News & Views

Amitabh-Shatru movie

          Mumbai, June 29: This film, irrespective of its box-office success will make history! Believe it or not, but film, 'Yaar Meri Zindagi' featuring Big B and Shatrughan Sinha will finally see the light of the day! Big deal, you may say, but not if you knew that the film was made during the 'Kala Pathar' era! The film also stars Sudha Chandran, Sharda, Aruna Irani, Padma Khanna and Ranjeet. Producer director Ashok Gupta has directed the film while the music is by the late RD Burman.

Uday's Achilles' heel?

          Mumbai, June 29: Recently released film, 'Supari' has landed actor Uday Chopra in trouble. Rumours are that in spite of a huge starcast, scenes were cut and the movie was made to highlight Uday. Other actors in 'Supari' include Rahul Dev, Akash Saigal and Nandita Das. The film also included two new actresses opposite Uday Chopra and Rahul Dev.

Chunky's cupful of work

          Mumbai, June 28: Comic actor Chunky Pandey has been busy organising Bollywood shows abroad these days. His shows are big hit in Bangladesh where he enjoys a star icon status. Now, Chunky has decided to diversify and take his shows to Africa. The actor will also be appearing on the silver screen in the movie, 'Fresh Lime'.

Big B's days with the dog

          Mumbai, June 27: Will the Big B never stop surprising us? After having impressed audiences with a varied range of characters, the legend is trying to do something different yet again! Amitabh Bachchan will be seen training a dog in his next flick, 'Dogs'. Starring Rishi Kapoor and Diana Hayden, the movie promises an interesting script! While Amitabh Bachchan plays a character with shades of grey, Rishi Kapoor will play an out and out negative character. Mukul Abhyankar will direct the movie. Debutant producer SM Ausaja will produce the film.

Ash's Midas touch!

          Mumbai, June 27: If the grapevine is to be believed, then director Rituparno Ghosh has a winner on his hands. It is being said that Aishwarya Rai has churned out an award-winning performance in the movie, 'Chokher Bali'. The film, based on Rabindranath Tagore's novel, is a psychological study of relationships between sexes in a well-to- do family. The film revolves around four protagonists played by Aishwarya, Prasenjit, Toto Roychowdhary and Raima Sen. 'Chokher Bali' releases in October this year.

Bollywood resolutions for Shahid

          Mumbai, June 27: New kid-on-the-bloc Shahid Kapoor is displaying a great deal of maturity as far as his career in the tinsel town is concerned. Even after being flooded with offers, he has restricted himself to two films a year, that too belonging to different genres. As per now, Shahid is under a five-film contract with Tips but is free to sign any other film as well. Ken Ghost will direct three of Tips films while Anise Bazmee will direct the remaining two.

'Marigold': Salman or no Salman?

          Mumbai, June 25: Salman Khan's upcoming movie, 'Marigold' is food for a lot of rumours. Till recently, the grapevine was rife with the talk of Salman Khan being chucked out the Indo-American project, 'Marigold'. However, as per the sources, Salman Khan will commence shooting for 'Marigold'. The shooting will wrap up in six to nine weeks. Meanwhile, he also has plans to start working on his home production, 'Lucky' to be directed by Vinay Sapru and Radhika Rao.

Varma attempts another genre

          Mumbai, June 25: Ramgopal Varma is a walking-talking film school. This is evident from the way he encourages his assistants. Prawaal Kumar, another protege of Varma, has been entrusted with the direction of a light entertainer, 'Gayab' starring Tusshar Kapoor. Prawaal is also the director of Varma's second horror flick, 'Darna Mana Hai'. However, the piece de resistance is that 'Gayab' will be a songless movie.

Sanjay's place under the sun

          Mumbai, June 25: Things are moving on the right track for actor Sanjay Suri. He got the sobriquet of the 'thinking actor' after movie 'Filhaal' and his latest release 'Jhankaar Beats' is getting rave reviews. Sanjay will be back in another intense role in 'Dhoop' with Gul Panag. 'Dhoop' is a story of the struggle of a helpless father whose son sacrificed his life in the Kargil war. The film will see an August release.

Plagiarism charges against Rituparno

          Mumbai, June 23: Award-winning Bengali director Rituparno Ghosh is being accused of plagiarism. According to sources, a section of the film industry has accused Ghosh's next film with Amitabh Bachchan of being based on Satyajit Ray's life. Ghosh though refutes such charges. He says that his new film has been inspired by his own movie, 'Unishe April'. The new film delves into the relationship of a director father with his son.

'Koi Mil Gaya' music sweeps charts

          Mumbai, June 23: The movie, 'Koi Mil Gaya', has everything going for it right now. Along with the promising promos that have impressed cine-goers, the movie's music is also topping the charts. This could be for Rakesh Roshan to rub his hands in anticipation, for this film could resurrect Hrithik's lost star image. Hrithik's another film, 'Mein Prem Ki Deewani Hoon' by Rajshree Productions, will also soon open for the audiences.

