Anoushka&nbsp;Shankar&nbsp;has recently unveiled the first chapter of her mini album titled 'Forever, For Now.' Additionally, she is set to embark on a tour in India, complemented by her upcoming engagement at Lollapalooza.

Shankar&nbsp;boasts of many accomplishments. All the while being a sitarist,&nbsp;Shankar&nbsp;has been the youngest and first female recipient of a British House of Commons Shield; the first Indian musician to perform live and to serve as a presenter at the Grammy Awards, and now has nine nominations under her belt.&nbsp;

A lot of this discipline comes from her family. The&nbsp;Shankar&nbsp;house was seldom a silent place. Musicians were a permanent presence. In this talk with WION, where&nbsp;Shankar&nbsp;joined us from England via a Zoom call, the sitarist talked about how her father, Late Pandit Ravi&nbsp;Shankar&nbsp;influenced her.&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://wionews.com/videos/anoushka-shankar-on-indian-classical-music-at-its-heart-it-has-a-spiritual-connection-672970/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Let's talk about your album. 'Forever. For Now'. The inspiration behind it.

I mean I make albums, that's what I do. I was excited to try a new format and create a series of mini albums this time and release over the year.

'Chapter 1: Forever Now', will always be the first of the series. It was very much inspired by trying to capture a feeling of fleeting moments of beauty and peace, even in times of difficulty and pain. I wanted to make music that helped people feel joy and peace.

Your father was a Grammy-winning Indian composer. Nearly all your relatives are dominating the field of music and art. Can you share what was the experience of growing up in the&nbsp;Shankar&nbsp;family like?

I mean it was my only experience of growing up. For me, it was normal, even if in some ways it was unusual and extraordinary. It was very creative, there were a lot of artists always moving through, there was always music being played, and sometimes there would be dance rehearses. So I had a lot of exposure to art and culture that was formative in my life to make artistic work as well.

What's the kind of discipline is required to excel in Indian classical music?

What I do at this point is not exactly Indian Classical Music, but obviously, I spent decades learning it, they are the roots of everything that I do. It requires what any kind of classical form of music requires, which is a huge amount of dedication, practice and focus. To master your instrument, the vocal range, takes a lifetime of practice, focus and dedication. For a young person that can be quite difficult and will require a lot of commitment.

Can you talk about the power of Indian classical music and how it has influenced the world?

Indian classical music has incredible range, dynamism, excitement, and virtuosity. Most importantly, at its heart, it has that spiritual connection. There is a connection between the vibration and healing. The nuisance ragas can have a positive influence on a person. There's a reason why people across the globe, for generations keep coming back to Indian classical music, because there's something in it that's unique.

What kind of sounds, and vibrations attract you?

I mean I have always had a wide listening range. I love dark music, dance music, trans-trippy music, deep soulful music, and peaceful, slow music. I'm interested in honest soulful music that seems like it's coming from an artist's heart. I'm also interested in music that showcases virtuosity. I also think there is a place for fun, light-hearted music. I need the whole range as a human to reflect, the whole life and listening experience.

Have you ever suffered from writer's block or a creative block?

There have been times when I have felt that 'I should be writing, I should be writing', and nothing's coming. But my experience has been, that as soon as I put myself in the situation to write, whether that's putting myself in a room full of artists and musicians, or setting myself a deadline and making a commitment, then things tend to happen. It usually happens. As soon as I turn to that creative source, it is always there for me. It's just when I have disconnected I feel like I have writer's block.

I used to listen to the track 'Pather Panchali' on repeat mode. Those tracks brought out unspeakable emotions. How was your experience learning from Pandit Ravi&nbsp;Shankar?

It's one of the greatest soundtracks of all time. No question.

As you said, his style of playing was so unique, and revolutionary, that you can tell that it was distinctly his composition. Learning from him was very much a unique experience. My musical style has been shaped and moulded by his imprint. I got to learn so much from his ideas systematic approach, and raga knowledge. It was hugely influential. Like many of his other disciples, I had the real benefit of learning from him, performing with him, and expanding that learning on stage. That's an incredible part of classical music learning tradition, you get to learn to perform on stage. It's unique and beautiful.

You have experienced the time when music was heard from cassettes and CDs. From there to now this streaming era. Can you talk about your experience?

As you said, I started making music in the 90s. My first album was made on CDs and cassettes. Slowly they evolved into streaming platforms. I think that's been creatively freeing. I wouldn't have had an idea about these mini albums. We can release music, and singles however we want. When CDs were invented, people never thought of music in the 60-minute cycle before that was created. So that shaped the idea of what we think of as an album. Now that's changing too. I think it's exciting when technology keeps evolving on how art can be made.

Anoushka Shankar has recently unveiled the first chapter of her mini album titled 'Forever, For Now.' Additionally, she is set to embark on a tour in India, complemented by her upcoming engagement at Lollapalooza.

Anoushka Shankar has recently unveiled the first chapter of her mini album titled 'Forever, For Now.' Additionally, she is set to embark on a tour in India, complemented by her upcoming engagement at Lollapalooza. Shankar boasts of many accomplishments. All the while being a sitarist, Shankar has been the youngest and first female recipient of a British House of Commons Shield; the first Indian musician to perform live and to serve as a presenter at the Grammy Awards, and now has nine nominations under her belt. A lot of this discipline comes from her family. The Shankar house was seldom a silent place. Musicians were a permanent presence. In this talk with WION, where Shankar joined us from England via a Zoom call, the sitarist talked about how her father, Late Pandit Ravi Shankar influenced her. Let's talk about your album. 'Forever. For Now'. The inspiration behind it. I mean I make albums, that's what I do. I was excited to try a new format and create a series of mini albums this time and release over the year. 'Chapter 1: Forever Now', will always be the first of the series. It was very much inspired by trying to capture a feeling of fleeting moments of beauty and peace, even in times of difficulty and pain. I wanted to make music that helped people feel joy and peace. Your father was a Grammy-winning Indian composer. Nearly all your relatives are dominating the field of music and art. Can you share what was the experience of growing up in the Shankar family like? I mean it was my only experience of growing up. For me, it was normal, even if in some ways it was unusual and extraordinary. It was very creative, there were a lot of artists always moving through, there was always music being played, and sometimes there would be dance rehearses. So I had a lot of exposure to art and culture that was formative in my life to make artistic work as well. What's the kind of discipline is required to excel in Indian classical music? What I do at this point is not exactly Indian Classical Music, but obviously, I spent decades learning it, they are the roots of everything that I do. It requires what any kind of classical form of music requires, which is a huge amount of dedication, practice and focus. To master your instrument, the vocal range, takes a lifetime of practice, focus and dedication. For a young person that can be quite difficult and will require a lot of commitment. Can you talk about the power of Indian classical music and how it has influenced the world? Indian classical music has incredible range, dynamism, excitement, and virtuosity. Most importantly, at its heart, it has that spiritual connection. There is a connection between the vibration and healing. The nuisance ragas can have a positive influence on a person. There's a reason why people across the globe, for generations keep coming back to Indian classical music, because there's something in it that's unique. What kind of sounds, and vibrations attract you? I mean I have always had a wide listening range. I love dark music, dance music, trans-trippy music, deep soulful music, and peaceful, slow music. I'm interested in honest soulful music that seems like it's coming from an artist's heart. I'm also interested in music that showcases virtuosity. I also think there is a place for fun, light-hearted music. I need the whole range as a human to reflect, the whole life and listening experience. Have you ever suffered from writer's block or a creative block? There have been times when I have felt that 'I should be writing, I should be writing', and nothing's coming. But my experience has been, that as soon as I put myself in the situation to write, whether that's putting myself in a room full of artists and musicians, or setting myself a deadline and making a commitment, then things tend to happen. It usually happens. As soon as I turn to that creative source, it is always there for me. It's just when I have disconnected I feel like I have writer's block. I used to listen to the track 'Pather Panchali' on repeat mode. Those tracks brought out unspeakable emotions. How was your experience learning from Pandit Ravi Shankar? It's one of the greatest soundtracks of all time. No question. As you said, his style of playing was so unique, and revolutionary, that you can tell that it was distinctly his composition. Learning from him was very much a unique experience. My musical style has been shaped and moulded by his imprint. I got to learn so much from his ideas systematic approach, and raga knowledge. It was hugely influential. Like many of his other disciples, I had the real benefit of learning from him, performing with him, and expanding that learning on stage. That's an incredible part of classical music learning tradition, you get to learn to perform on stage. It's unique and beautiful. You have experienced the time when music was heard from cassettes and CDs. From there to now this streaming era. Can you talk about your experience? As you said, I started making music in the 90s. My first album was made on CDs and cassettes. Slowly they evolved into streaming platforms. I think that's been creatively freeing. I wouldn't have had an idea about these mini albums. We can release music, and singles however we want. When CDs were invented, people never thought of music in the 60-minute cycle before that was created. So that shaped the idea of what we think of as an album. Now that's changing too. I think it's exciting when technology keeps evolving on how art can be made.

Anoushka Shankar on Indian Classical music: At its heart, it has a spiritual connection

Like many players, former Sri Lankan cricketer, Muttiah Muralitharan also now has his biopic, 800. But unlike most biopics, 800 does not just focus on one player and his goals. The title, 800, is a tribute to the wickets he earned during his cricket career, but the movie tells the story of not just a man, but an entire community and a country, and how the geopolitical tension shaped his life.&nbsp;

During an exclusive chat with WION, actor Madhur Mittal and the cricketer revealed more details.&nbsp;

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LRnHMYeZ7R0?si=s-5ot092757SNxgI" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

So Madhur, from playing a Punjabi child in Shaka Laka Boom Boom, to a rogue in Slumdog Millionaire and now a cricket player in 800. You have enjoyed quite the range.

Madhur Mittal: I have been lucky, although I haven't done too much work. Actors are rated on their versatility, and despite such a short number of films I have managed to explore a lot of characters. I have been given all these different opportunities and it has culminated into this fantastic character that I am going to play in 800. I am very grateful.&nbsp;

800 isn't just an ordinary biopic. It involves the story of a country. So what were the script-reading sessions like?&nbsp;

Muttiah Muralitharan: I didn't do anything extraordinary, I only made sure that it remains a true story. I did not join the script reading sessions. Even when they were shooting, I just went once when they were shooting near my parents' house. The first time I met Madhur was when I was told that he was locked for the role. I spoke with him briefly when I went to Chennai. I told him not to be nervous, not to copy me but to be yourself.&nbsp;After that, I met him during the trailer launch. My involvement was not too much, I just gave permission and freedom to the cast and crew.&nbsp;This movie managed to battle all odds. It paused due to COVID-19, and then Sri Lanka started facing a financial crisis.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-one-month-of-jawan-a-look-back-at-shah-rukh-khans-film-blockbuster-success-643700">One month of Jawan: A look back at Shah Rukh Khan's film blockbuster success</a>

Madhur Mittal: My acting sessions and script reading sessions were dramatically different from that of Slumdog Millionaire or Shaka Laka Boom Boom.&nbsp;When you are playing a real-life character, someone who is as legendary as sir, (pointing at Muralitharan), there's a lot of pressure in getting it right. With my director, &nbsp;we shared our visions and what we wanted to achieve through this film. One thing was for certain, was that we just didn't want this film to be a mimicry, but go beyond that. This movie is so much more than just a sports film, this is a human story, and it has character study. There is an incredible arch that not just the character goes through, but the entire community, and the country. There's a lot of layers to it. Even sir gave me that brief. One can't reduce such an incredible life with just actions and expressions. So, we worked on the depth of the movie.&nbsp;

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The former Indian cricket players, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Anil Kumble and Virender Sehwag have all come out and shown their support for the film. What were your off-the-field conversations like? What kind of bond did you share with the Indian cricket team?&nbsp;

Muttiah Muralitharan:&nbsp;We were opponents on the cricket field but outside that we were all very good friends. We have been playing for decades. They have helped me a lot previously too. I have a charity organisation where many members of the cricketing fraternity have come and played matches to raise funds. Indian players feel a lot for other people.&nbsp;

While shooting the movie, and reading the script, what remained the toughest role in bringing out the reality?&nbsp;

Madhur Mittal: The funny thing is no one was really aware of it until I was locked for the film. Nearly eight years ago, I had a really bad car crash, after which my arms got bent. Even sir, (Muralitharan) has naturally bent elbows, which becomes slightly difficult to emulate. It is difficult to replicate his actions, and it was the toughest part to get that right. But because I had naturally bent elbows, I hope I was able to do a better job.&nbsp;

Muttiah Muralitharan: It was such a turbulence to make this movie, just like my life. It was one heck of a rollercoaster ride. It took five years to complete the movie and unlike people in my life, people on sets were not negative. I would urge everyone to come and watch the movie then they will understand how to be a champion and how to overcome obstacles in your life. I hope the audience really enjoy this movie.&nbsp;

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

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Like many players, former Sri Lankan cricketer, Muttiah Muralitharan also now has his biopic, 800. But unlike most biopics, 800 does not just focus on one player and his goals.

