Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan Row: Media created one
The more both the superstars are trying to hush it down and keep it low profile, the more media drags the friction between Big B and SRK into public attention. So much so that it looks completely a media created rift between the stars.
Recently media quoted Shahrukh Khan saying “I am sexy, smart and young. That was his century; this is mine,” and posed it with some mirch masala to pep up the statement. Later Big B was quoted retorting “Let’s see what happens to him (SRK) after 35 years”. If I remember right, SRK had given the statement in Hindi (translating does not always retain the same meaning) and the second line was not at all joined to the first one. It was a response to the video that he shot for KBC. Paparazzo is not a healthy way for media!
Saif Ali Khan has a handful in 2007
If you are wondering whose year is 2007 going to be and have just a couple of names in your mind think again. Apart from the Bachchans and the King Khan, another Khan will also have a spotlight on him. Saif Ali Khan will have February, March and April to himself.
Eklavya- The royal Guard, Nehle pe Dehla and Tara Rum Pum are the prospective releases of the coming months. Though in Eklavya (releasing on February 16) the star is not the only highlight, the other two movies Nehle Pe Dehla (tentatively to release on March 02) and Tara Rum Pum (April 27) have Saif in the lead role. We wish Saif a good luck to steal the show this year.
Luxury arrangements for Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai
Ashutosh Gowarikar has got a huge budget for Jodha Akbar which includes not just a royal setting for his film but also a grand arrangement for the lead pair. Nitin Desai, the Art Director of the movie, has made unique arrangements for Ash and Hrithik for the second schedule of the movie shoot. In order to reduce the stress of commuting between house and Karjat, Rajasthan, Nitin has set up luxury cottages for both the stars.
Hrithik gets a two bedroom and a kitchen cottage with an exclusively equipped gymnasium. And Ash gets a equally posh cottage but with rich golden color and furniture to make her feel like Jodha even when she is resting. Both the stars also have a plasma Television with more than 300 hundred channels to watch along with special favorite DVDs gifted by the art director. And above all it will also reduce the director’s tension about Ash and Abhishek’s marriage…every time she goes back home Ashutosh has a limp in his throat thinking what if she doesn’t return because she got married!!!
Aishwarya and Bachchans again in court
Looks like the dark clouds of court and cases have not completely abandoned Ash. Happily married to a ‘peepal’ tree (Banyan tree) and supposedly getting married to Abhishek Bachchan, Ash is now being pulled to courts through a Public Interest Litigation (PIL). A PIL against Ash and the Bachchan family has been filed in the Patna High Court by Lawyer Shruti Singh as Ash was married to a tree to overcome astrological differences with her fiancé Abhishek Bachchan. “I filed a PIL to stop such practices as reportedly conducted by actor Amitabh Bachchan for his future daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai. It is in violation of Article 17 of the Constitution, which prohibits untouchability. It also violates fundamental human rights,” said Shruti. The rituals performed by Aishwarya, Amitabh and Abhishek would only promote superstitions and blind faith among common people. An FIR should be filed against Bachchan, his wife Jaya and Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh for encouraging such practices,” adds the Lawyer. Hmm…being a celebrity one life is not a private affair so better be watchful at every step!
Shahid back to work
Shahid has been getting inspired from his girlfriend Kareena and has been waiting patiently for a good project to come his way. And finally when director Rohit Shetty of Golmaal fame read him the script of his next film, Shahid grabbed it with both hands.
The film will be produced by Ramesh Sippy. “Shahid told me that he has not signed any film in a long time but he loved my script from the time it was narrated to him. I am glad that I have him in the film. I have an odd combination in the film, with Nana Patekar and Shahid in the lead roles. But at the end of the day, it is a light-hearted, comedy film for family audiences. It is a very unusual role for Nana which the audiences have never seen before” says the director. So finally Shahid will start working for the film in mid 2007.