Ego hassles between Manoj and Urmila 

          Mumbai, June 23: Manoj Bajpai, who is starring in Chandraprakesh Dwivedi's 'Pinjar' reportedly walked out of the dubbing studio. According to the sources, the walkout was a result of his feeling left out in the film. He thinks that Urmila is getting all the attention with him being made to sit on the sidelines. The movie, 'Pinjar', is a partition saga written by novelist Amrita Pritam.

Potent star cast!

          Mumbai, June 22: Vivek and Kareena will come together for a movie. According to the sources, Tips is interested in signing Vivek and Kareena for their next film. The hit director-duo, Abbas-Mastan will be directing that project. With Abbas-Mastan at the helm of the affairs and Vivek and Kareena in the lead, the audiences can sure look forward for some real entertainment. Also, Tips is looking to repeat the successful combination of director Ken Ghosh and actor Shahid Kapoor in the near future.

Casting troubles for Bhansali

          Mumbai, June 22: Sanjay Leela Bhansali's next magnum opus like 'Devdas' has also run into troubled waters. His latest venture, 'Bajirao Mastani', is facing problems with Kareena walking out of the movie. His first choice to play the female lead in the movie was Aishwarya Rai. Aishwarya too refused to do the role due to Salman Khan's involvement in the film.

Pamela Rooks in 'Dance Like a Man'

          Mumbai, June 22: Pamela Rooks, who portrayed Khushwant Singh's book onto the film called 'A Train to Pakistan', is back in the limelight. Her next directorial venture is film 'Dance Like a Man'. The film boasts of some big names like Mahesh Dattani as the scriptwriter along with Asif Zakaria and Shobana. Both of them play the lead role of a Bharatnatyam dancer couple. Sarod player Ravi Shankar's daughter Anoushka Shankar has played their daughter's role with Samir Soni as her fiancie.

Amitabh-Rishi back on screen

          Mumbai, June 20: Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor, who have together given some of the most memorable movies, will be seen together on the celluloid once again. The two actors who came together in hits like 'Kabhi Kabhi', 'Amar Akbar Anthony' and 'Naseeb' are now doing first timer Mukul Abhayankar's thriller tentatively titled, 'Dogs'. The Big B will again be seen playing a negative character. The two actors had last appeared together in Shashi Kapoor's directorial debut, 'Ajooba' in 1991.

Nana to don director's cap

          Mumbai, June 20: The last time Nana took up direction, it turned out to be a blockbuster called 'Prahar' featuring Madhuri Dixit and Anil Kapoor. Nana will pack even greater punch when he takes up direction for a second time. Reason? Nana has teamed up with Ram Gopal Varma for his next film. The film is titled, 'Jumman' where he plays a butcher. He is also contemplating an interpretation of Girish Karnad's play, 'Hayavadana'.

Salman's tryst with Hollywood!

          Mumbai, June 20: Salman is the latest Indian export to Hollywood. His Hollywood caper 'Marigold' will indeed be seeing the light of the day, what with rumours about its shelving due to the Iraq war. The movie will see Salman with an American actress. Williard Carroll will direct the movie. The musical trio, Shankar-Ehsaan- Loy has already composed two songs for the movie. Meanwhile, another Indian actor, Vivek Oberoi, has also been cast in a British movie, 'The Invaders'.

'Bhoot' strikes in Delhi 

          New Delhi, June 19: A mysterious death in a cinema hall has added a touch of Hitchcock to Hindi horror movie 'Bhoot'. A theatre manager in New Delhi on Thursday said a man was found dead in his seat on Monday after the late-night screening of the movie. Roop Ghai, manager of the Paras cinema hall, said the theatre's cleaning staff found the man, aged around 50, slumped in his seat after the end of the showing of 'Bhoot.' "It's our daily routine that after every show we check the cinema hall. While checking, the staff found a man 'sleeping'. When our staff could not wake him up, we suspected something foul and thus contacted the police", Ghai said. Though there has been no official confirmation, local reports said the man might have died of a cardiac arrest. The mysterious death has boosted ticket sales of the horror movie.

           Tushar, an ardent cinegoer, said the sound effects made the movie more scary. "The sound effects are really scary...so even if scary part is not there, with the sound you get scared. You just jump from your seat," Tushar said. However, to Mohit, another cinegoer, the appearance of the ghost was the scariest. "There is this one scene where suddenly out of nowhere a ghost appears and it really scares you ...where Urmila Matondkar (the lead actress) is going up and the ghost comes...," he said. Directed by one of India's new crop of filmmakers, Ram Gopal Verma, 'Bhoot' is a spooky thriller about a possessed housewife and is set in a high-rise Mumbai apartment. Before the movie starts, a message from the director appears on the screen warning people with heart problems or pregnant women to view the film at their own risk.

Mumbai model in Tamil movie

          Chennai, June 19: Urvashi Patel, a popular Mumbai model, is all set to hit 'Kollywood' with her movie 'Thati Thavudu Manasu.' The model-turned-actress had always been a Tamil movie buff and had longed to act in one. She jumped at the offer of a role in the movie which is also starring actress Mumtaz.

Simran becoming a film distributor

          Chennai, June 19: Actress Simran is trying her luck at film distribution. She, it is claimed, is strict about payments to be made by the producers. For the movie 'Kovilpati Veeralakshmi' (starring herself), however, she has made an exception. The reason cited for her leniency is that the movie might win her a National Award. She has also asked for rights to remake the movie in Hindi. If this happens, she will be the producer-cum-distributor.

