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John wins the Race

If sources are to be believed, John Abraham has been signed by Abbas Mustan for their next, a thriller. The director-duo met the actor and narrated the subject of their film.

Says a source, "Abbas Mustan have zeroed down on John for their next thriller, after Race.

Earlier they had approached Saif Ali Khan and Akshay Khanna and their all-time favourite, Akshay Kumar for the same role. But they couldn't work out the dates with any of them.

Finally they approached John and things seem to be working out between them."

Abbas confirmed that they had discussed the story with John. He said, "Yes, we did discuss our film's subject with John and he really liked it.

We will take it forward once John is back from his shoot abroad. We both are looking forward to it."

Rujuta emerges winner after Kareena’s ‘Tashan’-look!

Kareena raised more eyebrows than sighs for her toned look in ‘Tashan’, but the one who is laughing all the way to the bank is her fitness trainer Rujuta Diwekar, who brought Bebo down to size zero.

After ‘Tashan’ happened, Rujuta has gained biggies like Saif Ali Khan, Karishma Kapoor, Amrita Arora and even Anil Ambani among her clients. Her clients are scattered across continents now – the UK, the USA and West Asia – to name just a few.

The lucky trainer claims herself that her clients are ready to pay her whatever amount she utters – just for her dieting advices! And the grapevine has it that she is earning as much as five figures for an hour of her wisdom on fitness.

Rujuta is no business whiz, but the Kareena-effect is certainly looking great on her bank-balance. Perhaps Kareena did not enjoy her own new look as much as Rujuta’s clients did, for she is now bent upon increasing her size to fit the role of a voluptuous house-wife in the upcoming flick ‘Mr And Mrs Khanna’.


Has the green-eyed monster hit someone hard?

Sippy's daughter to compile book on Bachchan's world tour

Sheena, daughter of veteran filmmaker Ramesh Sippy, is nowadays travelling with the Bachchans for their world concert "Unforgettable" - only to click photographs of the show and to compile them into a book.

Sheena is a professional photographer and has done assignments with personalities like Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Imran Khan, Naomi Campbell and Zakir Husain.

Amitabh regularly posts pictures of the event on his blog with detailed captions and says Sheena is not too happy with this.

"The demand for the photographs of the shows is increasing. I am compiling some more pictures. But this is not being received well by the photographer (Sheena) since she has been assigned to do a book on the tour. She feels all her work is going out to the world before time," he posted on his blog site www.bigb.bigadda.com

Big B is all praise for Sheena. He wrote on his blog: "The magnificence of the arena and the enthusiasm of the crowds are so beautifully captured by Sheena Sippy Kapoor, who has been assigned to do a book on the tour."

Sheena is married to Shashi Kapoor's son Kunal. Her family's association with the Bachchan's dates back to the time when her father had directed Amitabh in blockbuster "Sholay".

Thereafter, even her brother Rohan Sippy teamed up with Abhishek in "Bluffmaster".

Now, she is busy capturing the special moments of the family.

To this, Amitabh stated: "We are indeed such an integrated fraternity and proud of it."

Cricketer Sidhu's debut movie to release in September

Cricketer, commentator, MP, comedy show judge and now an actor. Navjot Singh Sidhu will be seen on silver screen as he debuts in a Punjabi movie in September.

Sidhu's debut movie, "Mera Pind" (My Home), in Punjabi will be releasing Sept 5.

In keeping with his political persona, his role in the movie is that of a do-gooder. He plays a non-resident Indian, who returns to India for good. He tries to uplift the village folks of Punjab, exhorting them to be entrepreneurs in their own homeland rather than aspiring to show off their entrepreneurship abroad.

"Mera Pind" has been directed by noted Bollywood cinematographer Manmohan Singh, who left Mumbai to make movies in his native state, Punjab.

Singh was cinematographer for most of Yash Raj Films productions, including "Darr", "Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge", "Dil To Pagal Hai" and "Mohabbatein".

Ever since he left Mumbai in the mid-1990s, he made seven movies in Punjabi.

