Celebrated filmmaker Shekhar Kapur is presently busy with pre-production work of his next directorial venture Masoom: The Next Generation. As the title aptly suggests, the film is a sequel to his 1983 film Masoom, which featured Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi in lead roles along with Tanuja, Supriya Pathak, and Saeed Jaffrey.
Kapur has now confirmed that he has roped in Azmi to play a pivotal part in Masoom: The Next Generation. He confirmed in an Instagram post about having a telephonic conversation with the veteran actress.
“So, when Shabana Azmi asked me to at least tell the story of Masoom: The Next Generation, I balked. I hesitated. I was in London and she on the other end of the phone in Mumbai. How do (you) narrate a story to the actor you need to play the main part on the phone? How do you get into the zone on the phone? So, after a lot of pauses and umms, and aahs, Shabana asked me, ‘Shekhar I will do any film with you anyway, but do you have a story’,” Kapur wrote on Instagram.
He continued, “That challenge suddenly propelled me into the ‘Zone’. I was no longer on the end of the phone; I was in the world of my story. I was with characters as if they were there… speaking to me. I could smell the physical space of my story. I was in the ‘Zone. I heard a gentle sob and silence. I had managed to pull Shabana into the ‘Zone’ on the phone from London to Mumbai. After a long pause, Shabana said, ‘It’s beautiful, Shekhar, you have to make this film’.”
Masoom was an official adaptation of the 1980 novel Man, Woman and Child by Erich Segal, which was also adapted into a Malayalam film, Olangal, and an American film, Man, Woman and Child.
The actress defended her claim that acting demands more than desk jobs in a recent interview.
She said office workers can "chill out" during work hours, unlike film stars.
Fans and working professionals called her comments privileged and out of touch.
The backlash started after her appearance on Amazon Prime's Two Much with Kajol & Twinkle.
Critics pointed out the financial gap and support systems actors have compared to regular employees.
Kajol probably didn't expect this reaction when she sat down with Twinkle Khanna on Two Much. But her comments about actors working harder than people with 9-to-5 jobs have blown up, and not in a good way.
Fans slam Kajol after she says actors work harder than regular employees sparking online outrage Getty Images
The comments that started it all
Kajol was speaking out about her earlier comments on Two Much with Kajol & Twinkle on Amazon Prime, where she said actors work harder than most people. This time she was explaining why she thinks that.
She told The Hollywood Reporter India that her days are full of shoots, events, and very early flights. One day involved waking at 5 AM to catch a flight to Jaipur for a 3 PM event.
But it was her take on regular jobs that got people talking. She claimed desk workers don't need to be "100% present" and can take breaks, "chill out," and relax while working. She kept coming back to the unending scrutiny actors face like the feeling of always being watched or something as simple as how you cross your legs or who's snapping a picture in the background becomes a constant calculation. You have to be switched on, she insisted, all the time.
The internet, frankly, was having none of it. YouTube and Reddit exploded with responses. "For the kind of remuneration actors are paid, they shouldn't have a problem working 12 hours a day for 4 days a week," one user wrote. Another pointed out that films typically take 3-4 months to shoot, while regular jobs run year-round.
The responses got more pointed. "Vanity mein naps or massages bhi toh hum lete hain," a Reddit user commented, referencing the comfort of vanity vans. Someone else joked: "If you work poorly, you get fired. If you act poorly, you get a Filmfare award."
The bluntest response yet? "Respectfully, Kajol, shut up."
Nobody denies acting is demanding. Long hours, public pressure, and constant judgement are very real. But comparing it to regular employment ignores some major differences.
Most people work 12 months a year with two weeks' holiday if they're lucky. They don't have spot boys fetching drinks or vanity vans for rest breaks. One netizen nailed it: "A working parent's schedule is continuous, every single day, with no wrap-up party or off-season."
Online erupts as Kajol defends claim that acting demands more than everyday 9-to-5 workGetty Images
There's also the money. While her fee for a single film is probably more than most people earn in a year, she says that doesn’t make the work easy. Still, it does provide a comfort that regular employees don’t have. Kajol has not yet replied to the backlash.
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