News & Views

Ravishing Raveena for another intense role

          Mumbai, July 31: Raveena seems set to do meaningful cinema of all kinds. After her award-winning role in 'Daman', the National award winner is gearing up to play mother to a rape victim in Mehul Kumar's forthcoming film. The film is based on a true incident that took place in a Mumbai local train. Other stars in this movie are Sanjay Kapoor and Manoj Bajpai.

Anil's last laugh!

          Mumbai, July 31: Now director Anil Sharma is busy telling anyone who cares to listen that Akshay Kumar is still very much a part of his patriotic flick, 'Ab Tumhare Hawale Waatan Saathiyo'. Sharma has spent quite a good time dispelling rumours suggesting quite the opposite. In fact, grapevine was also abuzz with talk of Priyanka Chopra having walked out of his project.

'Chori Chori' sees the light!

          Mumbai, July 31: Ajay Devgan and Rani Mukherjee starrer, 'Chori Chori' will finally see the light of the day. The film's release had been delayed due to some rift between the producer and the distributors. Directed by Milan Lutharia, 'Chori Chori' is said to have been inspired from the sweet romantic comedy, 'While You Were Sleeping', starring Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman. The film will now be released on August 1.

Shashi's writing bug!

          Mumbai, July 30: After acting and directing, Shashi Kapoor has taken to writing. His thoughts will come under the title, 'Juhu's Prithvi Theatre'. The book will have reminiscences of and anecdotes from Prithvi theatre. This is because Prithvi's turning 25 in some time. The book will also include contributions from Shashi's father-in-law Geoffrey Kendall.

Salman-Aishwarya tiff!

          Mumbai, July 30: Seems like Aishwariya Rai is all out to avoid Salman Khan. Their latest movies, 'Kuch Na Kaho' and 'Tere Naam' were supposed to be released on 15th of August. But now the grapevine is rife with speculation of Aishwariya's 'Kuch Na Kaho' being released late in August or in September. 'Tera Naam' on the other hand is to be released as scheduled.

Happy days for Hrithik!

          Mumbai, July 30: Looks like happy days are here again for Hrithik. People who have seen the rushes of his forthcoming film 'Koi Mil Gaya'can't stop raving about it and Hrithik's acting. And this is another feather in father and director Rakesh Roshan's cap. The feedback is so popular that the film has been selected for a special screening for Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Deputy Prime Minister L.K Advani.

'Sahib, Biwi aur Ghulam' now 'River Moon'

          Mumbai, July 29: Pritish Nandy is remaking the Bollywood classic, 'Sahib, Biwi aur Ghulam'. Well, it now turns out that producer Pritish Nandy has changed its name to 'River Moon'. Ash will play Meena Kumari's role while Kareena has been cast in Waheeda's role. There's one change vis- a-vis cast. Salman's no longer a part of the film.

Macbeth to Miya Maqbool!

          Mumbai, July 29: If a film boasts of heavyweights like Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Pankaj Kapoor and Tabu, it definitely deserves a dekko. Well, the masses will not have to wait for long for 'Miya Maqbool', the film starring all these bigwigs. Vishal Bharadwaj has directed this film and is inspired by 'Macbeth'. Another piece of trivia about the film is that the film shoot got wrapped up in 38 days only.

Riya's tinsel town dreams!

          Mumbai, July 29: Even after her now-you-see-her, now-you- don't role in the latest release, 'Qayamat', Riya is a happy girl nevertheless. Riya is apparently flooded with offers right now. Her next release is 'Tum Ho Na' where she plays a negative character. Also up her sleeve is 'Plan' where she's been cast opposite Bikram Saluja.

Amitabh and Maushmai to be seen together again!

          Mumbai, July 28: After along time, yesteryear pair of Amitabh Bachchan and Maushami Chatterjee will be seen together. Being produced by Sony Juneja, the film will also star Dimple Kapadia. Ravi Shankar will direct the film. This upcoming film is being produced under the banner of 4U2C films.

