Ajmal Ameer is honest that way. He resists from painting a rosy picture as far as his acting career is concerned. Ajmal, whose performance in Mysskin’s Anjathey vaulted him to limelight, doesn’t have any qualms about accepting that his journey in filmdom hasn’t been hunky dory and that there have been a few disaster roles.

Ajmal is currently straddling three industries—Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam—with Ula (Tamil), Tanu Monne Vellipoyindi (Telugu) and Mazhaneerthullikal (Malayalam). While he is keen on widening his horizons in filmdom, his main focus is Tamil cinema. “I am now focusing on good commercial films in Tamil. I want to act in flicks that are entertaining, meaningful and consequentially, successful. Fortunately, the Tamil industry is in a state that has enough and more scope for such films. It looks like I am in the right place now,” he says.

Ula, a thriller penned by Rajan Madhav, has an ensemble cast; apart from Ajmal, it stars Ashok, Vidharth and Radhika Apte. With 70 per cent of the film completed, it is a much-awaited film for the actor, who has slowly but steadily begun establishing himself as a lead actor. Mazhaneerthulikal is a revenge-drama film directed by V K Prakash, starring Meera Jasmine and Narein, while Tanu Monne, his 25th film, is an important milestone for the actor. The film is being helmed by renowned filmmaker Vamsi Krishna.

As Kiruba in Anjathey, Ajmal garnered a lot of attention and awards. Following the success, he was swamped by several offers for similar roles. But the actor didn’t want to get pigeonholed. “Anjathey triggered a number of offers for rustic villager roles. I was looking for a project that helped me prove my versatility as an actor. That is when romcom Thiru Thiru Thuru Thuru by JS Nandini happened,” he says.

With a string of releases like Taxi and Ko, a project that was later shelved and Karuppampatti that turned out to be a box office debacle, Ajmal’s film route has been a bitter-sweet symphony. And, he says he has learnt a lot from the failures in the course of finding his feet in the industry.

After carving out a niche in the industry with supporting roles in some prominent flicks, Ajmal is now determined to make a mark as the lead actor. “I am now only signing projects that cast me as the lead. But more importantly, it is the content of the film and my role that will determine the choice of project,” he adds.

Ajmal says he wants to be an actor with a vision—someone who does films which have a message for society. “Doing a flick like Vetriselvan was a big step in that direction. It was about how three underdogs can bring about a revolution. It is the genre of film that appeals to my sensibilities as an actor,” he says.

Admitting that the formula of Vetriselvan didn’t appeal to the audience, he says, he has realised that the commercial aspect of a film is equally important for a film to click. “By the end of the day, the product has to appeal to the masses, I have to be content with my role, and my producers have to get returns. This is going to be the mantra for my career for a while now,” he adds.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Entertainment> Tamil / by Janani Sampath / December 14th, 2014

Arbaaz Khan , 47, has always taken all major decisions of his life based on his own gut without consulting anyone, be it the decision to debut as a villain at 29, get married to Malaika at 30 or turn director for ‘Dabangg 2’ at 43. Only time will tell whether his latest decision to release his production ‘Dolly Ki Doli’ with the Akshay Kumar-starrer ‘Baby’ was good or bad, but for now, Arbaaz seems happy and confident. Over a quick coffee, we grill the good-looking producer on his latest decision. He doesn’t duck any of our questions. Excerpts:

So far, smaller films have chosen to avoid coming on dates when big star films are coming. Yet, you have chosen to come with Akshay Kumar’s Baby.
Date of release of a film is just as important as the quality of the film. So everyone looks for an ideal release date. As far as I am concerned, I am still learning on what is a good time and what is not, but there are 4 holidays in a year when there is a certain spike in the collections. These dates can absorb 2-3 films. Realistically, there are only 52 weeks and thus, given the number of films we make, the chances of having a solo release might become more and more difficult. ‘Dolly Ki Doli’ is a fun, young film, substantially different from Neeraj Pandey’s ‘Baby’. It has enough commercial value for the single screens, and the aesthetics and freshness for the multiplex audience.
Also, given that December and January are great months for weddings, the film should do better in this period. Post the first weekend, Monday determines the final box-office numbers for a film, based on how the film holds on Monday. Given that Republic Day (January 26) this time is coming on a Monday, the film gets an automatic boost, improving the chances of it doing well. Had my film been the same genre as ‘Baby’, it would have led to a divide, but given that we are looking at only approximately 1,200 screens and ‘Baby’, about 2,500 screens, there is space for both to come healthily. If films of two big stars come together or if two similar films are coming together, they will eat into each other’s box office, as there is only that much box office to capture, but ‘Dolly Ki Doli’ and ‘Baby’ are very different films. We have also seen in many cases that a solo release also does not guarantee a box office. Only time will tell whether coming with Baby was a good decision or not, but weighing the pros and cons, we felt we should come.

Baby seems to be another outstanding film of Neeraj Pandey. Why do you feel that the audience should choose to see Dolly Ki Doli? 
You should see both the films if both are good films.

Given the expensive ticket prices today, which one film would you recommend? 
I can’t shove biryani down your throat if you like chola bhatura. ‘Baby’ and ‘Dolly Ki Doli’ are very different films and you should see what you would like to. ‘Dolly Ki Doli’ is very fresh and entertaining.

