Karan Johar announces 4 new projects

Here's the official news from Karan Johar's office and as always, it's first on Bollywood Hungama.

Dharma Productions is looking to the future and a change is on the cards. After producing five films in the past decade, including the blockbusters KUCH KUCH HOTA HAIN, KABHI KHUSHI KABHIE GHAM, KAL HO NAA HO and KABHI ALVIDA NAA KEHNA, Karan Johar will be stepping out of his comfort zone and charting new territory.

Contemporary stories relevant to our times and targeted at entertaining the evolved cinegoer, debutante directors, CG animation, introduction of new talent [both on and off camera], Dharma Productions is thinking big and have plans to release three films a year from 2009.

Karan Johar will direct his fourth film [yet untitled], to go on floors from October '08. It will star Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol. The screenplay is by Shibani Bathija [KANK]. DOSTANA, directed by Tarun Mansukhani, will star Abhishek Bachchan, John Abraham, Priyanka Chopra and Bobby Deol in a special role. The film is slated for release by the end of '08.

KOOTCHIE KOOTCHIE HOTA HAIN celebrates a decade of Karan Johar's directorial debut KUCH KUCH HOTA HAIN. This animation film will be directed by Tarun Mansukhani and co-produced with Prana Studios, a Los Angeles and Mumbai-based renowned 3D animation studio. KOOTCHIE KOOTCHIE will incorporate the latest innovations in computer graphics and promises to recreate the magic of the original film with the voice of the original cast - Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and Rani Mukerjee.

The fourth film, yet untitled, will be directed by Rensil D'Silva and star Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor and one more lead actor. This film will go on floors in October '08 too.

Yash Raj Films ends distribution deal with Karan Johar

Entertainment conglomerate Yash Raj Films (YRF) has withdrawn its over 10-year-old distribution deal with filmmaker Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, saying it is a 'purely business decision'.
'As always, Dharma Productions had offered some films to us. However, at this point in time we have taken a conscious decision not to acquire any films but to only produce and distribute our own,' Rafiq Gangjee, vice president (Marketing and Communication) at YRF, told IANS over telephone Tuesday.

'They respected and accepted this. It is purely a business decision,' Gangjee said.
YRF's association with Johar dates back to the director's first movie 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' in 1998. It has since then been distributing all of Johar's productions, including 'Kabhi Khushi Khabie Gham', 'Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna' and 'Dostana'.

The distribution rights of the his forthcoming films 'Wake Up Sid' and an untitled Rensil D'Silva project starring Kareena Kapoor, Vivek Oberoi and Saif Ali Khan, were also offered to the company. But the deal did not materialise and was instead sealed with Ronnie Screwvala's UTV Motion Pictures in Mumbai Monday.

Regarding his association with UTV, Johar said in a statement: 'I have known and been in touch with Ronnie for a long time and I am glad I am finally getting a chance. His passion and sensibility towards understanding cinema is exceptional and I am looking forward to working with his company.'

Shilpa Shetty offers to share beauty secrets with youngsters

Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty who has set girls across the country trudge the treadmill to achieve a svelte figure like hers, wants to pass on all her fitness and beauty secrets to the aspiring lot. The 33-year-old, who recently launched a chain of medi-spas across Mumbai wants to instil the importance of "health and fitness" among the younger generation.

"(With) my long-term vision and ultimate goal being 'Wellness India', I hope to bring about a certain awareness in the younger generation regarding health and fitness. I hope I can do it through my medi-spas...and be able to put people on the right path of how to lose weight and maintain it," Shilpa posted on her blog Sunday morning from Jaipur.

"I really wish that...I can pass down my tips on health and beauty and make a few changes in their lives. It is a lifestyle modification and that's what I intend on doing..." she added.

Not many know that the 34-24-37 beauty was once a dusky girl with average looks. The actress has revealed that she won't shy away from putting her own example for people to follow.

"I've been someone who's synonymous with glamour. If people saw my pictures in the past, they would know exactly how much reinvention can really work for a person and I hope to do that through my spas and salons," she wrote.

First Look: 'Aloo Chaat'

What do you do when your entire family is against the bride of your choice? Do you replace your family? Or do you replace the bride? Or do you make an aloo-chaat of your life?

Asin is learning martial arts the Walt Disney production‘19 Steps’

South actress Asin is all set to scale even greater heights with her next film 19 Steps. This movie will be directed by Bharath Shah, and will be produced by Walt Disney.

This multilingual film will be shot partly in Kerala and will also star Kamaal Hassan. The film will hit the floors in the second half of this year and will consist of three languages, Tamil, Japanese and English.

“For '19 Steps', I am now soon going to learn martial arts because the story line demands that," said Asin.

The film has been scripted by veteran filmmaker M.T.Vasudevan Nair and audiences will get to see the story of a Samurai trying to learn the Indian martial arts form of Kalaripayattu.

You guessed right, Kamal Hassan plays the role of a Indian martial arts Guru. However since we’re talking about Asin, her role in the movie has not yet been revealed. Asin is however completing her current film London Dreams also starring Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan.

Ranbir Kapoor finds an admirer in Amitabh Bachchan

Two-film-old Ranbir Kapoor has found an admirer in none other than megastar Amitabh Bachchan.

"He (Ranbir Kapoor) has shaped up so well in his career so far and with such ease and rapidity. Cannot imagine he was assisting Sanjay Leela Bhansali as an AD (assistant director) on 'Black'," Amitabh posted on his blog.

"He and Sonam Kapoor were assistants on the set together. And now look at them. Big stars in their own right. Feels so wonderful to watch how this generation grows and accomplishes itself," he added.

Care for your heritage, urges Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra

Bollywood filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, who is associated with the tourism ministry's 'Atithi Devo Bhavah' campaign, Monday urged Indians to uphold and preserve the culture, tradition and heritage of the country. "We have a lovely country handed to us from generation after generation... and we have messed it up. We have completely undone the thousand years of heritage. When we urge the youth to do something, they ask what has the government done," said Mehra at an event on Monday.

"What they need to understand is you are the government. The youth need to decide how the world should look at India," he added.

Mehra has also directed a TV commercial, featuring actor Aamir Khan and scripted by Prasoon Joshi, for the ministry's campaign. He says he was extremely excited when he was approached to work towards the cause.

"This was a great opportunity to communicate something to the public that would do good to the country. The writer and director in me was excited to communicate to the public what needs to be done," he said.

"That is why when the ministry approached us, we decided to endorse the initiative and not charge any money to create these films. This is our way of giving back something to the nation and I hope we are successful in creating and raising the bar of awareness," Mehra added.

The filmmaker, whose latest offering has been the Abhishek Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor-starrer 'Delhi-6', which revived the old world charm of the Chandni Chowk area of the capital, is also part of the face-to-face programme of the campaign.

As part of the programme, Mehra visited select areas here including various PVR multiplexes to interact with the people and give them insights into the initiative.

Apart from Mehra, Tourism Secretary Sujit Banerjee, and Joint Secretary Leena Nandan were also present on the occasion. A poster for the campaign which would be put up across various places in the country was also unveiled.

When Abhishek wanted to sleep with Zeenat Aman!

As a child, Abhishek Bachchan was awestruck by Zeenat Aman, so much so that he went and asked the 1970's trendsetter if he could sleep with her.

Abhishek used to love accompanying his father Amitabh to outdoor shoots and he especially enjoyed it when he got the chance to go with his dad for the shooting of 1983 film 'Mahaan' that also starred Zeenat Aman.

On the forthcoming episode of Farhan Akhtar's chat show 'Oye! It's Friday', the junior Bachchan reveals how crazy he was about Zeenat, said a source.

"On the show, Abhishek recalls an incident wherein all members of the film's cast and crew were having dinner. He spoke about how, when Zeenat-ji left after finishing her dinner and was going back to her room to hit the bed, he asked her if he could join her and sleep with her in the room," added the source.

