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Main hoon Dawood
After the success of Jannat, Emraan Hashmi is all set to play Dawood Ibrahim in Ekta Kapoor's Once Upon a Time in Mumbai.
The film will be directed by Milan Luthria, and it is believed that it will have Sanjay Dutt in a pivotal role.
Our sources said, "Milan Luthria is very excited about working on this film and is currently involved in extensive research on the subject.
It was Ekta's idea to make a film on the '80s underworld, and Milan has been working on it from quite some time.
The film will have such key characters as Haji Mastan, Dawood Ibrahim, Chota Rajan and Arun Gawli. It will focus on the underworld operations of that decade.
Milan has been keen to work with Emraan who he has known closely since the latter started out assisting Mahesh Bhatt.
He could only envisage Emraan playing the role of Dawood. The actor is looking forward to working with him as well."
The source further added, "Much thought has gone into his look and once everything is in place, they will work on getting the right look for the actor."
When contacted Milan Luthria said, "I don't wish to comment on anything at this moment. We will announce everything at the right time.
But yes, I have always wanted to work with Emraan and I think he has great potential. I think it's the right time for him to go to the next level."
Bipasha finally admits her dislike towards Katrina Kaif
Bollywood beauty Bipasha Basu has spoken to the media about her problems with fellow actresses.
Bipasha says, “We should realise that women are transparent creatures and we can’t be friends with anybody. Kareena and I had a problem so many years back that today I don’t even remember what it was. I don’t know Kareena as a person but today I can say openly I don’t have any problems with her. People then created awkwardness and with constant repetition the problem got aggravated but I hold no grudges. She’s a wonderful actress.”
When asked if she has a problem with the new Bollywood Queen Katrina Kaif, Bipasha admits, “Yes there is a problem between Katrina and me. But there could be reasons for that. It could be because of our boyfriends (John Abraham and Salman Khan) but that never affected our work. We didn’t speak during Race but that never stopped us from shooting.”
“I could walk up to Kareena and do that; but no, I can’t do that with Katrina. There is awkwardness between Katrina and me. We don’t talk to each other,” Bipasha said further. “Enough negativity was generated between Kareena and me which created awkwardness. I don’t want people to think that of Deepika and me. She and I didn’t interact much during the shooting of Bachna Ae Haseeno. I got to know her during the music video and promotions. She is very expressive, talented has got a very raw, on screen persona and is a great girl.”
Cheeni Kum for Bipasha’s sexy figure
Now we know the secret of Bipasha Basu’s to-die-for figure. The Bong bombshell is all in for going sugar free. She recently became he brand ambassador of a sugar free brand. As an endorser, she will also share her fitness tips with the junta. The sensuous diva was as it is a fitness freak courtesy her beau, John Abraham. Now with the trend of size zero taking the glam world by storm, Bips sure couldn’t stay far behind. Bipasha revealed that she does regular yoga and believes in proper dieting. However, she also has faith in alternative health products. With her sexy, hour glass figure, Bachna Ae Haseeno seems more like a caveat from Bips.
Singh is Kinng screening disrupted
In spite of receiving green signal from Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC), the first day, first show of Singh Is King is disrupted by some Sikh activists in Punjab today. After reviewing the film for hours, DSGMC allowed the film to be screened worldwide. Some scenes had also been re-shot to remove any sort of controversy but disruption ultimately took place.
The Sikh activists damaged the property of the NM cinema hall for showcasing them in a negative way. On learning about the disruption, the police personel rushed to the spot immediately and controlled the situation. They arrested some of the activists for creating hullabaloo. The protest against the film had already been declared by the Sikh organization Damdami Taksal on Thursday.
Security has been tightened around the cinema hall and many police personals have been assigned in multiplexes and theatres to avoid any sort of further damage. Singh Is Kinng is another hyped film of the year starring action hero Akshay Kumar and vivacious actress Katrina Kaif.
Neil trying to replace Khiladi Akshay?
Neil Nitin Mukesh is going places with his negative act in the thriller, Johnny Gaddar. Having boldly made an offbeat debut by playing a grey shade, Neil has undoubtedly proved his knack for brave moves. It is no wonder then that he chose to perform some daredevil stunts himself. For his forthcoming flick titled Freeze, Neil has done some dangerous shots without a stunt double. I a particular scene, he is shown jumping off a ninth floor building. Elaborating on the scene, Neil says, “I had to jump off the ninth floor. I did it without a harness and landed on an airbag. There was a major rush and the feeling was great. What’s more, I am alive!”
