'SRK was the first choice for 3 Idiots'

Rajkumar Hirani has moved on from his blockbuster Munnabhai series to 3 Idiots, from Sanjay Dutt to Aamir Khan.

The director, who landed on the Bollywood map out of nowhere, tells Patcy N what to expect from his new film, out on Christmas Day.

What made you decide to take on 3 Idiots after announcing Munnabhai Chale Amerika?

I was slightly exhausted doing two back-to-back Munnabhai movies. And for the third part, I would have to think about Munnabhai and Circuit again -- the same style, clothes and everything. I wasn't too excited about that. Also, I thought that if I write a script, it may not be as exciting.

On the other hand, I had the germ of an idea of 3 Idiots. I was trying to concentrate on Munnabhai but my mind would think about 3 Idiots. In the end, I realised I had written more on 3 Idiots than Munnabhai. So I decided to make that.

Now that 3 Idiots is done and my mind is fresh, I will work on Munnabhai Chale Amerika.


Image: A scene from 3 Idiots. Inset: Rajkumar Hirani

'I want everyone to watch my film'

Aamir Khan employs a different marketing strategy for each of his films, and they never fail to work.

To promote this Friday's release 3 Idiots, Aamir 'disappeared' for a couple of days and traveled all over India in various disguises.

Three days before the film's release, Aamir made his appearance again, and spoke at length about his memorable experiences and India tour. Patcy N took notes:

Whose idea was this 'disappearing act'?

Mine. But it was implemented by many people. They had a code name for me called Phantom and the operation was called Operation Spiderman. We started preparing for it four months in advance.

How was your journey?

It was very exciting. I had an amazing experience in every state -- from Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. I met many people and learnt about their problems, aspirations and day-to-day issues.

This game had different layers. Firstly, it was a marketing strategy for 3 Idiots, as it is connected to the story. In the film, my character Rancho disappears and his friends have to search for him. So we thought we should market the film in such a way that I go missing and my audience goes searching for me. Wherever I went, I made friends and gifted them gold rings. I have invited them to the premiere of 3 Idiots.

Secondly, it was only a marketing strategy. I wanted to connect with common people. Usually, when I visit the different parts of India, people know me and treat me like an actor. But here, nobody recognised me. People treated me like a common man and that was a new experience for me.

The third layer of this trip was that I wanted to throw light on certain issues in the country. I went to Chanderi in Madhya Pradesh, a place where weavers live. Two years ago, I heard it was a dying profession and that they were running into losses. I wanted to highlight their problems and request people to wear hand-woven clothes as much as possible.

Likewise, I wanted to highlight the problem of education. So I went to Gujarat where the education system is good. There is free education in small schools up to Standard Seven.

How much of this will help the film?

I don't know that. But I liked the idea and its various layers.


Image: Aamir Khan
Photographs: Pradeep Bandekar

Abhishek Bachchan to host TV gameshow

The actor will make his foray into television with a gameshow to test your laziness quotient. Saturday Night Bingo will replace Bigg Boss' [ Images ] slot on COLORS.

The show will see common people as well as celebrities participating in it, and is expected to start on January 23.

Rajul Hegde in Mumbai

Wedding Bells Ringing For Kareena & Saif

High-profile Bollywood couple Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor may be getting married soon. And the confirmation has come from none other than Saif's mother, Sharmila Tagore. (Text courtesy: Hindustantimes.com)

Stylists have designs on Bollywood - as directors

New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) Ace stylists like Sabysachi Mukherjee and Manish Malhotra are eyeing Bollywood with plans to direct movies on romance, art and more. Though their numbers are still small, fashion designers turning movie directors seems to be quite the fad.

Kolkata-based Mukherjee has said that he is ready with the script for his directorial debut and that he has also finalised the actors and producer for his venture.

Calling it a natural progression, Mukherjee told IANS: 'I won't reveal much about my project, but all I can say is the idea to direct a movie is not new. I wanted to do it for a long time and it is just a matter of right time.'

