John celebrated Bipasha’s birthday

Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu has grown a year older on January 7 and her boyfriend John Abraham has made her day. She had a double bonanza on her D-day. She had a double celebration, first she enjoyed with John Abraham in Delhi and then with John’s close family and friends in Mumbai.

Talking about her birthday, Bipasha says, "John and I were at the Auto-Expo in Delhi. He stayed back to celebrate my birthday with me. The weather was beautiful and we had a lovely cozy evening together." Bips wished to stay another day in Delhi but had to come back as her family was desperately waiting for her back in Mumbai.

"John and I flew down to Mumbai in the morning and had a lovely lunch with my parents, sister Bidisha and my nephew. In the evening, John had arranged for a surprise party at my close friend designer Rocky S's home.

Everyone popped out from all sides when I walked into his house."

Bipasha says she loves birthdays. "It's one of my favourite days in the year and I become just like a little girl when it comes to my birthdays.

I want to live life to the fullest. John, on the other hand, hates birthdays and doesn't like to celebrate any day as a special one."

John gifted Bips a huge diamond ring and matching earrings. "Only my boyfriend can afford diamonds and diamonds are a must for me.

I also got some wonderful gifts from my family and friends. One of my biggest fans, Preity from Indore, sends me little knick-knacks like bracelets and gifts for Posto every year by courier," she says.

"Each gift matters a lot. My girls (house help) at home decorated the entire house with flowers and kept a cake lit for me that I cut when I entered the house," she added.

Aamir & John in Anurag Kashyap's Next

After Anurag Kashyap's breakout film Dev.D wowed both critics and audiences last year speculation has run rampant for his next big project, Bombay Velvet. At one point rumors were flying fast and furious that Shahrukh Khan and Aamir Khan would finally come together onscreen to be a part of the period drama. Well, King Khan might be busy with other projects but the final lineup of Bombay Velvet is a combination of star power and talent. Aamir Khan and John Abraham had been confirmed already and joining them as the third lead is Nawazuddin.

Named in the Times of India as one of the best performers of the year for his performance in New York, Nawazuddin will be playing serial killer Raman Raghav, who bludgeoned many people to death in the summer of 1968. After he was arrested, Raghav was found to be schizophrenic. Nawazuddin will certainly have a challenge in what could be his breakout role. Besides New York, Nawazuddin can also be seen in Dev.D as one of the men singing 'Emotional Attachyar' and will be in the Aamir Khan produced Peepli Live.

John Abraham has previously worked with Anurag Kashyap on the cult film No Smoking. This will Aamir Khan's first time working with the director.

Spotted! John Abraham in Chandigarh

CommentReader Kapil Thakur met John Abraham [ Images ] at a theatre in Chandigarh.

John Abraham faces biggest challenge on the sets of '1:800 Love'

Mumbai, Oct 24 (IANS) John Abraham never had to work as hard as he did to get it right for his forthcoming film '1: 800 Love'. A large part of the drama unfolds through telephone conversations and it was a litmus test for the actor to emote on phone, says director Abbas Tyrewala.

'It's a challenge for the most seasoned of actors. A lot of the relationship between John and Pakhi (John's co-star and also the director's wife) unfolds on the telephone. It was tough,' Tyrewala told IANS.

Tyrewala's wife Pakhi plays John's lady love in the film.

'Pakhi insisted on being on the sets in London to give cues even when John alone was doing all the telephone talk. That made it far easier. She was providing him the cues while he delivered his lines on phone,' said Tyrewala.

The director isn't sure how he's going to edit all the phone conversation in his film. But the option of split screens showing John and Pakhi talking to each other from separate places is ruled out.

'That's the easy way out. I'll have to find a way to show continuity in John and Pakhi's conversations without resorting to gimmicks. But I've to hand it to John. He surrendered completely to the part and he has come out with a performance that's completely unexpected. Dare I say '1: 800 Love' is a new beginning for John,' said the director.

Tyrewala tries to assess his wife's performance dispassionately.

'She was always an actress. But she's also my wife. So I was very nervous. Luckily, Pakhi has turned out to be everything that we expected her to be,' said Tyrewala.

A lot has been made out of the fact that Pakhi has acted in a comedy 'Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai' earlier. But Tyrewala is nonchalant about it.

'We never hid the fact that she acted as Punarnava Mehta in 'Yeh Ka Ho Raha Hai'. Then she went to Darjeeling to be a school teacher. I got her back and I persuaded her to return to acting. She was born to be an actress,' he said.

Many times while shooting '1: 800 Love' Tyrewala was stricken by deja vu.

