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Now, Aditya Chopra is planning to do as many as three more films with Katrina Kaif. The filmmaker is quite excited about this new chemistry and has also been spending more time with Kats these days.
So, our sources add that not only do the two discuss films but much more. Reportedly, Aditya has become Katrina's mentor and has been advising her on her career and life as well.
WE ARE FAMILY is an official adaptation of Hollywood flick STEPMOM. In the times when number of film makers lift a film and name it as a reference point or mere inspiration, producer Karan Johar was adamant that he won't allow the film to move beyond the written material till adequate rights for an adaptation were brought.
"At Dharma Productions, we have a company reputation to maintain," says the proud film maker, "By no means would we have adapted a film without taking an official route. We wanted to secure ourselves on that front and get all legalities drafted to the T before taking any further next step."
The first step was for debutant Siddharth Malhotra to get the screen adaptation on print before moving ahead with any filming. Once he approached Karan, he gave a go ahead but only with the condition that all formalities had to be taken care of before the film was commissioned.
I liked the way STEPMOM was re-written to further suit Indian sensibilities. However, I first wanted the rights before any further proceedings," says Karan, "We went through this entire process with Sony Pictures where they also came in as co-producers. They went through the entire screenplay written by us, approved it, did all the paperwork and once that happened, the actual shoot began."
With such effort that has gone into the making of this Kajol, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal, one does hope that it is worth it after all!
"At Dharma Productions, we have a company reputation to maintain," says the proud film maker, "By no means would we have adapted a film without taking an official route. We wanted to secure ourselves on that front and get all legalities drafted to the T before taking any further next step."
I liked the way STEPMOM was re-written to further suit Indian sensibilities. However, I first wanted the rights before any further proceedings," says Karan, "We went through this entire process with Sony Pictures where they also came in as co-producers. They went through the entire screenplay written by us, approved it, did all the paperwork and once that happened, the actual shoot began."
With such effort that has gone into the making of this Kajol, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal, one does hope that it is worth it after all!
Music maestro A R Rahman on Monday launched the theme song for Commonwealth Games 2010 in New Delhi after the Group of Minister (GoM) on the Games approved the tune on Sunday.
Dedicating the song to Mahatma Gandhi, Rahman said it is not Shakira's Waka Waka type, the official song of FIFA World Cup 2010, but it is full of energy and asked the crowd at the function to join in with him.
'The full song will be released in ten days time' assures the 'Mozart of Madras'.
'I have been working on the song for the past six months.
'It is in my voice with a chorus,' he said, promising that the song will be big part of the celebration and will be unlike anything that has happened before.
The Oscar winner's song will be sung in the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony in October.
The Chairman of Games' Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi, whose absolute power in the games was clipped, said he has heard the song and 'it is beautiful.'
The approval for the tune came hours after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's appeal on his Independence Day to treat the Games as a national festival.
The successful organization of Commonwealth Games would be another signal to the world that India was equipped to face any challenges, the Prime Minister said.
Setting asides all controversies the Prime Minister on Saturday gave the overriding powers to the Group of Ministers headed by Union Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy.
Reddy rubbished any 'delay' theory over the Games.
Rahman on the other hand simply looks forward to treat the world with another memorable musical experience.
Dedicating the song to Mahatma Gandhi, Rahman said it is not Shakira's Waka Waka type, the official song of FIFA World Cup 2010, but it is full of energy and asked the crowd at the function to join in with him.
'I have been working on the song for the past six months.
'It is in my voice with a chorus,' he said, promising that the song will be big part of the celebration and will be unlike anything that has happened before.
The Oscar winner's song will be sung in the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony in October.
The Chairman of Games' Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi, whose absolute power in the games was clipped, said he has heard the song and 'it is beautiful.'
The approval for the tune came hours after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's appeal on his Independence Day to treat the Games as a national festival.
The successful organization of Commonwealth Games would be another signal to the world that India was equipped to face any challenges, the Prime Minister said.
Setting asides all controversies the Prime Minister on Saturday gave the overriding powers to the Group of Ministers headed by Union Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy.
Reddy rubbished any 'delay' theory over the Games.