Mukherjee, who designed for movies like 'Black', 'Baabul' and 'Paa', said his film will have nothing to do with the fashion industry; it would be based on the life of a painter.


His colleague, designer Rahul Jain of the label Sirali, is however making a film on the fashion world and the idea struck him after he watched Madhur Bhandarkar's 'Fashion'.

'Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to make a movie. It was just a matter of time. After watching 'Fashion', I decided to go ahead with my dream. It was a very bad movie. I didn't like it at all,' said Jain.

'I'm making this movie just to break the notion that fashion is only about glamour. A lot of hard work goes behind it. The movie will talk about the pain, agony and discrimination that goes into this fashion circuit. It is not based on any fiction but all that I have observed, seen and dared to talk about,' he added.

Jain is currently working on the script and plans to work on post-production next year.

Celebrity designer Manish Malhotra too wants to try his luck in the film business by going behind the camera.

'I very much want to do that. But fashion shows, movies and personal clients keep me so busy that I find it difficult to take out time and work on it. Hopefully, I will start the process next year,' Malhotra told IANS.

'Pyaar Impossible' music has young, urban appeal

Actor Uday Chopra turns producer with 'Pyaar Impossible', and the film boasts of young contemporary music, perfect for college-goers.

The film that stars Uday and Priyanka Chopra contains five originals and two remixes composed by Salim and Sulaiman Merchant.

The album opens with 'Alisha', crooned by Anushka Manchanda and composer Salim Merchant himself. The free-flowing, catchy track is quite appealing thanks to Anushka's vocals and the general attitude of the song. Salim gives this song an extra edge and makes it an interesting hear.

The song also has a remixed version, which is high on energy and is an electronic spin to the original. It is ideal for the dance floor.

Next in line is the title track 'Pyaar impossible' sung by Vishal Dadlani and Dominique Cerejo. The romantic track is hummable and the unplugged background music makes a good impact.

This song too has a remixed version, which is not too different from the original.

Neha Bhasin and Benny Dayal go behind the mike for 'You and me', a peppy, fun track. The mix of Hindi and English lyrics and heavy influences of pop make it a song just right for youngsters. It is nice but not as appealing as the earlier tracks.

Up next is '10 on 10', a track that has a complete rock feel. It is energetic and high on beats with vocals by Mahua Kamat, Anushka Manchanda and Naresh Kamath. The foot-tapping song doesn't seem interesting initially but it slowly grows on you.

Then there is 'Ek thi ladki', which has been sung by child artist Rishika Sawant. More of a narration than a song, 'Ek ladki thi' is an average number.

On the whole, the album is a good mix of slow and fast-paced songs and goes well with the theme of the film. The soundtrack is urban, young and mainly for the younger generation.

Meet the real stars behind the masks

Playing someone else is a challenge. At the same time, not being able to show your true self is a tricky and ironical prospect for an actor yet to establish himself as a known face.

And so despite playing some of the best known characters with a popular fan-following in record-breaking money spinners, performers go virtually unrecognised simply because of the make-up, prosthetics or masks associated with their iconic look.

Currently it's impossible to identify leading man Sam Worthington's original face while he plays Jake Sully, the courageous central protagonist of filmmaker James Cameron's insanely-anticipated and favorably-reviewed $230 million 3D treat, Avatar.

On that note, here's a look at the real deal behind actors who have essayed masked or partially concealed fictional characters on celluloid.


Image: Left: Sam Worthington. Right: As Jake Sully in Avatar
Photographs: Luke MacGregor/Reuters

'Phoonk 2 is scarier than Phoonk'

Nithya Ramani in Mumbai

Say what you will of Ram Gopal Varma, but his horror films always seem to thrill. It's evident from the impact his spook tales like Bhoot, Darna Mana Hai, Darna Zaroori Hai and Phoonk have.

Since Phoonk did farely well at the box office, the filmmaker has decided to make its sequel. It will be directed by first-timer Milind Gadagkar, who had written Phoonk. Phoonk 2 is ready to release early next year.

Nithya Ramani caught up with Ram Gopal Varma to quiz him about Phoonk 2, why he didn't direct it himself and what new thrills he has added to the story.

