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Bipasha patches up with the Bhatts?
Bipasha Basu who rose to fame with two Bhatt films--Jism and Raaz--had
reportedly enraged the directors after she turned down the lead role
in Mukesh Bhatt's last film Murder 2. Citing date issues, the Bong
bombshell had also backed out from performing an item number.
However, it looks like all that is forgiven and forgotten. On
Thursday, Bipasha signed for the lead role in Raaz 3. The film will
be directed by Raaz director Vikram Bhatt and will be made in 4D.
Mukesh Bhatt said, "It is a homecoming for both Bipasha and Vikram.
Yes, we did have issues earlier but, in a family, there are always
different point of views that arise till the members realise that
amendments need to be made." "This is where they started and this
film brought recognition to both Vikram and Bipasha," he added.
When Mukesh was asked who made the first move, he said, "Being in
the same business, we keep bumping into each other. Bipasha
expressed a desire to work with us again and she loved the Raaz 3
script. It is a very challenging and powerful role for her."
Vikram, who will be directing the said, "Bipasha is a very
important part of the team that created Raaz as a brand.I am happy
to be working with her again and hope to create the same magic with
the already heady pair of Emi (Emraan Hashmi) and Jackie (Jacqueline
Fernandes)."
Confirming that she has signed on the dotted line, Bips said, "I
have a long and fruitful relationship with Vishesh films. I am very
fond of both Maheshji and Mukeshji.They have given me two of my best
films of which, Raaz, my second movie, was a golden jubilee hit. It
was only a matter of time before we worked together."
Talking about the film, she said, "My role in Raaz 3 seems to be a
very challenging one and the director is not only very good at his
craft, but has also been a friend for a long time. The thought of
working with my own people gives me a high. It is a terrific
combination," she added.
Next Stop: Sonakshi
Ranveer Singh, since the day he stepped into Bollywood has never
been single. After his very first film Band Baaja Baraat, Ranveer
had allegedly started dating his co-star from the film, Anushka
Sharma. And though, Ranveer and Anushka are no more an item, the
self proclaimed 'self obsessed' actor has bounced back to his 'not
single' status. Ranveer is now dating the Dabangg girl Sonakshi
Sinha.
In fact, Ranveer and Sonakshi were spotted holding hands (and not
to help each other cross the road) in Pali Hill, Bandra. "The two
looked extremely engrossed in each other, oblivious to everything
around them. They clearly looked like a couple that evening. Their
body language said it all."Clearly, the Pali Hill sighting was one
of many. According to the industry buzz, the young actors have been
more than friends for a while now. Sparks started flying between the
two when they performed at an awards function in Toronto .
Interestingly, Sonakshi was a last minute replacement for Anushka in
that performance. Rumour has it that Ranveer and Sonakshi's
rendezvous continued even after the curtains went down.
Though Sonakshi and Ranveer started getting close a month back, the
Anushka-Ranveer love story came to an end only a few days ago. A
source close to the actor explained, "Ranveer started feeling
suffocated with Anushka. She was getting too possessive about him. A
point came when he couldn't take it anymore."
Perhaps that was the reason why Ranveer got over Anushka with
lightning speed. Also, the fact that Sonakshi had been quite
enamoured by the Band Baaja Baraat actor seems to have helped. The
actress had even stated in an interview that according to her,
Ranveer was one of the hottest guys around.
Ranveer too had reciprocated to the Dabangg girl's feelings trough
another interview wherein he expressed his desire to go on a date
with her. " Sparks have been flying between Ranveer and Sonakshi.
And now it's a fully blown affair. They do not even have qualms
about going out in public together," added the source close to
Ranveer.
Not A Love Story filmed on a cellphone
Ram Gopal Varma seems to have reinvented himself as a filmmaker in
every aspect. Apart from shooting Not A Love Story, inspired by the
Neeraj Grover murder case, on a digital camera to cut down costs,
the director has filmed the mall scenes with a high-end mobile
phone.
A source associated with the film tells us they couldn't smuggle
small digital cameras inside a Malad supermarket to shoot the scenes
of Mahie Gill buying polythene bags and a big kitchen knife. "The
camera had to be deposited before entering the premises. So Zaryan
Patel, the cameraman, suggested shooting with an iPhone4," reveals
our source, adding that only two people went in to shoot the scene.
