Yash Raj Films’ entertainment ride
After being named the top scorer in Bollywood, Yash Raj Films is proving itself to be fit of the honor. 2007 is going to be a Yash Raj year because of the kind of line up the production house has got.
* 27th April, 2007: Siddharth Anand’s TA RA RUM PUM, starring Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerji.
* 15th June, 2007: Shaad Ali’s third directorial venture JHOOM BARABAR JHOOM, starring Abhishek Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Bobby Deol, Lara Dutta and Amitabh Bachchan [sp. app.].
* 10th August, 2007: CHAK DE INDIA directed by Shimit Amin, it stars Shah Rukh Khan in the lead.
* 12th October, 2007: Pradeep Sarkar’s LAAGA CHUNARI MEIN DAAG. It stars Jaya Bachchan, Rani Mukerji, Konkona Sen Sharma, Kunal Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan.
* And finally, 30th November, 2007: AAJA NACHLE which is Cinematographer Anil Mehta’s directorial debut. Also the comeback of Madhuri Dixit on the Hindi screen.
* 2008 will kick off in grand style with TASHAN. Directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya [the screenplay and dialogue writer of DHOOM and DHOOM 2], it stars Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, Anil Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor.
So tighten your seat belts for this entertainment ride! Also do not forget that YSR studios will go completely go studio style of functioning. With the one-of-its-kind YRF Studios fully operational, Yash Raj Films now has the capability of doing each and every bit of pre-production, production and post-production work in-house.
Nishabd will release as scheduled
Delhi High Court has rejected Bengali Filmmaker’s plea to stop the release of Nishabd.
The filmmaker claims to retain the right of the title ‘Nishabd’ and the Court had also issued a notice to RGV Film Factory asking the concerned people to answer the petitioner before March 23rd. The Court said the petitioner should have approached the court earlier if he wanted to stop the release of the movie. So at last some good news for the team Nishabd.
Abhishek Bachchan is not a good Super Hero
Al ready two issues have marred the shooting of the film Drona, and the latest developments in Indian Railway are making things worse. It is not the Budget but the Security reasons that have put hurdles for the movie shoot. The recent attacks on the Samjhauta Express have taken a toll on Goldie Behl. Drona had got a permission to shoot a dangerous action sequence on the Train top but after the attacks the permission has been retracted. However, producer Shrishti and director Goldie Behl continue to be optimistic: “We are looking at an end-of-the-year release. In any case we have to spend a long time on the editing table incorporating the special effects. We are yet to figure out another schedule for the action sequence to be shot on a railway track amidst sand dunes. The best part about this place is that the weather conditions are not too inclement. So we can easily come back after a while. Hopefully, things will work out soon.” Looks like Super Hero Abhishek Bachchan (Of Course in the movie guys!) could not save the movie itself from further troubles.
Om Shanti Om has a Filmfare doing a Cameo
Yash Raj Studios arranged the stage not only for Filmfare Awards this year but also for Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om. Farah’s next through and through entertainer flick is all about a star, Om Kapoor, his story and journey towards Filmfare. So she thought of doing some real time shooting at the Filmfare awards function. “I have a Filmfare Award scene in the film where the character of Shah Rukh named Om Kapoor, is nominated for the Best Actor’s award. So, we thought it would be a good idea to use the stars who will be coming for the award function and make them speak about Om Kapoor and wishing him luck. Almost all the stars from the film industry like Mr Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukherjee, Preity Zinta and Hrithik Roshan were present at the occasion. Everyone was very co-operative and very sporting. Karan Johar will be playing the host for the awards night in the film” says the director. The award in the movie will be given to Shahrukh, who plays Om Kapoor’s role, by Subhash Ghai and Rishi Kapoor. And husband Shirish will be editing some interesting sequences in the film for his wife. Hmm…that means we can expect some real+reel life mixture in the movie.
Amitabh Bachchan: Jo Hukm mere Aakah!
Imagine how it would be to see Bollywood’s ruling King Amitabh Bachchan playing a genie! Great… right? Well Rohan Sippy has declared his Aladdin and confirmed that Big B will play the genie for Aladdin, but Aladdin is yet to be decided. How about Shah Rukh Khan playing the role…he he he!!! Sorry for the Poor Joke, but jokes apart the movie is going to be one the greatest entertainer of 2007 says Rohan Sippy. “It is a modern take on Aladdin. The film will have a lot of computer graphics and special effects. It has the potential to be a great family entertainer,” Rohan added. Promising filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh would do the direction part and actors like Sanjay Dutt and Riteish Deshmukh will be the highlights of the film.
