.

It was just a hurt foot: Saif

2005-12-12T09:13:00.001-05:00

Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, arrested Saturday after his car hit a boy, is upset with the media hounding.
"'Saif ne kuchal dala (Saif ran over a young boy). Rich star kid goes berserk... Man, what is this? I am tired of this kind of media hounding that we always have to go through."
Saif is a bit agitated. He has just been to jail and is out on bail. And all happened within 24 hours, and for no fault of his.
"It happened like this," he recalls.
"I had just finished my rehearsals for the MTV awards on Friday afternoon and was driving back home, when a kid ran across the road. My car skidded and hit his foot, mind you, just his foot nothing else. "I was immediately concerned. And I am proud to say I did the right thing. I got off my car, put the kid, mind you he's 13 and fully aware of his rights, into my car and drove him to the hospital. At first we thought all was fine. Later the doctor detected a broken tibia. "Anyway, the kid was discharged and he's gone home. Unfortunately I was arrested. Apparently the law of the land demands arrest in any road accident, no matter how small and I've been let out on bail." What happened was a mini nightmare. "The kid's uncle jumped into the situation. He got all worked up and demanded compensation, which is fine. I have paid up Rs.15,000, which amply covers all his medical expenses. My car has been impounded and the court case may or may not lead to more trouble for me. "I am prepared to face the legal system. But I won't be milked by people outside the court. I am troubled by the fact that a kid is hurt. But please remember, it was a very crowded road. And such mishaps aren't uncommon. Luckily no one was hurt seriously. Otherwise god knows what they'd have done to me." He intends to meet the kid's mother and offer whatever help is required. "But I am getting alarmed by the indications of what they require of me."
Saif is exasperated by his never-ending run-ins with problems.
"I have stopped thinking why me. I just face it. But please, will the electronic media stop making guinea pigs of celebrities? "Kuchal dala, drunken and rash driving... please! I am not guilty of any of that. If anyone suggests an out-of-court settlement I am going to say, 'Sorry, dude. I have paid for my small sin. Legal work is on. If there's a case, so be it'."
The whole issue of celebrity bashing acquires an inverted meaning in such cases. The casualty of the road accident becomes a far less important player in the game than the celebrity whose name makes news. "Don't I make enough news without getting into all this?" asks Saif.

Emraan Hashmi's latest kiss

2005-12-12T09:06:00.000-05:00

Emraan Hashmi is known for his on-screen kissing and now this is something he would have never expected. While he was in Hyderabad at a Planet M store, a male fan came up to him and planted a wet kiss on his cheek. He managed to run away before anyone could catch him. Guess Emraan has a new legion of fans.

Bluffmaster - A Buzz Master already!

2005-11-06T01:36:00.000-05:00

One look at the promos of Abhishek Bachchan's upcoming 'Bluffmaster' and you have only word to describe the flick - MAD! Seemingly a riotous affair, the movie gets its appeal primarily due to some imaginatively cut promos that have a different look, feel and soul. Editing is the first of its kinds while the sequencing between one shot to another is abstract! Now that's not something that we would mind as it shows the signs of changing times. There is a lot of mystery coming out of the promo as the movie seems an ideal brand of a masala flick - comedy, action, thrills and drama. The movie is already creating a great buzz both inside and outside of the industry as folks are looking forward to check out this Rohan Sippy directed flick about a Bluffmaster [Abhishek Bachchan], his 'chela' [Riteish Deshmukh] and a third character played by Nana Patekar who appears to be in his vintage witty form. Bluffmaster comes to your town on December 16

Raveena sues marriage portal shaadi.com

2005-11-06T01:30:00.000-05:00

The Bombay High Court has directed Shaadi.com and Shaaditimes.com to stop using Raveena Tandon’s pictures to promote the site, a leading daily has reported. She sued the owner Satyanet Solutions because they claimed that she met her husband Anil Thadani through the website. The portal admitted that they were using her pictures but maintained that the part where she met her husband was provided to them by her in an interview. Raveena denied this and approached the High Court and it directed the site not to use her pictures. However she could not get Rs. 60 lakhs which she had claimed as damages. It may be recalled that Raveena met her husband when he was distributing her maiden production Stumped.

Salman In Subhash Ghai’s Next

2005-11-06T01:22:00.000-05:00

Now it’s official! Showman Subhash Ghai has signed Salman Khan to star in his next project, which is not titled yet. “It’s a contemporary, big-budget extravaganza with great music”. Meanwhile, two heroines and one more hero are under finalization. The film will go on floors in mid-2006. Ghai had officially announced his new project on the 27th anniversary of Mukta Arts Ltd. on October 24, but hadn’t announced the cast then.

SRK’s whopping tax returns

2005-11-06T01:16:00.000-05:00

Shahrukh Khan’s last film Paheli may not have had the cash registers jingling but that does not stop him from being the highest individual tax-payer in Bollywood with this year’s annual return being a whopping Rs. 13 crores. This is a big increment from what he paid last year assumed to be Rs. 7.5 crore. According to the officials at Aaykar Bhavan in Marine Lines he has already paid an advance of Rs. 3.75 crores. You might ask that he has had only one release this year so how can his returns be so high? Well, apart from films, he also endorses a wide variety of products ranging from cars to beauty products to tea biscuits. He also runs his own production company, which released Kaal last year which was a major success overseas. And let’s not forget the shows that he does abroad. His tour titled as Temptation Tours has had performances in Malaysia, United Kingdom and The United States. Others in the biggies list of tax-payers include Amitabh Bachchan, Yash Chopra and Aamir Khan. Not many know that but Mithun Chakravarthy was Bollywood’s highest tax-payer for five consecutive years from 1994 to 1999 because of his chain of hotels in Ooty and the parallel film industry that he runs there.

'Kyun Ki...' is remake of Asit Sen's 'Khamoshi'

2005-10-29T11:45:00.000-05:00

Priyan's first Diwali release "Garam Masala" reprises his 1985 Malayalam comedy "Boeing Boeing".The much-publicised Salman-Kareena starrer "Kyun Ki..." is actually a remake of Sen's sensitive and stirring 1969 psychological drama "Khamoshi", in which the traumatised patient Rajesh Khanna is healed by nurse Waheeda Rehman, who falls sick with love in the process. Interestingly, Asit Sen had remade this highly acclaimed Hindi film from his own 1959 Bengali classic "Deep Jweley Jai" with Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen. It remains to be seen how effectively Salman has portrayed the psychologically challenged man. Strangely, Priyan denies any knowledge of "Khamoshi". "I've heard there're uncanny similarities between "Kyun Ki..." and "Khamoshi". I haven't seen that film. But I'm trying my best to get a copy so I can see how two filmmakers from two different regions belonging two different time zones think similarly."

Salman made their day......

2005-10-29T11:37:00.000-05:00

Though he always manages to find himself in a controversy, everyone knows that Salman does have a heart of gold. He recently spent some quality time with conjoined twins Farah and Sabah, who have come to Mumbai from Patna for a complex surgery. According to girls’ aunt, the only thing the girls agree on is their love for Salman Khan! They first went to his house in Bandra, Mumbai. Along with Salman, his parents and brother along with sister-in-law Malaika Arora Khan were also present. Salman invited them for a home cooked meal on the sets of his film. When the time came to say good bye, Salman escorted them to the gate and wished them all the best for their surgery and promised to be there for the same. He also gave them his phone number. The girls will soon undergo the intricate surgery, post which they will be able to lead separate lives.