He adds, "Obviously, Ramuji couldn't go anywhere near the place as
he'd be recognised. So, armed with the phone, the cameraman shot
Mahie's scenes inside HyperCity. And in 15 minutes, they were out."
Later, when the filmmaker saw the footage, he was impressed.
"Ramuji felt that the footage looked like it had been shot on CCTV
cameras, so he decided to treat the scenes accordingly in the
movie," explains our source, further informing that the footage from
the high-end mobile phone was edited to make the 10-second scene in
the movie.
Confirming the same Mahie said, "The whole film is shot in
guerrilla style. However, for this particular scene, we were a bit
scared of getting caught. Thankfully, it went smoothly and the
result is looking, good too."
Ajay-Akki gear up for some action
Nothing is permanent in Bollywood. Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn, who
were never the best of friends since their first film Suhaag in
1994, have now decided to give their strained relationship another
chance. The two biggest action heroes of present day Bollywood have
decided to come together for Rohit Shetty's next action flick that
will go on floors late next year.
The news of the patch-up has shocked the entire industry because
from the very get-go, when Akshay and Ajay worked together in
Sandesh Kohli's 1994 film, they were never able to see
eye-to-eye.Tensions between Akshay and Ajay escalated to a new high
when Ajay announced that his next project would tentatively be
titled Son Of Sardar, which incidentally was already registered
under Akshay's banner Hari Om Entertainment. However, the same
subject of dispute ended up being the platform on which Akshay and
Ajay made peace.
The two, who last worked together in the 2005 film Insaan, bonded
when Ajay went to meet Akki on the sets of Rowdy Rathore to request
Khiladi Kumar to part with the film title, Son Of Sardar.
"Akshay explained to Ajay that he could not part with the title as
he had already finished scripting the film and it would be going on
floors very soon. That is when Akshay proposed that they should do a
film together.
Ajay loved the idea and they immediately got down to planning the
project. They decided to co-produce the film under both their
banners. Ajay also spoke to his close friend Rohit Shetty to direct
the venture.
For Katrina, Imran is no junior
Ever since he stormed into the Bollywood scene with JAANE TU YA
JAANE NA, Imran Khan has done six films over a period of three
years. On the other hand even if one leaves aside BOOM, Katrina Kaif
has done sixteen films as a leading lady in six years gone by. Now
they are coming together in MERE BROTHER KI DULHAN which pretty much
makes Katrina as Imran's senior, both in terms of years spent in the
industry as well as the volume of work behind them. However the
pretty woman insists that this never came in the way of her forming
a good rapport with the newest 'Star Khan' on the block.
"You can't really play by the volume of films that you have done
since I may be working in three-four films a year while Imran may
choose to do one film a year. I don't think that brings in any
senior-junior thing at all since all of this is just a number," says
Katrina.
For someone who has worked with the likes of Akshay Kumar, Salman
Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Abhishek Bachchan in the past, the only time
when she has shared screen space with someone with lesser films than
her to his credit is Ranbir Kapoor (AJAB PREM KI GHAZAB KAHAANI,
RAAJNEETI). Now with Imran in tow, it has turned out to be only
second such scenario.
"See eventually when you are getting into a film, you work on with
the same kind of enthusiasm, whether you have done more or less
films," Katrina continues in the same vein, "You want your film to
be successful so that it does well for everyone involved.
This was a constant endeavor for both Imran and me."
Why should I say 'sorry' to Ranbir Kapoor: Sonam Kapoor
Sonam Kapoor, no longer close to the Kapoor boy, talks about her new
friend Shahid and why she can never think like Deepika How did you
get Pankaj Kapur's Mausam?
It all began with Shahid (Kapoor) calling me up. There are three
reasons why I accepted the offer: (1) I am a big fan of Pankaj Sir,
(2) I loved the script and (3) I had never worked with Shahid.
Pankaj Kapur is known to be a very hard taskmaster...
Not with me. He never raised his voice at me. He knew that I
prepared a lot before coming to the sets. I imbibed a lot from his
narrations. But yes, every actor is different and Pankaj Sir dealt
with each one of us differently. Once I met him, I knew that I
wouldn't be sidelined in the film even though his son was the hero.
