News & Views

'Tum' aur Manisha!

          Mumbai, Oct 31: Manisha Koirala, it's heard, has given some eyebrow raising scenes in director Aruna Raje's film titled "Tum: A Dangerous Obsession", with new-comer Karan Nath. The film is supposed to be shot within decent limits but, there are certain erotic fantasy sequences that are supposed to be titillating. Manisha has a role of a married housewife, who is the subject of affection of a fashion photographer, played by Karan. Karan is absolutely obsessed with Manisha and he keeps fantasizing about her even when he is with his girlfriend (Netanya Singh). That being the gist of the storyline, it is believed that Manisha has given some very good expressions where her 'expressions are said to speak louder than words'! A Venus production, Tum is expected to release by the end of this year.

Amitabh and Dharmendra together again

          Mumbai, Oct 31: Fans of superstars Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra will be happy to know that the duo will be seen again in the film "Hum Hain Kaun", produced by 4U2C and directed by Ravi Shankar. The two who made Bollywood history in "Sholay" and "Chupke- Chupke" will be seen together on the cinema screen after a gap of nearly twenty years. The film is purportedly a horror-suspense thriller, with both the legendary actors teaming up together to keep audience riveted. It is needless to mention that this film promises to nostalgic as the two make for a most loved pair on screen.

Twinkling Candles!

          Mumbai, Oct 31: Twinkle Khanna is certainly not lying low even though she has quit films. She has efficiently handled all her roles from being an actress to wife to mother and now an entrepreneur. Like mama Dimple, Twinkle recently launched a Twinkle's lifestyle store - The White Window. This store has bright rushes of colour from all the different products stocked there the likes of: candles, cushions, crockeries, silverware et al. Good going for Twinkle and a splendid name too - The White Window!

Ash quits 'Baji Rao Mastani'!

          Mumbai, Oct 30: Aishwarya Rai has opted out of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's next film featuring Salman Khan saying she has a 'very valid reason' for it. Ash told reporters, "If an artiste is not comfortable or there are other reasons which can override you and upset you. If there is no peace inside, you cannot be earnest and sincere." She did not name Salman. Kareena Kapoor has replaced Ash, the original choice as female lead opposite Salman with whom Bhansali's Paro has had a tempestuous relationship, in the period piece "Baji Rao Mastani".

SRK no hang-ups about a new heroine!

          Mumbai, Oct 30: Shah Rukh Khan may be among the most sought-after stars in Bollywood. But the dashing actor has no qualms in working against new-comers in parallel roles. It is learnt that Ashutosh Gowariker has found heroine for his next venture, which will also be his maiden home production. The film titled 'Swades' will have popular TV model Gayatri Joshi playing the leading role opposite SRK. SRK has a role of a village rustic named Mohan and if Gayatri bags the opposite lead in the film, she will be seen playing a non-glamorous village school teacher named Gita. Swades is likely to go on floors in the coming months.

Rampal in yet another Khalid film!

          Mumbai, Oct 30: Model turned actor Arjun Ramphal who is in Khalid Mohamed's "Tejzeeb" will be seen yet again in another film with the same director "Raaj" which will be produced by Vashu Bhagnani. Unlike "Tehzeeb", which is a highly charged emotional drama, Raaj is said to be an action flick. This should be interesting considering Ramphal has only been seen as a lover-boy image, can Khalid do something different for him? Rest of the cast of "Raaj" is yet to be finalised.

Action man Suniel getting musical!

          Mumbai, Oct 30: For his forthcoming production "Rakth", Suniel Shetty has approached international musicians to add an extra zing to the movie's music score. Incidentally, Suniel has got the Danish band 'C21' to play music for a hot number that will be picturized on the 'Bijli' girl Yana Gupta. The trio member band, comprising of Soren Bregendal, David Pepke and Esben Duus, had been in Mumbai, India to perform at MTV Lycra style awards. It is here that they got an offer from Sunil to sing for "Rakth". Their Hindi film song also features Sunidhi Chauhan in the leading vocals. The Danish trio pitches in for the chorus in the song. This certainly sounds interesting and if the combination of the Danish trio and sweet voiced Sunidhi can work a truly lyrical number, we just might find biz savvy Suniel get into the music business also!

Wonder what Dev wants of Stevie!

