Akshay's 'Patiala House' Role Inspired by Monty Panesar

In his next film “Patiala House”, Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar will be seen essaying a role which has been inspired by England cricket team’s Sikh member Monty Singh Panesar.

Panesar is the first Sikh to join England cricket team and the spinner is a crowd favourite. Panesar’s parents migrated there from Punjab.

In “Patiala House”, Akshay will be seen as Parghat Singh Kahlon, a British citizen whose dream is to be a pace bowler.

The film is being directed by Nikhil Advani and also stars Anushka Sharma, Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia. It is slated to release in Feb next year.

Aamir Pays Surprise Visit to Big B

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan was reliving memories of shooting on floor number one of Mumbai’s Film City when actor-producer Aamir Khan paid him a surprise visit.

“In the middle of the shoot Aamir Khan dropped by to have a chat and it was as always wonderful,” Amitabh posted on his blog www.bigb.bigadda.com.

Amitabh was nostalgic as he was shooting for an advertisement at the same place which he inaugurated almost 30 years back.

'Tera Kya Hoga Johnny' Release Postponed Indefinitely

Filmmaker Sudhir Mishra’s “Tera Kya Hoga Johnny” seems jinxed! The movie was wrapped up in 2008 and was slated for a New Year’s eve release, but has now been further delayed.

“The release of ‘Tera Kya hoga Johnny’ is being postponed indefinitely owing to unfavourable market conditions,” said a press statement from the movie’s publicist.

The film features debutant Sikandar Agarwal in the lead, and has a line up of actors like Neil Nitin Mukesh, Soha Ali Khan, Karan Nath, Kay Kay Menon and Shahana Goswami. Produced by Tutu Sharma and Manu Kumaran of Medient Production, it traces the lives of individuals trapped in extreme circumstances with four short stories.

Akshay Plans Holiday in Goa for Twinkle’s Birthday

A family holiday is the only thing on Akshay Kumar’s mind after the release of “Tees Maar Khan”. So the Bollywood star is off to Goa to celebrate his wife Twinkle’s 36th birthday Wednesday as well as ring in the New Year with a bang.

“I am going to Goa with my family for nine days and I will just enjoy myself. We will be celebrating Tina’s (Twinkle) birthday there first and then party on New Year’s Eve,” Akshay said over phone from Mumbai.

The action star, whose cookery game show “MasterChef India” on Star Plus came to a grand end last week, says he makes sure he chalks out adequate family time every year to take Twinkle and their eight-year-old son Aarav.

“You need to strike the right balance between work and family. I manage it very carefully. My family understands the nature of my work and never bothers me when I am working. So when I am on a holiday, I never give them a chance to complain and I just have fun,” he said.

He also makes sure to pamper his wife once every year.

“I like to take breaks between my projects and once every year, I take a slightly long break. At that time, I just keep a globe in front of my wife and I ask her to choose whichever destination she wants to go for a holiday, and that’s where we head! She allows me complete freedom, so I can do at least this much for her,” said the dutiful husband.

It was an average year for Akshay with films like “Housefull”, “Khatta Meetha”, “Action Replayy” and “Tees Maar Khan”, apart from his presence on the small screen as the host and judge of “MasterChef India”. He says the TV show was a “great learning experience” as it was not just a chance for him to get a step closer to the masses, but also a chance for him to pick up new cookery tips.

“I met so many people through this show and learnt so much. For the first time I heard of cooking fish in curd and mustard…I picked up many such new combinations and ingredients.

“I could relate to their emotions because I also come from the same background. I could understand their feeling of staying away from home for a long time and could understand their needs in their quest for success…,” said the 43-year-old, who lead a simple life in Chandni Chowk in New Delhi before he became a chef in Bangkok and then finally movedg to filmdom with “Saugandh” in 1991.

The actor, best known for his action stunts in Bollywood, says he is ready to be back with a second season of the show.

“I hope so that the channel would like to do a second season of ‘Masterchef India’. I don’t know yet, but Star Plus and I share quite a good rapport and hopefully we will return with the second season. I am all for it,” he said.

After the holiday, Akshay is looking forward to the release of “Patiala House”, the official trailer of which has been released with “Tees Maar Khan”. Following that, he will begin shooting for Anees Bazmee’s “Thank You”.

Adnan Sami Gets Notice on Mumbai Properties

Pakistani singer-composer Adnan Sami has been issued a notice by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for owning eight flats and five car parking spaces in Mumbai.

A fine of Rs.20 lakh has also been slapped on the singer.

Sami said: “I have received an order from the ED which says my properties will be confiscated if I do not file an appeal in the next 45 days.”

He rubbished media reports claiming that his flats have been confiscated.

“The order was received Dec 21 and we have 45 days from then to file an appeal, which we will move at the earliest. But the properties have not been confiscated yet,” said Sami’s lawyer Vibhav Krishna.

The ED order mentions that Sami’s application for buying property in Mumbai was rejected by the Reserve Bank of India in 2003 owning to his Pakistani nationality. Sami, however, denies any knowledge of the rejection.

Sami owns eight flats and five car parking spaces in Oberoi Sky Garden in suburban Andheri.

Shifting the onus on the builder, Sami said: “I was friends with Vikas Oberoi, the builder of Oberoi Sky Garden. In 2003, I had told him I want to buy a property in Mumbai. He had told me about his upcoming project and that his legal team will take care of all the formalities if I want to buy property.”

“In fact my bank loan was also cleared and the property registered in my name. I had no idea that the RBI has rejected my application.”

Sami had purchased the flats in 2003 at the cost of Rs.2.53 crore and had taken a loan of Rs 1.5 crore for the purchase.