And did his son live up to his reputation of being a meddler? I
haven't worked with Shahid before Mausam, so I don't know how he
behaves otherwise. But during the filming of Mausam, he was
extremely respectful of his father and obeyed him completely. I know
there were rumours of Shahid and me not getting along as well. The
truth is, Shahid and I share a very good equation. We are good
friends. Just because I am not having an affair with my hero,
doesn't mean I don't get along with him. Let me tell you something
about him...
Go on... He doesn't give a damn about what he wears. He is too much
of a teenager who dresses up like an 18-year-old skateboarder. He
can pull off just about anything without raising eyebrows. But...and
it's hilarious...he is extremely worried about his hair.
But you, on the other hand, are too particular about what you
wear. I don't wear tight dresses that outline my butt. I refuse to
get into body hugging tops with spandex simply because it doesn't
fit my body type. I do not believe in cosmetic surgeries either. I
think, every single imperfection adds to your beauty. I'd rather be
imperfect than perfect. And yes, I have a certain sense of
aesthetics. Think about it... I still look good in both Indian and
Western wear. (And she winks) Maybe not tight clothes, but would
you ever sport a bikini?
I don't have a body like Deepika Padukone or Bipasha Basu. But if
it's a beach scene, I surely can't wear a salwar kameez, right?
Speaking about Deepika, why haven't you two resolved your cold war?
She is sweet if and when we meet. However, we haven't met since we
made an appearance on Karan Johar's show. We don't have time, I
guess. Also, for two people to be friends, they need to think alike,
isn't it?
Correct me if I'm wrong... but you are not apologetic about your
remarks against Ranbir on Karan Johar's show. No correction
required. You are not wrong. Well, it was Ranbir who started it all
by saying 'Sonam is not sexy'. I just shot back and said 'Ranbir is
not sexy'. If a man says it, chalta hai. But when a woman says the
same thing, nahi chalta hai? That's sexist! Why should I say 'sorry'
to him? Just because his father made a hue and cry about it? If
Ranbir apologises to me, I shall too.
So, you don't talk to Ranbir anymore... I don't know Ranbir
anymore. He is not my friend now. I did have offers to act opposite
him but I turned them down. And that's simply because I thought that
those roles did not suit me. If I get something nice, I'll act with
him. It isn't necessary for me to be friends with all my actors.
How do you judge whether a role suits you or not? Depends on my
mood. I am eccentric.(Smiles) Punit Malhotra? What about him? He
was my director in I Hate Luv Storys. You are dating him... I
shall talk about my personal life if and when I decide to get
married. That day is yet to come.
Preity gets Sallu on SRK's show!
My guests are my friends and I don't intend to create any
controversies around any of them," says actor-anchor-producer Preity
Zinta, whose first chat show and second TV show, within the calendar
year - Up, Close And Personal With PZ - is on floors and ready to go
on air next week. Her guest-list for the show, likely to run into
10 episodes each of which will be aired once a week, on the new
Bollywood channel UTV Stars, includes arch-rivals, actor-producers
Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, apart from Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali
Khan, Arjun Rampal, Ajay Devgn and Farhan Akhtar. Preity shot with
SRK on Thursday evening.
Her first-ever guest on the set, however, was Akshay, followed by
Farhan and Arjun. And talks are on to rope in four more names,
including some of the host's female friends too.
When asked if the guest-list and her conversations with each one
(especially SRK and Salman) could, at some level, spark off 'talks'
within the industry circles, the host asserts, "I share an excellent
rapport with each one of my guests. The set has been designed like a
house. The concept is that every week, I have a guest over for a cup
of coffee and some fun activities. I don't intend to excavate their
private lives, their relations with others, and so on. Every chat
show doesn't need to have controversies and personal remarks to
become a hit. And I don't want to encourage any 'talks'."
Prod her on what she had in mind while talking to her subjects, and
she says, "The show hasn't started yet. And I am contractually bound
not to reveal the conversations."
Currently, Simi Garewal's India 's Most Desirable is one of the
most-known celebrity chat shows on air. Before that, there was
Koffee With Karan 3 that sparked off loads of controversies. So much
so, that after the show wrapped up, host-filmmaker Karan Johar
nearly called off his friendship with filmmaker Sanjay Leela
Bhansali.
Preity has been on Simi's Rendezvous and Karan's coffee show in the
past. Did she turn to either for anchoring tips? "I haven't watched
India 's Most Desirable. Simi, I know, is a host who gets these
intimate conversations just right. Karan is a buddy and he suggested
some really cool titles. But I haven't imported ideas for my show,"
says Preity. "As for Karan, I didn't ask him for anchoring tips
because I anyway talk a lot and I have some intrinsic qualities of
my own, which should see me through this show."