Rahman on the other hand simply looks forward to treat the world with another memorable musical experience.
According to latest reports, Arjun Rampal decided to walk out of the film as he was not happy the way his character was being portrayed. This led to some real differences between Arjun and Farhan Akhtar, who will direct this film.
It will be worth to mention that Farhan and Arjun are thick friends in real. In fact, it was Farhan Akhtar who gave Arjun Rampal some plum roles in his films DON and ROCK ON. But this time the creative differences have made them part ways, though on a cordial note according to the source.
Two weeks later, that is 27th August will see the release of another horror film, BACHAO. INSIDE BHOOT HAI, which has also been dubbed in Tamil and Telugu. As can be guessed from the title this too has horror as its theme. It has been directed by Shyam Ramsay from the famous Ramsay house of horror.
Just a week after, that is September 3rd will witness the release of the Wilson Louis directed Samir Dattani, Sheena Nayyer, Himanshu Malik and Suresh Menon starrer MALLIKA. From PPC Horrortainment and Glorious Entertainment's this horror cum thriller looks the most interesting and has it all that will appeal to the hardcore horror faithful.
Well this is truly something that horror fans can look forward to!
However there is a town in the state of Uttar Pradesh which saw the film opening to an excellent response and that is at the Meenakhi Theatre of Aligarh city. Despite Ramzan the film has seen almost full houses on the opening day and the reason is the presence of not one but three nearby villages which share the same name as the film, Peepli, which are in nearby Khair, Atrauli and Lodha townships
The villagers are turning up in hordes to watch the film. They are very happy that a film has been named after their village. The first show saw the Chief (Pradhan) of one of the three village land up in his luxury car along with a host of other villagers to watch the film. Coincidentally just like the film's main protagonist Natha (Omkar Das Manikpuri) there was even one man called Natha who watched the film along with his family, and said "Babuji film ki kahani to ekdum theek hai. Issme kuch bhi banawti naahi hai, (Sir, the film's story is quite good and there is nothing artificial)."
The villagers were unanimous that PEEPLI [LIVE] is an extremely well made movie and in touch with reality. The "Mehngai Dayain" song in particular has seen a tremendous response.
While on PEEPLI [LIVE] there is another connection with the Aligarh town! Actually director Anusha Rizvi's sister Meera Rizvi is an engineering graduate from the Aligarh Muslim University.
The film, which is a period drama, will see Vidya in a new image. The traditional looking actress will don all attention with her item song and to top it all, Vidya has absolutely no qualms doing this number.
The said item number will be a sensuous portrayal of the actress which is something no one has seen before.
'It was after my fifth film (GHAJINI), and a Filmfare award, and a State award that I finally decided to take it (acting) up as my career,' said the pretty dame recently, speaking to a television channel.
'I think I am doing this job for my love for it and for the passion that I have for it. I think the day I'll stop enjoying it, I'll pack my bags,' she said.
The actress confessed, up to a certain point in her career, her father used to accompany her to the movie sets and now it's her manager who joins her on the shooting floors.
'Mine's a very small family. It's just dad, mom and myself and we are very close knit,' she gushed.
Even though Asin started her acting career down South, way back in 2001, and soon became a household name in the region, it took her some time to enter Bollywood.
The actress burst into national limelight in 2008, starring opposite superstar Aamir Khan, in the mega blockbuster GHAJINI, which went on to become the highest Indian grosser of all time, till Khan's next (3 IDIOTS) came along.
And even though she hasn't
exactly been able to top the accolades that she garnered for her much-loved role in GHAJINI, she has been going strong in Tamil land and also has been bagging endorsements one-after-another.
She said the brand endorsements are not really a distracting thing.
'It's a sign of how much the people accept you. It's not a choice that you make on your own anyway. The multinationals do their polls, do their tests, and they pick you. So I think it's a sign of how much you've managed to connect with people,' she said.
She received a lot of flak in her state however, when she went to the neighbouring country of Sri Lanka, to shoot for a film with co-star Salman Khan, but she maintains politics and arts should not be mixed.
And what about the future, does she have any big dreams for her career?
