Men don't age in India: says Pooja Bhatt
Mumbai, Jan 11: Actor-director Pooja Bhatt believes women start blooming in their forties but somehow they are not represented correctly on the screen whereas men continue to play characters half their age.
Pooja, who is returning to the silver screen after a gap of 18 years with "Sadak 2", had said goodbye to acting but then it pulled her back.
"I had said bye-bye to acting in a way but once an actor always an actor. Life has got other plans for me. Like I did not want to be an actor, I wanted to be an architect or astronaut and 'Daddy' happened and the rest is history.
"I felt I was happy being in the back, launching people like Sunny Leone, repackaging Richa Chadda, John Abraham but life had other plans and it includes 'Sadak 2' and a web series," Pooja told PTI in an interview.
Known for her films such as "Daddy", "Sadak" and "Zakhm", Pooja will reprise her role in the sequel of "Sadak", that marks the return of her filmmaker father Mahesh Bhatt to direction.
Pooja, whose last film as an actor was "Everybody Says I'm Fine" in 2001, will also be seen in a web series based on Abheek Barua's book called 'A City of Death'. Set in Kolkata, the story revolves around an alcoholic female cop in her 40s, who is sent to investigate a crime of passion.
"Sadak 2", Sanjay Dutt and Pooja will be seen playing the older couple while Pooja's younger sister Alia Bhatt and Aditya Roy Kapur are the young pair.
"I am glad when I am coming back to acting I am getting to play my age," Pooja said.
"One thing I do not see happening is women of certain age being represented correctly. We have to evolve conceptually. Men don't age in India. Women who are younger then them are suddenly playing the role of a mother," she said.
The actor said she also played the role of Ajay Devgn's mother in 1999 film "Zakhm" because the role demanded it but she would not play the role of a mother just for the sake of it.
As an actor and producer, Pooja said she has always taken risks.
"One woman who I think is great is Vidya Balan, her casting in 'The Dirty Picture' was very exciting. Let's break new grounds, let's think beyond the usual. Why can't a woman who plays a mother, also play a lover, or why a lover can't play a villain?"
Citing the example of American actor-producer Sharon Stone, Pooja, 46, said why can't writers write about women beyond a certain age.
"Where is India's Sharon Stone? How come women in Hollywood come to their own, post their 40s? I feel that's when you actually bloom... Why are men allowed to come to their own at 40s and 50s and women are expected to bury themselves at this age," she added.
Pooja said, personally, her 40s have been more exciting than her 30s.
"I found my feet in my 40s, got divorced at 40, two years of drinking and then at 42, I became sober. My 30s were the most boring phase. When you are in your 40s, you know your mind, body, you know what you want to do and you are not impressed with the usual bulls**t that the world gives you. You don't care about people's opinion and you do what you want to do," she said.
Pooja is currently promoting her film "Cabaret", which has been in the making for sometime and was supposed to release in 2016. It got delayed due to her differences with the producers over its release.
"One of our partners wanted to minimise the cost of print and advertising and I was not in agreement with it. We decided to not release it then. The two years time period then seemed difficult, long and dark but the universe was conspiring for us to give it a right platform. At that time if we would have released it in theatres, the film would have come and gone and nobody would have known about it."
"Cabaret" is streaming on ZEE5 from January 5 and the actor-producer is happy with it's digital release.
"Our standards keep changing. Cinema hall is a cinema hall but it is not the holy grail anymore. My phone has become my cinema hall and we need to understand and respect this new medium.
"Who dreamt that 20 years ago, there will be digital streaming? It is like a new dawn. I am glad I am a part of it," she added.
Directed by Kaustav Narayan Niyogi, the film revolves around a bar dancer, played by Richa Chadha.
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UDF leaders see local body poll trends as pointer to 2026 Assembly elections in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Buoyed by the strong performance of the Congress-led UDF in the local body polls, KPCC president Sunny Joseph said on Saturday that the front's results indicated the people had rejected the LDF government.
According to early trends, the UDF was leading in more grama panchayats, block panchayats, municipalities and corporations than the LDF.
The local body polls were held in two phases in the state earlier this week.
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Speaking to reporters here, Joseph said the people of Kerala had extended their support to the UDF.
"We could expose the LDF government’s anti-people stance and the people understood it. The LDF’s fake propaganda was rejected by the people. The UDF is moving towards a historic victory," he said.
He said a united effort, proper preparations, good candidate selection and hard work had resulted in the Congress and the UDF’s victory in the elections.
Asked about the prospects in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, Joseph said the party was studying the matter and would comment later.
LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan said the results would be closely examined.
According to him, the government had done everything possible for the people.
"Why such a verdict happened will be examined at the micro level. People’s opinion will be considered and further steps will be taken," he said.
He added that decisions would be taken after analysing the results. "If any corrective measures are required, we will initiate them and move forward," he said.
AICC leader K C Venugopal said the results showed that people had begun ousting those who, he alleged, were responsible for the loss of gold at Lord Ayyappa’s temple.
"This trend will continue in the Assembly elections as well. It is an indication that the people are ready to bring down the LDF government," he said.
Venugopal said the UDF had registered victories even in CPI(M) and LDF strongholds.
"I congratulate all UDF workers for their hard work. Congress workers and leaders worked unitedly," he said.
Referring to remarks made by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan against the Congress on polling day, Venugopal said the voters had responded through the verdict.
"I do not know whether the chief minister understands that the people are against him. Otherwise, he does not know the sentiment of the people. The state government cannot move an inch further," he said.
He said the results indicated a strong comeback for the UDF in Kerala.
Asked whether the Sabarimala gold loss issue had affected the LDF in the local polls, Venugopal said the CM and the CPI(M) state secretary did not take the issue seriously.
"We took a strong stand on the matter. The BJP played a foul game in it," he alleged.
On the BJP's role in the local body elections, Venugopal alleged that the party operated with the CPI(M) 's tacit support.
"The CPI(M) supported the central government on issues such as PM-SHRI, labour codes and corruption in national highway construction. The CPI(M) is facing ideological decline, and the state government’s policies are against the party’s own decisions," he said.
Meanwhile, LDF ally Kerala Congress (M) leader Jose K Mani said the party could not win all the wards it had expected in the elections.
He congratulated winners from all parties and said the party would closely examine the losses and identify shortcomings. "Later, we will take corrective measures," he added.
Senior Congress leader and MP Rajmohan Unnithan said the trends in the local body elections indicated that the UDF would return to power in the 2026 Assembly elections.
"We will win 111 seats as in 1977 and return to power in 2026. The anti-government sentiment of the people is reflected in the elections," he said.
Unnithan said the people were disturbed and unhappy with the present government.
"The trend indicates the end of the LDF government," he added.
CPI(M) MLA M M Mani said the people had shown ingratitude towards the LDF despite benefiting from welfare schemes.
"After receiving all welfare schemes and living comfortably, people voted against us due to some temporary sentiments. Is that not ingratitude," he asked.
Mani said no such welfare initiatives had taken place in Kerala earlier.
"People are receiving pensions and have enough to eat. Even after getting all this, they voted against us. This is what can be called ingratitude," he said.
Muslim League state president Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said the results were beyond expectations.
"The outcome points towards the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, indicating that a change of government is imminent. We are going to win the Assembly election," he said.
