50 things we learned in Bollywood

REVELATIONS MADE BY FILM STARS IN 2017

by ASJAD NAZIR

IT HAS been another action-packed year in Bollywood – with highs, lows, unexpected turns and sudden twists.

The rollercoaster year and high-profile interviews enabled us to find out interesting facts about popular Indian film stars. With that in mind, here are 50 things we learned about Bollywood in 2017.

1. The two things that really annoy Salman Khan is people always asking him when he is getting married to generate news headlines, and rich lists over inflating his wealth.
2. Actor Prateik Babbar has had a lifelong battle with drug addiction, which started with him experimenting with narcotics as a 13-year-old. He has now been clean from drugs for over a year.
3. Actress Katrina Kaif is a big fan of Game Of Thrones and lead character Jon Snow.
4. Dev Patel was considered for the role played by Ali Fazal in recently-released film Victoria & Abdul, but the Bollywood actor reportedly outshone him in the audition.
5. The comedies Varun Dhawan likes include films starring Will Ferrell, the Hangover series and Family Guy.
6. Although she doesn’t have time for a relationship, Shraddha Kapoor sees herself as romantic. When asked about what kind of guy she is attracted to, the actress said: “I think if I feel comfortable enough to be myself around someone, that matters more to me. More than observing how the guy is, I would want to observe how I am around that person.”
7. The leading lady Aditya Roy Kapur and Sushant Singh Rajput would most like to romance on-screen is Hollywood superstar Jennifer Lawrence.
8. Shah Rukh Khan is super-confident on the big screen, but shy in real life. He said: “I don’t even go out swimming in a public place or in a hotel because I feel awkward taking off my shirt and wearing swimming trunks. I feel very shy, but in a movie I could do a whole dance with my shirt off or do something even sillier in my underpants because I can be someone else.”
9. Watching Madhuri Dixit in Ram Lakhan inspired Mahira Khan to become an actress. “I was very little and remember thinking this is it and what I want to do,” said Mahira.
10. Two things Akshay Kumar wants to learn is a new martial arts style like Wing Chun and how to fly a plane.
11. The historical character Huma Qureshi would most like to meet is Leonardo Da Vinci and the one she would like to play on-screen is Cleopatra.
12. The qualities Gauahar Khan likes in a guy is humility, humanity, politeness, a good sense of humour and someone who values their family as much as she does.
13. British Bollywood actress Amy Jackson has a number of favourite locations she has shot at in India, and said: “North India is my favourite. The Himalayas are just beautiful. Ladakh was stunning and so beautiful. Then you have the huge contrasts in the south, which is gorgeous. I love Kerala and particularly the food there.”
14. Actor Arjun Kapoor played a double role in Mubarakan. His own favourite double role movies are Aankhen and Kishen Kanhaiya.
15. The seventies movies Emraan Hashmi most likes are ones starring Amitabh Bachchan, with Sholay and Trishul being his favourites.
16. Sidharth Malhotra doesn’t know how to cook at all and said he can just about boil eggs.
17. Bollywood newcomer Athiya Shetty’s favourite film of all-time is Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. Her best TV show is Grey’s Anatomy.
18. The favourite comedy films of Ileana D’Cruz are Amar Akbar Anthony, Satte Pe Satta and Bol Radha Bol.
19. The actress Secret Superstar lead Zaira Wasim most likes is Priyanka Chopra. She said: “The way she carries herself and the way she speaks is so full of confidence, and at the same time she is so grounded. I really like her.”
20. Arjun Rampal’s favourite gangster movies are the Godfather trilogy, Goodfellas, Scarface, Carlito’s Way and The Untouchables.
21. Rishi Kapoor bought his Filmfare Best Actor award for Bobby in 1973. This was one of many explosive revelations he made in his autobiography, which released earlier this year.
22. The three actors Manoj Bajpayee most admires are Naseeruddin Shah, Amitabh Bachchan and the late Om Puri. He said: “I admire these three actors for different reasons.”
23. The movie that made Aditi Rao Hydari want to be an actress was Bombay. Something not many people know about the actress is that she has dimples on her shoulders!
24. The big passions Diana Penty has away from work are reading, listening to music, travelling, working out and especially photography. She has also been doing a Pilates course and takes it very seriously.
25. Actor Rajkummar Rao wants to learn how to play the guitar well and has been trying. His favourite film is The Godfather, which he describes as a masterclass in acting.