Sami has been served the confiscation order under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).

Vikas Oberoi could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.

Ajay, Katrina announced most profitable actors of 2010

Bollywood actors Ajay Devgn and Katrina Kaif will be crowned the most profitable actors of 2010 at the “ETC Bollywood Business Awards 2010 – Evaluating Movie Moghuls” Tuesday. First timer Abhinav Kashyap will get the most profitable director trophy.

On evaluating the industry players on the basis of return on investment for the first time, the actors have won the top spots after the economic quotient of their movies was taken into consideration as a cornerstone for mapping their success.

“Figures talk, you cannot manipulate it, you cannot play games with it,” said Ajay, who has had six releases this year including “Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge?” “Raajneeti”, “Golmaal 3″, and “Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai” and except “Aakrosh” and “Toonpur Ka Superhero”, all his movies did good business.

The research done by ETC indicated that Indian audiences paid a cumulative sum of Rs.282 crore to watch Ajay’s films throughout the year vis-a-vis Rs.142 crore to watch Katrina’s “Raajneeti” and “Tees Maar Khan”.

Breaking all records is Salman Khan starrer “Dabangg” that has been named as the top grosser of the year. Debut director Abhinav Kashyap bagged the most profitable director trophy for the corrupt cop saga with audiences paying a cumulative sum of over Rs.140 crore to watch his film.

“It is a fair assessment of the recipient’s work and his popularity and mass appeal,” said Arbaaz Khan, winner of the most successful producer for “Dabangg”.

This will be the first time in India where an initiative has sought to recognize even the marketers, distributors, production houses and exhibitors on the basis of business the industry has generated in 2010.

“All those who represent the industry, actors, musicians and directors have only been judged on creative parameters. No one had thought of evaluating them on how much business they had generated,” Anurag Bedi, business head, ETC, said in a statement.

“Such an evaluation will bring forward the workings of Bollywood as an industry,” he added.

The ceremony also has first time categories such as marketing (best marketed film of the year – “My Name Is Khan”), distribution (special award for film distribution) and promotion (most successful banner/corporate house/production house of the year), among others.

While the award for the most profitable multiplex chain of the year goes to PVR Cinemas, the most successful small-budget film of the year trophy will be handed over to “Peepli Live”. Corporate house of the year is Shree Ashtvinayak Cinevison Ltd.

The ceremony will also recognise the most successful Hollywood film of the year with “Inception” taking centrestage.

“ETC Bollywood Business Awards 2010 – Evaluating Movie Moghuls” will air Tuesday at 8.30 p.m. on ETC channel.

‘Abhi Kuch Dino Se’ Exclusive Promo from Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji

'Tees Maar Khan' Claims New Victim – in Nepal

“Tees Maar Khan”, the “great” Indian criminal, the likes of whom are born only once in a blue moon, and who “steals, cheats and cons with amazing audacity” has struck again – this time in Nepal.

When Nepali film director Dev Kumar Shrestha announced his new film, the first supernatural thriller in Nepal, would be released on Christmas eve, he was not deterred by the thought of theatre-goers being diverted by festivities or new Nepali films releasing simultaneously with star-studded casts, or for that matter, “Tees Maar Khan”.

However, the 38-year-old was forced to call a press conference Monday to concede that “Ek din, ek raat” would now be shown a week later, from Dec 31.

“Tees Maar Khan”, Bollywood’s much-hyped new action comedy directed by Farah Khan and starring Akshay Kumar as the super rogue and Katrina Kaif as his leading lady, is being released internationally Dec 24 and Shrestha decided not to take any chances.

“Nepalis are avid watchers of Hindi films,” Shrestha said. “Besides being preceded by a lot of hype, ‘Tees Maar Khan’ is a big-budget film made under a big banner and with big stars.”

By contrast “Ek din, ek raat”, despite receiving considerable pre-release publicity in Nepal, was made on a budget of NRS 8 million – Rs.5 million in Indian currency – which would be considered peanuts in India’s mega-billion-rupee spinning film industry.

It also deliberately avoided signing up big names, instead opting for theatre artistes with a solid reputation for acting skills.

Unlike most Nepali films, “Ek din, ek raat” would be screened in Jai Nepal, one of the best theatres in Kathmandu that shows only exceptional Nepali films. So with the multiplex also releasing “Tees Maar Khan” Friday, Shrestha thought it prudent not to take the big Bollywood rival head-on.

In Nepal, it is not Nepali directors but Bollywood that still remains the film industry’s biggest competitor.

When Manisha Koirala’s comeback film in Nepali after two decades in Bollywood was released earlier this month, director Dipendra K. Khanal decided to change the title to “Dharmaa”.

The original title was “Rajniti” but Khanal feared it would seem a copy of Bollywood director Prakash Jha’s political drama by the same name that was released in Nepal as well and lauded, even by top Maoist leaders who had once advocated banning Hindi films in Nepal.

Veteran Nepali film maker Yubaraj Lama decided to shelve making a film on the Buddha after the news broke that Bollywood director Ashutosh Gowarikar was also making a film on the same subject.

However, despite Shrestha’s retreat, “Tees Maar Khan” may not have an entirely triumphant reign in Nepal.

It is bound to be regarded critically, especially as Akshay Kumar’s earlier film, “Chandni Chowk to China”, was banned in Nepal last year after director Nikhil Advani’s kungfu comedy triggered public protests due to the script, which erroneously said the Buddha was born in India.

The founder of Buddhism was born in southern Nepal and the wrong note led to the then Maoist government ban the film in Nepal.

Hrithik Completes a Decade of Married Life

Superstar Hrithik Roshan, who marked the 10th anniversary of his marriage with Sussanne Khan Monday, has thanked his friends and fans for their love.