Though he had a hearty laugh recalling the incident, Abhishek apologised for it and also said that it was his sheer innocence at that time. This episode of 'Oye! It's Friday' will be telecast March 13 at 10 p.m. on NDTV Imagine.

First Look: Akshay Kumar's '8x10 Tasveer'

Jai (Akshay Kumar) has a supernatural ability to delve into the past of the deceased through a 8X10 photograph. His soul is busy re-discovering the past. He always has a secret related to someone's life. The 8x10 photograph reveals a startling secret about Jai's (Akshay Kumar) past. What will he do after knowing the dreaded truth?

The movie also stars Ayesha Takia, Vinod Khanna and Sharmila Tagore.

'8X10 Tasveer' is directed by Nagesh Kukunoor and will release on April 3, 2009.

Anurag Kashyap’s Gulaal gets an A certificate.

After going through the most stringent process of filmmaking, the censor board approval, Anurag Kashyap has come out with an ‘A’ certificate yet again. But this did not come as any surprise to Kashyap, as the film was initially rejected by the Censor Board for its objectionable contents, after which the film went to the revising comitee who then passed the film with an A certificate and four cuts in the original print.

The cuts include references that were made to Mahatma Gandhi and the national song ‘Jana Gana Mana’. However Kashyap doesn’t have any issues with this censors saying they have asked for the cuts as per the guidelines and the producers too have agreed to it.

Says he “In a scene, a mad man says ‘Gandhiji’ when he sees a man with round frames, the word Gandhiji has been deleted. Then there was a scene about our national song, ‘Jana gana mana’, which was also chopped.”

Apart from that there are minor cuts like a cigarette brand is visible, to which the board had some objection to. Also there is the upcoming elections that are in the air, and so they are trying to avoid any situation that could trigger off some wrong feelings. The Censor board was also insistent that no specific party get any political mileage from the movie.

'19 Steps' is my next big film, says Asin

Asin, who shot into popularity with the film 'Ghajini', made in Tamil and then in Hindi, is now aiming to scale even greater heights in the multi-lingual film '19 Steps' to be directed by Bharath Bala. "The film is being produced by Walt Disney and a good portion will be shot in Kerala. Kamal Haasan plays an important role in the film which also has popular Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano. This is going to be made in Tamil, Japanese and English and would commence in the second half of this year," Asin told reporters.

"For '19 Steps', I am now soon going to learn martial arts because the story line demands that," said Asin.

This film, being written by veteran Malayalam scriptwriter, M.T.Vasudevan Nair, tells the tale of a Samurai warrior trying to conquer the ancient Indian martial art of Kalaripayattu.

Kamal Haasan plays the role of an Indian martial arts guru.

Asin, who studied in Kochi, made her debut in the Sathyan Anthikkad-directed 'Narendran Makan Jayakanthan Vaka' in 2001 when she was just 15 years old. Since then she has acted in both Tamil and Telugu films besides 'Ghajini'.

Now settled in Mumbai, she said that she is selective when it comes to roles and after her debut Malayalam film, she just could not work in any other Malayalam films.

"I got a few offers but somehow it did not work out," she said.

Asin said she is now completing her second Bollywood film 'London Dreams' in which Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan play key roles.

She said her success in the industry was due to the full support her parents gave her and that they allowed her to take her own decisions.

'Sikandar' is not like 'Slumdog': Piyush Jha

'Sikandar' is a film set in Kashmir and revolves around two teenagers, but director Piyush Jha is quick to brush aside rumours that the story is similar to the rags-to-riches tale of Oscar-winning 'Slumdog Millionaire'. Essentially, he says, the two movies no doubt convey the same message - fighting against odds and living up to expectations.

"Of course, the stories are completely different while the genres too don't have any similarity whatsoever. However, when it comes to telling a tale about uplift of the downtrodden and liberation of young minds, they are similar," Piyush told us.

"The message communicated in the end is the same for both the films. The underlining theme is about fighting against the odds, living up to expectations and coming out with a clear conscience," he added.

British filmmaker Danny Boyle's 'Slumdog Millionaire' is about three children growing up together in a Mumbai slum and how one of them goes on to win a television quiz show. 'Sikandar' tells the story of a teenage boy in Kashmir, who loses his parents to militancy. Parzaan Dastur, who played the cute Sikh boy in 1998 hit 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai', essays the main lead in the forthcoming movie.

"Sikandar Raza is a 14-year-old schoolboy in Kashmir whose parents were killed by militants when he was just four years old. All that he desires now is the well-being and happiness of his foster parents. Also, he is extremely passionate about football," Jha explained.

He stressed that 'Sikandar' isn't really a film about children and for children.

The movie also features young Ayesha Kapur of 'Black' fame, R. Madhavan and Sanjay Suri.

"My protagonists here are not exactly kids. They are 14-year-olds who are in a growing-up phase. The characters played by Parzaan and Ayesha are teenagers who have a mind of their own. Yes, they are a little vulnerable but still grown up enough to distinguish between right and wrong and make correct decisions," Jha said.

The director added that 'Sikandar' belongs to the suspense thriller genre.

"Generally with teenagers, one makes a children's film but I wanted to make a believable suspense thriller set in Kashmir. Parzaan and Ayesha are the heroes of my film and the story revolves completely around them."

So where does that leave Madhavan and Sanjay Suri in 'Sikandar'? Jha once again refers to 'Slumdog Millionaire' to answer that question.

"Would 'Slumdog Millionaire' have been complete without the characters of Anil Kapoor and Irrfan Khan? They were not the central leads but they weren't on the periphery of the story either. Same is the case with Madhavan and Sanjay. They allow children to occupy their own space under the sun but play an important part of the narrative nevertheless," he said.

Nepal to rock with 'Indian Idol' trio

Crowds had flocked to two public squares in Kathmandu valley to watch the grand finale of the popular reality show 'Indian Idol' on a giant screen and jive to the songs by the three top contenders. Come Saturday, they will be doing an encore, but this time with the finalists in flesh and blood.

After Nepal's idolatrous response to Sony Television's singing talent hunt, the newly crowned Idol Sourabhee Debbarma and her closest competitors Kapil Thapa and Torsha Sarkar will be flying here from Mumbai Friday for two back-to-back live concerts.


The first show is at the Jawalakhel Ground near the zoo in Kathmandu valley's Lalitpur district where last year too 'Indian Idol' contestants had staged a show that became a running success. It will be followed by a second one at the Exhibition Ground in Pokhara.


'We've had an astounding response to the concerts,' said Raju Singh, whose event management company DMI, which represents Sony in Nepal, is hosting the 'Indian Idol' concerts.


'There are 200 free tickets up for grabs on the basis of SMS lotteries. Each day, we are releasing 20 tickets. And each day, there are over 2,000 SMSes for them,' he said.


The Indian reality show has been a cash cow for Nepal's telecom players especially with direct SMS voting to decide the 'Indian Idol' allowed from Nepal this year.


Last year, Nepali supporters formed fan clubs and raised funds to vote for Prashant Tamang, the West Bengal policeman of Nepali origin, who went on to win the show.


Prashant's victory was celebrated with fireworks and rallies at midnight in Nepal and there were expectations of a repeat act this year with another contestant, Kapil Thapa, too boasting of Nepali ancestry.


However, despite considerable support for Kapil from Nepal, Sourabhee, the 23-year-old from northeastern India's Tripura state, also managed to win hearts in Nepal because of her versatility, Mongoloid looks and the fact that it was the first time women were frontrunners for the title.


Though bested by Sourabhee, Kapil still has his die-hard fans in Nepal. Last week, after the results were announced, Nepal's biggest daily Kantipur carried a front-page report saying that for many in Nepal, Kapil would remain the 'Indian Idol'.

Audience will relate to 'Aa Dekhen Zara': Neil Nitin

Neil Nitin Mukesh is unperturbed that his new film 'Aa Dekhen Zara', which tells the story of a man who gets a camera that can tell the future, may be a bizarre and alien concept for the audiences.

