Divya Khosla “To Connect With My Audience Is My Biggest High”

DIVYA KHOSLA KUMAR who is an amazing combination of beauty, talent, fitness and fashion ,besides being a successful director and producer also strikes the right balance between her career and functioning as a housewife looking after her family including her husband Bhushan Kumar and son Ruhaan, confesses to JYOTHI VENKATESH that she used to look at the mirror and always make it a point to look nice and pretty but as a director, was least bothered about her looks.

 

The multifaceted Divya Khosla Kumar is an amazing director, a gorgeous actress, a successful producer and a doting mother. She does it all! Being a woman in this male dominated industry, Divya has outshone all and proved that women can be great and also do great. She has always stood for women empowerment and women’s rights, a pressing issue in our country, and has emerged successful in proving the stereotypes wrong. The avid philanthropist that she is , she always helps several concern-worthy causes with a smile on her face,Divya has been felicitated as the Goodwill Ambassador for one of India’s leading NGOs in support of the girl chilld, Smile Foundation India. Additionally she was a part of the Swacch Bharat campaign run by NDTV alongside Amitabh Bachchan and was also the Ambassador for Phoenix Market City’s Shine Young 2016 event, mentoring children to enhance their talents and skill sets with a series of competitions.

Not one to miss on the fashion radar, Divya has always been impeccably dressed and uber stylish. She recently got an award from the Hello Magazine team for her keen fashion sense and walked the ramp as the showstopper at the Lakme Fashion Week 2016, India Couture Week 2016, Amazon India Fashion Week 2016 and India Beach Fashion Week 2016. She even recently jetted off to Canada to walk the ramp for the famous Canadian designer, Designerz Den! Fitness has always been a priority for Divya and one can clearly see that in the special appearance she made in her last film, Sanam Re. She additionally appeared on Zoom channel’s fitness show, “Zumba with Zoom”.

Her latest release was the hit Youtube song, Kabhi Yaadon Mein which made her a Youtube sensation overnight. the video surpassed all boundaries with a whopping 40 million views and garnered her raving reviews from critics and fans alike. Her acting skills in the video, essaying the role of a doting mother, was impeccable and left all the viewers teary eyed and critics spellbound with her work.

Divya also has to her credit a Telugu movie called Love Today, where she starred opposite Uday Kiran. Divya and her husband Bhushan Kumar head the country’s one of the most biggest music production company, T series, which is universally recognized for their music production of Bollywood blockbuster movies. T series have also ventured into production and distribution. Megahits like Ashiqui, Aashiqui 2, Yaariyan, Baby, Bhool Bhulaiyya, Humko Deewana Kar etc Gaye have been produced by T series.

I want to prove that it doesn’t take big names to make a big film. I spend a great deal of time on the casting as I need actors to suit the characters.

Besides directing music videos and producing movies, the multi talented Divya has also choreographed five songs in her directorial debut movie Yaariyan. Divya has explored herself in all walks of film and proved to be successful too at it. Divya got married to Bhushan Kumar in February 2005 at the Maa Vaishno Devi Shrine and they are blessed with a beautiful son, named Ruhaan who was born in 2011. Divya is known for being a self-sufficient and bold woman.Divya’s last release ‘Sanam Re’ starring Pulkit Samrat, Yami Gautam and Urvashi Rautela, which was produced by T Series, also was a super hit and received by the audience well. She has also produced the much awaited and acclaimed movie Roy starring Ranbir Kapoor, Arjun Rampal and Jacqueline Fernandez in the lead. Divya has been actively involved in all the aspects of movie making since the time she stepped into the glamour industry.

Divya Khosla Kumar had started her career with ad Films for Reliance and Dermicool powder in the year 2003. She then appeared in Garba Queen Falguni Pathak’s music video and went on to feature in Abhijeet’s album and also in a song with Salman Khan.Divya Khosla’s break in Bollywood came in the form of Anil Sharma’s multi starrer Ab Tumhare Hawaale Watan Saathiyon in 2004 where she was paired opposite Akshay Kumar & Bobby Deol.

I choose to work with great precision and even when I was pregnant, I continued to make my film.

Post her marriage to T-Series head honcho Bhushan Kumar in 2005, Divya Khosla Kumar decided to explore newer avenues. Believe it or not, petite Divya trained herself in cinematography, editing and direction for two years. Then she directed an anti-piracy video featuring Manini De and started directing music videos for Agam Kumar Nigam’s album Phir Bewafaai when she directed the videos Woh Kisi Aur Se & Ishq Na Karna which also featured Hannsikaa Motwani. The album Phir Bewafaai went on to become a big hit and the videos have garnered a lot of appreciation. Next, she directed a Pankaj Udhas album, followed by the foot-tapping Sukhbir album Tere Naal Nachna.

Divya Khosla Kumar made her successful debut as a director with Yaariyan, produced by T Series.“Yaariyan was a contemporary young film that took audiences through the trials and tribulations of the best years of their life and made the viewers reminisce the best days of their life. It was about your firsts – your first outburst, your first challenge, your first love and of course the first strong bonds of friendship. The film made all laugh and cry”.

Divya continues. “I wanted to prove that it doesn’t take big names to make a big film. I spend a great deal of time on the casting since I need actors who would suit the characters in the film to the T. To me these characters are real and I live with them throughout the filming of my movie. They are an extremely talented lot. Though it took me over a year and a half only on casting for Yaariyan, I ensured that I found nothing but the best”

Talking about her transition from acting in Ab Tumhare Hawale Wattan Saathiyon to directing a film like Yaariyan, Divya quips, “It has been a long standing dream, as I was always inclined to direction. I wanted to be a director when I was just 18. It was a huge struggle getting here. It helped me that I had directed several music videos in the past. I handled both aspects of production and direction, besides being a young mother, backed with a strong script and great music. I am glad that I have been able to realize my dream to make contemporary entertainers like Yaariyan and Sanam Re that had audiences leave cinema halls with a tear and a smile. To connect with my audience is my biggest high”.

As an actress, Divya confesses that she used to look at the mirror and always make it a point to look nice and pretty but as a director, she was least bothered about her looks. “I made it a point to learn editing and cinematography too, because I wanted to be in whole command when I started making the film. I chose to work with great precision and even when I was pregnant, I continued to make my film. My son Ruhaan is six years old.”

Divya has been honored with awards for her contribution to the Film fraternity and for being such a strong and independent woman. She is the recipient of 2017 Dadasaheb Phalke Award of excellence for philanthropy and social work, Rajiv Gandhi Award 2014 – Woman of Substance for her movie Yaariyan, Woman Achiever Award 2012, Hiranandani Women Achiever Award 2014, Tassel Fashion and Lifestyle 2014 , besides Rajiv Gandhi Award 2014-Woman of Substance,Star Box Office 2014- Album of the year (Yaariyan), Women Achiever Award 2012,Hiranandani women achiever award 2014,Tassel Fashion & Lifestyle 2014, Wholesome Youth Entertaintainment award 2015 for Yaariyan at FOGSV, Judge at the Femina Miss India Sub-Contest 2016 awards.Divya had also won the award for Spalicious Mom at the Asia Spa awards 2016 and also the Best Dressed Lady at the Hello Winners Cup Races 2016.