Chandni Chowk’s.. paid previews take a terrific start

January 13th, 2009

Till about a couple of years back not much was heard about the concept of paid previews in India. Then came a few films that decided to take the plunge and saw a single late night show being run at select multiplexes a day before the official release of the film. However, GHAJINI completely changed the dynamics of paid previews as it saw number of paid previews being run at practically all multiplexes across the country a day before the release, something that not just helped the film gain additional moolah but also some terrific mileage and word of mouth prior to the official release.

Of course, a step like this comes with it’s risks since there are chances of the move backfiring in case of the film being bad but then GHAJINI was super confident about it’s equity and went ahead to take the plunge. Now CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA, the biggest and the widest release of 2009, has also shown such confidence and has decided to take a full-on approach with a late evening release on Thursday, 15th January. With huge demand for the film which is showing an exponential rise practically every day, the film will be shown on as many as 650 paid preview shows across the country on Thursday.

Says a source attached to the film, “Paid previews have opened just a couple of days back and the advance booking is already on the same scale as that of GHAJINI. We won’t be surprised if these shows fetch us better collections than what GHAJINI did during the paid previews. In fact at FAME chain of theaters, there would be 45 shows on Thursday night.”

Apparently, the film’s prospects are not just restricted to multiplexes since single screen theaters too are showing great demands. At Jodhpur, Thursday paid previews are said to be sold out for the entire theater that comprises of 1000 seats. “When a film is so strong at single screens, it is but natural that it would do well all over”, says the source hopefully.

Who is the real Devdas?

January 12th, 2009

Our new Devdaas Abhay Deol is a dedicating actor be it his role, film or film promotion. Just like our King Khan who believes in right marketing and promotion of the film. Not only that, Abhay’s aware of the fact that his fans have already started comparing him with Shah Rukh.

And why not Shah Rukh played Devdaas in Bhansali’s film! We asked this stunning actor about the comparison part. “Yes I am aware of the fact that I will be compared but it’s not that I will indulge in too much. I was compared to my family when I entered so I am used to being compared to the people in the industry. It’s not something necessary I like but also not something that I focus on either.”

He continues, “If I was compared to my brothers yesterday tomorrow I will be compared to Shah Rukh Khan so what’s the difference. That’s why I am not here to be compared and see how I rate. I am here to work.” Well that’s a smart answer Abhay.

Akki now to enter Patiala House

January 12th, 2009

Akshay Kumar looks set to repeat his Singh Is Kinng act again as he will be the male lead in the big budget venture Patiala House. Reprising his Sardar act, Akshay will be seen in the film which is about a huge joint family of sardars headed by Dara Singh. The film will be shot in Punjab later this year. The film is expected to be completed in one start to finish schedule. The heroine hasn’t been finalized yet but sources claim, it will most probably be Akki’s lucky mascot, Katrina Kaif. The film is being produced by the Chandni Chowk To China team of Nikhil Advani and Mukesh Talreja. Other details are to be finalized.

Salman’s big Valentines Day plan for Katrina Kaif

January 12th, 2009

Valentines Day is a month away but Salman Khan is already getting ready to shower an expensive gift on girlfriend Katrina Kaif.

Though there are rumors of a rift, things still don’t seem to be over for the two.

The buzz is that Salman has painted her many times while she’s been visiting the sets of his films and accompanying him on some of his mid-night adventures and has even rode an auto rickshaw with him.

Now Sallu’s big plan is to surprise her with a lavish Valentine’s Day gift.

He has chosen a plush apartment in Bandra and plans to gift it to her on Feb 14.

The flat’s location and its architecture go with Salman’s taste. He’s thinking of roping in Suzanne Roshan, Hrithik’s wife, to do the interiors.

The flat has a spacious living room space for paintings and portraits. It has two balconies overlooking the city in different directions. Apparently Salman wants to decorate the flat with some of his paintings before handing over the keys to Katrina next month.

Well, keeping in mind things like that, it seems all’s well in Sal-Kat’s paradise. So should we say, all the talks about Sallu being laid astray by Asin and the like are just rumors?

Salman Khan’s dream house plans for Katrina now on hold?

January 12th, 2009

All plans of Salman Khan to build a lavish bungalow were shattered when the construction rules forced him to change his plans. According to sources, Salman was interested in buying the plot where Starlet building stands on Carter Road. So he bought most of the flats by offering all the people staying there a very good price. But amongst them all those staying on the ground floor were not ready to move creating problems for quite a few months now.

It is said that Salman also had plans to gift a flat to Katrina in the new building which he was going to construct.

Currently Salman has to build a five storied building there because the sea facing area comes under the jurisdiction of the Coastal Regulation Zone and Environment Notification Act of 1996. According to this act, no construction activities should harm the environment or upset oceanographic Eco-systems.

But according to Salman’s spokesperson who denied all such rumors of Salman constructing a building he also said that Salman’s family already has flats there and they are going to get back the flats once the building is renovated.

Riya Sen on a weight losing spree

January 12th, 2009

Riya Sen started young, almost 12 years back and has tried all this while to gain an honorable position in Bollywood. But alas, that hasn’t been possible.

Not that she didn’t look sexy and glamorous at times. But Bollywood fame has always eluded her. She made news only for the wrong reasons.

As a model and as a brand ambassador of many renowned brands, she didn’t do badly. But acting never seemed her cup of tea.

Currently the actress has been obsessing about her weight.

She thinks she has gained much weight these days and is depressed about it.

That’s why she has become really crazy about attending spinning sessions and only eats health food.

But strangely she has been denying that she has gained weight and has been going around saying, “I’ve been size-zero all of my life. What’s the big deal about it?”

This babe really needs to try and understand that with zero acting skills a major change like that is not possible.

Working hard on her acting skills would be a much better idea.

Nikhil Dwivedi follows Akki mantra seriously

January 12th, 2009

Recently Akshay Kumar said that if I can make it big without a godfather, so can anyone. It seems like Nikhil has taken Akki’s mantra seriously. Ever since he made his modest debut in My Name is Anthony Gonsalves, Nikhil Dwivedi has always been tagged as a confident actor.

Not let down by the failure of his first film My Name Is Anthony Gonsolves, Nikhil still was very positive about his talent. No wonder he has won the coveted role of Lakshman in Mani Ratnam’s film Raavana. Buzz is that many actors were lobbying for the role which finally landed in Nikhil’s lap.

But when it comes to Mani Ratnam, it’s aptitude that matters more than anything else. Word is that Nikhil has already joined the team of Raavana in Orcha in Madhya Pradesh where they are shooting in complete secrecy till the end of this month. Nikhil will be sharing screen space with the likes of Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan, Govinda and South star Vikram.