          Mumbai, Oct 29: Last heard evergreen hero Dev Anand was seen at Beverly Hills. Added to this interesting information, Navketan Films also released a press note saying Dev Anand had a clandestine meeting with world- famous singer Stevie Wonder at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Speculations rise, will Dev get Stevie to do a number in his next proposed international film?

Wedding Belle!

          Mumbai, Oct 29: It has now been officially confirmed that ravishing Raveena is now single no more. This diwali her beau Anil Thadani conspired with sister Rakhi Tandon and surprised her with a 'proposal'. Right after the Laxmi puja , which was incidentally also Raveena's birthday, Anil popped the question in front of all their family members. Buzz had been going around that the two were madly in love and it sure looks like it was for real, like the huge solitaire that now glistens in her finger.

Kiran Bedi from Cop to Producer! 

         Mumbai, Oct 29: Super cop Kiran Bedi has now turned producer. She has just launched her first film titled "Kahoor" starring Sonali Kulkarni and Mukesh Rishi. The film will be made under Kiran Bedi's Nav Kiran Productions. There have been several films made by police officers but this will perhaps be the first film to be made by a cop on the cops. The film intends to balance the negative and positive side of the police force. Also, the lady says that the money earned from the film will be used for the police welfare fund.

Prithvi Theatre all set to celebrate silver jubilee

          Mumbai, Oct 28: Welcoming its 26th year, members of India's oldest and most prominent theatre company, Prithvi Theatre, took to the streets of Mumbai on Tuesday in a dramatic and colourful style. With an aim to attract audiences from small towns and villages, members of the Prithvi Theatre group sang and danced to the tunes of folk songs from across the country. Prithvi Theatre, which celebrates it silver jubilee next month, would be showcasing plays in various Indian languages in a "Theatre of India" festival. The Prithvi Theatre is named after its founder and yesteryears' Hindi film superstar Prithvi- raj Kapoor.

Yet another mafia-centric film ready for release

          Mumbai, Oct 27: Bollywood is all geared up for yet another mafia-centric film-"Munna bhai M.B.B.S". However, "Munna" is a comedy on a gangster who poses as a doctor. The film's music was released recently in Mumbai. Anu Malik has scored the music for the film in which Raju Hirani makes his debut as a director. The cast also includes father-son duo of yesteryears' superstar Sunil Dutt and the lead actor Sanjay Dutt. Sunil Dutt appears on the screen after 14 years. "Whatever I have done in this movie, I have tried to perform better than Sanjay and he has tried to perform better than me. My role is not as lengthy as Sanjay's...I worked in the film because of Vinod (producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra), otherwise I had stopped acting in films," Dutt said.

          Sunil portrays a rustic villager, Shri Hari Prasad Sharma, who wants his son Munna, played by Sanjay, to become a doctor. Unfortunately, the son ends up as a gangster. Unable to hurt his father's feelings, the son spins a yarn that he is a doctor, leading to situational comedy. The film also stars Gracy Singh, Arshad Warsi, Rohini Hattangadi and Jimmy Shergill, among others. "Munna bhai M.B.B.S" is slated for a mid-November release across the country.

Way to go Ash!

          Mumbai, Oct 27: Aishwarya Rai is really smart and professional, not to mention beautiful. Unlike most others who crow about their Hollywood 'offers', she has just gone ahead and signed an international film 'Chaos', starring alongside Oscar winner Meryl Streep. Streep plays the lead role in this remake of the French social drama, filmed by critically acclaimed French director Coline Serreau. It is learnt that Serreau, who had directed the original French film, will direct the English version too. The drama revolves around a bourgeois French couple who witness a violent beating up of a young prostitute by her pimps. The French woman empathizes but her husband shows a cold shoulder. Feeling guilty, the woman traces the prostitute to the hospital where she is recovering from the beating. Here, the two develop a special bond gradually; the French woman helps the prostitute find a new life and the prostitute helps the woman find a new identity. Aishwarya will play the prostitute in the film while Meryl Streep will play the French woman. The shooting for the film is expected to commence March next year.