The 'Big' fallout!

          Mumbai, July 28: Big B is in news yet again, for different reasons though. After the bitter episode with the Kapoor family concerning Abhishek and Karishma's broken engagement, Amitabh has decided not to keep any contact with the family. He is reported to have Sanjay Leela Bhansali to choose between him and Kareena for his movie. Known for his reticent nature, this may come as a shock to all the Big B fans.

Public Demand: Rahul Khanna!

          Mumbai, July 28: He's featured in just two films and his stock is already high in the tinsel town. Rahul Khanna is flooded with offers for films from several noted directors and producers. So the development is that director Vikram Bhatt has signed the actor to play the lead in his next movie. The film also stars Arjun Rampal and John Abraham.

Love sans boundaries

          Mumbai, July 27: They say love knows no boundaries. Sure enough, if you see Ashwariya and Vivek. Even as Aishwarya Rai is busy shooting for the film, 'Saat Samundar Paar', and therefore can't make it to Mumbai, she makes it a point to keep in touch with Vivek through phone and SMS.

It's serious cinema for Kareena!

          Mumbai, July 27: Kareena seems to be following sister Karishma in letter and spirit. After some forgettable films and juvenile roles, Kareena is turned towards serious cinema. She'll be featuring in Rituparno Ghosh's remake of film, 'Guide', with Ajay Devgan. Kareena is also slated to play a call girl in Anant Balani's film, 'Chameli'.

The Prodigal son!

          Mumbai, July 27: Ever heard about Ranbir Singh? Well, he is Rishi and Neetu Kapoor's son. Now the news is none other than Sanjay Leela Bhansali is launching him. No, this is not another case of star son joining the family business as you would think. Ranbir is slated to pick up the finer points of direction under the star director Bhansali. Ranbir has already done a 3-year film direction course from New York.

Devgan is Best Actor, Konkona Best Actress

          New Delhi, July 26: Bollywood actor Ajay Devgan bagged the Best Actor Award on Saturday for his patriotic flick, the Legend of Baghat Singh, at the 50th National Film Awards, while Konkona Sen Sharma received the Best Actress Award for her performance in the film, 'Mr. and Mrs. Iyer'. The awards were announced by Prakash Jha, chairman of the jury. This was Devgan's second national award, his first being for his role in the film 'Zakhm'. Sanjay Leela Bhansali's blockbuster 'Devdaas' was declared the most popular film. The Best Director award was given to Aparna Sen for 'Mr. and Mrs Iyer', while Buddhadeb Dasgupta's 'Mondo Meyer Upakhyan' (The Tale of a Naughty Girl) was adjudged the Best Film.

Tara's love for theatre!

          Mumbai, July 26: After a stormy entry into Bollywood, Tara Sharma is passionate about theatre even today. Inheriting a talent for the performing arts from her father, Tara had dabbled with theatre long before she stepped into the glitzy world of cinema. In fact, she played Juliet in the play 'Romeo and Juliet' for the London show. Recently, she was back in London for another play. Keep it up Tara!

Kareena bags 'Sahib, Bibi Aur Ghulam'

           Mumbai, July 26: Kareena Kapoor has been bagging films left, right and centre. Besides a host of films, she has recently bagged three mega projects. They include Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Bajirao Mastani', Bengal director Rituparno Ghosh as yet unnamed debut Hindi film and Pritish Nandy Communications remake of Guru Dutt's classic 'Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam'. The film is being directed by Canadian born Deepa Mehta of 'Fire', '1947 Earth' fame. The latest buzz is that Kareena will be playing Waheeda Rehman's role in the remake, while Aishwarya Rai will play Meena Kumari's role.

