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Bhavna Talwar rushed off to the prestigious Doha Tribeca Film Festival where she is part of the distinguished 4-member jury
along with Salma Hayek, English director Nick Moran (of Lock Stock & 2 Smoking Barrels fame) and the Bosnian director
Danis Tanovic of (No Man's Land fame).
She is somewhat worried about her second directorial venture Happi, Pankaj Kapoor's only acting assignment.
Earlier Bhavna had directed Pankaj in the intensely moving Dharm.
If Pankaj Kapoor, the Director is eagerly awaited, Pankaj Kapoor The Actor is no less looked forward-to. Sadly, we won't be
getting to see Pankaj for a very long time on screen. Not that he doesn't have an acting assignment.But the one project that
he chose as an actor is Bhavna Talwar's Happi. Almost completed a year ago, only Pankaj Kapoor's dubbing needs to be
done.
Apparently Pankaj who had assured the director that the dubbing of Happi where he plays a Common Man on the steeets of
Mumbai inspired by Charlie Chaplin's characters would be completed during a break between the schedules of Mausam,
would now do so only after his directorial debut is complete.
This 'sacrifice' is a father's spontaneous gesture to his son.
Says a source, "Pankajji is not happy with the way some of Shahid's recent films have gone. He feels Shahid needs that one
big epic push which Mausam can give him.And Pankajji wants to focus entirely on building that one monumental film which
would put Shahid right up there where Pankajji thinks his son belongs."
Noble sentiments indeed. But the maestro's decision to give his all to his directorial debut has triggered off a domestic war
between the Mausam producer Sheetal Talwar and his wife Bhavna Talwar who is the director of Happi.
While Sheetal feels Pankaj Kapoor is too big an artiste to be told what to do Bhavna feels Happi which is her post-debut
directorial venture is being unnecessarily delayed.
Bhavna confirms that Happi is delayed.
"It's true Pankajji has decided to focus on his project.Both my husband and I have too much respect for Pankajji to question
what he does. He took my first film Dharam to great heights. Now he is not only directing his first film for us, but is also the
lead in my second film. If I've to wait I'll wait for as long as Pankajji wants me to, " said.
Saturday, October 23, 2010 13:50 IST