“Been reading all tweets…thank you so much for all your wonderful wishes! Sending our love to all out there,” Hrithik posted on Twitter.

Actress Mallika Sherawat was among many who wished the couple.

“Happy anniversary to Hrithik and Sussanne…A loveliest of couples! Many more happy years to you both,” she posted.

Hrithik and Sussanne have two children – Hrehaan, four, and Hridhaan, two.

It’s ‘Tees Maar Khan’ vs ‘Toonpur Ka Superhero’ This Friday-Preview

Film buffs are in for a treat this Christmas as choreographer-turned-director Farah Khan’s highly anticipated film “Tees Maar Khan”, starring Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif, hits the silver screen along with Ajay Devgn’s animation film “Toonpur Ka Superhero” this Friday.

Filmmaker Sooraj Barjatya also returns with his new film “Isi Life Mein” with debutants Sandeepa Dhar and Akshay Oberoi.

“Tees Maar Khan”, produced by Twinkle Khanna, Shirish Kunder and Ronnie Screwvala with a budget of Rs.50 crore ($11 million), is a story about Tabrez Mirza Khan (Akshay) who steals, cons and cheats with such an audacity that none even gets the slightest hint about his deeds. His gang members include three others named Dollar, Soda and Burger.

International antique smugglers Johri Brothers (Raghu Ram and Rajiv Laxman) ask Tabrez once to perform the biggest heist of his life. They ask him to steal antiques worth Rs.500 crore from a heavily guarded moving train.

The film’s music is already a rage, with Katrina making fans groove to her item song “Sheila Ki Jawani”.

The film also stars Akshaye Khanna, Raghu Ram, Rajiv Laxman, Arya Babbar and Aman Verma. It also has special appearences by Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt.

“Toonpur Ka Superhero”, featuring Ajay Devgn and Kajol, would be India’s first live action-animation film. It is produced by Kumar Mangat Pathak and Krishika Lulla and distributed by Eros International.

Directed by Kireet Khurana, the film tells the story of film star Aditya (Ajay) who has all the success he ever dreamt of. He is married to Priya (Kajol) and has two kids Kabeer and Raima. He might be a superstar but his children want him to be hero in real life rather than in reel.

Aditya gets one such opportunity when he finds himself in Toonpur, the land of his children’s favourite cartoons, where he has to fight Toonasurs (demon toons) to save Devtoons (good toons).

The film also stars Tanuja, Mukesh Tiwari, Sanjay Mishra and Delnaaz Paul. Khurana has won five National Awards for short animation films and has directed almost 400 commercials and “Toonpur Ka Superhero” is his first feature film.

While Ajay and Kajol team up for this film after two years, it also reunited the mother-daughter duo of Kajol and Tanuja 18 years after “Bekhudi”, which was the launch vehicle for Kajol in the film industry.

After his last film “Ek Vivaah Aisa Bhi”, Sooraj Barjatya is returning with his new production venture “Isi Life Mein” with two newcomers Sandeepa and Akshay, who is actor Vivek Oberoi’s cousin.

Produced under Rajshri Productions and directed by Vidhi Kasliwal, Barjatya’s niece, the story of the film revolves around the journey of a small town girl Rajnandini, who is not allowed to dream and lead a life according to her own wishes.

Somehow she takes admission to a Mumbai college and meets Vivaan and his gang of friends, who make her believe that she has the right and the capability to accomplish her dreams. It’s then that things start changing for her.

Whether Christmas will set cash registers ringing for all three of these films is yet to be seen.

Expensive Action Sequences to be Shot for ‘Agent Vinod’

Producer Saif Ali Khan has asked his “Agent Vinod” director Sriram Raghavan to shoot three very expensive action sequences.

“I will have only three action sequences. But I won’t compromise on quality. I’ve spent considerable time writing the action sequences into the script. Now comes their execution,” Sriram said.

The next schedule of “Agent Vinod” is in March 2011.

“There are three big action sequences still to be shot. They require major prepping.I want to plan them out and shoot them on priority. There was no point going into another schedule without the required budget. We now have that in place for March. These sequences are VFX heavy and it’s better to do them first before I do my balance scenes. We’ve shot about an hour of footage already,” he added.

Sriram still hopes to release the film towards the end of next year.

“Both Saif and Kareena would have to be trained before we do the remaining action sequences,” Sriram said.

Making an action film as slick as its counterparts in Hollywood is not easy. Two of the pending action sequences would be shot in the UAE, far away from the country where they are located in the script, to economize on the rapidly spiraling budget.

Sriram admits he has been asked to keep costs down. “I need to keep a quality check while making sure we don’t go over-budget. There are three big action sequences to be shot. And yes, you’ve heard right. Two of them might be shot in the same location. For one of them I need choppers flying in the night. In India we aren’t allowed choppers at night. So we’ll have to shoot in the UAE.”

Sriram, who has already edited 65 minutes of footage for “Agent Vinod”, needs to shoot a very stylish prologue to go with the opening titles, and an epilogue which requires four days of shooting in Britain.

Would the prologue be as as stylish as the ones in the James Bond flicks?

Laughs Sriram: “I wish! But we don’t have that kind of budget.”

Kareena Kapoor has been telling the world that she has no heavyduty action sequences to perform with Saif in “Agent Vinod”.

The fact is, she has not one, but two very stylish and complex action sequences in “Agent Vinod”. For this she needs to undergo some amount of training. Apparently these sequences have been postponed until she finds the time to train, and until the budget permits them to be shot.

If preparedness is all, then “Agent Vinod” is not all there. Not yet.