Like many players, former Sri Lankan cricketer, Muttiah Muralitharan also now has his biopic, 800. But unlike most biopics, 800 does not just focus on one player and his goals. The title, 800, is a tribute to the wickets he earned during his cricket career, but the movie tells the story of not just a man, but an entire community and a country, and how the geopolitical tension shaped his life. During an exclusive chat with WION, actor Madhur Mittal and the cricketer revealed more details. So Madhur, from playing a Punjabi child in Shaka Laka Boom Boom, to a rogue in Slumdog Millionaire and now a cricket player in 800. You have enjoyed quite the range. Madhur Mittal: I have been lucky, although I haven't done too much work. Actors are rated on their versatility, and despite such a short number of films I have managed to explore a lot of characters. I have been given all these different opportunities and it has culminated into this fantastic character that I am going to play in 800. I am very grateful. 800 isn't just an ordinary biopic. It involves the story of a country. So what were the script-reading sessions like? Muttiah Muralitharan: I didn't do anything extraordinary, I only made sure that it remains a true story. I did not join the script reading sessions. Even when they were shooting, I just went once when they were shooting near my parents' house. The first time I met Madhur was when I was told that he was locked for the role. I spoke with him briefly when I went to Chennai. I told him not to be nervous, not to copy me but to be yourself. After that, I met him during the trailer launch. My involvement was not too much, I just gave permission and freedom to the cast and crew. This movie managed to battle all odds. It paused due to COVID-19, and then Sri Lanka started facing a financial crisis. Also read: One month of Jawan: A look back at Shah Rukh Khan's film blockbuster success Madhur Mittal: My acting sessions and script reading sessions were dramatically different from that of Slumdog Millionaire or Shaka Laka Boom Boom. When you are playing a real-life character, someone who is as legendary as sir, (pointing at Muralitharan), there's a lot of pressure in getting it right. With my director, we shared our visions and what we wanted to achieve through this film. One thing was for certain, was that we just didn't want this film to be a mimicry, but go beyond that. This movie is so much more than just a sports film, this is a human story, and it has character study. There is an incredible arch that not just the character goes through, but the entire community, and the country. There's a lot of layers to it. Even sir gave me that brief. One can't reduce such an incredible life with just actions and expressions. So, we worked on the depth of the movie. The former Indian cricket players, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Anil Kumble and Virender Sehwag have all come out and shown their support for the film. What were your off-the-field conversations like? What kind of bond did you share with the Indian cricket team? Muttiah Muralitharan: We were opponents on the cricket field but outside that we were all very good friends. We have been playing for decades. They have helped me a lot previously too. I have a charity organisation where many members of the cricketing fraternity have come and played matches to raise funds. Indian players feel a lot for other people. While shooting the movie, and reading the script, what remained the toughest role in bringing out the reality? Madhur Mittal: The funny thing is no one was really aware of it until I was locked for the film. Nearly eight years ago, I had a really bad car crash, after which my arms got bent. Even sir, (Muralitharan) has naturally bent elbows, which becomes slightly difficult to emulate. It is difficult to replicate his actions, and it was the toughest part to get that right. But because I had naturally bent elbows, I hope I was able to do a better job. Muttiah Muralitharan: It was such a turbulence to make this movie, just like my life. It was one heck of a rollercoaster ride. It took five years to complete the movie and unlike people in my life, people on sets were not negative. I would urge everyone to come and watch the movie then they will understand how to be a champion and how to overcome obstacles in your life. I hope the audience really enjoy this movie. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

800: Muttiah Muralitharan on his biopic & his bond with Indian cricket players

Indian music composer, Ricky Kej, thrilled everyone with his latest rendition of the Indian national anthem "Jana Gana Mana". During an exclusive conversation with WION, the three times Grammy-winning artist talked about his inspirations and his journey from advertising to making his own music.&nbsp; 
 
Here are the excerpts from the interview: 
 
Q: With three Grammy wins, you are in the league of Pandit Ravi Shankar. Can you comment on your experience?&nbsp; 
 
A: Of course, it's a surreal experience. Growing up in India, and making my own brand of music, I never even imagined it – winning Grammy looked like an unattainable dream. I used to watch the award show on television, and that was the end of it. When I was 33, I won my first Grammy, and after that two more Grammy awards, I think it's been an amazing recognition of my journey in music.&nbsp;

Q: You have over 21 studio albums with international releases. You have worked in over 3500 TV and radio commercials, and you have also composed the opening score of the Cricket World Cup of 2011. And now your Grammy award-winning compositions. First, I want to know about your vast experience.&nbsp;

A: I have done lots of music, not limited to one style. As you mentioned, the TV and radio ads, the Cricket World Cup Opening Ceremony, so I have been doing music for various events. When it comes to advertising, I have been fortunate that over a span of 13 or 14 years, I did more than 3500 commercials, for pretty much every brand and their competitor. Even though I don't do it anymore, I consider that part of my life really important for my career, because the more I was composing music for commercials, the more I was composing for various genres of music.&nbsp; 
 
I got my chance to explore Tamil folk jingles, Celtic jingles, and heavy metal jingles, the thing is that I was constantly on my toes when it came to newer genres of music and newer musicians within the genres of music, I had a huge database of musicians from all over the world, who I could tap into whenever I needed their talents so that variety found its way into my music, that is why my brand of music has a unique fusion because it has all of these elements from all over the world and different styles of music.&nbsp; 
 
So now I believe that there are only two genres of music, there's only good music and bad music and it just cuts through all the known genres of music.&nbsp;

Q: Can you talk about the soft power of Indian classical music?&nbsp; 
 
A:India has Bollywood music, the mainstream music and then you have the niche genre, unfortunately, classical music is considered to be a niche genre even though it is an integral part of Indian culture and tradition. But I have noticed, that when a Bollywood singer or composer goes abroad, they are always able to fill up a stadium, but the people who show up for those concerts are the people from the Indian diaspora. So with a few exceptions, Bollywood has not actually broken cultural barriers, because the only people who listen to Bollywood are people from all over the world but all of them are people from the Indian diaspora.&nbsp;

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But when it comes to classical music, for example, Pandit Ravi Shankar, I had seen a concert of his when I was 19, I was in San Francisco. I was so shocked that the demography of the audience that was within the theatre was very representative of the demographic of the city. Pandit Ravi Shankar was playing pure Indian classical music on a sitar, he was not doing hip-hop or rock, yet he reached out to an audience that was not Indian, and he familiarised a whole new generation of global citizens with Indian music. So I believe that is the soft power of our Indian classical music. It transcends boundaries, geographies, and philosophies and it is liked by everybody.&nbsp;

Q: You hail from an era when music was heard in cassettes, then CDs, then digital streaming. You were associated with the music industry when they were going through these changes. Can you comment on that?&nbsp;

A: When I professionally started my career in the music industry around 25 years ago, at that time, as you correctly mentioned, it was cassettes, so people were listening to music on cassettes. Now in cassettes, you could not skip from song to song so easily, so there, the album was a very important concept, because you had to listen to the cassette from the beginning to the end, because it was very difficult to go from song one to song two, so albums were everything.&nbsp;

After that when we moved to CDs, everybody started making individual songs, because you can skip from song to song now. So that way, every song was extremely important and people were concentrating on making conceptual albums, they would make a collection of songs, there was still pride of ownership at that time. People would buy cassettes, friends would come home, play the music and talk about the new piece, and people would open CDs and say wow, this is this new band that I discovered. Then you went to mp3, where you had to store the music on your phones, and I-pods, &nbsp;but now there is no pride of ownership anymore. People don't want to store something on their phones anymore. They just directly go to a streaming site, and they don't want it to stay on their phone. So there is no pride of ownership. Because of this, songs do not last the way they used to last. When you buy a CD you know you are going to listen to it for 10 years, 20 years, the physical product that you have purchased, you had that pride that you actually owned this piece of music and you listen to it. But right now you listen to a song for about two weeks, or three weeks and then you forget about it. Then you move on. So I believe that the longevity of music has been lost because of streaming platforms.&nbsp;

Q: Saw an interesting YouTube video on your channel about Baul. Two questions, are you a part-time documentary filmmaker, and since when have you been familiar with the Baul culture?&nbsp;

A: Yes, I was part of the film, 'I am Baul'. I produced the movie and composed the original music for it, &nbsp;but I am not a documentary filmmaker. I never direct my own music video, I have got fantastic directors who do that job because I believe that being a musician I should stick to that. Also, every time a filmmaker makes a music video of mine, the more I suggest something to a filmmaker, the worse the music video becomes you know. That is why I believe I should stick to music.&nbsp; 
 
About the Baul documentary, a fantastic filmmaker Sairam Sagiraju made that documentary with a lot of my vision. So the thing about the Baul culture that got my interest was that, it is basically over 1000 years old, and these amazing musicians use music as their pathway to speak to God. They do not want their gateway to God through a priest, maulvi, pandit or anyone like that they believe that the way we are going to reach out to our God is with our voices, our music. This tradition has been passed down for over a thousand years, and these people are so simple. They sing for food, a place to stay at night. They are nomads so they move from place to place. For them, being part of the culture was their way of going out of the caste confines. Music was everything for the Bauls. That was such a lesson for me and I realised that I need to know more about the power of music.&nbsp;

So now, tell me, about your journey with 'Divine Tides'. How did it start and then go to the Grammys?&nbsp;

A: In 2015, I won my first Grammy award for the album, 'Winds of Samsara'. For the next seven years, it was always on my mind that I need to make a follow-up of that album. But I had a relentless touring and travelling schedule. Every year I was doing concerts in 13 or 14 countries. There was no way for me to sit down and create a new album. Then 2020 happened, the pandemic hit, and we were all forced to remain indoors, that is when I started making the first few pieces of music of 'Divine Tides'. I needed a collaborator for that album because I felt that I cannot do this alone. I needed someone with a strong vision.&nbsp; 
 
Growing up I have been a huge fan of Stewart Copeland, he had already won Grammy back then. He even composed tracks for Oscar-winning movies. So when I reached out to him, I thought what's the worst, he will just say no. So I sent him an email and showed him a few pieces, I asked him if he was interested in coming with me on this journey of making this album. To my surprise, he loved the music and said yes let's do this together. 
 
I was living in Bangalore and he was living in LA, so I changed to sleep timings to collaborate with him. After several video calls, phone calls, and remote recording sessions, the album was very successful. We got nominated for a Grammy, and I had not even met him in person. He became like a father figure to me although I had not met the guy in person. So then we went for the Grammys. That was the first time I met my idol. It was a very emotional moment for me. Then we won the Grammy together.&nbsp;

Q: Have you ever suffered from creative blocks?&nbsp;

A: When it comes to creative blocks, it comes to musicians when you are working on a deadline and also on somebody else's sensibilities. When it is not based on your own sensibilities, that is when you have creative blocks. I used to have them when I worked in advertising. But not anymore, now I make music when I get inspired. For me, it is an art form.&nbsp; 
 
I had two ways of escaping blocks. One, was the threat from my clients, that if it is not delivered within this deadline then of course there was money, the one factor that gets your creative juices flowing. (Laughs and signs off) &nbsp;

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe> 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Indian music composer, Ricky Kej, thrilled everyone with his latest rendition of the Indian national anthem "Jana Gana Mana". During an exclusive conversation with WION, the three times Grammy-winning artist talked about his inspirations and his journey from advertising to making his own music.