Why did you decide to make a sequel to Phoonk?

Making a sequel to a film that has done well is an obvious step. Especially in the horror genre.

Milind, who wrote the first film, suggested that we do a sequel to Phoonk. I didn't see a reason why we shouldn't.


Image: A scene from Phoonk 2

Want to act with Akshay Kumar? Here's how!

The director is casting for his next Akshay Kumar-starrer Patiala House. And you could have a role in it too!

Advani is looking for someone to play a 17-year-old Akshay Kumar in the film, and share screen space with Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia.

As expected, the response was overwhelming. For those of you who missed the chat and want to know how to be a part of the film, read on:

But first, become a fan of Patiala House!

Nikhil Advani says, Hi, this is Nikhil Advani. Guys! I'm ready to chat about my next film Patiala House.

soumyodeep asked, i want to act with akki
Nikhil Advani answers, All you need to do is log onto www.patialahousethefilm.com and enter the contest for the young Akshay Kumar.

SamXA asked, Hi Nikhil, This Sam from Bangalore. 17 years of age. I wish to be a part of Patiala House. I was a little intrigued to know if the height of the 17 year old needs to exactly match Akshay's height, which is 6'0. Is it ok, if one is lesser than 6'0, though resembling Akshay.....? Kindly lemme know. Sam
Nikhil Advani answers, Hi! Sam. You do not need to be exactly six feet. Near abouts would be fine!

Raj asked, Hi, are you'll filtering candidates for the 17 year olds' role based on their performance only Or something more than that?
Nikhil Advani answers, Raj, it would be best if you log onto www.patialhousethefilm.com and follow the instructions. You will need to film yourself enacting one of the scenes that have been posted on the site and then we will choose.

santan asked, hello

'Doing Amitabh's make-up in Paa was a nightmare'

After making Cheeni Kum with Amitabh Bachchan, director R Balakrishnan aka Balki has decided to explore a completely different genre. His new film Paa will not see the Big B but rather, will see a 'Small' B. Amitabh plays a 13-year-old child suffering from the rare medical condition Progeria, where the victim ages rapidly.

Paa will see a reversal of roles as Abhishek plays Amitabh's father. Vidya Balan plays his mother.

Balki tells Patcy N how he made Paa possible.

What made you decide to make a film on Progeria?

I did not think of making a film on Progeria at all. I wanted to make a film where Amitabh would play Abhishek's son. I discovered Progeria along the way.

Why did you want Amitabh to play Abhishek's son?

I had gone to Amitji's office once and saw him talking to Abhishek. Abhishek was talking very wisely and Amitji was playing the fool. That made me think how a role reversal would look if Abhishek played Amitji's father.

I thought of making a fantasy film with this idea. But I also wondered if I could make a real story, if there was any medical condition that would help this story. I spoke to doctors and learnt about Progeria. Quite a few movies have been made on this so I did not want to make another one on it. Instead, I wanted to concentrate on the father-son relationship.

Did you find anyone with this condition?

I called a friend whose son had some hormonal imbalance problem. He put me through to a pediatrician, who told me that only 30 Progeria cases have been registered in the world. There is no treatment for this. I did not want to meet any cases personally because it would intrude into their privacy. The film talks about this intrusion of privacy too.

Katrina Kaif says no to Hrithik Roshan

Bollywood hunk Hrithik Roshan has acted with almost every actress in the film industry but not with the hot and happening Katrina Kaif, who has a string of hits under her belt. It would be a treat to see these talented actors together on the big screens but that's not going to happen soon, as Katrina has refused to act with Hrithik.


Buzz up!The grapevine is abuzz with the news that Katrina refused to act opposite Hrithik in the sequel of the hit film Krrish. The reason she gave was that its shooting schedules clashed with that of Karan Johar’s Dostana sequel.


Sources said that Rakesh Roshan decided to go for Deepika Padukone after Katrina turned down his offer. Well, Katrina's loss is Deepika's gain!

