Bollywood actress Minisha Lambha on Thursday (28 July, 2011) visited Kolkata to promote the new entertainment channel from UTV group called UTV STARS. IBNS correspondent Arnab Chakraborty caught up with her after the event for an informal chat.
How do you feel about UTV STARS?
I think it's going to be great. I think we are going to come a lot closer to the people. Our lives are not really that extraordinary so half the things we tell to the press a made up. I think people are going to know about our really boring lives. I believe they will get to know us better.
Do you think there will be privacy issues?
Well our media still has a lot of respect for privacy and there is a great ethic code still present. Compared to the west we have a lot more privacy. So I don't think there'll be any such problem.
Recently you are part of Bheja Fry 2 and the film didn't do so well in the box office. Why do you think that it was so?
Why do you say that? The film made money and the producer is ‘malamal’ (very rich) right now. He's yet to take me out to dinner as a treat.
Still what was the problem with the movie? It didn't attract a cult following like Bheja Fry.
I guess we are used to a lot of cult movies right now and when Bheja Fry came out it was a comedy and everybody was amazed by how it was shot in one room. Today for a film to become a cult film you need for it to be more than a comedy. It has to be a film that addresses society. It has to be a film that dealt about very serious things but the way that its shot has to be a cult film. It is very difficult for comedies to become cult films.
Tell us about your upcoming films.
There is a film coming called ‘Hum Tum Shabana’. It's also comedy directed by Mr. Sagar Ballary. There is another film called ‘Joker’ and then there is ‘Zilla Ghaziabad’. ‘Hum Tum Shabana’ will release in September and the other two will release next year.
Tell us about your experience at Cannes film Festival. How was it?
It was beautiful and I think in the West they have really got the red carpet thing packed and they know how to do it beautifully out there. So to experience the original place of Cannes, which is the largest festival in the world, was great. But having said that I would like to add that we in India also do the red carpet premieres very well. The only difference is that our journalists don't wear tuxedos behind the line which is the uniform there.
Personally what genre of films you like?
I love dramas and thrillers.
And what about directors? Who are your favourite directors?
Michael Bay is one of my favourite directors. Tony Scott is another director I absolutely love and Steven Soderbergh too.
Which are the directors in India with whom you would like to work?
I would love to work with a lot of newcomers. I will like to work with Dibakar Banerjee and Rajkumar (Gupta).
Is it true that you really wanted to be a journalist?
Ya that is very true. In fact I wanted to be a war journalist. I wanted to go off to places like Bosnia and Chechnya and Israel. Acting is something that was not planned. It really happened like an accident. But my parents are more than happy that film happened so I wouldn't go to some corner and be bombed out.
So what do you feel about coming to Kolkata?
I love Kolkata. I love coming back here. I love the place, the people, the food and also the architecture. I love the old world feel of the city. I also love the Bengali language as it's very sweet.
So any plans of being in a Bengali film?
First it would take me five years to learn the language. But yes maybe someday. Though I have watched Bengali films of Rituparno Ghosh.
I think it's going to be great. I think we are going to come a lot closer to the people. Our lives are not really that extraordinary so half the things we tell to the press a made up. I think people are going to know about our really boring lives. I believe they will get to know us better.
Do you think there will be privacy issues?
Well our media still has a lot of respect for privacy and there is a great ethic code still present. Compared to the west we have a lot more privacy. So I don't think there'll be any such problem.
Recently you are part of Bheja Fry 2 and the film didn't do so well in the box office. Why do you think that it was so?
Why do you say that? The film made money and the producer is ‘malamal’ (very rich) right now. He's yet to take me out to dinner as a treat.
Still what was the problem with the movie? It didn't attract a cult following like Bheja Fry.
I guess we are used to a lot of cult movies right now and when Bheja Fry came out it was a comedy and everybody was amazed by how it was shot in one room. Today for a film to become a cult film you need for it to be more than a comedy. It has to be a film that addresses society. It has to be a film that dealt about very serious things but the way that its shot has to be a cult film. It is very difficult for comedies to become cult films.
Tell us about your upcoming films.
There is a film coming called ‘Hum Tum Shabana’. It's also comedy directed by Mr. Sagar Ballary. There is another film called ‘Joker’ and then there is ‘Zilla Ghaziabad’. ‘Hum Tum Shabana’ will release in September and the other two will release next year.
Tell us about your experience at Cannes film Festival. How was it?
It was beautiful and I think in the West they have really got the red carpet thing packed and they know how to do it beautifully out there. So to experience the original place of Cannes, which is the largest festival in the world, was great. But having said that I would like to add that we in India also do the red carpet premieres very well. The only difference is that our journalists don't wear tuxedos behind the line which is the uniform there.
Personally what genre of films you like?
I love dramas and thrillers.
And what about directors? Who are your favourite directors?
Michael Bay is one of my favourite directors. Tony Scott is another director I absolutely love and Steven Soderbergh too.
Which are the directors in India with whom you would like to work?
I would love to work with a lot of newcomers. I will like to work with Dibakar Banerjee and Rajkumar (Gupta).
Is it true that you really wanted to be a journalist?
Ya that is very true. In fact I wanted to be a war journalist. I wanted to go off to places like Bosnia and Chechnya and Israel. Acting is something that was not planned. It really happened like an accident. But my parents are more than happy that film happened so I wouldn't go to some corner and be bombed out.
So what do you feel about coming to Kolkata?
I love Kolkata. I love coming back here. I love the place, the people, the food and also the architecture. I love the old world feel of the city. I also love the Bengali language as it's very sweet.
So any plans of being in a Bengali film?
First it would take me five years to learn the language. But yes maybe someday. Though I have watched Bengali films of Rituparno Ghosh.