Single song and dance sequences now a fashion 

          Chennai, June 19: Single song and dance sequences now seem to be the order of the day. Kiran, having been admired for her energetic moves in a single song and dance number in 'Arasu', is now appearing in yet another song and dance sequence in the Vijay starrer, 'Thirumalai.' Actress Vindya will also be doing a single song and dance sequence in a movie with Hrithik Roshan.

Wedding bells for Ayesha Julka

          Mumbai, June 19: Lead actress of popular movies like, 'Khiladi' and 'Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander' -- Ayesha Julka is all set to tie the knot. Her would-be-hubby is Sameer Vashi, a construction tycoon. With marriage, it seems that good times are back for Ayesha who will also appear in Vijaya Mehta's 'Purush' opposite Ashutosh Rana. Her another movie, 'Sikkay' directed by Mahendra Shah will also hit the theatres soon.

Second time lucky?

           Mumbai, June 19: Director of hit movie, 'Aankhen', Vipul Amrutlal Shah has decided to team up with his hit star cast of Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal for a second time. The upcoming project titled 'Waqt-Race against Time' will be written by another 'Aankhen' member, Aatish Kapadia. The production team is yet to finalise the leading ladies for the movie. Meanwhile, there is a talk of 'Aankhen' having been picked up Hollywood as a movie theme.

'Serious': Shweta Menon's new mantra

          Mumbai, June 19: Shweta Menon wants to get serious now. Contemporary of beauty queens, Sushmita Sen and Aishwariya Rai, Menon has apparently had enough of item numbers. But she is looking forward to her upcoming flicks, 'Market' and '88 Antop Hill' as she says these roles are challenging. Good thinking, Shweta!

Kalpana's back at the box-office

          Mumbai, June 18: Her 'Daman' failed to impress the audiences but Kalpana Lajmi hopes to change that with her next movie, 'Kyon'. The movie probes into the dark side of the urban society where children from affluent families are pushed towards crime, drugs etc. The cast features Rahul Dev as a cop talking the youngters of this net. Amit Jain, Sachit Patil, Prateeksha, Sanobar Kabir and Chaitanya Choudhary have played the youngsters. Soni Razdan will also be seen in the movie in the role of a fading actress.

Shabana-Urmila to pair up again

          Mumbai, June 18: Variety is the spice of life. Perhaps nobody believes in this more than our Urmila. After giving a heart-stopping performance in Ram Gopal Varma's 'Bhoot', Urmila is ready to give another complex character a shot. She is doing Khalid Mohammad's 'Tehzeeb', a movie about a complex mother-daughter relationship with Urmila playing the daughter. This should be interesting to watch especially when Shabana is playing the mother. The actress will also be seen in Chandraprakash Dwivedi's partition saga called, 'Pinjar'.

'C' Rani's obsession

          Mumbai, June 17: Rani seems to have cultivated a new superstition. For strangely, three of her movies are all starting with the letter 'C' including her latest release 'Chalte Chalte' with Shah Rukh Khan. The movie has had a good opening at the box-office. However, that is not all. Coming up is another interesting movie starring Rani Mukherjee and Anil Kapoor titled, 'Calcutta Mail'. Rani plays a novelist in this movie. Her next movie to hit the theatres shall be 'Chori Chori' with Ajay Devgan. 'Chori Chori' is a love story. On being asked about her latest obsession with the letter 'C', Rani says it just 'coincidence'.

Gulshan's goodness

          Mumbai, June 17: Gulshan Grover has shed his on-screen villainy. The talented actor is playing a tough police officer in movie, 'We Are Not Monks'. The movie has been made by a group of young graduates, Pema Dhondup, Pierre Pasler, Rajeev Ahuja and Kimberely Dukes. According to these young film-makers, the aim of the movie is to change the perception of the West towards exiled Tibet. Gulshan, on a high after his 'Jajantaram Mamantaram' which is doing good business the country over, has not charged any money for the project. 'We Are Not Monks' which several artists from the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts featuring in it, has already done the rounds of several film festivals.

Taxman's Bollywood List

          Mumbai, June 17: The list is out! The IT department has brought out the list of the highest tax payers in the industry. If the tax returns are any standard to go by, then Hrithik Roshan is the highest paid actor in the Bollywood followed by Shah Rukh Khan. Third on the list is director Subhash Ghai and Amitabh Bachchan at the third and fourth spot. Hrithik's income this year was a whopping Rs 14.13 crore out of which he paid a tax of Rs 5.18 crore. Shah Rukh Khan too paid a Rs 4.37 crore to his earning of Rs 13.57 crore.

Bollywood's wheel of fortune

          Mumbai, June 16: Happy days are here again for Bollywood! Thanks to movies like, Raj Kanwar's 'Andaaz', Ramgopal Varma's 'Bhoot' and Ken Ghosh's 'Ishq Vishq', business is looking up in the tinseltown. Although, none of these movies have been countrywide hits, they have acted as catalysts in reviving the trade in the industry. Distributors are willing to touch various projects unlike some time back when the repeated failure of films at the box-office had made them apprehensive. It seems that the distributors are just happy recovering their costs as of now.

