I wanna apologise for…Anuj Saxena

These famous men are known to 'crack the whip' on women. So on Women's Day, After Hours got them to issue a public apology in return

...Stripping women

Vikram Bawa, Photographer

Rani Jayraj and Ekta Gupta: I shot them in my first good shot. I thank them because as established models, they still let me experiment. We shot a series of black and white photographs and for a contrast, I literally had to paint Rani's body. Ekta is my best buddy today.

Maushumi Udeshi: Hats off to her! After my shoots with her, I became an overnight success. She's got a great body, an international face and always gave me more than I wanted. I have a great rapport with the people I shoot and I owe this to Maushumi because she would tell me off when I was rude. Of course she would fight when we disagreed and this would drive me to do better, to prove I was right!

Nafisa Joseph: Some of my best pictures have been with her. She was a gem of a human being. When she broke up with her first boyfriend, I remember shooting her as she was crying. Nafisa is one woman who is never far from my thoughts. I think about her everyday.

Vikram's justification: As for having to often make women pose in the nude, I shall say that it's always easier shooting women than any other subject. They are beautiful in any shape and size and I believe I know how to make them comfortable and happy.

- Preeti R

...Marrying six women

Anuj Saxena, TV actor 

Nausheen Ali Sardar: We shared a great rapport because I worked the maximum number of years with her. She's a fine woman and a great actor. I miss her and hope to work with her again.

Manasi Joshi Roy: Even though I didn't really get to work with her much, she's a great person.

Shilpa Saklani: She's got spunk and is very lively.

Narayani Shastri: Narayani is intelligent and has an independent mind.

Shweta Kawatraa: She's a great actor and a fiercely independent woman.

Juhi Parmar: It's great to see someone work in a long running show ('KumKum') and hold together a character which people still appreciate.

Anuj's justification: It was fun playing the tag of a 'much-married man', but I hope I never have to do it again! It did make me more popular, though it was quite an effort to do the pheras five times. I'm glad Juhi Parmar got married twice in 'KumKum' – at least someone knows what I went through! But she has three more marriages to go before she catches up.

...Making women cry

Madhur Bhandarkar, Director

Tabu in 'Chandni Bar': She is a sensitive actor and fitted perfectly into Mumtaz's character. The nuances that the character required could only be done by her. Not resorting to loud theatrics, Tabu sensitively essayed her role. Her expressions, her subtle gestures said it all, and it touched the audience. It was a brilliant performance by a brilliant actor. I feel proud when people say 'Chandni Bar' is Tabu's 'Mother India'. And to think it won her the National Award too!

Raveena Tandon in 'Satta': Raveena brought a lot of dignity and confidence to the complex character of Anuradha. She ably converted herself from a normal girl to someone who dominated the political arena. I feel really happy when people say it is one of Raveena's best films till date. Raveena always showed an urge to know more and more about her character and that helped tremendously. She is a very hardworking actor.

Bipasha Basu in Madhur's forthcoming film 'Corporate': Bipasha is very hardworking and extremely punctual. She plays Nishigandha, a corporate honcho with perfect ease. She portrays the strength to fight boardroom battles yet retain her emotional side, when she goes through a bad phase.

Madhur's justification: I might have made the women in my films weep, but those tears have only added to the strength of their characters. I have always maintained that women are strong individuals and that's perhaps the reason why most of my films have women playing the central role. If they have cried in my films, it was always for a reason and it has in no way made them look weak.

...Making women dance to my tune

Shiamak Davar, Choreographer

Aishwarya Rai: I trained Ash when she was a model at the Miss World pageant. She is very flexible, graceful and has a background in Indian classical dance. I worked with her once again for 'Kahin Aag Lage' in ' Taal' and once again realised how talented and natural she is.

Madhuri Dixit: Madhuri is one of my favourites. She is a very beautiful girl. She is a simple and humble person and I have never seen such an expressive face.

Rani Mukerji: Rani is fun and bubbly and has always been wonderful to my dance company. She is almost part of my family of dancers. Our friendship is special. She is warm, interactive and very fond of us. She is also a keen learner and while I was choreographing her for 'Suniyo Re' in 'Saathiya', I realised that she too has a background in classical dance.

Shiamak's justification: A choreographer is only as wonderful as his dancer. When the latter dance well, then the choreography looks good and I applaud all my dancers, especially the women. I wouldn't mind dancing to a woman's tune, I like women who command. I think they are sexy when they lead.

Disclaimer: The views expressed on the page are to be taken in the fun spirit of Women's Day.

Dear Members,

 please also read my articles come in DNA, Mumbai Mirror today on Women's day!