RE: October 2007 - News - 4

PVR Pictures signs Rajkumar Santoshi for two films - October 23

PVR, through its subsidiary PVR Pictures is strengthening its content creation space as a part of its backward integration in the filmed entertainment space.

The company has teamed up with director Rajkumar Santoshi for two films and is planning to make epic 'Ashoka- The Great' with Ajay Devgan. The other film will mark the return of Rajkumar Santoshi into comedy and will have Shahid Kapoor and Katrina Kaif in lead roles. Both these films are slated for release by August 2008 and March 2009 respectively.

The company had earlier ventured into film production with a two film deal with Aamir Khan, out of which Taare Zameen Par, is slated for release this year during Christmas. The other film Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na is scheduled for release in February 2009.

Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, Joint Managing Director, PVR says, "With a proven track-record in the exhibition and distribution of films, we at PVR felt the need to expand in the entertainment space through content creation, and thus are venturing into production. To begin with we aim to produce five-six films out of which two are co-productions with Aamir Khan Productions and two will be directed by Rajkumar Santoshi."

Rajkumar Santoshi adds, "In PVR, I found a combination of the desire for good cinema and a very keen sense of movie business. We are looking forward not only towards success but also, towards an amazing experience of making films together."

Quelle: http://www.televisionpoint.com/news2007/...p?id=1193122523

Now DVDs of RAM GOPAL VARMA KI AAG under fire - October 23

If the backlash during theatrical screening of RAM GOPAL VARMA KI AAG wasn't bad enough, now the DVDs of the film have come under the 'fire' too. Pun unintended!

Though the home video version is out on the stands at a throwaway price of less than Rs. 50, consumers aren't quite getting a kick with the film's picture and sound quality.

"I hadn't seen the film at theaters but wanted to give it a try at least on DVD. To my horror, the picture quality has turned out to be pretty below average. In fact I checked out the pirated version of the film later and it was seemingly better than what I found in the original copy", cribs a consumer.

"First and foremost it took me quite some courage to watch the film, especially after all the negative reports around it. Later when I sink into my couch, I am shocked with what I see. Not only the picture quality poor, even the sound has a lot left to be desired. Imagine yourself deprived of the true Dolby sound; the least one expects from an original DVD," rues a director (under condition of anonymity) who has just delivered a box office success.

Quelle: http://www.glamsham.com/movies/scoops/07..._dvd_100710.asp

Devgan couple in animated film

Kajol and her husband Ajay Devgan will now star in a 3-D animation film titled 'Toonpur Ka Super Hero'. The film marks Eros' second production with the husband-wife duo after 'You, Me and Hum'. Directed by ad filmmaker Kireet Khurana, 'Toonpur …' is an exciting story in which a reel life hero accidentally lands in a world of cartoons and transforms into a real-life hero. The film will have Ajay Devgan playing himself. Sunil Lulla, president, Eros International says, "With You, Me and Hum' followed by 'Toonpur ka Super Hero', audiences will be delighted to see the combination of Kajol and Devgan together once again." 'Toonpur ..' promises to be a family entertainer with a lot of adventure, romance, fun element and the first 3-D film with animation.

Quelle: http://ww.smashits.com/news/bollywood/mo...mated-film.html

Ajay starrer Ashoka will cater to youngsters

Raj Kumar Santoshi is all set to direct his mega project ‘Ashoka’ which stars Ajay Devgan in the character of the inevitable king .

Says Santoshi, “I want my Ashoka to reach out to the young hip-and-happening generation. It won’t be a costume drama like Mughal-e-Azam.

It will be a happening epic on the lines of Hollywood’s Spartacus, Braveheart and Gladiator. Technicians from all over the world are now being finalized. ”

Quelle: http://www.radiosargam.com/films/archive...youngsters.html

Brand new vistas opening up in Bollywood

Filmmaker Rajkumar Santoshi teams up with PVR

National Award winning film director Rajkumar Santoshi has teamed up with PVR Ltd., through its 100 per cent subsidiary PVR Pictures, to produce two Bollywood films of different genres.

Besides making a historic epic titled ‘Ashoka - The Great’ with actor Ajay Devgan, Santoshi will direct a romantic comedy featuring Shahid Kapoor and Katrina Kaif. The second film marks the veteran director’s return to comedy after 13 long years since the classic ‘Andaz Apna Apna’. These films are slated for release in August 2008 and March 2009, respectively.

Commenting on his association with PVR Pictures, Santoshi says the company has both - the desire to screen good quality cinema and a keen sense of movie business. “We are looking forward not only towards success but also towards an amazing experience of making films together,” adds Santoshi who has won the National Award for his film ‘Pukar’.

With this deal, the company aims to achieve commercial and critical success through the right synergy and creative talent of Santoshi.

Sanjeev Kumar Bijli of PVR says: “We felt the need to expand in the entertainment space through content creation, and thus are venturing into production. To begin with, we aim to produce five-six films of which two are co-productions with Aamir Khan Productions and two will be directed by Santoshi.”

