When I think of a Bollywood media interview, what pops into my mind are — long waits, filthy sets, stars with a lot more attitude than they should have and clichéd answers I could have predicted long before I met them…

But Saif Ali Khan proved me wrong on all counts. He turned out to be a thorough professional.

Khan was very ‘corporate’ in his demeanour, taking us in for the interview as soon as we got there, giving us candid answers about his experiences as a first-time producer with “Love Aaj Kal”, being open about his relationship with Kareena Kapoor and making no bones about us appearing unannounced with a camera.

Perhaps Khan’s most interesting response was when we asked him about working with other production houses after he has worked on his own.

Khan compared it to a ‘dinner party’.

Working in your own production is like hosting a dinner, he said, while working in other films is like being a guest at somebody else’s party where you pick up tips (or not) for your next do…

All of these dinner party ‘hosts’ and their ‘guests’ have their idiosyncrasies when dealing with the press. But the deciding factor has to be their standing on the popularity charts.

Case in point- the otherwise reticent and media-unfriendly Saif Ali Khan. He had a lot to say during the interview and was surprisingly comfortable talking to us — I call this the success effect.

Do you think success makes celebrities more media-savvy?

Nearly 60 years after Rabindranath Tagore’s composition was adopted as India’s national anthem, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma’s interpretation of it is raising conservative eyebrows.

Varma uses the tune of ‘Jana Gana Mana’ and adds to the lyrics, making it a full-fledged song for his film about India’s media industry — “Rann”.

The 47-year-old filmmaker has maintained he meant no disrespect but only wanted to use the anthem as a vehicle to “draw attention” to the country’s problems.

“For any right-thinking person, I do not believe that he can take offence to the way it’s been done and in what context it’s been shown,” Varma said at a news conference during the unveiling of “Rann” in New Delhi.

Unfortunately for Varma, his adaptation of “Jana Gana Mana” has proved to be more controversial than the film itself. The Censor Board refused certification to the song promo on grounds of it violating the National Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act 1950. And the song is no longer being aired on television.

But that hasn’t stopped curious netizens from checking it out on video-sharing web site YouTube.

“The National anthem is not meant to be Remixed. End of Discussion,” YouTube user ‘orionrage’ wrote in response.

Some in the media have warned things may take a turn for the worse.

“Narrow-minded priggishness posing as patriotism has long been one of the less attractive features of our national life and Ram Gopal Varma would be prudent in keeping a weather eye open for stormy protests,” columnist Jug Suraiya wrote in The Times of India.

There have been some protests already.

Effigies of Varma and actor Amitabh Bachchan, the protagonist of “Rann”, were burnt in Ranchi.

But the filmmaker is unperturbed and plans to challenge the censor board decision.

Media reports have quoted Varma as saying he will now be taking the case directly to the Supreme Court.

“The promo has been refused certification without me getting any chance to explain my case,” Varma said. “Where is my freedom of expression?”

What do you think? Is the “Rann” song a new-age national anthem, a parody or just a publicity stunt?

(Reuters photos of a ‘Rann’ press conference in New Delhi)

We all knew Shah Rukh Khan had surgery 24 hours ago and yet there he was before us — dressed in T-shirt and jeans, only the sling over his left arm revealing he was in hospital till this morning.

He looked tired, almost as if he would rather sleep it out in bed than face the media. But Khan answered every question with no sign of impatience.

If I were him, I wouldn’t like to talk to anyone, let alone face a hundred television cameras and photographers screaming, “Shah Rukh bhai, ek shot please!”

The actor said he was feeling fine, but admitted there was some pain. Khan would not be able to work for a month or two.

“I plan to spend the time developing some stories and scripts that we are looking at,” he said.

“Also, my kids have exams coming up, so maybe I will coach them.”

Why is he addressing the press a day after he’s had surgery, I wonder. Couldn’t this have waited?

Khan had his answer ready.

“I don’t like to see you guys running after cars like this and chasing us. You could get hurt doing your job,” the 43-year-old said as the press conference drew to a close.

“I don’t want to see you guys standing outside my house all day, that is why I called all of you home,” he said.

As he got up to go, Khan had one final request.

“If any of your colleagues have missed this press conference, please share the information with them.”

Now that’s the first time I have heard any star say that. Join us in wishing Shah Rukh Khan a speedy recovery.

A perfect Saturday afternoon beckoned me. An early lunch was had, the house was quiet and the prospect of dropping off into an uninterrupted sleep was enough to make me smile.

One phone call changed all that. Amitabh Bachchan is on his way to the hospital, a source said and he is sick. The first thing that registered in my mind was “I hope he is ok” and then the journalistic instinct kicked in.

Frantic calls to his office, the hospital and his doctor followed. Details became clearer, the situation calmed down a bit and everyone heaved a collective sigh of relief. Many of us couldn’t help but go back in time to 2005 when Bachchan was recuperating in the same hospital. The focus on him then was immense.

There were hourly updates on news channels, reporters stationed outside the hospital 24×7 and thousands thronged to Lilavati Hospital, as if their presence might have made a difference. Prayer meetings were held and the entire film industry held its breath.

I’ve been told it was the same when Bachchan met with an accident on the sets of his film “Coolie” in 1982. I was three years old then and don’t remember the incident so I only have the 2005 illness to go by.

It hasn’t been as bad this time around but I do know of fellow reporters who have kept vigil outside Lilavati Hospital since Saturday. Television channels and newspapers have been full of news, filmographies, reactions from fan clubs and detailed discussions with doctors on intestinal diseases.

