bollywoodmasala

2007-12-10T19:30:00.000-08:00

Hrithik Roshan finally takes the much recommended rest

Finally Hrithik Roshan gives in to his doctors’ advice and has headed off to Singapore for 6 weeks to heal his injured knee.

To be known that junior Roshan had torn the ligament of his right knee but inspite of his doctor and physiotherapist’s instructions, he continued to work without taking rest. First Hrithik had his schedules for ‘Jodha Akbar’ and then he completed his ads commitments.

As a result, the knee did not get enough rest to recuperate and hence now the situation is such that it has become essential for him to put all the work on back burner and go abroad for complete treatment. In fact his new movie shoot has also been delayed because of the treatment.

Says Hrithik, “While working towards fulfilling my commitments to all my work - ads and film, I did not much care about my knee pain and have neglected my doctors advise to not put any stress on it and take complete rest if I wanted it to heal. I am giving my health a prior importance now, so that none of my further commitments suffer in the near future,” says the truly committed star.

Our Best Wishes to you, Hrithik. Get well soon!!

Preity Zinta and Isha Koppikar’s new found friendship

Jhanu Barua’s ‘Har Pal’ turned out to be a wonderful experience for Preity Zinta and Isha Koppikar, as both of them found a new friend in each other. The film too portrays both of them as close friends on-screen.

During the shooting, Isha had problem in staying awake for her night schedules and it was Preity who offered to help Isha by keeping her awake while chatting with her. Both the actresses even shared their lunch boxes.

Isha says, “Preity is a very nice girl and she has a lot of masala for entertainment. We have decided that we will stay in touch even after the shooting is over.” As for Preity, she says that she would have married Isha if she was a boy.

On the last day of the shooting both the actresses hugged each other and exchanged gifts to say goodbye. Preity gifted her favorite Coco channel perfume to Isha. She believes Isha would always remember her because of this gift.

Hygiene matters for our ladies

There was a time when Aishwarya (Rai) Bachchan had made SRK wash his mouth ‘n’ number of times before she allowed him to spit water on her face for a shot in ‘Josh’. Now, Neha Dhupia did a ditto. The lady made her co-star wash his hands four to five times because the scene required her to lick his hand.

“I am very particular about personal hygiene. So when the directed wanted me to lick my co-star’s hand, I told him to wash it thoroughly,” laughs the gorgeous gal. When asked about the name of the guy, she said with her catty smile, “Kill the suspense. You will get to see the scene as soon as the film is released.”

Soha Ali Khan A Master At International Relations

Bollywood star Soha Ali Khan, daughter of the star couple Sharmilla Tagore and Manssor Ali Khan Pataudi, is qualified with a master’s degree in International relations from London School of Economics and Political Science.

Before starting a career in acting she worked as a finance Professional in Citibank.
Her mother Sharmilla Tagore who was a great actress herself did not want Soha to act in movies.

She feels her daughter is best suited in the corporate field, rather than the field of acting.
“My mother will always want me to do something else,” Soha said. “She still sometimes tries to convince me how finance was better for me and that I should have made a career out of it.”

Maybe mama tried to convince Soha saying “Soha you can use all your acting skills, while convincing your client for a financial deal” and Soha must have convinced her mama saying “I can use all my financial knowledge, in managing the loads of money that I get from acting.”

Boney's Salman starrer is almost ready

By Subhash K. Jha, Mumbai, Dec 10 : Two of Boney Kapoor's productions are being readied for release in the second half of 2008 - one of them has Salman Khan in the lead and the director is looking for an apt title for the movie.

"The Salman starrer which we earlier titled 'Wanted Dead And Alive' is now without a name. We've completed the entire talkies portion in Hyderabad last week. Now only four songs remain to be filmed," Boney told IANS.

The "No Entry" star plays a cop in the movie, which is a Hindi remake of the Tamil hit "Pokhiri". Other than Salman, Ayesha, Om Puri and Mahesh Manjrekar play important roles in it.

Salman had a turbulent year because of his court cases, but Boney says he never lost confidence in him.

"Even the legal hassles never bothered me. Contrary to rumours my film never got delayed because of Salman. We've been moving ahead on schedule. Salman has been extremely cooperative."

Boney's other production, featuring Nana Patekar and Harman Baweja and directed by Anees Bazmi, is also nearing completion.

"Again there's no title for the film. We like to create an aura of mystery around our projects."

What about the woman in Boney's life? When does wife Sridevi intend to make a come back?

"Trust me, I'm as anxious about Sri's comeback as all her fans. Why wouldn't I want to utilise such talent and beauty from my own home? But we can't put her in any project. The script has to justify Sri's presence. And we're working on it."