My biggest flaw is that I am sexy, says Neha Dhupia

New Delhi: She had once famously remarked that only Shah Rukh Khan and sex sells in Bollywood but actress Neha Dhupia is now tired of the ‘sexy’ tag, which she believes has worked against her.

The former Miss India, who started her Bollywood journey with bold roles in Qayamat and Julie, feels that despite having done some very serious roles, she has not been taken seriously in the industry because of her ‘sexy’ image.

“I sincerely believe that the term ‘sexy’ is always used against me,” Dhupia told PTI.

The actress had to work hard to get over the Julie nickname that she earned for herself after a dare bare portrayal of a prostitute in the namesake film in 2004.

“No one seems to realise that I can do a lot more. Why don't people remember Mithya, Singh Is Kinng, Dasvidaniya or a Maharathi?” she questions.

“I strongly believe that my biggest flaw is that I am sexy. Just because of that, it is always safely presumed that I would be busy out there seducing people on screen,” she says.

The 29-year-old star, however, is happy about the compliments that she has received for her recent success in comic caper De Dana Dan. She is also looking forward to audience’s reaction to her forthcoming release Raat Gayi Baat Gayi.

Dhupia's very first shot in debut Qayamat saw her emerging from sea wearing a swimsuit and her next release was Julie, which despite its success, placed the actress in a bracket from where it was difficult to come out.

Her subsequent releases like Sheesha, where she played the role of a seductress and Teesri Aankh - The Hidden Camera, where she played a porn film victim, didn't help her cause either.

Dhupia decided to come out of her ‘sex siren’ image by accepting a strong supporting role opposite Kareena Kapoor in Priyadarshan’s Chup Chup Ke.

“It was Priyadarshan who came forward to help me change my image. When the entire world was after me to wear a bikini, he put me in a salwar- kameez,” Dhupia says.

“The problem is that no one realises I can do a lot more. Thankfully films like Ek Chalis Ki Last Local and Mithya followed that helped me showcase a different facet of my acting talent,” she adds.

Dhupia plays an aspiring actress Sophia, a femme fatale in her forthcoming film Raat Gayi Baat Gayi. Her character is like a jigsaw puzzle in the film, which slowly unfolds through a series of interesting interactions with the men (Rajat Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Dilip Tahil) she meets.

So, is she happy to be playing a sexy seductress again?

“What makes you think that I am a seductress? May be I am a victim myself in that party. Yes, in the film's context, I do flirt and have a drink with others around. But then may be ‘I am a poor-little-vulnerable-I-don't-know-what-to-do’ Neha than being a sexy seductress Neha,” she jokes.

John Abraham in India's Second 3D Film

India's first 3D movie as everybody would remember was 'Chhota Chetan', which released way back in 1998. More than 11 year down the line, the second 3D project is being readied, this time with John Abraham in the lead. The film which will be called 'Allien Sahib', will see our Bollywood hunk paired with a Hollywood actress.

The film will be directed by Shirish Kunder, who has also written the script. The film will be produced by Shirish's wife Farah Khan. The duo has just launched their production house and the first film to emerge from that should be 'Tees Maar Khan', which Farah is directing. 'Alien Sahib' is obviously their next project. The film is expected to go in the floors sometime in April 2010, after the release of 'Tees Maar Khan'. Quite an ambitious project is being planned with the director wanting to shoot the movie with the same technology that has been used in director James Cameron's 'Avatar', which is scheduled to release in India on 18 December. Shirish would also like to work with the same crew and it remains to be seen if he is able to rope them in. Currently, the director is all set to fly out to Hollywood with wife Farah to try and find an actress to star opposite John in the film. If all goes well, the project will soon see John being a part of an international project.

Karan Johar waiting for 18 Dec

When you are bringing out a project after a gap, you strive to give your best, even it means losing the 40 winks.

Karan Johar’s much-awaited directorial and Dharma Productions’ ‘My Name is Khan’ will show the world its first promo on coming 18th. So the filmmaker was said to have been totally on his toes to get things done perfectly and finalised for the D-day. It heard that past few days, KJo was very busy in putting things in order for the film’s first look and in the process had kept on working from Saturday morning to Monday morning without any sleep.