Sunny Deol, Rahul Rawail team up together

           Mumbai, July 25: After working together on films like 'Betaab', 'Arjun', 'Dacait' and 'Samundar', Bollywood hardman Sunny Deol and director Rahul Rawail are planning to team up once again for a film to be produced by NR Pachisia. It is rumoured that the film is a remake of the Hollywood hit 'Crocodile Dundee'. Moreover, the latest buzz is that Rahul has managed to sign none other than Christian Dior model Vijayta Sandhu opposite Sunny. The film will be launched at the Hyatt in the suburbs on 25th July.

No regrets: Rahul Dev

          Mumbai, July 25: After an impressive performance in 'Champion', model turned actor Rahul Dev hasn't been seen in very successful projects of late. His last two releases, 'Supari' and '88 Antop Hill', proved to be damp squibs at the box office. However, when asked whether he regretted doing these films, the actor said. "Not at all. I have no regrets, whatsoever. The films may not have done well, but they did me a great deal of good. I was appreciated in both films by critics."

It's double trouble for Aftab!

          Mumbai, July 25: Bollywood actor Aftab Shivdasani has a host of releases to look forward to this year, including Ram Gopal Verma's 'Darna Mana Hai' and Priyadarsan's 'Hungama'. But that's not all. Aftab will be seen in a double role in a film 'Jane Hoga Kya'. He will play both a negative and a positive character in this one. This being the first time that he plays double role, he is putting in twice the amount of work. "It has taken a lot out of me, but I'm really looking forward to it", he said.

'Lagaan' goes to Locarno

          Mumbai, July 24: Bollywood star Aamir Khan's 'Lagaan' swept off almost all the awards it possibly could across the globe. And it's back to Locarno again. Well, it's not the same 'Lagaan' that we have seen. But, it's a film on the making of 'Lagaan' called 'Madness in the Desert' that will premiere at the festival from August 6 to 16. It is a 135-minute-long feature-length documentary, which unfolds a series of events that culminate with the creation of the film, right from the pre-production days to the finished product. The team has taken about three years to put this together. As the 'Lagaan' team travels to the Swiss Alps for another grand event, back home, a toast will be raised to them.

Small roles are fine: Fardeen

          Mumbai, July 24: 'Anything for a good role' seems to be Bollywood actor Fardeen Khan's motto. At the music launch of his next release 'Janasheen', when the star was asked why he opted for a small role in Ram Gopal Verma's 'Bhoot', the dashing Khan replied, "I don't think I need to explain why I did that role. It was something I haven't done, besides the fact that I wanted to work with Ram Gopal Verma." "I'm really glad I did the film, no second thoughts about it," he added.

ABCL to feature Amitabh, Abhishek together

          Mumbai, July 24: Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan's company, ABCL (Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited), is expected to produce a film, which will cast both him and his son together. The film is to be directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and will be launched soon. Santoshi is presently busy finishing "Khakee", which also stars Amitabh.

It's break time for Shahrukh

          Mumbai, July 23: Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan is not planning to take up any new project as of now. He wants to finish his incomplete films first before leaving for London for a back surgery. Last month the actor resumed work with the shooting of Karan Joher's 'Kal Ho Na Ho' and also Farha Khan's 'Main Hoon Na Hoon'. Shahrukh had to cancel the dates for these two films while he was away. Although, no official announcement has been made so far, it is being mentioned in hushed tones that the star will appear in Yash Chopra's next flick. Also, the actor has not yet committed himself to Subhash Ghai's film, but he has agreed to do the film. However, he has not yet allotted the dates.

Akshay, Priyanka opt out of ATHWS

          Mumbai, July 23: Bollywood star Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra have opted out of director Anil Sharma's next patriotic flick 'Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyon'. Since money and dates were never the issue, it is evident that Akshay was not too happy with his role and therefore decided to dissociate himself from the big budget fare. Amitabh Bachchan and Bobby Deol are the other two lead actors in the film. Things between actress Priyanka Chopra and Anil also didn't work out quite well. Priyanka had taken the role that was speculated to go to Aishwarya Rai. The movie was launched only last month with a lot of pomp and show. This was after a lot of speculation for the cast and storyline. Two heroines and now another hero in place of Akshay are still to be finalized.