'I haven't really set another target or a big dream, I just want to be known as a good performer, as a talented performer and whatever opportunities I get, to get to that aim of mine, I would gladly take them up,' said the actress.
There were speculations that the host for this season would be Shah Rukh, or Aamir, Akshay Kumar, or Sanjay Dutt. Some went to the extreme of speculating that it would be cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, who would become the host for the reality show!
Big B had hosted the last season with mind blowing popularity!
However, the entire gamut has been put to a final stop, as Sallu, who has already enthralled audiences with the hosting of 'Dus Ka Dum' perfectly, and in his own style, has admitted to many a media reps that even the Bigg Boss reality show will be done in his own unique style!
Thus, it seems, this season of Bigg Boss is really going to be one big breezy affair!
Salman, who is quite an emotional person at heart, has also admitted that he would support the true spirited and the people who did not play vicious game on the show.
DUNNO Y... would be the first small budget film to be released in theaters in these countries. And, while big blockbusters are aimed at the Indians settled there, DUNNO Y would be targeting the Germans as well. This is the reason why it will have German subtitles or may even get dubbed in German in the second phase of the release in November, which follows the first phase in September. To prove how it's being sought after abroad, big German distributors are queuing up to get the film.
Since DUNNO Y... is the first Indian film about serious gay relationships because of which it is generating a lot of curiosity all over the globe... as it is proving from the various international awards that it is winning. The German distributors also realize the true potential of the film and so impressed were they that they read about the film and hunted for lead actor Kapil Sharma's email id! "Those guys read about the film in their local newspapers and also on the Internet and requested me and I sent them a screener of the film and they really liked it. So, the deal is on and we are working on a contract now," says Kapil.
So, looks like DUNNO Y is going to put India on a global map in terms of cinema!
"RAKTACHARITRA has been an incredible experience. After a gap of eight years I'm getting to work with my mentor again. On the first day on the sets it felt like starting my career all over again," said Vivek.
The actor further went on to add, "Working with Ram Gopal Varma is a fascinating experience for any actor. This is the most complex and layered role that he has offered me. He brings out the best in me. I'm hoping that this continues."
The film is the story of a man's phenomenal rise to power and of the most intense blood-curdling conflict ever heard of between two individuals.
Apart from Vivek Oberoi RAKTACHARITRA also stars Shatrughan Sinha,Vivek Oberoi, Suriya, Abhimanyu Singh, Priyamani and Radhika Apte. It is set to release in October.
Says Siddharth, "Ranbir's inputs turned out to be handy as well. In order to deliver the best, the entire team worked an extra mile to make something truly happening. This is the kind of soundtrack where every song is expected to fight with another to find a place amongst the top."
Vishal Dadlani too doesn't have any hesitation in acknowledging the fact that it was a collaborative effort after all. "Ranbir and Siddharth are buddies so it was imperative that they used to have discussions around the music. Ranbir was very interested in hearing what we were making. His views are welcome because he is in tune with what the younger generation likes", he says.
For producer Sajid Nadiadwala, it was a win-win situation because he could see his entire team totally involved in the making of the film and music.
"What more does a film maker wish for. I could afford to be in a relatively relaxed state due to all around involvement of everybody", smiles Nadiadwala who delivered a money spinner in the form of HOUSEFULL earlier this year, "I had Vishal-Shekhar composing for the film but their personal rapport with Siddharth and Ranbir further helped the final product. I know how they used to bounce off ideas with each other and have healthy discussions. When something like this happens, you know for sure that the film is on the right course."
As Salman Khans latest film DABANGG gets ready for release, Farah Khan is all praise for the star. Says Farah, "I believe there's only one rockstar in the industry right now and it is none other than Salman Khan. Look at the way he looks in his latest film, he's surely making his fans go crazy with his moves this time."
The ace choreographer turned director was talking about Salman's dancing act in his latest film.
It is not only Farah who has been smitten by Sallu's magic, it's learnt that Aamir Khan too is all praise for Salman's act in his new film.
Ajay Devgan had tough time getting his moves right while shooting for Madhur Bhandarkar's film DIL TOH BACHA HAI JI.