Being one of his ambitious projects till date, this Shahrukh-Kajol starrer is a subject that Karan Johar is said to have never attempted to make so far. According to sources, the filmmaker reached office early on Saturday morning to start working on the edit and didn't stop till Monday morning 7am. “He must have barely taken an hour-long nap in those two days. SRK too joined him on Saturday night and they had a meeting about how they plan to go about promoting the film. SRK saw some portions of the first theatrical promo and then left the Dharma Productions office early on Sunday morning. However, Karan continued to work and only left on Monday morning after he was satisfied with the first look,” revealed the sources.

The theatrical trailer of ‘My Name is Khan’ is releasing alongside the release of Hollywood flick ‘Avatar’. While KJo is praying for the best on that day, audience across the globe are equally inquisitive for his film as well.

Katrina unwell again

As her hemoglobin count continues to plummet, Katrina’s health is causing distress to all those who know her.

Everyone around Katrina, well-wishers, co-stars, friends and family are beginning to be extremely worried about Katrina’s deteriorating health. On Sunday she was again at a suburban hospital to take further tests as her haemoglobin count continued to fall, despite treatment from the best doctors in the city.

Though Katrina has been extremely selective recently about the appearances she makes, she is obviously still straining too much and it is affecting her adversely.

On Sunday Katrina woke up unable to get out of bed. The worst blow to her frail energy level was the hectic wedding of Salman Khan’s close family-friend Krishan Narayan’s daughter which Katrina attended for two consecutive nights on Friday and Saturday for the sangeet and wedding.

Forgetting her delicate health, Katrina had simply let herself go, dancing and having a good time.

A friend explained, “It was a commitment she couldn’t wriggle out of. The bride’s father, an associate of politician Praful Patel, is a very close friend of Salman Khan. And Katrina who has always looked at Salman’s friends as her own, had to be there.”

The result of two consecutive nights of merry-making was a relapse. On Sunday Katrina had to undergo a series of complicated medical tests that went on the whole day

The friend continued, “Katrina’s haemoglobin count continues to plummet. The doctors are perplexed by this. They can’t figure out what is causing this abnormality in her blood. She has been prescribed complete bed rest.”

When contacted, Katrina tried to dismiss her indisposition with. “I will be just fine. I just need to rest.”

The doctors can’t figure out what is causing the abnormality in her blood

It's impossible to remake 'Awara': Randhir Kapoor

Mumbai, Dec 13 (IANS) Randhir Kapoor says he is not interested in remaking his father Raj Kapoor's 1951 classic 'Awara' as it would be impossible to find actors of the same calibre that the film's original cast had.
'Many people came to me and my brothers (Rishi and Rajiv) and asked why don't we remake 'Awara'. I told them that it is absolutely impossible to imitate the classic 'Awara' which is loved so much till today,' Randhir told reporters at the launch of the book 'The Dialogue of Awara; Raj Kapoor's Immortal Classic'.

Written by author-documentary filmmaker Nasreen Munni Kabir, the book was released Saturday, two days before the 85th birth anniversary of legendary Raj Kapoor.

'Where will I get Prithviraj Kapoor, Raj Kapoor, Nargisji and where will I get that innocent looking Shashi Kapoor? I would be making a fool of myself by trying to imitate the film because I won't have actors of that calibre again, even if I copy it frame by frame,' he added.

Raj Kapoor was only 27 when he made 'Awara'. Released in 1951, it became one of the most successful films in his career.

'The Dialogue of Awara...' has the original story, dialogues and screenplay along with the screen shots of the movie.

'When Nasreen Munni Kabir approached me with the idea to transform this great film into a book, I got very excited as it's one of my favourite films ever. I discussed it with my brothers and they were also very keen to bring this film in book form for today's generation to see, read and understand what 'Awara' was all about,' said Randhir.
Thanking the Kapoor family, Kabir said: 'I'm extremely thankful to the Kapoor family. Without their support this wouldn't have been possible. It's by continuously finding new ways to talk about iconic films, we can keep them alive. A book is a way of keeping record of a film in a different way.'