Over the weekend, we have been subjected to all kinds of details about the sickness — how Jaya Bachchan kept vigil by her husband’s bed all night, TV channels replaying the shot from “Coolie” where Bachchan got injured and discussions with astrologers on the actor‘s future.

It is understandable that being the icon that he is, any news of Bachchan will be followed by the media almost obsessively. This morning a casual discussion in office also turned to the same topic.

“I feel really bad for the guy. If I were sick, I wouldn’t want an army of cameras and photographers grappling to get my picture,” said a colleague.

Monday’s edition of the Mumbai Mirror voiced similar sentiments.

“The attention given to Bachchan by our media both in normal times and when he falls sick is disproportionate to his importance,” reader V M Swaraj said in a letter to the paper.

This is a difficult one to answer, I think. As media, we have to cover this news, it is important. But shouldn’t we also be drawing the line somewhere? And if so, where should that line be?

What do you think?

The transformation is amazing. Aamir Khan was known as one of the most reclusive stars in Bollywood - he shunned film magazines, rarely gave interviews and was generally unavailable.This year, he appeared on the cover of a film magazine, granted interviews to all and sundry for a film that didn’t even star him (nephew Imran Khan’s debut film “Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na”),  and is now one of the most media savvy stars in the country.Take Monday, for example. A day after his directorial venture “Taare Zameen Par” was chosen as India’s entry to the Oscars, Aamir addressed a press conference, seeking suggestions from the media on how to promote the film to the Academy. He asked for their support and talked about everything from SRK to Raj Thackeray. All of it, with a smile on his face and twinkle in his eyes.When he was referred to as the “King of Bollywood” by a gushing journo, he laughed and said, “Don’t say that, you will upset Shah Rukh Khan.”That was not all. He had a go at Ashutosh Gowariker, saying he preferred ”Mumbai Meri Jaan” over the “Lagaan” director’s epic “Jodha Akbar”.Raj Thackeray wasn’t spared either. “Politicians who divide us are not speaking for the country, they are speaking for themselves. We should vote for those who unite us,” Aamir said, referring to the politician’s campaign against the Bachchans.He was even sporting enough to answer a question about whether Saif and Kareena had gotten married over the weekend, saying “didn’t you find anyone else to ask this question”.The one question he didn’t answer was about younger brother Faisal, telling a reporter firmly that it was a personal matter and he didn’t want to answer it.At the end of it, I came away smiling and impressed. Here is a star who can utilise the media to his advantage (I don’t want to get into what that says about us in the media), and one who is not afraid to speak his mind. Yet, he does know where he wants to draw the line. He has my grudging admiration.

A few years ago, my brother Jose met a girl at an acting workshop in Delhi. He was surprised to learn of her name and couldn’t stop himself from revealing that our neighbour’s dog was also called Sheena.

But Sheena wasn’t amused. Having the same name as a cocker spaniel was obviously no honour. She glared at my brother and declared - “The lizard on my wall is named Jose”.

I was reminded of the incident last week when a blog post by actor Aamir Khan revealed that his “smelly” dog had the same name as Bollywood rival Shah Rukh Khan.

“Shahrukh is licking my feet and I am feeding him biscuits every now and then,” Aamir wrote on his blog, before clarifying that he was talking of the dog and not the actor.

Understandably, the post did not go down well with the media and the so-called war between Bollywood’s best known Khans hit the headlines.

Shah Rukh refused to take the bait, choosing instead to accept the remarks with his “sense of humour spirit”.

But several Aamir fans didn’t quite forgive their idol.

“Are you insecure that you need to resort to such measures?” Isaigal wrote in response to the blog post, which had generated over 5000 comments by Sunday.

“No doubt ur my most favourite actor (but) it sounds like u r jealous of him,” zina_hi5 wrote using abbreviations common in online exchanges.

After his encounter with Sheena, my brother never told strangers about her namesake.

And Aamir later apologized for the “smelly dog” post. I guess he realized it’s best to let sleeping dogs and lizards lie.

Amitabh Bachchan started a blog on April 17. And has posted almost daily since, generating hundreds of comments from fans around the world.

His blog is ostensibly about his life and films, but also a platform where the 65-year-old Indian superstar gets even with the “rumor laced spicy barbs” of the media.

In a recent post, the actor elaborates on his hectic schedule of 43 interviews while promoting the film ‘Bhootnath’.

“And I wait for the dynamic headlines announcing the interview. Some thing that will draw attention, keep the audience unmoved from their channel. Phone ins may get constructed around comments of mine… call in a semi intellectual, preferably from the film industry and certainly not ‘Bachchan Camp’…repeat the questions asked in interview, expand them, cover half hour or else the adverts will not fructify. Culminate the proceedings on a note where the channel looks good and unbiased, yet signals its last cynical or sarcastic ending…”

“Back to condescending anchor, male, in a fetching suit and tie, a tinge of sarcasm and one-upmanship, a wry smile and the closing before the signature tune takes over - ‘Far cry from the Amitabh Bachchan that had boycotted the media not so long ago’”

The Bollywood star — wait, you shouldn’t call him that because he hates the Indian film industry being described that way.

“It was coined by some smart journalist and it just stuck, and now it’s in the Oxford dictionary,” Bachchan told Reuters in an interview last year.

Well, Bollywood or not, the response to the actor’s blog has been overwhelming — nearly a thousand wrote in when Bachchan injured his hip while shooting for a film — and he feels the “need to employ people to help me or else fear the loss of my fingers” replying to comments.

Some fans have responded with strange requests, including a plea that Bachchan shave his facial hair.

But the actor said his beard isn’t going to disappear in a hurry.

“Primarily because of continuity in my forthcoming films, but also because I seem to like it there.”