Your first two films Dabangg as a producer and Dabangg 2 as a producer-director were both with Salman Khan. Why did you choose to make a smaller film this time?
I did not have a film that I could have taken to Salman or any other big star. Amongst the few scripts that I heard, ‘Dolly Ki Doli’ got me excited despite it being a smaller film without a big star, but also that it is a woman-centric film. But I believe in mainstream cinema and even though ‘Dolly Ki Doli’ may not be a ‘Dabangg’, it has a mainstream approach. It may have taken much more effort to bring it to the silver screen, but I am pretty happy and confident about it.

Do you take a second opinion from anyone in your family before you take your decisions?
No. I have always gone by my gut for my major decisions in my life. Abbas- Mustan had initially offered me Akshay’s role in ‘Khiladi’ as my debut film, but since I was pre-committed to another film which did not finally happen, I could not do ‘Khiladi’. A few years later, I met Abbas-Mustan in the middle of the road while driving my car and they literally stopped me and said, ‘Ek picture hai. Tum second half mein aata hai. Tumhara negative role hai. An edge-of-the-seat thriller, karoge?’ And I immediately said, ‘Karoonga.’ That was the only narration I got from them for my role in ‘Daraar’. By that time, I was frustrated and was looking for work. Now I was debuting in a negative role, but it was my decision. Had I gone back home and asked daddy and Salman, I may have got confused. Like Sohail did once. He woke up in the middle of the night and said, ‘Daddy, this is the girl I am marrying.’ And daddy said, ‘Okay beta.’ So sometimes, you have to take the decision and say, ‘This is my girlfriend, this is my wife, this is the movie I have signed, this is the director.’ If you engage with too many people for your decision, it only confuses your head, especially when it is people whom you love. For the very, very important decisions in my life, I don’t allow people to take that for me.

Which were the most important decisions of your life that you took yourself?
Apart from the decision of my debut film, the decision of my marriage to Malaika and the decision to turn director in ‘Dabangg 2’. I had met Malaika on an ad shoot. We started dating and had a courtship of about 5 years before we got married. She was anxious and so, unfortunately, she didn’t allow me to pop the question to her. She asked me when we will get married and I immediately told her, ‘You decide the date and place and I will be there.’ I was 30 and she was 23 then. Even when it came to the decision to direct ‘Dabangg 2’, I had been involved in the first Dabangg in every aspect of the film. So when Abhinav decided to opt out of Dabangg 2, after considering so many big directors as options to direct it, I realised that I knew the film as well as anyone else could and took the decision to direct it.

Is Dabangg 3 a part of your future plan?
There are commitments Salman needs to honour to other films that he has signed for. So while there is no hurry, ‘Dabangg 3’ will definitely happen. It is a brand and a character both Salman and I respect and we will make it once we know what we want to do with the character.

How was your experience working with Sonam Kapoor?
She was excited about doing the film and has given it her all. She is hassle- free, down to earth and does not have any star tantrums. For instance, there is no protocol to her. You can speak to her directly, without neccesarily going through her managers. Some stars want that, but she does not give that impression. On a tightly-budgeted film like Dolly Ki Doli that does not have the luxury of extending shooting days due to costs, it was imperative for Sonam to come on time as the entire shoot was dependent on her. There were days when she needed to shoot long hours and she did that without any stress. She would always come on time and there was not even one occasion when the unit had to wait for her. Women take time to get ready and on top of that, she was dressed as a dulhan, that needed more time. So, if she would come late and take time to dress up with limited shooting hours, we would have a lot of pressure, but nothing of that kind happened. There were times when she had a viewpoint on the film, but unlike some other stars, she would put it across very beautifully and say, ‘I don’t feel comfortable about it. What do you think?’ And not like ‘I won’t do it.’

How important is the success of this film for you?
It’s extremely important. Much as people like to think that now you prove yourself without Salman, the fact is that a lot of people have failed despite having big stars. It’s not that I have not contributed to Dabangg and Dabangg 2, but people are watching to see, ‘Ab dekhte hain that Arbaaz kya karta hai.’ Many people have had opportunities to work with big stars, but not all have made Dabanggs. It’s easier to do it with a star and this might be tougher, but the success of this film determines my life as a producer in the future. The success will allow me to make films without big stars or directors.

What would be Salman’s point of view?
Salman will be happy that I have been able to deliver a movie minus him. Salman has been an elder brother, an inspirational factor and a guiding force in our life and he wishes well. Whether he is there or not, his support is always there. He feels that he has done so well for himself and wishes well for his siblings. He saw the first look and called me to say how he loved it. Dolly Ki Doli’s success will also give me a sense of confidence and respect in my ability to make a movie on my own. It will allow my production to grow and allow me to tell stories that I want to tell, without being dependent on very big stars. And I am pretty confident that it will happen.

Which of the factors made you choose Malaika to do an item song in your film — that she is your wife or your lucky charm or just the best dancer? 
A bit of all, the least her being my wife, except for the fact that it just makes it easier for me to get her to do this. But the most important reason was that she is the best person for the item song.

Do you feel possessive when your wife is so glamorous?
Not really. You ask anyone in college, how would you like your wife or girlfriend to be? No one wants the ugliest girl in the world who no one wants to look at. Out of 100 people, all 100 will say that I want the most beautiful woman in the world. Somebody that everybody desires, somebody who loves me and is with me. And I have this woman. After that, if you get possessive, then it’s not on. You wanted the most desirable and beautiful woman, you wanted everyone to say how lucky you are and I wish I had a woman like that and when you do, then why would you worry yourself sick about it.

Watch: Dolly Ki Doli 

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Entertainment> Hindi> Bollywood / by Priya Gupta, TNN / December 13th, 2014