Upcoming releases
On 11th Aug there are two releases. One is Harry Baweja's Deewane starring Ajay Devgan, Urmilla Matondkar and Mahima Chaudhary. The other is Dharmesh Darshan's Dhadkan starring Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty and Shilpa Shetty. It is said the all the three stars of Dhadkan have given their best performance till date in this film.
On 18th Aug is the release of Small B Abhishek Bachchan's next release Vashu Bhagnani's Tera Jadoo Chal Gaaya. It is very important for the film to run at the box-office as Abhishek's debut film didn't do well. On 25th Aug is the release of Boney Kapoor's Hamara Dil Aapke Paas starring Anil Kapoor, Aishwariya Rai and Sonali Bendre.
David Dhawan and Govinda who both needed a hit which they haven't give for a long time, came together in Kunwara. However both failed to create that magic again, more at fault in David Dhawan and a bad story. Govinda tried his best but in vain. The film was not appreciated neither by the critics nor the audience. The film's first week's collections were 77% in Mumbai (from 13 cinemas) and 67% in Delhi (from 13 cinemas). Govinda's next release will be N.Chandra's Shikari co-starring Karisma Kapoor and Tabu. Govinda in this film is playing a different role from his routine gags. His role has some negative shades.
Ram Gopal Verma's Jungle also was not that appreciated unlike his previous hit films Rangeela and Satya. However the good opening has saved the distributor from incurring losses. In most of the circuits the film will be a commission earner. The second week's collections have dropped in most of the places. The film did a business of 66% in Mumbai (from 7 cinemas).
Guddu Dhanoa's Bichoo is an average fare in Mumbai, Punjab and is a loser in many circuits. The third week's collections are poor. The film did a business of a mere 33% in Mumbai (from 5 cinemas). JP Dutta's Refugee did a business of 41% in Mumbai (from 9 cinemas). Surprisingly Rakesh Roshan's Kaho Na...Pyar Hai continues to do very good business in its 28th week with a collections of 97% (from 3
cinemas).
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Follow the star
If Amitabh Bachchan has arrived on TV can Shahrukh Khan be far behind? A leading film financier has proposed the current superstar to anchor a show for a movie channel for a scandalous sum of money. For Shahrukh it would be a bit like homecoming since he had started out with TV.
Clearly, TV is becoming bigger than the biggest Bollywood stars. Time was when small screen stars looked at Bollywood as their ultimate destination. Not so anymore; they seem to be making a beeline for the soap box. Meanwhile the entertainment market is hot with another piece of juicy gossip. Rekha is being approached by a rival of Star to host a programme on the idiot box. In the queue is also Zeenat Aman, who it is rumoured will be hosting an Oprah type show. It appears TV will be giving big screen a run for its money.
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Malaysia: Shah Rukh's new love!
South-East Asia is the newest hot spot for Bollywood. And guess who's suddenly in love with Malaysia? Our own Shah Rukh Khan. He's now suddenly decided that his Shashilal Nair film with Juhi Chawla One Two Ka Four should be shot in Malaysia.
Why Malaysia? Simply because SRK, Raveena, Juhi and Sunjay Dutt are there for a stage show right now and therefore it makes more sense to catch SRK on location.
Cost saving for Nair and all that jazz. Hey, incidentally Dreamz Unlimited's second film is also being shot partially in Malaysia. Well, at this rate we'll soon have SRK buying a house in Malaysia as well. Not a bad idea, eh?
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Nadeem makes a comeback
Tainted Bollywood music director Nadeem's genius is back in business.
Cleverly circumventing possible legal complications, this prime accused in the murder case of T-series king Gulshan Kumar has started transmitting his musical notes to partner Shravan in Mumbai, that too through the Net. Sleuths on his trail say they can do nothing about it.
Sitting tight on tenuous extradition proceedings pending in London's higher court for three years, Nadeem has cocked a snook at Mumbai Police whose officers admit that there is no law to stop him from resuming a surrogate life and business in the tinsel town all the way from England.
With Dharmesh Darshan's Dhadkan releasing this Friday and 21 other big-star films in the pipeline, Nadeem is all set to make a killing. His accomplice: the information superhighway on which he is flying smooth and high. The police, meanwhile, can twiddle their thumbs, waiting for law to take its own slow course! And till the time, the higher London court reads its judgement on Nadeem's extradition to India, the composer is involved in doling out the notes for Kasoor by Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt, Rishta featuring Amitabh Bachchan by Sunil Darshan and Yeh Dil Aashiqana by Kuku Kohli.