Indian music composer, Ricky Kej, thrilled everyone with his latest rendition of the Indian national anthem "Jana Gana Mana". During an exclusive conversation with WION, the three times Grammy-winning artist talked about his inspirations and his journey from advertising to making his own music. Here are the excerpts from the interview: Q: With three Grammy wins, you are in the league of Pandit Ravi Shankar. Can you comment on your experience? A: Of course, it's a surreal experience. Growing up in India, and making my own brand of music, I never even imagined it – winning Grammy looked like an unattainable dream. I used to watch the award show on television, and that was the end of it. When I was 33, I won my first Grammy, and after that two more Grammy awards, I think it's been an amazing recognition of my journey in music. Q: You have over 21 studio albums with international releases. You have worked in over 3500 TV and radio commercials, and you have also composed the opening score of the Cricket World Cup of 2011. And now your Grammy award-winning compositions. First, I want to know about your vast experience. A: I have done lots of music, not limited to one style. As you mentioned, the TV and radio ads, the Cricket World Cup Opening Ceremony, so I have been doing music for various events. When it comes to advertising, I have been fortunate that over a span of 13 or 14 years, I did more than 3500 commercials, for pretty much every brand and their competitor. Even though I don't do it anymore, I consider that part of my life really important for my career, because the more I was composing music for commercials, the more I was composing for various genres of music. I got my chance to explore Tamil folk jingles, Celtic jingles, and heavy metal jingles, the thing is that I was constantly on my toes when it came to newer genres of music and newer musicians within the genres of music, I had a huge database of musicians from all over the world, who I could tap into whenever I needed their talents so that variety found its way into my music, that is why my brand of music has a unique fusion because it has all of these elements from all over the world and different styles of music. So now I believe that there are only two genres of music, there's only good music and bad music and it just cuts through all the known genres of music. Q: Can you talk about the soft power of Indian classical music? A:India has Bollywood music, the mainstream music and then you have the niche genre, unfortunately, classical music is considered to be a niche genre even though it is an integral part of Indian culture and tradition. But I have noticed, that when a Bollywood singer or composer goes abroad, they are always able to fill up a stadium, but the people who show up for those concerts are the people from the Indian diaspora. So with a few exceptions, Bollywood has not actually broken cultural barriers, because the only people who listen to Bollywood are people from all over the world but all of them are people from the Indian diaspora. But when it comes to classical music, for example, Pandit Ravi Shankar, I had seen a concert of his when I was 19, I was in San Francisco. I was so shocked that the demography of the audience that was within the theatre was very representative of the demographic of the city. Pandit Ravi Shankar was playing pure Indian classical music on a sitar, he was not doing hip-hop or rock, yet he reached out to an audience that was not Indian, and he familiarised a whole new generation of global citizens with Indian music. So I believe that is the soft power of our Indian classical music. It transcends boundaries, geographies, and philosophies and it is liked by everybody. Q: You hail from an era when music was heard in cassettes, then CDs, then digital streaming. You were associated with the music industry when they were going through these changes. Can you comment on that? A: When I professionally started my career in the music industry around 25 years ago, at that time, as you correctly mentioned, it was cassettes, so people were listening to music on cassettes. Now in cassettes, you could not skip from song to song so easily, so there, the album was a very important concept, because you had to listen to the cassette from the beginning to the end, because it was very difficult to go from song one to song two, so albums were everything. After that when we moved to CDs, everybody started making individual songs, because you can skip from song to song now. So that way, every song was extremely important and people were concentrating on making conceptual albums, they would make a collection of songs, there was still pride of ownership at that time. People would buy cassettes, friends would come home, play the music and talk about the new piece, and people would open CDs and say wow, this is this new band that I discovered. Then you went to mp3, where you had to store the music on your phones, and I-pods, but now there is no pride of ownership anymore. People don't want to store something on their phones anymore. They just directly go to a streaming site, and they don't want it to stay on their phone. So there is no pride of ownership. Because of this, songs do not last the way they used to last. When you buy a CD you know you are going to listen to it for 10 years, 20 years, the physical product that you have purchased, you had that pride that you actually owned this piece of music and you listen to it. But right now you listen to a song for about two weeks, or three weeks and then you forget about it. Then you move on. So I believe that the longevity of music has been lost because of streaming platforms. Q: Saw an interesting YouTube video on your channel about Baul. Two questions, are you a part-time documentary filmmaker, and since when have you been familiar with the Baul culture? A: Yes, I was part of the film, 'I am Baul'. I produced the movie and composed the original music for it, but I am not a documentary filmmaker. I never direct my own music video, I have got fantastic directors who do that job because I believe that being a musician I should stick to that. Also, every time a filmmaker makes a music video of mine, the more I suggest something to a filmmaker, the worse the music video becomes you know. That is why I believe I should stick to music. About the Baul documentary, a fantastic filmmaker Sairam Sagiraju made that documentary with a lot of my vision. So the thing about the Baul culture that got my interest was that, it is basically over 1000 years old, and these amazing musicians use music as their pathway to speak to God. They do not want their gateway to God through a priest, maulvi, pandit or anyone like that they believe that the way we are going to reach out to our God is with our voices, our music. This tradition has been passed down for over a thousand years, and these people are so simple. They sing for food, a place to stay at night. They are nomads so they move from place to place. For them, being part of the culture was their way of going out of the caste confines. Music was everything for the Bauls. That was such a lesson for me and I realised that I need to know more about the power of music. So now, tell me, about your journey with 'Divine Tides'. How did it start and then go to the Grammys? A: In 2015, I won my first Grammy award for the album, 'Winds of Samsara'. For the next seven years, it was always on my mind that I need to make a follow-up of that album. But I had a relentless touring and travelling schedule. Every year I was doing concerts in 13 or 14 countries. There was no way for me to sit down and create a new album. Then 2020 happened, the pandemic hit, and we were all forced to remain indoors, that is when I started making the first few pieces of music of 'Divine Tides'. I needed a collaborator for that album because I felt that I cannot do this alone. I needed someone with a strong vision. Growing up I have been a huge fan of Stewart Copeland, he had already won Grammy back then. He even composed tracks for Oscar-winning movies. So when I reached out to him, I thought what's the worst, he will just say no. So I sent him an email and showed him a few pieces, I asked him if he was interested in coming with me on this journey of making this album. To my surprise, he loved the music and said yes let's do this together. I was living in Bangalore and he was living in LA, so I changed to sleep timings to collaborate with him. After several video calls, phone calls, and remote recording sessions, the album was very successful. We got nominated for a Grammy, and I had not even met him in person. He became like a father figure to me although I had not met the guy in person. So then we went for the Grammys. That was the first time I met my idol. It was a very emotional moment for me. Then we won the Grammy together. Q: Have you ever suffered from creative blocks? A: When it comes to creative blocks, it comes to musicians when you are working on a deadline and also on somebody else's sensibilities. When it is not based on your own sensibilities, that is when you have creative blocks. I used to have them when I worked in advertising. But not anymore, now I make music when I get inspired. For me, it is an art form. I had two ways of escaping blocks. One, was the threat from my clients, that if it is not delivered within this deadline then of course there was money, the one factor that gets your creative juices flowing. (Laughs and signs off)

Ricky Kej on Pandit Ravi Shankar, and soft power of Indian Classical music | Exclusive

Hollywood actor Jharrel Jerome made his acting debut in the Oscar-winning film&nbsp;Moonlight. Since then, he has come a long way. In 2019, he won his first Emmy for his performance in When They See Us. In SpiderMan: Across The Spider Verse, Jerome's voice appearance was short yet quite prominent, which is largely contrary to his latest role as Cootie in I'm a Virgo.

In his latest venture with Boots Riley, Jerome plays a 13-foot-long man who steals all the attention, even if he doesn't want to bring it on himself. During a one-on-one interaction with WION, the actor talked about his latest project, the ongoing writers' strike in Hollywood and more. Here are the excerpts from the interview.&nbsp;

 
What made you choose I'm a Virgo?&nbsp;

Boots Riley (the director) actually emailed the script to me personally. Back then, the title of the script said, 13-foot-long-man in Oakland.&nbsp; I think once you read that you want to know more, you get very intrigued and curious as to what he meant, so once I saw that I met with him a week later and he played the division for me and told me how he wanted to execute it and it just excited me because I knew it would be a challenge.&nbsp;

What's the best part about playing Cootie?

I think Cootie is fun because he is not one-dimensional, he has a lot of qualities that keep jumping around, I think he is someone who is smart and intelligent, and he knows a lot but he doesn't know at all. So when he goes outside for the first time in his life, there are lots of moments which are very new to him. So playing scenes where everything felt new, everything felt different, that was fun, to tap into that young spirit and trying to bring that energy.&nbsp;

So, was this project relatable for you?&nbsp;

 
I find it incredibly relatable, I think Cootie is a lot like all of us, sometimes we feel different, we feel like we don't fit in, we feel like we are not welcomed, or something about us is too weird. But Cootie takes that all with pride, and he loves who he is and that makes him confident, that he knows what he needs, and who he is. So playing somebody who is always deemed as different but believes in himself, is inspiring, and I feel that part is very relatable with my real life.&nbsp;

You seem to be enjoying Hollywood. Can you share the best part about being in Hollywood right now?&nbsp;

 
Aah, the best part about Hollywood now, is that the weather is nice. (Laughs). No, I'm just kidding. I think the best part about being in Hollywood now is that you are part of projects that push the brain, open up conversations that are different and I think Hollywood is doing a cool job right now. The industry is introducing projects, opening up conversations that we don't speak about. It's also looking at different perspectives and different cultures.&nbsp;

 
Can you also comment on the ongoing Hollywood writers' strike?&nbsp;

Yeah, I support the writers' strike. I think that there are lots of changes that need to happen on the back end of projects, and there is a lot of fairness that needs to be allowed because writers are the crutch of everything we see in cinema, and there would be no film, no show without them. So I am in full support of the movement and all that needs to be done to allow the change to happen.&nbsp;

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Hollywood actor Jharrel Jerome made his acting debut in the Oscar-winning film Moonlight. Since then, he has come a long way. In 2019, he won his first Emmy for his performance in When They See Us.

Hollywood actor Jharrel Jerome made his acting debut in the Oscar-winning film Moonlight. Since then, he has come a long way. In 2019, he won his first Emmy for his performance in When They See Us. In SpiderMan: Across The Spider Verse, Jerome's voice appearance was short yet quite prominent, which is largely contrary to his latest role as Cootie in I'm a Virgo. In his latest venture with Boots Riley, Jerome plays a 13-foot-long man who steals all the attention, even if he doesn't want to bring it on himself. During a one-on-one interaction with WION, the actor talked about his latest project, the ongoing writers' strike in Hollywood and more. Here are the excerpts from the interview. What made you choose I'm a Virgo? Boots Riley (the director) actually emailed the script to me personally. Back then, the title of the script said, 13-foot-long-man in Oakland. I think once you read that you want to know more, you get very intrigued and curious as to what he meant, so once I saw that I met with him a week later and he played the division for me and told me how he wanted to execute it and it just excited me because I knew it would be a challenge. What's the best part about playing Cootie? I think Cootie is fun because he is not one-dimensional, he has a lot of qualities that keep jumping around, I think he is someone who is smart and intelligent, and he knows a lot but he doesn't know at all. So when he goes outside for the first time in his life, there are lots of moments which are very new to him. So playing scenes where everything felt new, everything felt different, that was fun, to tap into that young spirit and trying to bring that energy. So, was this project relatable for you? I find it incredibly relatable, I think Cootie is a lot like all of us, sometimes we feel different, we feel like we don't fit in, we feel like we are not welcomed, or something about us is too weird. But Cootie takes that all with pride, and he loves who he is and that makes him confident, that he knows what he needs, and who he is. So playing somebody who is always deemed as different but believes in himself, is inspiring, and I feel that part is very relatable with my real life. You seem to be enjoying Hollywood. Can you share the best part about being in Hollywood right now? Aah, the best part about Hollywood now, is that the weather is nice. (Laughs). No, I'm just kidding. I think the best part about being in Hollywood now is that you are part of projects that push the brain, open up conversations that are different and I think Hollywood is doing a cool job right now. The industry is introducing projects, opening up conversations that we don't speak about. It's also looking at different perspectives and different cultures. Can you also comment on the ongoing Hollywood writers' strike? Yeah, I support the writers' strike. I think that there are lots of changes that need to happen on the back end of projects, and there is a lot of fairness that needs to be allowed because writers are the crutch of everything we see in cinema, and there would be no film, no show without them. So I am in full support of the movement and all that needs to be done to allow the change to happen.

WION Exclusive- Jharrel Jerome on Hollywood writers' strike: I'm in full support of the movement 

Polite Society, which comes from a British writer-director Nida Manzoor, makes us experience what most of us have been witnessing for a long time. A coming-of-age drama, young girls choosing a path that's not favourable in brown culture. However, there are several sequences, which make us enjoy the film differently.&nbsp; 
 
In an exclusive conversation with WION, Manzoor, and actress Priya Kansara, talk about their project and the need to include more South Asian writers in Hollywood.

The standout moments from the film were watching women in lehengas, doing action scenes. Can you comment on that?&nbsp;

Nida Manzoor: I wanted to bring to create a film that brought together all the things I loved. I loved action movies, Hong Kong, and kung fu, and I love Bollywood films and my own South Asian culture. I wanted to celebrate those two things together and so it was a no-brainer for me to make an action film that had lehengas and anarkalis flowing and flying.

Priya Kansara: Yeah it was very fun to shoot as well and I think it makes all of the action sequences look so much more dynamic as well because the costumes are so beautifully designed by PC Williams, our costume designer. It just like really married the movements within the fights and that was special to kind of see on screen.

So I read reports that you performed your stunts, just like Tom Cruise, and Brie Larson. Did any of them inspire you?&nbsp;

Priya Kansara: Yes, a little bit. I was like I want to be like them, I am going to do as many of my stunts as possible. It is such an important part of Riya's journey as well that I felt it would really help me understand her but also selfishly like a personal thing as well to kind of want to go and to try this new skill and see how much of it I could do. It was really fun and we had such an incredible stunt team behind us so I learned so much, I was empowered throughout the whole process so I feel really lucky that I got to attempt so much of it.

From the first draft to the final project. How many changes did the script go through?&nbsp; 
 
Nida Manzoor: You know it has been sort of over ten years now in the making and the first draft was wild and wacky and all over the place. If you think the film is wild and wacky, it was a whole other level. I feel really lucky, it took ten years to make the film, I got to improve my skills as a writer, and I got to find my voice as a writer and as a director. So the film I was constantly honing it, finding it, shaping it, reshaping it, and that process continued in the edit, we were constantly cutting and re-cutting and seeing where the jokes worked, where we needed to push up the sister relationship. So it was a constant process of fine-tuning and finding the film that did not ever stop until the end of the edit.

So you have introduced us to siblings who fight like assassins but over burgers. 
 
Nida Manzoor: It is but I feel like it is truthful to siblings. You can be cruel and you can be the worst of enemies but you can be the best of friends and there is a sort of interesting heightened feeling of being in a sibling relationship.

Can you talk about the current rise of South Asian prominence in Hollywood?&nbsp; 
 
Priya Kansara: It is so special to see because I know that growing up I did not see a lot of it and I think living in Britain, growing up in London and not seeing yourself reflected on the tv screens and the cinema screens that you go to locally and watch, it can be quite a confusing feeling like not feeling represented and not knowing where you kind of fit. I am not Indian enough, I am not British enough, it is that kind of weird in between and so now to be able to see ourselves reflected feels like there are so many endless opportunities and things out there for us. You can't be what you can't see. So that is so wonderful to see that kind of representation within Western cinema.

Nida Manzoor: Yeah and I still hope that there's so much work to do, there's still not enough voices, people compare the film often to 'Bend it Like Beckham' although they are quite different, it was just... that film came out twenty years ago so it still feels like there is so much work to be done especially within Hollywood to kind of empower more south Asian writers, performers across the board.