'Production feels like a breeze'Sometime in October, Preity Zinta
says she will seal the script of her home production Ishqkk In
Paris. After that, she will figure her crew and the film's hero. The
actor has been away from movies for two years. In the interim, she
was busy with her Indian Premier League (IPL) team.
Shortly before the fourth season of the IPL flagged off, her team (IPL's
Kings XI Punjab) was embroiled in a court case. She returned to
showbiz as the anchor of reality TV show Guinness World Records (GWR)
- Ab India Todega. Didn't the break from showbiz make production
difficult?
"GWR announced that I was back to my core area of work. I'm an
artiste first. And honestly, getting a crew, finances or even
inching closer to sealing the script for my movie wasn't difficult.
The court case, where I had to stand up for my team and my dignity
and prove that our hands were clean has made me rock solid. That was
a war that I won. Production, in comparison, feels like a breeze."
Aarakshan mints Rs.58 crore in first week
Filmmaker Prakash Jha is happy that even after the "unexpected tough
battle" to release his film Aarakshan, the movie has managed to
amass Rs.58.5 crore within its first week. "I'm very happy with the
audience response to Aarakshan. I've been flooded with
congratulatory messages and calls. The film seems to be touching
many, many people," Jha said in a statement Friday.
Aarakshan, which deals with the sensitive issue of caste-based quota
system in India 's educational system, was banned in Punjab , Uttar
Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh for the fear of anti-Dalit comments in
it.
However, the ban was lifted from Punjab and Andhra Pradesh a day
after its worldwide release, Aug 12. In Uttar Pradesh, the ban was
lifted Aug 19. "It has been an unexpectedly tough battle to release
the film... I hope no other filmmaker ever has to go through what
I'm going through. I'm very grateful for the support of the
audiences worldwide who have been watching and enjoying the film.
Many common people have been conveying their support, and that is
very heartening," added Jha.
The movie features megastar Amitabh Bachchan with Saif Ali Khan,
Deepika Padukone, Manoj Bajpayee and Prateik.
Shah Rukh Khan spends one crore for a costume!
Trust actor Shah Rukh Khan to go all out and splurge when he is
working on his lavish, big-budget sci-fi film, 'Ra.One' to release
this Diwali. The actor is making sure he leaves no stone unturned to
make sure his film looks top notch.
And buzz has it that, the specially designed superhero costume that
Shah Rukh's character G.One will wear in the film alone costs a
crore. The special costume which has been made from rubber and not
spandex has been designed by a special team from Los Angeles .
The blue-grey body suit had to be perfect since Shah Rukh, for most
part of the movie will be seen in it. So he made sure that his
costume is digitized and can also accommodate special effects like
light and spark emissions.
Lord Krishna as a tattoo artist!
This Janmashtami, you will see Lord Krishna in a new avatar, that of
a tattoo artist! Hema Malini is performing a special dance-drama
enactment for the festival. And while narrating tales of Radha and
Krishna , the actor-danseuse is introducing two new characters - a
tattoo artist and a 'choodiwali' (bangle seller).
Hema has been performing the dance-drama at the ISKCON temple in
Juhu for 20 years now. "Every year I try to give a new twist to the
performance and add new songs," she says, adding, "I hear a lot of
discourses by different gurus on Aastha channel. If I find something
unique, I call the gurus. They know many unheard tales from rare
books and readily share their knowledge when I tell them that I want
to incorporate these instances in ballet. They even suggest ways to
do so." Is that how the tattoo artist and bangle seller were born?
She says, "Yes. In one tale, Krishna is desperate to meet Radha, so
he comes dressed as a 'chudiwali' but is soon caught by the gopis (
Krishna 's devotees) and has to leave. It is then that he disguises
himself as a 'goondnewali' (tattoo artist). Tattoos were prevalent
in those days as well."
Hema adds, "Radha instantly recognises him, but pretends not to. She
tells him, 'Mere mathe pe naam likh do, mere hothon pe likh do, mere
har ang par likh do unka naam' (write his name on my forehead, lips
and all over my body)." Instead of her usual one-hour-fifteen-minute
performance, this year Hema is going to do a two-hour piece this
Janmashtami on Monday.
