He is India’s most travelled globe-trotting film critic. Rajeev Masand is the entertainment editor with CNN News 18, has a scandalously gossipy column with Open magazine, and flies around the world to interview mega Hollywood stars like Daniel Craig and Tom Cruise for his television show. Having covered international award shows like the Oscars and Golden Globes, he tells Hi! Blitz why our Bollywood award shows have zero credibility, and recounts the one time he was threatened after a bad review.
Have you ever received a death threat for a bad review?
Yes, once really long back a filmmaker threatened that he’d kill me and I think it was an overreaction on his part. And I won’t take his name because he’s not alive anymore. I don’t think he genuinely meant it; it was just an on the spur moment and he was so mad that someone could be so obnoxious about his movie.
However, I think what’s more disappointing though is when intelligent actors or filmmakers take it very personally and get angry with you, and will either attack you or stop communication with you. And that happens a lot. Like there’s this superstar who just doesn’t talk to me anymore—and I always enjoyed interviewing this actor because he’s a really intelligent actor and one of those guys you like having conversations with. But he just stopped talking to me for 3-4 years now because I reviewed his last couple of films unfavorably. If you are not able to separate my job with what I think about you personally, then that’s disappointing.
Have you ever faced a PR backlash, especially with the scandalous contents that make it to your Open column?
I’ve faced it more for my reviews, not so much for the column. I genuinely don’t think actors care what you write about them personally. And the great irony of Bollywood is that they all say you can write what you like about our work but don’t get personal. The truth is they don’t care what you write about them personally, but they can’t take any professional criticism.
Have you ever held back in a review because you didn’t want to hurt an actor or filmmaker’s feelings?
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Ranveer Singh: Bollywood's Don Quixote
In an industry falling apart financially at the seams, you sometimes need an entity like Ranveer Singh to remind you of the joyous madness of the movies and why we watch them. He’s the Don Quixote of Hindi cinema, playing out his heart, body and mind, always delivering the unexpected, keeping the audience hooked for the next act, the constantly performing artiste of our times. In this interview with Shalini Sharma the actor talks about how a career threatening health scare liberated him from fear and judgment and empowered him with the conviction that he can do anything he wants.
The Sisterhood
They’ve both been known for their sense of style, good looks and plenty of chutzpah. Malaika Arora Khan and Amrita Arora Ladak have through the years tried their hand at veejaying, films and are now enjoying the role of motherhood and ladies who lunch. In a freewheeling chat with Farhad J Dadyburjor, the glamorous sister-duo take a nostalgic trip down memory lane while talking about how their relationship has evolved over the years, what’s the most annoying habit of each other and the individual relationships they share with their brother-in-law.
Casting A Web
She’s always ready to try something different, whether it’s in her choice of roles or venturing into the relatively new world of web series. The talented and fearless Swara Bhaskar tells Hi! Blitz why she was drawn to a story about extra-marital affairs and the one dream role she’s still hankering for.
being bodacious!
parineeti chopra has reinvented herself, in a slimmer, fitter avatar—with her extreme weight loss causing much buzz around her. in a candid tête-à-tête with farhad j dadyburjor, the actress talks about the fear that’s crept in when she gains a kilo or two, how her last two flops were a blessing in disguise, and the one guy in bollywood she’s besotted by.
Disha Rising
From the small town of Bareilly to the bright lights of Bollywood, Disha Patani has fast become one of the hottest newcomers to watch for post the success of MS Dhoni: The Untold Story. Now starring opposite Jackie Chan, Bollywood’s newest ingénue tells Farhad J Dadyburjor about how life has changed, her fashion inspirations and a certain Tiger in her life.
Club Med Kani, Maldives
Turquoise, cyan, azure, periwinkle, pantone, ultramarine—are some of the myriad colours at the Club Med Kani, a stunning private island in Maldives. Tucked away in the heart of the Indian Ocean, the colours continue as you enter this place through the warm sun-kissed brown sand and the swaying green coconut palms that lead you to this oasis.
Top Funk Style Tips To Stand Out In The Crowd
The incorrigible but dashing Ranveer Singh is shaking up the fashion stakes for the average Indian male. The desi homme fashion scene has not been the same since he stormed into it with shocking confidence, thumbing his nose at the fashion police doing his own thing with unabashed joy. Inspired? Ranjit Rodricks shows you some funk style tips that will make you stand out in the crowd.
Twinkle Khanna: A Novel Approach
Her widely-read newspaper columns and bestselling book Mrs Funnybones have given her a new lease of life, making Twinkle Khanna a force to contend with in the literary world. The book has gone into its ninth reprint while she gears up for her second release, a collection of short stories that centre around bruised women. Armed with much wit and candour, in a freewheeling chat with Farhad J Dadyburjor she talks about dealing with the sudden success she’s found in her forties, how she’s a lot like her dad Rajesh Khanna and the private scrapbook of family letters that will be her literary legacy.
Sonakshi Sinha: I'm Every Woman
From slaying Twitter trolls to cutting a pop single, Sonakshi Sinha is making news beyond the silver screen. With two action films on the anvil that see her martial arts training put to use, the talented and always candid actress tells Farhad J Dadyburjor why she loves kicking ass (on and off screen), her schoolgirl crush on Hrithik Roshan that still continues and revelling in the power of being a woman.
Revealing family secrets: Zarine Khan
Married to producer/director Sanjay Khan and mother to Sussanne Khan, Farah Khan Ali, Simone Arora and Zayed Khan, Zarine Khan has been part of the original 'Khandan' of Bollywood. As she releases her cookbook Family Secrets, she tells Hi! Blitz about being inspired by her mother-in-laws cuisine, modelling with the likes of Persis Khambatta and how Bollywood was more scandalous in the past.