Polite Society, which comes from a British writer-director Nida Manzoor, makes us experience what most of us have been witnessing for a long time. A coming-of-age drama, young girls choosing a path that's not favourable in brown culture.

Polite Society, which comes from a British writer-director Nida Manzoor, makes us experience what most of us have been witnessing for a long time. A coming-of-age drama, young girls choosing a path that's not favourable in brown culture. However, there are several sequences, which make us enjoy the film differently. In an exclusive conversation with WION, Manzoor, and actress Priya Kansara, talk about their project and the need to include more South Asian writers in Hollywood. The standout moments from the film were watching women in lehengas, doing action scenes. Can you comment on that? Nida Manzoor: I wanted to bring to create a film that brought together all the things I loved. I loved action movies, Hong Kong, and kung fu, and I love Bollywood films and my own South Asian culture. I wanted to celebrate those two things together and so it was a no-brainer for me to make an action film that had lehengas and anarkalis flowing and flying. Priya Kansara: Yeah it was very fun to shoot as well and I think it makes all of the action sequences look so much more dynamic as well because the costumes are so beautifully designed by PC Williams, our costume designer. It just like really married the movements within the fights and that was special to kind of see on screen. So I read reports that you performed your stunts, just like Tom Cruise, and Brie Larson. Did any of them inspire you? Priya Kansara: Yes, a little bit. I was like I want to be like them, I am going to do as many of my stunts as possible. It is such an important part of Riya's journey as well that I felt it would really help me understand her but also selfishly like a personal thing as well to kind of want to go and to try this new skill and see how much of it I could do. It was really fun and we had such an incredible stunt team behind us so I learned so much, I was empowered throughout the whole process so I feel really lucky that I got to attempt so much of it. From the first draft to the final project. How many changes did the script go through? Nida Manzoor: You know it has been sort of over ten years now in the making and the first draft was wild and wacky and all over the place. If you think the film is wild and wacky, it was a whole other level. I feel really lucky, it took ten years to make the film, I got to improve my skills as a writer, and I got to find my voice as a writer and as a director. So the film I was constantly honing it, finding it, shaping it, reshaping it, and that process continued in the edit, we were constantly cutting and re-cutting and seeing where the jokes worked, where we needed to push up the sister relationship. So it was a constant process of fine-tuning and finding the film that did not ever stop until the end of the edit. So you have introduced us to siblings who fight like assassins but over burgers. Nida Manzoor: It is but I feel like it is truthful to siblings. You can be cruel and you can be the worst of enemies but you can be the best of friends and there is a sort of interesting heightened feeling of being in a sibling relationship. Can you talk about the current rise of South Asian prominence in Hollywood? Priya Kansara: It is so special to see because I know that growing up I did not see a lot of it and I think living in Britain, growing up in London and not seeing yourself reflected on the tv screens and the cinema screens that you go to locally and watch, it can be quite a confusing feeling like not feeling represented and not knowing where you kind of fit. I am not Indian enough, I am not British enough, it is that kind of weird in between and so now to be able to see ourselves reflected feels like there are so many endless opportunities and things out there for us. You can't be what you can't see. So that is so wonderful to see that kind of representation within Western cinema. Nida Manzoor: Yeah and I still hope that there's so much work to do, there's still not enough voices, people compare the film often to 'Bend it Like Beckham' although they are quite different, it was just... that film came out twenty years ago so it still feels like there is so much work to be done especially within Hollywood to kind of empower more south Asian writers, performers across the board.

WION Exclusive: 'Polite Society' cast on fighting assassins in Indian bridal costumes 

In recent times, movies and television series and web content, based on Indian characters have become quite popular. With creators such as Mindy Kaling, Lang Fisher, Smriti Mundhra and&nbsp;Kabir&nbsp;Akhtar&nbsp;people of colour, mainly hailing from the South Asian part of the world, have found a place on-screen too. In an exclusive tet-a-tete with WION, director Kabir Akhtar, who created history at the Emmys in 2016, by becoming the first brown person to win the award in single camera, comedy editing, shared with us that nearly 30 years ago, life was completely different for a brown person living in the US.&nbsp;

Even for&nbsp;Akhtar, who hails from an influential family in India.&nbsp;He is the nephew of Indian lyricist Javed&nbsp;Akhtar, and cousin of directors Zoya and Farhan&nbsp;Akhtar. Well known for his works in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Arrested Development, in recent times, he has regained his popularity again&nbsp;for directing some of the episodes of the Netflix show, Never Have I Ever. The series is based on an Indian teenager who grows up in the U.S.&nbsp;

Excerpts from the interview:&nbsp;

So tell us about your experience of being the&nbsp;Akhtar&nbsp;in the Hollywood block.

You know it's funny, I did not grow up intending to go into film and television. I think most of the family sort of didn't. I sort of came to this path because, I had worked in theatre, now, when I look back of course and it is easy to see the straight line, from family business to here. But you know as the family is sort of always pointing out, I sort of made this path on my own in Los Angeles. When I moved here out of school, I didn't know anybody.

&nbsp;

So being from an influential family didn't really have an advantage in Hollywood?

Not really. I think it's very popular now, in 2023 to be Indian, Indian-American, or you know, have Indian descent.&nbsp; Here, it's viewed that way. But like 20 years ago, or 25 years ago, okay let's say 30 years ago, it was not that way. I mean the representation of Indians was not that good on American TV and movies. I mean when I grew up watching when there was an Indian person he was sort of the butt of all jokes, or like the funny next-door neighbour, at some point, they started portraying Indians even as terrorists for some reason. I don't think the culture was respected or treated well as it is now. So, it didn't really make much of a difference in the family stature in the homeland.

&nbsp;

How is Hollywood looking at the Indian market particularly right now?

I think there is a lot of interest, you see a lot of big companies are now very interested in inroads in India. Because I think people have realised, America has 300 million people and India has three times that, and we know that Indians love movies. It's been deep in us for so long. So you will find a lot more interest there, I'm certainly hearing that more and more people are planning to involve more Indians and India in the story-telling process. I think it's really interesting.

Can you talk about your personal experience of growing up as a brown kid in the US?

When I grew up as a brown kid in the US, it was in the 80s and the 90s. It was not cool at all to be brown back then. Right now you see everybody going and ordering chai, doing yoga, and all these factors which are coming from India, they have been reappropriated and changed, but none of this was familiar to most people here at all. I was like this skinny kid with a funny name, which is a thing Barack Obama used to say about himself which I like and I'm stealing, although he is much more successful than I am, it's true you know, I mean I think that nobody really understood the culture or wanted to. Right now you see people talking about all kinds of things like Diwali parties at the White House, and then Kamala Harris becoming the Vice President of the US, these are incredible. You couldn't imagine this happening 40 years ago. One thing that I have realised is that because Indians were allowed to come to this country in the 60s or 70s now those of us who were born here, that is the first generation of Indian-Americans and have achieved some level of success, they can change the way television and movies look at the Indian community. So, I always think about the next generation, for the kids now, and right now,&nbsp; it's normal to see other brown kids on tv looking cool, which I wish we had, but we didn't.

How did your cousins Farhan&nbsp;Akhtar&nbsp;and Zoya&nbsp;Akhtar&nbsp;react when you started becoming popular in the US.?

The whole family is very supportive. I love my family so much and everyone has always been very cool, I mean we grew up spending summers with each other, sometimes here, or we would go to India. So the four of us, (Farhan, Zoya,&nbsp;Kabir, and Nishaq) grew up together. Back then we weren't thinking about all this, we were just watching movies, consuming them and having fun doing that. It's great now, they have achieved a lot more success in India and they are coming here now for meetings and projects, so it's great that we get to see each other a lot more. Hopefully, we will also get to work together on something again. It will be a super fun thing to get the whole family together.

&nbsp;

Have you ever thought of directing a Bollywood film?

I would love to come work there. We are constantly trying to talk about it and trying to find the right project. I think that having grown up here but having an entire generation of the family from India and spending a bunch of my childhood there I think I understand both cultures in a way. That's cool and exciting and I want to put that to good use.

 
You said the right project. What according to you is the right project?

You know finding the right project is like finding the right boyfriend or a girlfriend or friend whom you get along with. Sometimes you just know it when you see it. It speaks to you and you can feel that it's authentic. You want visually interesting storytelling, stories with multiple genres, something that's fun, fascinating and interesting to watch. And I have always enjoyed making those.

&nbsp;

So now, I'm gonna ask you about Never Have I Ever. How did you land as a director?

When Never Have I Ever&nbsp;was announced it was part of what you and I were talking about, it was the beginning of a first-generation Indian family who lives in America. When I heard about it I raised my hand, although I was at home. I was like Oh my god, how do I find a way to work in this, so I just made phone calls, my agent made phone calls, and I ended up directing few of the shows. It was a dream come true. Everyone was amazing to work with, the cast is great, the crew is great, the scripts were great, and I ended up directing more episodes than anybody. I'm very proud of the work which I did and everybody did, it was a big team effort and created a big difference. What Mindy Kaling has done to promote Indian culture is amazing.

 
An important element in the series is how diversity is so ingrained. I don't see Paxton as a Japanese-European guy unless he says it, and neither do I see anyone as Chinese or African. I see them as teenagers. Who should be credited the most for it?

I think that goes back to the creators of the show, Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher, who did a great job of making the show very much about people. People who are not just in high schools but people with relatable problems, and relatable backgrounds, aren't really calling attention to themselves too much.

It's not really about, oh Eleanor is from wherever she is from, or Paxton is half this half that, it's interesting, it provides context for characters and their choices, their decisions. Like for all of us. It's not about their race. It's been very exciting to work on projects with three-dimensional characters, you can see yourself in so many other people.

I mean, I watch shows with Latino women characters and I am like oh yeah, we have some of the same stuff. It's not like we are different, but more like, oh we are the same.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Along with you, I see various other names, such as Smriti Mundhra, Anu Walia, Lang Fisher too. How is the call taken on who will direct which episode?

I think a lot of it has to do with everybody's schedule. It's not a fun answer, but it's more of a simple answer. Everybody is working on different things, the assignments are handed out based on availability. But it's great, that so many South Asian directors, and Indian-American directors, connect more and collaborate. I guess that is a dream come true.

So Devi is a topper in her class, Kamala is a PhD Student, and Nirdesh, as mentioned in the series itself, is a combination of Ben's brain and Paxton's look, he is a hot Indian dude, who excels in his class. When are we ever gonna have an Indian student who is bad at studies?

I know, tell me about it, my family also keeps asking me that question, for the wrong reason. I think it's interesting, because when the show first came out, a couple of years ago, a lot of feedback that I heard was that it's great to have a show on Indian people, but it's not my story, you know, it's not me. That's what people would say and I'm like yes it is impossible to represent the culture of a billion people in one show. But I think what this show did was it sort of broke the ceiling. Hollywood and the studio system many ingrained the old cultural idea, and they said no one would watch this show, about an Indian family, but then it became number one on Netflix. &nbsp;It was an eye-opener. There are more shows coming along, a lot of people are starting these other shows, about Indians who aren't the model minority, which is great you know. It would be great in a way, they won't be used as dumb people, people to laugh at which it used to be 30 years ago, 20 years ago even 10 years ago.

What to expect from season four of Never Have I Ever?&nbsp;&nbsp;

Well, we filmed season four last summer, it's been a long time, I think people are really gonna like it, I think it provides a really wonderful ending to the whole story and it's just more fun, there's a lot of great emotional stuff in it. I think everyone is really gonna like it.

In recent times, movies and television series and web content, based on Indian characters have become quite popular. With creators such as Mindy Kaling, Lang Fisher, Smriti Mundhra and Kabir Akhtar people of colour, mainly hailing from the South Asian part of the world, have found a place on-screen too.

