South sensation Asin maybe just 4 films old in Bollywood but she has a track record that many could only dream of. 3 of her 4 films (Ghajini, Ready and Housefull 2) have made it to the elite Rs. 100 crore nett club which in itself is no mean feat. The chirpy actress got a lot of praise for her role in Housefull 2 and is enjoying every bit of her success. Yet she doesn't want to go on a signing spree and believes in Quality over Quantity. In an exclusive chat with Bollywood Hungama's Nikhil Ramsubramaniam, Asin talks about how it feels to have 3 films in the 100 crore club. She also shed light on her next biggie Bol Bachchan which is scheduled for a July release. So all you Asin fans, you don't wanna miss reading this one...

You have quite an enviable track record, just 4 films old in Bollywood out of which 3 have already managed to enter the coveted Rs 100 crore nett club. How does it feel?

To tell you the truth, it feels a little astonishing. I'd love to say I am delighted and happy, which I am, but that is not the only feeling. I moved to Mumbai three years ago, completely alien to 'Bollywood'. I hoped to do well, but never really thought I'd be breaking records like this. When I reflect more on this, I think it is mostly due to luck, and to a certain extent, it is perhaps the kind of projects I have chosen. I want to do films that reach the masses, as that is when the medium reaches its full potential. I also have a soft corner for emotional love stories or comedies, and those films tend to do well. Also we are in a rapid growth phase of Bollywood where collections are reaching new records every year. And of course, I have been fortunate to work with filmmakers who know the business well.

Your last film Housefull 2 did very well at the B.O. how do you look back at the whole Housefull 2 experience?
Well, Housefull 2 was always expected to do well, but I think it even surpassed those already high expectations. What is interesting is even the reviewers were kind to us, with several three to four star reviews, rare for this genre of films. I am very satisfied that the film worked, and brought some glory to everyone in the team.

The film had a huge star cast with 4 actresses. Considering that you've mostly done solo films till date, were you apprehensive about signing the film?
Not only four actresses, the film had a dozen accomplished actors! Yes, it wasn't the conventional casting format, where there is a lead actor and actress. We had to be part of the 'dirty dozen'. However, the film and project needed to have that to make it work. I think as an actor you need to balance your own visibility with the success of the project, the latter being far more important of course. It is like a cricket player in that sense, where if the team is good and it is going to win, you should want to be a part of it. Once in a winning team, if you contribute, your work will be noticed. I think that is what happened in Housefull 2.

Akshay's trademark way of saying 'Ayeeh' became quite popular...you too did a decent job in saying 'Ayeeh'...was that an on the spot improvisation?
Ok, so I don't want to sound competitive about this, but I can do a pretty mean 'Ayeeh' of my own compared to Akshay. He is of course the 'Ayeeh' king, but I have my own set of Asin's 'Ayeeh' fans! (laughs) It was part of the script, but how you say the 'Ayeeh' of course had to be improvised. I'd love to say we did workshops for months to practice our 'Ayeehs' but actually I just kind of picked it up from Sajid Khan on the sets.

Fans seem to have one complaint against you...the fact that you've just done 4 films in 4 years...what do you have to say about that?
Trust me, it is a far better complaint than them saying you are doing too many films! I could do more for sure, but it depends on what comes my way. Frankly, money is not and has never been a big motivator for me. The project has to excite me. I have done twenty-five films (counting the regional ones), so I have to feel something for the project to go on the sets everyday. And that can only happen if I pace my work. However, I take that feedback and will try to increase the pace a little bit. Definitely more than 4 films in the next 4 years!

You've worked with Aamir, Ajay, Salman, Akshay and Abhishek...if you had to pick up one quality that you admire most about each one of them what would it be?
Seriously you are talking about some of the most accomplished actors in Bollywood. Each deserves a separate interview. Not just a passing mention in one question! But if you insist here's a try: Aamir- Meticulous; Salman- Cool; Ajay- Intense; Akshay- Sporty; Abhishek- Fun.

Your next release is Rohit Shetty's Bol Bachchan, tell us something more about it?
Bol Bachchan is a comedy and a human relationships film. It releases in July, and we have pretty much wrapped the entire shoot. Coming from Rohit Shetty, expectations are high, and we are confident we shall deliver on them. I work with Ajay and Abhishek in the film.

What's your character like and whom are you paired opposite?
I can't really reveal much on this one right now but it is a different look. Those who have seen it have liked it a lot.

How much of the shooting has been complete? Where all have you guys shot?
We have wrapped up the shoot for the film. We shot in Jaipur, Wai and Mumbai.

How was it working with Rohit Shetty?
Rohit is very disciplined and likes to keep his team on their toes. He has a good understanding of making contemporary comedies and does great action as well. He puts up this tough exterior but is actually a softie.

The film is said to be a modern day version of Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Golmaal, what do you have to say about that? Are you a fan of the original version?
It is inspired by Golmaal and from what I understand they have officially sourced the rights as well. Golmaal was a cult classic in its time and who isn't a fan of that film? However, Bol Bachchan is a big scale movie high on entertainment quotient, which will be loved by the contemporary generation.