Katrina Kaif Voted as World’s Sexiest Woman!

Katrina Kaif has topped the list of Sexiest Woman across the World in the London based newspaper Eastern Eye’s list for the third time in a row beating all the other competitive actresses. The poll was held on all the top actresses across the world, pop stars and TV personalities. Most of the Bollywood actresses spotted in the top 10 list. Priyanka Chopra has bagged the second position followed by Bipasha and Frieda Pinto in third and fourth positions respectively.

Kat was quite happy with this hat-trick win and thanked one and all for their support. Katrina Kaif says, “I’m very happy that I have made it to the top of Eastern Eye’s list again. England is off course a very special place to me and I think it’s very sweet to be voted the sexiest by them. I just want to thank everyone for the support.”

'Jai Ho' Rahman at Golden Globe Nominations

It doesn’t get bigger than this for A.R. Rahman. The double Oscar winning Indian composer has bagged a Golden Globe nomination for Danny Boyle’s “127 Hours”, having already won the trophy once for the director’s mega sweep “Slumdog Millionaire” in 2009.

This is the 44-year-old’s second flick at Hollywood’s second most prestigious annual movie prize after Boyle’s Mumbai-based multiple-Oscar award wining underdog drama “Slumdog Millionaire”. Rahman won two Oscars and a Golden Globe for his number “Jai ho” in the movie.

The Chennai-based composer is competing in the same section as before – Original Score for a motion picture category – with the likes of Alexandre Desplat (”The King’s Speech”), Danny Elfman (”Alice in Wonderland”), Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (”The Social Network”), and Hans Zimmer (”Inception”).

Bollywood was on cloud nine with its leading musician’s feat.

“AR Rahman nominated for Golden Globe for ‘127 Hours’ score. Marching to another Oscar?” tweeted filmmaker Shekhar Kapur.

The soundtrack of “127 Hours” includes the popular song “If I Rise”, a collaboration between Rahman and pop star Dido.

Starring “Spider-Man” star James Franco, the movie is a biopic about mountaineer Aron Ralston, who was trapped in a canyon in Utah for five days by a boulder that fell on his right arm and he freed himself by amputating the limb.

Ralston recently even complimented the composer on his music in the film by sending him a hand-written note.

It read: “For A.R, Thank you for bringing your amazing music to my story – if only I had your soundtrack in the canyon, I could’ve lasted another 127 hours. Best Wishes, A.R. (Aron Ralston).”

Fondly called the Mozart of Madras, Rahman was honoured with a Padma Bhushan this year.

The shy musician also has two gramophones on his shelf that he won at the 52nd Grammy Awards for his music in “Slumdog Millionaire”.

The only defeat he had had was at this year’s Oscars ceremony when his number “Na Na” from his Hollywood debut venture “Couple’s Retreat” failed to win a nomination in the Best Original Song category at the gala.

'No One Killed Jessica' Director Okay with A-Certificate

Rani Mukerji’s character mouths expletives non-stop in the much talked-about film “No One Killed Jessica”. Director Rajkumar Gupta admits that the actress’ character is “very brutal and graphic in her speech” but he is not so worried about the film getting A-certificate from the censor board.

“We voluntarily beeped out Rani’s expletive in the trailer because it was to be screened on the home viewing medium. But now when we submit the film for censorship, we will go with the entire language content intact, hoping the censor board would see the context and not just the hard-hitting nature of the language,” said Gupta.

“We are hoping for a UA (parental guidance) certificate. But even if we get an Adults certificate, we’re okay with it,” he added.

The film is based on model Jessica Lall’s murder case. In the film Vidya Balan will be seen as Jessica’s sister Sabrina who fought tooth and nail to get justice for her sister. Rani plays a journalist.

According to sources, Rani’s character’s flow of profanities is so non-stop that if the censor board decided to beep her gaalis her dialogue soundtrack would have more beeps than words.

Laughs and protests Gupta, saying: “It’ not that bad, really. You are making it sound like a non-stop abuse binge. My film is not that.”

“But yes, Rani’s character is very brutal and graphic in her speech. I don’t know if, as you say, Rani is the same way in real life. I didn’t know her before I shot with her. But she was thoroughly professional in mouthing squirmy words.”

While Rani is said to be gung-ho about the language, Vidya Balan is apparently dreading how the dialogues would sound in a pindrop-silent theatre with dolby sound.

“Let’s just say, both Rani and Vidya said what they had to. They were thorough professionals,” said Gupta.

Another area of discomfort for the film would be the legal ramifications of showing real-life people, particularly the hostile witnesses in the murder case.

Apparently some of the key witnesses are already inquiring about the content and getting ready for legal action.

“We’re ready for any eventuality. I made the film the way I wanted to as a mix of realism and cinematic entertainment. ‘No One Killed Jessica’ is not a documentary on the Jessica Lall case. But it is about her sister’s fight for justice. And if the real-life characters recognise themselves, they are welcome to react how they want.”

In fact, former top cop Amodh Kanth has urged the Indian censor board to ensure that only the facts relating to the Jessica Lall murder case are presented in “No One Killed Jessica”.

Mishra Not Pleased With A-certificate For 'Tera Kya Hoga Johnny'

Filmmaker Sudhir Mishra is upset that his forthcoming film “Tera Kya Hoga Johnny” has been given an ‘A’ certificate that entitles only adults to view the film. Nevertheless, he feels it is better than altering his storytelling to please the censors.

“Tera Kya Hoga Johnny” traces the psyche of individuals trapped in extreme circumstances with four short stories based in the murky lanes of Mumbai.