Nikhil Advani’s 6-pair film: Exclusive

2005-10-20T11:29:00.000-05:00

The talented director has been all charged up to complete the pre-launch formalities before he embarks on the non-stop shooting of his multi-starrer. Here’s the exclusive, official, first-hand info on the project. The film, titled SALAAM-E-ISHQ – A TRIBUTE TO LOVE, will star six pairs, which means six actors and six actresses. The pairings are as follows:- Salman Khan-Priyanka Chopra, Anil Kapoor-Juhi Chawla, Akshaye Khanna-Ayesha Takia and John Abraham-Vidya Balan. Also finalized is Govinda, but an English actress is under finalization. As for the sixth pairing, it’s Sohail Khan and this actress, the leading sex symbol today. Under normal circumstances, it would be tough to assemble a massive star cast. But in Nikhil’s case, he went about it in the most non-conventional way. Generally, film-makers make the stars hear the script first, before going ahead with the formalities. After completing the script of SALAAM-E-ISHQ – A TRIBUTE TO LOVE, Nikhil made a 3-minute promo of the six pairs he planned to cast for his film. “I borrowed visuals of the twelve actors from various films and made a proper showreel, with a soft background score to match the mood of the film,” Nikhil discloses. The next thing he did was call the actors to his office, play the showreel on his laptop and then narrate the script. The showreel gives ample idea to the viewer about the character sketch of each actor. Once the actor knew what his/her character was, Nikhil went about narrating the entire script to them thereafter. And fortunately for him, the actors he had earmarked at the very outset were only too mesmerized by the script and are now a part of this ambitious film. But will Nikhil be able to devote ample screen time to all twelve characters in those Three hours. Well, if the twelve actors had scenes together, it would’ve been tough to manage the combination dates. But in my film, they [the six pairs] aren’t related to one another, yet cross each other’s path at some stage or the other of the story, only to meet in the end. That way, I’d be handling only two actors at a time,” he asserts. Nikhil doesn’t deny that it was Salman who introduced him to the producers [Sunil Manchanda, Mukesh Talreja] and indirectly put the project together. “Salman and I were toying with the idea of working together. He had seen KAL HO NAA HO and liked my work. Salman, who flew from U.S.A. after finishing work on JAANEMAN, went to Panvel [his farm-house], before heading for the photo-shoot. SALAAM-E-ISHQ – A TRIBUTE TO LOVE is produced by Sunil Manchanda, Mukesh Talreja and Nikhil jointly and has music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, who had composed the songs of Nikhil’s directorial debut KAL HO NAA HO. SALAAM-E-ISHQ – A TRIBUTE TO LOVE rolls in November and the entire filming is expected to be completed by July next year. The film is slated for Diwali 2006 release.

Saif – Shahid in Ken’s next?

2005-10-20T11:26:00.000-05:00

The grapevine is abuzz with the speculation that Ken Ghosh, the man behind FIDA and ISHQ VISHK, is contemplating signing Saif Ali Khan and Shahid Kapoor for his next project. There’s also talk that Ken has been entrusted the responsibility of directing the sequel to KYAA KOOL HAIN HUM after its original director, Sangeeth Sivan, opted out. Ken doesn’t rule out the news completely. “It’s true that I have completed two scripts for Tips [the producers of ISHQ VISHK and FIDA], but we haven’t decided on the cast of the film yet. We’d take a decision only when the actors we plan to cast return to Mumbai from outdoors. On hindsight, both Saif and Shahid would be ideal for one of our scripts, but the fact remains that we haven’t penciled any actor yet,” he discloses. However, Ken denies that he’s directing KYAA KOOL HAIN HUM sequel. “It’s true that I am working on a script for Balaji [Ekta’s production outfit], but it’s not the sequel to KYAA KOOL HAIN HUM. It’s a fresh script altogether,” he clarifies instantaneously.

Aishwarya enjoys shooting for EUROPE projects

2005-10-14T23:03:00.000-05:00

Aishwarya Rai is in Europe shooting for "The Last Legion", her first international project in which she does not play an Indian character, and she's having a great time.She's gung-ho about her co-stars Colin Firth and Ben Kingsley. "They're wonderful actors and terrific friends. I'm having the time of my life."Her happiness has also a lot to do with the way the shooting of "The Last Legion" has gone. "We've completed a truly exhausting and exhilarating schedule in Tunisia. And now we've moved to Slovakia. You know, it was warm in Tunisia - actually very hot. And now, right after that, it's freezing cold in Slovakia. I guess I'm trapped in an aura of extremism,"
Aishwarya's current assignments are: Jagmohan Mundhra's "Provoked"; Paul Berges' "The Mistress Of Spices"; Doug Lefler's "The Last Legion"; J.P. Dutta's "Umrao Jaan"; Sanjay Gadhvi's "Dhoom 2"; Ashutosh Gowariker's "Jodha-Akbar" and Raj Kumar Santoshi's "Saamna".

Is Boney Kapoor coming up with a No Entry sequel?

2005-10-12T05:02:00.000-05:00

If grapevine is to be believed, there is a sequel on the cards for this year’s top blockbuster 'No Entry'! There are talks doing the round in the industry that Boney Kapoor is contemplating making a sequel of No Entry and planning to name it All The Best. Coming back to the sequel, while Anil Kapoor and Salman Khan would be the part of the movie, Fardeen Khan won't be playing any role since it requires him to play a blind man, which he is already doing in Indra Kumar's 'Pyaare Mohan'. Due to this Fardeen and Boney mutually consented to have someone else enact the character.Stay tuned to hear from me as soon as the news about the sequel is confirmed.

Legal notice issued to Karan Johar

2005-10-12T04:40:00.000-05:00

Iqbal Channa, a Punjabi film producer, and father of six year old child artist Ahsaas Channa has sent a legal notice to Karan Johar. The reason being that Johar has taken his daughter to New York, for the shooting of Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, without his permission. Channa separated from his wife Kulbir Kaur Badesron and child more than a year ago. He filed a petition in the Mumbai family court to stop his wife from taking the child out of the country. The court passed an order which restrained Kulbir from taking her daughter out of India till the final disposal of the application. Unfortunately for Iqbal, the order came a day too late as they had already left for the States.Channa accuses his wife of turning their daughter into a “money-making” machine. Further, he feels that the daughter’s education is being neglected. Ahsaas is the same child who played Sushmita Sen’s son in Vaastu Shashtra and has also appeared in a number of commercials. What scares the father the most is that his daughter has started behaving like a boy, keeping in with her on-screen image. According to Johar’s advocate, Shyam Keshwani, it was a matrimonial dispute and neither Johar nor Dharma Productions can be held responsible.

Zayed getting married in style

2005-10-12T04:35:00.000-05:00

That actor Zayed Khan is getting married in November is known to all and sundry. Now more… Zayed has sent out personal letters to his close friends, requesting them to keep themselves free on the scheduled dates for various ceremonies. The note adds that besides sending a formal invite, the actor would personally call up his near-n-dear ones to join the celebrations. An elaborate wedding to look forward to!

Man of the Moment: Salman Khan

2005-09-12T14:52:00.000-05:00

With the major hits of this year to his credit (Lucky, Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya, No Entry), Salman Khan is ruling high at Bollywood and box-office this year. After being embroiled in one controversy after the other, it looks like lady luck is on his side once again. Despite being one of the top Bollywood stars, Salman has never ventured into certain big Bollywood so far. And now he is just going there. Subhash Ghai has approached Salman Khan for his next directorial venture to start in 2006. The film will also have two other big stars. And with Yash Raj Films, the buzz is that Salman will be doing not one but two films. Interestingly one of them will be directed by a Ram Gopal Varma protégé – Shimit Amin who earlier directed Ab Tak Chhappan starring Nana Patekar. Salman’s career has never looked so promising. Keep it up, Salman! Hope the successful streak in your career lasts!

Shiamak to make Hrithik dance in Dhoom 2

2005-09-12T14:49:00.000-05:00

Shiamak Davar has kept many top Bollywood stars on their toes. Literally! And the most recent feather on his list of achievements is that he along with his troupe performed for none other than Bill Clinton. That's not all. Now Shiamak will be choreographing a song for the sequel of Dhoom. The song will feature Hrithik Roshan. Hrithik is known for his flexibility. He left the audience spellbound with his last performance in Main Aisa Kyun Hoon, from Lakshya, choreographed by Prabhu Deva. Davar is looking forward to working with Hrithik because apart from being a good actor, Hrithik is a fabulous dancer. He firmly believes that this number will be better than Dhoom Machale from Dhoom. Hrithik has a negative character in Dhoom 2 and his love interest will be played by stunner Aishwarya Rai. The song is composed by Pritam.

Why Is SALMAN different form other KHANS?