Esha Deol in Mani Ratnam's 'Aayudha Yezhuthu'

          Mumbai, Oct 27: Simran has been replaced by Esha Deol in Mani Ratnam's film - 'Aayudha Yezhuthu', a Tamil version of the Hindi film 'Yuva'. Ratnam had signed Madhavan, Surya, Simran, Siddharth, Mira Jasmine and Trisha Krishnan for the Tamil version. Simran had been signed for the Tamil version too but has been suddenly replaced with Esha. The original version starred Vivek Oberoi, Abhishek Bachchan and Ajay Devgan in the male leads, and Kareena Kapoor, Rani Mukerjee and Simran in the female leads. It seems that the director did not want the same actress in the two different versions of the movie, hence, the removal of Simran from Aayudha Yezhuthu in favor of Esha who apparently has a better command over Tamil language than Simran.

Shilpa Shetty in Revathi's film!

          Mumbai, Oct 27: Revathi has roped in Salman Khan, Abhishek Bachchan and Shilpa Shetty for her yet untitled film. Shilpa plays a girl who works in an advertising agency and undergoes a life-changing experience. Salman plays Shilpa's boyfriend, while Abhishek Bachchan has got a more powerful role as that of an advocate in Revathi's Hindi film. Salman Khan has earlier worked with Revathi in Love and is supposed to have given consent immediately. Shilpa Shetty has just finished shooting in Chennai with Revathi and she is very excited. She says, " I've never felt so fulfilled before as an actress." Revathi's, "Mitr - My Friend" in English got Shobhana a National Award.

Warrant for Yash Chopra! 

          Mumbai, Oct 27: Last week filmmaker Yash Chopra was issued a bailable warrant by the Delhi court in an eight-year-old copyright violation case. The court issued the warrant after Chopra, who was to depose as a prosecution witness, failed to turn up despite repeated reminders. The case relates to the illegal broadcast of the film - Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, on cable TV by a Delhi cable operator. The film produced by Yash Chopra was released on October 30, 1995. A day later, when Yashraj Films came to know of the illegal telecast, they had sent a letter to the film's Delhi distributor Rakesh Paul and had asked him to take action. Paul informed the Delhi police and they in turn traced the cable operator, who led them to a Palika Bazar shopkeeper Rajesh Goel. Several CD's of the film were recovered from Goel. The case is being tried in the Metropolitan Magistrate's court. Since Yashraj Films had authorised Rakesh Paul to file a complaint, Yash Chopra was required to authenticate this fact, the police said. Yash Chopra, however, failed to appear in court despite being issued several notices.

Thriller Urmila!

          Mumbai, Oct 27: Urmila Matondkar is said to have performed superbly in the psychological thriller "Ek Hasina Thi", which will be releasing this December. This film has Saif Ali Khan in the male lead and has been directed by Sriram Raghavan. Urmila has been really going great guns in all her performances has more than a good set of releases coming up. One of which is "Ek Hasina Thi" where she is said to have surpassed her "Bhoot" performance. Urmila could well be the 'next thriller queen' considering she keeps getting such roles and has mastered the art of 'spooking performances'. To be honest, the credit goes to Ram Gopal Verma also as he was the first director to have harnessed and honed the actress's talent.

Dabur ropes in Big B!

          Mumbai, Oct 24: Dabur has roped in Amitabh Bachchan as their premium brand ambassador for a reported sum of Rs 8 crore, expecting a double-digit growth in its sales during the current fiscal. Recently, Dabur had signed Big B as its brand ambassador under a three-year contract wherein the star of the millennium would be endorsing the entire range of the company's healthcare products, including Hajmola. With Big B, the Rs 1,232-crore Dabur is expected to mark the most expensive ever advertising campaign to give a makeover to its Chyawanprash, which leads the Rs 300-crore market with a 65 per cent share. Dabur Chyawanprash says the choice of Amitabh was that 'both are Indian and have mass appeal and both have stood test of times'. The new television commercials featuring the mega superstar will be on air from this Sunday.

Auspicious Oct 24th!

          Mumbai, Oct 24: October 24 has proven to be an auspicious day for film maker/producer Subhash Ghai. He is not only celebrating his birthday, he is launching three films this day. However, rumour has it that one of his films to be directed by Abbas-Mustan, which has Celina Jaitley opposite Akshay Kumar in the lead role, has been replaced by Priyanka Chopra. Prakash Jha, Priyanka's secretary, confirmed this report to a Daily, saying Priyanka had indeed replaced Celina in the film "Inkaar" all set to go to floors soon. Meanwhile, Celina has a different story to tell and has been reported saying 'I have never met 'Subashji' in my life'.