While Ravindra Jain has been roped in to compose new songs and write
the lyrics, Bhushan Lakhandri is composing the act. The actor, who
designs outfits for all the characters herself, has roped in Neeta
Lulla with instructions to design 'divine robes' for Radha and
Krishna .
I think we all support the cause, says SRK about Anna Hazare
Asked about the protest at an event in Kollam, Kerala, SRK said : "I
think we all support the cause. I think there should be no
corruption in the country. None of us think that there should be
corruption. I think this whole aspect is becoming so large and so
big and there are so many aspects of it that we need to look at it
seriously, quietly, step-backedly (sic) We just can't keep saying we
support anti-corruption. All of us want to support anti-corruption.
No one wants the country to be corrupt. Its the worst kind of stigma
that one can have for the country. But this wonderful cause has so
many aspects to it. How do we remove corruption. I think as an
intelligent section of the society, we have to think about the
implementation of it. What are the constitutional aspects of it.
What are the parliamentarian process of the same. What is the
practicality of the same, how is it going to happen. Unless we do
that, we just keep talking about it, we just keep doing agitations"
Asked to comment on the protest taking centrestage, the actor said,
"Yes. it is being brought to the forefront. That's fantastic. Anti-
corruption is the desire of every Indian, the young and the old Now
it has been brought to the forefront. Now its an aspect of
discussion. We should think how to take the best out of it so that
it does not die out. That's the second step. Everyone in the press,
the public should say we don't want corruption.. think about how to
avoid.it. I think that is more important. Whatever social
responsibility I have, I do not have the intelligence or knowledge
on how it should be implemented And if I speak about it i would be
speaking out of turn. And I don't want to sound stupid.. Yes, it is
a fantastic thing. But we should have some really good thinking
people like ourselves following the social cause. We are with it.
Absolutely, we all are."
Who's the future of fashion?
On the third day of Lakme Fashion Week on Thursday, Vaishali
Shadangule presented a collection that was beautifully made from two
different fabrics - chanderi and paithani - and juxtaposed the same
on garments to make the sheerness compliment solid colours. The
collection was crisp and high on aesthetics.
The label Zulee on the other hand employed traces of origami on
textures on fluid silhouettes. Also seen were pleating and beading
textures, and inserts and pin-tucked yokes. The collection proved to
be another impressive effort on the runway and was chic.
Young Amalraj Sengupta's collection spoke well of the designer's
ability, even at this young age, to conceptualise complicated
designs and present the same in the most effortless manner.
He presented his collection to make both men and women happy with a
range of dresses and suits. And Sanjay Hingu, now well known for his
ability to make excellent menswear, also came out with a range of
nice suits with jackets bearing peak and shawl lapels, innovative
trousers with zipper enclosures with some of them even looking more
for fun.
In the DHL Future of Fashion segment, were three designers, who have
been in the business for a fairly long time - Nachiket Barve, Little
Shilpa and Swapnil Shinde. For me, they are not the future… they are
the present and are doing very well.
I thought when one says 'future', one would like to choose designers
who are fairly new. I have seen better creations by Nachiket Barve,
who is a master of textures. This time, the designer made a total
deviation to have more Indianness in his collection with graphic
interpretation of embroidery, sari-inspired draping and even a
modern interpretation of a sari.
Same way, Little Shilpa, too, was a wee bit disappointing for me, as
I have seen more creativity with her headgear. Besides the slow and
spaced-out walks by models made it even drearier to watch. But
Swapnil Shinde's collection proved to be the best from his stable
with the theme, Speed of Sound. Silhouettes in the form of tops,
dresses, gowns and jackets with waves in transparent PVC
incorporated so beautifully.
Anita Dongre Timeless, a collection encompassing beautifully-made
Indian festive (bridal) wear had all that is required for the Indian
woman to look and feel stylish. Her ability to finish the garments
well and control the surface treatments made the collection pleasing
to the eye.
Narendra Kumar's theatrical presentation accompanied by live singing
had smartly tailored suits, immaculately cut and stylishly executed,
narrow appeal, side vents and lapels in peak and shawl… the
collection was lively and smart. At the Talent Box, Adi by Aditya
Khandelwal showcased a brilliant collection that had silk all the
way (silk yarns, silk and gold thread embroidery). Garments were
made extremely well and he should have been on the main runway, not
just at the Talent Box. | 