In recent times, movies and television series and web content, based on Indian characters have become quite popular. With creators such as Mindy Kaling, Lang Fisher, Smriti Mundhra and Kabir Akhtar people of colour, mainly hailing from the South Asian part of the world, have found a place on-screen too. In an exclusive tet-a-tete with WION, director Kabir Akhtar, who created history at the Emmys in 2016, by becoming the first brown person to win the award in single camera, comedy editing, shared with us that nearly 30 years ago, life was completely different for a brown person living in the US. Even for Akhtar, who hails from an influential family in India. He is the nephew of Indian lyricist Javed Akhtar, and cousin of directors Zoya and Farhan Akhtar. Well known for his works in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Arrested Development, in recent times, he has regained his popularity again for directing some of the episodes of the Netflix show, Never Have I Ever. The series is based on an Indian teenager who grows up in the U.S. Excerpts from the interview: So tell us about your experience of being the Akhtar in the Hollywood block. You know it's funny, I did not grow up intending to go into film and television. I think most of the family sort of didn't. I sort of came to this path because, I had worked in theatre, now, when I look back of course and it is easy to see the straight line, from family business to here. But you know as the family is sort of always pointing out, I sort of made this path on my own in Los Angeles. When I moved here out of school, I didn't know anybody. So being from an influential family didn't really have an advantage in Hollywood? Not really. I think it's very popular now, in 2023 to be Indian, Indian-American, or you know, have Indian descent. Here, it's viewed that way. But like 20 years ago, or 25 years ago, okay let's say 30 years ago, it was not that way. I mean the representation of Indians was not that good on American TV and movies. I mean when I grew up watching when there was an Indian person he was sort of the butt of all jokes, or like the funny next-door neighbour, at some point, they started portraying Indians even as terrorists for some reason. I don't think the culture was respected or treated well as it is now. So, it didn't really make much of a difference in the family stature in the homeland. How is Hollywood looking at the Indian market particularly right now? I think there is a lot of interest, you see a lot of big companies are now very interested in inroads in India. Because I think people have realised, America has 300 million people and India has three times that, and we know that Indians love movies. It's been deep in us for so long. So you will find a lot more interest there, I'm certainly hearing that more and more people are planning to involve more Indians and India in the story-telling process. I think it's really interesting. Can you talk about your personal experience of growing up as a brown kid in the US? When I grew up as a brown kid in the US, it was in the 80s and the 90s. It was not cool at all to be brown back then. Right now you see everybody going and ordering chai, doing yoga, and all these factors which are coming from India, they have been reappropriated and changed, but none of this was familiar to most people here at all. I was like this skinny kid with a funny name, which is a thing Barack Obama used to say about himself which I like and I'm stealing, although he is much more successful than I am, it's true you know, I mean I think that nobody really understood the culture or wanted to. Right now you see people talking about all kinds of things like Diwali parties at the White House, and then Kamala Harris becoming the Vice President of the US, these are incredible. You couldn't imagine this happening 40 years ago. One thing that I have realised is that because Indians were allowed to come to this country in the 60s or 70s now those of us who were born here, that is the first generation of Indian-Americans and have achieved some level of success, they can change the way television and movies look at the Indian community. So, I always think about the next generation, for the kids now, and right now, it's normal to see other brown kids on tv looking cool, which I wish we had, but we didn't. How did your cousins Farhan Akhtar and Zoya Akhtar react when you started becoming popular in the US.? The whole family is very supportive. I love my family so much and everyone has always been very cool, I mean we grew up spending summers with each other, sometimes here, or we would go to India. So the four of us, (Farhan, Zoya, Kabir, and Nishaq) grew up together. Back then we weren't thinking about all this, we were just watching movies, consuming them and having fun doing that. It's great now, they have achieved a lot more success in India and they are coming here now for meetings and projects, so it's great that we get to see each other a lot more. Hopefully, we will also get to work together on something again. It will be a super fun thing to get the whole family together. Have you ever thought of directing a Bollywood film? I would love to come work there. We are constantly trying to talk about it and trying to find the right project. I think that having grown up here but having an entire generation of the family from India and spending a bunch of my childhood there I think I understand both cultures in a way. That's cool and exciting and I want to put that to good use. You said the right project. What according to you is the right project? You know finding the right project is like finding the right boyfriend or a girlfriend or friend whom you get along with. Sometimes you just know it when you see it. It speaks to you and you can feel that it's authentic. You want visually interesting storytelling, stories with multiple genres, something that's fun, fascinating and interesting to watch. And I have always enjoyed making those. So now, I'm gonna ask you about Never Have I Ever. How did you land as a director? When Never Have I Ever was announced it was part of what you and I were talking about, it was the beginning of a first-generation Indian family who lives in America. When I heard about it I raised my hand, although I was at home. I was like Oh my god, how do I find a way to work in this, so I just made phone calls, my agent made phone calls, and I ended up directing few of the shows. It was a dream come true. Everyone was amazing to work with, the cast is great, the crew is great, the scripts were great, and I ended up directing more episodes than anybody. I'm very proud of the work which I did and everybody did, it was a big team effort and created a big difference. What Mindy Kaling has done to promote Indian culture is amazing. An important element in the series is how diversity is so ingrained. I don't see Paxton as a Japanese-European guy unless he says it, and neither do I see anyone as Chinese or African. I see them as teenagers. Who should be credited the most for it? I think that goes back to the creators of the show, Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher, who did a great job of making the show very much about people. People who are not just in high schools but people with relatable problems, and relatable backgrounds, aren't really calling attention to themselves too much. It's not really about, oh Eleanor is from wherever she is from, or Paxton is half this half that, it's interesting, it provides context for characters and their choices, their decisions. Like for all of us. It's not about their race. It's been very exciting to work on projects with three-dimensional characters, you can see yourself in so many other people. I mean, I watch shows with Latino women characters and I am like oh yeah, we have some of the same stuff. It's not like we are different, but more like, oh we are the same. Along with you, I see various other names, such as Smriti Mundhra, Anu Walia, Lang Fisher too. How is the call taken on who will direct which episode? I think a lot of it has to do with everybody's schedule. It's not a fun answer, but it's more of a simple answer. Everybody is working on different things, the assignments are handed out based on availability. But it's great, that so many South Asian directors, and Indian-American directors, connect more and collaborate. I guess that is a dream come true. So Devi is a topper in her class, Kamala is a PhD Student, and Nirdesh, as mentioned in the series itself, is a combination of Ben's brain and Paxton's look, he is a hot Indian dude, who excels in his class. When are we ever gonna have an Indian student who is bad at studies? I know, tell me about it, my family also keeps asking me that question, for the wrong reason. I think it's interesting, because when the show first came out, a couple of years ago, a lot of feedback that I heard was that it's great to have a show on Indian people, but it's not my story, you know, it's not me. That's what people would say and I'm like yes it is impossible to represent the culture of a billion people in one show. But I think what this show did was it sort of broke the ceiling. Hollywood and the studio system many ingrained the old cultural idea, and they said no one would watch this show, about an Indian family, but then it became number one on Netflix. It was an eye-opener. There are more shows coming along, a lot of people are starting these other shows, about Indians who aren't the model minority, which is great you know. It would be great in a way, they won't be used as dumb people, people to laugh at which it used to be 30 years ago, 20 years ago even 10 years ago. What to expect from season four of Never Have I Ever? Well, we filmed season four last summer, it's been a long time, I think people are really gonna like it, I think it provides a really wonderful ending to the whole story and it's just more fun, there's a lot of great emotional stuff in it. I think everyone is really gonna like it.

Exclusive: Filmmaker Kabir Akhtar on his show Never Have I Ever, diversity in Hollywood and more

It wouldn't be completely wrong to call Adarsh Gourav, 'the white tiger' of the Indian film industry. It was in 2021 when the young talent from India gained a significant amount of recognition when he featured in Priyanka Chopra Jonas' film The White Tiger, after which he received a BAFTA nomination. A few months later, a top agency from Hollywood enrolled him as their talent. Comes 2023, and Gourav gets an entire screen space in one of the episodes of Extrapolations, a series that introduces a near future where the chaotic effects of climate change have become embedded into our everyday lives. The young Indian talent, who plays a character named Gaurav, becomes part of a dystopian future, where he occasionally inhales oxygen like one takes smoke breaks and tea breaks outside offices in India. Every story in the series is different, but the fight for the future remains universal.&nbsp;

<h2>Do you think Extrapolations will have a strong impact?</h2>

I hope so, I certainly hope so because it is a very important film to be made. It's an important topic, an important discussion, and I feel like doing it through film, doing it through the people who are some of the biggest actors in the world is the best way to do it. So yeah I hope it has a very positive impact.

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2QP-xrG0kZk" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

<h2>How did you manage to get the role?</h2>

So basically, my team that takes care of my project in the US, the agency that I'm with, shared a copy of that episode and I found it extremely well-written. It was by Scott Burns who is the showrunner. And he is a huge director and producer, and he has already made a film about something similar, he has made Contagion. At that point in time I actually didn't even know about the other cast members, so yeah I just read the story and I was told that Richie Mehta is going to direct it and I was like 'let's do this'.

<h2>So the episode you are in, shows you paying and inhaling oxygen like people take cigarette breaks.</h2>

Yeah, I think it is going to be a reality soon. That's not very far from us considering the way air pollution has increased. I remember shooting for The White Tiger in Delhi, we were shooting in 900 AQI, that was because of the crop burning which happens in winter. But in Bombay also I have felt it. It's representational of what is happening right now, and there are already oxygen tanks available like that. Like I pay and inhale oxygen in the show, they have clinics like that in Delhi and even in Bombay where you have to pay money to breathe 100 per cent oxygen. So, it is something that will inevitably become part of our future. And it's funny, right? It's almost like taking oxygen when we take a tea break in India. You have to in the near future pay money to breathe oxygen for 10 minutes and 15 minutes.

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z8fuDu0rPv4" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

<h2>Do you really see a future like that for Mumbai like it was represented in the series?</h2>

If we don't wake up and take concrete steps, it might not be a distant reality. It is a potential reality. It has to be at the ground level, you, me and people like us discussing it is good. It needs to be cost-effective too. We told it in a way where a man on a street can also be part of it. The increase in air pollution is crazy. Years ago, I didn't even hear about things like air purifiers and now I have one myself. Air pollution is something you can see go up year by year around you.

<h2>Would you call Extrapolations your dream project?</h2>

I was very excited about it, first of all, because it is the closest to science fiction that I have ever done, and I have always been a fan of sci-fi movies. It is a great story because it speaks about the relationship of two men who come together for a mission but that is only the surface. There is something much deeper in the screenplay. It's a very cleverly written and personal story. I consider myself to be very fortunate. So the person I am playing his name is Gourav, and he goes through a lot in his life. It was very important for me to understand the sense of loss.

&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/adarsh-gourav-was-excited-to-see-my-name-beside-meryl-streep-wion-exclusive-578041/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<h2>Has life drastically changed for you after the BAFTA nomination in 2021?</h2>

I think The White Tiger pretty much changed everything for me, with or without the BAFTA nomination. To be able to be part of such a film was in itself life-changing. It opened doors for me and gave me opportunities to work with people in the west I only used to dream about. Even in India, to be working with Zoya Akhtar, Raj and DK, I really feel that The White Tiger did everything for me. So yeah, I'm very very grateful for that.

<h2>So one of the reasons you were excited to be part of Extrapolations must be that it also stars Meryl Streep and Forest Whitaker?</h2>

Yeah, I did not share screen space with Meryl Streep. I am in a completely different episode. But just to be able to see my name written next to them during the credit role is such a special feeling. Part of the reason why I chose to be an actor was because of actors like Forest Whittaker and Meryl Streep. Their movies, the powerful message they give, watching them, and how they chose to use their power of being storytellers to become part of stupendous films, to be part of such powerful narratives. I wanted to follow their path, I wanted to become an actor after watching them. So to see my name written next to theirs on the credit roll was like a dream come true moment.

<h2>Since you are part of the Hollywood industry too now, can you comment on Hollywood's growing interest towards India?</h2>

I don't quite know yet, but as I can see, it is changing rapidly because they identify India as the big potential market. In the future, there will be characters written that are more diverse. Right now I know a lot of actors, including me, who feel that sometimes it gets a little limiting for us to perform characters that are offered, but it will change, once we become part of more such narratives. Once we also have writers who are familiar with Indian cultures and other sub-continents, the scenario will change.

Right now, I'm so thankful that RRR and The Elephant Whisperers won, I'm also glad about All That Breathes although it didn't win. They became part of such a big conversation. This year was a game-changer for us and it will get better from here.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

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It wouldn't be completely wrong to call Adarsh Gourav, 'the white tiger' of the Indian film industry. It was in 2021 when the young talent from India gained a significant amount of recognition when he featured in Priyanka Chopra Jonas' film The White Tiger, after which he received a BAFTA nomination.

