RE: August 2007 - News - 2

Aunty kaho naa...

esteryear actress Tanuja is all set to play a colourful character in Kumar Mangat’s home production, Haal-E-Dil.

The film is being touted as Tanuja’s comeback film. The veteran actress was last seen in Raj Kumar Santoshi’s Khakee (2002), with son-in-law Ajay Devgan.

While contemporaries like Rekha, Hema Malini and Jaya Bachchan continue working, Tanuja has been extremely choosy about work.

Double push

Producer Kumar Mangat, who is like family to the Devgans, wanted Tanuja in Haal-E-Dil but thought he would ask Ajay to speak on his behalf.
A source says, “Ajay had read the synopsis and found the character very interesting, so he happily recommended it to Tanuja. She decided to take a call after reading the script.”

Mangat and director Anil Devgan (Ajay Devgan’s cousin) then gave her a narration and Tanuja loved it. “She immediately agreed to work with us. It was a big thing for me because I am launching my daughter Amita and Shekhar Suman’s son Adhyayan in the film,” says Mangat.

He won’t divulge details of the role but says it’s the role of a very colourful aunt. “It will be a sea-change for people who have seen Tanujaji in recent films,” says Mangat.

Haal-E-Dil will be released by the end of this year.

Tanuja was unavailable to comment on the story.

Quelle: http://www.mid-day.com/hitlist/2007/august/161751.htm

More CASH for Bollywood!

Barely two weeks back, the stupendous opening of David Dhawan's, Govinda, Salman Khan, Lara Dutta and Katrina Kaif starrer, PARTNER, had spread joy in the beleaguered Hindi film industry. After a depressing first half, which saw only a handful of successes like GURU, NAMASTEY LONDON, SHOOTOUT AT LOKHANDWALA, AAP KAA SURROOR, APNE and BHEJA FRY, the super success of PARTNER came as whiff of fresh air.

It seems like good times are here to stay for Bollywood, as there is news from the reliable sections of the trade that Anubhav Sinha's, Devgan, Shetty, Reteish, Zayed, Shamita, Esha and Diya starrer, CASH has opened to a good first day all over. The prime attraction being the impressive starcast, the slick action sequences (which are being lapped up by the action-starved audiences) and not to forget the brilliant song picturisations, especially the title track and Shamita Shetty's item number, 'Mindblowing Mahiya'.

All indications are that the movie is set for a good weekend, despite the collections being marred by widespread rainfall in many parts of the North and also Bombay.

Incidently, CASH has been released with a huge number of 800 prints (including digital).

Quelle: http://www.glamsham.com/movies/scoops/07...wood_080704.asp

"AGGAR may come along with RGV KE AAG" - Varun Bajaj - August 2, 2007

"We are deciding about the release date but there is a strong probability of our film AGGAR clashing with RAM GOPAL VARMA KE AAG", says Varun Bajaj, co-producer of AGGAR which is looking good to make a kill at the box office this month.

"We are currently deciding upon the right release date for the film. It will either come on August 17, a week after CHAK DE INDIA or take RGV KE AAG heads on when the two films arrive on August 31. The decision should be arrived at within a day or two. If August 17 turns out to be the D-day then we will be enhancing the promotion of the film in a big way. We have quite a lot of ammunition available to fuel the film's promotion and you would see us going all out during the next few days", declares Varun Bajaj who is currently also involved in supervising over the finishing touches being given to Fardeen Khan and Kunal Khemu starrer JAI VEERU.

Quelle: http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/hindi/article/32742.html

Ritiesh's penchant for hogging limelight in multistarrers - August 2, 2007

MASTI, APNA SAPNA MONEY MONEY, DARNA ZAROORI HAI, FIGHT CLUB - MEMBERS ONLY, MALAMAAL WEEKLY - What's common in all these films? A) Each of them have been multi starrers and B) Riteish Deshmukh has stolen limelight in each of these films.

Now that Riteish hasn't been appreciated in his two hero flicks like KYA KOOL HAIN HUM, MR. YA MISS or BLUFFMASTER but one can't ignore the fact that when it comes to a multi starrer, Riteish has done well to do much more than merely make his presence felt.

This is the reason why one has high expectations from the young actor who would soon be seen in CASH. A multi starrer yet again which has actors like Ajay Devgan, Suneil Shetty and Zayed Khan, one looks forward to Ritiesh to check out what he has to offer this time around.