'You have to accept what this protagonist and the camera are trying to tell you. Unbelievable as it may sound but it is this camera that is trying to make a contact with other characters in the film through this protagonist,' said Neil.


'If you identify with the protagonist in scene one, which by the way is the intent of the film's narrative, you are with him till the end of the film.'


Though all this talk is clearly puzzling to say the least, the young actor states that the actual narrative makes it all very simple for the audience to comprehend.


'The moment this thrilling element about the camera being an important character is digested by the audiences, they will be intrigued to know more about what my story is and why are some particular incidents happening to my character?' Neil told IANS.


Won't it be tough for the audience to be convinced?


'Why would that be the case,' shoots back Neil, who made a splash with 'Johnny Gaddaar' a year and a half back.


'Weren't they convinced with the presence of an alien and its involvement in the life of the character played by Hrithik (Roshan) in 'Koi Mil Gaya'? In the film you have the entire alien element coming into picture at the very onset and this is what made it a good film because it helped you identify even with 'Jadoo'.'


Talking about his own love for the film, he says fondly, 'I fell in love with 'Jadoo' and felt bad when he was sent back to his planet towards the end of the film.'


'I identified with Hrithik's character too and suddenly when he became a macho man, I felt empowered myself. Now how was that possible? Because as an audience, I could identify with the character.'


Neil is confident that audiences will be intelligent enough to grasp the basic plot of director Jehangir Surti's 'Aa Dekhen Zara'.


'If you look at my debut film 'Johnny Gaddar', there too a preamble was set in the very opening scene that told the audience about the sort of guy Johnny was. It was all so clear that the audience had to accept him the way he was,' said Neil, who is the grandson of legendary singer Mukesh.


No wonder he had all the audience sympathy.


'Exactly,' smiles Neil, 'That is why even though he was killing people and the audience knew that he would be killed too in the end, it was an exciting journey for them to be a part of it since they wanted to know how Johnny's story ended.'


While 'Koi Mil Gaya' has earned a cult status for itself and 'Johnny Gaddaar' too has its own loyal following, one would be tempted to see how Neil manages to woo audiences this time. The film releases March 27.

'Gulaal'- tale of love, deceit and power

Fresh from the success of 'Dev D', director Anurag Kashyap's latest offering 'Gulaal' is a political drama complete with emotional ingredients like love, greed, deceit and power.

'Gulaal', which has Kay Kay Menon in the lead role, took shape in 2001 but was delayed due to myriad reasons. The film, which is dedicated to all poets with a vision for India, is finally set to hit the theatres Friday (March 13).


Set in Rajpur, a fictional city in Rajasthan, the film revolves around a member of the erstwhile royal family who wants to go back to the days of royalty and become the ruler of the state.


'The movie is based on politics and as usual is very hard-hitting. 'Gulaal' is very easily going to be one of my best movies,' Kashyap told IANS.


'Gulaal', a Zee Limelight production, also stars Aditya Srivastav, Piyush Mishra, Mahie Gill, Raj Singh Chaudhary, Mukesh Bhatt, Ayesha Mohan, Abhimanyu Singh, Deepak Dobriyal, Pankaj Jha and Jessie Randhawa.


The story is about about a student Dileep (Raja Choudhary) who comes to Jaipur to study, accompanied by his servant Bhanwar (Mukesh Bhatt).


Against the backdrop of a local political conspiracy, the film begins with a Rajput conglomerate gaining strength as an erstwhile royal Dukey Bana (Kay Kay Menon) and a few other ex-royals convince a reluctant Ransa (Abhimanyu Singh) to contest for college elections on behalf of the Rajputana party.


The main fight is then between Ransa and Kiran (Ayesha Mohan) for the general secretary's post.


The rivalry between the two groups intensifies and eventually leads to Ransa being killed by Kiran's brother. Dileep is then asked to contest the election by the Rajputana party.


'Gulaal' races to its climax where a face is revealed - the face of the new leader.

Kylie's great, but working with Akshay nostalgic: Farah Khan

Director-choreographer Farah Khan says Australian singer Kylie Minogue was 'a dream to work with' in forthcoming film 'Blue', but she was even more excited to work with Akshay Kumar after a year's gap.

The two had last come together for Farah's directorial venture 'Om Shanti Om', where Akshay was seen in a cameo as 'Khiladi Kumar'. And she didn't miss the opportunity to work with him in the much-hyped song featuring Kylie in director Anthony D'Souza's 'Blue'.


'I enjoy working with Akshay and have always had great fun shooting with him. In 'Om Shanti Om' he was a riot and sporting enough to have consented to do a cameo. We were in splits throughout when he came back in his 'Khiladi Kumar' image. This was a year and a half back and when we shot again in 'Blue', it was quite nostalgic,' Farah told IANS.


The ace choreographer bonded quite well with Kylie even though they were working together for the first time.


'That's right, we hadn't interacted earlier but knew about each other's work. She had seen 'Om Shanti Om' and was also aware about my musical 'Bombay Dreams'. Once we started working together for the 'Blue' song, we gelled well quite quickly. She is a dream to work with,' Farah said.


Farah has now become very choosy when it comes to taking up choreography assignments ever since she donned the director's hat for 'Main Hoon Na' in 2004. But she has made exceptions.


In fact, one of the songs she decided to choreograph earlier also featured Akshay. The number was 'Mast Kalandar' from the film 'Heyy Babyy', which was directed by her brother Sajid Khan. Of course, the song had her favourite actor friend Shah Rukh kahan making an appearance too.


'It's always a great experience to work with Akshay since he is a fun-loving guy. Moreover, he is very professional and very punctual. There were many factors that contributed to me agreeing to work on the song and Akshay being a part of it only helped,' Farah said about accepting 'Blue'.


Apart from Kylie and Akshay, the much-awaited song also features Zayed Khan, Lara Dutta and Sanjay Dutt. Composed by Oscar-winning musician A.R. Rahman, the number has been sung by Kylie and Sonu Nigam.


'The number is a mix of Western and Punjabi bhangra, hence turning out to be a great mix. Rahman has come up with a great tune again. To begin with, while Kylie sings her own portion in English, Sonu Nigam brings on a Punjabi element in the second half of the song,' she explained.


'Blue' is set to release in the latter half of 2009.

Bollywood salutes womanhood

She's a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother. She walks the ramp and the board rooms with equal elegance, poise and style. And she sets the screen afire by her eloquent portrayals. A look at the women who made Bollywood realise that they are not just glam dolls. Tabu: Be it her Mumtaz in 'Chandini Bar' or Nina Verma in 'Cheeni Kum' , Tabu has been one actress who has never been stereotyped. Her best would be perhaps the role of Aditi in 'Astitva'. Aditi is a victim of circumstances. A husband who is keen on building up his business, leaving her lonely and form a relationship with her music teacher whose son she bears. Aditi tries - time and again to tell her husband about it, but in the end when he finds out about her relationship, he walks away forcing her for a divorce. And it is then that Aditi says she did not have an identity beyond being Mrs Aditi Shrikant Pandit, and that her journey onwards would be to discover Aditi - or herself. A bold statement to make.

26/11: Amitabh Bachchan not to celebrate Holi

Superstar Amitabh Bachchan will give Holi a miss this time as he feels the spirit of the festival of colours has been dampened by the Mumbai terror attacks.

“That joyous spirit has been dampened by the atrocities that our city faced on 26/11. In its wake somewhere inside us there is a reluctance to involve ourselves in any kind of exhibition. Professional work is understandable, but private excesses do not find favor in our hearts,” the Bollywood actor wrote in his blog.

“Professional work is understandable, but private excesses do not find favour in our hearts. And so shall we respect that. It is the right thing to do. It would have been recommended by the elders too, in who’s memory we have often refrained from such activity,” commented the ‘Shahanshah´ of Hindi cinema.