KBC colorful with Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta and Rani Mukherjee
It is going to be a whole lot of color, fun and surprise for the show this Thursday. And celebrity guests are none other than Peppy Preity Zinta and Ravishing Rani Mukherjee. Though both are not very comfortable with each other, SRK makes sure they share a strong rapport on the show. Check out the few attractions of this episode:
‘Holi Hungama’ begins with special jargons for the episode. It is going to be: 50:50 Ki Pichkari Hai, Audience Poll Ki Gulaal Hai, Phone A Friend Ka Rang Hai and Flip Ki Gujjia Hai! And instead of ‘Freeze it’ it will be ‘Yeh Jawab Ko Rang Laga Do Shahrukh’! And that’s not enough…wait till the end to see how the audience conspire against the sweetheart host…A sure dose of masti. Do not miss it on 1st March at 9 p.m!
Hrithik and Kajol bag the Filmfare- the Indian Oscars
On a warm evening on Saturday, Bollywood saw its excellence being awarded by Filmfare. Hrithik Roshan and Kajol were awarded the Best Actor and Best Actress award in the popular section for Dhoom 2 and Fanaah respectively.
The Critics award for the Best Actor was given to Aamir Khan for Rang De Basanti while Kareena Kapoor won the Critics Award for Best Actress for Omkara. Lage Raho Munnabhai won the Best Film Critics award and Rakeysh Mehra won the Best Director award. The ceremony was held at the Yash Raj Studios in Mumbai. Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Karan Johar and Juhi Chawla hosted the award function.
“Water” lost Oscar to “The Lives of Others”
Deepa Mehta’s “Water”, a film on some dark sides of India by an Indian director, which was satirically Canada’s official nomination for the 79th Annual Academy awards lost the prestigious award to Germany’s “The Lives of Others”.
But don’t let the disappointment seep in because though the last country to view it, India will see the film releasing on the 9th of March. So be prepared to set the mood right for one of the master pieces world has bowed to!
Vishal Bharadwaj ropes in international excellence
“Pan’s Labyrinth” has become synonymous to technical excellence in cinema for the 79th Annual Academy when it swept away the awards for the Best Cinematography, Art Direction and Make up. But the news is that the talent behind all this Guillermo Navarro has been roped in by Vishal Bhardwaj for his next film. And the man himself will be in India next month.
So which is the movie Mr Bharadwaj? Come on…aren’t we your ardent fans? We have all the right if you rope in such an excellence to India.
Tabu on the Center-spread of Premiere magazine
Her talent is surely known in India but the same claim from a revered magazine like Premiere, makes Tabu the one of the most valuable gem from India. The prestigious Premiere Magazine has devoted a good two-page center spread to Tabu and her performance in Mira Nair’s Namesake. The article appears in its March issue that features a full-page portrait of the actress alongside a profile.
“The star of The Namesake is one of Bollywood’s biggest celebrities. Don’t recognize her? You will soon”, the magazine says.
“She’s thought of as a mix between Meryl Streep and Cate Blanchett,” says Mira Nair.
“I am curious, not excited, tensed or worried because I had nothing to lose. It could go anywhere. And the fact that I was not expecting anything from it puts me in a more comfortable space and view the result from an objective viewpoint,” says Tabu.
Namesake was premiered in Toronto International Film Festival in September last year and will be released by Fox Searchlight Pictures on March 9th this year. The movie is the cinematic version of Jhumpa Lahiri’s book with the same name. The movie also features Irrfan Khan and Kal Penn. India will get to see the movie only on the 23rd of March.
Smitten by Shilpa Shetty
Even the Prince didn’t escape her charm! Celebrity Big Brother winner Shipa has been invited as a guest of honor at the Princess Diana memorial concert this summer. And to top all that she has been offered a lead role in the West End Musical ‘Chicago’.
“Shilpa Shetty was invited to see the musical on Tuesday and she has enjoyed it, and its producers have offered her one of the main roles in the musical but she is yet to decide,” the spokesperson Farhat Hussain said. Talks are on and SHilpa will soon decide whether to give an affirmation on it. The producers of the movie are not concerned if she can sing or not. But Shilpa can surely answer the singing part soon as she is taking singing lessons with lead singer-song-writer Jamie Peace, a finalist in the prestigious International Songwriting Competition in the United States for his track More Than Enough. And our lady beautiful is also presumed to be the first face ever on first new Indian version of the fashion magazine Vogue. UK is truly Smitten by Shipla Shetty!
‘Hey Baby’ Vidya Balan
She is surely talented and has a handful films right now, at least that is what she gives as a reason while turning down huge banner like Yash Raj Films, Mira Nair and mentor Pradeep Sarkar. But she also has some very interesting offers from Raj Kumar Santoshi, Deepa Mehta and Priyadarshan.
Presently she is busy finishing her scheduled shoot for Sajid Khan’s “Hey Baby” opposite Akshay Kumar in Australia. And she makes sure she has those long walks where no one would disturb her or throng around seeing her. Well good Luck girl!
