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The face in the frame

Entertainers all, these artistes have strove to redraw artistic boundaries, be it by making political statements or being an entertainment maven.

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The face in the frame
Photo By: Bandeep Singh

India Today Conclave 2017 welcomed a bunch of the most talented celebs from the Bollywood industry where they gave us their words of wisdom, made political statements and talked about the right way to empower women. Take a look at these celebs at their candid best:

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Alia Bhatt

Entering to 'Papa kehte hai bada naam karega', Alia Bhatt did her filmmaker father Mahesh Bhatt proud by staging an imaginary conversation with him, a delightful melange of insightful questions, humorous observations and words of wisdom.

"I am going to speak from my heart and from my father's brain which I am very, very happy to inherit," said the actress as she shared the lessons she has learned from him including the spelling of 'THE'.

On coping with fear, she said, "Fear is not a bad thing; fear is a good thing. It keeps you going, it keeps you alert and it keeps you on your toes. Like you can't outrun your shadow, you can't outrun fear. So it's okay, embrace it and use it to the best of your abilitiy."

And to those who mock her IQ quotient, here's what Bhatt has to say: "My father once said that one day the flowers will stop coming and you will be very upset. I have to say, one day the jokes will stop coming and I will be very upset."

Photo by: Bandeep Singh

Kalki Koechlin

At a time when Bollywood has been coerced to sever its ties with Pakistan and join the nationalist narrative, Kalki Koechlin believes it is never too late to give peace a chance.

Last year, the actress spent two weeks in the country to participate in Sabiha Sumar's documentary, Azmaish-Trials of Life, which explores why "the two countries are looking to religion for their identity".

Asked about her first impressions about our neighbour, she said, "I think one of the things I loved was their curiosity for the outsider because there is so little outside influences in Pakistan, compared to India." Koechlin won't join the hate bandwagon, but she does sympathise with those who have capitulated: "At the end of the day it's a business; they have to keep their business running."

Photo by: Bandeep Singh

Waris Ahluwalia

Ahluwalia came to the India Today Conclave in Mumbai with an important message for his homeland in the short, Dear America. "In a time and a place where diversity is questioned and put aside, I wanted to put that in the forefront," said Ahluwalia who used the time to explain the significance of the turban he wears, one which has made people deride him as another Osama bin Laden.

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The India-born, New York-based designer had just one message for America's new leader. "Find your humanity," Ahluwalia said, "we have to realise that we are actually the same. There is no other."

Photo by: Bandeep Singh

Anushka Sharma

"Empowerment for me begins at home," she said in what was her second appearance at the India Today Conclave.

"I attribute my naturally empowered choices as instinctive and as part of my personality, because my parents encouraged me to think, decide and build my own life path since childhood."

A fan of Rumi's writings, the actress reflected on how her upbringing in an army household has played an instrumental role in the resolute person she is today. From questioning the established order to sticking to the values she inherited, Sharma has come a long way as an outsider to make it big in Bollywood.

"I became increasingly aware of my gender, and the expectations of me somehow seemed too limited and pre-decided," she said. "The film industry wasn't always used to, or ready for, actresses being so inquisitive."

Photo by: Bandeep Singh

Karan Johar

The man who is apparently everywhere, doing everything, being everyone's best friend, was at the conclave, too. Forthcoming, frank, amusing and assured, one of Bollywood's best known filmmakers, Johar (KJ), was in a chat with moderator Koel Purie Rinchet (KPR). A snapshot from Coffee With Karan:

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KPR: You wear many, many hats: director, actor, businessman, TV host, dancer, and now father. Which hat fits you the best?

KJ: Well, I am hoping it is the one which qualifies me as a filmmaker. It is where it all started. Everything else has been like a perk, an opportunity, the result of my space in cinema.

KPR: So do you feel that by being everywhere, there might be a sort of an overload of KJo, that people may get sick of you?

KJ: That's a bit of a double-edged sword, but you do what you enjoy. I mean, there are things you do sometimes that are heavy-handed. Say, films like My Name is Khan, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna. Student of the Year was a popcorn entertainer at best and I worked towards it because I felt younger.

My decision to do TV was also because there was a large part of India that needed to be aware of what I do, what I say and how I go about things. So I did India's Got Talent and Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. It so happened that they ended up making me dance on national television.

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KPR: Ohh, you love it, Karan.

Karan: I do, but you know I am kind of stupid and silly, and should not be doing that because I am a filmmaker. But I love it. You have to be unapologetic and passionate about everything you do. So I do what I do and that makes me, like, really happy.