2005-09-12T14:42:00.000-05:00

Salman Khan is quite different from other Bollywood Khan heroes. Unlike them, Salman is as fit in actions films as in the romantic ones. He is a bachelor Khan as compared to others who are either happily married or divorced. He is the one Khan who signed an overseas project 'Marigold'. While others concentrate on one or two movies, Salman usually works in two or more. Another vital difference is that Salman is always involved in one or the other controversy, presumably because of his hot or short temper. Despite this the directors, the producers and the stars admire him for his soft and liberal hearted quality. Salman says that as a believer he thinks that the God guides every action. He claims that he has never deviated from his principles so dear to him. He didn't hesitate to act in a social movie like 'Phir Milenge' of Revathi as it carried a message about the dreaded disease of AIDS. He is very confident that his forthcoming movies would prove hits. Among them he includes Priyadarshan's ' Kyunki' besides long delayed 'Shaadi Karke Phas Gaya'. Apart from these, he is also doing a Sooraj Barjatya movie. His concept of a good cinema is that the whole family of three generations should be able to enjoy it collectively. Besides, the good cinema's hero should be one whom everybody wants to follow as an example in life. Similarly, the hero should inspire every wife to love such a person. Of course, the movie needs to earn money, he adds.

'Home Delivery' to have 21 songs

2005-09-12T14:31:00.000-05:00

At a time when song-less films have become the order of the day, Sujoy Ghosh's "Home Delivery" is set to establish a completely opposite trend with a record number of 21 songs in the film. The songs are tuned to music by Vishal-Shekhar."I haven't really kept track of the number of songs but I guess there are around 20, some built around situations and others against the background. I wanted to make the music a part of the narrative though I wouldn't essentially call it a musical film," says Ghosh. However, only eight of the songs will be retained in the music album prior to the film's release."We are planning to release only eight selected songs in the album because we don't want to confuse people with too many songs. If there is a demand for the film's music, we might even come out with another album," he says.Vishal-Shekhar was initially apprehensive about the idea but eventually had a great time recording music for the film.

Preeti Jain held for plot to kill Madhur Bhandarkar

2005-09-10T23:35:00.000-05:00

Bollywood starlet Preeti Jain, who had accused film director Madhur Bhandarkar of sexually exploiting her, was arrested in Mumbai for allegedly giving 'supari' for killing to underworld don-turned-politician Arun Gawli to eliminate Bhandarkar, police said. She allegedly paid Rs 70,000 as part payment to one of Gawli's aide in last 2 months, police said, adding that the matter came to light when another Gawli aide, advocate Bagawe brought the matter to the notice of police earlier this week. Jain had been detained by police on Saturday morning for questioning in this connection.

Ash in Walt Disney movie

2005-09-08T22:06:00.000-05:00

Former Miss world Aishwarya Rai is the most shining star of Bollywood in India and abroad. She has luckily got an assignment of a Walt Disney movie. She has got this offer in the UK where she had been shooting for Jagmohan Mundhra's 'Provoked.' She has another overseas movie on hand titled ' Mistress of Spices' to be directed by none other than Gurinder Chadha's husband. Gurinder had made a film 'Bride And Prejudice' starring Aishwarya in the recent past.

RAMU- SIPPY BATTLE OVER 'SHOLAY'

2005-09-08T21:54:00.000-05:00

Filmmaker Ram Gopal Verma and the Sippy family are involved in a bitter battle over the remake rights of 'Sholay'. We tell you what's brewing.Thirty years on, and the glory of 'Sholay' is still unsurpassed. Prolific filmmaker Ram Gopal Verma may have announced a remake of the classic, but the film's producers Sippy Films insist that Verma is not going about it the correct way. "This (is) just not done. There has been no permission asked or a letter written. We read it in papers about the film. Usually, abroad you can't do such things but I guess we have no rules whatsoever," says Sasha Sippy, Executive Director, Sippy Films.

Ghai’s final cast of ‘Shaadi Se Pehle’

2005-09-05T21:23:00.000-05:00

While IQBAL has been released and 36 CHINA TOWN is 50% complete after two major schedules in Bangkok and Mauritius, respectively, Subhash Ghai is all set to perform the mahurat of his next film, SHAADI SE PEHLE, on September 1.Although Ghai had announced the principal star cast of the film a month ago -- Akshaye Khanna, Mallika Sherawat and Ayesha Takia -- the final star cast is as follows: Akshaye Khanna, Mallika Sherawat, Ayesha Takia, Aftab Shivdasani, Suniel Shetty, Anupam Kher and Gulshan Grover.Satish Kaushik is the director of SHAADI SE PEHLE.

Aftab is a snooker pro!

2005-09-05T21:18:00.000-05:00

Aftab is a man of many talents. Few people know that the actor has quite an inclination towards sports. He is part of the newly formed Bollywood cricket team. Not only that, he is quite an expert at snooker as well. He defeated the state ranked player Santosh Gulawadi at Juhi Vile Parle Gymkhana. Unfortunately, he was defeated by Marzi Kalyanwala for the Mumbai Snooker League Title at Juhu Gymkhana. He was quite upset about losing. All the more reason being, that his team, CCI has never won the title twice in a row. Had they won, it would have been a notable achievement. He has been playing snooker since the last 13 years. According to Gulawadi, Aftab is a terrific player. He has everything from technique to the right attitude that is a must for any kind of sport.

Shah Rukh does his bit for the disabled

2005-09-05T21:02:00.000-05:00

After sold out shows all over the globe, Shah Rukh Khan’s Temptation 2005 team is all set to perform in New Delhi. But this time, it is entertainment with a cause. The team is coming together on September 17, to raise funds for the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP). The approximate number of disabled people in the country is an astounding 70 million. However, permission to perform at the Jawaharlal Nehru hasn’t been granted yet. On behalf of her team members, Malaika Arora Khan officially announced the show. Other stars like Rani Mukherjee, Fardeen Khan, Amisha Patel and Zayed Khan are slated to perform for this noble cause. It is at times like these that Bollywood proves to us that is has a heart of gold.

Aamir pairs up with another firang female

2005-09-03T00:50:00.000-05:00

Aamir Khan is gearing up for his next release, Rang De Basanti where he is paired with a firang actress. Contrary to popular beliefs, all of Aamir Khan’s romantic scenes will be with an English actress Alice Patten and not with Soha Ali Khan. (Soha’s co-star in the film is R.Madhavan). That makes Alice, Aamir’s second English leading lady after Rachel Shelley in Lagaan. Alice, who is the daughter of an important civic officer in England, is considered quite an actress. For Aamir’s sake let’s hope that, Rang De Basanti, turns out to be as successful as Lagaan.

Salman turns to writing

2005-09-03T00:45:00.000-05:00

Yes, its true! Salman will vent his true feelings through writing. He is all set to write the script of a film titled ‘Meri Love Story’, directed by Samir Karnik. If he doesn’t land up writing the script, he will definitely supervise the entire process. This is not the first time that Salman has tried to explore his literary side! It is said that the 1993 movie Chandramukhi starring Salman and Sridevi was written by him. The movie was a fairy tale in which Sridevi played a fairy. Two years after that, he also gave his inputs for the story of Baaghi. Salman has always been very involved with his screen plays. Vikas Kapoor, Salman’s secretary confirms this bit of information.The script will be written by Sameer Karnik under Salman’s supervision. According to the rumor mills, this movie is about Salman’s life. The treatment of the film will be like that of Black. Well, it should not really surprise his fans. After all Salim Khan’s son will have writing in his blood.

Preity Zinta to play Sonia Gandhi?

2005-09-03T00:39:00.000-05:00

The latest reports doing the rounds are that Preity Zinta is to play Sonia Gandhi in Jagmohan Mundra’s latest venture Sonia. However, nothing has been confirmed. Giving Preity competition for this role is popular Italian actress, Monica Bellucci, who is also a possible contender. Mundra says that he intends to cover the phase in Sonia Gandhi’s life from 1964-65 to 2005. This movie is base on journalist Rasheed Kidwai’s best selling book Sonia – A Biography. A Britain based company, CEE, has acquired the rights for the film. Jagmohan Mundra is known for his women-centric themes. He has just directed Aishwarya Rai in Provoked. Extremely excited about the project, he considers Sonia to be a multi-faceted, remarkable woman and this movie will be a tribute to her.

