Abhishek Bachchan in the movie that is alternatively titled 'Husband Material' Courtesy TIFF
Abhishek Bachchan in the movie that is alternatively titled 'Husband Material' Courtesy TIFF
Abhishek Bachchan in the movie that is alternatively titled 'Husband Material' Courtesy TIFF
Abhishek Bachchan in the movie that is alternatively titled 'Husband Material' Courtesy TIFF

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


Kaleem Aftab
  • English
  • Arabic

Abhishek Bachchan has marked his return to Bollywood after a two-year hiatus with Anurag Kashyap's love triangle romance, Manmarziyaan.

The movie from the critically acclaimed director has received rave reviews for good performances from the three protagonists, including Bachchan who reflects on the mid-life crisis and what led to this film.

"I had become complacent," he says of a career that has seen him  being burdened as the son of Bollywood's biggest star, Amitabh Bachchan, and emulate his father's success. "Things had become too comfortable internally. The job becomes too easy and you start coasting, not adding the masala needed, but when doing that, somewhere the creative person in you is dying and that is a horrible place to be."

Bachchan’s career was on the slide when he took a sabbatical. Despite starting with three flops, he revived his career in a roller-coaster ride of films since 2000, fought being stereotyped and compared with his illustrious father and is also married to the high-profile actress Aishwarya Rai.

Nonetheless, the battery recharge was arguably needed for a career that was stagnating not for the first time.

Bachchan concedes in Toronto he felt spent. "It's very scary. You start feeling hollow. My father, mother and wife, we are all actors and I've been born and brought up in this industry and film is my life. I mean that religiously. This is my life and my being. I can't think of life without films and to think that if you carry on down this path you will lose it all and there is nothing you can do."

It was going to take something unusual or special to get the actor, 42, out of his slumber. The script for Manmarziyaan landed on his desk and immediately grabbed his attention: "When it said Anurag Kashyap and love story, they are two things that are not usually in the same sentence. I thought he would have a unique way of looking at it."

As the opening song in the film tells us, ‘Old-fashioned love stories need an update.’ Kashyap certainly does that, but in unexpected ways.

Inspired by Francois Truffaut's classic 1961 love triangle classic Jules et Jim, Kashyap has created a contemporary tale that has a remarkable central female character whose heart is torn between two men.

_______________________________________

Movie review: Manmarziyaan (Husband Material)

_______________________________________

Rumi (Taapsee Pannu) is an edgy, bold and determined girl enjoying the fruits of a romance with Vicky (Vicky Kaushal), a DJ who wants to party and not the boredom of domestic life. Rumi’s family want her to marry Vicky or find someone else. When Vicky doesn’t put a ring on it, Rumi reluctantly agrees to be put on a dating site for singles seeking an arranged marriage. Enter Bachchan as Robbie a London-based Sikh investment banker who is handed a photo of Rumi.

Bachchan plays against type of being selfless in love. Robbie is a self-assured figure who uses his wiles to get what he wants. After the frenetic behaviour of Rumi and Vicky at the start of the film he is the eye of the storm.

“When we did the character sketch what scared the living daylights out of me was that the two other protagonists were flamboyant, passionate, wild, expressive and emotional and here comes this guy who is the exact opposite. Robbie is introverted, silent and just absorbs. How am I to portray the passion of Robbie without being able to use flamboyance and flair?”

It was the director who put him at rest, “Anurag said I want to film Robbie intimately. I didn’t understand this at first and he explained I want to put the camera right up in my face.

"That scares an actor because you can’t get away with anything. Then I started to understand that this was Anurag’s way of helping me out as I just have to do it and emote like I never have before.” The director took away Bachchan’s beefy muscles and asked him to use his acting chops.

The film is remarkable, radical even, in its depiction of Rumi. “The first question I ask anyone coming out of the screening is did you judge Rumi?” Bachchan asks rhetorically. “If you judge Rumi, we failed. I believe it’s the first time in Indian cinema that you have two male protagonists in love with an unusual female leading character and neither of them want to change her or ask her to confirm. They are giving a very important message, especially to our society that love is love.”