'It was like going back to 'Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na'. The hero is introduced to the audience on the phone in both. Then when I shot a scene in a pub with John, it turned out exactly like a pub scene between Genelia and Ayaaz Khan in 'Jaane Tu...' Just goes to prove directors apparently keep making variations on the same idea in their careers,' he said.

'There was no role for John Abraham in Blue'

Anthony D'Souza is indeed a lucky man. After all he got to direct a multi-starrer as his very first film.

The film in question is the very much hyped underwater thriller Blue which stars Sanjay Dutt, Akshay Kumar, Zayed Khan, Lara Dutta and Katrina Kaif.

The 35-year-old B.Com graduate talks to Patcy N about the film and how he convinced his producer and the entire cast to risk drowning.

Tell us about yourself. How did you get into films?

I was 13 when I started working with a company called Far Video. I was paid Rs 2000 per month which I thought was a big amount at that time. Slowly I got into direction and did music videos with Silk Route, Bombay Vikings, remixes of Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar. I also did ad films like Nokia, Videocon and Airtel. Soon after I went to the US and shot 56 episodes of Ripley's Believe it or Not. I never really planned them... things just happened.

I was in India when I learnt that Michael Bay was making Armageddon. He needed help to shoot in India so I helped him out. I am still in touch with his office. I keep going to US for work.

What made you think of Blue?

Though my mentor is Michael Bay, it is cinematographer Amir Mokhri who has been my source of inspiration. Amir even helped me shoot one of the scenes by explaining me how he shot Transformers and Bad Boys.

I wanted to make an action film which is larger than life. Most of my music videos were also shot underwater. I love the ocean so I tried to imagine a big action film involving water. It is inspired from two films -- Bad Boys and Indiana Jones.

How did you convince your producer to make a lavish film like Blue? The film has Rs 90 crore riding on it. Did it ever give you sleepless nights on whether you will be able to give a hit or not?

I had this script with me for about two and half years, but within six months I got a producer. It was John Abraham who introduced me to Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd. They liked my story and the homework that I had done for it. I told them the cast I wanted and they fixed up meetings with them. I don't think it is tough do something if you believe in yourself. Anything is possible if you work hard. I didn't suffer from jitters. As it is, my sleeping patterns are different -- I sleep in the daytime.

As it was John who introduced you to the producers, why didn't you cast him?

There was no role for John in this film.

John Abraham has a new love

John Abraham has found a new love.

No, we're not talking women.

We're talking bikes.

The actor launched the new Yamaha 1,680cc Super Bike VMAX, priced at Rs 20 lakh, in Delhi [ Images ].

John used to ride the Suzuki Hayabusa and even confessed in an interview that he preferred his Hayabusa over girlfriend Bipasha Basu [ Images ].

The Yamaha 1,680cc Super Bike is the most expensive bike launched in India so far.

Photograph: Vijay Mathur/ Reuters

I have different helmets for different days: John Abraham

New Delhi, Sep 16 Bollywood heartthrob John Abraham's passion for motorbikes is well-known. But very few know that he loves collecting helmets too.

'Bikes are my passion and I take care of my helmets as my babies. Like people go and buy clothes, I go shopping for helmets. I have different helmets for different days,' John told reporters here, Wednesday.

'People feel I'm crazy, but I love shopping for my helmets and I have all major brands,' he added.

The 36-year-old actor who is the brand ambassador of Yamaha, was in the Capital to launch three new bikes - Vmax along with limited edition of Fazer and FZ series.

After launching the motorcycles, John talked about safety measure that bikers should keep in mind while riding.

'Safety is very important and that's why helmets should be a biker's priority. Safety of pillion riders is also important and they should also wear helmets,' he said.

'Indian roads, mainly Mumbai is not very conducive for two wheelers. There are riders who don't take any precautions and are very irresponsible. On the other hand, there are people who walk on the road without thinking and taking care,' said the actor who will be next seen in films like 'Hook Ya Crook' and '1-1800 Love'

'I can't imagine making a film without Boman Irani'

Next
Farhan Akhtar, writer, filmmaker and actor, came to New York last week with his director-sister Zoya Akhtar for the screening of Luck by Chance at the I View Film festival.

"Film festivals are important as they often provide an opportunity to look at a film from a fresh perspective," the 35-year-old filmmaker said.

He readily admitted that when he worked on a project he did not think of making a film that catered to a special audience. "It is the story that should hold my attention," he said. "I don't tell myself, I am going to make a film with a message or this is going to be a socially relevant film. Whatever films I make, the mandate is that it should touch the audiences and engage them from the first scene."

Akhtar, the son of writers Javed Akhtar (Sholay and Deewar) and Honey Irani (Lamhe and many other films), has collaborated with his father on several projects. He chats with Arthur J Pais:

What are some of the challenges you have set for yourself in the Don sequel?