“This is a film that everyone should watch. What is shown in the film is a hundred times milder than what actually happens on the streets of Mumbai. We wanted this film to reach a wider audience and make them aware of an aspect of Mumbai that they ignore or don’t even know about. But I’d rather go with the adult certificate than compromise on the storytelling,” said Mishra.

The censor board is believed to have objected to a scene where a cop is shown making sexual advances to a boy. Mishra was also asked to snip off some expletives if he wanted a U/A certificate for the film. Apparently, the censors also objected to certain shots where people were shown trading in and consuming cocaine.

But Mishra wasn’t ready to compromise on his creative freedom.

“All these scenes are key to the very essence of the film and to the characters being portrayed. So making any of the changes would have meant changing what I was trying to convey in the first place,” he said.

The film, featuring debutant Sikandar Agarwal, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Shahana Goswami, Kay Kay Menon, Soha Ali Khan, among others, was scheduled to release Friday, but has now been delayed until Dec 31.

Dhulia Wraps Up Movie Shoot Amid Bee Stings

Nothing deters Tigmanshu Dhulia from shooting his film in real loactions — the writer-director just wrapped the filming of “Sahib Biwi Aur Gangster” in Gujarat despite being attacked by a swarm of bees.

Shot across Gujarat on a 30 day back to back schedule, Dhulia with his cast and crew was attacked by a cluster of bees while shooting for the movie in a haveli.

“We look like a mess. Some of the actors have swollen faces and lips due to bee stings. These will obviously show on camera, more so since we’re using a very sophisticated camera, the Alexa, for the first time in Indian cinema,” Dhulia said in a statement.

Produced by Brandsmith and Tigmanshu Dhulia Films, “Sahib Biwi Aur Gangster” stars Jimmy Shergill, Randeep Hooda, Mahie Gill, Deepal Shaw, Vipin Sharma, Shreya Narain, Deepraj Rana and Mukesh Tyagi.

“There were more than 10 bee hives in the haveli and we had requested these to be cleared before the shooting, but guess no one paid heed… so while we were shooting, guess it was the smoke from the lights that disturbed them and they descended on us and bit us all over,” Rahul Mittra, chief executive officer of Bradnsmith, said.

“No one was spared from the cast to the crew, everyone was bitten. We then called the tribals who performed some puja and cleared the bees in one whole night,” he added.

Ajay, Abhishek Back After Eight Years

Ajay,-AbhishekAbhishek Bachchan and Ajay Devgn will re-unite on the big screen after a gap of eight years in the film “Bol Bachchan”.

“My company will be producing a film called ‘Bol Bachchan’, which will release by Diwali next year. Abhishek and I will be acting in it,” said Ajay.

The film will be directed by Rohit Shetty, and Kareena Kapoor is expected to play the female lead.

Abhishek and Ajay were last seen in 2003 “Zameen”, which was also directed by Shetty.

Sameera Reddy's Birthday Plans

"I couldn't stop laughing when it all happened," recalls actress Sameera Reddy, who celebrates her birthday today on the sets of Prabhu Deva's upcoming Tamil flick, "Prabhu sir was explaining to me last week that we had to shoot the birthday sequence for Paaro, the character I play in his film. He had said that we'd do it on December 14 and went on to explain the entire sequence. I kept giggling all the time and then told him that it was my actual birthday on that day too. It was uncanny timing!"

The actress had a whale of a time in Chennai shooting for the film in which she co-stars Vishal. "I'm yet to start shooting my scenes with Vishal," she states, "But I did meet him during the puja of the film and I must say, he's quite tall! I hope our chemistry clicks once we start shooting together."

Meanwhile, the actress is all praise for director Prabhu Deva with whom she's working for the first time. "He never seems to relax," she says, "I've heard from people that he's focussed and now, after working with him in the past few weeks, I can vouch for it. He's always thinking of ways to improve a scene; that's something I like about him."

So, what's her role in the film like? "I play a fun-loving college girl (Paaro)," she says, "There's a lot of comedy and life in Paaro. And yes, she has quite a few punch lines too!"

In the coming year, the actress plans to concentrate more on her Tamil projects. "Yes, 2011 will be the year when I'll go all out in Tamil," she reveals, "There have been several complaints from fans on my micro blogging page about me not doing enough Tamil films. That was when I was shooting for Gautham's Nadunisi Naaygal, a few months ago. So, I've decided to work a lot more here." Apart from Prabhu Deva's film, Sameera has Linugusamy's Vettai, for which work will start early next year.

Budday plans
I'll be in Chennai shooting in the first half of the day. Then, I'm off to Mumbai where I'll be shooting for an ad. All my friends are upset that there's not going to be a party on my special day!

When Freida Pinto Went Unrecognised

“Slumdog Millionaire” star Freida Pinto was surprised when nobody recognised her in a Mumbai slum recently.

“People in the city recognise me as the girl from ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ and inevitably they stare. But when I visited the slums with an NGO, nobody recognised me at all. I didn’t mind,” femalefirst.co.uk quoted Pinto as saying.

The 26-year-old star shot to fame after the Oscar winning movie and since then has featured on cover pages of a lot of fashion magazines and has bagged a few Hollywood projects as well.

Freida Pinto Photo Gallery

Tera Kya Hoga Jhonny Movie Preview

After exploring Mumbai in “Dharavi”, “Is Raat Ki Subah Nahi” and “Chameli”, director Sudhir Mishra is set to take audiences through the murky lanes of the western metropolis again in his dark thriller “Tera Kya Hoga Johnny”, which is releasing Friday.

The film explores the psyche of individuals trapped in extreme circumstances with four short stories.