Your last Tamil film Kaavalan was a huge hit, would you be doing more films in Tamil or are you focusing completely on Bollywood?
I would, but it depends on the project. The Tamil film industry is an important part of the Indian film industry and I have had wonderful projects and maintain great relationships there. Let's see what comes my way. I would want to do something different there now. Doing the same old thing would neither excite me nor the audiences. So I am waiting for that kind of script/project.

Lastly, what are some of your forthcoming projects?
It is Bol Bachchan for now which requires my full focus. I want to take some time off to figure out where I want to grow as an actor and as an individual. The 3 in 100-crore-club is wonderful, but I want to keep challenging myself to the next level.

Read the rest of this entry »

Actor Asin has learnt the graceful dance form of waltz for a sequence in the ad of a prominent endorsement. In a remarkably short while, the actor mastered the steps of the intricate the ballroom-style dance of Viennese Waltz, required for the ad! And guess what, the actor who was shooting in Wai for Bol Bachchan, literally juggled between both these professional commitments to complete the shoot.

“So post shooting when everyone would call it a day, Asin would learn Waltz during the nights. Her sheer hard work has surely paid off as those who have seen the ad are all gung ho about the her dancing skills,” says a source. Asin, who is already a trained Bharatnatyam dancer has been completely mesmerised by this western dance form and is planning to pursue it further after she wraps up her movies.

Read the rest of this entry »

After two back-to-back superhits in Ready and Housefull 2, Asin has realised that comedy is the way forward for her. And as she readies for her next venture, Bol Bachchan, another comedy, she is hopeful that it would help her deliver a hat-trick of hits.

“While Ready and Housefull 2 had superstars like Salman and Akshay helping them along, Bol Bachchan has Ajay Devgn in it. Moreover, it’s another situational comedy, a genre that comes naturally to Asin,” says a trade expert.

While one would imagine working on so many comedy films simultaneously would have helped Asin, it wasn’t the the case. Housefull 2 was an out-and-out slapstick film, while Rohit Shetty insisted on Bol Bachchan being a nuanced comedy.

“Housefull 2 was a typical Sajid Khan film with a lot of gimmicks and slapstick elements. Bol Bachchan, on the other hand, is more situational. I had to get into a different mindset and body language for both films,” Asin says.

While the film’s style of comedy might be different, she is hopeful the two films meet with a similar box office result. And given the track record of Rohit Shetty with film’s lead actor Ajay Devgn, she has every reason to believe it will.

Read the rest of this entry »

Asin has demonstrated good flair of comedy in her last film 'Housefull 2'. The film turned out to be a superhit and for Asin, it was yet another comic outing that paid dividends. Incidentally she had started shooting for her other comedy 'Bol Bachchan' around the same time when 'Housefull 2' was in its last leg of shooting. Still, despite the common genre, she had to adapt to two different worlds as Sajid Khan and Rohit Shetty have their own style of bringing humour on screen.

"Yes, 'Housefull 2' was a typical Sajid Khan film where there were a lot of gimmicks along with slapstick elements.

On the other hand 'Bol Bachchan' is more situational. I had to get into a different mindset and body language for both the films", says Asin who has also worked with another director with a flair for comedy, Anees Bazmee, in 'Ready'.

"However, Rohit's style of comedy is not the same as that of other directors", says Asin, "The overall narrative would be far different from the films that I have done in the past. You would see that for yourself when 'Bol Bachchan' is out there on screen."With the film not being far away and 6th July round the corner, the countdown has already begun.

Read the rest of this entry »

Bollywood actress Asin has some style-sense in comedy and her innate bubbly gestures make it even more sophisticated. Recently, she did a comedian role in Housefull 2 which was a box-office hit. She also started shooting for one more funny side caper Bol Bachchan concurrently. Both the movies descend from the same genre but the directors have thoroughly different styles of bringing up the humor.

Asin said, “Yes, Housefull 2 was a typical Sajid Khan film where there were many gimmicks along with humor elements. On the other hand Bol Bachchan is more situational. I had to get into a different mindset and body language for both the films.”

“But, Rohit’s style of comedy is not the same as that of other directors. The overall narrative would be far different from the films that I have done in the past. You would see that for yourself when Bol Bachchan is out there on screen,” said the actress. The film also stars Abhishek Bachchan and Ajay Devgn and it will be in theatres on 6th July.

Read the rest of this entry »

Actress Asin Thottumkal, a trained Bharatnatyam dancer, especially learnt waltz for an advertisement shoot. A sequence in the ad of a soap brand endorsed by Asin required her to perform the ballroom dance of the style `Viennese waltz` and she picked up the steps in a short while. Asin, who was shooting in Wai for “Bol Bachchan” at the same time, had to juggle between both these professional commitments.

After the film shooting when everyone would call it a day, Asin would learn waltz during the nights. According to a source close to Asin, the actress is mesmerised by this western dance form and is planning to pursue it further as and when she wraps up the shooting of her movies.

