Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt, ready with his new film 1921, yet another supernatural-horror thriller, says his obsession with the spooky comes from how fear is the most palpable of all emotions.

Excerpts from an interview:

Vikram, you are back doing a genre you are most comfortable with?
I don't know ‘comfortable' is the right expression. I have always had a feel for the romanticized horror. All my horror films have been love stories. The horror is the villain of the films usually. I have always believed that fear is the most basic of human emotions. There is no other emotion that we can feel that is so palpable as fear. They say that fear is the basic emotion to a lot of other emotions. Fear of hunger is greed, fear of dark is light, fear of losing is insecurity… so on and on. If fear is done well, then nothing attracts us more. A horror film is like an adventure where you live to tell the tale.

How have you re-invented the genre this time?
You can't really re-invent a genre. A genre is a genre is a genre. One can tell a story that has not been heard before within the genre. And that is what I have done. Also I have listened to my audiences carefully in my previous films and corrected the genre where they thought I had gone wrong. '1921' is not the usual horrex, it has a soulful love story and great music. It is a movie that transcends the scares and talks about love and sacrifice. It is also high on horror as the audiences have told me that they want more of it.

You have also been very active on the web with a number of products. Is that the future or the present?
Yes, I have been actively doing work on digital for the past year and on January 27, which is my birthday, my app, VB on the Web comes out, which is like a theatre on the phone. You have to just buy a ticket for the show you want to watch. No subscription or other stuff, just good old movie style. I don't know if the content on the cell phone is the future but I do know that content being beamed to you directly is the future. Entertainers should be where the crowd is. Today the crowd is on the phones.

What do you think of the films being made in Hindi these days? Is the audience more open to novel themes or is it still status quo?
We have always been a business of doing more of the same. If it is comedy, then it is going to be tons of the same. Now it is the time for bio-picture, so everyone is on that road. We are going to learn about a lot of people, some we know and some we did not know. The audience has always been open to novel ideas.

It is us, the filmmakers who are scared to put our money where it matters. The audience is done with marketing gimmicks. It is not going to bring the people into the theatres. We will have to tell good stories. That is all.

As the director who reinvented the supernatural genre with RAAZ, what do you feel about the way the genre has evolved?
About the evolution of the genre… I really don't know what that means. If we want our films to be more like the Hollywood horror films, I don't think they are and they should be. We have a different art form. We tell stories with an emotional arc. We are not the country of unrelenting horror with little human relationships. Those kind of films just won't work. Yes we need to source different stories and make the stories we tell more believable. We have to work on that.

Must ask about the freedom of expression vis-a-vis PADMAAVAT. Do you think filmmakers in this country are under siege? And what's the solution?
This is another discussion altogether. One that needs pages and pages to fill.

[By Subhash K Jha]

Celebrated designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee gifted Rani the first ever jewellery that he had designed – a pair of exquisite earrings – when the two met in Mumbai. Rani was completely taken by surprise and got extremely emotional with the special gesture from Sabyasachi.

The designer also wished Rani all the best for her upcoming film HICHKI, which marks Rani’s return to acting after 3 long years. Rani was very touched by Sabya’s thoughtful gesture as he had preserved his first designed jewellery for his best friend.

“As we all know, Sabyasachi has forayed into jewellery and his collections are wowing the world. The designer had thoughtfully kept away the first ever piece of jewellery designed by him – a super exclusive polki earrings with South Sea pearls – especially for Rani. He had created the earring keeping Rani's personality and her charm in mind. He wished her all the best for HICHKI while giving the gift. Rani was naturally emotional when she received this from Sabya,” reveals a source close to the two.

Rani plays the role of Naina Mathur who has a nervous system disorder, Tourette Syndrome that forces an individual to make involuntary repetitive movements or sounds. HICHKI focusses on turning disadvantages into opportunities and staring down at challenges that life throws at one and ultimately winning over them. It is also a subtle reminder about discrimination that exists in our society and has become a part of our daily lives. It highlights this through the story of Naina, who faces discrimination from our society that firmly believes she cannot be a teacher because of her disorder.

Directed by Siddharth P Malhotra and produced by Maneesh Sharma, HICHKI is set to release on February 23.

Celebrated designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee gifted Rani the first ever jewellery that he had designed – a pair of exquisite earrings – when the two met in Mumbai. Rani was completely taken by surprise and got extremely emotional with the special gesture from Sabyasachi.

The designer also wished Rani all the best for her upcoming film HICHKI, which marks Rani’s return to acting after 3 long years. Rani was very touched by Sabya’s thoughtful gesture as he had preserved his first designed jewellery for his best friend.

“As we all know, Sabyasachi has forayed into jewellery and his collections are wowing the world. The designer had thoughtfully kept away the first ever piece of jewellery designed by him – a super exclusive polki earrings with South Sea pearls – especially for Rani. He had created the earring keeping Rani's personality and her charm in mind. He wished her all the best for HICHKI while giving the gift. Rani was naturally emotional when she received this from Sabya,” reveals a source close to the two.