Apart from being a director-cinematographer, Singh is also a very good singer, but he chose not to make a professional career out of it.

"I being a Punjabi can play the role I portray in 'Mere Pind' more emphatically than anyone else," Sidhu had said in his characteristic style at the launch of the movie in Chandigarh in February this year.

Before he agreed to do "Mera Pind", Sidhu was offered a role in Akshay Kumar's forthcoming release "Sing is Kinng" but he turned it down.

"But when Manmohanji offered me a role in 'Mera Pind', I could not decline because I found my role to be very close to my heart," Sidhu told the media at the movie's launch.

A Reliance Big Entertainment production, "Mera Pind" has Harbhajan Mann and Kim Varma also in the cast and has music by Babloo Kumar.

'Madhuri should play my character if Guide is remade'

Veteran actress Waheeda Rehman today said she visualises Madhuri Dixit as the perfect choice to play her character 'Rosy' if a remake of Guide is made.

"Madhuri is a good performer and a very good dancer. She will perfectly fir into the role if the film is made again,"

Waheeda told reporters here after being felicitated for her contribution to Hindi cinema by Taj Enlighten Film Society.

Asked whether she thought Guide would be a timeless classic, Waheeda said it is the audience that make a film timeless.

"An actor just works hard for all the films. It is the audience which makes the film a masterpiece," she said.

On the length of the film which is over three hours, Waheeda recalled that Dev Anand, who was also the producer, wanted to delete some of the song and dance sequences to trim the length.

"I told him to delete my scenes and not the songs and dances as I had worked very hard on them. Devsaab agreed. But when he sat on the editing table, he realised that all my scenes are with him. Being the producer himself, he was not ready to delete his scenes. Hence, the length remained the same and nothing was edited," she recalled fondly.

Referring to her character 'Rosy', Waheeda said the character was a bold one during that era. "She was a married woman but loved someone else. Dev Anand held several trial shows before the release and everybody spoke about 'Rosy'.

"Devsaab called me and said even though he was playing the title role and was the producer, I was the film's highlight," she said.

Khan bonding: Zayed-Salman

After Shah Rukh Khan in Main Hoon Na, guess who’s giving Zayed Khan acting tips? It’s Salman Khan, on the sets of Subhash Ghai’s Yuvraj. The younger Khan is appreciative, naturally. “Salman’s very cool and normal. And very helpful. But not everyone appreciates his sense of humour,” said Zayed.
After they did their first shot, Zayed told Salman it was a honour to work with him. “He smirked and replied, ‘Lucky you!’
I found that hilarious,” said Zayed. The two are gym buddies. “We work out together, now we are working together, Salman’s my friend and counsellor,” added Zayed. Apparently, after the nonperformance of Mission Istanbul, Yuvraj is giving Zayed the chance to discover himself as an actor. “I’ve discovered new ways of expressing myself in front of the camera,” said the young actor who actually played around with his dates for Mission Istanbul so as to be on the sets of Yuvraj when Salman was there. He was disappointed with the failure of
Mission Istanbul. “I think critics influenced audiences against watching the film. My father, who’s been in Bollywood for long and liked the film, wondered if it deserved that kind of slamming.”

Monday, August 4, 2008

How Shahrukh Khan beat Akshay and Salman!

No there wasn’t any fistfight or any competition for TRPs this time. It was in punctuality test that Shahrukh Khan beat the reputation of his rivals.

Shahrukh is presently shooting his home production Billoo Barber which is being directed by Priyadarshan and also stars Irrfan Khan and Lara Dutta .

During the shoots, SRK usually used to report on the sets at 9 in the morning, just in time to begin his shoot.

But then, one day while talking with SRK casually, Priyadarshan spoke about the dedication and punctuality of the stars like Akshay Kumar , Salman Khan and Govinda . Without any intention of making a point to SRK, Priyan simply said that all the three stars used to report to the sets much before their scheduled time when he worked with them.