It wouldn't be completely wrong to call Adarsh Gourav, 'the white tiger' of the Indian film industry. It was in 2021 when the young talent from India gained a significant amount of recognition when he featured in Priyanka Chopra Jonas' film The White Tiger, after which he received a BAFTA nomination. A few months later, a top agency from Hollywood enrolled him as their talent. Comes 2023, and Gourav gets an entire screen space in one of the episodes of Extrapolations, a series that introduces a near future where the chaotic effects of climate change have become embedded into our everyday lives. The young Indian talent, who plays a character named Gaurav, becomes part of a dystopian future, where he occasionally inhales oxygen like one takes smoke breaks and tea breaks outside offices in India. Every story in the series is different, but the fight for the future remains universal. Do you think Extrapolations will have a strong impact? I hope so, I certainly hope so because it is a very important film to be made. It's an important topic, an important discussion, and I feel like doing it through film, doing it through the people who are some of the biggest actors in the world is the best way to do it. So yeah I hope it has a very positive impact. How did you manage to get the role? So basically, my team that takes care of my project in the US, the agency that I'm with, shared a copy of that episode and I found it extremely well-written. It was by Scott Burns who is the showrunner. And he is a huge director and producer, and he has already made a film about something similar, he has made Contagion. At that point in time I actually didn't even know about the other cast members, so yeah I just read the story and I was told that Richie Mehta is going to direct it and I was like 'let's do this'. So the episode you are in, shows you paying and inhaling oxygen like people take cigarette breaks. Yeah, I think it is going to be a reality soon. That's not very far from us considering the way air pollution has increased. I remember shooting for The White Tiger in Delhi, we were shooting in 900 AQI, that was because of the crop burning which happens in winter. But in Bombay also I have felt it. It's representational of what is happening right now, and there are already oxygen tanks available like that. Like I pay and inhale oxygen in the show, they have clinics like that in Delhi and even in Bombay where you have to pay money to breathe 100 per cent oxygen. So, it is something that will inevitably become part of our future. And it's funny, right? It's almost like taking oxygen when we take a tea break in India. You have to in the near future pay money to breathe oxygen for 10 minutes and 15 minutes. Do you really see a future like that for Mumbai like it was represented in the series? If we don't wake up and take concrete steps, it might not be a distant reality. It is a potential reality. It has to be at the ground level, you, me and people like us discussing it is good. It needs to be cost-effective too. We told it in a way where a man on a street can also be part of it. The increase in air pollution is crazy. Years ago, I didn't even hear about things like air purifiers and now I have one myself. Air pollution is something you can see go up year by year around you. Would you call Extrapolations your dream project? I was very excited about it, first of all, because it is the closest to science fiction that I have ever done, and I have always been a fan of sci-fi movies. It is a great story because it speaks about the relationship of two men who come together for a mission but that is only the surface. There is something much deeper in the screenplay. It's a very cleverly written and personal story. I consider myself to be very fortunate. So the person I am playing his name is Gourav, and he goes through a lot in his life. It was very important for me to understand the sense of loss. Has life drastically changed for you after the BAFTA nomination in 2021? I think The White Tiger pretty much changed everything for me, with or without the BAFTA nomination. To be able to be part of such a film was in itself life-changing. It opened doors for me and gave me opportunities to work with people in the west I only used to dream about. Even in India, to be working with Zoya Akhtar, Raj and DK, I really feel that The White Tiger did everything for me. So yeah, I'm very very grateful for that. So one of the reasons you were excited to be part of Extrapolations must be that it also stars Meryl Streep and Forest Whitaker? Yeah, I did not share screen space with Meryl Streep. I am in a completely different episode. But just to be able to see my name written next to them during the credit role is such a special feeling. Part of the reason why I chose to be an actor was because of actors like Forest Whittaker and Meryl Streep. Their movies, the powerful message they give, watching them, and how they chose to use their power of being storytellers to become part of stupendous films, to be part of such powerful narratives. I wanted to follow their path, I wanted to become an actor after watching them. So to see my name written next to theirs on the credit roll was like a dream come true moment. Since you are part of the Hollywood industry too now, can you comment on Hollywood's growing interest towards India? I don't quite know yet, but as I can see, it is changing rapidly because they identify India as the big potential market. In the future, there will be characters written that are more diverse. Right now I know a lot of actors, including me, who feel that sometimes it gets a little limiting for us to perform characters that are offered, but it will change, once we become part of more such narratives. Once we also have writers who are familiar with Indian cultures and other sub-continents, the scenario will change. Right now, I'm so thankful that RRR and The Elephant Whisperers won, I'm also glad about All That Breathes although it didn't win. They became part of such a big conversation. This year was a game-changer for us and it will get better from here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

'Sharing my name on credit roll with Meryl Streep was a dream come true': Extrapolations actor Adarsh Gourav

In an exclusive conversation with WION, Indian superstar Naveen Babu, who goes by the name Nani talks about his upcoming film. At a time, when most films that are produced in the Southern parts of India are breaking records at the box office, Nani remains confident about the success of Dasara.&nbsp;

<h2>Dasara introduces us to this raw reality of India. Can you comment on that aspect first?&nbsp;</h2>

A lot of films do that, 'Kantara' did that in a way. I have been travelling across the country for the promotions of Dasara, I went to Jaipur, Nagpur, and Ahmedabad. Each place in India has different characteristics, food, flavour, architecture, and culture. While enjoying myself during the promotions I also realised the importance of hearing stories about the culture and bringing it into the mainstream format. You need to bring in the emotions, and that is the reason films are working. Everything is new, and exciting and remains a discovery. I think cinema can be a great bridge to understanding and celebrating each other.

Watch the interview here!

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<h2>You look vastly different from the trailer I just watched. Please tell us how you got into the skin of the character.</h2>

This film, Dasara was very difficult to shoot because of the coal mines' backdrop. So I actually went there, inside a coal mine, and also there was a set created which was filled with black pots. Even while shooting on the sets it was very difficult, you can feel the dust. Shooting inside the coal mines was literally impossible, but we still did it. You could see the rocks catching fire and the heat was unbearable but we continued. We knew we were getting into a challenging film but we were equally excited about the idea of it. It was difficult for me to get into the character, shoot in those locations, and speak in their slang. There is this rural Telangana slang that is very difficult to catch but the good part was my director, Srikanth Odhela, is from the area. He is from the area where the biggest coal mines are located, the Singareni coal mines, and his father worked as a dumper and driver for 40 years. So the way he knows and understands the story, nobody else will be able to tell it. So I like those stories which come from real life. Not just the fictional and imaginary tales, written within the boundaries of the four walls.

<h2>One of the scenes from the movie which has gone viral is how you consume alcohol in one go, but you said something interesting about why it's done that way and how it became a necessity.</h2>

In the villages near the coal mines, almost every member of the community work in coal mines, not just men, but women too. For them to survive the heat, and the dust, if a certain numbness is not felt, those people who work in the coal mines won't be able to work. Everything will bother them more. So they don't drink for pleasure in the evening, they drink early in the morning and go to work so that they can get over the pain, the heat. They all get numb.&nbsp;

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<h2>After working as a rustic coal miner, you came back to your life as a superstar. How does that transformation happen?</h2>

Most of the time it used to be an entire night shoot, but there were days when we used to pack up at 6 pm, Then I had to remove my makeup and that took a lot of time, let's say 8 pm. Then the shooting location was an hour away from the place. By the time I used to reach home, it was 10 pm and I was completely dead by then. I hardly got time to be me, the superstar, while shooting this film. Because getting in, and getting out of character, becomes more hectic.

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<h2>You gained immense fame nationally after Eega, where you collaborated with SS Rajamouli. Back then when you were shooting with him, did you ever foresee a future where he would become a global icon?</h2>

Not exactly these details, but we knew about his greatness. With Eega&nbsp;he gained national fame in India, but by then in the Telegu film industry, he was already well-recognised as a visionary director. He was one of the biggest directors in the industry. We observed that he was upping his game with each of his films. Rajamouli always chose to do something bigger, but of course, Oscar and all, I never saw that coming. But I'm very proud that it happened to him.

<h2>At a time when South Indian films are scoring so well at the box office, how confident are you about the success of Dasara?</h2>

The success of all these films has assured me that if it is a good film that there is an audience for it who will encourage it.

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In an exclusive conversation with WION, Indian superstar Naveen Babu, who goes by the name Nani talks about his upcoming film. At a time, when most films that are produced in the Southern parts of India are breaking records at the box office, Nani remains confident about the success of Dasara.

In an exclusive conversation with WION, Indian superstar Naveen Babu, who goes by the name Nani talks about his upcoming film. At a time, when most films that are produced in the Southern parts of India are breaking records at the box office, Nani remains confident about the success of Dasara. Dasara introduces us to this raw reality of India. Can you comment on that aspect first? A lot of films do that, 'Kantara' did that in a way. I have been travelling across the country for the promotions of Dasara, I went to Jaipur, Nagpur, and Ahmedabad. Each place in India has different characteristics, food, flavour, architecture, and culture. While enjoying myself during the promotions I also realised the importance of hearing stories about the culture and bringing it into the mainstream format. You need to bring in the emotions, and that is the reason films are working. Everything is new, and exciting and remains a discovery. I think cinema can be a great bridge to understanding and celebrating each other. Watch the interview here! You look vastly different from the trailer I just watched. Please tell us how you got into the skin of the character. This film, Dasara was very difficult to shoot because of the coal mines' backdrop. So I actually went there, inside a coal mine, and also there was a set created which was filled with black pots. Even while shooting on the sets it was very difficult, you can feel the dust. Shooting inside the coal mines was literally impossible, but we still did it. You could see the rocks catching fire and the heat was unbearable but we continued. We knew we were getting into a challenging film but we were equally excited about the idea of it. It was difficult for me to get into the character, shoot in those locations, and speak in their slang. There is this rural Telangana slang that is very difficult to catch but the good part was my director, Srikanth Odhela, is from the area. He is from the area where the biggest coal mines are located, the Singareni coal mines, and his father worked as a dumper and driver for 40 years. So the way he knows and understands the story, nobody else will be able to tell it. So I like those stories which come from real life. Not just the fictional and imaginary tales, written within the boundaries of the four walls. One of the scenes from the movie which has gone viral is how you consume alcohol in one go, but you said something interesting about why it's done that way and how it became a necessity. In the villages near the coal mines, almost every member of the community work in coal mines, not just men, but women too. For them to survive the heat, and the dust, if a certain numbness is not felt, those people who work in the coal mines won't be able to work. Everything will bother them more. So they don't drink for pleasure in the evening, they drink early in the morning and go to work so that they can get over the pain, the heat. They all get numb. After working as a rustic coal miner, you came back to your life as a superstar. How does that transformation happen? Most of the time it used to be an entire night shoot, but there were days when we used to pack up at 6 pm, Then I had to remove my makeup and that took a lot of time, let's say 8 pm. Then the shooting location was an hour away from the place. By the time I used to reach home, it was 10 pm and I was completely dead by then. I hardly got time to be me, the superstar, while shooting this film. Because getting in, and getting out of character, becomes more hectic. You gained immense fame nationally after Eega, where you collaborated with SS Rajamouli. Back then when you were shooting with him, did you ever foresee a future where he would become a global icon? Not exactly these details, but we knew about his greatness. With Eega he gained national fame in India, but by then in the Telegu film industry, he was already well-recognised as a visionary director. He was one of the biggest directors in the industry. We observed that he was upping his game with each of his films. Rajamouli always chose to do something bigger, but of course, Oscar and all, I never saw that coming. But I'm very proud that it happened to him. At a time when South Indian films are scoring so well at the box office, how confident are you about the success of Dasara? The success of all these films has assured me that if it is a good film that there is an audience for it who will encourage it. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Dasara actor Nani on shooting inside a coal mine, working with SS Rajamouli and more | WION Exclusive 

South Korea has fully emerged as a major hub for drama, filmmaking and pop music production. K-pop, which has steadily built its power through its deeply connected fan base, has unleashed an aesthetic that's changing tastes, pop-culture-based activism, and even tie-in products for children. Last week, WION got the opportunity to interact with the young K-Pop band Blackswan, who shared with us their ideas and joys of being a part of popular culture.

WION sat down for a chat in a video-based interaction, after their performance at the Hockey World Cup in India's Odisha last week.&nbsp;

My first question is to all of you... How was your trip to India? I also want to know about your performance at the hockey world cup. Were you nervous?

Gabi: We were really tired coming to India during the travel but at the time we stepped in we were like, oh&nbsp;my god, we&nbsp;will do everything. Our energy came back, we were like pretty excited about the performance. Yes, it was really good.

Fatou: For me, I was really really excited to come to India as Sriya has been telling us soo much great stuff about India. and I can tell you at this point, when she told us,&nbsp;the food, the concert - was amazing, the energy.&nbsp;We were a bit nervous but the moment we saw the crowd, it was so welcoming, so warm.

Nvee: I was especially nervous because I had just debuted as a member of the group and was training for like two months, before al this had happened. At first, I was like ah na, I got this, it's no problem and once we got there and we were about to go on stage, I was like ahhhh (shivering). But I think once we reached there and the music started I wasn't worried about anything else.

Fatou: She did great

Nvee: Thank you, it was really good the travel, the travel was good for me I don't know about you guys. I ate and slept, that's all that matters. India was so&nbsp;beautiful, the architecture and the colours.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

My next question is for Sriya... You've interacted with WION earlier (And told us you learnt Odissi for five years.)&nbsp;Now you are very popular in K-pop. What difference do you feel between Indian culture and K-pop culture?

Sriya: First of all I would say that K-pop is more like western and our Indian culture is more about classical so they are two different things. So it is kinda hard to do western when you learn singing in Indian classical form. It's really a big change but everyone had me over here, I practised a lot, oh my god,&nbsp;it took me one year to catch up. Not one year but almost 6 months of training and then finally I could do both, but I am still not that good but I tried&nbsp;my best to do that. Yes, it's different but both are good in their own ways.

Coming to Gabi now... You and Sriya made news last year when you joined Blackswan. You are from Brazil, what inspiration have you personally taken from your native place? Has that helped you in your journey as a K-pop star?

Gabi: So my biggest inspiration for sure is singer Anita, not sure where she came from ------ a really small place and everyone always told her, oh your dream is too big and you can't achieve it and now she is really famous and like an international singer and almost everyone knows her. So she is for sure, my biggest inspiration from brazil and she helped me, without knowing, she helped me achieve this.

My next question is for Fatou. It's a question I have to ask... What explains the popularity and the huge fan following of K-pop?

Fatou: For me, I feel like in the last few years the quality of the music has gone way higher in stake and also a lot more cultures involved in K-pop so lot more styles and now a lot more reach worldwide so this year almost, totally popular, music jars have grown more, like this year. Afrobeat was really popular in the K-pop community, so K-pop reached countries that love Afro beats&nbsp;

Watch |&nbsp;Exclusive: K-pop band Blackswan on WION

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/exclusive-k-pop-band-blackswan-on-wion-553850/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Nvee... You come from the U.S., a place where there has been a rise of k-pop... Why do you think it has become such a popular form of entertainment?

Nvee: Like Fatou said it has so many different cultures and aspects that are thrown into the K-pop music industry so the kit can really reach so many people and so many different types of sounds that people will like, but personally each person who is a fan of K-pop has their own style and group that they love from their heart and the idols who they support. They give something to reach for, something to hope for, something to be happy for, and it's just touching to see all that.&nbsp;

For somebody who might love&nbsp;BTS, Blackpink, Stray Kids or Shinee,&nbsp;there is always that one group that is always out there for that one person. And I think that's how things trend, oh my gosh... u like this group and I love this group too and it gets around.