The actor further mentioned that his family has not been celebrating the festival of colours for the last several years due to the demise of his father and mother.

“It (Holi) was one festival that we enjoyed liberally. The gates of the house open to all and the celebrations lasting till late in the evening from the morning. We have not done that for several years. My Father’s ill health, his passing away, my Mother’s ill health and her passing have been respected always. A year of mourning has been the practiced procedure,” wrote the actor.

Going back and forth in time - Bollywood's new craze

One often wonders what the future has in store for us and shrugs it off quickly, but Bollywood doesn't seem content doing that. The film industry has quite happily grabbed the idea of getting into a time machine in as many as four forthcoming movies.
The films that are ready for release and bear a common theme of venturing ahead or back in time are 'Aa Dekhen Zara', '13B', 'Kal Kissne Dekha' and 'Tasveer 8X10'. While gazing at the future is a favourite topic, even the supernatural element around a non-living object in another time holds prominence in a couple of films.

In 'Aa Dekhen Zara', which stars Neil Nitin Mukesh and Bipasha Basu, director Jehangir Surti focuses on a camera that has the ability to look into the future and warn about what's going to happen next.

Says Neil: "My character of Ray Acharya stumbles upon a camera that can show the future. No, it isn't like looking 50 years ahead but still there is a slight futuristic element involved. The narrative is as interesting as that of 'Mr. India' where there were gadgets and the invisibility element."

The film, which has Neil crooning a number, is set for a March 22 release.

'Kal Kissne Dekha' also talks about the power of seeing the future, though this time it's the lead protagonist himself and not a gadget that does the trick. The film by Vashu Bhagnani will be the debut vehicle of his son Jaccky.

"Nihal Singh (the protagonist) is a gifted boy. He realises after a point that he gets true premonitions. He isn't sure about it to begin with but later settles down to this gift," says Jackky.

Of course there is a lot more to the storyline, but that's all the budding actor can reveal right now.

With a camera gadget and a unique gift of god being the central theme of two films, one wonders whether a conventional hero will get any limelight at all?

"Exactly the point," quips R. Madhavan. "My '13B' doesn't have any conventional male lead in fact. Instead, I would say the TV is the main lead."

In '13B', a TV creates havoc in the life of Madhavan by showing on screen real events that are going to happen to his family.

"It's this TV set that ends up guiding our lives. In a way, it tells the real state of today's families that have become so dependent on TV that they end up seeing only what it wants you to see," Madhavan explains.

The thriller that releases Friday also stars Neetu Chandra and Poonam Dhillon.

The biggest of them all though is Akshay Kumar-starrer 'Tasveer 8X10' where it's a photo frame that is key to the film's narrative. This time around it's a journey into the past.

"In the film, Akshay plays a character who is gifted with a special sense where he can go inside the 8X10 photograph and enter the past. His soul is busy re-discovering the past. He always has a secret related to someone's life. After witnessing how his father was murdered in this 8X10 photograph, he sets out to take revenge," reveals a source close to the film.

The 'future' of these innovative ideas in the box office remains to be seen.

Deepika Padukone at the launch of Tissot T-Touch Expert

Tissot, the Swiss watchmaker launched the T-Touch Expert, a watch that they claim ‘does much more than just showing time for those who like to carry their world around’. Deepika Padukone, the brand ambassador for Tissot did the honours at a spectacular event held in Mumbai.

A performance by ‘Laser Man’ Thomas Barentin, was the highlight of the day, as was a ravishing Deepika Padukone who stylishly flaunted the Tissot T Touch Expert.

Launching the watch, Mr Francois Thiebaud, Global President, Tissot said, “The T-Touch Expert is a tactile sports watch that is perfectly equipped for the adventurous traveller, one who wants to be, and travail in time. With the T-Touch Expert the wearer has a high-precision instrument offering the ideal combination of high-tech functionality and ease of use. It is a great honour to launch this unique timepiece in the great city of Mumbai, the city which never sleeps “

Amitabh's new look @ IIFA Voting Weekend!

Amitabh Bachchan sans the French thicket ("My new look for Balki's 'PAA'!!") and Ashutosh Gowarikar put in their votes for The 10th IIFA Awards 2009 at The IIFA Voting Weekend in Mumbai on March 6.

What's common between Sanjay Dutt, Navjyot Singh Sidhu and the others?

New Delhi: Sanjay Dutt, Pappu Yadav, Mohammed Shahabuddin, Suraj Singh, Anand Mohan... all aspiring MPs, all convicted felons and all getting ready to approach the courts to suspend their guilty verdicts so they can contest the general elections.

The hurdle in their way to the Lok Sabha is Section 8 (3) of the Representation of the People Act of 1951 that stipulates that any person convicted for a crime and sentenced to more than two years of jail term will not run elections till six years after the completion of his sentence.
This can be overcome by approaching the Supreme Court if the conviction was by an anti-terror court, or by a high court in other cases.

And that is precisely the window that politicians like Rashtriya Janata Dal MPs Rajiv Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav and Mohammad Shahabuddin, former union telecom minister Sukhram, Lok Janshakti Party MP Suraj Singh and former Janata Dal-United (JD-U) MP Anand Mohan are looking at, say legal experts.

In doing so, they will cite the case of cricketer-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, who got a reprieve in 2007 when the Supreme Court suspended his conviction in a case of unintentional killing to enable him to contest the parliamentary by-election in Amritsar. Sidhu won.

Shilpa breaks the ice with Preity

Stories of the two IPL queens battling it out on the playing field and on television came to a sudden turning point this week when Shilpa Shetty extended an olive branch to her supposed rival in the IPL Preity Zinta.

Shilpa and Raj Kundra are hosting a grand party to celebrate their entry into the IPL March 10 at the Grand Hyatt.


And Preity is invited.


Shilpa said: 'I really want these unsavoury rumours about our rivalry to end. On an impulse I sent an SMS to Preity inviting her for the party that Raj and I are hosting.'


Shilpa was pleasantly surprised when Preity replied back. 'She said she'd love to come. But can't because she'd be out of town. I think that just about takes care of that. I'm sure we'll have other occasions to interact. For now it's enough that she accepted my invitation.'


Shilpa thinks these rivalry stories are unnecessary. 'We're both decent well brought-up girls. We were even together in the Bachchans' world tour. And we got along fine. We don't need to be seen as these warring women at all, please.'


About the party Shilpa said: 'It's been a while since Raj and I had friends share in our happiness. The IPL deal is a good occasion to have a get-together. We're inviting all our friends.'

Hindi Tamil Cinema Audiences Get Lucky Simultaneously for the First Time Ever

Reliance BIG Pictures' new bilingual supernatural thriller, '13B' which releases today, is going to be the first Indian film ever to release simultaneously in Hindi and Tamil original language versions. The film is releasing as '13B Fear has a New Address' in Hindi and 'Yavarrum Nalam' in Tamil. The Film is also releasing simultaneously in the overseas market with both Hindi and Tamil versions.

Earlier, Hindi films like Dhoom 2, Krrish and Jodhaa Akbar have been dubbed and released in different languages at different times. Even films like Roja and Bombay, which were released at the same time in different languages, were dubbed. '13B' (Hindi Title) and 'Yaavarum Nalam' (Tamil Title) on other hand were shot simultaneously in Hindi and Tamil as two separate negatives. The Director has even tried to keep different supporting cast for both versions. The lead actors, R. Madhavan and Neetu Chandra, are same in both the versions. Put together, the films will be releasing in more than 500 screens in India and 25 in the overseas market.

Shooting a bilingual film back to back might not be such a pleasant experience for the cast and the crew, especially a supernatural thriller like '13B'. While R. Madhavan was paranoid and careful about getting the accent correct as he switched between the two languages, Neetu Chandra found it challenging to act the same scene and balance equivalent chemistry with two different actors for different versions. The Film stars Poonam Dhillon, Murali Sharma and Sachin Khedekar in supporting roles.