Unintentionally, Priyan spurred up SRK to match the standards of his rivals.

So the very next morning, while Priyan was driving to the shooting sets around 7 in the morning, he noticed SRK’s car overtake his. When the director arrived on the sets, he was greeted by a smiling SRK who had reached the sets even before the director.

Well, if Akshay and Salman can do it, SRK can do it too. And do it better.

Bachchans’ relations with RGV get bitter

The honeymoon between Ram Gopal Varma and his favourite Bollywood family, the Bachchans, is all but over. If sources are to be believed, the Bachchans are not too happy with the way Sarkar Raj performed at the box-office.

Though they were okay with the product and thought it was a decent enough follow-up to Sarkar, there’s little chance of another sequel any more.

Apparently the initial euphoria over Sarkar Raj soon waned when close friends including journalists and filmmakers told the Bachchans that the only USP in the product was the Bachchans. This, according to sources, set the Bachchans thinking.

And now comes the final blow. Apparently all the big films that RGV was planning with the senior and junior Bachchan have suddenly gone into cold storage.

There are too many financial liabilities riding on Ramu’s company and the Bachchans are not foolish to let any filmmaker exploit their name and presence to override those liabilities. They are extremely wary now. When we contacted Ram Gopal Varma, he shot back a text message giving a ridiculed reaction.

Amitabh Bachchan denied this latest development too.

Salman’s hairy woes

There's another story happening on Sallu front. No, this time it is not about any of his new fights. But, it is Salman Khan's new hairstyle, which has become the talk of the town. We hear, after his series of successful hair transplants, he has finally got the much desired look and feel and he is pretty much content with the look.

Though his earlier transplant weren't successful, he didn't lose patience and finally got what he wanted. Well, must say, all is well that ends well.

Neha happy with her sexy image

At a time when every other actor is looking for an image makeover, there is Neha Dhupia happy being the way she is. The beauty who got tagged as a sexy and glamorous actress with her role in the controversial Julie, has no issues being tagged so. In fact, Neha is happy with the image she has and doesn’t mind using it to her benefit. She says, “I don’t think you need to change your image to prove yourself as an actor. Just do your job well and people will eventually realize your potential.”

After her offbeat film Mithya, Neha is ready to work with all genres. Speaking about her films in hand, she says, “I am working on a film titled Maharathi. Then there’s I Am 24, Raat Gayi Baat Gayi and an untitled project with Emraan Hashmi.” Now hot property in Bollywood, ask Neha if her winning the Miss India title had anything to do with her success and she feels otherwise. According to her, “There is nothing easy or tough. You need to work around it. Miss India was just a platform. Success has to do with the opportunity you get.” Let’s hope she maintains this momentum.

Why Abbas Tyrewala fought on the sets

Ever since the release of Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na and its blockbuster success, everything seems to have been hunky-dory at the film's end. However, a lesser known fact is that during the making of the film, director Abbas Tyrewala had got into this huge argument around the costumes which his actors would have worn in the film. Apparently he got into lengthy debates with the film's costume designer Ashley Rebello before the final set of dresses was laid down.

As confirmed by Ashley it was a big fight. Just like any other conversation centered on creative decisions, Ashley and Abbas too got into this entire debate around the colour of clothing. For some strange reasons, Tyrewala wasn't really enthused about using blue colour in the clothes worn by Imraan and others. Perhaps he felt that it was too unconventional.

How did it all sort out then?

They kept on chatting around this and none of them were willing to buzz. They both seemed stuck and finally Abbas gave in.

O SO magical?

The Om Shanti Om team - Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and Farah Khan - will work together in a song for Priyadarshan’s forthcoming film Billoo Barber. Only this time, Farah will adorn the choreographer’s hat.

The idea was instigated by none other but Priyadarshan himself. “Although Farah started her career choreographing for me I never worked with her after Virasat. And now I want to bring her back from maternity leave and choreograph the SRK-Deepika number. Call it a lucky charm.