Rishi Kapoor was also present at the event.

I'm glad 'Paa' has made people experts on progeria: Director

Mumbai, Dec 13 (IANS) The poignant story of Auro in R. Balakrishnan's 'Paa' led to two brothers suffering from progeria getting government aid, but critics say patients of the premature ageing disease don't look like Amitabh Bachchan in the movie. Bouquets or brickbats - the filmmaker is only happy that it has made people experts on the disease.

A prominent director had said: 'That isn't how a progeria patient looks. Balki has made Mr Bachchan look like a rubber doll.'
'I'm glad my film has made the whole industry experts on progeria. But the fact of the matter is we know exactly what progeric kids look like. Amit-ji and I watched dozens of film clippings to understand the way progeric children look and behave. And Amit-ji got it dead-on,' said the director who is popularly known as Balki.

Spurred by the film, which also stars Abhishek Bachchan and Vidya Balan, the Bihar government announced aid for progeric brothers Ikramul Khan and Ali Hussain. And Balki is delighted by the impact of the film.

'Now that's the kind of story one likes to hear about 'Paa'. But let me repeat we did not make 'Paa' to spotlight progeria,' the filmmaker said.

But there's no way he can distance the film and its content from the disease.

The Progeria Research Foundation in the US is now showing a keen interest in 'Paa'.

Said Balki: 'I'd be only too happy for them to watch the film and decide how 'Paa' could spread awareness about progeria.'

Once members of the Progeria Research Foundation watch 'Paa' later this month, the director intends to take his film further as a progeric vehicle.

I can make very good dal-roti now: German supermodel

New Delhi, Dec 13 (IANS) She may be German, but supermodel-turned-actress Claudia Ciesla can roll out a roti and cook up a dal in a jiffy, thanks to her stint in Indian reality show 'Bigg Boss 3' where she was a 'housemate'.

'I adjusted very well inside the 'Bigg Boss' house. I didn't know how to cook at all, but during my stay I learnt how to cook dal and roti and a few other things. I can cook well now,' Claudia, who was evicted from the 'Bigg Boss' house Friday, told IANS in an interview.

Claudia also had a hard time as far as language was concerned - the actress was not allowed to speak in English inside the house after the first month.
'Learning Hindi was a task. But I somehow managed. That was one thing that was most difficult for me. I can now understand the language much better,' she added.
Claudia, who entered the house with 12 more celebrities, including Poonam Dhillon, Kamaal R. Khan, Ismail Darbar, Sherlyn Chopra, Vindu Dara Singh and Raju Srivastav, was evicted through public voting.

All remaining members of the house were nominated for eviction this week.
When asked whether she expected her eviction, the 22-year-old said: 'I thought that Aditi (Govitrikar) or Poonam (Dhillon) will be the one to leave the house this time. I was hoping that it's not me because I wanted to stay...but it's okay.'

'I have no regrets. I'm happy that I'm out after so many days and I had a wonderful time even inside the house,' she said.

Even though Claudia, who featured in M.R. Shahjahan's 'Karma: Crime, Passion, Reincarnation', had cordial relations with every housemate, her friendship with wild card entry, model Pravesh Rana, raised eyebrows.

The actress however maintains they just shared a friendship and nothing beyond that.

'Pravesh and I are only friends and nothing else. We clicked because we are of the same age, same profession, so we had a lot to talk about. That was the only reason why we spent more time together,' clarified Claudia.
But Claudia does feel that Pravesh will win.
'I feel Pravesh or Vindu will ultimately win. Both are playing with a very good strategy and I feel both have a strong chance of winning the show,' she said.

'No one is bad or playing dirty (in the house). A few people made mistakes, but that was all because of the circumstances. It is an emotional and a mental game, so people tend to react in ways they normally wouldn't.'

Now the actress is planning to buy a house in Mumbai and create a place for herself in the Hindi film industry.