought it won't be accepted. But with the talent that the show received, I was able to personally tutor dancers to amalgamate contemporary dance moves on Bollywood tracks.
Life itself has so much politics, why should I make it my profession? I'm just a politician's son, not a politician myself. Two politicians, that's my dad and elder brother, in the family are enough. I'm happy doing my own stuff in Bollywood.
When I entered Bollywood, I didn't have any advantage over anyone. I didn't know how to act, I was not from the industry, I didn't know the language, and I didn't know how to dance. So, whatever films I was getting, I was just taking them up.
I hate Bollywood. The movies are all garbage, just terrible. It's my opinion; obviously, there are billions who like and love them. I don't like all the singing, dancing and all the dramatic crying. I have never seen a Bollywood film in my life.
Fitness for me is a passion. Yes, my profession demands it, but that works more as motivation for me. And, like I get motivated by looking at pictures of Bollywood or Hollywood stars with fab bodies, I want others to take that motivation from me.
In fact, one of my good friends is an amazing Bollywood choreographer. She once asked me to perform in one of her shows in college. So, I have danced to the Bollywood music and it was great fun. It is tiring and requires a certain level of fitness.
Since Bollywood is getting more corporate, it is getting difficult for the composer alone to take a decision unless you are a big name like Pritam or Vishal-Shekhar who can speak his heart out and say that 'This is the singer I want for this song.'
After I did 'Lungi Dance' with Shah Rukh, I felt I had achieved everything there is to achieve. But then I am getting to work with Amitabh Bachchan now. And it's really the ultimate Bollywood experience for me. It really can't get any better for me.
I will definitely continue to do Bollywood because that is my thing and I can't not do it - I have to do the singing and the dancing because it is so much fun. But I would like to explore my opportunities in the West, so we will have to wait and see.
I am greedy for both Hollywood and Bollywood. For me, Bollywood is not new, as it is something that I grow up on... I know the plot... stories and characters that are written and made. I haven't got the right opportunity to show my work in Bollywood.
I've worked with the likes of Ram Gopal Varma in 'Rakhta Charitra' and Mani Ratman in 'Raavan' - both these films released in Hindi as well. You need to have something substantial to make a mark in Bollywood and these movies gave me strong characters.
I am happy that I got an international offer by a French director but I won't be able to take part in his film as he wanted me exclusively for two years. As I am getting many offers from Bollywood and the television industry, I won't be able to do it.
I was among the first batch of the students to graduate from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune in 1966, but it wasn't my passport to Bollywood. At that time, no one understood that it is possible to learn acting in an institute.
You've got to understand that in Bollywood, every actor is an instrument, and yet a human being. They come to the set with a set agenda, believing, 'This is who I am, this is what I want, and no, I am not going to become that character you want me to.'
I was very sure I did not want to be the stereotype of what Indian people are seen as, which is Bollywood and henna. That's all great! It's what we are, and I love it. I love saris; I love music. I love henna; I love dancing, but that's not all we are.
We considered a few Bollywood actors as well for the villain role in 'Jigarthanda,' but we finally zeroed in on Simha because we felt he would be the most unexpected person to play it. Had we cast someone popular, then it would have become predictable.
In Bollywood, we are told exactly what to do and how to do it and not to counter things by saying there's a better way. We make our actors feel important by paying them more. But the real deal is when you let the actors take some decisions on the sets.
Almost every second film today has a rehashed version of an old song. In fact, even non-filmi songs are now being rehashed and used in Bollywood films, which is a good thing. But I don't want to be a part of that trend, not as a composer or as a singer.
If I were a star kid, I wouldn't have tried so many things. I would have done theatre and directly joined movies. I did radio and TV shows because I had to carve my own way. Outsiders like me have to reach Bollywood through modelling, theatre, or radio.
I think it's a very easy thing to make people laugh, especially with a script, and then you've just got to dress up. That's also the idea of comedy in Bollywood. But in stand-up comedy, there's a man with just some content trying to make everyone laugh.
I think there is an immense charm and humanity about the Bollywood structure, probably in the way there was about Hollywood film in the '30s and '40s. Somehow they were less distracted about hardware, and more about production values and people, you know?
My journey in Bollywood has been quite filmy, as it includes sleeping on railway platforms to teaching dance for a living. The journey has taught me a lot, and I am very grateful that all that happened with me. It helped me in becoming a more stronger man.
My understanding of films was just as much as any young girl who watches Bollywood films. I had no idea about the whole process of filmmaking, about dialogue writing, scripts, screenplay etc. I had probably gone to two or three film shoots in my childhood.
When I went to Spain, the tourism minister told me a lot of people want to come to India, as they love Bollywood, but they don't have direct flights and find it difficult to get visas on arrival that is currently offered to only citizens of nine countries.
If you look good, you can act in a Bollywood movie, you don't have to be able to act; and Aishwarya Rai is a great example of this. She is a beautiful woman... You look at her, I want to look at her. Damn, she is fine; but stop acting or stop trying to act.
I know that in Bollywood, there is this constant talk on which actor's film is minting how much money, but we are living in a time where the focus is shifting from 'actor's responsibility' to the result of a great team work. I believe filmmaking is about that.
My dream is to take the Indian independent music scene to an international level. People like Alisha Chinai, Baba Sehgal and Daler Mehndi took it to a very high level. My ultimate target is to win a Grammy. I don't want to primarily be a Bollywood playback singer.