2007-12-07T19:33:00.000-08:00

Aishwarya Rai launches Longines new sport watch collection

Khoya Khoya Chand is not Guru Dutt's story - Sudhir Mishra

Heading towards his 60’s, Sudhir Mishra is now getting mellow in his work. For now, Sudhir Mishra has had enough hard-hitting political dramas. "Khoya Khoya Chand is my most intensely romantic film to date. I've tried to put aside the dark brooding political parable of Hazaron Khwaishein Aisi. My biggest problem here was how do I enter the film industry as it existed in the 1950’s?"

Contrary to the myth being propagated in a section of the media, Khoya Khoya isn't a film about Guru Dutt's life. "I've incidents of people and films from the 1950’s in the background. I've captured the essence of the times by using my characters as an entry point into that era."

Soha wants to be wicked and funny on screen

Her sweet and delicate presence in her last release "Ahista Ahista" was built on her image of an unspoilt beauty in pursuit of life's mysteries, but Soha Ali Khan is keen to change that by doing funny and dark roles.

"'Ahista Ahista' was the first film to feature me as 'the heroine'. So far I've been part of ensemble casts like 'Rang De Basanti' and 'Pyaar Mein Twist'. Yeah, I agree films like 'Antarmahal', 'Rang De Basanti' and 'Ahista Ahista' have had me play timid characters, though I'm not the least like that in real life. I'd like to do something funny and maybe something a little dark," Soha, whose "Khoya Khoya Chand" was released Friday

Esha Deol has become choosy now

Bollywood actor Esha Deol, whose last releases "Cash" and "Darling" sank without a trace at the box-office, says she has become selective about picking up projects.

"I was not very selective earlier. I have a large heart and I can't say no to my friends. However, with time one has to realise the importance of picking up the right kind of projects," Esha said during a recent visit to the capital to launch The Metal 5, a new handset by Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.

First Look : Aashayein

2007-12-06T17:41:00.000-08:00

Dus Kahaniyaan's directors workshop at PVR Cinema

Premiere Of Khoya Khoya Chand

Khoya Khoya Chand is semi-biographical- Shiney Ahuja

So do you play Guru Dutt in Sudhir Mishra's Khoya Khoya Chand?

There are quite a lot of similarities I won't deny that. I play a filmmaker of the 1950's and 60's who doesn't follow any set patterns. The kind of films my character makes are very relatable to Guru Dutt's oeuvre. And then there's a romance with an actress of the times. Therefore, it is semi-biographical.

How difficult was it for you to go back to an era when you were not even born?
Very easy. There was my director Sudhir Mishra to guide me. All those questions about how did you get into the speech; body language and mood of the era are not applicable to me. Because I never do any preparation. I go by my instincts on the sets. And with a filmmaker like Sudhir it gets easier. His clothes, dialogues, sets, and overall aura helped. I began to believe I was in the 1950's. Often after shooting on the sets, I'd feel I had stepped in the future when I stepped outside.

Aamir Khan takes a back seat

Trust Aamir to do anything in life, coz’ the perfectionist in him always takes over everything that he does, and needless to say that the resultant is always simply perfect!

The incident which occurred in Panchgani only seconds that. What happened was that when the unit of Taare Zameen Par was running out of time to shoot with the kids, Aamir got a second unit Director to shoot a full song sequence, a la Hollywood style, where they have two-three directors. And the ‘chosen one’ was none other than Ram Madhvani, the renowned ad filmmaker, who, then shot a song sequence called ‘Bheja Kum’ which has a lot special effects done by Tata LXC. For starters, Ram shot into fame with his debut film Lets Talk.

'Cheeni Kum' director plans Abhishek-Amitabh film

Ad-maker R. Balakrishnan's first feature film "Cheeni Kum" got resounding critical acclaim and decent commercial success. But Balki, as he is popularly known, is now writing his second film titled "Pa" featuring the Bachchan father-son duo.

"After 'Cheeni Kum' I was back in advertising. This is a good time to make ad films, so I've been directing quite a lot of ad films," Balki told IANS.

Balki makes ad films for Lintas where he still works in spite of his success as a filmmaker.

I am very selective about work, says Aishwarya

Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who has her bag full of projects along with marital responsibilities to shoulder, says she takes up only those projects which she can handle.

"Whether it is films or endorsements, I am - and have been - very selective about my work. I take up work which suits and fits in my schedule," Aishwarya told IANS.

"I don't take projects that I cannot handle because I believe in totally fulfilling the commitments made my me," she added.

2007-12-05T20:04:00.000-08:00

2 different directors for 2 segments of Dus Kahaniyaan

Gupta's bouquet of short stories Dus Kahaniyaan promises to be unique on many levels. It's the first time that two directors, Sanjay Gupta and Hansal Mehta are directing two different segments of the same film. "One story is about Sanjay Dutt and Suniel Shetty which I shot…The other is about two kids. Towards the end of the 12-minute story the two plots merge. We shot them separately and then intercut them."