Musing over Urmila!

         Mumbai, Oct 24: M.F Hussain is planning to make a film, a bilingual comedy, with Urmila as the lead actress. It is believed that Urmila has already accepted Hussain's new project. Meanwhile, he has just completed film "Meenaxi" which has Tabu in the lead role. The lady is very busy this season what with one mega project after other falling in her lap. As for the Hussain offer, she seems quite excited and says, "The role in this film is different. I'm glad I'm doing the film. I'm excited about the story."

Heading in the write direction!

          Mumbai, Oct 24: Archana Puran Singh, the only other successful woman comedienne after Tun Tun, is now set to take up other roles. She is all ready to direct a film, which she refers as 'semi-autobiographical'. The untitled venture promises to feature a star cast of new-comers - four new girls and a new guy. This film she says will be based on her personal experience when she had first come to Mumbai and had shared a flat with four other girls. It is this experience that she will be scripting down. Archana also revealed that she had begun penning down the script for the first time when she was pregnant, "That was eight years ago. I used to write down points that were related to motherhood. But the film that I'm going to make is a different script. I shall begin shooting sometime in January 2004."

Raja Bhaiyya coming to town!

          Mumbai, Oct 24: Raja Bhaiyya will be releasing anytime this month. And even before the release producers Kalyani Singh and Mansingh Deep are ready to switch genres and experiment with another new film. The next film is purportedly a murder mystery and has already been titled as "Partner - An Agreement to Kill". I guess we can guess, the title sounds obvious, but who know the twist- in- the- kahani as much as the producer duo. The film's male lead cast has been finalised - Govinda's nephew Krishna and Khalid of Joggers' Park fame will be matching wits with three heroines.

Bipasha shocks Anupam! 

          Mumbai, Oct 23: Anupam Kher is taking his job as censor chief with great responsibility and seriousness. He says, "Since the time I took over the post, I've started observing things minutely and I am screening all visual media - music videos, ads and films. I intend to complete my tenure to its full three-year term." The actor has decided to bring about certain changes vis-a-vis the guidelines. He accepts that times have changed and more liberal policies are to be brought in, but with the Indian audience in mind. Meanwhile, he recently saw the Bipasha Basu cell phone advertisement and remains shell-shocked. "I almost fell off my chair when I saw that ad."

'Matruboomi' at London Film Fest

         Mumbai, Oct 23: The Times BFI London Film Festival commenced from October 22. Among Indian films on preview is debutant director Manish Jha's Matrubhoomi -A Nation Without Women. This film focuses on social evils like female infanticide and dowry deaths, responsible for continual decline of women population in India. Director Gautam Ghose presents "Aranaye Abhar" based on Satyajit Ray's 1969 film 'Days and Nights In The Forest' that has a young group of boys and girls moving away from civilization to explore the forests. Rituparno Ghosh presents "Choker Bali -A Passion Play", starring Aishwarya Rai; this story has been based on Rabindranath Tagore's famous novel that attempts to study psychology of the sexes in Bengal. Other films to be screened are the ''Underground Chamber", based on a children's novel and another called 'Where is the Party Yaar".

Will he won't he?

          Mumbai, Oct 23: It is assumed that Sanjay Leela Bhansali has approached the popular dance choreographer Shiamak Davar for his next film "Bajirao Mastani". Davar has earlier choreographed for films like "Dil To Paagal Hain" and "Taal". Out of the several offers that Davar has got, he is only considering "Bajirao Mastani" because he has liked Bansali's films immensely. Another speculation that is expected to be laid to rest soon is that he had been approached for an international film. The details of the assignments are being kept under wraps. Hope it works for him!

Sandali Arrives!

         Mumbai, Oct 23: Sandali Sinha of the "Tum Bin" fame is crowing with happiness having signed several exciting films. In the film "Pinjar", though she was not the centre of focus, she was noticed for her role. In Dilip Shankar's 'Crime Story' - a hard hitting film, she plays female lead opposite Sameer Dharmadhikari. In Anil Sharma's film "Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyo", she is serenaded by Bobby Deol. Sandali is all excited and looks forward to these films. As for Pinjar she says, "In Pinjar, the focus is on Urmila Matondkar but my role is that of a sweet girl who gets into a tight situation not of her making."