The film is also special for him since for the first time ever he appears in an out and out action flick. Though he did star in FIGHT CLUB - MEMBERS ONLY, an actioner, the film featured him as a sober young man who was anti-violence. But in Anubhav Sinha's CASH, he gets into a fresh wardrobe as he performs some dare devil never-seen-before stunts.

Quelle: http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/hindi/article/32741.html

Its raining 'Cash' at the box-office!

After striking gold at the box-office with the action-thriller 'Dus', Anubhav Sinha's latest venture, 'Cash', seems to have hit the Bull's Eye. The first day was extremely impressive, with a tremendous opening, the second best of the year, after David Dhawan's 'Partner'.

Though the trade and many of the reviewers have been unfairly harsh on the movie, the audiences (specially the youth and the kids) who matter, have shown them the truth, like on many previous occasions. The recent most example being that of Shah Rukh Khan's 'Don'.

Not only are the fantastic action sequences being loved, even the song picturisation, specially the title track and 'Mindblowing Mahiya' are being greeted with whistles and claps.

Just for records, the 20-21 crore 'Cash' has been released with a high number of 800 prints (including digital), which is just a shade less than those for 'Partner'. And given the flying start that Cash has taken at the ticket window, the first week collections will see it sailing through to safety.

Quelle: http://www.bollyvista.com/article/a/32/7912

Nisha Kothari finds shirtless Ajay Devgan sexy!

Kajol beware! Ramu's gal is going ga-ga over her hubby Ajay! Nisha Kothari, Ramu's bare-devil gal! Just one steamy song with Ajay in yet to be released Ram Gopal Varma's Aag (earlier titled as Ram Gopal Varma's Sholay) and Nisha is going gaga about his sex appeal and body basics.
"Though I have exposed a bit in a steamy song with him, yet he is looking sexier than me. I find him quite hot. I like his body when he takes off his shirt. He looks quite enticing when he exposes his torso. I have enjoyed the steamy steps on the set.I feel that he is the kind of actor I can vibe well with. There was not a single problem on the set with him.Even if my steps were not correct or I falter, he never showed any attitude. I never felt that I was a newcomer roped in against a senior actor like him. He cooperated with me. He is a very friendly person. I love to have someone like him in my life."
She's one of those bindaas gal!

Quelle: http://filmfunda.blogspot.com/2007/07/ni...tless-ajay.html

Urmila is Ramu's 'Mehbooba'

Old friendship can never turn sour.

For months at stretch there were speculations about Urmila Matondkar's presence in 'Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag'. Though it was announced quite early on that she would be doing a jig on Helen's timeless track 'Mehbooba' from 'Sholay', one waited to see how it would eventually unfold in it's 21st century 'avtar'. Also, for years there have been rumors centered on fall out between Ram Gopal Varma and Urmila ever since she made her last appearance in an item song for 'Company'.

Moreover, it was always considered as a challenge to recreate the same magic from the era that has gone by. To add to the woes, Varma's project seemed jinxed from the beginning with controversies around the title and the storyline making headlines ever since the film was announced.

The dust finally seems to have settled down now with both the film being ready for release and the song promo out on air. Needless to say, Urmila is at her stunning best as she jives to the tune of 'Mehbooba' in Ram Gopal Varma's latest offering.

To Urmila's credit, in spite of her costumes in the song being bare all, they do not make her look vulgar at all. The dance steps for the songs are imaginative and erotic but yet again they have a classy touch to them which make them rise above the ordinary. One look at the number and you are convinced about the fact that Urmila reserves her best for Ram Gopal Varma films.

If her 'Tanha Tanha' (Rangeela) became the anthem of the nation when released, it seems quite possible that 'Mehbooba' will only follow suit. Crooned by Sunidhi Chauhan, Sukhwinder Singh andf Amitabh Bachchan himself, the song is picturised in the middle of an arms deals taking place in the film. Ganesh Hegde is the man behind composing as well as choreographing the song.

Quelle: http://www.glamsham.com/movies/scoops/07...ooba_080707.asp

Ajay Devgan enjoys double duty

It's not easy being an actor and director at the same time, but actor-director Ajay Devgan is having quite a blast directing his debut film, U, Me Aur Hum and acting in it as well.

Currently shooting in Filmistan, the man doesn't seem perturbed or over-worked.