Even when I was writing the script for Don, I suspected it could lead to a sequel. I wanted to be faithful to the original Don [which Javed Akhtar wrote with Salim Khan] but in my film, the villain lived. I was amazed at the way people were fascinated by this villain. Of course, they were not endorsing what he did but they were so intrigued and fascinated by him that they wanted so see more of him.

In the first film I felt the obligation to be faithful to the original Don to a great extent. I kept telling myself while making the first Don: don't try to be very smart. But now I feel I am free, and this is going to be my baby. At the same I know the audiences are expected many surprising twists in the sequel. One of my challenges is to know that the audiences are waiting for the big surprises and give them something they could not have imagined. It is not going to be easy but I feel it can be done.


Image: Boman Irani, director Tarun Mansukhani, Farhan Akhtar and John Abraham

Ready to date with John Abraham?

Ajay starred as hero for the movie ’Aa Okkadu’ in which Madhurima Benerjee acted as a heroine in that movie. She is starring in the movie along with Tanish that movie is being produced under the banner of Sai Deva Productions, this heroine knows it well that untill every part of the body is shown freely its tough to come up in this field, she stated that she is ready to date with John Abraham.

Good movie needs emotional director: David Dhawan

One of Bollywood's most successful comedy makers directors, David Dhawan, says a filmmaker has to be emotional to make a good movie. He also admits to getting stressed even now before the release of each of his films.

"If you don't know how to cry or laugh, then you can't understand the audience. The goodness has to be within you to come up with something exciting. A good movie should have the right mix of emotions, backed by a powerful script," Dhawan told us.

Dhawan's upcoming 'Do Knot Disturb' is again a light-hearted romantic comedy that stars Govinda, Riteish Deshmukh, Lara Dutta and Sushmita Sen. It is scheduled for a September release.

He is also working on another project titled 'Hook Ya Crook' that stars John Abraham, Kay Kay Menon, Shreyas Talpade and Genelia D'Souza.

After teaming up with stars like Govinda, Anil Kapoor and Salman Khan in several hits, Dhawan now wants to make a movie with animals as protagonists.

"I love animals and I want to make one movie with them. I have always wanted to make a movie with animals, but for that you need a trained animal and lots of patience too," said Dhawan, who used a chimpanzee in 'Aankhen' and a dog in 'Biwi No.1'.

He confesses he was under extreme stress before the release of his first hit, 'Shola Aur Shabnam' (1992).

"I must admit that 'Shola Aur Shabnam' was my last chance to prove myself as a director. I had given a series of flops before the film.... and I had no clue what I would do if the movie would fail at the box-office," said Dhawan.

"When the film was released, I was under extreme pressure and nervous too. My condition was so bad that I was shivering and my wife had to give me brandy to put me to sleep. But when I got a call at 5 a.m. from a film critic who told me that my film in not just good but too good and a hit, I was relieved. After that I never looked back," he added.

After the success of the Govinda-Divya Bharati starrer, Dhawan gave a series of hits like 'Saajan Chale Sasural' and 'Deewana Mastana', 'Biwi No.1', 'Jodi No.1', 'Hero No.1' and 'No Entry'.

But even after so many hits, Dhawan gets nervous before the release of his movies.

"For every film of mine, I'm nervous. I hide myself in the editing room because I have raised the level of people's expectations...What bothers me mostly is whether audience will like my movie or not, whether my movie will make them laugh or not.

"Sometimes you have to outdo your own projects," said the director.

Post-'Shola Aur Shabnam', the Dhawan-Govinda combination was seen as a sure shot success at the ticket window. But the director has also churned out hits with other stars like Anil, Salman and Sanjay Dutt.

Complaint against John Abraham's "nude pic";police asked to probe

Complaint against John Abraham's "nude pic";police asked to probe
Bollywood star John Abraham could be in trouble as a city court Tuesday asked Delhi police to file a report on a complaint seeking registration of a criminal case against him for posing allegedly nude in a photograph published in a daily.

Metropolitan Magistrate Ashish Aggarwal directed the station house officer (SHO) of the Moti Nagar police station to submit the report to the court within two weeks.

"Since the complaint alleges commission of cognisable offences under Section 292 and 294 (relating to spread of obscene material) of the Indian Penal Code, the SHO is directed to file his report within two weeks," the court said.

C.M. Dua, who runs an NGO, sought registration of a first information report (FIR) against the model-turned-actor as well as the publisher and the editor of the daily.

"....the lascivious, prurient and obscene acts and photographs being published and shown by established members of society and publication house... tend to corrupt young minds, which is very dangerous and suicidal for the coming generation, if not taken care of," Dua said in his petition.