Another USP for Dus Kahaniyaan…. On Wednesday, two days ahead of the film's release, Gupta has blocked one whole screen at the PVR multiplex for a Q and A between students of cinema and the director’s of Dus Kahaniyaan. This unprecedented brainstorming session will be preceded by a screening of Rohit Roy's Naseer-Shabana starrer Rice Plate.

Sanju resumes work from 11 Dec.

The question on everyone’s lips is, when will Sanjay Dutt resume work? His first priority would be to complete his pending assignments, which were held up because of the legal cases against him. And that’s what Sanju plans to do, clear the backlog first. Sanju will resume work by reporting for the shooting of Suniel Shetty’s recently launched film EMI, followed by KIDNAP, directed by DHOOM and DHOOM 2 director Sanjay Gadhvi.

Reportedly, the actor is also getting back into shape, besides starting his own production house.

Marriage is recommended to all: Aishwarya

It seems newly wed Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is enjoying herself completely, as the Bollywood actor strongly recommends the institution of marriage to everyone.

"I am a happy girl, can't you make out?" beamed Aishwarya.

"Marriage is a beautiful chapter in life. It is so blissful and wonderful...in fact difficult to articulate. I strongly recommend it to everyone. Each one of us must experience it," she told IANS Wednesday.

"Everybody was teasing me when I came here to celebrate 'karva chauth' (a Hindu ritual). But I said I have to experience it," she added.

Movie Preview : Rama Rama Kya Hai Dramaaa

For the men the grass looks greener on the other side of fence. This attitude is well captured in this forthcoming comedy film Rama Rama Kya Hai Drama. The story of the film revolves around three married couples - Prem (Ashish Chaudhary) and Khushi (Amrita Arora), Santosh (Rajpal Yadav) and Shanti (Neha Dhupia) and Mr. and Mrs. Khurana (Anupam Kher and Rati Agnihotri). Santosh is in search of a perfect wife who can be humble and carry all his orders well. He marries to Shanti, a small town girl, and later finds that Shanti is not the one who he had yearned for. The petty differences start popping up and fed up by his wife, Santosh starts day dreaming and imaging other women as his wives.

The marriage of Prem and Khushi is also not going smooth as Khushi is too demanding as a wife. By the end however, how Santosh and Prem realise the importance of their respective wives is what the story of the film is all about.

Sharmila Tagore and Soha Ali Khan on Jhalak Dikhlaja

No 'Strangers On A Train'

Is the forthcoming film STRANGERS inspired by the Hollywood film STRANGERS ON A TRAIN? The commonality is the fact that two strangers meet in a train and one of them suggests that they kill each other’s kin. Perhaps that must’ve prompted people to assume that it’s a rip off of the Hollywood film.

“Completely untrue,” STRANGERS director Aanand Rai clarifies, “When I started writing STRANGERS, I had no clue about the plot of STRANGERS IN A TRAIN. It was much later when someone mentioned about the [coincidental] similarities that I decided to watch the film. Meaning, I watched the English film much after I had written my film. Barring the two strangers meeting in a train, there’s no similarity whatsoever.”

Aanand, who makes his directorial debut with STRANGERS, is confident that people will enjoy the experience. “I am sure, the audiences would get involved in this journey because there’s more to STRANGERS than an unconventional plot,” he says. STRANGERS hits the screens on 14th December.

2007-12-03T19:47:00.000-08:00

SRK on a high!
4 Dec 2007

Shahrukh Khan

SRK is happy with his back to back hits and plans some more.

After teaching some ladies how to play hockey in the capital and catching a flight back to Mumbai to attend a staff worker’s wedding the same evening, Shah Rukh Khan still sounds as if he could play a T20 game. "Well I’m never at rest mentally or physically," he says. We bounced some googlies at him, and here’s what SRK had to say

In the news, always: I’ve no complaints about that, for the simple fact that this is the world we’ve created. It’s bound to happen with the increasing demand of movies and the economic boom in the film industry. More the movies, more the money and more the publicity both positive and negative. And honestly, if I want to be private about my life, then it’s for me to take a decision.

BCCI’s accusation: First of all, not everyone in BCCI thought I was promoting my film at the matches. It was just this one gentleman who thought so. But, some of the other officials felt otherwise. And honestly, they’ve always been very kind to me. But, at the same time, it’s a bit disappointing. The other day, I’d gone to see my son’s Taekwon-do, and I don’t think it was for any promotion. I might also practice soccer with my son and his school mates once a week. I used to be a sportsperson in college and I’ve just gone back to my old love. All this is not for any promotion. Well, let me clarify that my films don’t need promotion.