Hrithik carries on!

          Mumbai, July 23: Bollywood heart throb Hrithik Roshan has taken the criticism heaped on him for his bad show in Sooraj Barjatya's 'Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon' in his stride. Brooding over it, the actor has moved ahead. Hrithik is busy these days with the post-production work of his father Rakesh Roshan's 'Koi Mil Gaya'. He is even supervising the special effects work of the film in Bangalore. Incidentally, the other special effects work of the film is being done in Los Angeles.

Great company for Akshay!

          Mumbai, July 22: For an actor with marginal success in movies, Akshay Khanna has sure notched up some big names to work with. None other than Priyadarshan has directed his forthcoming film, 'Hungama'. The grapevine has it that he may also be signed up by Bengal director Rituparno Ghosh for a movie starring Amitabh Bachchan and Tabu.

Something about K3G!

          Mumbai, July 22: There's something about K3G! After the film was declared a blockbuster, people voted in Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol as their favourites. It seems as if the masses still haven't had enough of the movie. Sony Max screened K3G and the TRPs the film secured are phenomenal! K3G's screening was also a hit down south.

Sunny days for Juhi!

          Mumbai, July 22: Things seem to be going extremely well for chirpy actress Juhi Chawla. As if the news of 'Jhankar Beats' doing roaring business throughout the country was not enough, then here's the piece de resistance -Juhi has given birth to a baby boy in London! And that's not all, Juhi will be seen in two interesting projects, Nagesh Kukunoor's 'Teen Deewarien' and a horror flick, 'Sannata'.

Krishna Shah back with three projects

          Mumbai, July 21: The man who made Shalimar, starring Dharmendra and Zeenat Aman, besides Hollywood actors Rex Harrison, Sylvia Miles and John Saxon is back with a bang with three projects in his bag. Having established himself firmly as a writer-director-producer in the U.S., Krishna Shah is back in India to promote his home banner Movie Moghuls with his brother Himanshu Shah. He's starting out with 'Baiju Aur Tansen', a historical fiction set in the Moghul era of the 16th century. Shooting will commence from September 2004 and is scheduled for a summer 2005 release. The entire interiors will be shot in Mumbai and the exteriors in Rajasthan. 'Aasman Ke Heere' is a love story set amidst an Indo-Pakistan nuclear confrontation while 'Krishna - the Magic Child' is an animated film to be produced along with Yugo Sako of Japan. With a budget of U.S. 18-20 million dollars, the film will be made in English in 2-D as well as 3-D technology.

Band of Boys' debut film all set for release

          Mumbai, July 20: The debut film of Band Of Boys, directed by Sharad Sharan, is in post-production stages and is expected to release in August. A 45-day schedule of 'Kiss Kis Ko' was held in Bali. The band comprises Karan Oberoi, Sudhanshu Pandey, Chintu, Sherrin Varghese and Siddharth Haldipur. The film also marks the debut of two models, Bhumika Puri and Aparna Kumar. The eight tracks of this film have been composed by the Band Of Boys and a U.K.-based composer, Vikesh Mehta. Neil Archer, a London based lyrics writer, will be collaborating on the English version of a song from the film, which will be released as a single in U.K. market.

Santoshi's new venture a Southie remake?

          Mumbai, July 20: His will be bringing together Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt and Abhishek Bachchan in lead roles for his new venture. It is said that Rajkumar Santoshi has already finalized the star cast. To be produced by A.B. Corp. and Lakshmi Productions, the film will roll on October 10 this year. However, Santoshi denies that the film is a remake of a South Indian film. "It's an original script, being penned by Anjum Rajabali," the director tells me, "Nor is Sanju enacting a negative role, as rumoured."