He said he was appalled to find the magazine supplement of the daily dated June 11, 2009, carrying a "nude photograph" of Abraham at the study desk of his children.

Dua said police had not taken any action on his complaint, prompting him to approach the court.

The Box Office Smiles on New York

It took a while for it to happen, but the year's first proper hit has finally happened and the film is none other Yash Raj Films' New York, starring John Abraham, Katrina Kaif and Neil Nitin Mukesh. It may be hard to believe, but if trade reports are to believed, then this movie seems to have managed to best even Sajid Nadiadwala's Kambakkht Ishq, which had a phenomenal opening of 95 per cent all over.

Now it remains to be seen if Kambakkhth Ishq can keep up the momentum. But the drought at the box office has been broken and New York can safely be called the first genuine hit of 2009. Of course, the year also saw films like Raaz The Mystery Continues and Dev D which did pretty good business as well at the box office. But the year had far too many flops than hits like Chandni Chowk To China, Billu, Delhi 6, Aa Dekhen Zara, 8x10 Tasveer etc. It may not have taken so long for the year's first hit to arrive if the feud between the multiplex owners and producers had not taken place. The trend of the hits and flops this year shows that it is the content which is king at the box office. With the floodgates at the box office being open now, there is a glut of films which are waiting eagerly for their turn at the box office like Shortkut The Con Is On, Luck, Love Aaj Kal, Blue, Kaminey, Dil Bole Hadippa, What's Your Rashee?, Kites, 3 Idiots, Rocket Singh Salesman of the Year, De Dana Dan, London Dreams, All The Best, Aladin, Wake Up Sid, etc. But before they hit the box office, it will be worth the watch to see if Kambakkht Ishq joins New York as the year's hits or not.

John, Katrina voted most eligible single celebrities

Bollywood actors John Abraham and Katrina Kaif have been voted as the most eligible single celebrities in an online poll.

The poll conducted by matrimonial website shaadi saw responses from over 18,000 netizens, a statement from the company said Friday.

Nearly 48 percent of males voted for Katrina as the most eligible single female and 43 percent females named John as their favoured eligible bachelor.

While the 'Dostana' actor polled more votes than Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Rahul Gandhi, M.S. Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh, Katrina scored over divas like Bipasha Basu, Deepika Padukone, Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Sonam Kapoor.

"It's nice to see the way our members' preferences for an ideal partner have changed drastically. Its not just about looks and fashion trends but about power and higher social standing that makes a person more attractive and appealing," Gourav Rakshit, business head of shaadi, said.

'New York' hits bull's eye, grosses Rs.350 mn over weekend

Yash Raj Films' 'New York' that sees director Kabir Khan tackling an unconventional and serious subject has brought much-needed respite to the box office by grossing Rs.350 million worldwide over the three-day weekend.

'New York', released worldwide on Friday, is about three friends whose lives change post the 9/11 terror attacks on the twin towers. It stars John Abraham, Katrina Kaif, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Irrfan Khan in pivotal roles.

The movie that hit over 900 screens across the world had promising advance bookings and continued to register more demand from the audience after the first day of its release.

According to Tushar Dhingra, COO, BIG Cinemas, the film "opened very soundly and is giving good results".

"It has proved to be a strong box office ledge for multiplexes. After a long, long time, this movie has been able to pull the crowds to the cinema halls again," Dhingra told us.

Apart from its success in India, 'New York' has also garnered positive response from movie buffs in the US, Britain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where it was released across around 60, 40 and 30 cinema halls respectively.

The movie has opened at the number three slot on the Australian charts and 10 in Britain at the weekend. It was the top earner in UAE for 2009, said a press release by Yash Raj Films.

'New York is the kind of film that no actor could afford to miss'

He's gorgeous, can act and not shy about letting it all hang out.

And though Neil Nitin Mukesh is just two films-old, he's not scared of playing strong roles or posing in the nude if the script demands it.

The light-eyed 27-year-old spoke to Nithya Ramani about his latest film New York directed by Kabir Khan and co-starring John Abraham, Katrina Kaif and Irrfan Khan. The film, which is based on the backdrop of the 9/11 attacks in the US, releases this Friday. Neil also talks about his nude scene in Madhur Bhandarkar's upcoming film Jail.

What is New York about?

It is a film about three friends and a particular incident that changes their lives completely. It is a very intelligently made film. Kabir Khan has made it into a youthful film where you can connect with the characters and identify with what they go through.

What is you role?

I play Omar, a Muslim boy from Delhi who goes to New York University to study. He meets two lovely friends -- Sameer and Maya -- who help him change his attitude towards life completely. Everything is fine until one day an incident changes all their lives.