It is also an important moment for Indian cinema. The uniting of Kashyap in a popular Hindi film marks a change not only for the director but also for Indian cinema as a whole, explains Bachchan.

"What's nice is Husband Material is a confluence of different styles. Anurag is known for a style of filmmaking, very gritty, visceral, violent and he loves to explore the underbelly of society.

"Producer Aanand Rai has done the opposite in the movies he has directed. This blurs the line between the two types of cinema. The intertwining of two threads of Indian cinema and when you juxtapose these two worlds you come up with something unique.”

And it is a refreshed Bachchan who says he has 3 or 4 projects lined up. "Now I'm back, I want to be fully committed."

Manmarziyaan (Husband Material) is on show across UAE cinemas today

RESULTS

5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,400m
Winner: AF Tathoor, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 1,000m
Winner: Dahawi, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 2,000m
Winner: Aiz Alawda, Fernando Jara, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 2,000m
Winner: ES Nahawand, Fernando Jara, Mohammed Daggash
7pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: Winked, Connor Beasley, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7.30pm: Al Ain Mile Group 3 (PA) Dh350,000 1,600m
Winner: Somoud, Connor Beasley, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
8pm: Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: Al Jazi, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING

Director: Christopher McQuarrie

Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg

Rating: 4/5

Iran's dirty tricks to dodge sanctions

There’s increased scrutiny on the tricks being used to keep commodities flowing to and from blacklisted countries. Here’s a description of how some work.

1 Going Dark

A common method to transport Iranian oil with stealth is to turn off the Automatic Identification System, an electronic device that pinpoints a ship’s location. Known as going dark, a vessel flicks the switch before berthing and typically reappears days later, masking the location of its load or discharge port.

2. Ship-to-Ship Transfers

A first vessel will take its clandestine cargo away from the country in question before transferring it to a waiting ship, all of this happening out of sight. The vessels will then sail in different directions. For about a third of Iranian exports, more than one tanker typically handles a load before it’s delivered to its final destination, analysts say.

3. Fake Destinations

Signaling the wrong destination to load or unload is another technique. Ships that intend to take cargo from Iran may indicate their loading ports in sanction-free places like Iraq. Ships can keep changing their destinations and end up not berthing at any of them.

4. Rebranded Barrels

Iranian barrels can also be rebranded as oil from a nation free from sanctions such as Iraq. The countries share fields along their border and the crude has similar characteristics. Oil from these deposits can be trucked out to another port and documents forged to hide Iran as the origin.

* Bloomberg

Everton 1 Stoke City 0
Everton (Rooney 45 1')
Man of the Match Phil Jagielka (Everton)

The Lost Letters of William Woolf
Helen Cullen, Graydon House 

GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

10 tips for entry-level job seekers
  • Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
  • Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
  • Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
  • For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
  • Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
  • Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
  • Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
  • Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
  • Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
  • Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.

Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz

Race 3

Produced: Salman Khan Films and Tips Films
Director: Remo D’Souza
Cast: Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Bobby Deol, Daisy Shah, Saqib Salem
Rating: 2.5 stars

Russia's Muslim Heartlands

Dominic Rubin, Oxford

How to wear a kandura

Dos

  • Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion 
  • Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
  • Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work 
  • Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts 

  • Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal 
  • Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Dates for the diary

To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:

  • September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
  • October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
  • October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
  • November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
  • December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
  • February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Price: From Dh801,800
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

Match info

Manchester United 4
(Pogba 5', 33', Rashford 45', Lukaku 72')

Bournemouth 1
(Ake 45 2')

Red card: Eric Bailly (Manchester United)

LAST 16

SEEDS

Liverpool, Manchester City, Barcelona, Paris St-Germain, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Valencia, Juventus

PLUS

Real Madrid, Tottenham, Atalanta, Atletico Madrid, Napoli, Borussia Dortmund, Lyon, Chelsea