Shah Rukh Khan
The Deepika-SRK song is special on many counts. It’s first song that Gulzarsaab has written for my cinema. I’ve been a lifelong fan of his work. My films are deeply influenced by him. To have him write one of my songs is a big honour for me,” said Priyan.

The song that Farah choreographed for Virasat (‘Dhol bajane laga’) has a strange history. As the lyrics for the song were not ready, Farah choreographed the number to another song from the same film. “This time, the lyrics and the tune are ready for Farah,” says Priyan.

If Farah’s smashing debut was courtesy Priyan, Deepika too was supposed to start her career with him in a film on music piracy. “But that never materialised. I’m glad Deepika debuted with Shah Rukh. Now I can use the hit pair to create some magic in Billoo Barbar.” The item song will be shot on September 14.

Kuselan v/s Billoo

A still from Kuselan
The race between Rajnikant and Shah Rukh Khan to reach the theatres first has been won by Rajnikant. Now the Bollywood trade circles fear that Rajnikant’s Tamil film Kuselan will be dubbed in Hindi and be released before Billoo Barber, which features Shah Rukh Khan.

But director Priyadarshan is quite confident about his film’s success and says, “We’re not in competition with anyone. Kuselan filmmakers are bound by contract and hence can’t dub the film into any other language.”

But will the Kuselan filmmakers not find loopholes in the contract to dub the film in Hindi? According to a source a dubbed Hindi version of Kuselan is being released during Diwali too.

Snakes and showers

The presence of a poisonous snake and heavy showers disrupted the shoot of Billoo Barber in Pollachi, Tamil Nadu recently. A snake entered Lara Dutta's room late in the night, but she managed to handle the situation and is safe.

Recounts her co-star Irrfan Khan, "Had the snake bitten Lara, it would've been disastrous. But Lara was sensible and brave enough to come out unharmed."

Apart from this episode, heavy showers have disrupted the shooting schedule too. Recalling the shoot, Irrfan says, "Shah Rukh simply had to leave for Mumbai and the rains just wouldn't stop.

And since Priyadarshan had to wrap up the shoot, we had no choice but to shoot in the rain, which was quite harrowing."

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Salman khan: Love hurts!

Even if you want to hold a cute cub, you just can't when the lion is around. It is a given that the beast will go to any extent to protect its cub. Bollywood actor Salman Khan too has a lion’s heart when it comes to love. He is very protective. Over protective at times, he has run into trouble many a time because of his relationships.

Yes, love seems to have changed Salman. The cool-looking young man, who stole the hearts of millions in Maine Pyaar Kiya, has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. He was at an all time low when beauty queen Aishwarya Rai dumped him. His rapport with his counterparts took a beating because of her. For instance, he is not on good terms with actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Vivek Oberoi and Abhishek Bachchan because of her.

With Katrina Kaif, history repeated itself. He remained the same old over-protective guy. His rapport with actors like Akshay Kumar, Shahid Kapoor and John Abraham turned ugly. The reasons behind his recent spat with Shahrukh Khan were his girlfriend Katrina Kaif and ex-girlfriend Aishwarya. Shahrukh's comment on Ash provoked the lion in him, thus spoiling Katrina's birthday party. Maybe he is still protective of Ash or doesn't want to hear about her at all.

Well, Salman should learn how to think out of the box and accept reality. Ash is passé now. All he needs now is Katrina by his side. And he shouldn't spoil it all by being over possessive or over protective.

Katrina Kaif refuses to talk about Salman Khan

Bollywood beauty, Katrina Kaif is going on a media snubbing spree. Try questioning her about Salman and what do you get in reply, a big snub and no answers to the questions asked further.

Kat seems to be having a tough time dealing with media bouts about Sallu. She was recently heard howling at a reporter, “At any event, no matter what it is for, I’m only asked one thing,” “It does get to me. I understand a media person’s job. Fine. They can ask. But I’m not telling.”

The pretty lass has made it clear that the only questions that will be entertained from now on will be on her films and nothing else, as she would rather talk about her work than her personal life. Okay lady, we won’t ask you anything about Sallu but, how about Akki then?