Wonder if it's wife Kajol's presence there that's making all the difference. Talk about 'home productions'...

Quelle: http://movies.indiatimes.com/Ajay_Devgan...how/2258572.cms

'I studied with Ajay Devgan'

We asked readers to tell us if they had grown up or studied with movie or television celebrities. And we got a great response!

Sharing her memories is Alvina Sreekrishna, who studied with Ajay Devgan.

Also read: I studied with...

Mallika Sherawat | Sushmita Sen | Vidya Balan | Madhu Sapre | Shamita Shetty | Aishwarya Rai | Celina Jaitley | Shah Rukh Khan | Sakshi Tanwar | Shahid Kapoor | Isha Koppikar | Sonu Nigam | Anil Kapoor

I never thought even in in my wildest dreams that Ajay Devgan -- whom I knew as Vishal Devgan then -- would become a superstar. We studied together at Silver Beach High School, Juhu.

Though his dad was related to the movies (Veeru Devgan is a noted action director), he was like any normal guy.

Coincidentally, we shared the same birth date, April 2, and would wish each other on our birthday. It was nice to be able to say 'same to you'.

He was a quiet boy but was very mischievous when the teachers were not looking. It makes me feel good that I studied with such a star.

Grew up with a star in the same neighbourhood? Studied with them in school? Had a star friend in college? Hung out at the canteen together? Bunked classes? Maybe even hit on the same pretty people?

What were they like? What did you think of them then? Did you ever foresee their success?

Quelle: http://www.rediff.com/movies/2007/aug/06reader.htm

Gandhi cannot rake in the Cash

Anil Kapoor's home production, Gandhi My Father was appreciated by the media and the few who watched it. But it could not generate enough audience and suffers empty cinema halls.

Anubhav Sinha's Cash is style without substance, and farely poorly.

Naya Daur, which was re-released in colour, failed to draw in an audience and proved to be a disastrous experiment.

Trade pundit Vinod Mirani tells us the fate of these films.

Note: Films are ranked according to their release dates. The thumbs ups and downs reflect rediff's views.

Bitte auf Quelle gehen, dort sind Bewertungen einzelner Filme bildlich und grafisch dargestellt.

Quelle: http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2007/aug/06box.htm

Views on 'Cash' and 'Gandhi My Father' - Paradoxical - August 6, 2007

Reactions after first screening of 'Cash':

'Style hai par soul nahin' [There is style in the film but no soul]
'Action achcha hai par story kahan hai' [There is good action in the film but no story] 'Gaane badiya hai lekin usse sirf kaam to nahi chalta' [Songs are good but that is not good enough]
'Actors were looking good but they hardly had dialogues to speak'

And by the way, this one takes the cake:

"Animation was a unique experience but guess what, it seemed like it was filled in to compensate for action sequences which the director couldn't shoot."

Hmm, wonderful, I thought! Style hai, action hai, gaane hai, good looking actors hai, animation top-class hai, par film achchi nahi hai! Errr, I am a little confused now! What were we expecting anyways from 'Cash'? A 'Schindler's List'? Or was it 'A Beautiful Mind'? Closer home, was this 'chor-police' story meant to be an 'Ardh Satya' in the making?

No. So what is this hullabaloo all about? And mind you, all the noise was being heard more from within the media than outside it. Even before the Friday came to a close, the media seemed to know all about which way the film is turning. Well, isn't it a too early to say that? Why not wait for the collections of the film to be revealed? Chalo ok, let's leave the economics/commerce part aside! Let's get back talking about the film.

What does one look forward to most in an action entertainer? Good visuals, nice locations, breathtaking stunts, loads of beauties and last but not the least pulsating music. Didn't 'Cash' have all of that? Moreover did the makers of the film, most notably director Anubhav Sinha, ever proclaim that his film was anything more than being a sheer time pass entertainer. Heck, even the film's promotional material read - "The biggest action film ever".

Thank goodness, everyone hailed the action sequences. Else, we would have come back saying: "Poster ki quality to achchi thi lekin caption justified nahi tha.'

Let's not even get into comparison mode here. It would be unjustified for any of the films if we bring films like 'Cash' or a 'Dhoom 2' to the drawing board and start jotting down points comparing the action/stunts of each of the three films. But let's not forget the point that even Yash Raj Films [with all due respect to the film makers, they did a great job with 'packaging' the film well] always maintained that 'Dhoom 2' was a 'look based' film.