Last but not least... What are your future plans? Like the famous K-pop bands BTS and Blackpink, do you see yourself on the top charts in the years to come?

Fatou: Our future plans are actually putting out a lot of music and just letting the world know who Blackswan is in our own way, in our own unique way, put out a lot of music and be ready for that we hope for a big world war top charts and I feel like we have pretty big goals, we will reach those, we have been practising a lot and watching the fans, they are connecting with us and we are connecting with them. It gives us the energy to perform more and it gives us the energy to work harder and we don't want to leave them, it is the biggest thing that inspires us. &nbsp;

Gabi: And literally our next step now for sure is to achieve the highest position possible on the charts with the new song and release more and more cute music for our Lumina fans and one step at a time but we have really big dreams.

Fatou: For me, this year would be to connect more with Lumina, Blackswan's fandom,&nbsp;because they have been with us, and they keep supporting us and I really want to be more closer to them. And also we will release awesome music and perform.&nbsp;I want to meet every single Lumina out there this year.

Nvee: I think for me again with the charts and meeting with the lumina, but personally I just want to practise more, because there is so much that I have yet to learn to perfect and nothing ever is gonna be perfect but at least I always strive to do my best whether it's perfect or not but make sure that its at least up to par. Because when I dreamed of being an idol, I dreamt&nbsp;of delivering a&nbsp;jaw-dropping performance on stage.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

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South Korea has fully emerged as a major hub for drama, filmmaking and pop music production. K-pop, which has steadily built its power through its deeply connected fan base, has unleashed an aesthetic that's changing tastes, pop-culture-based activism, and even tie-in products for children.

South Korea has fully emerged as a major hub for drama, filmmaking and pop music production. K-pop, which has steadily built its power through its deeply connected fan base, has unleashed an aesthetic that's changing tastes, pop-culture-based activism, and even tie-in products for children. Last week, WION got the opportunity to interact with the young K-Pop band Blackswan, who shared with us their ideas and joys of being a part of popular culture. WION sat down for a chat in a video-based interaction, after their performance at the Hockey World Cup in India's Odisha last week. My first question is to all of you... How was your trip to India? I also want to know about your performance at the hockey world cup. Were you nervous? Gabi: We were really tired coming to India during the travel but at the time we stepped in we were like, oh my god, we will do everything. Our energy came back, we were like pretty excited about the performance. Yes, it was really good. Fatou: For me, I was really really excited to come to India as Sriya has been telling us soo much great stuff about India. and I can tell you at this point, when she told us, the food, the concert - was amazing, the energy. We were a bit nervous but the moment we saw the crowd, it was so welcoming, so warm. Nvee: I was especially nervous because I had just debuted as a member of the group and was training for like two months, before al this had happened. At first, I was like ah na, I got this, it's no problem and once we got there and we were about to go on stage, I was like ahhhh (shivering). But I think once we reached there and the music started I wasn't worried about anything else. Fatou: She did great Nvee: Thank you, it was really good the travel, the travel was good for me I don't know about you guys. I ate and slept, that's all that matters. India was so beautiful, the architecture and the colours. My next question is for Sriya... You've interacted with WION earlier (And told us you learnt Odissi for five years.) Now you are very popular in K-pop. What difference do you feel between Indian culture and K-pop culture? Sriya: First of all I would say that K-pop is more like western and our Indian culture is more about classical so they are two different things. So it is kinda hard to do western when you learn singing in Indian classical form. It's really a big change but everyone had me over here, I practised a lot, oh my god, it took me one year to catch up. Not one year but almost 6 months of training and then finally I could do both, but I am still not that good but I tried my best to do that. Yes, it's different but both are good in their own ways. Coming to Gabi now... You and Sriya made news last year when you joined Blackswan. You are from Brazil, what inspiration have you personally taken from your native place? Has that helped you in your journey as a K-pop star? Gabi: So my biggest inspiration for sure is singer Anita, not sure where she came from ------ a really small place and everyone always told her, oh your dream is too big and you can't achieve it and now she is really famous and like an international singer and almost everyone knows her. So she is for sure, my biggest inspiration from brazil and she helped me, without knowing, she helped me achieve this. My next question is for Fatou. It's a question I have to ask... What explains the popularity and the huge fan following of K-pop? Fatou: For me, I feel like in the last few years the quality of the music has gone way higher in stake and also a lot more cultures involved in K-pop so lot more styles and now a lot more reach worldwide so this year almost, totally popular, music jars have grown more, like this year. Afrobeat was really popular in the K-pop community, so K-pop reached countries that love Afro beats Watch | Exclusive: K-pop band Blackswan on WION Nvee... You come from the U.S., a place where there has been a rise of k-pop... Why do you think it has become such a popular form of entertainment? Nvee: Like Fatou said it has so many different cultures and aspects that are thrown into the K-pop music industry so the kit can really reach so many people and so many different types of sounds that people will like, but personally each person who is a fan of K-pop has their own style and group that they love from their heart and the idols who they support. They give something to reach for, something to hope for, something to be happy for, and it's just touching to see all that. For somebody who might love BTS, Blackpink, Stray Kids or Shinee, there is always that one group that is always out there for that one person. And I think that's how things trend, oh my gosh... u like this group and I love this group too and it gets around. Last but not least... What are your future plans? Like the famous K-pop bands BTS and Blackpink, do you see yourself on the top charts in the years to come? Fatou: Our future plans are actually putting out a lot of music and just letting the world know who Blackswan is in our own way, in our own unique way, put out a lot of music and be ready for that we hope for a big world war top charts and I feel like we have pretty big goals, we will reach those, we have been practising a lot and watching the fans, they are connecting with us and we are connecting with them. It gives us the energy to perform more and it gives us the energy to work harder and we don't want to leave them, it is the biggest thing that inspires us. Gabi: And literally our next step now for sure is to achieve the highest position possible on the charts with the new song and release more and more cute music for our Lumina fans and one step at a time but we have really big dreams. Fatou: For me, this year would be to connect more with Lumina, Blackswan's fandom, because they have been with us, and they keep supporting us and I really want to be more closer to them. And also we will release awesome music and perform. I want to meet every single Lumina out there this year. Nvee: I think for me again with the charts and meeting with the lumina, but personally I just want to practise more, because there is so much that I have yet to learn to perfect and nothing ever is gonna be perfect but at least I always strive to do my best whether it's perfect or not but make sure that its at least up to par. Because when I dreamed of being an idol, I dreamt of delivering a jaw-dropping performance on stage. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

WION Exclusive: K-pop band 'Blackswan' on their trip to India, future plans and more

An all-new series 'Echo 3', starring Luke Evans, Michiel Huisman and Jessica Ann Collins released today on Apple tv plus. WION got the opportunity to catch up with the cast members for a quick, short chat about their experiences. &nbsp; 
 
Created by two-time Academy Award winner Mark Boal, 'Echo 3', is a cinematic thriller set on South America's Colombia-Venezuela border with English and Spanish dialogues. &nbsp;

The series is layered with personal drama, set against the explosive backdrop of a secret war. Excerpts from the interview:&nbsp;

Q: 'Echo' is a series that contains, a wedding gala, personal drama, war, drug issues and much more. Also touches on the topic of national security, can you comment on the experience of bringing together such a vast category in one script?&nbsp;

 
A: Jessica Ann Collins: The complexity of the series on those topics is what makes it very compelling.&nbsp;

Michiel Huisman: I agree, and knowing that you have a writer behind you, a writer like Mark Boal, who is really comfortable in telling stories with such backgrounds like military and geo-political, it really helps and it means that I feel that I can focus on my character and know that somebody else understands the bigger picture.&nbsp;

Luke Evans: And I think also following from that, it means that because there is so much going on as you said, there is so much, each character is going through their own personal struggle, they have to carry their own baggage throughout the story and it is different from each one. It crisscrosses through the Spanish-speaking cast, then we hit back to Washington, it's constantly moving and so what it provides is a canvas of very interesting things, which means you never get a moment to relax. . You are always following these stories and realising how they are inter-thread with each other. That's a great story if you are always on the edge of your seat. This journey was so immersive and that's what you see onscreen. A complex fabric of storylines that affect each other. &nbsp;

Q: Can you comment on the efforts you had to go through to get your dialects right? &nbsp;&nbsp;

A: Michiel Huisman: Ah. You said dialect. &nbsp; 
 
Luke Evans: Yes. &nbsp; 
 
Michiel Huisman: No effort at all. &nbsp; 
(All three laugh) &nbsp; 
 
Luke Evans: I overreacted the most. I'm Welsh, and British, and I have done American many times but I have never done this, Southern accent before. So I put a lot of work in before we came to Atlanta where we started the project. Then we had an incredible dialect coach who came with us. She was there every day, wherever we were, I would work with her during my time off, in the evenings, I wanted to do a good job, and it's not easy when you take a different accent. You want to find the nuance in the dialect, you know I am surrounded by Americans, and I always you know want to impress them. It's an exposing thing to do, taking on somebody else's accent and doing it for such a long time. &nbsp;&nbsp; 
 
Jessica Ann Collins: My joke is that I was raised in the American South, I was trained at Julliard's, and I felt like Luke had a better Southern accent than me. (Laughs). &nbsp; 
 
Michiel Huisman: Well you know, Cynthia, our dialect coach, she is kind of like a special forces' operator, she was our rock. She was really good. &nbsp;

 
From playing a military man in 'Game of Thrones' to playing a military man in 'Echo 3', can you comment on the experience? &nbsp;

Michiel Huisman: Oh, my God! It was a completely new experience for me. That was also one of the reasons why I was dying to play this character. He was a very different character from the ones I have played before. He is a very complex guy, a guy that comes from privilege, and still chooses to join the absolute pinnacle of the American military, he is a bit arrogant and somewhat controlling, and maybe in the military that serves him well because he somehow likes to control the battlefield, and that suits him in the marriage that's not really working well for him. So this was a completely new experience for me, one that I was dying to take on. &nbsp;

An all-new series 'Echo 3', starring Luke Evans, Michiel Huisman and Jessica Ann Collins released today on Apple tv plus. WION got the opportunity to catch up with the cast members for a quick, short chat about their experiences.

An all-new series 'Echo 3', starring Luke Evans, Michiel Huisman and Jessica Ann Collins released today on Apple tv plus. WION got the opportunity to catch up with the cast members for a quick, short chat about their experiences. Created by two-time Academy Award winner Mark Boal, 'Echo 3', is a cinematic thriller set on South America's Colombia-Venezuela border with English and Spanish dialogues. The series is layered with personal drama, set against the explosive backdrop of a secret war. Excerpts from the interview: Q: 'Echo' is a series that contains, a wedding gala, personal drama, war, drug issues and much more. Also touches on the topic of national security, can you comment on the experience of bringing together such a vast category in one script? A: Jessica Ann Collins: The complexity of the series on those topics is what makes it very compelling. Michiel Huisman: I agree, and knowing that you have a writer behind you, a writer like Mark Boal, who is really comfortable in telling stories with such backgrounds like military and geo-political, it really helps and it means that I feel that I can focus on my character and know that somebody else understands the bigger picture. Luke Evans: And I think also following from that, it means that because there is so much going on as you said, there is so much, each character is going through their own personal struggle, they have to carry their own baggage throughout the story and it is different from each one. It crisscrosses through the Spanish-speaking cast, then we hit back to Washington, it's constantly moving and so what it provides is a canvas of very interesting things, which means you never get a moment to relax. . You are always following these stories and realising how they are inter-thread with each other. That's a great story if you are always on the edge of your seat. This journey was so immersive and that's what you see onscreen. A complex fabric of storylines that affect each other. Q: Can you comment on the efforts you had to go through to get your dialects right? A: Michiel Huisman: Ah. You said dialect. Luke Evans: Yes. Michiel Huisman: No effort at all. (All three laugh) Luke Evans: I overreacted the most. I'm Welsh, and British, and I have done American many times but I have never done this, Southern accent before. So I put a lot of work in before we came to Atlanta where we started the project. Then we had an incredible dialect coach who came with us. She was there every day, wherever we were, I would work with her during my time off, in the evenings, I wanted to do a good job, and it's not easy when you take a different accent. You want to find the nuance in the dialect, you know I am surrounded by Americans, and I always you know want to impress them. It's an exposing thing to do, taking on somebody else's accent and doing it for such a long time. Jessica Ann Collins: My joke is that I was raised in the American South, I was trained at Julliard's, and I felt like Luke had a better Southern accent than me. (Laughs). Michiel Huisman: Well you know, Cynthia, our dialect coach, she is kind of like a special forces' operator, she was our rock. She was really good. From playing a military man in 'Game of Thrones' to playing a military man in 'Echo 3', can you comment on the experience? Michiel Huisman: Oh, my God! It was a completely new experience for me. That was also one of the reasons why I was dying to play this character. He was a very different character from the ones I have played before. He is a very complex guy, a guy that comes from privilege, and still chooses to join the absolute pinnacle of the American military, he is a bit arrogant and somewhat controlling, and maybe in the military that serves him well because he somehow likes to control the battlefield, and that suits him in the marriage that's not really working well for him. So this was a completely new experience for me, one that I was dying to take on.