Vijay Arora succumbs to death
When he sang “chura liya hai tumne jo dilko” for Zeenat Aman in Yadon Ki Baraat, hearts leaped for him. 62 year old Vijay Arora succumbed to an intestinal ailment on Friday.
He had acted in more than 50 films. His last release was Indain Babu in 2005. The actor is also well known for the role of Meghnath in Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan. The actor was a Film and Television Institue of Pune graduate.
Drona the next superhero
Drona has got a Superhero, a similar big budget and science fiction look to it as Krrish. It has the same lead lady and the same classy look to it as Krrish. Does that ensure that Abhishek in Drona will be accepted to be bigger and better than Hrithik in Krrish?
Well we don’t know but sure the Bachchan family has high hopes that the audience would accept Abhishek as a Superhero in Bollywood. Goldie Behl’s latest film Drona for which the mother-son duo- Jaya and Abhishek Bachchan are shooting is supposedly a 60 crore movie. Parts of which are also being financed by Amitabh Bachchan. Sources claim “Drona is their answer to Krrish and hence the Bachchans along with director Goldie Behl are making all efforts to overshadow Krrish’s superpowers.” Abhishek will don a new European look and will be seen doing plenty of daring stunts. Priyanka Chopra who plays opposite to Abhishek Bachchan will also have a different look. Let’s see how well it fares with the audience to accept another Superhero.
Ajay Devgan thrilled about directing Kajol
It’s all for The Namesake!
Mira Nair’s next directorial project “The Namesake” that is based of Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel with the same name will have its world wide release in March, 07. Tabu, Irfan Khan and Kal Penn form the main star cast.
But would you trust me if I say that for Mira, Tabu wasn’t the first choice to play the Kolkota-born Ashima in the novel. Mira had first approached Rani Mukherjee for the role of Ashima and had asked Abhishek Bachchan to play her son’s role. But because Abhishek was told that he will have to do a semi-nude scene and some kisses, he retracted from the project and Rani followed the suit (for reasons unknown). Well…I don’t think Abhishek has a clean record of no on-screen kisses! But he better follow the rule he has set for his would-be wife Ash. And for Rani…I am amazed that she dropped such a good project. But then to think of it Mira wouldn’t have got a fine actress as Tabu to play the role of Ashima.
John Abraham’s weak point
Did you ever realize that Bollywood’s heartthrob John ever had a week point while being in Bollywood for all these years? Well even if you don’t agree with me it is a fact! John had a feeble command on Hindi and was therefore dubbed by professional artists. “I admit it was one of the areas that I needed to work doubly hard on. I’ve been consistently working on it. But Baabul truly made me confident of the way I speak my dialogues. First of all, the words were all in pure Hindi. Achala Nagar’s dialogues were a bit complex for all of us, except of course Mr Bachchan,” said John. “I had two options open in front of me. Either I asked the words to be simplified. Or I worked on the language. I opted for the latter. And believe me, if the impact of a role can be gauged by the spoken word, then Baabul is the most influential film of my life. It has changed my thought process. Now I’m actually able to think in Hindi,” he said. And the end result is that producers are actually willing to let John speak for his own voice on the silver screen after ‘Baabul’.
Wedding bells ringing for Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia
Every top notch couple in Bollywood seems to have decided to get married in 2007. After
the ‘assumedly-secretive’ relation of Ash and Abhishek was made public, media is up again with stories of Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia marriage. Preity who turned 32 on Wednesday has nothing other than “Jhoom Barabar Jhoom” for release in 2007. Looks like a good time for marriage then! But her would-be mother-in-law Maureen Wadia, unlike Jaya Bachchan for Ash, is not too happy with the relation. Maureen apparently had publicly mentioned that she doesn’t care if Ness got married to a “Zebra”. Hmm…she definitely looks inspired by Ekta Kapoor’s ‘K’ series vamps. Whatever be Maureen’s wish, if Ness (heir to Bombay Dying Group) and Preity get married then this wedlock would be the second greatest matrimony between a Bollywood star and business tycoon after Tina and Anil Ambani.