With look, they meant everything from costumes to style to visuals to locations to cinematography and everything else that goes into the 'package'. When we didn't raise an eyebrow for 'Dhoom 2' and accepted dozen odd loopholes in the screenplay (no issues there, it's all fair in a film belonging to this genre), why have a step-brotherly treatment towards 'Cash'? Is 'Cash' in the same mould as 'Dhoom 2'? No one claimed so all this while. So why are we trying to bring on the comparisons and try to ruin a film's prospects? Why not let the audiences decide that for themselves?

Lekin nahin! I have a job to do and the goodness or the badness of my job may well be influenced by how the person sitting next to me reacts. And mind you, this person could be a critic or film personality or a common man on the street. But the way it works is that if there are two people out there (probably the best in the business) proclaiming the film to be BAD, how could my poor soul state just the opposite?

Leave aside singing praises about the film, I may shudder to even think of raising a single positive about the film. Aakhir mujhe bhi apni reputation maintain karni hai yaar, warna log kya kahenge ki mujhe aisi film pasand aayi? 'Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna' suffered the same fate, one hopes 'Cash' doesn't!

Remember what happened with KANK? I have a classic example to state here. There was this up market colleague of mine who was traditionally fond of watching anything and everything that had Bollywood written over it. But suddenly on the Monday after the release of KANK, she joined a conversation of 10 odd yuppie kinds in cafeteria who didn't have a single kind word to say about the film.

Guess what, she joined the fray and passed an anecdote that she could hardly identify with the infidelity theme. 'What is she smoking', I thought, because a) It was strange to see her saying anything anti-Bollywood and b) Though it may be a little irrelevant but then she was not even married!

Later I did pull her in a corner and asked her what made her say so. Well, with all due respect to my promise of 'I will keep this off the record', she did confess that she had liked the film immensely but couldn't muster courage to defend it. Why? Because that would have made her a laughing stock amongst the people who had nothing but criticism for the Karan Johar film. And by the way, God only knows how many of those 10 intellectual yuppies had actually even seen the film!

The point I am trying to make is that sometimes it is the herd mentality that threatens the downfall of a film. "Usne kahan achchi film nahin hai, main kuch aur kaise keh doon. In fact let me add on something from myself too. It will be so smart of me, isn't it?"

Do we see something similar happening for 'Cash' here? Of course let the point be re-emphasized that it is not a classic in the making! It was never meant to be. But what it intended was to entertain you for those two hours as you sip your Pepsi (or Coke) with a bucket of popcorn in hands. Watch some cool stunts, ogle at the babes, tap your feet as the songs are on and keep yourself glued to the screen as the film moves at a good pace. Where did the question of a 'deep-rooted story' or an overtly intelligent 'let me challenge you' screenplay come into play?

To think of it, probably 'Gandhi My Father' too is facing the same heat today, though in an altogether different terrain. Thankfully the media reactions have been mixed here though a few still have some scathing things to say. To think of it, in this story based film imbibed with terrific performances, the points being raised are:

'Soul hai par kaafi simplistic approach hai' [There is soul in the film but the film unfolds in an utmost simplistic manner]
'Story to achchi hai par bahaut slow moving hai' [There is good story but it moves quite slowly]
'Sirf achchi performances se to kaam nahi chalta' [Performances are good but just that is not good enough]
'Bahuat dialogue heavy film thi' [Good dialogues, but a little too heavy]
'Aisa laga jaise history lesson hai, entertainment missing tha' [Seems like a history lesson; but where is entertainment?]

Paradoxical, isn't it?

5:41 PM 8/6/2007 On one hand, in a story based classy film like 'Gandhi My Father', one is searching for some 'feel-good' entertainment.
On the other hand in a 'masala' entertainer like 'Cash', one is searching for some soul.

Do I have to repeat my argument again?

Probably Anubhav Sinha and Anil Kapoor could meet over a round of beer and pick and choose their share of review comments. They may just end up having a good laugh!

Quelle: http://www.indiafm.com/features/2007/08/06/2919/index.html

Anjana gets ready for Golmaal Returns

Casting of Golmaal Returns continues to get interesting with every passing week. After Kareena Kapoor, the second lady to be signed for the laughaton is none other than Anjana Sukhani. A popular face in the advertisement world, she has been making steady progress in Bollywood with her small but significant part in Salaam E Ishq garnering good appreciation.