According to our sources, Ajay Devgan was supposed to shake a leg with Shazahn Padamsee, but their dancing chemistry was not approved by the choreographer and the director.
Now, Madhur has decided to give both the actors enough time to rehearse before they face the camera with their sensuous salsa moves.
We hear Ajay Devgan and Shazahn are determined to make their dance moves stand out in the film. Though they might not have done it yet, but with more time to practice it must not be a tough affair after all.
According to our sources, Ajay Devgan was supposed to shake a leg with Shazahn Padamsee, but their dancing chemistry was not approved by the choreographer and the director.
We hear Ajay Devgan and Shazahn are determined to make their dance moves stand out in the film. Though they might not have done it yet, but with more time to practice it must not be a tough affair after all.
Kareena is missing her close pals so much that she has even invited them to visit her on the sets if they get time. But, sadly none of them are free to give her company.
Now, her friends have decided to keep Bebo updated about all the happenings in B-Town. So at least the actress won't miss on the gossip going on here. It's learnt that these regular gossip sessions are keeping Bebo entertained for the moment. Kareena is currently shooting for Ra-One with Shahrukh Khan in London. The movie also includes Arjun Rampal. Kareena will be seen in action in Ra-One and SRK will be opposote her.
The actress has alleged that the jawans used lewd language while dealing with her and also mishandled her expensive baggage.
The actress is planning to lodge a complaint regarding the same and wants action to be taken about this incident.
On the professional front, Celina is getting busy with her new project THANK YOU which will be shot in Canada and will be directed by Anees Bazmee.
In the world of glitz and glamour that Kalki Koechlin is a part of where every small thing makes big news, one wonders whether the pretty girl feels like missing out on all the headlines when it comes to star couples.
After all there are many who have stayed in media limelight on the sheer strength of break ups and reunions that have happened amidst them, the holidays that they have taken, the gifts that they have exchanged, the fights that they have had, the cosy dinners that they have enjoyed or a simple walk on the streets that they may have taken. Still, there is not much noise being made about Kalki's live-in relationship with Anurag Kashyap.
"Well, this way I am consciously taking a different route and I have no qualms about that," says Kalki with a straight face, "For me a relationship is a very private thing. Yes, I am willing to admit that I am in a relationship. But sorry, I don't have any intent whatsoever to talk about what Anurag and I go through on daily basis. If at all people have to notice me, it should be because of the work that I am doing rather than something which is personal."
Kalki is sure that marriage is not on the cards and a public declaration, if at all that happens, is a definite no-no.
"As of now, I don't see any point in doing that," she says, "I know that especially in India, marriage is extremely important. However, our respective parents are also easy going so no one has ever come and questioned us or given suggestions. When I stated that we won't tell anyone if we ever get married, it was because we don't want to do it just to please anyone. Neither Anurag nor I have ever felt the pressure."
After all there are many who have stayed in media limelight on the sheer strength of break ups and reunions that have happened amidst them, the holidays that they have taken, the gifts that they have exchanged, the fights that they have had, the cosy dinners that they have enjoyed or a simple walk on the streets that they may have taken. Still, there is not much noise being made about Kalki's live-in relationship with Anurag Kashyap.
Kalki is sure that marriage is not on the cards and a public declaration, if at all that happens, is a definite no-no.
"As of now, I don't see any point in doing that," she says, "I know that especially in India, marriage is extremely important. However, our respective parents are also easy going so no one has ever come and questioned us or given suggestions. When I stated that we won't tell anyone if we ever get married, it was because we don't want to do it just to please anyone. Neither Anurag nor I have ever felt the pressure."
The year 2010 may not have started on a good note for once upon a time reigning queen of Bollywood, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, with her much hyped RAAVAN failing to make a mark at the ticket window. However, seeing the great line up, it appears that the second half may see the queen bee returning to reclaim here throne from the numero-uno actress Katrina Kaif.
Fans of Aishwarya will await the month of November with bated breath as not one but two of her films will see a worldwide release. The first to hit the screens will be Vipul Shah's ACTION REPLAYY opposite the in form 'Khiladi' who already has a hit in HOUSEFULL. The film is due to release on 5th November during the 'Diwali' weekend and seeing the cent per cent success record of Vipul-Akshay and trade report (which predicts a sure shot winner in the film), we are pretty certain that ACTION REPLAYY will definitely be Ash's first big hit of the year.