Sunir Kheterpal, Chief Operating Officer BIG Pictures says, "We at BIG Pictures are committed to bringing quality content to audience's world over. The simultaneous release of '13B' 'Yavarrum Nalam' is a proud moment for BIG Pictures. The team has aggressively supported the two versions of the film with branding and marketing initiatives and ensured the films get an impressive platform. We are confident that the film will appeal to audiences across the Hindi and Tamil markets both."

Multi faceted, director Vikram K. Kumar took up the challenge of technically shooting two films simultaneously and thought "It was an added responsibility to find actors who can not only act but are also fluent with both the languages."

The bilingual syndrome was not only affecting the cast and the director but also the dynamic trio Shankar Ehsaan Loy, who are exploring the supernatural genre for the first time. Their test was to compose music which not only belongs from a niche genre but also keep in mind the different symphonic taste of the two audiences.

Amrita Arora's Sangeet

Amrita Arora's Sangeet was celebrated in true Bollywood style. We bring you exclusive visuals of the event hosted by Salman Khan's sister, Alvira Khan.

'Slumdog' puts focus on all things Indian: USA Today

The success of India-based Oscar winner 'Slumdog Millionaire' has magnified India's profile and accelerated the mingling of American and South Asian cultures, a leading US daily says. "Who knows? Just as salsa came to rival ketchup as America's top-selling relish with the diffusion of Latino culture, maybe 'Slumdog' is a sign more Americans will be consuming even spicier fare," says Maria Puente in an article in USA Today.

"Now you can find Indian food even in mainstream grocery stores," jokes Vin Bhat, the American-born co-founder of Saavn, a New York-based company that, as the largest digital distributor of Bollywood movies, music, videos and ringtones, is benefiting from the success of 'Slumdog'.

"We're seeing a tremendous impact," Bhat was quoted as saying. "We're already seeing record downloads on iTunes and other major carriers; we're seeing a lot of people purchasing tracks and albums by ('Slumdog' composer/musician) A.R. Rahman."

In fact, the soundtrack is top album on iTunes and vaulted 26 spots to No. 22 on the Billboard chart in the days after the Oscars.

"People are buying 'Slumdog' - it's an access point for people to explore other movie and musical content from India," which is easier to do nowadays, thanks to the Internet, Bhat said.

The India-is-cool trend has waxed and waned for decades. "It goes back to The Beatles, Ravi Shankar, the Maharishi - look at how yoga is mainstream now," USA Today cited frequent visitor Dan Storper, founder and CEO of Putamayo World Music.

His company expects its first, just-released all-Indian music CD, "India", and coffee-table book, "India: A Cultural Journey", to be bestsellers in part thanks to 'Slumdog'.

"There has been a curiosity about the region for a long time, but it always takes one big thing to take it to another level," Storper says. "The stage is now set."

Hollywood might be more willing to gamble on Indian-themed movies and other East-West collaborations now that 'Slumdog' has established audience interest, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, the Indian-born American novelist and author of 'The Mistress of Spices' and just-published 'The Palace of Illusions', was quoted as saying.

"We're kind of on the cusp, and 'Slumdog' might tip us over," she says. "Fiction touches the imagination, and the impact lives on long after the facts of non-fiction have faded."

Review: Sushmita's 'Karma Aur Holi'

Post 'Monsoon Wedding', films focusing on the Indian diaspora have been churned out by makers in the West. But, sadly, a majority of these projects still suffer from the 'Monsoon Wedding' fixation. 'Karma Aur Holi' is one of those films.
One has often mauled Bollywood films for churning out gibberish at regular intervals, but we stay mum when it comes to films made in America. After watching 'Karma Aur Holi', it reiterates the fact that even Americans frequently come up with junk.

Frankly, nothing works in 'Karma Aur Holi'. Not the plot, not the screen writing, not even the performances. What can you say of a film which, though serious in nature, makes you break into guffaws? Sad indeed!

Meera [Sushmita Sen] and Dev [Randeep Hooda] plan a get-together with a few close friends and relatives at their place. As time passes by, the guests get involved in each others' lives. The evening takes a dramatic turn when an unexpected incident triggers tipsy partygoers to confess their innermost secrets that have never been revealed.

On paper, the concept of 'Karma Aur Holi' sounds truly interesting, but what comes across on screen is amateurish. The film attempts to say too much, but what comes across makes zilch impression. If the writing is bad, the direction [Manish Gupta] is worse.

Barring Sushmita Sen and Suchitra Krishnamoorthy, none of the actors [and that includes veterans like Suresh Oberoi and Rati Agnihotri] leave any impression whatsoever. Randeep Hooda is strictly okay. Naomi Campbell is a lousy actor. Deepal Shaw is plain bad.

On the whole, 'Karma Aur Holi' is a sad case.

Review: 'Dhoondte Reh Jaoge'

'Dhoondte Reh Jaoge' is a pleasant surprise. The movie is non-stop nonsense, but with a story.
Come to think of it, you walk into 'Dhoondte Reh Jaoge' with zilch expectations, almost sure that you're going to devote 3 hours of your precious life to a film that would soon be forgotten the very next day itself.

Okay, now let's forewarn you... Don't wear your thinking caps for this one. This film is plain silly. It has a ridiculous storyline [two good-for-nothing desperate to make a flop film], the most ludicrous jokes [Paresh Rawal, Johny Lever and gang], the most tacky sets... yet, this film works. It entertains and most importantly, makes you laugh at the right places.

Feeling morose or low? Has the global meltdown and recession hit you like a ton of bricks and you need a break? Try out 'Dhoondte Reh Jaoge'. It's silly, but quite funny!

Anand [Kunal Khemu] and Raj [Paresh Rawal] are, perhaps, the two most extreme individuals that have walked the city of Mumbai. While Anand is a chartered accountant, Raj is a film producer.

They hatch a plan to raise big money to produce a feature film and then actually make it at a pittance amount. In fact, they decide to make it so badly that audiences would reject it on the first day of its release. Anand and Raj believe this would give them a foolproof chance to decamp with the remaining huge amount they've raised for the making of this venture.

But the film turns out to be a huge hit. Now the financers and distributors are after Anand and Raj for their chunk of shares from the huge profit.

In films like 'Dhoondte Reh Jaoge', the emphasis is not on story, but on the entertainment quotient and the film works on that level. The jokes are quite funny at times and the witty dialogues do the trick as well.

But you can't shut your eyes to the deficiencies in this project. If the first hour succeeds in transporting you to ha-ha-land, the film dips in the second hour, but picks up speed in the pre-climax, at the big nite -- the premiere screening of the film. Ample time is devoted to the film made by Paresh and Kunal, funnily called 'Solay Se L'Gaan Tak' [yep, that's how it is spelt]. The spoof on 'Sholay', 'D.D.L.J', 'Gadar' and 'Lagaan' are simply hilarious.

Director Umesh Shukla may not be a proficient technician, but he succeeds in keeping your eyes glued to the screen for most parts of the film. His choice of actors is perfect. Sajid-Wajid's music is of fast-forward quality.

Paresh Rawal and Johny Lever steal the show with their impeccable comic timing. Both excel in their respective parts. Kunal Khemu is a revelation. Very likable. Sonu Sood plays the moody and tantrum throwing star to perfection. Soha is completely in sync with her character. Dilip Joshi [as Soha's uncle] is top notch.

On the whole, 'Dhoondte Reh Jaoge' is silly, but quite funny. A film that offers laughter in the garb of mindless entertainment. It might just work with people who are looking for some time pass fun, without taxing the brains.

Celina Jaitley Signs on Kannada Film!

Looks like Celina is all set to become the flavour down south. After her award winning performance as a South Indian belle in 'Golmaal Returns', former Miss India Celina Jaitley is all set to do a full fledged role in a south Indian film and has signed her first Kannada film named 'Shreemati' opposite South Superstar Upendra.

