All posts tagged: Shekhar Kapur

‘I wanted to escape personal life’: Zeenat Aman relives ‘cracks in marriage’ with Mazhar Khan | Bollywood News

‘I wanted to escape personal life’: Zeenat Aman relives ‘cracks in marriage’ with Mazhar Khan | Bollywood News

5 min readNew DelhiMay 21, 2026 03:49 PM IST Veteran star Zeenat Aman often shares interesting anecdotes about her past films on social media. This time, the actor opened up about her second marriage struggles with late actor-director Mazhar Khan. She recalled having cracks in her relationship during the shoot of her 1985 film Gawaahi. Zeenat also reflected on how she wanted to escape her personal life, to become more than just a ‘mother’ or ‘wife’. Taking to her Instagram handle, she posted a BTS video from the shoot of Anant Bilani’s Gawaahi in 1998. Along with the clip, the actor wrote in the caption, “How many comebacks can a gal have? When it comes to me, apparently the answer is unlimited! Gawaahi was shot in 1988, two years after the birth of my first son Azaan and just before the conception of my second born Zahaan. At this point in my life, the rosy picture of domestic bliss that I had conjured up while at the peak of my career was beginning to fade. …

Shekhar Kapur picks John Abraham as next James Bond, actor reacts: ‘Practising my martini order’ | Hollywood News

Shekhar Kapur picks John Abraham as next James Bond, actor reacts: ‘Practising my martini order’ | Hollywood News

3 min readNew DelhiMay 17, 2026 01:28 PM IST Ever since Amazon MGM Studios announced that it is searching for an actor to play iconic British spy James Bond, social media has been abuzz with speculation. Amid the ongoing chatter, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur has now backed John Abraham for the role. On Saturday, Shekhar took to his X handle and wrote, “As the search of the next Bond heats up, my vote for the next James Bond after Daniel Craig would be John Abraham. He has the cool ‘shaken not stirred’ persona and certainly good actor with the ‘Bond Charm’ By the way Daniel Craig was cast as James Bond after the producers saw him in my film Elizabeth. #JamesBond #JohnAbraham @TheJohnAbraham.” ALSO READ | Bait review: Riz Ahmed’s series about the next James Bond is an unusual coming-of-age story Reacting to the filmmaker’s post, John Abraham wrote, “Thank you so much Sir @shekharkapur Truly humbled by your words and encouragement. Coming from someone who not only redefined storytelling but also had the instinct to …

Shekhar Kapur votes for John Abraham as next James Bond; John says ‘I’ll happily start practising my martini order’

Shekhar Kapur votes for John Abraham as next James Bond; John says ‘I’ll happily start practising my martini order’

The search for actor Daniel Craig’s successor as the iconic character, James Bond, is still on. How about an Indian actor as 007? And how about John Abraham, specifically? Shekhar Kapur, John Abraham The action star has emerged as acclaimed filmmaker Shekhar Kapur’s first choice! In a cute interaction on X on Saturday, Shekhar first tweeted, “As the search of the next Bond heats up, my vote for the next James Bond after Daniel Craig would be John Abraham. He has the cool ‘shaken not stirred’ persona and certainly good actor with the ‘Bond Charm’ By the way Daniel Craig was cast as James Bond after the producers saw him in my film Elizabeth. #JamesBond #JohnAbraham @TheJohnAbraham.” John didn’t wait for long before he acknowledged and replied to Shekhar. “Thank you so much Sir @shekharkapur Truly humbled by your words and encouragement. Coming from someone who not only redefined storytelling but also had the instinct to spot Daniel Craig before the world saw Bond in him… this means a lot to me. As for Bond… …

International Harry Potter day: Shekhar Kapur speaks about his Indian version of the series

International Harry Potter day: Shekhar Kapur speaks about his Indian version of the series

Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur who has been long planning to create an Indian adaptation of Harry Potter, on World Harry Potter Day today, says that plan is very much alive. He adds that AI has added fuel to the plan, Kapur tells us, “In the explosive world of AI it’s easier to create stories into visual ideas and .magic . I am an obsessive story teller for to me everything I look at everything I observe, all perception is a Story we tell ourselves.” Speaking about the influence the Harry Potter series has had on him he adds, “The influence that Harry Potter had on me was the stunning influence it had on the whole world. I thought, why did we in India not think of it ? So I wrote my own very Indian version derived from the magical world I lived in as a kid.” The filmmmaker says we grew up believing in everything that was magic . “Our minds are full of magical ideas and magical potential as I kid I saw the …

Shekhar Kapur opens up about Paani: ‘YRF pulled the plug, Sushant Singh Rajput had been rehearsing for six months’

Shekhar Kapur opens up about Paani: ‘YRF pulled the plug, Sushant Singh Rajput had been rehearsing for six months’

Shekhar Kapur has opened up about the long-delayed film Paani, revealing why the ambitious project backed by Yash Raj Films was eventually shelved despite years of development. The futuristic film, which was once set to star late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, generated significant interest when reports in 2014 suggested it was finally ready to go into production after more than a decade in development. The project, set in the year 2050, was planned as a dystopian drama depicting a world facing an acute water shortage. Initially, Hrithik Roshan had been associated with the film, before Sushant was later brought on board as the lead. Shekhar Kapur revealed that his film Paani was shelved after Yash Raj Films chose not to cast Sushant Singh Rajput, despite months of preparation. Pankaj Kapur talks about Paani, YRF However, the film never went into production, and more than a decade later, it remains unfinished. Speaking in a recent interview with The Lallantop, Shekhar said the project stalled when the production house decided not to move forward with Sushant in …

‘YRF decided they didn’t want Sushant Singh Rajput in Paani, he had been rehearsing for 6 months,’ recalls Shekhar Kapur | Bollywood News

‘YRF decided they didn’t want Sushant Singh Rajput in Paani, he had been rehearsing for 6 months,’ recalls Shekhar Kapur | Bollywood News

3 min readKochiMar 10, 2026 11:16 AM IST Back in April 2014, a report surfaced that legendary director Shekhar Kapur’s highly anticipated futuristic film Paani was finally set to go on floors after being in limbo for over a decade. With Sushant Singh Rajput replacing Hrithik Roshan as the male lead, it appeared that the decks had been cleared for the film — set in 2050, where people are reeling under an acute water shortage — to go into production. However, almost 12 years have passed since then, and it’s been over half a decade since Sushant passed away, yet Paani has yet to see the light of day. During a recent conversation, Kapur opened up further about the project and why Yash Raj Films (YRF) pulled the plug on Paani. “I couldn’t even start Paani’s production (unlike some other films of Kapur that were shelved midway). By the time YRF decided that they wouldn’t cast Sushant, I had already been rehearsing with him for six months. After hearing their decision, I went back to …

Amrish Puri joked about feeling ‘trapped’ by Mogambo, was asked to repeat his iconic dialogue wherever he went, recalls Shekhar Kapur | Bollywood News

Amrish Puri joked about feeling ‘trapped’ by Mogambo, was asked to repeat his iconic dialogue wherever he went, recalls Shekhar Kapur | Bollywood News

4 min readFeb 28, 2026 02:39 PM IST Mogambo needs no introduction. Anyone who has heard of Mr India, knows that the character is etched in history (much like Gabbar Singh from Sholay). Even decades later, audiences vividly remember Amrish Puri’s towering performance, especially the iconic line penned by Javed Akhtar, “Mogambo khush hua”.  Recently, director Shekhar Kapur revealed that he had no idea the character, and particularly that line, would become so iconic. In a conversation with The Lallantop, Shekhar recalled his first discussion with Javed about Mogambo. Amrish Puri was done with Mogambo Shekhar recalled his chat with Javed and said, “When I asked him what the character of Mogambo was, he gave me this line, ‘Mogambo khush hua.’ I asked him, ‘Are you convinced with it?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ That’s why I tried to make the line interesting by shooting it in a way that whenever he says it, he is either playing with his rings or delivering it in ten or fifteen different ways.” Shekhar added that Javed had foreseen the …