SALLU RESUMES 'BABUL'S SHOOTING

2005-09-03T00:29:00.000-05:00

Salman Khan has resumed the shooting of Ravi Chopra's 'Babul' that had been suspended following the controversy of the tape-recording of his alleged conversation with Aishwarya Rai, boasting of his connection with the underworld. Ravi Chopra denies it though and attributes the suspension of the shooting to the recent floods in Mumbai. He adds that Salman's present shooting includes picturization of a song with Rani Mukherjee. In this movie, Salman plays son of Amitabh Bachchan. Ravi explains that he signed Sallu for 'Babul' due to the special ties established between Sallu and Amitabh during 'Bagbaan'. It is significant that the character of playing Amitabh's son in 'Bagbaan' was first offered to Shah Rukh Khan who had declined it. Then, it was offered to Sallu. Talking about 'Babul', the director of 'Zameer', 'Aaz Ki Aawaz', and 'Bagbaan' Ravi Chopra says that he makes movies on social themes like his father B.R. Chopra who had made 'Ek Hi Raasta' on the rehabilitation of widows. The same is the subject matter of 'Babul', he claims. Ravi has chosen John Abraham who is like a member of their family, as the second husband of Rani Mukherjee in 'Babul'

Karan Johar's new film rolls Thursday

2005-09-03T00:22:00.000-05:00

The new Karan Johar magnum opus "Kabhi Alvidaa Na Kehna" will finally take off Thursday. The launch will be attended by Karan's very close family and friends, including the Bachchans and the Khans. The senior Bachchan, who plays the most rakish role of his career in the film, will give the first shot. From the film's controversial title to the atypical theme, "Kabhi Alvidaa Na Kehna" has been under media and showbiz scrutiny for months. After months of toil in London, Karan has got the screenplay in place."It's been a hectic time. I feel I've to take an appointment from myself to meet myself. First the script was a huge problem. Since I was going into unexplored territory - the various facets of the man-woman relationship in an urban setting - I encountered many stumbling blocks while writing the script," Karan told IANS.
"The Hindi dialogues had to be authentic and real, and yet conversational...a hard task. Then getting the vast cast in place was a problem. Finally, I've got Veer-Zara (Shah Rukh Khan-Preity Zinta) and Bunty-Aur-Babli (Abhishek Bachchan-Rani Mukherjee). "But above all, I have Bachchan. No one else could play his role." The first two weeks of Karan's film will be shot in Mumbai. Then he moves to the US for the principal shooting of what's touted as a departure for Karan Johar from his style of filmmaking. But Karan protests: "Hey hold it! Enough of this departure theory. 'Kabhi Alvidaa Na Kehna' will be a typical KJ film. "It will be large in canvas and scope and hopefully in emotions. It will be the 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham' (K3G) located in the heart and other intangible regions of the human being. Yes, it's different from my other films. "But was K3G anything like 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai'? And did 'Kaal' resemble 'Kal Ho Na Ho' in any detail? Have I made my point? Then let's move on."

Court notice to Aamir, Rani, others over 'Mandal Pandey'

2005-09-03T00:17:00.000-05:00

The Delhi High Court Thursday issued notices to Bollywood actors Aamir Khan and Rani Mukherjee and others linked with Hindi film "Mangal Pandey - The Rising" on a suit by the kin of the pre-independence hero. Raghunath Pandey -- a great grandson of Mangal Pandey's brother -- and his son Omkar Nath Pandey sought a permanent injunction on the screening of "The Rising" on grounds that the film showed the revolutionary in an uncharitable manner by depicting his relations with a nautch girl who he later accepted as his wife. Justice O.P. Dwivedi issued notices to Aamir Khan, who played the title role, Rani Mukherjee who was cast as the nautch girl, director Ketan Mehta, producers Bobby Bedi and Deepa Sahi, scriptwriter Farooq Dhondy and distributor Yash Chopra, asking them to file replies to the petition by Sep 21. Seeking a nominal damage of Re.1 against the filmmakers, the plaintiffs also alleged that the film did not mention Mangal's native village Nagwa in Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh. The film's producer and director had distorted the history of the freedom struggle by falsely claiming that the story of Mangal, the Indian sepoy believed to have triggered the first war of independence in 1857, was based on actual events, the petition said. "The defendant filmmakers owe an apology to the people of India for the senseless and wilful misrepresentations so made and withdraw the screening of the film immediately."They also urged the court to declare that the film could not be termed as based on actual events relating to the personal life and character of Mangal Pandey and was defamatory to him.The suit urged the court to stay the screening of the film till certain objectionable shots in it were removed.The depiction of Mangal's relationship with a nautch girl was "out of context" and "unhistorical", the Pandey father-son duo pleaded.

John's dangerous stunt for Zinda

2005-08-28T15:18:00.000-05:00

Bipasha Basu is a very worried woman these days. The reason being John's latest role in Sanjay F Gupta's Zinda. Recently, while they were shooting the climax scene in Bangkok, John was required to hang from the 63rd floor of a building. The only support that he had was Sanjay Dutt holding him. Whew! Sounds dangerous! Also, it is being said that this role will put all other villainous roles to shame. Only time will tell.

Abhishek Bachchan turns singer

2005-08-25T23:54:00.000-05:00

Abhishek Bachchan has picked up quite a many expressions and mannerisms from his father. And not just that! He’s also inherited Big B’s singing prowess. Abhishek, reportedly will lend his voice to a song in his upcoming film Bluff Master directed by Rohan Sippy. Vishal-Shekhar who had made Abhishek gyrate his hips in Dus Bahane are composing this ‘Hinglish’ number. And remember, some time back we had informed you that the soundtrack of Bluff Master doesn’t have any original compositions but only remix versions of popular tracks. So don’t be surprised if Abhishek croons a yesteryear track. Who knows, maybe it’s a Big B track? FYI, Surprisingly this is not Abhishek’s singing debut. The actor had already recorded a number in the Maithili language for Rituparno Ghosh’s Bengali film Antar Mahal.

Sahara One Sangeet Awards in California

2005-08-25T23:53:00.000-05:00

PDM International and Sahara One along with U.S.-based Mehta Entertainment have announced the 2nd Sangeet Awards, the only Indian music awards honouring excellence in Indian film and pop music on an international platform. After the grand launch of the awards at the Royal Albert Hall, London in 2004, the Sahara One Sangeet Awards 2005 will be hosted at the Oakland Arena in Oakland, California, U.S.A. on September 24, 2005.24 awards will be presented across three main categories: Film Music, Critics Awards in Film Music and Pop Music. The jury panel for the Sangeet Awards 2005 comprises of eminent personalities from the music and film industry, namely Ramesh Sippy, Suresh Wadkar, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Shankar Mahadevan, Leslie Lewis, Ken Ghosh, Anubhav Sinha, Shiamak Davar and Saapna Mukherji. Actor Shah Rukh Khan will be joining the music fraternity at the awards ceremony in Oakland and will entertain audiences with a power-packed performance, alongside other star performers. PDM has partnered with industry experts Sohail Khan Entertainment, Morani and Soorma of Cineyug Entertainment and Showcraft Productions.

FARDEEN KHAN bang's in 2005

2005-08-25T23:34:00.000-05:00

The second half of 2005 seems crucial for Fardeen Khan. For, the actor will have as many as three releases, big films all, in the forthcoming months. There’s Boney Kapoor’s NO ENTRY this week, followed by Pritish Nandy’s EK KHILADI EK HASEENA with father Feroz Khan and Vashu Bhagnani’s David Dhawan-directed SHAADI NO. 1 in Diwali.“I enjoyed doing the three films,” Fardeen informs me, “NO ENTRY and SHAADI NO. 1 were fun; as an actor you need to shed all inhibitions when you attempt comedy. EK KHILADI EK HASEENA was equally exciting. Its script is in sharp contrast to what’s being churned out these days, plus with dad in the film, it makes EK KHILADI EK HASEENA a lot more special.” There’s talk that F.K. Sr. and Fardeen are working on their home-production. F.K. Sr. had been maintaining a low profile ever since JANASHEEN hit the screens, but the wait is over. Reportedly, the Khans have finally found the right script and also registered a series of new titles with a producers’ association. “Nothing is in the offing yet. Dad is yet to get hold of the right script. Perhaps next year,” Fardeen clarifies.