Apparently her co star Upendra has already written the story and screenplay of the bilingual movie in Kannada and Telugu. We hear that the film is the remake of the Bollywood Blockbuster 'Aitraaz' and Celina will be essaying the same role as that of Priyanka's in the Hindi film.

Interestingly, Priyanka's role in 'Aitraaz' had earlier been offered to Celina by Abbas Mustan but she had turned it down and now Celina is doing the same role in Kannada. The shooting for the film starts on 4th March in Bangalore and the next schedule will be in South Africa.

Looks like Celina is all set to entice the South Indians!!

Soham Shah bonds with Sanjay Dutt

Soham Shah whose shooting for Luck with Sanjay Dutt seems to have taken a liking towards good guy Sanjay Dutt. Although the movie stars Imraan Khan and Shruti Hassan in the lead Soham only wanted Sanjay to feature throughout the track. Looks like Sanjay’s charms has found itself another victim. The song has been sung by Sukhwinder Singh and Sanjay was the perfect choice for the song according to the director.

"Sanjay is the biggest rock star and having him in Luck, I do not need to hunt for any other star outside the film," says Soham.

The song has been choreographed by Remo and composed by Salim-Sulaiman. Luck is scheduled for a June release will star Imran Khan, Shruti Hassan, Mithun Chakraborty, Danny Dengzongpa & Ravi Kissen.

Producers to ban releases at Multiplexes

In the recent times there have been a lot of differences between producers and multiplexes in their percentages of cuts, so they want to bring it to a stand. Taking que from numerous incidents like UTV's Dev D and Delhi-6 that faced many problems and many meetings had to be held in order to open it in all multiplexes in the country. All last minute decisions and important decisions took place on the same morning of the movies getting released. The producers have decided that it’s about time to bring this to a stand.

So after all unanimously deciding on the same issue the outcome is that producers are now not going to put out any new films April 4 onwards if they don't come to an agreement on terms.

Mukesh Bhatt, the head appointed by the producers' bodies says, "Producers are in dire straits. For us, it is a battle for survival and that's the not case with the multiplex people.

‘Action Replay’ – the secret is out!

Akshay Kumar’s high profile movie Action Replay was one of the best kept secrets in Bollywood until now. The movie that will see the sizzling Akshay and Aish paired together since their last movie ‘Khakee’ had a huge twist to the tale, which no one was revealing.

Akshay Kumar will go through a reverse aging process in the movie just like Brad Pitt does in ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’. This Oscar winning film released in India and bombed at the BO, but this Akshay Kumar starrer is catching eyes already. In the movie Akshay starts of at 62 years and then grows younger to 26 years, he will be seen from being an old father to a sexy young hipster with bell bottomed jeans and all.

Vipul Shah has slated a November to December release for Action Replay and the film will release along with strict competition by Aamir’s ‘3 Idiots’ and Shahrukh’s ‘My Name is Khan’.The film is an out and out romantic comedy and has never been attempted in bollywood before, so Vipul Shah is taking a big risk here. But working with his favorite actor Akshay Kumar has always been fun for Vipul, and looks like he’s the only one who can bring out the best in Akshay.

Danny Boyle asked to direct the next James Bond film

After Danny Boyle has proved to the world that his directorial skill is above exceptional witSlumdog Millionaire winning 8 Oscar’s and accolades at the worldwide level.

Now Hollywood will bestow him another prestige, the honour of directing a Bond film. Bond producer Barbara Broccoli has asked Boyle to direct the 23rd Bond film, The other producer Callum McDougal is Boyle's friend and has served as a producer of Boyle's 2002 film 'The Beach'.
Directing a Bond film is not an easy task, as with all action and adventure and love and mystery all packed into one big blockbuster of a movie that is anticipated around the world, you have to be better than good, you have to be god! And right now Danny Boyle is God!

So with Daniel Craig’s involvement and the 007 plots more focused on character than gadets and games, this one’s definitely going to be massive.

Farhan Akthar and Don 2 along with Shahrukh Khan in April

Farhan Akthar has been really busy acting and facing the camera, so much so that he’s forgotten all about directing. But now Farhan Akthar has decided to get back in the director’s seat with Don 2.Farhan Akthar will cast Shahrukh Khan & Priyanka Chopra in the lead and will be produced by Excel Entertainment. But Akthar has no plans of doing it this year, he plans on directing the sequel in April 2010, so there’s still a long way to go for this film to hit the screens.

Farhan was quoted saying that he likes to direct films but only one film at a time. Like the gap between the each film is almost around 2 – 3 years and he likes it that way. Dil Chahta Hai was in 2001, his next film Lakshya was in 2004 and Don was in 2006 and now Don 2 in 2010.

Don 2 will take off from where Don ended, which was nothing like the original Don with Amitabh Bachchan. And so just like the unexpected ending in the original version you can be sure that Don 2 will blow you away.

Amrita Arora's Wedding!

Amrita Arora and Shakeel Ladak tied the knot at the Olive restaurant in Mumbai. After the wedding Alvira Agnihotri (Salman Khan’s sister) hosted a ‘sangeet’ ceremony for the couple. A formal nikaah will follow on March 6. The guest list for the wedding was high on Bollywood. Click on, for exclusive visuals of Amrita Arora's wedding reception.

13B: Fear has a new address!

Ranganathan Madhavan, in Bollywood, is a name that brings a smile on every girl’s face. But this fortune has never been translated into solid Box Office draw. Come March 6, and Maddy would descent on the B’wood screens with the poltergeist-thriller, ’13 B’. In an unprecedented genre hop, Maddy the lover boy would bring a devilish tweak to his adorable smile, and most probably, would sport a hidden canine!

Click on, for guided tour into the world of one of India’s most loved choco-boys!

First Look: 'Karma Aur Holi'

The film deals with relationships of many dimensions, their conflicts and resolutions on the day of Holi signifying a new beginning.

Source: India Syndicate

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Charles Sobhraj ready to take on Bollywood!

The entry of his old foe in the ring once again does not scare yesteryear's super criminal Charles Sobhraj, who says he is ready to take on Bollywood, with or without the diplomat-turned-consultant who has hounded him for years. "It is just a gimmick," said the 64-year-old's lawyer -Isabelle Coutant-Peyre, dismissing reports that Bollywood filmmaker Prawaal Raman is signing up former Dutch diplomat Herman Knippenberg as a consultant for his upcoming film 'Charles and I', which is speculated to be based on the past life of Sobhraj.

"However, we are not concerned," Coutant-Peyre told us. "They know they can't make the film. We will take legal action in due course of time."

The new twist to the Sobhraj saga, which has continued to grip the world from the 1970s, comes after Raman decided to make a new film, "Charles and I", with Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt in the lead.

When it was known that the film was about an international criminal who is wanted by police in several countries, people began linking it to Charles Sobhraj, who in the 1970s was wanted in India, Thailand, Malaysia, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan as well as some European countries.

Sobhraj's lawyers informed Raman that he would be sued for defamation if he went ahead with the film without their consent. Subsequently, the threat made the director disclaim that his project was based on Sobhraj's life.

However, the hiring of Knippenberg as a consultant bolsters Sobhraj's contention since Knippenberg has played a key role in depicting Sobhraj as a serial killer to the media.

Knippenberg was based in the Dutch Embassy in Bangkok in the 1970s when concerned Dutch families informed him that two Dutch tourists were missing from the Thai capital.

Since then, he became entwined with Sobhraj's life, a bond of hate that persists even today, years after his retirement and moving from Bangkok to New Zealand.

The Dutch diplomat's story forms the basis of a book on Charles Sobhraj's crimes, including alleged serial murder of western tourists, a docu-drama and media reports.