Set in a time when people are trying to turn Mumbai into another Shanghai, “Tera Kya Hoga…” stars debutant Sikandar Agarwal in the lead. Neil Nitin Mukesh, Soha Ali Khan, Karan Nath, Kay Kay Menon and Shahana Goswami also form the cast of the movie along with filmmakers Anurag Kashyap and Aditya Bhattacharya.

Produced by Tutu Sharma and Manu Kumaran of Medient Production, the thrilling drama has been written by Sudhir Mishra who has given new meanings to emotions like greed, love, betrayal and hope in his script.

“Tera Kya Hoga Johnny” is Mishra’s first release after “Khoya Khoya Chand”.

The first story is about Parvez (Neil), whose life is torn between his desperation to run away with the love of his life Divya (Shahana) and his desire to get rich quickly.

Divya is married to corrupt encounter cop Chiple, played by Kay Kay. Parvez decides to steal Chiple’s money and thus unfolds new thrills in the story.

Then there is the story of Priti (Soha) and Vishal (Karan). Soha is a small-time model who is dating Vishal, a cocaine addict, who is involved in the world of crime.

Intertwined into the lives of these characters are Chutta (Vijay Maurya), a drug dealer who aims to corporatise the trade along with eunuch Begam played by Saurabh Shukla.

The medium budget “Tera Kya Hoga Johnny” was wrapped up in 2008, but the release was deferred for some unknown reasons and the producer Sharma is happy that it is releasing now. The film made headlines when its uncut version was leaked online.

Saif, Deepika to Sizzle Again in Adajania’s Next

After wowing the audience with their sizzling chemistry in “Love Aaj Kal”, Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone have teamed up again for Homi Adajania’s untitled film.

“I’m very excited about this story. It is romantic, funny and has a great balance of drama and entertainment. I’ve wanted to do a love story with a modern sensibility and treatment and I know that Homi will give us exactly that,” Saif in a statement.

“I’m also looking forward to my pairing with Deepika again…. She has a fantastic role in this and I think she has grown impressively since ‘LAK’ and will handle it very well,” he added.

Deepika is also excited to be working with Saif again.

“I have seen Homi’s ‘Being Cyrus’, and absolutely love his work, I have great respect for him, and I’m confident he is the perfect choice to direct this film. I haven’t played shades of a character like this before. This film also marks the reunion of the Love Aaj Kal team,” said Deepika.

Imtiaz is writing the script for the movie, which will be shot in London, Spain and Delhi. The film is being produced by Saif’s ex-business partner Dinesh Vijan under the banner Illuminati Films.

“It’s a similar space from where ‘Love Aaj Kal’ left off and then it roller-coasters from there… Imtiaz (Ali) has given us a hysterical and open-minded celebration of relationships that explore the various choices that life may offer… and what people are willing to surrender for love or sacrifice for friendship,” Adajania said in a statement.

Deepika Padukone Photo Gallery

Aamir Bashir’s ‘Harud’ in Competition Section at Dubai Fest

The directorial debut of actor Aamir Bashir’s “Harud” is competing for Muhr Asia Africa awards at the seventh edition of Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) and the director says festivals are the only way to reach a wider audience.

“This is the only Indian feature film that is in the competition for Muhr Asia Africa awards here. The first run has been good so far, let’s see how far we can take it,” Bashir said in an interview here.

The actor-director, who is from Kashmir, wielded the megaphone to tell the story of Rafiq, who is struggling to come to terms with the loss of his elder brother Tauqir, a tourist photographer. The film shows Tauqir as one of the thousands young men who disappeared since the onset of insurgency in the valley.

After an unsuccessful attempt to cross the border and reach Pakistan to become a militant, Rafiq returns home to an aimless existence.

“Harud” (Autumn) is competing with 16 other films from across the world. Bashir says he chose the festival circuit to reach to a much wider audience.

“For a film like this, it is difficult to find distributors… this is my way of reaching a wider audience. You can reach to the masses only if you are marketing the film properly. In my case, if I release the film in the metros with 10 or 15 prints, the number of people who will see it would be much less than those who see it in festivals.”

“Everywhere there would be audiences from different nationalities that won’t have knowledge about Kashmir. So, for me, festivals provide a wider audience. Of course, there are no monetary returns. As a first time filmmaker, this is the only way I can show it to more people,” said Bashir.

Bashir maintains that though he hasn’t lived in Kashmir in the last 20 years, he knows the place much better through his friends and those who are struggling even today.

“I have not tried to tell the story sentimentally at all. But the point is this is the story I know best because I am personally and emotionally affected. Though I have not lived in Kashmir in the last 20 years, my family is there, connections are there. This is the story I know well enough,” said Bashir.

Bashir is looking forward to release the film commercially some time next year.

Among other Indian films, short film “Khule Darwaze” (”Open Doors”) by debutant director Ashish Pandey and documentary “Inshallah, Football” by Ashvin Kumar will be screened in the Muhr Asia Africa category.

The line-up of other Indian movies at the gala include Malayalam director Shyamaprasad Rajagopal’s “Elektra”, Bengali filmmaker Aparna Sen’s “Iti Mrinalini”, Telugu filmmakers Krishna DK and Raj Nidimoru’s “Shor” and Tamil director Prabhu Solomon’s “Mynaa”.

The eight-day festival started Sunday and it will conclude Dec 19.

I’m Like a Parasite: Shahana Goswami

Shahana Goswami, who plays Neil Nitin Mukesh’s love interest in their upcoming film “Tera Kya Hoga Johnny”, compares herself to a parasite and says she is at her best when her co-star is good.

“I’m like a parasite. If the actors that I am working with have good energy, I feed off it. My performance improves automatically and I am motivated even more to give it my best shot,” Shahana said over phone from Mumbai.