KAREENA to do a Helen and SRK to do Amitabh in 'DON' remake

2005-08-23T00:13:00.000-05:00

Ever since she saw "Dil Chahta Hai", Kareena Kapoor wanted to work with Farhan Akhtar. It looks like her dream is about to come true.Kareena has just been signed on to play a pivotal part in Farhan's much-anticipated "Don" remake. Says Farhan: "Kareena is an actress whose work I had enjoyed and admired for a long time. I was very keen that only she plays one of the roles in 'Don'. I could think of no one but her for that role."When I first offered her the film she was very excited, but said she needed to think about it. We met on Monday after she returned from her shooting abroad, discussed the details and she is on."Farhan is reluctant to divulge the nature of Kareena's role in the new-age "Don". But it is reliably learnt that she will be playing the role that yesteryears screen vamp Helen did in Chandra Barot's "Don".Along with Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena would be re-enacting the evergreen sizzling number "Yeh mera dil pyar ka deewana", originally filmed on Amitabh Bachchan and Helen. Apparently, Farhan intends to retain the original Kalyanji-Anandji track sung by Asha Bhosle for the song, along with the Kishore Kumar number "Khai ke paan banaras wala."Kareena's presence in "Don" is big news on several counts. For one, she gets to team up with Shah Rukh Khan for the first time after "Asoka". The pair had stopped working together after Kareena refused to do Karan Johar's "Kal Ho Na Ho". In "Don" she plays a full-on femme fatale.

KARISMA: HUSBAND DESERTED ME, CHILD

2005-08-22T23:46:00.000-05:00

Bollywood actress Karisma Kapoor has informed the court that she was forced to return to Mumbai last January after her husband deserted her. A New Delhi court recently restrained her from going abroad with her five-month-old daughter, Samaira. Thus, she lost an opportunity to be grand marshal at India's Independence in New York. The court had passed this interim order on her husband Sunjay Kapur's petition accusing Karisma of obtaining a passport for their five-month-old daughter from Mumbai instead of her conjugal home in Delhi by suppressing facts. The Bollywood actress has now charged her husband for neglecting her and their baby. " He has made no financial contribution for the upkeep of the child or the pre-natal, delivery or post-natal care of the mother." She has given this in writing to the court that has fixed the next hearing for this week. She also wrote to the court that she had applied for her daughter's passport, as she could not leave her baby behind. Meanwhile, the government has also submitted that consent of both parents is not needed for issuing a passport to a minor. Hence, there is no need to revoke Samaira's passport as sought by her estranged husband.

Govinda’s narrow escape from death!

2005-08-22T00:13:00.000-05:00

It’s not only his fans, but god also loves our abineta turned neta Govinda. And a classic example is last week’s fatal accident which claimed the life of his close friend Rishab Jha. It seems Govinda was scheduled to travel with his family in the ill-fated vehicle; but a last minute meeting in Mumbai held him back and made him change his plans and Chi Chi instead requested his friend and secretary Rishab who was in Delhi to accompany his family. And the rest is history; Govinda had a narrow escape, while Rishab become the hapless victim. sounds like bollywood movie...but some time it comes true.

Amitabh to play Gabbar in Ramu's 'Sholay'

2005-08-20T17:18:00.000-05:00

Ram Gopal Verma will soon fulfill the long cherished ambition of Big B to play the character of Gabbar Singh in Ramesh Sippy's famous film 'Sholay' that was screened some thirty years ago. In Shippy's 'Sholay', late Amzad Khan had excellently played the role of Gabbar Singh. And, Amzad had become the super actor by performing this character whose dialogues were written by Salim Zaved. This is to recall that Big B had then played the key character of Jay in Sippy's 'Sholay' along with Dharmendra and Hema Malini. The latter had become synonymous with her character Basanti of 'Sholay'. Since Ramu is remaking 'Sholay' now though with a slight change, he has offered the Gabbar's role to Amitabh, and Jay's to Mohit Ahlawat, the director's new favorite. Ramu's decision has excited Amitabh Bachchan, who is anxiously looking forward to play the Gabbar's coveted role.

Karisma asked to settle with husband

2005-08-20T17:12:00.000-05:00

The Delhi High Court has asked the quarreling couple of actress Karisma Kapoor and the businessman Sanjay Kapoor to settle their dispute amicably outside the court before the next date fixed for August 24, for the sake of the child. Besides, the court has asked all concerned parties to submit their replies to it by August 19.The dispute is about Karisma getting a passport made for her and her four-month old daughter without information of her husband. At the previous hearing, the court had passed an interim order restraining her from going abroad with the child without her husband's consent. Meanwhile, Karisma's father Randhir Kapoor has told the media that he would be happy if the matter is amicably settled between the husband and wife. This is to recall that Karisma's parents -Randhir Kapoor and her mother Babita -- have been living separately from each other for the last several years.

surprise.........Abhishek in 'Salaam Namaste'

2005-08-18T23:42:00.000-05:00

Guess who will spring a surprise in "Salaam Namaste"?
None other than Abhishek Bachchan, who is all set to make his second guest appearance after he was seen taking Rani Mukherjee away from Saif Ali Khan in "Hum Tum". Abhishek's role in the film has been kept a close secret by its makers, but the buzz is that he makes his appearance only towards the end of the film. Also, the introductory trailer of "Salaam Namaste", which is being played with "Mangal Pandey-The Rising", has caught the fascination of the audiences. The trailer shows the cool Saif and the vivacious Preity giving a casual introduction of themselves

FARAH AND SALMAN GEARED UP FOR JAAN-E-MAN

2005-08-14T23:37:00.000-05:00

The Salman Khan controversy about his alleged links with the underworld has created a furor in the country, especially in the monsoon session of the Parliament. Even Bollywood awaits the outcome anxiously, as about Rs 50 crores rides on this actor this year. But one person who seems unaffected by this is Shirish Kunder. The Main Hoon Na editor, who married Farah Khan last year, turns director with Salman-starrer Jaan-e-man. Shooting was halted last Saturday due to the controversy but Kunder is unperturbed. "We're taking a break. We will resume on July 23," He says. "I'm not worried about Salman's investigations because I know my film will not be affected. And this break will not affect the film's budget."
Kunder claims the 15-day schedule will go ahead as planned in Mumbai's Film City. The lead cast of Jaan-e-man has had their share of hiccups. First, there were rumours that Salman and Akshay Kumar were at loggerheads with each other after Salman allegedly flirted with the latter's wife Twinkle at a party. Then, Preity Zinta was offended by Salman's alleged remarks about her in the taped conversation with Aishwarya Rai. And of course, the Salman controversy caused Bharatiya Janata Party cadres to protest against his film Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya and ask theatres to cancel its shows. Jaan-e-man, meanwhile, is a romantic drama set in New York. The schedule there is planned for September