So do we see the action king, Akshay Kumar, being replaced by the young and happening, Neil? No, says the actor. “There is nobody who can ever become Akshay Kumar. There is one and only one Akshay. I am a big fan of his. I will obviously try to do something he has already done,” states Neil.
According to reports, while performing one stunt, Neil got hurt. However, he dismisses it off as a freak accident. He says, “I will not say it was anybody’s mistake. Shyam Roshan (director) is like my father. They way he concentrates on each stunt, the way he co-ordinates, it is amazing. But then, at times things do go wrong.”
In Freeze, the audience will be in for more surprises than one. Grandson of the legendary singer, Mukesh and son of the versatile, Nitin Mukesh, Neil is all set to exercise his vocal chords in this one. Nevertheless, he is careful enough to not showoff. He says, “I am not a trained singer. I am a trained actor. I hope there are no comparisons made. People need to realize that there is only one Mukesh and Nitin Mukesh. Now, there is a Neil who is trying his hand in something he is passionate about.”
Neil also waxed eloquent about his co-star in Freeze. The sexy Bipasha Basu will play the female lead in this thriller. While the pairing seems odd, Neil doesn’t feel so. He says, “Bipasha is a great co-star. She is a sweetheart. I adore her. He is a lovely person and great human being. Above all she is a Capricornian like me and I think that’s why we gel even more.”
Protests against the Kinng
Around 25 Sikh youth on Friday pelted stones at a local theatre here running the opening show of Akshay Kumar-starrer 'Singh is Kinng', alleging that the film depicts the community in a distorted manner.
The youth, carrying the portrait of slain militant leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwala and armed with naked swords, pelted stones at the 'Annam' theatre in a bid to disrupt the show, but timely arrival of police foiled their attempts.
As soon as the police arrived, the youth fled from the scene and the show continued without any disruption.
Security personnel have been deployed in strength at 'Annam' and another theatre Rialto, where the movie is being screened.
The movie got a green signal from the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) after it asked producer Vipul Shah to insert a disclaimer and an apology at the beginning of the film.
What’s so lucky about Abhay Deol?
Abhay Deol, Neetu Chandra, Archana Puransingh and Paresh Rawal were seen singing and dancing along in a garage recently. No, that’s not the coolest place to party of late. They were shooting a promotional video for their forthcoming film, Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! Going by the video, Abhay seemed to be the centre of attraction. Neetu says, “That’s because he is the central character in the film. It’s been shot in a garage to give a true feel to the song.” Paresh added, “The film is about Abhay. His name is Lucky and he is playing the title role.”
Speaking about his role in the film, Abhay says, “The character I play is ambitious. That’s the best way to put it and that’s as much as I can reveal.” Evidently excited about the film, Neetu seemed just eager to talk. There is a reason for her excitement; after all, it’s her first film as a leading heroine. She says, “This is my first solo lead and I am looking forward to it. However, every film I do, I do it like it’s my first one. So every time I am nervous and excited.”
The title of the film makes it look like a comedy. However, the star cast of the film refuses to divulge much about the story line. Abhay says, “It is about a man who steals himself alive. Now, I have given as many clues as possible. I’ll speak more when we get closer to the release date.” While the trend in the recent past is to make promotional videos of the film, Abhay seems to disagree with the pattern. He says, “I don’t know why we are doing this. As it is, I have no interest in doing a music video. Maybe it’s the trend now. They think that if the album runs, the film will work as well.”
Salman’s Dard ka Dum!
Whoever talks about Sallu’s unprofessional attitude should have been present at the shoot of his latest Dus Ka Dum episode!
All thanks to the rains and humid climate of Mumbai the superstar wasn’t feeling well and was suffering from a throat ache. Inspite of the production team telling him to take rest, the actor didn’t budge and went ahead and did the shoot.
Someone from the audience said that Salman was clearly unwell during the shooting of Dus Ka Dum the other day. He kept coughing even during the breaks of the shoot. Almost everybody suggested him to wait and take rest but he didn’t listen. He went on with his hosting but while playing the game show with one of the contestants, he couldn’t resist but blurt out his pain. The contestant was amused and so was the audience.
Well, we don’t like our bad boy Salman for nothing after all!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Truce Almighty?
Priyanka Chopra and Salman Khan may have not been on good terms since they began shooting for their upcoming film God Tussi Great Ho. But with two films to promote, one of them co-starring, Salman, she seems to have no choice but to gulp down her personal feelings and get professional.
And the fact that Priyanka relented to grace Salman’s game show definitely tells a lot about her professionalism.
She had earlier refused to appear on the show while she was promoting Love Story 2050. But now, setting aside her frozen rapport with Salman, she contested and promoted her upcoming films on the show.