Simran: Revisitng Bollywood

          Mumbai, June 16: Simran, the hit south Indian actress is trying to stage a comeback to Bollywood. Even after not so good start, the actress has not given up on Bollywood yet. She will now be seen in Shashi Ranjan's 'Ek Bar Phir Se'. She has been paired up against Sanjay Dutt. Also starring along with Simran are actors Jackie Shroff and Raveena Tandon. According to sources, Simran will also be acting in a Mani Ratnam project.

Nagesh's tryst with UK

          Mumbai, June 16: Nagesh Kukunoor is really going places. His upcoming film, 'Teen Deewarien' will be screened at the Commonwealth Film Festival. The movie, produced by Metallights, packs quiet a punch with talented actors including Nasir, Jackie, Juhi and Nagesh himself. The film is about Juhi, playing an ambitious documentary film-maker, trying to make a film about three dreaded prisoners played by Nasir, Jackie and Nagesh.

Vivek's rendition

          Mumbai, June 15: Actor Vivek Mushran has caught the singing bug. The actor who made his debut in Subhash Ghai's 'Saudagar' has brought out a music album called, 'Kahin Ho Gaya'. Apart from lending his voice to the tracks in the album, he has also written the lyrics for four of them. According to Vivek, this album has been his dream since for long. As for the timing of the album, he says that this is perfect timing, as he is currently involved with two teleserials only.

Karan turns producer

          Mumbai, June 15: Karan Johar has taken up a new profession. Although still very very much a part of the tinseltown, the talented director will now step into production also. Johar along with father Yash Johar has produced Nikhil Advani's 'Kal Ho Na Ho'. Reportedly, he will start working on his next film next year only and apparently, this film will feature new faces. Refusing to divulge any details about his next venture, Karan says that he is still working on his next film's script.

Boom launches with a bang!

          Mumbai, June 14: Kaisad Gustad has reason to be happy and why not. His next film, 'Boom' starring Big B, Jackie Shroff and Katrina Kaif is slated to have a three-minute special capsule on fashion TV. This is big honour considering that 'Chicago' and 'Matrix Reloaded' have been the only movies to be launched by FTV. Boom is a story about fashion world meeting the underworld. The capsule will have leading actresses of the film, Katrina Kaif, Padma Lakshmi and Madhu Sapre walking the ramp. Jackie's wife, Ayesha Shroff's Quest Film, has produced the film.

Rajnikanth gives double whammy

          Chennai, June 13: Southern icon Rajnikanth is all set to act in a bilingual flick. The movie is directed by current sensational Telugu director Teja. While the star seems pretty impressed with the storyline, other logistical details are yet to be finalised.

SP's son turns producer

          Chennai, June 13: Singer SP Balasubramaniam's son SPB Cheran is turning producer with a film titled 'Unnai Saranadaindean'. The movie starring Ganai Amaran's son Venkat Prabhu in the lead role has Miss Femina Mira Vasudevan cast opposite him. But naturally SPB will be setting the music for his son's venture, while Samudrakanni, K Balachander's associate, wields the directorial baton.

Simran denies marriage rumours

          Chennai, June 13: Quashing rumours of marriage with cousin Deepak, southern starlet Simran has said that simply because she turns down a film, does not necessarily mean that she has tied the knot. The sizzling actress had recently turned down Kasthoori Raja's movie 'Theendae Theendae, on account of an uninteresting storyline.

Vikram to stay true to commercial cinema

          Chennai, June 13: After the success of movies like 'Gemini' and 'Dhool, Vikram has announced that he will stick to doing such commercial movies. It is such movies that feel the pulse of the masses and luer them to the theatres, he feels. However, he is hell bent on giving a new look to his image.

'Lakshya' shooting in Ladakh 

          Mumbai, June 12: Rigorous preparations are on to shoot Farhan Akhtar's next film, 'Lakshya'. The heavy weight star cast, including Amitabh Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan and Preity Zinta, are shooting in Ladakh these days. The news is that the conditions in Ladakh are so hard that Akhtar had to give the entire crew two days off, just so that they get acclimatized. So, 'Lakshya' crew is enjoying the cool environs of Ladakh before they start working.

Ahmed's 'Lakeer'

          Mumbai, June 12: Child actor Ahmed Khan who featured in 'Mr India' after taking up choreography as his career is now embarking upon another filmi career. The talented choreographer will now be producing his first Hindi movie. The film, tentatively titled, 'Lakeer', will have actor Sohail Khan in the lead. Ahmed's brother, Bobby Khan, will direct the movie.

Katrina's lingua franca

          Mumbai, June 11: Katrina has been in the media spotlight more for her alleged link-up with Salman than for anything else, including her debut movie 'Boom'. This piece of news though is different. Apparently, the pretty lady has a really bad Hindi diction, if her being dropped from 'Saaya' is any sign to go by. However, veteran producer D. Rama Naidu from down south is her hope. Naidu has signed Kaif for a Hindi/Telugu film with his son, Venketesh. To be directed by Vijay Bhaskar, the film is slated to go floor in July.