I want to be as slim as Urmila, says Bipasha!

          Mumbai, Oct 23: Last heard Bipasha Basu wants to look as trim and slim as Urmila Matondkar. Incidentally, Bipasha had gone to enrol herself at the Bandra Gold Gym the-state-of-the-art gymnasium at Bandra suburbs. The femme fatale had come with beau John Abraham and had complains about not being as shapely as Bollywood sex siren Urmila, who got this title after Ram Gopal Verma's hit film Rangeela.

Abhishek's new role as cop

          Mumbai, Oct 21: Abhishek Bachchan's intense portrayal of a cop in Zameen seems to have impressed the film's director Rohit Shetty so much that there is talk that Bachchan junior may be signed up for Shetty's next project. Encouraged by the fairly good response to his directorial debut, Rohit Shetty has decided to embark on not one, but two new Bollywood projects. The first project will be an action thriller based on script by Sridhar and Suparn Verma. It is learnt that Shetty is keen on having Abhishek in this venture, although nothing is confirmed as yet. This yet-to-be-titled flick will go on the floors in March next year and will be shot in various locales across Mumbai and Goa over a span of six to seven months. Shetty's second project will again be a thriller, but with a romantic angle. It will be a two-hero project like Zameen. But it is still not clear whether Abhishek will be a part of this project.

Raima in Chokher Bali

          Mumbai, Oct 21: At the screening of Rituparno Ghosh's 'Chokher Bali' at the 34th International Film Festival of India, Raima Sen was heard saying that playing the character of Ashalata in the film was a dream role for her. The movie, based on Tagore's novel, has Aishwarya Rai playing the young widow Binodini and Raima playing her best saheli Ashalata. After the screening of the film, Raima said that Ashalata's character had many subtle nuances that were difficult to enact. Ashalata is married to the head of the house Mahendra. Their married life is blissful until Binodini comes to stay in the household. While widowed Binodini becomes Ashalata's best friend, she also entices Mahendra into adultery. "During the course of the story Ashalata's character undergoes tremendous changes. In the beginning she was buoyant and bubbly. But she becomes a jealous and quieter woman resigned to her fate in the latter part of the movie," said Raima. Raima also thanked director Rituparno Ghosh for offering her the "dream role" in his movie.

Director Sanjay's flop plans

          Mumbai, Oct 21: Director Sanjay Gupta of "Kaante" fame recently threw a bash at Onyx Bandra in Mumbai to celebrate the completion of his film 'Plan', that has his buddy Sanjay Dutt in the lead role. But the twist of the tale is sad, but true, Gupta's well planned out party was to his utter dismay, not graced by any of the stars including Dutt himself. Then, much to Gupta's relief, Sameera Reddy and Priyanka Chopra came to the director's rescue and arrived at the party all decked up. Directed by Gupta's former assistant Hriday Shetty, 'Plan' features Dutt along with Dino Morea, Sanjay Suri, Bikram Saluja, Rohit Roy, Priyanka and Sameera.

Ash shoos Kareena

          Mumbai, Oct 21: Aishwarya Rai will be replacing Kareena Kapoor in Rituparno Ghosh's debut Hindi film which is yet untitled. Kareena has said that she could not meet the required dates to do Ritu's film scheduled in November and would be available for filming only in December. But then, since the hero Ajay Devgan had plans to go on holiday with his family during that time Kareena could not be floored in. Anyway, now Ritu's original choice, Ashiwarya is smoothly sweeping in.

Abhishek's marriage forecast

          Mumbai, Oct 20: Good times lie ahead for the Bachchan family. According to popular numerologist Jumani, the coming year is going to bring success and happiness for Amitabh Bachchan. Jumani has predicted that Amitabh's films will rake in money at the box-office and there will be positive changes in his personal life as well. He has also advised Abhishek to drop the Bachchan name to achieve success in his film career. The coming year might also see the angry young man of yesterday in the new role of a father-in-law. Hope this prediction sees the light of the day soon.

Manish Malhotra turns director

          Mumbai, Oct 20: Designer Manish Malhotra is all set to turn director. He has been signed by Sri Krishna International to direct a venture for them. Niranjan Iyenger who wrote dialogues for Jism and now Kal Ho Na