Rani plays the role of Naina Mathur who has a nervous system disorder, Tourette Syndrome that forces an individual to make involuntary repetitive movements or sounds. HICHKI focusses on turning disadvantages into opportunities and staring down at challenges that life throws at one and ultimately winning over them. It is also a subtle reminder about discrimination that exists in our society and has become a part of our daily lives. It highlights this through the story of Naina, who faces discrimination from our society that firmly believes she cannot be a teacher because of her disorder.

Directed by Siddharth P Malhotra and produced by Maneesh Sharma, HICHKI is set to release on February 23.

Filmmaker-choreographer and actor Prabhudheva says success gives happiness but also brings a lot of pressure for doing better.

Prabhudheva on Friday treated his fans to question and answer session, where a user asked him how he feels when he has accomplished a task and gains appreciation for it.

"Success always gives happiness but it also brings the pressure of doing better… So I try to keep a cool, take success and failure with equal spirit," Prabhudheva replied.

Asked about his next MERCURY, he said: "MERCURY will be an interesting and exciting pan-India release."

Prabhudheva will be seen playing an antagonist for the first time in his career in the Tamil silent film MERCURY. Directed by Karthik Subbaraj, the film stars Sananth, Deepak and Remya Nambeesan.

A user asked Prabhudheva who is his all time inspiration? "My father," he replied.

Asked when will he direct a Tamil film next, Prabhudehva said: "Very soon."

A fan asked what would he choose acting, dancing, direction or producing films.

"I'm greedy, I want it all," he said.

Filmmaker-choreographer and actor Prabhudheva says success gives happiness but also brings a lot of pressure for doing better.

Prabhudheva on Friday treated his fans to question and answer session, where a user asked him how he feels when he has accomplished a task and gains appreciation for it.

"Success always gives happiness but it also brings the pressure of doing better… So I try to keep a cool, take success and failure with equal spirit," Prabhudheva replied.

Asked about his next MERCURY, he said: "MERCURY will be an interesting and exciting pan-India release."

Prabhudheva will be seen playing an antagonist for the first time in his career in the Tamil silent film MERCURY. Directed by Karthik Subbaraj, the film stars Sananth, Deepak and Remya Nambeesan.

A user asked Prabhudheva who is his all time inspiration? "My father," he replied.

Asked when will he direct a Tamil film next, Prabhudehva said: "Very soon."

A fan asked what would he choose acting, dancing, direction or producing films.

"I'm greedy, I want it all," he said.

Actor Anand Tiwari, known for films like UDAAN, KITES, AISHA and GO GOA GONE, says his appetite to grow and become a better artiste has increased tremendously over time.

"I have only learnt that there's so much more to learn and over the years I am getting more and more hungry to be a better artiste," Anand told IANS.

"And I guess the most important thing I have realised is that to be a relevant artist, you have got to remain as open as a child and really keep exposing yourself to newer experiences and interactions to be and remain relevant," he added.

Anand, who also founded a content house Still and Still Media Collective (SSMC) with Amritpal Bindra, says his biggest achievement "personally till now is that I have gained acceptance as an artiste in the eyes of my parents".

"They wanted me to become a doctor like my father or at least have a more 'conventional' and 'settled' profession. Now as they see me run SSMC along with Amrit, do well as an actor-writer-director-producer, they are happy and less stressed about me.

"That pressure being off my shoulder has been a great relief. Now I am just enjoying my everyday doing exactly what I ever wanted to do," he added.

Anand will make his debut as a director with LOVE PER SQUARE FOOT, which features Vicky Kaushal and Angira Dhar.

LOVE PER SQUARE FOOT is a quirky romantic comedy that chronicles a guy and girl who enter a marriage of convenience to buy a flat in Mumbai. Critically acclaimed actors Ratna Pathak, Supriya Pathak and Raghuvir Yadav also feature in prominent roles in the film.

The film will be available on Netflix in 2018 globally.

Actor Anand Tiwari, known for films like UDAAN, KITES, AISHA and GO GOA GONE, says his appetite to grow and become a better artiste has increased tremendously over time.

"I have only learnt that there's so much more to learn and over the years I am getting more and more hungry to be a better artiste," Anand told IANS.

"And I guess the most important thing I have realised is that to be a relevant artist, you have got to remain as open as a child and really keep exposing yourself to newer experiences and interactions to be and remain relevant," he added.

Anand, who also founded a content house Still and Still Media Collective (SSMC) with Amritpal Bindra, says his biggest achievement "personally till now is that I have gained acceptance as an artiste in the eyes of my parents".

"They wanted me to become a doctor like my father or at least have a more 'conventional' and 'settled' profession. Now as they see me run SSMC along with Amrit, do well as an actor-writer-director-producer, they are happy and less stressed about me.

"That pressure being off my shoulder has been a great relief. Now I am just enjoying my everyday doing exactly what I ever wanted to do," he added.

Anand will make his debut as a director with LOVE PER SQUARE FOOT, which features Vicky Kaushal and Angira Dhar.

LOVE PER SQUARE FOOT is a quirky romantic comedy that chronicles a guy and girl who enter a marriage of convenience to buy a flat in Mumbai. Critically acclaimed actors Ratna Pathak, Supriya Pathak and Raghuvir Yadav also feature in prominent roles in the film.

The film will be available on Netflix in 2018 globally.