"My producers and directors fly to London, narrate the story and then we work out the song situation. I compose the songs and e-mail it to Shravan, who then executes the recording", he says.
So what is his mantra? "Prayer and work, work and pray, prayer and work," he says. Simple. Prayers for exoneration and work for money.
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Govinda lassos Amisha for 'Yahoo'
Govinda, for some time now been sniffing around for a heroine seems to have come to an end. He has zeroed in to the KNPH girl, Amisha Patel.
Govinda and Amisha will make their debut together in director Sanjay Chhel's latest venture, Yahoo.
Juhi Chawla also features in the star cast and is definitely looking forward for a box-office rambler after her home production Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani fizzled off without a whimper.
The film will feature another romantic pair running parallel with the Govinda-Amisha one to throw in some more punches to the story line. The second pair is yet to be finalized.
The music for the movie is being molded by the tinkling Bollywood musical pair of Jatin-Lalit.
Chhel, who has penned a couple of delightful comedies like Yes Boss and his own directorial debut, Khubsoorat, will again be exercising his scripting and lyrical skills for his latest venture, financially backed by the Hindujas.
Win some, lose some
Nidaan is headed flop-wards, but it still continues to impress the heck out of people in high places.
No less than Atal Bihari Vajpayee suggested the title, we are told. And now, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, after catching a showing of the flick, wrote an appreciative letter to producer R V Pandit. And went further, to attach a cheque for Rs 10 lakh towards rehabilitation of AIDS victims.
Pandit went one better. "I am," he wrote by way of reply, "a giver, not a taker. But I fully appreciate your gesture. To your Rs 10 lakh, I add my own Rs 10 lakh." Attached, was a cheque for Rs 20 lakh, for Naidu to employ towards AIDS rehabilitation in his state.
Moved by Pandit's gesture as well as by the film, Chandrababu Naidu then asked Telugu cinema's reigning superstar, Chiranjeevi, to check out the film. Chiranjeevi obliged, taking mega-producer D Rama Naidu along for company. And was so touched, that he volunteered his time for a series of promo ads on TV, in which he exhorts his fans, and the people of the state, to see the film.
The AP chief minister has also pitched in, getting his government's publicity department to flood various parts of the state with banners similarly appealing to the public to see the film.
Chief ministers of other states are also picking up the cue. A bit of nobility, shown towards a film that was made with noble intentions.
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Anil, Amisha and Karisma teamed up for Badhai Ho Badhai
The showman has done it. Subhash Ghai's Mukta Arts has tied up with Anil Kapoor and Satish Kaushik's entertainment company. The movie in the making will be titled Badhai Ho Badhai and it will star Anil Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor and Amisha Patel in the lead roles.
Anu Malik has been signed to compose the music for the same. Mukta Arts will present the movie and will have worldwide rights for the same. The movie goes on the floors from 11th August.
A heartiest Badhai to the team from us all. Let's hope that we can give them more Badhai if the film proves to be a hit at the box office.
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Tejaswini's debut film rocks
He's one of the most active producers in filmdom, but it took him a long time to notice the talent right under his nose -- sister-in-law Tejaswini Kolhapure.
Thus, Tutu Sharma is finally ready with a film that will launch wife Padmini's younger sister. And never to do things by halves, Tutu is in fact making a movie that has quite a few other firsts as well.
Paanch, thus, has Tejaswini making her debut, in the lead. And writer Anurag Kashyap, whose credits include Water, Satya, Shool and Kaun, debuting as director.
The movie revolves around a rock group whose music doesn't really sell. "We've recorded real rock songs, similar to the ones you have abroad," says Tutu Sharma. "Vishal Bharadwaj and Kay Kay (the television star making his celluloid appearance) have done this, and it has turned out very well. Even the picturisation of the songs is different -- I am going to shoot one of these concert numbers at Horniman Circle, with the Asiatic Library as the backdrop.
"We are painting the steps of the library, with the group on it and a huge crowd in front of them, going crazy. Tejaswini is the only female in the group. She plays the guitar and fronts the vocals," he says.
"The story line is about how they get involved in a small crime, simply to make some easy money, and how this then leads to bigger things. Their frustration at not succeeding is the driving force that pushes them into crime," the producer explains.