The sexiest man: I think I’m sexy, in a different kind of way. But I’m more sensual than sexy. Sexiness is just a state of the mind. I’m not saying that I’ve not seen people with good bodies who’re sexy, even I have one! Sensuality is an inherent part of all human beings. So, while some say my humour is sexy, others think the way I carry myself is sexy it varies you see!

Salman was called SRK: I think I’ve been mistaken as Salman more than often. Once, at an airport, a girl chased me from one terminal to another, till I finally told her to hand me the paper she was carrying, so that I could autograph it. To which she said, ‘Thanks Akshay!’, so I signed ‘Akshay’. So, I’ve been referred to by a number of names. If someone is called by my name, they too shouldn’t get offended.

Mr Amitabh Bachchan & SRK: I know what my relationship with Mr Bachchan is. Our relationship is wonderful and we don’t have to judge it by reading the tabloids. We work together, we meet, and I’m really fond of Abhishek. Both of them were a part of my film, and I’ve been a part of theirs. People think we’re diplomatic. Even if we have our differences, we’re too well-educated to make them public. But, at the same time, we haven’t really had any differences. In fact, he’s fond of me.

No smoking in public: Smoking is a bad thing, and no one should follow me in this. Also, I wear my hair and clothes in a certain way so! You don’t have to put me on a pedestal. I’m an entertainer and should be taken that way. I pay my taxes and that’s legal. I smoke, which again is legal. I don’t do anything that’s illegal. In fact, I would request photographers not to click me when I’m smoking.

Nicole is happy!

4 Dec 2007

Nicole (AFP Photo) More pics

Actress Nicole Kidman has credited her husband Keith Urban for giving her life a purpose.

The Aussie actress said she had been going through a depressing time and had turned to acting to battle her feelings of depression.

"Actually, I’m not that interested in working right now. I think that a lot of my wish to work was about wanting to get lost, not wanting to be in the world," a website quoted her, as saying.

However the Moulin Rouge star added that she felt fulfilled only after she met the country music star. "I have a reason to be in the world now and that reason is Keith," she added.

What went wrong, Kajol?
4 dec 2007


Kajol and Mickey Contractor

Firebrand Kajol is one of the few actresses in the industry who’s known to be both witty and intelligent.

No wonder then that Kads’ ignorance about an issue as serious as AIDS left many shocked at an event in Mumbai. It was held to raise funds towards the cause of the disease on World AIDS Day. When the actress was asked what message she wanted to give to the masses on this special day, she casually remarked that it was nothing to be so serious about.

“It’s just a little more worrisome than a common cold and it’s curable, so just go out there and get it done,” she continued with her ignorant talk. Sister Tanishaa however seemed a bit more informed as she tried to rectify her elder sis’ goof up. But unfortunately, the help came in a bit too late.

Maybe, good friend and filmmaker Karan Johar got the hint. The director remarked: “Many of us, even those who belong to the affluent section of society, are absolutely ignorant about such a serious issue. That’s what needs to be changed. We need to spread awareness. AIDS has no cure, but it can be prevented,” he said.

Celebrity makeup artist Mickey Contractor, who helped put this charitable event together, also gave his guests that included Kavita Khanna, Neeta Lulla, Sheetal Menon and Nisha Jhaveri, some valuable makeup tips. Beauty with a cause!

Big B: Genie, ghost and God

4 dec 2007

Amitabh Bachchan is ready with a slew of films aimed at the young. If 2007 was the Big B’s adult year with Nishabd, Cheeni Kum and Aag, 2008 promises to be the superstar’s year for kids.While Junior Bachchan plays a super-hero in Drona, the senior plays a genie in Alladin. Both films will be released at around the same time. And even as Aamir addresses himself to children in his first directorial venture, Big B is getting ready to unleash three flicks aimed predominantly at kids.

The first two of these would be Ravi Chopra’s Bhootnath and Rumi Jaffrey’s God, Tussi Great Ho where he plays a ghost and God, respectively. "Maybe this is the producers’ way of telling me it’s time for me to move upstairs," Bachchan suggests with ghoulish humour. "Shooting Alladin is fun. I get to sing as many as three songs, dance and whoop it up. I play the genie more as a modern dude than a costumed anachronism."

Obviously kids are going to love Uncle Amit in this unseen avatar. And that’s precisely what director Sujoy Ghosh is aiming to achieve. "Alladin would probably be Mr Bachchan’s first full-fledged film for kids. And he is the biggest kid on the sets. We have so much fun shooting the film. I want to make at least 25 more films with him. Grown-ups are welcome. But my film is designed as Mr Bachchan’s gift to his young fans," says Ghosh.