Jackie-Mukesh bhai bhai?

          Mumbai, June 11: The Chinese dragons will tie up with the Indian tiger in the field of film production. Martial arts expert Jackie Chan will be shooting his next film in India. The movie, co-produced by Jackie Chan productions and Mukesh Bhatt's Vishesh productions, will have a budget of 60 million dollars. The production units have identified the locations in West Bengal and Jaipur and shooting is likely to begin in August. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has shown a lot of interest in the Indo-Chinese project and is willing to provide all kinds of help to Jackie Chan productions. Mukesh Bhatt's production will be providing the Chinese crew with all the infrastructural and logistical support.

American Chai on Indian shores

          Mumbai, June 11: Following the trend of crossover films featuring America-born Confused Desis is another film trying to win over the desi audiences. 'American Chai', a film about an Indian in the US trying to fulfil his musical dreams in spite of family resistance, will be up for release on June 20. Although the movie was released abroad long time back, it is coming to India only now. Before this, the movie was doing the rounds of several film festivals before touching the Indian shores. Shringar Films will be promoting the movie in India.

Celluloid Mahabharat

          Mumbai, June 10: Producers and directors are outdoing each other in a race to make the costliest movie in the film industry. Another director who is trying to join this coveted rank is none other than Raj Kumar Santoshi. As per sources, Santoshi is trying to bring the 'Mahabharat' on the 70mm screen. It' will star Sunny Deol, Sanjay Dutt and Sunil Shetty.

Controversy galore!

          Mumbai, June 10: Film-maker Priyadarshan has landed himself in a controversy. His latest movie to hit the south India theatres is 'Laysa Laysa'. According to the trade authorities, this film is the Tamil version of Siyad Kokker's, 'Summer in Bethlehem' and that Priyan did not seek permission for his project. Of course, Priyan denies all charges. He claims that the film is actually a hotch-potch of lot of movies. Meanwhile, Laysa Laysa's future is remains ambiguous as the movie has been banned in Kerala.

Gaurang's silver lining

          Mumbai, June 10: Producer Gaurang Doshi is extremely optimistic about the market conditions in the industry! Doshi who is producing 'Deewar' starring Amitabh, Sanjay Dutt and Akshaye Khanna, has also gone ahead and announced his next project. Milan Lutharia, director of 'Deewar', will also direct his next film. Although Gaurang is not spilling any beans about his upcoming project, his next venture will have five heroes in the lead.

Subhash Ghai turns lyricist

          Mumbai, June 9: Producer and director Subhash Ghai has turned lyricist. The veteran producer and director has written the lyrics of his upcoming English movie, 'Joggers Park'. In fact, Joggers Park is also a new first for Ghai. The film is another addition in the crossover genre of movies the trend for which was started by 'Hyderabad Blues'. The movie is directed by Anant Balani and starts Perizaad Zorabian and Victor Bannerjee.

Asha Saini's `asha'

          Mumbai, June 9: Even after making quite a forgettable debut in the movie, `Bharat Bhagya Vidhata', all is not lost for actress Asha Saini who co-starred with Chandrachur Singh in her first movie. Her producer T. P. Aggarwal has certainly not lost faith in her and has cast her again for his upcoming movie,`Love in Nepal', with singer-actor Sonu Nigam. The good news, however, is that Rajat Mukherjee of `Road' and `Pyar Tune Ne Kya Kiya' fame will be directing this project.

Anupam: friend, philosopher and guide

          Mumbai, June 9: You know he is great with kids. The programme, 'Say na something to Anupam Uncle' was a huge success with the children. Well, as its turns out, Kher is willing to lend an ear to the teenagers as well. A Mumbai-based organization, Lighthouse Foundation, conducted a seminar called `Success through failures' for students who have just passed their class 10th. Kher talked to them about how to develop a positive attitude towards life and how academic excellence does not matter much life.

It's not about money, honey!

          Mumbai, June 8: What is it that gives Kareena an edge over the Bipashas, Amishas of the Bollywood? A head for econmics! But if the grapevine is to be believed, then the Kapoor lass is eager to shed her price tag to work with the respectable names in the industry, a la Mani Ratnam. She has slashed her prices rock-bottom. And here is the piece de resistance, she has also given bulk dates to her directors. Some transformation this, eh, Kareena? X

Patch-up time?

          Mumbai, June 8: It seems that all is not lost in the Aamir- Reena love story. Rumours are that the couple are heading towards a patch-up. The reason for the possible reunion are the couple's kids. Well, whatever be the reason for Aamir and Reena's coming together, hope this time it lasts long. Amen to that thought!

For old times sake!

          Mumbai, June 8: Akki aka Akshay is on a bonding spree with his old girlfriends. He has signed a film featuring all his past flames. So the audiences would get to Akshay with his first girlfriend Pooja, Raveena alongwith Shilpa. The movie is aptly titled, 'Kis Kis Se Pyar Karoon'. Perhaps the only one not having a good time will be Akshay's wife Twinkle.