Wion Exclusive: Luke Evans, Michiel Huisman, and Jessica Ann Collins talk about their latest series 'Echo 3'

Nandita Das, one of India's critically acclaimed actresses and filmmakers, was recently in the capital city, Delhi to be a speaker at an event called ILSS Emerging Women's Leadership Program. The India Leaders for the Social Sector (ILSS) have done research to understand the complexity of women’s leadership in the social sector.WION spoke to filmmaker Nandita Das who told us how this statistic is important and also shared her journey being a woman filmmaker.

Here are the excerpts from the conversation. &nbsp;

You told me you don't keep a TV at home, but you have heard that WION is the only news channel where people don’t scream. But I want to understand, how can a filmmaker not have a TV?&nbsp; 
 
No, you are right, it is a bit of a contradiction, that as a filmmaker I don’t have a television at home. It's really in the last six years. The shrillness of television news first of all, and now we don't know what is fiction and what is non-fiction. In non-fiction, in news, we have music playing, we don't know where the source is from, also series, etc, I don't know I just feel there is a bombardment there is an overstimulation, and it sometimes offends your sensibilities, I'm sure there's good stuff happening as well, but then you sometimes slip and you can get consumed by it. The fact that I have a 12-year-old child, and I feel that children in most homes, sort of want television, and if adults are constantly watching and children end up watching that, I mean there is always that tussle. Anyway, gadgets have kind of oppressed us.&nbsp;

I think as a filmmaker, I always tell young filmmakers because I did not start out wanting to be a filmmaker or even an actor for that matter, but I do feel that if you internalise life, if you are just observant of life in itself, you are kind of reflecting. &nbsp;&nbsp;

What inspired you most about this ILSS event that you just attended?

I think this report that ILSS is bringing out, even though it is about things that we know. But to know something theoretically, and for some actual statistics and research to back it, you know the fact that women in the workforce are decreasing, the fact that there is a great disparity between men and women we know that but how it is important today to know, because this narrative has been going on forever, but we are at a juncture that we are also making strides, things are changing, legally, physically, at the same time there is such a long way that we have to cover. So I think that it's at a very opportune moment that this report is coming I think it will just inspire all of us to do more of what we want to do and sometimes statistics is important, then you are backed with numbers and you are not just saying I feel this.&nbsp;

One thing you wish you could change about the Indian film industry? &nbsp;

I don't know about change but I definitely hope that and wish to have more women behind the camera. Of course, in front, you need female actors, and they are there, and you know a lot of times they are objectified as well. Because there are certain parameters of beauty that have been given to us by society, by the media. If there are more women, who are in positions of power, like even producers, or writers, who will write those parts, and create that world which is more sort of real, and more nuanced, or cinematographers, the gaze, the female gaze and how they will look at both men and women, so I just think that if there are more women behind the camera we will see a far more diverse set of stories. &nbsp;

What's the most bizarre demand you have got from producers or a studio? &nbsp; 
 
Studios, well I mean there are all kinds, I remember there was a director who wanted sort of a sensual scene and he said 'okay come seduce me.' I was like 'excuse me'. And he was like 'yeah, I just want to see if you are sensual enough, can you seduce the camera.' And I was like 'Great, I don’t even want to be an actor, why am I here?' &nbsp;And I don’t even know whether it was a casting couch, maybe it was a genuine question, but I don’t know if a man would ever be asked that question. Of course, I keep getting asked to lighten my skin for films, especially if I am doing the middle class and upper middle class and educated character. If I am doing a lower class and, in a village, and in a slum, then my skin colour is fine. But the minute I have to play somebody who is more affluent or more educated, then they are always telling me to lighten my skin and even if I say no to it when I see the film sometimes, they have done it in the post-production. You know they have colour-corrected me, they think that they are doing me a favour by the way, by lightening my skin. &nbsp;

One thing you wish you knew when you started filmmaking? &nbsp; 
 
There's a lot to learn you know. As a filmmaker, I only knew what the actor knew, that is to shoot, which is a vital part of the filmmaking process, but it is the smallest part. Because there's so much that goes into the preparation of it, so much in the post-production of it, so you know, I think I wish I had known that whole process. Sometimes I wish I had studied cinema you know, then I would know a little more and I wish I could watch more. That I have no complaints it's something that I have to do myself. &nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Nandita Das, one of India's critically acclaimed actresses and filmmakers, was recently in the capital city, Delhi to be a speaker at an event called ILSS Emerging Women's Leadership Program.

Nandita Das, one of India's critically acclaimed actresses and filmmakers, was recently in the capital city, Delhi to be a speaker at an event called ILSS Emerging Women's Leadership Program. The India Leaders for the Social Sector (ILSS) have done research to understand the complexity of women’s leadership in the social sector.WION spoke to filmmaker Nandita Das who told us how this statistic is important and also shared her journey being a woman filmmaker. Here are the excerpts from the conversation. You told me you don't keep a TV at home, but you have heard that WION is the only news channel where people don’t scream. But I want to understand, how can a filmmaker not have a TV? No, you are right, it is a bit of a contradiction, that as a filmmaker I don’t have a television at home. It's really in the last six years. The shrillness of television news first of all, and now we don't know what is fiction and what is non-fiction. In non-fiction, in news, we have music playing, we don't know where the source is from, also series, etc, I don't know I just feel there is a bombardment there is an overstimulation, and it sometimes offends your sensibilities, I'm sure there's good stuff happening as well, but then you sometimes slip and you can get consumed by it. The fact that I have a 12-year-old child, and I feel that children in most homes, sort of want television, and if adults are constantly watching and children end up watching that, I mean there is always that tussle. Anyway, gadgets have kind of oppressed us. I think as a filmmaker, I always tell young filmmakers because I did not start out wanting to be a filmmaker or even an actor for that matter, but I do feel that if you internalise life, if you are just observant of life in itself, you are kind of reflecting. What inspired you most about this ILSS event that you just attended? I think this report that ILSS is bringing out, even though it is about things that we know. But to know something theoretically, and for some actual statistics and research to back it, you know the fact that women in the workforce are decreasing, the fact that there is a great disparity between men and women we know that but how it is important today to know, because this narrative has been going on forever, but we are at a juncture that we are also making strides, things are changing, legally, physically, at the same time there is such a long way that we have to cover. So I think that it's at a very opportune moment that this report is coming I think it will just inspire all of us to do more of what we want to do and sometimes statistics is important, then you are backed with numbers and you are not just saying I feel this. One thing you wish you could change about the Indian film industry? I don't know about change but I definitely hope that and wish to have more women behind the camera. Of course, in front, you need female actors, and they are there, and you know a lot of times they are objectified as well. Because there are certain parameters of beauty that have been given to us by society, by the media. If there are more women, who are in positions of power, like even producers, or writers, who will write those parts, and create that world which is more sort of real, and more nuanced, or cinematographers, the gaze, the female gaze and how they will look at both men and women, so I just think that if there are more women behind the camera we will see a far more diverse set of stories. What's the most bizarre demand you have got from producers or a studio? Studios, well I mean there are all kinds, I remember there was a director who wanted sort of a sensual scene and he said 'okay come seduce me.' I was like 'excuse me'. And he was like 'yeah, I just want to see if you are sensual enough, can you seduce the camera.' And I was like 'Great, I don’t even want to be an actor, why am I here?' And I don’t even know whether it was a casting couch, maybe it was a genuine question, but I don’t know if a man would ever be asked that question. Of course, I keep getting asked to lighten my skin for films, especially if I am doing the middle class and upper middle class and educated character. If I am doing a lower class and, in a village, and in a slum, then my skin colour is fine. But the minute I have to play somebody who is more affluent or more educated, then they are always telling me to lighten my skin and even if I say no to it when I see the film sometimes, they have done it in the post-production. You know they have colour-corrected me, they think that they are doing me a favour by the way, by lightening my skin. One thing you wish you knew when you started filmmaking? There's a lot to learn you know. As a filmmaker, I only knew what the actor knew, that is to shoot, which is a vital part of the filmmaking process, but it is the smallest part. Because there's so much that goes into the preparation of it, so much in the post-production of it, so you know, I think I wish I had known that whole process. Sometimes I wish I had studied cinema you know, then I would know a little more and I wish I could watch more. That I have no complaints it's something that I have to do myself.

Nandita Das to WION: A director once asked me to seduce him

Indonesian actor Maxime Bouttier recently made his Hollywood debut in George Clooney and Julia Roberts's starrer 'Ticket To Paradise'. Just like any young star, he was more than excited to get the opportunity. During an exclusive chat with WION, Maxime Bouttier spoke about his Hollywood debut, working with Clooney and Roberts and more. Here are the excerpts.&nbsp;

 
Q: What was the experience like of making your Hollywood debut in a film starring Julia Roberts and George Clooney? &nbsp;

A: I was so excited when I got the call. When I got the audition call I had told my friends that I was auditioning for a George Clooney and Julia Roberts movie. They were really hoping that I get it and when I got it they were like “We knew you would get it, it's because of us you got it.” So they want me to say a 'thank you' to them. We were all happy and surprised. I feel really blessed. &nbsp;

 
Q: What was some of the best advice you got from Julia Roberts and George Clooney? &nbsp;

I was just observing. The stuff that they were doing was so good you could take it in subconsciously. Hopefully, I will use them again in the future if I ever do another one. As far as advice goes, I didn’t dare to ask, I was so intimidated. I just became a sponge. Just taking everything in. But I guess there was this one time when George told me, in this scene, “You could do this” because he is a director as well, he kind of directed me a little bit, so yeah I think that would count as advice. &nbsp;

Q: ‘Ticket to Paradise’ doesn't look like a regular rom-com that Hollywood is famous for. How is it different?

I guess that's because the backdrop is Bali, so it's more like, people from America came to Bali. Kailtyn's character Lilly comes for a holiday to Bali and suddenly tells her parents that she is getting married to a Balinese guy. I think also because of Balinese culture, the custom, the tradition, that became a kind of soul-searching film in a subtle way. It is still a comedy film. My character Gede is a really wise person and that becomes a soul-searching moment for George's character when he meets Gede and Gede's family. I think that's why the movie does not just feel like a rom-com, it teaches family values, nature values, the tradition, there's a lot of that but subtly.

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hkP4tVTdsz8" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

Q: How did ‘Ticket To Paradise’ come to you as an opportunity? &nbsp;

It came to me a while ago. Last year my manager told me that there is an opening for an Indonesian actor to play a Balinese character who knows English. I was fortunate to land in the audition. Getting the part also was really great. The director really helped me get the part. There was a lot of back and forth with the director, he really helped me to adapt.

Q: What were some of the things you learned as an actor? &nbsp;

Doing a full English-speaking movie was technically first for me, so I guess I learnt that. I act better while speaking in English because most of my friends speak English. So I felt more at ease acting in English rather than Indonesian.&nbsp;

Indonesian actor Maxime Bouttier recently made his Hollywood debut in George Clooney and Julia Roberts's starrer 'Ticket To Paradise'. Just like any young star, he was more than excited to get the opportunity.

Indonesian actor Maxime Bouttier recently made his Hollywood debut in George Clooney and Julia Roberts's starrer 'Ticket To Paradise'. Just like any young star, he was more than excited to get the opportunity. During an exclusive chat with WION, Maxime Bouttier spoke about his Hollywood debut, working with Clooney and Roberts and more. Here are the excerpts. Q: What was the experience like of making your Hollywood debut in a film starring Julia Roberts and George Clooney? A: I was so excited when I got the call. When I got the audition call I had told my friends that I was auditioning for a George Clooney and Julia Roberts movie. They were really hoping that I get it and when I got it they were like “We knew you would get it, it's because of us you got it.” So they want me to say a 'thank you' to them. We were all happy and surprised. I feel really blessed. Q: What was some of the best advice you got from Julia Roberts and George Clooney? I was just observing. The stuff that they were doing was so good you could take it in subconsciously. Hopefully, I will use them again in the future if I ever do another one. As far as advice goes, I didn’t dare to ask, I was so intimidated. I just became a sponge. Just taking everything in. But I guess there was this one time when George told me, in this scene, “You could do this” because he is a director as well, he kind of directed me a little bit, so yeah I think that would count as advice. Q: ‘Ticket to Paradise’ doesn't look like a regular rom-com that Hollywood is famous for. How is it different? I guess that's because the backdrop is Bali, so it's more like, people from America came to Bali. Kailtyn's character Lilly comes for a holiday to Bali and suddenly tells her parents that she is getting married to a Balinese guy. I think also because of Balinese culture, the custom, the tradition, that became a kind of soul-searching film in a subtle way. It is still a comedy film. My character Gede is a really wise person and that becomes a soul-searching moment for George's character when he meets Gede and Gede's family. I think that's why the movie does not just feel like a rom-com, it teaches family values, nature values, the tradition, there's a lot of that but subtly. Q: How did ‘Ticket To Paradise’ come to you as an opportunity? It came to me a while ago. Last year my manager told me that there is an opening for an Indonesian actor to play a Balinese character who knows English. I was fortunate to land in the audition. Getting the part also was really great. The director really helped me get the part. There was a lot of back and forth with the director, he really helped me to adapt. Q: What were some of the things you learned as an actor? Doing a full English-speaking movie was technically first for me, so I guess I learnt that. I act better while speaking in English because most of my friends speak English. So I felt more at ease acting in English rather than Indonesian.

Maxime Bouttier Interview: Only observed  Julia Roberts and George Clooney on 'Ticket To Paradise' sets

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Zee News Rajasthan

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