David's new directorial assignment

          Mumbai, July 20: While David Dhawan had only last year Subhash Ghai signing him on to direct 'Ek Aur Ek Gyarah', now he has bagged yet another prestigious assignment. This new venture of his will be produced by Indra Kumar (director of Dil, Beta, Raja, Mann, Rishtey) and Ashok Thakeria. Starring Sanjay Dutt in the lead, the film will co-star one more hero and two heroines, who are under finalisation. "It's a remake of a Malayalam hit," David says, "We hope to roll next year, once we complete the script and also the pre-production formalities." David admits he's changing tracks with this film. "Of course, all my films would be padded with entertainment, but this one will have an undercurrent of emotions throughout," he says.

Popcorn plunges into film production with 'Khel'

          Mumbai, July 19: Sunil Shetty's Popcorn Entertainment has plunged into film production in a big way with 'Khel'. And that's just the beginning of the game. The company already has a line-up of five films - 'Rakht', being directed by Mahesh Manjrekar, one to be directed by Yusuf Khan (director of 'Khel'), and the third - which will be a four-hero project. The other two films are still in the initial planning stages. And one of the directors of Popcorn and Galaxy Entertainment reveals that Sunil Shetty will not be cast in every film the company produces.

Threat stalks Salman for playing Lord Ram

          Mumbai, July 18: Bollywood actor Salman Khan is reported to be receiving telephonic threats from Hindu hardliners who are opposed to his playing the role of Lord Ram in a Hindi film to be produced by Bunty Walia. The police had not received any complaint from the actor, says deputy police commissioner Bipin Kumar. However, sources in the police said the actor has been receiving threats. Apparently the protestors feel that given Salman's image as a 'Bollywood brat' he should not play the role of a deity like Lord Ram. The actor was not available for comment, but there are indications that Walia may drop him from the film.

Simran to call it a day?

          Mumbai, July 17: The South Indian film industry went into shock yesterday as the news of actress Simran's retirement went around. As per a Tamil newspaper, Simran is quitting films to marry a pilot from Mumbai. However, Simran's yet to react to the story. Hope the confusion gets clear soon.

Aditya: back to the basics!

          Mumbai, July 17: Telugu film director Aditya Om's forthcoming film is sure to make it to news for two reasons. First, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen's daughter Nandana Sen will feature in his film. Secondly, this film will be a silent film. A case of back to the basics for Aditya? Not at all! The director simply wants to experiment.

Multiplexes mushrooming, and for good reason

          Mumbai, July 17: The entertainment industry is going through one of the biggest transitions these days, specially in the exhibition sector. Every month new multiplexes are being opened in different parts of the country, posing a threat to many single-screen theatres. In Mumbai alone, four multiplexes have come up in the last six months while six single-screen houses have closed down. Why do multiplexes offer a better business proposition? This is because the government offers various subsidies to them and pursues liberal policies in this area. But single-screen owners face huge taxes and maintenance costs. The ticket rates are also low. Possibly, the theatre proprietors will go on a strike in the coming weeks. By contrast, the multiplexes offer four screens, food courts, shopping malls and banks within their premises. Such conversions are taking place not only in metros like Mumbai and Delhi but also in cities like Pune, Ahmedabad and Indore. The new systems are equipped with the latest exhibition and sound technology, and more comforting ambience. Not surprisingly, the business is drawing more and more players.

Vivek, Mani Ratnam hospitalised

          Kolkata, July 16: Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi suffered a leg fracture on Wednesday while shooting for a fight sequence on the new Howrah bridge. He has been hospitalised. At the same time director Mani Ratnam, who was directing the fight sequence, complained of chest pain and had to be admitted to the BM Birla Heart hospital.

SRK: Dedication personified

          Mumbai, July 16: Think dedication comes naturally to Shah Rukh Khan. The actor has still not recovered from his back surgery but guess what? The acute pain notwithstanding, Shah Rukh is flying to the US for a 90-day shooting schedule for Karan Johar's film, 'Kal Ho Na Ho'. Shah Rukh apparently was in great pain during the shoot of 'Chalte Chalte' but didn't allow a body double to do his scenes.