Prosenjit to produce Sahara flick

          Mumbai, June 7: Bengal's mega star and yesteryear's heart throb, Biswajit's son Prosenjit is making lot of news these days. In limelight for sharing the screen with Aishwarya Rai in Rituparno Ghosh's 'Chokher Bali', Prosenjit is also turning producer. He will produce a mega serial called 'Sahib, Bibi Aur Gulam' for Sahara Monoranjan. The serial will star Joy Sengupta and Ayub Khan as the two male protagnists. Rituparno Ghosh will be the serial's creative director. This will be the second on-screen version of the novel after Guru Dutt's hugely successful film.

Nandita hurt in shooting on the sets

          Mumbai, June 6: These days Nandita Das is in Mumbai shooting for the final sequence of Anant Balani's 'Ek Din-24 Hours'. While shooting for one of the sequences of the film, she hurt herself on the sets. The decibel count of gunshots in a particular sequence proved so high for the lady's eardrums that she was immediately rushed for medical attention. The thriller sees her carrying a bag full of money to a certain place to save her boyfriend. Now the star has a couple of days rest ahead of her.

Saurabh Shulka has a 'Mudda'

          Mumbai, June 6: Saurabh Shukla seems like a man of many talents. Television, theatre, films, acting, script writing and now direction. Shukla's directorial debut 'Mudda', is almost complete and will be out in August. The film stars Raj Babbar's son, Arya Babbar, in the lead and deals with student life and politics. Saurabh is definitely taking it step by step, we have already seen him as Gopi in Karan Razdan's television serial 'Tehkikat' and as the large, cheerful gangster Kallu Mama in 'Satya'.

Busy man Sunil Shetty

          Mumbai, June 6: The shooting of 'Khel' is getting over much before the prescribed schedule and that has encouraged Sunil Shetty to get set for another film. 'Rakht', directed by Yusuf Khan again, will be launched soon after Khel's shooting gets over. It will star Sunil Shetty and Sanjay Dutt among others. Rakht's shooting will be completed in just one schedule, from October 1 to November 15, this year and the locations Sunil is considering are South Africa and Mauritius. Incidentally, Sunil's company was also involved in the production of Raveena Tandon's 'Stumped'.

What makes Madhavan nervous

          Chennai, June 5: Actor Madhavan is down in the dumps as two of his movies, 'Nala Damayanthi' and 'Priyaman Tozhi, will be released without much gap. For Maddy, the ideal gap would be 100 days. The actor who has recently celebrated his birthday with his wife Saritha in a restaurant in London will be playing a Pallakad Iyer cook who is an expert 'dosa' maker in Nala Damayanthi. As fate would have it he lands up in Melbourne and is wooed by a Sri Lankan Tamil played by Malayalee girl Geethu Mohandas.Maddy is keeping his fingers crossed that his movies do well at the box office.

Sridevi's house damaged

          Chennai, June 5: The Chennai house of Sridevi, actress of yesteryears, was threatened with demolition. She has, however, obtained a stay. According to Sridevi's attorney, Dillep Bhandari, the Chennai Metro Water and Sewerage Board dug deep into the site in front of the building and removed the earth covering an area of 20 feet. As a result, one of the columns of the building developed a crack. Seeing this, the neighbours filed a complaint to the authorities.

Laila looks for a Chennai residence

          Chennai, June 5: Actress Laila, of the hit movie 'Nanda', is busy house-hunting in Chennai. The actress, who lives in Mumbai, was flown down from Mumbai by producers, at their expense, for shoots. As the cost of a flight to and fro is by no means no cheap, the producers are now thinking twice before booking her. Sensing this, she is now hunting for a suitable house here.

`Sandiyaar' first, others later: Abhirami

          Chennai, June 5: Actress Abhirami, who will be sharing the screen with renowned actor Kamal Hassan in his latest venture 'Sandiyaar', is turning down other film offers. She says she wants to prove herself first through this movie before accepting any other.

Devyani reaps debt

          Chennai, June 5: 'Kadhaludan' (With Love) has been a box office flop for actress-turned producer Devyani. Produced for her husband, director Rajakumaran, the movie has earned the actress nothing but debts. To repay them, the actress has decided to come out of retirement and grace the screens yet again.

Telegu version of Tamil film

          Chennai, June 5: The Tamil Box Office hit movie, Ramana', is being remade in Telugu. The Tamil version played by Vijayakanth and Simran will be played by Chiranjeevi and Jyotika in Telugu. This will be Jyotika's first film in Telugu.

Rajnikanth's new venture

          Chennai, June 5: After burning his hands with the movie 'Baba', Rajnikanth is planning to try his luck by producing a film in Telugu, called 'Vishnu'. The role of hero will be played by Vishnu Varadhan Mohan, son of his friend Mohan Babu. Shaji Kailash will direct the movie.

Bollywood's new thriller address

         Mumbai, June 4: After the success of 'Bhoot' and 'Razz', it is thriller-time for Bollywood. Soon another thriller to hit the theatres is '88 Antop Hill', the music of which was recently released at a star studded bash at Mumbai's J.W.Marriot. Directed by Kushan Nandy, '88 Antop Hill' is a low budget production, which will no doubt raise the spirits of its audience. Kiran Shroff and Kushan Nandy's new company Sarvodaya Visuals, which produced several programmers for the small screen have now come up with their first big screen production, '88 Antop Hill'. The film stars Atul Kulkarni (of 'Dum' and 'Satta' fame), Rahul Dev, Suchitra Pillai, Shweta Menon and debutante Jasmine. Asked about the storyline, Kushal says, 'the film is about three murders, six suspects and one address'.

