Vishal Bharadwaj's Kaminey to release on 5 June

January 29th, 2009

MUMBAI: UTV Motion Pictures' Kaminey, directed by Vishal Bharadwaj, is slated to release on 5 June.

Kaminey will be the first film to release post the IPL championship, which conclude on 29 May. With most filmmakers shying away from releasing their films during the IPL season, Kaminey has grabbed the first Friday, post the championship.

The publicist of the film confirms, "The release date for Kaminey has been locked for 5 June. That's the way Vishal Bharadwaj, the director and producer of the film likes to operate. Everything is in place and we have been able to follow all schedules, be it during shooting and or during post production which is going on now."

The month of March is a not a lucrative time to release films as exams hold centre stage. And now with the IPL matches starting from the second week of April, people in India will hardly be going to the theatres to see films.Kaminey has Shahid Kapur and Priyanka Chopra in lead roles.

Post(er)-script

January 28th, 2009

THE story goes that when Akshay Kumar asked director Nikhil Advani for the script of Chandni Chowk To China (CC2C) he showed him the movie poster. (For those who can't remember the poster, it shows Akshay in a Chinese get up with two swords which resemble kebab sticks!) When Akshay asked Advani what was the idea of the story, Advani again showed him the poster while admitting he neither has a script nor an idea.

He just had the poster.

To this, Akshay is supposed to have said, "Congratulations, this is a new way of working. I really like the poster, it's great, and I'm going to work in your film." And that sealed the fate of CC2C.

In his pre-release publicity blitzkrieg, Akshay told this story with unbridled excitement. Many termed him as cocky or overconfident but in my opinion, he was being honest. Come on, a top star rarely admits that the script is the last priority when he green lights a project. It must have taken huge courage on Akshay's part to admit that he gambled Rs 40 crore on a poster of a film. And for that reason itself Akshay deserves an honesty badge.

Akshay 'adopts' 6 wrestlers

January 28th, 2009

Mumbai : Bollywood action star Akshay Kumar has 'adopted' six wrestlers, who are economically backward, in a bid to popularise the sport, an official said.

"Akshay's decision came days before the 10th All India Wrestling Championship opens here on February 1. Participants and lovers of this sport from all over India are expected to gather here," said Sanjay Nirupam, Congress spokesman in Maharashtra and organiser of the event.

"Last year, when Akshay attended the programme, he had publicly expressed a desire to adopt a few wrestlers to encourage more to take up the ancient Indian sport. We are happy that he has honoured the commitment," Nirupam told.

Nirupam introduced six of the year's best wrestlers to Akshay and the star readily accepted the proposal. The wrestlers are - Bipin Varma, Ajay Yadav, Kallu Yadav, Gopal Yadav (all from Mumbai), Amol Patil (Jalgaon) and Ranjeet Nalawade (Kolhapur). Nirupam said that the 'adoption' means that Akshay will sponsor their diet for the next five years.

"Wrestlers usually hail from economically backward sections and are unable to afford the specialised diet to excel in the challenging sport. Akshay's sponsorship will go a long way in helping these six wrestlers confidently tackle domestic and international challenges, including the next Olympics - our prime target," Nirupam explained.

Kareena Kapoor to receive an award from Erin Brokovich

January 28th, 2009

Bollywood's eternal heartthrob Kareena Kapoor must surely be on cloud nine these days for reasons more than one. If you thought that her film 3 Idiots (her dream come true film with Aamir Khan) tops her list, then, its time for you to rearrange the 'toppings', as Bebo will now be presented an award for her contribution to art and cinema in February, by none other than the world-renowned environmental activist Erin Brokovich!

For starters, Erin Brokovich is an American legal clerk and an environmentalist despite no formal education in law. One may also recollect that the Hollywood hottie Julia Roberts had played the title of 'Erin' in the Hollywood flick Erin Brokovich, which fetched Julia an award for the Best Actress, no less!

To present the award to Kareena, Erin is reported to be air dashing to Mumbai. Needless to say, life couldn't have just been better for the Kareena girl!

Pokkiri remake to outdo Ghajini

January 28th, 2009

Director Prabhu Deva is now trying to complete the post production work of his Salman Khan-Ayesha Takia starrer Wanted, a remake of his Tamil film Pokkiri.

The Hindi version has Vinod Khanna playing Salman's father. Prabhu Deva, who has reportedly decided to take a break from Tamil films, has also announced that he is not interested in playing hero again.

This means that he will not be doing Thankar Bachchan's new film. Prabhu and Salman are planning to promote their film aggressively by appearing on all television channels this summer. Prabhu Deva vows to make this film even bigger than Ghajini, the remake of the Tamil super hit movie by the name same.

I am happy I saw failure early in life: Adhyayan

January 28th, 2009

You just turned 21... you can get married now? Yes, I know I can finally get married now, but fortunately I got married to my work two years ago! And it’s going pretty strong. It’s an amazing gift to receive the first print of your film on your birthday, because it was coincidentally the date when I got to watch the complete film for the first time. What was it like working with girlfriend Kangna Ranaut in Raaz, The Mystery Continues? Kangna is the most special person in my life. She is superbly talented and beautiful. It was a dream to work with an actor of her calibre. She is so dedicated and hardworking. It was such a good learning experience. You were quite upset with the way your role in your first film Haal-e-Dil turned out? I think it will be stupid of me to say I regret doing Haal-e-Dil because I did learn a lot from that experience and I think that learning will stand me in good stead. In fact, I feel blessed. And I am happy that I saw failure at the very first step of my life and inshallah now I will cherish my success with Raaz, The Mystery Continues, even more. You term your second film as your debut film... Yes, of course, in Haal-e-Dil I was only there for five minutes so it was really a cameo. Raaz... is my first opportunity to essay a full-fledged role, and so in many ways, yes, I consider this my real debut. Yours is a negative role... It’s about a character with shades of grey. And that’s what real people are like. They’re not black or white. They have a complex mix of good and bad characteristics. I certainly would not consider it a negative role, but a very interesting, even thought-provoking one. I’ve enjoyed every moment while the film was being made. How much does your dad Shekhar Suman help you with your career? He is my inspiration. I think I am what I am purely because of him. He is an amazing father and a fantastic actor, singer and producer. I have the deepest respect for him. He is always there to support me and help me out with my scripts, roles and everything related to work. I feel deep gratitude to have such an experienced and intelligent person offering me such unconditional support.

Shahrukh launches new show on television

January 28th, 2009

Mumbai : Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan launched a new show on television, a weekly sitcom Ghar Ki Baat Hai on Tuesday here.

Produced by Sharukhs production house, Red Chillies Entertainment Private Limited, the show is directed by Anant Mahadevan and Bhavana Sresht.

The cast of the show includes Sumeet Raghavan, Juhi Babbar, Swapnil Joshi, Ali Asgar, Jayati Bhatia and Deven Munjal.

The show is said to be based on the countrys first sitcom Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi of 80s, which remains one of the biggest hits on Indian television till date.

According to Shahrukh Khan, the show is not a copy but a tribute to Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi.

“I think the originality of this soap opera will depend on its presentation. Times have changed, so the way of presentation is also different, Shahrukh said while talking to reporters after the launch ceremony.

The show will be on air from January 30 on NDTV Imagine channel.