Tanuja eyes the Big Apple!

          Mumbai, July 16: Here's another director with a cross-over genre in mind. Director Tanuja Chandra has decided to aim at the global audience with her film based on the September 11 attacks. The film is a love story of a Sikh girl and a Muslim boy. Tanuja is looking at Lara Dutta and Naseeruddin Shah perform the pivotal roles in the film.

Priyanshu goes to Hollywood!

          Mumbai, July 16: Priyanshu Chatterjee who could be our next export to Hollywood. This could be true if everything works out between Priyanshu and a Houston based producers. Priyanshu, obviously chooses to keep mum over the subject, we have some inside info. It seems that in anticipation of things, Priyanshu has shifted his base to the US.

Yash Chopra signs Madan Mohan

          Mumbai, July 15: Guess who's composing music for Yash Chopra's next flick? None other than the legendary Madan Mohan. Confused, are you? Well, here's the thing. Chopra apparently heard some unused tunes composed by the late music director and liked them so much that he wants them in his next movie now. He has requested Madan's son to record the songs for him. The audiences can sure look forward to some memorable music now.

Trial by fire for Hrithik

          Mumbai, July 13: If Hrithik is waiting for anything with bated breath, then it has to be for the release of his movie, 'Koi Mil Gaya'. After the audiences showed 'Mein Prem Ki Deewani Hoon' a thumbs down sign at the box-office, 'Koi Mil Gaya' has become the make or break film for him. Testing times are ahead for his father Rakesh Roshan as well, who has pumped millions of rupees to carry out the special effects in the film.

Prakash Jha heads National awards jury

          Mumbai, July 13: Director Prakash Jha is heading the National awards jury this time. The jury has already received the entries for the feature film category. The total number of feature film entries for 50th national film awards is 104, while it is 85 for Indian Panorama - 2003. For non- feature film there are 74 entries and 57 for Indian panorama. For best writing on cinema the number of books entered is 25 and there are 16 entries for film critics.

Petition against 'Bhoot'

          Mumbai, July 12: Ram Gopal Varma is being sued for his hit film, 'Bhoot'. KG Goswami, a resident of Rajkot, filed a petition in the district court against the movie citing 'mental torture' as the reason. Now while the police are confused about its approach on the case, protest against 'Bhoot' is gaining momentum with Bharat Vigyan Jatha, an organisation is asking for a ban on such movies.

Manisha in 'Market'

          Mumbai, July 12: After lots of forgettable movies, Manisha's come around to doing what she does the best - hard- hitting, in-your-face movies. The actress will now be seen in the 'Market', a movie about flesh trade. Manisha plays the lead role in the film where Suman Ranganathan, Shweta Menon and Aryan Vaid will support her.

Nicole's answer: Dimple

          Mumbai, July 10: What's Bollywood's answer to Nicole Kidman? Seems like Dimple Kapadia. The talented actress is all set to act in the Hindi remake of Nicole Kidman starrer, 'The Hours'. This is going to be interesting to watch as Dimple has started a new inning in the tinsel town with good performances in movies like, 'Dil Chahta Hai' and 'Leela'.

'Crocodile Dundee' in Hindi?

          Mumbai, July 10: Director Rahul Rawail is in the limelight for a lot of reasons. First, his forthcoming film, 'Jo Bole So Nihal, is said to be a take on the hugely successful film, 'Crocodile Dundee'. Second, his choice of female lead to act opposite his favourite hero Sunny, is none other than a Christian Dior model - Vijayata Sandhu. Babloo Pachisia will produce the film.

Making of the 'Taj Mahal'

          Mumbai, July 10: Akbar Khan is not leaving any stone unturned in ensuring the success for his magnum opus, 'Taj Mahal'. The fact that a number of other producers are working on the same concept doesn't deter him. Akbar, in fact, will be making a Hindi as well as an English version of his film. While the Hindi version is for the home audiences, the English version will cater for the global audiences.

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