The actress says it was the same with Neil while shooting for Sudhir Mishra’s “Tera Kya Hoga Johnny”, releasing Dec 17.

“Neil was very supportive throughout the shooting. He is a very good actor and he knows his craft well. We hit it off instantly and it was very delightful to work with him in the film,” she added.

Shahana started off her acting career with theatre, before moving to the big screen with “Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota” in 2006. She appeared in a cameo in “Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd”, after which she featured as the lead in “Ru Ba Ru”. But she rose to prominence only after playing Debbie in the 2008 hit “Rock On!!”.

Though she enjoys being part of ensemble cast movies, Shahana says she is definitely on the lookout for a meaty lead role.

“Every actor wants to do lead roles. But one has to associate with the characters that are offered. I think it is futile to do a lead role for the sake of doing it. So I believe in improving myself through ensemble films…god willing, time will bring a lead role with a good filmmaker, a good script and a good banner!

“There is no tangible reason why I am not doing lead roles. But I am quite optimistic that it will happen one day because a lot of new filmmakers are experimenting with stories and newcomers as well as unconventional faces. Who thought a film (’Wake Up Sid’) with Konkana (Sen Sharma) and Ranbir (Kapoor) would do so well? So I am ready to wait but won’t compromise on my image,” she added.

Shahana, who learned Odissi dance for a decade, laments that she hasn’t yet got any opportunity to showcase her dancing prowess on screen.

“Dance is in my blood and soul. But I haven’t got a chance to show any of it. I think a role like ‘Umrao Jaan’ would suit me best because the character is so constrained and simple. It is so meaningful, yet has all the quintessential elements of an actress and the dance is justified in every bit of the movie,” she said.

Of late, the actress has been trying to “regularise” and “discipline” her workout routine.

“As an actress, it is very important to present yourself well. So I am trying to get some regularity in my routine…I read, watch films, write and work out so that my mind and body remain active all the time.

“In my younger days, I used to be very physically active; so there was never an external need to go to the gym to stay fit. But over the years, I lost the consistency and became very lazy…but now I am trying to be regular.”

Does her fitness-conscious beau, former supermodel Milind Soman, push her for workouts every morning?

“Milind has been very supportive and encouraging, no doubt,” she said.

So do they plan to take their relationship to the next level?

“What’s the next level? I am quite settled down with Milind already. We are very comfortable with the relationship we share at present and we have not thought any further about it. We are not on the lookout for anything beyond what we share right now.”

In the meantime, she is also excited about her other forthcoming projects “Mirch”, “Game” and “Ra.One”.

Big B on Stage, But in An Unexpected Way

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan returns to the stage, albeit in a most unexpected way. He will play himself on stage in Mahesh Manjrekar’s Marathi play “Mi Shahrukh Manjarsumbekar” — but not in person.

Amitabh will be speaking to the play’s main protagonist played by Siddharth Jadhav, from a screen image which will be flashed at every performance of the play.

And since the play will be in the form of an ongoing political comment with the politics changing in every performance according to the current headlines, it looks like Big B has a long innings ahead on stage.

“You can say that,” laughed Manjrekar who returns to his first love, stage direction, with “Mi Shahrukh Manjarsumbekar”. “Amitji will be seen in a dialogue with the Siddharth Jadhav character who plays the common man. The politics will change. But the two characters played by Jadhav and Amitji will remain the same.”

The first staging of “Mi Shahrukh Manjarsumbekar” will focus on Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi’s comment during the Bihar election campaign to the effect that Maharashtra is prosperous today because of Biharis.

“It’s such divisive politics that my play will strive to criticise through the character of the common man. Amitji’s audio-visual will be the highlight of every show,” he said.

Interestingly, Big B has played a part in the movie version of “Mi Shahrukh Manjarsumbekar”. Titled “Struggler”, the movie that features Manjrekar as the common man is now ready for release five years after its completion.

“It’s a coincidence that the play and film are going to be out at the same time. The movie is very different from the play. I’ve made a lot of changes in the play. The play will have an ongoing commentary on current politics,” said Manjrekar.

Shahid, Priyanka on 'Koffee With Karan'!

Filmmaker Karan Johar has actually managed to get Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra to make an appearance together on his chat show “Koffee With Karan”.

Karan wrote on microblogging site Twitter: “On my way to have a cup of ‘koffee’ with Shahid and Priyanka!!”

Rumours have long been doing the rounds about Shahid and Priyanka’s on-off relationship ever since the two rocked as a pair in “Kaminey”. So will their appearance on Karan’s chat show together put an end to the rumours surrounding their relationship status?

Priyanka Chopra Photos

I’m Doing a Movie With Aamir: Rani Mukerji

Bollywood actress Rani Mukerji, who last shared screen space with Aamir Khan in 2005, will be seen opposite him yet again in Reema Katgi’s upcoming suspense drama.

“I am doing a film with Aamir. Over the years our chemistry will only get better, so it’ll be better in this film,” Rani told reporters here.

“For me its wonderful to work with Aamir and specially after so long because the last film I did with him was ‘Mangal Pandey: The Rising’ and over there also it was not a film based on us. But this one is more about us,” she added.

The 32-year-old also revealed that Aamir and Shah Rukh Khan were her favourite actors.

“Shah Rukh and Aamir have always been my favourites and I have learnt a lot from them in my professional pursuits and in my life. It is my great honour that I worked with them in such wonderful films. I can do anything for them,” she said.

The actress, who was last seen opposite Shah Rukh in a full fledged role in 2006’s “Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna”, said she wanted to work with him soon.

“I’m going to meet Shah Rukh and tell him that he better start a film with me soon because I’m missing working with him,” she said.