Next to follow is Sanjay Leela Bhansali's GUZAARISH which releases on November 17th. Aishwarya is opposite the super hero Hrithik Roshan. Up till now both the movies (DHOOM 2 and JODHAA AKBAR) that Ash and Hrithik have done together have turned out to be hits and the audience loves their pairing a lot. The film may not be an out and out commercial project like ACTION REPLAYY yet it will attract the multiplex crowd who want something hatke from the league and so it will not be wrong to expect Aish and Bhansali to work their magic once again after HUM DIL DE CHUKE SANAM.
Next to follow is Sanjay Leela Bhansali's GUZAARISH which releases on November 17th. Aishwarya is opposite the super hero Hrithik Roshan. Up till now both the movies (DHOOM 2 and JODHAA AKBAR) that Ash and Hrithik have done together have turned out to be hits and the audience loves their pairing a lot. The film may not be an out and out commercial project like ACTION REPLAYY yet it will attract the multiplex crowd who want something hatke from the league and so it will not be wrong to expect Aish and Bhansali to work their magic once again after HUM DIL DE CHUKE SANAM.
In the film Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji, actress Shazahn Padamsee plays the nice sweet Catholic girl who works in Ajay Devgn's company. Soon the 40-year old character begins to get attracted to the 20-year old girl. Initially, Shazahn whose last co-star was Ranbir Kapoor was intimidated by the thought of working with an actor so much her senior. But Madhur convinced her about the relevance of the age-group in the script.
Says Shahzahn, "Initially I was nervous. But I knew I was going to be taken care of. Madhur Bhandarkar is one of the best directors ever. Look at the kind of magic he works with his heroines. When I saw Chandni Bar I was blown. It's the best Hindi film I've seen."
The other impediment in Shazahn'a way was that her role requires a lot of dancing. Luckily, Shazahn is equipped to handle that. "After Rocket Singh, I went down South to do two films one in Tamil, the other in Telugu. Both required a lot of Bollywood-styled dancing. So I can manage the movements well now."
Again managing them with an actor who is twice her age could be problematic. Shazahn is willing to put in long ours to get her steps with Devgn right. It's interesting how Shazahn bagged a role that had several short-listed finalists including the producer Kumar Mangat's daughter Amita.
Madhur Bhandarkar was on the look-out for a very young relatively-unrecognized girl to play out the older-man-young-girl romance. He spotted Shazahn at the premiere of Raajneeti. And immediately knew she was the one he was looking for. Not knowing about the stress between Raajneeti director and Devgn, Bhandarkar quickly looked around at the premiere for Devgn to seek his approval for the actress.
Says a source, "Bhandarkar was shocked to know that Devgn was not coming for the Raajneeti premiere. He had to find another opportunity to introduce Shazahn to Devgn."
Madhuri Dixit, the evergreen and once sought after Bollywood actress is presently pretty upset. She wishes to re-connect with her fans via social media network, but can’t. She is finding complexity to confirm her actual identity in the very popular social networking site, ‘Twitter’.
Recently, the ‘Twitter’ bug has caught up with the B-town biggies. There are so many counterfeit accounts in her name that the fans are having a tough time to track the authentic Madhuri and chat with her.
As per report, Madhuri had joined Twitter on May 30 this year. The verification is taking a lot of time and this is what is both upsetting and annoying her.
She contacted the headquarters in order to get hold of the fake accounts. She says that she would never want her fans to be disappointed by talking to her fake identities. The actress has submitted all the requisite credentials needed for confirmation.
The verification is taking longer than usual, since she’s in the USA.
As per report, Madhuri had joined Twitter on May 30 this year. The verification is taking a lot of time and this is what is both upsetting and annoying her.
She contacted the headquarters in order to get hold of the fake accounts. She says that she would never want her fans to be disappointed by talking to her fake identities. The actress has submitted all the requisite credentials needed for confirmation.
The verification is taking longer than usual, since she’s in the USA.