So, finally, on Tuesday night Priyanka set aside all her differences with Salman and along with old pal Bobby Deol, shot an episode for Salman’s show. Salman’s charm seems to have worked well, and Priyanka was happy to call off the cold war. For the moment.
Says Priyanka, “I have never said that I had any problems with Salman. We make a fantastic on-screen pair and we proved it in Mujhse Shaadi Karoge.” Off screen? Ah, well…
Talking about Salman and recalling her shoot for the show, Priyanka says, “Salman is always fun on the sets. He had me in splits when we shot God Tussi Great Ho. During the show, I had a tough time keeping my eyes open, but Salman entertained us all through. In fact, he played a double role.
He was both the host and the hero of one of the films I was promoting. And yes, Bobby and I both won a lot of money!”
Isn’t Chamku an out-an-out Bobby film, we ask her. “I’d do anything for the Deols’ banner Vijayta Films anytime. Bobby and I go back a long way. Agreed, Chamku is Bobby’s film, but I do have a substantial role.
I am the shoulder he cries on. Sometimes it’s good to be a cry-on-me shoulder instead of shouldering a film,” she chuckles.
Priyanka adds, “Bobby and I have already done two films as co-stars before Chamku.”
Big Brother to Bigg Boss, Shilpa Shetty talks big
Actress Shilpa Shetty will soon be all over the place – from hosting the second season of Bigg Boss on the small screen to becoming a producer for the big screen. The actress will also be performing in the London and Germany shows of The Unforgettable Tour. Question’s Rohit Khilnani got the actress talking about all this and more.
Question: From winning Celebrity Big Brother to hosting Bigg Boss, Shilpa Shetty has come a long way in television. Do you agree with that?
Shilpa Shetty: Well, I am looking at it from the perspective of an actress. And we actors are very greedy, we are always waiting to pounce upon a new role. And yes, this one is going to be an interesting experience.
Question: You know the format, you have been through the grind. So what are the few things that you will make sure you do as a host?
Shilpa Shetty: Since I have been there and done that I will be able to relate with the housemates in a more empathetic way. I will be able to imagine what they will go through at that point in time.
College-goers go crazy over Aamir’s ‘Ghajini’ hairstyle
Imran Khan may be ruling the hearts of college-goers after his debut in a refreshing puppy love story – ‘Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na’, but it is ‘Mamu’ Aamir whose ‘Ghajini’ hairstyle has taken the campuses by storm.
Aamir’s ‘Ghajini’ haircut has become so popular in colleges that the authorities in Bangalore have banned the hairstyle. Students sporting Aamir’s ‘Ghajini’ look are not being allowed to enter classrooms.
Sounding amused over the incident, Aamir Khan said that he is surprised at the ban and didn’t know that a hairstyle poses as a distraction in studies.
But ban or no ban, campus kids are in no mood to do away with the trendy Aamir’s hairstyle. Clearly ‘Mamu’ Aamir is having an edge over ‘Bhanja’ Imran!
SRK clears the smoke around his ‘fag-quitting’ statement
Shah Rukh Khan has once again gathered attention to his smoking habit. After reports of his statement to quit smoking for the sake of his children, King Khan now states that his earlier statement has been misunderstood by the media and he has never made any such claim.
The controversy of Shah Rukh Khan arose during an interview conducted at Pollachi in Tamil Nadu, where he was shooting for Priyadarshan’s upcoming flick, ‘Billo Barber’. It was reported that he has given the ‘butt-kick’ statement to a Malayalam daily.
The Bollywood mogul states that he has been smoking since a decade now and has hardly ever thought of quitting, leave alone do it practically! Earlier, SRK had a bitter showdown with Indian Health Minister Ambumani Ramadoss, who wanted film-stars to stop smoking in movies and in public places. The ‘right to smoke’ was contested heavily by both the political and entertainment biggies, and the public just lapped it up.
“The idea of quitting cropped up during a 17-hour flight. So if I can do without smoking in flight, I am sure I can do without it on land too”, SRK stated, clearing up the smoke around this controversy.
King Khan sure knows how to do as he wills, and remain the ‘king of hearts’ as well!
'Race' song in plagiarism row
Taiwanese singer Wang Lee-hom has accused an Indian filmmaker of plagiarising his music and is seeking $320,000 in damages, said his agent Wednesday.
Lee-hom, 33, a US-born singer popular in Southeast Asia, is seeking damages from Tips Films, distributor of the Hindi film "Race", which was released in March, Sony BMG Music Entertainment Ltd said in a statement.