Knippenberg also wrote an article for Reader's Digest, slamming Sobhraj as a serial killer and highlighting his role in exposing Sobhraj - an article that was presented in Nepal's court by lawyers who hailed it as proof that Sobhraj killed an American tourist in Kathmandu in 1975.

Don't compare me with others: ARR

AR Rahman requested music lovers not to compare his music with that of other musicians. "You should desist from creating hatred between musicians. Please don't degrade the music of others," he said. The maestro was speaking at a function organised by the Cine Musicians Union (CMU) in Chennai to honour him.

The humble genius went on to say that he had collected the award on behalf of all the Indian musicians and that the award belonged to everybody.

Though great composers such as Naushad, Ilayaraja, M.S Viswanathan, Madan Mohan and others did not get the awards, they had the love of the people, which was greater than the Oscars, said Rahman.

Carnatic musician Balamurali Krishna, the chief guest said that the Oscars was a recognition of Rahman’s musical creativity and hard work. Ilayaraja said that Rahman was a phenomenal musician.

K Balachander, who introduced Rahman in 'Roja', said that when other music composers make castles with their music, Rahman builds monuments.

Shankar Ganesh, Deva, Srikanth Deva Yuvanshankar Raja, Karthik Raja, Vijay Anthony, D Imman, T M Soundararajan, L R Eswari, Karthi, Chinmayi, Thippu, Chitra, Swarnalatha, Mano and drummer Shivamani were among those present.

Top 6 stars of Bollywood B.O

It is time to go beyond proclamations, claims, retorts and diatribe. The BO burrow is where all false gods falter, every Friday. Friday, Fly-day or Fry-day..? It depends on which end of the Six Pack chart you are!
1. Sonam Kapoor: Second Coming!
In the semi-autobiographical film, 'Delhi-6', director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has tried, gallantly, to present the India of today.

Of the stellar cast that includes Abhishek Bachchan and Waheeda Rahman, Sonam Kapoor stands out with her flawless portrayal of a starry-eyed Delhi girl.

'Delhi-6' is a breather for Sonam, who had started off with the flop 'Saawariya'.

The net collection for the movie at the end of week 1 is Rs. 33,44,33,421.

Of Bollywood's new-found love for NRIs and Delhi

What is common between Abhishek Bachchan, Abhay Deol and Aftab Shivdasani? First, their names start with the letter A. Second, in their recent releases they play NRIs. And last but not the least, the character played by each of them chooses Delhi as his final destination.

Picture this. In his just released 'Delhi-6', Abhishek plays a quintessential NRI who has never been to India but becomes so fascinated with the country, its culture and its people that in spite of being caught in a communal row he is willing to stay put in his ancestral land.

"I could easily connect to my character of Roshan since I had myself spent 12 years abroad in a different culture. I know how it is to feel like an outsider," Abhishek was quoted as saying.

In 'Dev D', Abhay Deol comfortably slipped into the by-lanes of Paharganj and even rented a dingy single room apartment.

As Dev, he had spent a considerable amount of time abroad where he was forcibly packed off for further studies. But the moment he stepped back in India and lost his girlfriend Paro to someone else, it was destination Delhi for him.

"Paro lived in Delhi and Dev followed. It's a different matter though that it was a journey into hell for Dev as he got sucked deeper and deeper into the world of drugs and liquor. Anurag (Kashyap) was extremely successful in showing that side of Delhi which many filmmakers dared not venture into. The whole psychedelic visuals of the by-lanes of Delhi were meant to frighten yet excite audiences," said Abhay.

It isn't as dark and depressing though for Aftab Shivdasani who plays an NRI in forthcoming feel-good romantic entertainer 'Aloo Chaat'.

"I return to India, Delhi to be precise, with my girlfriend. I wish to get married to her. Most of the film has been shot in Delhi," said Aftab, who has been paired opposite Aamna Shariff and American actress Linda Arsenio in the film.

It isn't just Hindi films where NRIs are returning to their country. In Punjabi film 'Munde U.K. De', Jimmy Shergill plays a guy who returns from Britain to Punjab and is surprised by the culture shift.

"It is bound to happen for someone who has seen his country of origin years back. But then in my film, we are not making this a serious issue. It is light-hearted and looks at the comic side of affairs," said Jimmy.

Akshay Kumar was also shown as a Delhi guy in 'Chandni Chowk To China'.

There are other films on the anvil where Bollywood heroes have shot in Delhi for a long duration. They may not be playing NRIs but are nevertheless shown as hard core Delhiwallahs.

This includes Saif Ali Khan in 'Love Aaj Kal' with Deepika Padukone and in an untitled film with Kareena Kapoor. Joining the bandwagon are Hurman S. Baweja in 'It's My Life' with Genelia D'Souza and Emraan Hashmi in 'Raftaar - 24X7' with Neha Dhupia

'13B will horrify you'

After playing a man affected by posttraumatic stress disorder in Mumbai Meri Jaan, R Madhavan is back with his next -- a bilingual in Hindi and Tamil -- titled 13B [Yaavarum Nalam in Tamil].
Directed by south Indian director Vikram K Kumar, the thriller also stars Neetu Chandra, Poonam Dhillon, Murli Sharma and Sachin Kedekar.

Nithya Ramani caught up with Madhavan for more on B13, his thoughts and experiences. Excerpts:

Where have you been? We rarely see you in Hindi films.

My last release in Hindi was Mumbai Meri Jaan, and Guru before that. So I have been maintaining my quota of one Hindi film a year. My south films kept me really busy for the past seven, eight years.

Of late, the Hindi film industry has opened up to new form of scripts, like Taare Zameen Par, Chak De India or a Black. So in terms of doing only one film a year, I might have been away from the Hindi film industry, but I can assure you that you will be seeing enough and more of me this year. I am doing almost five films.

What is 13B?

In today's world we are all so busy with our existence. Survival itself is a big challenge. After such a hectic day, when you get back home, you just want to shut yourself up and sleep. And we get very little time to interact with each other. People need to take a holiday just to talk to people.

So under these circumstances, the only relief and way of escapism is television. Everybody likes to keep a TV at home. I have seen housewives who like to keep the TV on just to feel like the house is full of kids. I have seen grandmothers put on the TV and go off to sleep. I have seen some of my friends who like to keep the TV on and then go to sleep. They have even named their TVs after their brothers or sisters or sons!

So the TV has moved up from just being a normal household appliance, to something that decides the power equation of the family. You can see who the boss of the house is by seeing who holds the remote control.

The whole story is what happens if the TV realises its power and shows you what it wants you to see rather than the facts. This is what happens with the character of this house. He suddenly realises that things are going out of this control because the TV somewhere has started playing havoc with his family. So it is a super natural thriller. I was really excited when I heard the story.

The best part of the film is there are no ghostly figures popping up, or any bloody images or murders or any gory or graphic images to frighten you. It doesn't have the "boo" factor. It'll just tell you a story and chill your spine. It will just make you feel unadulterated fear.

That is what I really liked about this movie. It is easy to spook or frighten you, but it is not easy to horrify you. And this film will horrify you. Till the interval, I promise, you cannot tell me what happens next and you will not be able to leave the theatre either. You will sit on the edge of your seat and wonder what is going to happen next.

The number one film in the entire world

Riding on the waves of post-Oscar fame, Slumdog Millionaire [Images] rose over the weekend to be the number one film across the globe, grossing $27 million, nearly $12.5 million of the total gross came from the United States where it is playing in nearly 3000 movie houses. The worldwide gross for the film now stands at about $210 million.

"The whole world is falling in love with the film," said Ashok Amritraj, the producer of 100 films in Hollywood. Amritraj who is also a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) that gives out the Oscars [Images].

"People are able to relate to this film across the world. India is not the only country with slums and street children. The fact that this is a very hopeful film, which has fabulous artists from India ranging from Anil Kapoor [Images] to Irrfan Khan [Images], and the lovely newcomers Dev Patel [Images] and Freida Pinto [Images], is also helping it. And let us not forget the fabulous music by A R Rahman [Images]."

