Opening Doorz

By Martin D’Souza | Opening Doorz Editorial | October 23, 2017

Anupam Kher’s diaries… 

You can’t be in movies for over 150 years and then produce a movie like Ranchi Diaries. It was an exercise in futility, a project that should not have been released: so what if it had been shot?

One look at the finished product and even the boy who sounds the clapper for a scene would have told you [if he was asked] that this is best left in the cans.

But no, Anupam Kher the producer ensured that it was not only released but also had a good share of shows at various multiplexes all over on October 06. Two other lesser-known movies that were released the same week did not have the luxury of multiple shows. In fact, Tu Hai Mera Sunday had no shows at IMAX, Wadala: just one show somewhere in the suburbs at an odd time. Call for Fun, the other movie with a lesser-known cast by Janak Toprani had just one!

I decided to watch Ranchi Diaries, obviously because of the name and Jimmy Sheirgill and Satish Kaushik but had to run away from the theater after the interval.

Everyone was doing something on the screen with no one knowing what the other was doing. Such was the state of the movie! What a waste of Jimmy Sheirgill. What a waste of Satish Kaushik. What a waste of Anupam Kher.

What a waste of money and time… mine!

Neil could be that X-factor!

Neil Nitin Mukesh is turning out to be the man with the golden touch who comes in a movie for a brief time to leave a lasting impression. In Rohit Shetty’s Golmaal Again, the dashing Neil has just around 10 minutes of screen time. He comes in like a Greek God, lighting the screen with his presence and impeccable timing, to turn from good to bad, in just one scene. His character is left in a mess towards the end, thanks to the plot.

Recently, in Indu Sarkar, he left an indelible mark with just a sideways glance, a lopsided twitch to his mouth and a frozen gaze! There was not much to say but his body language did all the talking.

Johnny Gaddar and New York were enough examples of his acting prowess. Shortcut Romeo saw him in a different avatar. Though not a great film, Neil managed a good performance alongside Ameesha Patel. In Wazir, Neil had a small but potent role. If you delete 3G from your memory, you have a clear acting graph. I’m sure he just needs the right backing to make a grand entry back and claim his rightful place.

There’s room at the top now more than ever with the Khans (SRK, Aamir, Salman) slowly but surely making way for another set of actors to make it at the first rung. Even Ajay Devgn is acting his age (Golmaal Again). Actors like Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Rajkummar Rao have made their mark. Neil could lend that X-factor!

Anupam can learn from Aamir…

Coming back to where I began… Aamir Khan spells magic whenever he is invested in a project. As an actor, he goes beyond the call of ‘character’ to ensure he gives his 100 per cent. Ghajini and Dangal are just two instances where he has subjected his body to gruelling changes to meet the character head-on. Taare Zameen Par (as a director) saw his passion in film-making touch on a very important social topic. One can go on and on about his involvement in a film project.

His recent offering as a producer and actor in Secret Superstar sees the same amount of involvement. Being a producer, he invested his money and time in a project he believed in. He also reinvented himself as an actor for this Advait Chandan film with a tacky music director character who has a heart of gold.

Maybe Anupam Kher can take a leaf out of Aamir Khan’s book on how to understand which movies to produce! It’s always better to understand before financing, rather than finance without understanding!

(Moody Marty… Sometimes funny, sometimes informative, always downright forthright!)

Also Read: Tinnu Anand, Rajesh Roshan, Panchamda