26. A dream role for Suniel Shetty would be something like the character portrayed by Amitabh Bachchan in 1984 classic Sharaabi. He said: “It was a brilliant character that rose above the film, and if Sharaabi worked it was purely because of Mr Bachchan’s performance.”
27. Legendary actress Asha Parekh revealed that she suffered from severe depression at the height of her fame and had suicidal thoughts.
28. Actor Dhanush wants to co-produce Hollywood films in the future and is looking at scripts. He wrapped up shooting for his Hollywood debut The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir earlier this year.
29. Rising star Alia Bhatt said her favourite sex position was missionary and that she would prefer dating a 50-year-old to an 18-year-old if they were the last living males on earth because she doesn’t get along with younger guys. Also she would like to spy on Hollywood heart-throb Ryan Gosling for a day and swap lives with fashion model Gigi Hadid for 24 hours.
30. The music that Vidya Balan most likes listening to when she is not working is old Hindi film music, especially songs from the 1970s.
31. Taapsee Pannu would love to play tennis ace Sania Mirza in a biopic. Also on her wish list of real-life characters to play is late politician Indira Gandhi.
32. Bollywood legends Asha Bhosle and Zeenat Aman would want Priyanka Chopra to play them if a biopic was ever made about their respective lives.
33. Actress-turned-filmmaker Pooja Bhatt had been battling alcohol addiction for the longest time and quit on Christmas Eve in 2016. Pooja revealed she had started drinking at the age of 16, but in recent years it became out of control and got even worse after her divorce a few years ago.
34. For his new film 102 Not Out, Amitabh Bachchan spent two-and-a-half hours getting his make-up done, then the same time at the end of the day to remove it. He plays a 102-year-old and Rishi Kapoor is his 75-year-old son in the comedy drama due for release in 2018.
35. One of Priyanka Chopra’s favourite items of clothing is a brown hooded jacket she took from an ex-boyfriend.
36. If sports enthusiast Tiger Shroff weren’t an actor, he would have been a football player.
37. Current Bollywood queen Deepika Padukone doesn’t think she is over her depression and constantly fears a relapse because it was such a bad experience before. Deepika had spoken up about her battle with depression in 2015 and has since started a foundation to promote mental health.
38. Legendary actress Sridevi’s favourite designers are Manish Malhotra, Karl Lagerfeld and Stella McCartney. Her health/ beauty secrets include home remedies, a systematic lifestyle and healthy homemade food.
39. Saif Ali Khan’s favourite thing to cook at home is spaghetti. The Chef star still can’t cook Indian food very well.
40. Rising star Bhumi Pednekar’s favourite Bollywood star is Priyanka Chopra. “I have actually adored her since I was 10, maybe when she became Miss India. She’s just super-strong and I crush on all strong women,” said Bhumi.
41. Kareena Kapoor has no plans to join social media yet and she is thankful to fan groups for keeping her presence strong online.
42. Kajol wants husband Ajay Devgn to stop smoking, but understands that has to be his personal decision.
43. The one garment that makes style icon Sonam Kapoor body-confident is a sari. The most treasured items in her closet are Indian outfits by Anamika Khanna, Anuradha, Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla.
44. Hrithik Roshan enjoys every aspect of the filmmaking process, but has no plans to direct a film in the future and doesn’t think he can do it.
45. Director Apoorva Lakhia’s first choice for his film Haseena Parker was Sonakshi Sinha. Shraddha Kapoor was cast instead and the movie bombed at the box office.
46. Jacqueline Fernandez thinks Urdu is a beautiful language and wants to learn it one day.
47. Although Aamir Khan thinks all the mediums of watching a film are relevant, he most loves the big screen experience. On the smaller screen, the A-list star is a big fan of Breaking Bad, Game Of Thrones and House of Cards.
48. Kangana Ranaut likes making controversial comments. She made headlines throughout the year with a series of incendiary remarks that generated a lot of headlines, including ones for the wrong reasons.
49. When actor Prabhas is not working, he likes spending time with family and close friends. The Baahubali star also enjoys playing volleyball, watching movies and reading books.
50. Nawazuddin Siddiqui is a ladies man. He revealed a number of sexploits in his autobiography which was pulled from release after it irked his former lovers.