"The lead song in 'Race' - 'Zara Zara touch me', resembles Wang's song 'Deep in the bamboo grove' (Chu Lin Shen Chu). Its rhythm and tempo are similar to that of 'Deep in the bamboo grove'. The similarity is nearly 100 percent," added the statement.
Sony BMG said it reserves the right to take legal action against distributor of "Race" for plagiarism.
In the film, "Zara Zara touch me" was picturised on Saif Ali Khan and Katrina Kaif.
"Race", also starring Akshaye Khanna, Anil Kapoor, Sameera Reddy and Bipasha Basu, has been showcased in India, the US, Britain, Australia and Malaysia and its original soundtrack has also been released in these countries.
"Deep in the bamboo grove" is part of Wang's album "The Sun and Moon in My Heart", a collection of 12 Chinese-language songs released in Dec 2004.
The song mixes a Tibetan woman's singing with hip hop and Chinese drums and flute.
Yuvraj Singh's brother prepares to enter Bollywood
Cricketer Yuvraj Singh's younger brother Zoravar is preparing to enter Bollywood. He is taking the best possible training to make it big in filmdom, said his father.
"Zoravar has joined Kishore Namit Kapoor's Acting Institute just 15 days back. He will be there for a year and take training in various aspects of acting. We will launch him in a big way, but it is too early to say anything more about it," father Yograj Singh told IANS over phone.
Yograj, who himself has acted in more than 150 Punjabi films in a career span of 30 years, says Zoravar has all the qualities to be an actor.
"He is 6.4 ft tall and is working on everything, which makes a good actor. Besides, he has inherited many of my qualities. As a father, I want him to work hard to earn success for himself. I want him to make his own identity."
"He is 19 years old and I will make sure he fights his own battle," said Yograj who is playing an important role in the TV series "Mohe Rang De".
Yograj started his career as a cricketer and was part of the Indian team for a brief period. He said he wanted Zoravar to be a cricketer, but destiny seems to have planned something else for him.
"I had completely overlooked Zoravar during his growing age because I was concentrating on Yuvraj. Later, I realised that it was too late. But I'm happy with the present situation too, as my two sons will represent both my qualities - Yuvraj as player and Zoravar as actor."
Asked about Yuvraj getting into acting, Yograj said: "I will never allow Yuvraj to get into acting until he is 40. He has to play a lot of cricket for the country. I want him to score 15,000 runs in test cricket."
Akshay Kumar – the darling of movie buffs!
There is something charming, something magnetic about Akshay Kumar that makes him the darling of movie buffs.
Is it his gummy smile or his sense of humour; is it his hot bod or his handsome demeanor; or is it simply his talent as an actor that makes the movie buffs queue up whenever an Akshay Kumar-starrer is running at the theatres. The truth is – it is the combination of all the aforesaid qualities that makes Akshay a crowd-puller.
For a man who had no godfather in the film industry, it is quite a mammoth feat to rise from the steamy kitchen of a Bangkok restaurant to the status of a superstar and a certified hit-giver in Hindi film industry.
Though the rise and rise of Akshay Kumar began long ago (with Khiladi) the actor made it to the proverbial less-crowded pinnacle of the Bollywood pyramid with a string of hits he gave last year.
It began with Namastey London , and continued with one hit after another in the series of flicks like Bhool Bhuliayaa , Heyy Babyy and Welcome . Not many superstars in Bollywood can boast of four hits in a year.
Akki’s spell of success was broken with Yashraj Films’ Tashan , but the actor needn’t be blamed for what was actually a shoddy product from a reputed production house. In fact, even the severest critics of the film had a praise or two reserved for Akshay’s performance in it.
And now comes Singh Is Kinng , another prospective blockbuster starring Katrina Kaif as his love interest. The USP of the film is the combination of Akki, Kat, director Anees Bazmee and producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah , all of who have an established reputation for providing wholesome entertainment to movie buffs.
But among the quartet, it is Akshay who commands most loyalty from fans. For when he smiles his toothy grin and blushes and shows his comic prowess, the crowd breaks into wolf whistles.
That’s what makes him a darling.
Akshay, Katrina paint new strokes to promote film
Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif recently unveiled a few paintings at Mumbai's ITC Grand Central to promote their soon-to-be released film Singh is Kinng.
Akshay flew in straight from Los Angeles to unveil the paintings and was joined by Katrina. The two added colour to the event organised by artist Anjana Kuthiala whose collection is inspired by the forthcoming film.
Not only did the lead pair of the film play muse for her paintings, they also made an attempt to add a few strokes to the canvas themselves. And Anjana clearly had her own reasons for choosing the stars as as subjects.