Big B recalls `Coolie` accident, thanks fans for prayers

Bollywood veteran Amitabh Bachchan couldn't help getting nostalgic about the support he got from his fans more than two decades ago when he survived a life threatening accident on the sets of Manmohan Desai's "Coolie".

The actor, who is currently in Texas for his world tour Unforgettable, posted a "Happy Birthday To Me" note on his blog, www.bigb.bigadda.com

"August 2, 1982! It is the day in Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai, after the 'Coolie' accident that I lived again. A time when the prayers of hundreds of well-wishers and fans brought me back to life,” he wrote.

"This is a debt that I shall never be able to pay back. I am with you today because of those prayers. Prayers from so many, whom I never knew, never met and probably never shall. I thank you," he added.

While filming "Coolie" in 1982 Amitabh seriously injured his intestines during a fight scene with co-actor Puneet Issar.

He was taken to the hospital and was operated upon. He remained critically ill for many months.

The accident received wide coverage and a Bachchan hysteria gripped the country. Hordes of fans thronged temples, praying for his well-being.

More than two decades later, communicating to his fans through the blog, the actor said: "I wish to thank through this wonderful medium the gracious congratulations from those (fans) on the 100th day of my blog."

"It has been a wonderful journey for me - educative, revealing and emotional. It has given me the opportunity to reach out to you in a manner I would perhaps have never envisaged," he posted.

Abhishek continues as Flying Machine brand endorser

The Sanjay Lalbhai-led textile major Arvind Ltd Sunday said actor Abhishek Bachchan continues to be the brand ambassador for its jeans brand Flying Machine.

“We would like to reiterate the fact that Abhishek Bachchan continues to be the brand Ambassador for Flying Machine,” the company said in a statement.

“Flying Machine is pleased to be associated with an icon like Abhishek, who personifies the brand, impeccable style and youthfulness and will continue the association as initially planned,” it added.

The statement comes within days of reports that the actor will cease to be the brand ambassador for the jeans brand in view of it having re-positioned itself focusing entirely on the youth.

Arvind Ltd Chairman Sanjay Lalbhai had Thursday last told its annual general meeting in Ahmedabad that Arvind Brands had signed Abhishek Bachchan last year on a one-year contract which would not be renewed.

Before its re-positioning in the summer of 2007, Flying Machine was also being patronised by people over 30 years of age, apart from those in their 20s.

Aishwarya shuttles home to be with ailing dad

Aishwarya Rai, along with hubby Abhishek Bachchan, has taken a day long break from the frenzied Unforgettable Tour to be with her ailing father who is going through the third session of chemotherapy.

"My father is my inspiration," Aishwarya said, adding that she is concerned about him but believes in his strength.

Aishwarya declared she has great faith in her father’s strength and that she believes he is strong enough to recuperate with his strong will and faith in the power of healing. She added that the family is going through a tough time and it is the strength of character of her father and mother that they are able to cope in this tough time so well.

"It’s not easy for us," Ash said but went on to add that her mother is very strong and the family is handling this crisis very bravely.

Toronto whiz kid adds North American flavour to Bollywood

who is the latest Indian-Canadian to enter Bollywood with his hit song "Apun Ke Saath" in the recently released thriller "Mission Istaanbul", says he wants to make it big in Indian showbiz.

"Now that I have done this wonderful song, I would love to bring my music - across a variety of genres, including punk, rock, hip hop, jazz, metal and classical - to Bollywood," Kohli told IANS in an interview.

A former investment banker who now owns FatLabs music studio here, Kohli said he was approached by Mika Singh to do the song for "Mission Istaanbul".

"No, I was not looking for a break in Bollywood. But it happened when Mika Singh came to see me here. He wanted me to do a song that will inject the North American flavour into 'Mission Istaanbul'," Kohli said.

The song "Apun Ke Saath", he said, was already in the film as part of its script.