Rani_Mukerji Photo Gallery

Acting! Who Me? Never, Says Ram Gopal Varma

Filmmaker, singer and now author Ram Gopal Varma has left no stone unturned to prove his versatility, but if there is one zone this daring man dreads to enter, it’s acting.

“I clamour whenever I see the camera (from the front) so there is no way that (acting) will happen. No. I will never act… ever,” Varma, 48, said over phone from Mumbai.

But that does leave scope for taking his singing debut further – he took to the mike to lend his voice to a song in the Telugu version of his two-part action-thriller “Rakta Charitra”.

“No, No, No, No. It was just for one of the songs for the movie, that is it. I’m not doing it again,” clarified Varma and pointed out, “And that was not there in the first part, but it is there in the second part.”

Released Friday, “Rakta Charitra – Part II” is a trilingual in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. Not many might have noticed, the blunt and on-the- face speaking filmmaker also made a debut as a narrator with the Telugu version of part one and continues his stint in the second outing too.

Starring Vivek Oberoi in the lead as slain Andhra Pradesh leader Paritala Ravi, it marks the Bollywood debut of Tamil superstar Surya as his nemesis Suri. Shatrughan Sinha, Kota Srinivasa Rao and Radhika Apte also star in pivotal roles.

The firsts, however, don’t end here for Varma as the regular blogger and active Twitterati has also wielded the pen for what is being touted as an unconventional autobiography “Naa Ishtam” (”My Wish”) in Telugu.

“It is not really an autobiography. It is a collection of my thoughts and stories behind how my films got made and those kind of articles. There is a lot of new stuff in it,” he said.

If you thought this was it for the filmmaker – there’s more. Varma’s debuts don’t end until the self-confessed Sridevi fan directs the “goddess of beauty”.

“I’d love to direct Sridevi. There is no concrete subject that I have right now for her but that is something I have in the back of my mind,” said the director, who dedicated his Bollywood film “Rangeela” to the actress.

But has he approached her?

“No. Not really… Not yet.”

Talk of Varma and one can’t evade the most obvious question – his love-hate relationship with filmmaker Karan Johar.

“There is nothing between us. We are just making fun. There is nothing else,” he asserted.

But what about the constant potshots they take at each other?

“Let’s leave it now. It’s always the same answer I give and the same answer he gives and it comes out that we take potshots. We are bored to death with it now. Let’s finish this matter off,” he replied agitatedly.

Leaving everything aside, apart from his “affinity for hard hitting subjects” like crime, politics and horror, Varma is known for his expertise at simultaneously dabbling in multiple projects.

His platter as usual is full of “Phoonk 3″, “The Business Man”, “Department”, “God And Sex”, a remake of the Malayalam movie “Rajakeeyam” and two 3-D ventures of which one is titled “Amma”.

My Dream role is Kajol's Part in DDLJ: Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone loves romantic movies and says her ultimate aim is to do what Kajol did in “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” (DDLJ).

“I loved DDLJ and my dream role is Kajol’s role in that film,” said Deepika, who has done romantic comedies since her debut “Om Shanti Om” in 2007.

“‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ came at a time when I was growing up and watching a lot of Indian cinema. At that time parents used to oppose (lovers in the film) and the couple used to go all out to get together…but the parents were there to stop them. There was so much drama on screen. Song sequences were shot in Switzerland. I used to love it,” she added.

Deepika says she has enjoyed acting in romantic comedies like “Bachna Ae Haseeno”, “Chandni Chowk To China”, “Love Aaj Kal”, “Housefull” and the just released “Break Ke Baad” and relishes mushy stories.

“As audience I have always enjoyed watching rom-coms which is why even as an actor I enjoy doing love stories,” she said.

But for Ashutosh Gowariker’s just released “Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey”, the 24-year-old has taken a departure from her routine genre to play freedom fighter Kalpana Dutta, who was a part of the Chittagong uprising of the 1930s.

“I accepted the role primarily because I was getting a chance to work with Ashutosh Gowariker. Who wouldn’t want to work with him? Secondly, I felt the subject was not given too much importance as part of our history books. So as an actor it was a different challenge to be able to educate the audience about a pertinent revolution for Indian independence,” Deepika said.

She sports two braids, simple saris and an almost no make-up look for the film; yet she feels her look is quite glamorous in its own way.

“I don’t think this look is any less glamorous. I think the sari is the most glamorous and sensuous dress for women…which is why I chose to wear a sari over a dress for the Cannes Film Festival.”

Deepika will now be on a short break from shooting before she returns to the grind for “Desi Boyz”, starring Akshay Kumar and John Abraham.

She also hopes to have a joyous Christmas and New Year.

“I like spending time with friends and family. I like taking short breaks every four-six months to unwind. Now in December, I will automatically get a break because it is holiday season with Christmas and New Year! The industry itself slows down a bit for a couple of weeks; so I think I will get a well-deserved break,” she said.

Deepika Padukone Photo Gallery

Sonam on Punjabi Shopping Spree

Fashionista Sonam Kapoor, who has been shooting for Pankaj Kapoor’s “Mausam” in Patiala, couldn’t help but go on a shopping spree.

“Last day in Patiala… bought beautiful mojris, patiala salwars, phulkari dupattas and parandas, great craftsmanship here…,” Sonam posted on Twitter.

Though she sports a lot of high-end international labels, street shopping is also quite Sonam’s cup of tea.

She laments that a lot of Indian crafts are taking a backseat.

“Local artisans are extremely talented. But a lot of the local crafts like phulkari embroidery are dying. It’s really sad because their work is so fine and beautiful.”

Sonam Kapoor Photo Gallery