Akshay, Lara, Priyanka and Raj on the same boat

          Mumbai, June 4: 'Andaaz' was an acid test for its entire crew. Akshay Kumar, who has been saddled with an 'action hero' image, had to prove his mettle as a 'romantic hero'. Lara Dutta and Priyanka Chopra had to consolidate their position in the industry after tasting success so early in their careers. But one person who desperately needed a hit was director Raj Kanwar, whose last few films met with a disastrous fate at the box-office, the biggest disappointment being his home production 'Ab Ke Baras'. Right now Kanwar is working on two scripts; a well-known producer will produce the first project, while the second will be produced by Kanwar himself.

Tushaar Kapoor is finally in Ramu's good books

          Mumbai, June 4: Ram Gopal Varma's magical touch gave a new lease of life to Urmila Matondkar, Ajay Devgan and Fardeen Khan's sagging careers. Now, the ace film-maker is showing a keen interest in the hero of 'Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai' and 'Kucch To Hai' - Tusshar Kapoor. Post 'Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai', Tushaar's career has not shown much promise and so he is definitely excited about this latest development. A meeting between the two took place recently at Varma's office. Insiders suggest there is a strong possibility of Varma casting Kapoor in his forthcoming film.

Tabu has a reason to smile

          Mumbai, June 3: Tabu has recently signed up Boney Kapoor's next, which happens to be a comedy. "Yes," confirms Tabu, "I have signed Boney's next film, opposite Anil and it's a comedy." Prior to this Tabu has acted in very few comedies like David Dhawan's "Saajan Chale Sasural" and "Biwi No.1" Tabu is looking forward to playing the role because after quite a long time she will be doing a role with comic shades.

SMS alert for Bollywood fans

          Mumbai, June 3: These days every mobile owner is getting a string of SMSs which reveal the climax of soon to-be released films and that also for free! However, one wonders how reliable these text messages are. Days before 'Kaante' was to hit the theatres, SMSs revealing the true identity of the cop made the rounds on the mobile phones. Prior to the release of 'Bhoot', people went crazy speculating who the ghost was in the film. 'No ghost in Bhoot' and 'Ajay kills Urmila', were the SMSs that were making rounds.

          And now, when 'Darna Mana Hai' and 'Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon' are scheduled to be released soon, SMSs pertaining to these two films have started making news. SMSs like 'Vivek Oberoi is the killer' in 'Darna Mana Hai' and 'Kareena dies in 'Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon' has spread like wild fire in the SMS circuit.

No clash of Hrithik, Shah Rukh films

          Mumbai, June 2: Trade pundits were working overtime to forecast the consequences of the alleged clash of release dates of SRK's 'Chalte Chalte' and Sooraj Barjatya's Hrithik - Kareena - Abhishek starrer 'Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon'. However, this much- talked about clash has finally been averted. Sources reveal that SRK has decided to postpone the release of 'Chalte Chalte' from June 13 to June 27, thereby avoiding the clash with 'Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon', which is slotted for a June 13 release. Meanwhile, 'Chalte Chate' will be premiered in London and SRK, who is already in London for his treatment (post-surgery), will attend the premiere show before returning home.

Akbar Khan's celluloid dream is going great guns

          Mumbai, June 2: These days Akbar Khan, the younger brother of Feroz and Sanjay Khan, is very busy shooting for his magnum opus 'Taj Mahal'. Currently he is shooting in Jodhpur's famous 15th century fort, the Mehrangarh Fort, which is home to Rathore Rajput rulers of the kingdom of Marwars. 'Taj Mahal' is set in the eternally famed era of Indian history and revolves around the universal theme of love - the undying romance of the great Emperor Shahjahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Khan is also recreating the famous Meena Bazaar (of the Mughal era) in all its splendour and grandeur at the Mehrangarh Fort and Nagod in the blue city of Jodhpur. Other than exquisite sets and props and breath-taking drama, the film will also boast of elaborate and beautiful costumes made especially for the film by famous Bollywood designer Anna Singh.

Made in India

          Mumbai, June 1: `Swimfan', starring Jesse Bradford and Erika Christensen, opened in theatres recently. This little- publicised film has an exciting Indian connection - Mumbai-based stylist Arjun Bhasin is its costume designer. Bhasin has been exporting his brand of style overseas for a long time now. He has worked in several Hollywood films like 'Just A Kiss', `Broke Even' and `Loving Jezebel'. He has also designed the costumes of `Dil Chahta Hai' and the critically acclaimed `Monsoon Wedding'. He is currently working on the costumes of Farhan Akhtar's `Lakshya'.