"My debut film Hum Dumwould always remain close to my heart and so will Jaana - Let's Fall In Love, Sun Zarra and Salaam E Ishq. Now with a lead role in an A class film like Golmaal Returns, I can't help but feel truly elated", says Anjana while beaming with excitement.

She continues in the same breath, "It feels great to be a part of winning team. Ajay Devgan, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor and director Rohit Shetty were such a great team in Golmaal Returns. I am sure that sequel would be only bigger and better. With Kareena Kapoor and Shreyas Talpade added to the cast, I am happy to be in great company."

Anjana has already worked with Rohit Shetty in Kumar Mangat's Sunday. Is it a good professional association in the making? Laughs Anjana, "You can say that. It was during the shooting of Sunday that Rohit asked me if I was interested in being a part of Golmaal Returns. My jaws just dropped and I couldn't react for a few seconds. Poor Rohit, he got worried and asked me if I wasn't interested in the film. The fact was I just waiting for the feeling to sink in."

Is there any particular image that she is looking at setting for herself? "First and foremost I want the world to know that I have no intentions of playing a sensuous character for some time to come at least. I am happy to be a girl next door. Whoever I meet tells me that they are better off seeing me as a cute girl they can hang out or take home to parents rather than visualize as an object of desire."

What is she looking at instead? "I don't have any intentions of wearing tiny-miny costumes or play a hot babe scorching the town. Instead, I would be happy making people laugh through a series of comedy films I am doing. Sunday and Golmaal Returns may just be the beginning."

What else is she doing apart from facing the camera? One learnt that she was also concentrating hard on her dancing skills. Says a chirpy Anjana, "You heard it right. I have just enrolled myself to a 7 year Kathak course. To think of it, I will be back to my exam days again. The course requires an yearly exam. Nevertheless I am happy about it. Moreover, I am looking for a 7-10 days break when I could learn some hip/hop too. I also love to play guitar; let's see when do I get time to explore it further."

So many things happening at such a young age for Anjana? Isn't she stressing herself out? "You must have heard this saying that if you enjoy your work, it is not work anymore. All that I am doing is just to polish my personality further. These things only help your character, your personality to develop further. Ultimately, they only help in improving your overall performance and imbibe confidence in you as a complete actress", she reveals.

On a parting note, one can't help but ask her if she is still writing poems. One of her poems was up for view at IndiaFM early this year when Salaam E Ishq released. Anjana gets sentimental here, "Yes, I had written that poem with my heart in. It talked about each of the six tracks in the film. I am quite emotionally attached to it. Though I haven't written much about it, let me try giving it a shot for my subsequent films."

Sure Anjana, do that. You never know, you may get a Guinness entry for the only mainstream actress in the world to be dedicating a poem for each of your film releases! Amen.

Quelle: http://www.indiafm.com/news/2007/08/08/9876/index.html

The man behind the look of RGV KI AAG

If RAM GOPAL VARMA KI AAG is looking different then don't just credit the film maker for that. That's because there is one more man who has made it all possible - Amit Roy.

As the cinematographer of the film, he has made sure that the film bears a unique look throughout with no comparisons with anything seen in the past or present. Even the film looks distinctly different from RGV films of the past though one can point out similarities in the overall technique.

Amit Roy is not new to Ram Gopal Varma films and has been associated with the film maker ever since he first did a brilliant job with SARKAR. Later Amit used his lens to perfection in films like DARNA ZAROORI HAI and NISHABD too. Even forthcoming RGV film SHABRI has cinematography by Amit Roy.

Earlier Amit has come captured the frames for films like Shahid Kapoor starrers like ISQQ VISHK, FIDA and DIL MAANGE MORE.

Quelle: http://www.glamsham.com/movies/scoops/07..._aag_080707.asp

Ganesh is the messiah of RGV’s Mehbboba

Ramu shot his version of the Mehbooba Mehbooba reworked by choreographer turned musician-singer, Ganesh Hegde of KBC 3’s Karle Karle Tu Ek Sawaal fame, some time ago.

Hegde had also choreographed the song shot in Babban’s den in a rocky jungle with a river flowing adjacent to it.

Previously, Himesh had composed this song for RGV, but later due to some differences the song was used in Aap Kaa Surroor.

Quelle: http://www.radiosargam.com/films/archive...s-mehbboba.html