"So, they just asked me to impart a new flavour to it. I achieved this by combining the talents of Canadian artists such as (FatLabs-developed) pop singer Priya, (hip-hop artist) GQ number One and (session musician) James MacGregor. I am very happy with what I did."

According to Kohli, "Mission Istaanbul" was "a wonderful, action-packed thriller, with my song as one of its signature songs. That feels great."

The second-generation Indian-Canadian said other Bollywood filmmakers have now approached him to bring his kind of music into their films.

"I love Bollywood films for their beautiful songs and dance numbers. I enjoyed working on this song and am looking forward to more such roles in Bollywood. Of course, the bulk of my business remains in North America," said Kohli, who has already produced six albums.

"I do most of the composition myself. And the six albums are in different genres, and for different bands and markets. Eight more albums are in the pipeline. So we have a pretty hectic life here," he maintained.

Kohli said his unique musical style was the product of his work with some "amazing musicians" early in his career.

"Composing, recording and performing with various punk and rock bands was my passion - I worked with the most creative people - the ones who create their own music and style."

He said after a brief stint in Toronto as an investment banker (1999-2000), he decided to pursue his passion for music.

"In 2003, I established my own FatLabs music studio where we produce all sorts of music across different genres and provide a creative atmosphere for artists, Kohli said.

After 'Saawariya' success, composer Monty Sharma is a busy bee

Monty Sharma, the composer who made it big with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Saawariya", has joined the league of successful music directors and is scoring music for 21 films.

"I'm composing for as many as 21 films - some will release this year and some will come out next year," Monty told IANS.

Monty, who is also judging the reality show "Voice Of India", added: "My days are really hectic as I have to do my regular work and judge the show. But, I have planned my days - five days for my work, one day for 'Voice of India' and one day for my wife."

Talking about the success of "Saawariya", he said: "Though 'Saawariya' gave me the fame and identity, I was working in the industry since a long time. After 'Saawariya', I have gained recognition and people have started taking me seriously. 'Saawariya' made a lot of difference in my life."

Trained under his grandfather Ram Prasad Sharma, Monty started working in the industry from the age of 15 as a keyboard player. His first film as a keyboard player was "Mr. India" under the legendary music director duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal.

"Music is in my blood as I come from a family of musicians. Pyarelalji is my uncle (father's elder brother). My father Anand Sharma was one of the best viola players of his times. My other uncle Gorukh Sharma was one of the best guitarists who played for most of the films including the famous track of 'Aashiqui'."

In spite of coming from a family of musicians, Monty's entry into Bollywood has not been easy. He had to wait for almost 20 years to get his first big break.

The 37-year-old composer has worked in various capacities in the music industry. From key board player to music arrangements, to background score, he has experienced every trait of the trade.

"I started as a key board player and then gradually shifted to music arrangements. I did the first arrangement for 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' and many other films followed later. I started background score with 'Shatranj', which starred Divya Bharati and went on to do the background score for many films including 'Black' and finally Sanjay chose me for 'Saawariya'."

"But the first composition that I did was for Sanjay's 'Bajirao Mastani', which was later shelved."

Monty wants to use new singers for his films and says there are a lot of talents which need to the tapped.

"The reality shows have introduced a huge number of talents. There are 800 films being made in Bollywood, so I think there is an ample scope for all of them."

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Sohail on the Sallu-SRK spat

If we are to believe Sohail Khan, big brother Salman Khan will soon patch up with Shah Rukh Khan. The ugly spat at Katrina Kaif’s birthday bash is now well known. However, what’s not clear is the reason. Ask Sohail to throw some light on the issue and he says, “You know as much as I do. Even if there is a misunderstanding, they are straightforward people and know each other well. I am sure they will patch up.” Well, that’s what their fans are hoping for too.
Sohail and Salman will be soon seen in God Tussi Great Ho. A remake of the Hollywood flick Bruce Almighty, both have some great chemistry in the film. Sohail says, “It is our bonding as brothers that shows.” If it’s anything like Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya, we are sure it’s going to be a movie to watch out for.