Madhur Bhandarkar‘s ‘Page 3‘, the 2005 film that explored the glitz and shallowness of Mumbai’s high society, just celebrated its 20th anniversary. Starring Konkona Sen Sharma as a journalist, the movie offered a behind-the-scenes look at a world of parties and power. Bhandarkar recently shared a YouTube video reflecting on the film’s casting process and how it was received by audiences.
In the clip, the filmmaker said that ‘Page 3’ faced doubt from the start. He revealed, “When I announced this film, many people made fun of it and laughed after listening to the title. After watching the film, those people called me and said that they were wrong. It was the most difficult subject to make a film on”.
He added, “It was very difficult for me to make this movie as I didn’t have a great budget for it, neor big actors to support it. I am thankful to my producers who believed in me. It was difficult to convince them because they weren’t able to understand what Page 3 exactly was.”
Bhandarkar also noted the difficulty in casting big-name actors due to scheduling and budget constraints. He said, “We approached several actors. Some were busy, while others were an issue for us due to their fees. Finally, we cast Konkona Sen Sharma. She was very new in the Mumbai film industry at that time. She believed in the script and me. Boman Irani, Atul Kulkarni, all the actors contributed a lot in this film. To meet the mid-size budget of the film, many actors lowered their price because they really wanted to be a part of Page 3.”
A few days back, Konkona Sen Sharma shared a few pics from the set of ‘Page 3’ and penned a note, “I can hardly believe ‘PAGE 3’ was released 20 years ago! My first experience of filming in Bombay. This was 2005, the year of the flood and the year I moved to this city which has now been my home for over two decades. Thank you @imbhandarkar for Madhvi Sharma, a character I received so much love for.”
‘Page 3’ won three awards at the 2005 National Film Awards, including the Golden Lotus Award for Best Film. The film was recognised for Best Screenplay and Best Editing as well. Despite an average opening, ‘Page 3’ generated positive word of mouth and good reviews.
