Director Namrata Singh Gujral with actor Rajkummar Rao on the set of '5 Weddings'. Courtesy Phars Films
Director Namrata Singh Gujral with actor Rajkummar Rao on the set of '5 Weddings'. Courtesy Phars Films
Director Namrata Singh Gujral with actor Rajkummar Rao on the set of '5 Weddings'. Courtesy Phars Films
Director Namrata Singh Gujral with actor Rajkummar Rao on the set of '5 Weddings'. Courtesy Phars Films

5 Weddings director clears airs with Rajkummar Rao amid rumours of discord over film's delay


Kumar Shyam
  • English
  • Arabic

The release date of Hollywood film 5 Weddings has been postponed by a month, from September 28 to October 26, and the circumstances leading up to the delay are stretching the patience of director Namrata Singh Gujral.

Two years after wrapping shooting, Gujral feels more than ready to release a movie she describes as "soft, cute" but that also has "moments that will leave you thinking". She tells us the film was initially on hold because she made a promise to Rajkummar Rao: the movie's lead actor wanted to get a Screen Actors Guild card before its release, presumably to make it easier to bag future Hollywood roles.

"Without going into the specifics," Gujral says over the phone from California, "let's just say it was a personal favour I did, and I stress - I had no problems with that and don't regret it even now."

Rao is upset?

Their relationship was tested over the weekend however, when a media report, quoting unidentified sources, said Rao was upset with the makers of 5 Weddings and will not participate in any promotional activities. Gujral is not sure who to believe.

"Since yesterday, Raj and his manager have been texting me repeatedly, assuring me this is not true. Instead, they asked me if anyone on my side got that impression, which is obviously not [the case]. Indian media can be fickle. Freaking unbelievable."

Gujral is quick to reassure us that the alleged false alarm about Rao being upset has nothing to with the delayed release of the film, which is about an American reporter travelling to cover an Indian wedding.

Then the censor board stepped in... 

In the film, Nargis Fakri's reporter character then turns her focus towards a transgender community in India, and the handling of this in the film may have caused some of the delays.

"There were problems with the censor board in India objecting to the depiction of transgenders. They are known as Hijra, which I am told is derogatory. All my life, and in the movie, the word is used liberally. Even the transgenders call themselves that," she says.

Since it is difficult to reshoot all of the scenes, a compromise has been met between Gujral and the censors to add an explanatory scene that refers to the 'Kinnar', the accepted Hindi term for transgenders.

Another hurdle has been that they now need to seek a certificate from the Animal Welfare Board to attest that no cruelty has been done even though there "are no animal actors", Gujral reveals. "All these will take time and we have a new set of distributors who are looking into it, hence the delay," the producer-director says.

The film, which was shot in Chandigarh in 2016, is set for an October 26 release.

___________________

Read more

The uncomfortable truth about Indian cinema

Review: 'Manmarziyaan' is one not to be missed

Why Abhishek Bachchan broke his sabbatical for 'Manmarziyaan' and got scared by Anurag Kashyap

In pictures: the South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA) in Dubai

___________________

MATCH INFO

Inter Milan 2 (Vecino 65', Barella 83')

Verona 1 (Verre 19' pen)

Sarfira

Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal 

Rating: 2/5

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The flights

Etihad flies direct from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco from Dh5,760 return including taxes. 

The car

Etihad Guest members get a 10 per cent worldwide discount when booking with Hertz, as well as earning miles on their rentals (more at www.hertz.com/etihad). A week's car hire costs from Dh1,500 including taxes.

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Along the route, Motel 6 (www.motel6.com) offers good value and comfort, with rooms from $55 (Dh202) per night including taxes. In Portland, the Jupiter Hotel (https://jupiterhotel.com/) has rooms from $165 (Dh606) per night including taxes. The Society Hotel https://thesocietyhotel.com/ has rooms from $130 (Dh478) per night including taxes. 

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Stan Wawrinka 3 (1 Australian Open, 1 French Open, 1 US Open)

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Marin Cilic 1 (1 US Open)

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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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Welterweight
Omar Hussein (PAL) beat Vitalii Stoian (UKR) by unanimous decision.

Welterweight
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Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) beat Delfin Nawen (PHI) TKO round-3.

Catchweight 80kg​​​​​​​
Seb Eubank (GBR) beat Emad Hanbali (SYR) KO round 1.

Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Ramadan Noaman (EGY) TKO round 2.

Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) beat Reydon Romero (PHI) submission 1.

Welterweight
Juho Valamaa (FIN) beat Ahmed Labban (LEB) by unanimous decision.

Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) beat Austin Arnett (USA) by unanimous decision.

Super heavyweight
Maciej Sosnowski (POL) beat Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) by submission round 1.

The specs

Engine: 3.5-litre V6

Power: 272hp at 6,400rpm

Torque: 331Nm from 5,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.7L/100km

On sale: now

Price: Dh149,000

 

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

What is tokenisation?

Tokenisation refers to the issuance of a blockchain token, which represents a virtually tradable real, tangible asset. A tokenised asset is easily transferable, offers good liquidity, returns and is easily traded on the secondary markets. 

Tips for taking the metro

- set out well ahead of time

- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines

- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on

- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers

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Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.