Mehta's 'Water' to open Toronto film fest

2005-08-14T17:36:00.000-05:00

Deepa Mehta is not just incredulous, she is also feeling vindicated. Her trouble-ridden dream project "Water" - which she code-named "River Moon" to avoid hostility from Hindu fundamentalists - has been selected as the opening film of the Toronto International Film Festival which starts Sep 8."I simply got a call from the festival directorate informing me that 'Water' would open the festival. That was it...no red-tapism, no lobbying...thank god! This is the first ever film to open the festival that isn't in English or French." Mehta, gearing for the film's hopefully glorious release, is rapturous. She shudders as she recalls the film's fate in Varanasi when she tried to shoot it with a different cast of Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das five years ago. Today Mehta is blissfully happy with the cast, now featuring Lisa Ray and John Abraham, and the end product. "Lisa Ray is, in one word, ethereal. Everyone who has seen her wants to know where she's been hiding. As for John, 'Water' gives him an incredibly deep and erotic persona. This film will make him an international star." The other star attraction in "Water" is the little girl named Sarla who plays the pivotal role of a child widow. "Everyone from Waheedaji (Rehman) and Seema Biswas to Sarla has given the film the mood and texture I was looking for. I regret the fact that I had to shift location from Varanasi to Sri Lanka. Now the setting for the film is no more Varanasi. It's the Bihar-Bengal border."
Though she hates being controversial, Mehta has made peace with her reputation of controversy queen and her status as an NRI filmmaker. "I don't know why it happened with 'Fire' and then 'Water'. But I've moved on. I've made 'Water' exactly the way I wanted to."
While casting, Kareena Kapoor agreed and then dropped out. Shabana Azmi had to bow out because it was felt that Hindu fundamentalists would be adamantly opposed to her portraying a Hindu widow. Sighs Mehta, "All these were hard blows. But as they say all's well that ends well." The eminently lyrical finale to Mehta's elemental trilogy is all set to be released globally Nov 4.
But the million-dollar question...Will it get a release in the country of its origin, India? "It should and it must. The government has changed. And a lot has changed in India and within the Indian film industry since I attempted to make 'Water' in Varanasi.
"What next? "It's another dream project called 'Komagata Maru' for which I want the world's biggest star-actor, Amitabh Bachchan."
What about the adaptation of "Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam" that she was supposed to do? "Hello? I gave up that idea six months ago! Is the Indian press still writing about it?"

Mob stops 'Mangal panned' screening in hometown

2005-08-14T17:28:00.000-05:00

Angry about the allegedly distorted depiction of freedom hero Mangal panned, youths in his hometown ball raised slogans against Aamir Khan and prevented the screening of the film, "Mangal Pandey - The Rising" there. Demonstrators blocked highways, roads and even obstructed movement of trains in and around Ballia town on Friday. They tore posters of the film and destroyed video CDs on the streets. According to a district official, "We had a tough time tackling protestors, who were mostly college students." He said, "Police even had to resort to mild force to control the mobs at certain places on Friday, and today again we are anticipating trouble."Even in neighboring Varanasi, the film could be released only under heavy police protection, as demonstrators had warned against screening it. Mangal Pandey, hanged in 1857 for rising in revolt against British rule, is considered the first martyr of the Indian freedom movement. The film on his life had been released across the country Friday.
"We had ordered a print to be screened here, but local people are so emotionally charged over certain contents of the film that they have been staging demonstrations and protests, so I decided not to pick up my copy from the distributor in Delhi," Ashok Jaiswal, owner of Vijay cinema told from Ballia, near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
"Locals have been raising serious objections against the portrayal of Pandey as some kind of a womaniser. They also want to know why there was no mention of the martyr's birthplace, Ballia," Jaiswal said.

SAIF-PRIETY ZINTA waving salaam namaste

2005-08-12T17:02:00.000-05:00

Saif Ali Khan's national award may have raised eyebrows but there's no denying that his upcoming film Salaam Namaste is much-awaited. Co-starring his Kal Ho Naa Ho actress Preity Zinta, Salaam Namaste is directed by debutant Siddharth Anand. Surprising? He reasons with, 'If you know your job, you will earn respect automatically.' It seems like Siddharth knows his job really well. That's why when he showed Aditya Chopra his script during the shooting of Hum Tum, Adi immediately gave him a break. "I wrote with Saif in mind, since I was working with him then," Siddharth explains. "Preity was also the first choice for the film." Siddharth Anand is quoted by an Australian newspaper as saying that the movie is about two Indians who have left their houses to make a life on their own in Australia.“It’s about how they meet and how they tackle their own relationships and problems. It's a slice of that couple's life in that one year they spend together.” A Yash Raj production, the movie has Saif playing a character named Nikhil Arora. Because he is living in Melbourne, he is called Nick.Saif describes his character in the movie as “cool, strong, modern, and a smart Alec.” The film also stars Australian actress Tania Zaetta -- best known for hosting the AXN show, Who Dares Wins -- and Arshad Warsi with his comedy. "The script needed an Australian because the film is set in Australia. She plays an Australian in the film; all her dialogues are in English. Salaam Namaste is a about one year in a couple's life. It starts with them getting into a relationship, falling in love and then facing problems. "It's basically about the problems the couple goes through after they fall in love," Siddharth explains. Shot entirely in Melbourne in 105 days, the film is slated for a September 9 release.

Shabana to play Aishwarya's mom in 'Umrao Jaan'

2005-08-11T23:44:00.000-05:00

If Aishwarya Rai as "Umrao Jaan" strikes you as the ultimate casting coup, then wait till you hear what movie moghul J.P. Dutta has lined up next. It's the mother of all castings: the formidable Shabana Azmi has agreed to play Umrao Jaan's mother in J.P's version of the legendary love story. It must be remembered that Shabana's mother, the indomitable Shaukat Azmi, had played "Umrao" Rekha's mother in the 1981 version of the film by Muzaffar Ali. "My 'Umrao Jaan' is a totally different film based on a totally different screenplay," clarified J.P., who returned from London a day before the July 7 blasts. His wife Bindiya and two daughters are still there, though very much safe and sound. "My father (O.P. Dutta) wrote his script nearly 20 years ago. He originally wanted to cast Nimmi as Umrao. But I guess I was destined to do the needful, with Ash." Always known to be a creative tyrant on the sets, J.P. has a higher authority hovering over his head this time. "I've finally got my comeuppance. My father is the boss this time. Now I know how it feels to be answerable," chuckles J.P. Though the amazing Azmi (last seen blowing the screen apart in Mahesh Dattani's "Morning Raga") is yet to sign on the dotted line, this inspired bit of casting is more or less a certainty. Shabana met J.P. Dutta at the recent IIFA awards in Amsterdam and with characteristic bluntness told him: "No one can play my mother's role except me." Says J.P.: "I've been closely associated with Shabana's husband Javed Akhtar. He wrote the amazing lyrics in 'Border', 'Refugee' and 'LOC'. And now, Javed is doing the lyrics for 'Umrao Jaan'. Though Shabana and I were together in college we've never worked together before." This would perhaps be the first time in any part of the world that the daughter plays the mother's role in a movie remake. The coming together of Shabana and Aishwarya is also a first. Rituparno Ghosh was planning to cast them together in a mother-daughter story. But it looks like J.P. will beat Ghosh to it. Not that J.P. is in competition with anyone for anything. "Let me say it again...my 'Umrao Jaan' is my 'Umrao Jaan'. It doesn't matter who made it with whom in the cast in the past."

Bollywood starlet held for prostitution racket

2005-08-11T23:38:00.000-05:00

A lesser-known Bollywood actress and one of her associates were arrested here Thursday for prostitution.
The Mumbai-based actress, whose identity was not disclosed, had allegedly been operating through a pimp named Asha from Lajpat Nagar and had entertained customers for hefty payments, police claimed.
While the actress allegedly charged Rs.15,000 a customer, her Delhi-based associate Priya allegedly charged Rs.5,000.
Police, after receiving information about the racket, struck a deal through decoy customers and apprehended the two women near Qutub Minar and Mehrauli in south Delhi. The search for Asha is on, officials said.
Interrogation of the actress revealed that she belonged to Mumbai and had appeared in small roles in films like "Pinjar", "Devdas", "Parwane" and "Dil Ka Rishta", officials said.
She worked in the TV serial "Yakeen" made for Doordarshan and also appeared in music videos.
Priya is a native of Chattisgarh and has been in Delhi for the past year, police said.
A case under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act was filed against the two women.

Salman, Bhagyashree to act together! after 16 years

2005-08-10T00:55:00.000-05:00

Sixteen years after they paired together in the romantic blockbuster Maine Pyar Kiya, Salman Khan and Bhagyashree are now coming together in a forthcoming Bollywood movie.The film in question is director Raj Kanwar’s Humko Deewana Kar Gaye starring Akshay Kumar , Bipasha Basu and Katrina Kaif in the leading roles.

Salman and Bhagyashree won’t play full-fledged roles but will be seen in cameos in the movie.Bhagyashree plays Akshay’s sister, while Salman’s role in the film is still not known.Raj Kanwar is not revealing much about Salman and Bhagyashree’s roles as the two cameos form the surprise element of his film.So far, Salman and Bhagyashree have acted together in one film only – Sooraj Barjatya’s Maine Pyar Kiya that turned out to be a super-duper hit at the box-office.