Isha Koppikar quits 'Plan'

          Mumbai, June 1: Isha Koppikar has walked out of Sanjay Gupta's film 'Plan'. While she claims she did so because the film was being delayed, Gupta has a different story to tell. According to Gupta, Isha had a problem playing second fiddle to Priyanka Chopra, who has a meatier role in the same film. The role was originally to be played by Karishma Kapoor. But since Karishma had date problems, Priyanka was chosen as her replacement. Now that Isha is no more a part of the film, the role has gone to Sameera Reddy.

'Mahatma versus Gandhi'

          Mumbai, June 1: Director Joy Augustine (of 'Tere Mere Sapne' fame) is making a film titled 'Mahatma versus Gandhi'. Apparently many film-makers in the past had tried to get their hands on the rights of the film, including Aamir Khan, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Yash Chopra. Joy believes that he is sitting on nothing less than a goldmine. "The script is very close to my heart", says Joy.

Karishma's turn to file a complaint

          Mumbai, May 31: Karisma Kapoor has filed a complaint against one of her directors. Apparently, the lady has not been paid her dues for Baaz'. She has filed a complaint against the director with the Association of Motion Pictures and Television Programme Producers (AMPTPP). Incidentally, New York-based novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford recently filed a suit against the serial 'Karishma: The Miracles of Destiny', in which Karishma Kapoor is making her television debut.

Ajay Devgan's Bengali connection

           Mumbai, May 30: Seems like Ajay Devgan has resolved to capture the imagination of the entire nation. Currently, Ajay is one of the most sought after actors in Bollywood and now he has been offered to act in a Bengali film too. To be directed by a reputed Bengali director, Ajay has been cast in the film opposite Moon Moon Sen's daughter Raima Sen and Bengal's reigning queen bee Rituparna Sengupta. Well, with Aishwarya Rai and Tabu already making their Bengali debuts, its great news that now even male actors are looking beyond Bollywood.

Hrithik Roshan is still in demand

          Mumbai, May 30: Zoya Akhtar, daughter of writer-director Honey Irani and ex-husband Javed Akhtar, is planning to give her mom, her dad and her brother company. She will soon direct a film in which Hrithik Roshan will play the male lead. The leading lady is yet to be finalised. The film will go on the floors as soon as her brother Farhan Akhtar's 'Lakshya', is complete. Ritesh Sidhwani, who produced Farhan's debut film 'Dil Chahta Hai' and now producing his second film 'Lakshya' will also produce Zoya's film.

When Juhi says 'No'

          Mumabi, May 30: Raj and Nadira Babbar's daughter Juhi Babbar who made her debut opposite Sonu Nigam in 'Kaash Aap Hamare Hote', was offered the lead role in an Indo-French film. But Juhi rejected the offer because it would require her to expose a lot. Despite Bollywood's current fascination with international projects, Juhi was not comfortable with the idea of baring herself for the role and even refused the services of a body double.

This hot trio is here to stay

          London, May 29:The heavy promotion of 'Andaaz' in the UK has worked really well for the movie. The film stars Akshay Kumar and the two beauty queens, Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta. The trio recently visited London for a press conference which was aimed at building hype about the film. The film managed to find a fairly decent audience amongst the British Asian community and has also started well in several areas in India. 'Andaz' made its debut in the British box office charts at number 12, despite the fact that it was only shown on 32 screens.

Dhoom and Dhamaka from Bollywood

          New York, May 29: Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Sanjay Dutt, Salman Khan, Amisha Patel and Bipasha Basu sang and danced on Long Island in a performance that had spectators cheering for more. The stars gave the audience three uninterrupted hours of entertainment in a live show called 'Megastar Mania 2003' at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island. Around 10,000 people were present at the show which was presented by Kanu Chauhan of Rajsun Entertainment. The evening was interspersed with Punjabi and Hindi songs by Meet Brothers and also mimicry by K Sanjay. The event was organised by Farhath Hussain, GS Entertainment and Popcorn Entertainment. Vijay Taneja was its international promoter.

Kamal Hasan coming again - in a fiery role

          Chennai, May 8: For decades this doyen of southern film industry has made us enjoy his meaningful and realistic movies. After a fairly long hiatus, award-winning actor and film-maker Kamal Hasan has bounced back into action by coming up with his film 'Sandiyar' (Rowdy Gang). His previous film 'Abhay' (Fearless) released in 2002 generated a lot of controversies. 'Sandiyar' is about two warring families and has Hasan in the lead role. He plays the fiery Virumandi who stops at nothing to get what he wants. "All I can say about it is that the very word 'Sandiyar' denotes what kind of people we are talking about ... tough people popularly with their own sense of justice and injustice, quick to anger, quick to a challenge and late to repent. That's the attitude of the people. We are talking about a terrain which has been like that for many 100 years, slowly converting into 21 century," Hasan said in an interview.

          The message of the film is that violence leads to nothing, according to him. The film is set in remote Dindigul region where years ago the residents used to take pride in their warrior-like qualities. Kamal's histrionics may not always gel with audiences, but the actor who still has that magnetic tug said that his new film is unique. It is set for November release. Kamal Hasan's last hit as a director was 'Chachi 420' (Aunty 420), a remake of popular Hollywood movie Mrs. Doubtfire. One of his projects, 'Ladies Only', is yet to see the light of day.

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