Shekhar Kapur says Manipuri film Boong was better than main BAFTA winners: ‘Westerners did not get it’

Shekhar Kapur says Manipuri film Boong was better than main BAFTA winners: ‘Westerners did not get it’

The BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Awards were held in London on Sunday evening, and Lakshmipriya Devi’s Manipuri film Boong won the Best Children’s and Family Film award. While congratulatory messages poured in for the team, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur batted for the film, stating that it was better than the films that won in the main categories. Shekhar Kapur says Boong was better than the films that won in main categories for BAFTA. Shekhar Kapur on Boong being better than other BAFTA winners In September 22, 2025, Shekhar had posted his review of Boong on X (formerly Twitter), writing, “The funniest, most heartwarming, the most heartbreaking film I’ve seen in a long time. And yet it packs a solid political punch. Manipuri director, Laxmipriya shows us how it’s done. Don’t miss it.” Reposting his review, he now wrote, “Congratulations to Laxmipriya for winning the BAFTA for the best family film.” Shekhar also believed that Boong would’ve fared better at BAFTA if westerners understood the nuances, writing, “I thought BOONG was better than …

Shekhar Kapur predicts AI-created stars in future who ‘won’t ask for a raise’: ‘Wo beemar nahi hogi’ | Bollywood News

Shekhar Kapur predicts AI-created stars in future who ‘won’t ask for a raise’: ‘Wo beemar nahi hogi’ | Bollywood News

3 min readKochiFeb 18, 2026 10:07 PM IST Amid growing concerns over the rise and popularity of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its potential impact across various fields, legendary director Shekhar Kapur recently shared his two cents on the technology’s possible influence on cinema. Maintaining that there could be AI-created stars in the future, he recalled an incident when his cook approached him with a script for Mr India 2 created using a generative AI chatbot. Kapur explained that unlike human celebrities, AI-created stars won’t refuse to show up for work due to health issues or ask for a raise. “Agar AI creative star ban gaya, wo beemar nahi hogi agar heroine hai. Hero hai to beemar nahi hoga, na kahega ‘arey main nahi aata shooting pe,’ ‘meri price badha do’ – you own it (If AI becomes a creative star, the heroine won’t fall ill, nor will the hero. It won’t say, ‘Hey, I’m not coming to the shoot’ or ‘increase my fee,’ because you own it),” he said during a conversation with Times Now. …

Shekhar Kapur calls AI ‘democratic,’ says ‘we’re going to add a trillion dollars a year to our GDP’

Shekhar Kapur calls AI ‘democratic,’ says ‘we’re going to add a trillion dollars a year to our GDP’

Veteran filmmaker Shekhar Kapur has lauded the growing architecture for Artificial Intelligence in India, saying the country has the potential to add a trillion dollars a year to its GDP. Shekhar Kapur said that AI’s democratic nature makes it accessible to everyone. (REUTERS) Speaking with ANI on the sidelines of the AI summit, Shekhar talked about the growing interest in artificial intelligence among the youth. “If you had announced a summit on AI a year ago, nobody would be here. One year later, half a million young people have come, all looking for opportunity. That’s what’s incredible in India,” he told ANI. He said India is an incredibly innovative nation, and AI’s democratic nature makes it accessible to everyone. “I think that AI, because it’s so democratic, if you haven’t been to IIT, if you haven’t been to the big educational institute, or you’ve not been to the Pune institute, it doesn’t matter because AI will give you everything that you want from there. After that, it’s how innovative, how courageous, how provocative, how intuitive …