Karisma can't take daughter abroad: court

2005-08-07T00:49:00.000-05:00

The Delhi High Court Friday restrained Bollywood star Karisma Kapoor from taking her daughter out of the country without the permission of her husband Sanjay Kapoor. Judge Mukul Mudgal issued the directive to Karisma following an application filed by Sanjay Kapoor in which he expressed apprehension that she might take their daughter out of India without his knowledge and on an illegally issued passport. The court directed the central government to communicate the contents of the order to immigration authorities. The regional passport office in Mumbai had issued a passport for Karisma's daughter July 23. The court asked Karisma, the regional passport office, the central government and the home ministry to file a reply to the petition by Aug 12.

Karisma kapoor's husband files case against her

2005-08-05T14:28:00.000-05:00

Karisma Kapoor was sent a notice on August 5 by the Delhi High Court in a case filed by her husband Sanjay Kapur. It is rumoured that the former actress learnt of her husband dating someone else at Delhi's hot spots. After the delivery of her daughter in Mumbai a couple of months ago, she has not returned to Delhi. She also recently acquired a passport for the baby from Mumbai's Regional Passport Office. Sanjay has objected to this because the passport of a minor has to be issued with the consent of both parents. The Delhi High Court has stopped Karisma from using the passport and has sent her the notice. It has also said that Karisma cannot take her baby out of the country. The matter will be heard further on August 12....will keep you updated on this.

Celebrities hope to teach Maharashtra government a lesson

2005-08-04T23:52:00.000-05:00

Celebrities including Mahesh Bhatt, Soni Razdan and Vinta Nanda have taken the Maharashtra government to court for its inability to help people affected by the torrential rains in Mumbai that have destroyed life and property.
The public interest litigation is filed by Bhatt and supported by Raman Kumar, Ashok Pandit, Razdan and several other prominent personalities.
"Let us hope this step will compel the authorities and the civic agencies to start functioning after its inaction of all these years," says filmmaker Vinta Nanda.
"We want to make the government accountable for its system failure. The citizens of Mumbai fought a lone battle for life and the administration was offering lame excuses for its inaction."
Nanda said the floods had awakened Mumbaikars about the harsh realities of a system long neglected and unable to cope.

Aamir Khan - "SRK knows very little about acting"

2005-08-03T21:30:00.000-05:00

Believe it or not but in a recent heart-to-heart conversation, Aamir Khan has declared that his peer superstar Shah Rukh Khan knows very little about acting.
Now before you SRK fans bring out your daggers and AK fans look in amazement, we would like to mention that the statement was made in a good spirit.
Apparently, he was informed that in a recent interview SRK had humbly mentioned that Aamir Khan is one of the best actors in the country.
On this remark, Aamir being Aamir, he responded back in his typical tongue of cheek humor saying, "I always suspected that SRK knows very little about acting. Now I am sure."
Perhaps taking cue from ever-so-humble Big B's style of reacting to such lavish praises, Aamir took the funny way round and settled the debate with a light hearted statement.
Way to go Aamir. These quotable quotes are just the juicy pieces one would love to hear before your keenly awaited 'Mangal Pandey' hits the screens.

Yashraj-Aamir Khan-kajol-Kunal Kohli's next is titled.......

2005-07-30T11:28:00.000-05:00

This news is bound to catch up like fire.
There were all kinds of speculations regarding the title of the next movie by Kunal Kohli, who directs for the Yashraj banner third time in succession after 'Mujhse Dosti Karoge' and 'Hum Tum'. One wondered if the title of this Aamir Khan, Kajol, Tabu starrer would also be kept under wraps a la Yash Chopra's directorial venture 'Veer Zaara'. But in a recent interview, Aamir Khan has disclosed that the movie has been titled 'Fanaah', which in English stands for 'destruction'!
Wonder how does a title like this fits in a film by Yashraj banner, which is enjoying making movie belonging to different genres!

Aftab Shivdasani to do a Keanu Reeves

2005-07-29T21:19:00.000-05:00

In the first ever sci-fi thriller of its kind in the Hindi film world, 'Jaane Hoga Kya' deals with a territory never dealt before - "Human cloning". Under production for a number of years now, JHK is finally being readied for release soon. Starring Aftab Shivdasani in a double role [as a human being and a clone], it sounds like an exciting idea with Aftab readying to do a Keanu Reeves act a la 'The Matrix'. Though the storyline of JGK and The Matrix is poles apart, the basic aspect of a sci-fi thriller does bring in certain similarities. The fresh set of promos on screen, after some jaded romantic song clippings that didn't add any value to this one of its kinds product, look good and have revived some interest in the movie. Director duo of Genn and Ankush debut with this Alok Shrivastava film that also stars Bipasha Basu, Rahul Dev, Preeti Jhangiani, Paresh Rawal, Tinu Anand and Maria Goretti.

Kareena Kapoor in a music video

2005-07-26T19:26:00.000-05:00

Limelight never fails to leave Kareena Kapoor. While her 'Milenge Milenge', 'Dosti' and 'Kyunki' are still a few months away, she surely knows how to keep herself occupied and alive in audience's memory. In a surprise move, now she would be seen in the music video of the remix track 'Oye Babli', a promotional campaign of Pepsi that began a few months back. A full length track that doesn't have anything to do with the soft drink, it has already been premiered this weekend on the satellite channels. The song'n'dance sequence has an aggressive look to it with Kareena gyrating on fast paced dance steps, although her outfits seem to be somewhat out of sync and leave a lot to be desired. Watch out for the video to judge this on your own!

Maharashtra for legal opinion on Salman-Aishwarya tape

2005-07-22T12:13:00.000-05:00

Maharashtra Wednesday said it would seek legal opinion to ascertain if a criminal case could be filed on the basis of a recorded telephonic conversation between Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai in which he spoke of his links with the underworld. Making a statement on the explosive revelations in the state assembly, Home Minister R.R. Patil said that after recording the voice samples of the actors, the local police would now explore a legal roadmap to pursue the case.
The voice samples of Salman and Aishwarya have already been sent to a forensic lab at Chandigarh for verifying the authenticity of the tape, said Patil. He added that a team of two senior police officials has been constituted to look into all aspects of the case that triggered uproarious scenes in the assembly for two consecutive days last week. An English daily had last Thursday published transcripts of the alleged phone conversation between Salman and Aishwarya that were recorded Aug 28-31, 2001.
According to the daily, Salman began calling up Aishwarya just before her departure to the US on a 50-day tour.
During the conversation, he reportedly threatened Aishwarya with dire consequences if she didn't perform for underworld don Abu Salem's show, the daily said.
He also reportedly admitted his links with Dawood Ibrahim and Guru Satam.

Salman Khan & Aishwarya Rai phone Controversy

2005-07-17T02:20:00.000-05:00

salman once again in news and target of the media...... ...