Anurag Kashyap does the story, screenplay and dialogues, besides directing. "I've known Anurag for a long time," says Tutu Sharma. "Since before Satya, in fact -- he was working on a script for me then. I like his approach, and I am always looking for different films to make. Like Rockford for example. He came to me with this script, and the passion with which he narrated it to me told me he would do a good job as director."
And Tejaswini? "She has done a fantastic job," enthuses Tutu.
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Pooja Batra gets noticed
Despite a spunky performance in Virasat a few years ago, she got a very lukewarm response from the industry. Now Pooja Batra is going places after a brief stint in the South in Rajiv Menon's Kandukondein Kandukondein.
Pooja will now be seen opposite Govinda in Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiya. Also, the industry is abuzz with rumours that Batra will play Priyanka Gandhi in one of the upcoming projects. Not bad at all. Way to go, Pooja!
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Shamita loses out on Hrithik!
Shilpa 's sister Shamita Shetty can easily be called one hot newcomer. But the poor girl cannot sign films even though producers are lining up outside her door! Reason? She has signed an exclusive contract with the Chopras with whom she's doing their film Mohabbatein. Recently Raj Kanwar approached her for his film with Hrithik (which Kareena Kapoor dumped midway) but the Shetty girl just couldn't sign the film!
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Kareena Kapoor - 'When it comes to dancing, I am no Karishma Kapoor'
Amidst all the hype accompanying the debut of Amitabh Bachchan's son in Refugee, what has escaped media attention is the emergence of another star kid--Randhir Kapoor's and Babita's younger daughter, Kareena Kapoor.
Starring opposite Abhishek Bachchan in the film, Kareena's performance has been so controlled and restrained that audiences are finding it hard to describe her. All that they are saying is that she is differentfrom the other star aspirants around.
Elder sister Karisma Kapoor is, however, going overboard by predicting that Kareena would chew all other heroines. A proud papa Randhir is saying that his girl will usher in the winds of change in Hindi cinema. And J P Dutta, the director of Refugee, is comparing her to none other than Madhubala.
"But I like Meena Kumari," says the 18-year-old. "I like Nargisji also, because there can never be anyone as good as her. I watch all their films. If there's a film of theirs on television, I refuse to go out... Both Meena Kumari and Nargis have been my role models in films." Not Karisma Kapoor? "Yeah. ofcourse!" she exclaims. "But I must make a confession. When it comes to dancing, I am no Karisma Kapoor. I know dancing is very essential these days. But so what if I cannot dance well? Even Meena Kumari and Nargis were no dancers. For that matter, Madhubala wasn't."
Kareena's close relationship with Karishma is well known. In fact, the latter has gone on record to say that her kid sister has been making all the career moves on her behalf. Even otherwise, they are inseparable off-screen and share most things, including clothes, between themselves.
But on the professional front, Kareena has already the line: "I think it is impossible for two actresses to be friends, even if they are staying under the same roof. Should I make the effort, I would be faking it. The competitive edge is always there, no matter how well they manage to smother or conceal it."
"This is, however, not to say that I am against competition. If I am not in competition with my sister, how can I give my best? The Kapoors' have always believed in healthy competition, both within the family and outside. It is the only way to strive towards excellence." To prove her point, Kareena has just signed a film with Abbas-Mastan in which she would be playing the role of a fun-loving, footloose girl --the kind her sister has perfected in all these years. It will be her next release after Refugee.
"Ajnabee is a thriller," she reveals. "I play Akshay Kumar's wife--but not the demure sort draped in a saree. I play my age, an 18-year-old who dresses and speaks normally. That way, identifying with the role is easy. The challenge lies in enacting alien emotions, like a scatterbrain. That would be tough!" Also on the cards is Subhash Ghai's Yaadein in which Kareena plays a young, exuberant girl who falls in love with a middle-class guy. She concedes that it sounds like a run-of-the-mill romance, but given the film-maker's track record, the audiences would not be disappointed.
She is also looking forward to the launch of Karan Johar's multi-starrer, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham in which she is pitted against veterans like Amitabh, Jaya Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan as her co-stars. The very mention of Shahrukh sends her into raptures.
"Each time I meet Shahrukh, I am like completely stunned," she says. "I'm ballistic about Shahrukh. I don't care about any of the other Khans. I am a die-hard Shahrukh fan. I think he knows it, though I've never had a chance to tell him so directly. He's the best. No one can touch him!" In all this, what remains unsaid is her opinion about Hrithik Roshan, the teenage sensation who was to usher her debut with Kaho Na Pyar Hai before Amisha Patel got in and replaced her. Kareena would rather not talk about it.
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