The film, which is yet to open in Germany [Images], Sweden, Brazil [Images], China, Japan [Images], South Korea and Taiwan and many other countries, could end its record setting dream run with $300 million.

Like many Indian film-makers and artists in Los Angeles including Maulik Pnncholi and Pooja Batra [Images], Amritraj too sees Slumdog as a bridge-builder, nudging more American and British films to be shot in India.

Danny Boyle to direct next Bond film?

Danny Boyle, Oscar winning director of 'Slumdog Millionaire', has been asked to direct the next James Bond film.

Bond producer Barbara Broccoli has asked Boyle to direct the 23rd Bond film. The other producer Callum McDougal is Boyle's friend and has served as a producer of Boyle's 2002 film 'The Beach'.

A source said: "Danny is the man of the moment and he is being bombarded with offers from studios. He has been offered the chance to direct the 23rd Bond film by Barbara. The team love his vision and think that it would work perfectly for the new look of Bond. Danny has always insisted he is more interested in the film than the money.

"With Daniel Craig's involvement and the way the films are now structured - with the emphasis on the characters and plot rather than gags and gadgets - it is right up Danny's street. Everyone on the team thinks Danny would be a fantastic addition to the Bond family."

MSN On-Spot: Ayesha Takia's Wedding Reception!

Ayesha Takia recently tied the knot with restaurateur Farhan Azmi. We bring you exclusive visuals of celebrities and Bollywood stars at the wedding reception.

Filmfare Awards: Rare facts

Did you know that Filmfare Awards were first called Clares after Clare Mendonca (the Times of India film critic who died the year of the first awards, 1954). Here is some interesting trivia on Filmfare awards, the 54th edition of which was organized recently in Mumbai.

Compiled by India Syndicate

Gregory Peck was expected to be the guest of honour at the first ever awards (March 21, 1954 at the Metro theatre, Mumbai). He couldn't make it to the function since his flight from Colombo got delayed. Peck, however, did attend the banquet that followed the award nite.

At the first “Clares” Awards function, Bimal Roy’s ‘Do Bigha Zameen’ won the award for the best film; Bimal Roy went home with the Best Director award. Dilip Kumar won the award for the best actor (male) for ‘Daag’, while Meena Kumari won her statuette for Baiju Bawra. Naushad was adjudged the best music director for his mind-blowing songs in the Bharat Bhushan starrer, ‘Baiju Bawra’.

Lata Mangeshkar refused to accept her first Filmfare award because the Filmfare statuette was designed in the shape of a woman and “the woman had no clothes on”; the award had to be wrapped with a handkerchief for it to be accepted by the Nightingale.

In 1969, Sunil Dutt lost the best actor’s statuette to Dilip Kumar; Sunil organized a party for Dilip Kumar soon after the awards function, starting the trend of post-award parties.

In 1975, Yash Chopra's Deewaar swept all the awards except, surprisingly, for the lead actor Amitabh Bachchan.

One of Filmfare’s mighty losers has been ‘Sholay’, which won only one award in 1975- for Best Editing!!!

Vani Ganpathi and Kamal Haasan got married on the day of the 25th Filmfare Awards; they attended the award nite with their garlands still around their necks.

The award for Best Choreography was instituted only in 1988. Saroj Khan won it for Madhuri’s sizzling “Ek Do Teen…” number from ‘Tezaab’.

As the Filmfare award function of 1991 came to an end, the entire crowd ran towards Amitabh Bachchan as he stood up near the pool. One of the planks cracked, and Amitabh Bachchan had to do a filmy style rescue operation to save Rakhee from falling.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Black’ holds the record of winning the maximum number of Filmfare Awards. It won 11 at the 51st Filmfare Awards.

Dilip Kumar has been nominated for 19 Filmfare Best Actor Awards in all and he won 8 awards for Best Actor (a record). Shah Rukh Khan has been nominated for 17 times and won 7 times. Amitabh Bachchan has been nominated for 28 Filmfare Best Actor Awards in all (a record) but won 4.

After Filmfare, Farhan hopes for an IIFA for 'Rock On!'

Just after his acting debut 'Rock On!' bagged seven trophies at the recently held Filmfare Awards, director-actor Farhan Akhtar hopes to walk away with more awards at the forthcoming International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards.

"I have visited the IIFAs before and am extremely hopeful that 'Rock On!' will be nominated for the 10th year of IIFA awards," said Farhan in a press statement.

"My entire cast will be on hand to cast our votes at IIFA's voting weekend as will many members of the film fraternity," said Farhan.

Arjun Rampal, who played an important role in 'Rock On!', too is upbeat about the voting weekend as he feels it is a very credible way of involving members of the film industry to nominate the deserving candidates for the awards.

He said: "I have visited IIFA before and have even played at its charity match. I am very excited about casting my vote this year especially cause my movies may just be nominated."

Others from the film industry are excited about the event too.

"IIFA has grown into an event of repute over the last nine years. This year, being the 10th year of IIFA, the celebrations will be bigger," said Manmohan Shetty, producer and IIFA advisory board member.

Source: IANS

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Sourabhee becomes first female 'Indian Idol'

After four years of its running, popular music reality show 'Indian Idol' finally got its first female winner in the form of Sourabhee Debbarma, who won the grand finale of the fourth season of the TV programme.

Sourabhee, who hails from the India's north east, belted out popular numbers confidently and piped other finalists - Bengali girl Torsha Sarkar and army man Kapil Thapa. She walked away with a Rs.10 million contract with Sony TV and a car.

The result was based on public voting.

The special attractions of the event were Bollywood stars John Abraham, Katrina Kaif and Neil Nitin Mukesh, who had come to promote their forthcoming film 'New York'.

Others from the Indian film and music industry, including judges Javed Akhtar, Anu Malik, Kailash Kher and Sonali Bendre, too were present to cheer the finalists.

The 22-year-old winner is petite, charismatic and adds glamour to her stage performances with her perfect moves - a plus point she has had since the beginning of the show. However, the girl has had no professional training in music.

She recently met veteran Assamese composer Bhupen Hazarika who told her "my blessings are with you".

Only on MSN India: Exclusive videos of 'India Idol 4'

Tripura toasts its 'Indian Idol' all night long

Most of Tripura was in party mode the whole night until Monday morning, bursting crackers and dancing on the streets to celebrate Sourabhee Debbarma being crowned "Indian Idol" in Mumbai. The young singer from Tripura became the first woman "Indian Idol" in the fourth year of the live TV competition.

"I can't believe that I become the Indian Idol. I am grateful to all my fans and those who voted for me to reach the top position," Sourabhee, 22, told us over telephone from Mumbai.

"It feels like I'm still at the rehearsals. I thank all of you for making a girl the 'Indian Idol' and shall try to continue to entertain all of you."

Accompanied by her parents and a galaxy of actors including Katrina Kaif, John Abraham and Sonali Bendre, Sourabhee received a contract award worth Rs.10 million and a TATA Winger car besides other awards at the show's finale hosted by Sony Entertainment channel.

Sourabhee, who had completed a Bachelors in Business Administration (BBA), won the fourth edition of "Indian Idol", pipping Torsha Sarkar of West Bengal and Kapil Thapa of Dehradun in the final round.

"A platform like 'Indian Idol' to show off her talent, getting a standing ovation from renowned personalities like Javed Akhtar, Anu Malik, Kailash Kher and John Abraham is a lifetime experience for both Sourabhee and us," said Sunil Debbarmam, her father.

Said Pradyot Bikram Kishore Manikya, who belongs to Tripura's erstwhile royal family and is one of the main sponsors of Sourabhee: "What Shillong's Amit Paul missed by a whisker in the last season of the 'Indian Idol' show, Sourabhee made it with the overwhelming support from the music crazy people of the northeast."