"I'm a Punjabi and these paintings are my tribute to the community on which the film is based. I like Akshay Kumar and Katrina and it is also a tribute to their super stardom," says the artist.
Anjana completed the paintings within a week, and for the moment she is unsure of whether these paintings will be auctioned off, or whether the film's producers have other plans for them.
Bobby plays a Naxalite in Chamku
Vijeta Films is ready with their next film titled Chamku. Like most of the films produced by the Deol banner, even this one has one of the in-house actors, Bobby Deol in the lead. After the success of Apne and a lot of hopes pinned to this one, it will be interesting to watch out for its box office result.
Talking about the film, reports are that Bobby plays a Naxalite in this action-packed venture. Bobby says, “I am a Naxalite only for a brief part of the film. It’s about this character called Chamku who has had a brutal past. His family gets massacred and he is taken care of by Danny, a Naxalite leader.” Though this was the first time that Bobby played a Naxal, he didn’t have to do any research for the role. He states, “It was all given to me, by Kabir (Kaushik, the director). He is originally from Bihar and is inclined towards these kinds of stories. He had already done the research.”
Chamku is looked upon as a vehicle to revive Vijeta Films. So was it a conscious decision to roll out an action based film, considering the Deol’s penchant for action? According to Bobby, action is not the only genre they are looking at. He says, “We are making many films. We want to make films which people will like.”
For the suave Bobby, 2007 was good. Though the Yash Raj film, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, turned out to be a dampner at the box-office, Bobby got appreciation for his role. Even with Apne, in which the three Deols got together for the first time, his character stood out. Fast heading towards the hit actors’ list, Bobby has many films to look forward to. He says, “I have a film titled Ek. Then there are Roshan, Heroes and Dostana I’m working on.” Looks like, the reel Chamku’s destiny is all set to shine bright. Now, only if that helps revive Vijeta Films as well!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Ash you like it: Katrina, the new face of Nakshatra
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's loss is Katrina Kaif's gain, in more ways than one.
Not just the Namaste London star is the current flame of Ash’s ex, she has also replaced the Bachchan bahu as the brand ambassador for Nakshatra, a diamond jewelry brand.
With five hits in a row, Katrina has obviously climbed the popularity charts.
So is this an indication that Kaif might soon take Rai's place? "Ash did great things with the brand I hope even I can do the same," she says.
Katrina has also been in the news because of her now infamous birthday bash and the buzz is that she is keeping a safe distance from Salman Khan.
"I don't go by those methods; in fact if all goes well, we might do a film under Sohail Khan productions," she says.
Though that might be true, there's also news that despite the Salman-Shah Rukh spat, Katrina will be a part of SRK's Temptations world tour.
“Yeah, if everything works out fine I might. I love dancing and performing on stage," she says.
Singh Is Kinng is Akshay’s widest ever release in UK
Singh Is Kinng: Akshay’s widest ever release in the UK & Europe
SINGH IS KINNG is creating new benchmarks. Akshay Kumar films in the UK are normally released over 50-55 prints but his upcoming film will be released by Studio 18 UK on 70 prints, making it the widest release of his career.
In the U.K. and Ireland, where the film has bagged a favourable PG certificate, it will preview all day on Thursday, 7th August with a general release on Friday, 8th August.
Included in the 70 prints are 2 for Ireland as the tent-pole action comedy will have a day-and-date release in both Dublin and Belfast. In addition, in Europe, SINGH IS KINNG opens on Friday on 10 prints in Scandinavia, Germany, Switzerland and Benelux. There will be a deferred release in Poland among other European countries.
Says Tanuj Garg, Marketing & Distribution Head of UK & Europe, Studio 18, “Our WELCOME grossed near on £ 912,000 in U.K. on 51 prints. On SINGH IS KINNG the bar has been taken up further in terms of marketing and prints. Given the holiday period, the film’s genre and the immense excitement enveloping its release, it will have a wide release across the circuit.”
No longer a Partner?
Sohail Khan Productions' sequel to Partner, titled Partner 2, will not have Katrina Kaif in the lead. Does this professional decision have anything to do with Salman and Katrina's souring personal relationship?
Sohail Khan confirmed the news when he said, "The sequel to Partner will have the same leading actors - Salman and Govinda, but we are looking for different leading ladies."
David Dhawan is now working on the script of Partner 2, which will go on the floors in March, or latest April, next year.
Sohail Khan
After which Dhawan is slated to do another film for Sohail Khan Productions, Amar Akbar Anthony.
This time, obviously, it will have to be another beauty. Is it a blow for Kat's flourishing career? Well, considering she has been heard saying that she doesn't want to do films with Salman any more, perhaps not.