These telephone conversations between Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai were recorded between August 28-30, 2001. Ash was supposed to leave for a long tour of the US. Salman starts calling her on the eve of her departure. The conversations start friendly enough, but rapidly degenerate into threats, boasts and abuse. Following are excerpts from the Salman Tapes:

Aishwarya Rai: Hello.
Salman Khan: I want you to do the Abu Salem show. Hello?
SK: When I told you to do the Salem show you put the phone down. F**k you. You are doing the Salem show because of me. I asked you to the Salem show. You are not talking to me.
Ash: F**k you.
SK: You f***ing bitch. Are you doing the Salem show or not? I want to know whether you are doing the Salem show or not?
Ash: Oh really, you got drunk.
SK: Are you doing the Salem show or not? Abu Salem show or not? Abu Salem show or not?
Ash: Your phone is tapped.
SK: You know my phone is tapped. I want to save my own ass, you f***ing b***h. I would like to know whether you are doing the show or not.
Ash: Salman.
SK: No, tell me, you f***ing b***h whether you are doing the Salem show or not.
Ash: You're too late.
SK: You know Chori Chori Chupke Chupke? I was the only one who knew it was a Chhota Shakeel film.
Ash: Listen, listen. Now stop it, Salman.
SK: I will call up Salem and compromise. You don't know anything that is happening. It is a big bad world. You don't know the connectivity (sic) of the underworld.
No listen to me. Chori Chori Chupke Chupke was a Chhota Shakeel film. I was the only one who knew. Not even Nadeem Rizvi or Bharat Shah.
I did this role because I was scared of Chhota Shakeel... (Shakeel said) Yeh Mussalman aadmi hamara Hindustan ko agey lekar jayega. So I did Chhota Shakeel's film and that is what I had to do.
Ab mujhe Salem Saheb ke phone aa rahe hain.
Ab aap ke mere relationship hain. Jaise Dawood Bhai mere bade bhai ke relationship hain. Chhota Shakeel ka mere relationship hain. To aap ka hoga. We are hand in glove.
Ash: Hello?
SK: Abi aap ne disconnect nahin kiya. Itna information ley liya phone pe.
Ash: Hello?
Kyonke main underworld se taluk rakta hoon... mujhse contact nahin rakna? (They get disconnected)
SK: Phone nahin rakha. Mere liye point prove karne ke liye. Ha. Tum ne kabhi Salem se baat nahin kiya?
Ash. RAW hain jo mere conversation sun reha hain.
Dawood Ibrahim kuch nahin hai. Salem kuch nahin hain. Chhota Shakeel kuch nahin. Jo bhi hain woh main hoon.
Yeh muje malum hain ki Ash ka phone tapped hain. Is liye disconnect ho gaya. Muje malum hain mera phone tapped hain. Ash law abiding citizen hain. Unhone London airport mein phone guma diya. Kyonke main underworld se taluk rakta hoon. To mujse contact nahin rakna?
Ash: Ho Ho.
SK: You are trying to pretend you don't have to do anything with me. Suno mere bhai suno. Salman Khan, don't you dare...
Ash: Yeah?
SK: You had a problem. You call me up.
Ash: I called you up because I had a problem. SK: You never call me up otherwise. Anyway Ashji. You are going to be there for 47 days. Ok, 47 days my guys are there. They will watch what you do there like the last trip.
Ash: Salman Khan, don't you dare.
SK: Don't you dare f**k with me, Ash. I know Abu Salem, Chhota Shakeel, Dawood Ibrahim, Guru Satam...
SK: Underworld people call me up here. I am their main man in Bombay. I do all that s**t. Ash: Stop it. Don't talk nonsense. You can get into trouble.
Ash: Ok, Christ.
SK: F**k you. F**k you. Don't use that language towards me. Ash: Stop it. SK: You use abusive language against me.
I know Abu Salem, Chhota Shakeel and I know Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Rajan. I know Guru Satam and all these underworld people.
If I say ,"Aisi r***i ne mujhse aise baat ki", they will shoot you. Pehle baap ko maro m*******d, phir bhai ko maro, phir isko maro. Pehle pao pe maro, phir thigh pe maro, phir haat pe maro.
I have the power to do that. You know I can do that. It is a fact, it is a fact
SK: Because of my connection with the underworld Abu Salem will speak to you. I know all the people.
Ash: Salman Khan, stop all this rubbish. What is this?
SK: It is a fact, it is a fact.

Akshay – Salman: No problem!!!

2005-07-14T23:07:00.000-05:00

Producer Sajid Nadiadwala has clearly said that he has no intentions of delaying the shoot of his upcoming film Jaaneman after reports started doing rounds that Salman and Akshay got into a fight. Recently, at a party thrown by Boney Kapoor, rumors gave way that Salman apparently tried to flirt with Akshay’s wife, Twinkle and that the two of them have not been on good terms to each other. However, Sajid denies any of these to be true. “I was there all the time and nothing of that sort happened. They themselves are shocked by the news. They share a good rapport after the success of Mujhse Shaadi Karogi”, says Sajid. He also said that the shooting is beginning as scheduled with no changes whatsoever. Since all Sajid’s films have done well here, he plans to open his Mumbai distribution office with this film. He agrees that Salman and Akshay make a good pair in comedies.

Aishwarya-Rani: no patch-up

2005-07-09T17:46:00.000-05:00

isn't very clear who stands to gain by spreading this rumour. But the information about a midair patch-up between Aishwarya Rai and Rani Mukherjee is pure bunkum. According to someone who flew on the flight, this is what happened: "Ash was with her mom while Rani was with Karan Johar. It was Karan's idea that Rani say hello to Ash and break the ice."
For those who came in late, Ash and Rani were the best of friends...until the latter nimbly stepped into Ash's role opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Aziz Mirza's "Chalte Chalte" after Salman Khan disrupted the first schedule of the film and Ash was asked to pack up.
What really hurt Aishwarya was that Rani didn't even bother to ask if it was okay... unlike Preity Zinta who rang up Ash when she, Preity, was finalized for "Veer-Zaara". Prior to this incident, Rani treated Aishwarya like an elder sister. Ash would in turn even give Rani makeup tips.
Cut to the mid-air flight where Rani, egged on by Karan, walked over to Ash who was fast asleep. Tapping her awake, Rani said, "Hello...sleeping?" Ash said she was... end of the conversation. Back to square one.
Sorry no-patch up. The incident is reminiscent of one of the most Famous female cold wars of Bollywood - Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil vied for the same roles and continued to love to hate each other until Smita breathed her last. Their spouses Javed Akhtar and Raj Babbar had tried their utmost to bring them together, even arranged a dinner for the foursome, but to no avail.
One could say Ash and Rani couldn't be friends because they shared the same hero. Rani of course is now the favorite with Shah Rukh. So that takes care of that. Many moons ago, Sridevi and Jaya Prada were at war. All efforts to bring them together came to nought. Once, during the shooting of a K. Bappaiah film called "Maqsad", Rajesh Khanna and Jeetendra locked the two warring queens in the same makeup room hoping they'd make up. No such thing happened. Some animosities in the film industry, specially those involving two actresses, are for keeps. The only two warring actresses who finally made up are Sharmila Tagore and Raakhee. Having cold-warred through Yash Chopra's "Daag", they finally met and hugged when decades later Rituparno Ghosh cast them together in a Bengali movie. As for the rest, let's leave them to their own devices, shall we?

'Sarkar' makes it four in a row for Big B

2005-07-09T15:47:00.000-05:00

The verdict is out. 'Sarkar' is a HIT and has turned out to be fourth successful flick in a row for superstar Amitabh Bachchan in 2005. The year that started with stupendous success of 'Black' and continued with family drama 'Waqt', popcorn entertainer 'Bunty Aur Babli' and power packed 'Sarkar' gets the 62 year old actor back on the superstar's throne after about a couple of decades. Also, there was a 'Paheli' in between that was a mild success [hence making it five for Big B]. But since it was more of a SRK-Rani film than anything else [with Bachchan making a 5 min. appearance], it could be ignored from his list. But Black, Waqt, B&B and Sarkar are as much as his successes as of Rani Mukherjee, Akshay Kumar and Abhishek Bachchan respectively.
Now one has to see if his subsequent releases 'Viruddh' and 'Dil Jo Bhi Kahey' extend his golden run at the box office.

King Khan to strike BIG in 2006

2005-07-09T15:36:00.000-05:00

After an above average performance of 'Paheli' at the box office, both in the Indian and overseas market, Shahrukh Khan takes a long awaited rest till the month of September before he begins shooting for Dharma Productions' KANK [Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna], to be directed by Karan Johar. Early 2006 he begins filming for Farah Khan's 'waiting-in-the-queue' 'Happy New Year' that was supposed to begin this year but got postponed due to various reasons. Now with Shahrukh Khan committing his dates for KANK, HNY starts only later. Another biggie is Farhan Akhtar's 'Don' that is hot favorite in the trade as it is destined to meet with a stupendous response when released in late 2006. And if a little birdie is to be believed, Khan also makes an appearance in Vidhu Vinod Chopra's 'Munnabhai Meets Gandhi'.
Though one hopes that if he does so, it is much better in length and content than the ones in 'Kucch Meetha Ho Jaaye' and 'Sisiilay' recently.