Read the rest of this entry »

Her last two comedies have scored a century each (read: collected over Rs. 100 crore) at the box-office. Now Asin is gearing up for her third comedy in quick succession and the industry is ultra-confident that yet again, she would have a century to her name.

Ready as well as Housefull 2 were both comedies and topped the Rs. 100 crore mark each just in India. She had superstars like Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar along with her and that helped a great deal in her films gaining good eyeballs. Now expect the same from Bol Bachchan as well since it has Ajay Devgan in lead with the film’s genre being comedy, something that comes naturally to Asin, says a trade expert.

The film, which releases in July, has turned out to be a different wicket though for Asin since director Rohit Shetty had his own idea about bringing laughter on screen. While Anees Bazmee had a family setting for Ready and Sajid Khan took the slapstick route for Housefull 2, Rohit has made Bol Bachchan far more situational.

“The film’s original, Amol Palekar starrer ‘Golmaal’, was largely situational and didn’t quite rely on gimmicks. Same is the case with ‘Bol Bachchan’ as well. Asin had to mould herself in accordance to Rohit’s requirement since the idea was to be serious and act naturally even though the scene’s situation was much funnier,” informs a crew member of the film.

No wonder, Asin is expecting tremendous box-office outcome with her newest outing. In their last two films, Ajay Devgan and Rohit Shetty had scored a century each (Singham, Golmaal 3). With another centurion joining them, one doesn’t expect anything less than triple the fun from the team.

Read the rest of this entry »

Proving to be lucky at the bollywood box office, actress Asin scores yet another 100cr mark with her latest comic caper Housefull-2 being one of the biggest grosser of 2012 till date!!

Asin has registered a lot of 'firsts' in her name. She is the only actress from south who has made a successful transition into Hindi films in the recent times. She has tasted tremendous success within a period of just mere 3 years in the hindi industry! Out of the total 4 hindi movies she has done 3 have the record of crossing 100cr mark. She started with 'Ghajni'- which marked her Bollywood debut opposite Aamir Khan essaying the noteable character of Kalpana. This was followed by the super hit Salman Khan starrer 'Ready' in 2011, a romantic comedy  and now 'Housefull-2' where she was paired opposite the Khiladi - Akshay Kumar for the very first time.

The talented actress who is known to keep a low profile, definitely allows her actions speak louder than words, having had a superb Career Success Ratio in B-town when compared to her contemporaries in the 100 cr list - Kareena Kapoor & Priyanka Chopra. Kareena has 4 films & Priyanka  2 films which saw the 100cr mark at the box office, but this is after them being in the industry for decades. Therefore, Asin's fast Hattrick is definitely a proud moment for Asin who has been a part of such successful ventures right at the beginning of her career even down south!

What's more, there is an even bigger expectation in the future for the gorgeous damsel, as her next film Rohit Shetty's comic caper 'Bol Bachchan' has already bagged a spot in top films of 2012 expected to gross 100 Crores by a well known reputed media research firm! Looks like Asin is all set to create a benchmark in B-town with what is surely a hat- trick with Ready, Housefull-2 and now the much anticipated Bol Bachchan back to back!

Read the rest of this entry »

The biggest threat faced by the reigning queens of Bollywood today is the Kollywood superstar Asin Thottumkal. And when we say the queens of Bollywood we mean no other then scintillating Kareena Kapoor and gorgeous Priyanka Chopra.  It is needless to say that after the stupendous success of  Asin’s Housefull 2 , both Kareena and Priyanka (who are ruling the B-town today) may be loosing their beauty sleep.

Asin made her Bollywood debut opposite Aamir Khan in Ghajni and since then the lady has delivered  blockbusters, one after the another. Asin’s ‘Ready’ opposite superstar Salman Khan broke all the records on the very first day of its release and quite expectantly Sajid Khan  slapstick comedy Housefull 2  has proved to be biggest grosser of 2012 which  is yet another feather in Asin’s cap.  In the Housefull sequel Asin was paired opposite Akshay Kumar. In-spite of  sharing  the screen space with  Zarine Khan, Jacqueline Frenandas and   Shazan Padamsee  she stole the limelight, thanks to her  flawless acting skills and  earthy looks.

Asin will be seen  next opposite Kamal Hassan  in a film titled ’19 Steps’ which is being directed by Bartha Bhalla and has Anupam Kher and Darsheel Safary in important roles. Well what we can say here except  giving a warning  to Kareena  and Priyanka: Pull up your sleeves ladies… Asin is coming…

Read the rest of this entry »

Asin is busy learning a new dance form off late. The actress who is not known for her dancing really is learning waltz. Asin has learnt the 'Viennese Waltz', for a soap brand she endorses. We heard Asin has reportedly mastered the steps of the intricate dance in a remarkably short while!

The actress was shooting in Wai for 'Bol Bachchan' and shot for the ad once she wrapped up her shoot. The ad was directed by Harvey Brown who specially travelled to Wai for Asin's rehearsals. Asin would learn Waltz during the nights. Her sheer hard work has surely paid off as those who have seen the Ad are all gung ho about the actress's dancing skills! The actress plans to further her Waltz training from now on.

Read the rest of this entry »