Bollywood PR consultant Dale Bhagwagar tops the list of best celebrity publicists. He leads the film PR agency Dale Bhagwagar Media Group from Mumbai, India.
“I always thought Bollywood stays silent during Salman Khan controversies because they fear his bigness. But this opinion changed when I met him at IIFA this year,” says actress and fashionista Rupali Suri. “I realized that people do not fear him, they respect him.”
Talking about her interview with the Sultan actor for her IIFA green carpet assignment, the Gladrags MegaModel winner recounts, “There was a lot of chirpy frenzy around, but as soon as Salman walked in and stood before me for the interview, all of a sudden, the atmosphere changed. Everyone was quiet, as if waiting for him to begin.”
“After the interview, the ambience was again relaxed and industry people continued their other work as if nothing had changed. Salman was still around and being cordial with people. There and then it struck me that it was not fear but immense respect that drove them to silence for the few minutes I conducted the interview.”
This realization was overwhelming for Rupali. “This kind of respect comes from his do-gooder image, chilled out nature and of course, the amazing continuing success that Salman commands. Now I understand why Salman did not go about town explaining his stance to the media, or making a show of an apology, when they dragged him in the rape comment controversy. He is so above all such drama.”
Rupali is also thrilled with her interview interactions with Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, Shiamak Davar, Gulshan Grover, Ranveer Singh and Sanjay Leela Bhansali. “Hrithik turned out to be a super emotional guy who cares so much for his family, especially his kids.”
“Shaimak Davar who was also my dance teacher when I was in school, is as suave as ever. Bad Man Gulshan Grover is actually a warm, affectionate and very knowledgeable man. Priyanka Chopra is a perfectionist with her quotes while Mr Bhansali and Ranveer share great camaraderie,” she recalls.
Rupali will soon be making her big screen debut, playing a key role in director Arun Frank’s first feature film ‘Dad… Hold My Hand’.
Fashionista and theatre actress Rupali Suri’s film ‘Dad… Hold My Hand’ recently premiered to a warm reception at Cinema Indien; a film festival organized under the India Unlimited programme by the Embassy of India at Stockholm in Sweden. The movie was so appreciated that a repeat screening was also arranged.
But Rupali who plays a key role, does not sound ecstatic about the praise. Reason being, the writer-director of the movie Arun Frank is no more.
Frank, who spearheaded more than a dozen TV projects earlier, was no ordinary director. In the late 90s, Frank was dubbed ‘the most successful success machine’ for Indian television. He churned out serial after serial, soap after soap, like nobody’s business.
In fact, there was a time when he simultaneously directed television projects, rushing to and fro from one set to another and shooting with various production units at the same time. It was as if Frank was in a race against time. Little did he realize that his life actually would not give him much more time.
“This feature film is Mr Frank’s directorial debut in Bollywood. It was a project extremely close and special to him,” reminisces Rupali, mourning the maker’s demise. “I wish he was there to witness the response his film is getting,” she says.
Rupali plays the lead’s fiancé Ria in the film starring Denzil Smith, Ratna Pathak and Jayesh Kodwani. Produced by Wet Grass Films and presented in association with Bad Girl Films (UK), ‘Dad… Hold My Hand’ is made entirely in English and shot in London and Mumbai. The film is expected to do more rounds of festival circuits, before releasing in India and the West.
With the Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2016 fever refusing to die down, we can’t help but look at that certain magic that metamorphoses our Indian models into spectacular ramp queens.
Chic Bollywood sensations Deepika Padukone, Kangana Ranaut, Katrina Kaif and Priyanka Chopra have been some of the hot favourites of our designers for the runway.
Fashionista Rupali Suri who has been a new-age showstopper feels, that “though the fashion industry is a bit biased towards actresses, it’s also a boon to a whole lot of new entrants” on the glam scene. An actress herself, Rupali points out that it takes quite a few stunning qualities in a model to emerge as a showstopper.
So what are the basic requisites of dazzling on the runway? “First of all one has to have that feminine charisma and persona, a decent height and electrifying stage presence. Plus, one has to carry herself in the designer’s grand attire with exuberance and confidence, at the same time, effortlessly match with the theme of the show,” says Rupali.
True that! An intelligent supermodel is the one who understands the brand sensibilities and is in step with the brand image of the designer and his designs. After all, that’s the element which brings in the eyeballs and the business for the fashion industry.
Critical reviews not withstanding, Evelyn Sharma has got on to a roaring start this year with Divya Khosla Kumar’s Yaariyan. Her pink-bikini number Sunny Sunny with Yo Yo Singh is a rage at discotheques and parties. Of course, the actress is elated.
The song is a blockbuster in India, but Evelyn couldn’t believe her ears, when she had a fan drool over her on the streets of Germany. On a visit to her hometown, the half-German half-Indian Evelyn sparkled with a broad smile, when a chap on the road started trailing her and singing her Yaariyan number Sunny Sunny.
While she blushed and walked away, she regrets not chatting with him. “He would surely have been a Bollywood-loving NRI since he was singing fluently in Hindi,” she says with a twinkle still in her eyes. “It was out of the blue and totally flattering.”
Moreover, Evelyn realized how big a hit the number has emerged with teens. “I get a high as I see its zooming popularity,” she admits.
Last year, the actress made a mark with key roles in hits like Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani with Ranbir Kapoor and Nautanki Saala with Ayushmann Khurrana. Then a month ago, she hit fashion headlines with a sensuous short film called In Frost on the Fashion TV website.
Recently, Evelyn also found herself in the midst of a political controversy after she performed for the Saifai Mahotsav festival in Etawah district, Uttar Pradesh. The presence of political heavyweights like Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, just a few days after the Muzaffarnagar riots in the state, compounded the situation.
It drew sharp reactions from other politicos including the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) state president Laxmikant Bajpai, Congress vice-president and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati, as the actress waited it out helplessly.