The company had earlier ventured into film production with a two-film deal with Aamir Khan, of which ‘Taare Zameen Par’ that marks the directorial debut of Aamir Khan is slated for release this year. The other film, ‘Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na’, is scheduled for release in February 2009.

PVR Pictures, which was established to cater to the film distribution business of PVR Ltd., had earlier successfully distributed cult films like ‘Being Cyrus’, ‘Bheja Fry’, ‘Parzania’ and the latest critically and commercially successful ‘Loins Of Punjab Presents’.

Quelle: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/10/25/stori...02550790200.htm

Ajay Devgan gets a mythological hattrick

With the announcement of the making of Ashoka with actor Ajay Devgan by Raj Kumar Santoshi, a new history of sorts has been made in a way.

Ashoka would be the second of the three historical-mythological characters that Santoshi is recreating with Ajay Devgan.

After Bhagat Singh and Ashoka the creatively compatible combination moves into the Ramayan where Devgan plays Rama.

Quelle: http://www.radiosargam.com/films/archive...l-hattrick.html

Time pass

Auszug

...
New Dreams

Remember the London Dreams saga? Yeah the much-touted Salman Khan-Ajay Devgan-starrer that was announced with great fanfare by Raj Kumar Santoshi. Salman also shot for it at Golden Temple in Amritsar. The trouble began when it was rumoured that Salman insisted on replacing Priyanka Chopra with girlfriend Katrina Kaif as his leading lady.

Santhoshi apparently was unwilling to oust Priyanka in favour of Katrina. So the film was shelved. But wonder of wonders, Santoshi recently announced his next film starring Shahid Kapoor and would-you-believe-it Katrina! This one’s a young love story and will go the floors shortly. Ah well, such is showbiz!
...

Quelle: http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp...hapuram&Topic=0

Anurag's mission to make B-town boys quit smoking - October 26



Ajay Devgan

Hmm … gone are those days Ajay, where your machoism and Dev-Gun persona was a rage. Now your audience and your fans have started appreciating you in your ‘Bhagat Singh’ avtaar more, in roles where you are a role model for today’s ‘Yuva’. So, stop your puffing ‘masti’ and be a true Bollywood ‘bhaubali’.

Quelle: http://www.indiafm.com/slideshow/2007/10/26/133/index6.html

You Krazzy? It’s Sunday!

Auszug

...
Not the first time

According to another source, “Irrfan had done the same thing on the sets of Rohit Shetty’s film Sunday as well! He didn’t shoot with them too, saying it was Sunday and it’s his day to chill. Its funny how he was sitting at home for such a long time before he started getting any work, one would assume that he would have ample time to chill then, wouldn’t he?”

Rakesh Roshan and Irrfan Khan were unavailable for comments.
...
Quelle: http://www.mid-day.com/hitlist/2007/october/166138.htm

Kareena steps into the light

Suddenly Kareena Kapoor is walking on sunshine. After playing the free-spirited Sardarni from Bhatinda in Jab We Met, she’s all set to do a full-on comedy for the Golmaal sequel. She again teams up with Ajay Devgan after their serious Shakespearean take Omkara.

And Kareena is mighty pleased about this leap from grim to grin. Though she doesn’t say it, friends close to her feel she has been trying to curb her naturally ebullient personality for years now, attempting to be the person that she was not. Now suddenly, say her friends, Kareena is herself again.
Laughs Kareena joyously, “Although, there are lots of comic moments in Jab We Met, I’ve never done a full-on comedy before. Even when I worked with Priyadarshan, I starred in his only serious film (Chup Chupke and Kyon Ki) in recent times. And when we did a comedy together (Hulchul), I was the only serious character around. I guess I didn’t have the chance to have fun with my roles before Jab We Met. That’s why I’m looking forward to Golmaal Returns. It’s my chance to pull out all stops.”

The response to her performance in Imtiaz Ali’s Jab We Met has so far been phenomenal. “The only other film I’ve felt so good about in recent times is Omkara. Imtiaz has brought out the playful, extroverted side of me. While I was quiet and withdrawn in Omkara, in Jab We Met, I’m in my full element. This character is really close to my heart. I think from my heart and like to speak my mind openly. And what I liked about this role was the amount of fun we had while travelling and shooting.”

The fun quotient shows. “I think that enjoyment during shooting has shown up on screen. Everyone who has seen Jab We Met has been appreciative.” And now, Kareena is all set to let her hair down, throw her feet up in the air and have fun on screen. Tell her she looks different these days and she seems surprised. “Do I? It’s just that I’ve become thinner. And I’m happy being myself.”

Quelle: http://www.mid-day.com/news/city/2007/october/166170.htm

Celeb-studded bash in Delhi

The decor was beautiful, the lighting and music were just right, and Anil and Vivek Singh played the perfect hosts.

HOW DELHI PREPARED:
Delhi chose to prepare for the Vodafone Delhi Half Marathon, not by practicing on long jogs, but by living it up at a star-studded night. The decor was beautiful, the lighting and music were just right, and Anil and Vivek Singh played the perfect hosts. And to top it all, Ajay Devgan came too, though he stayed only for a short while.

OF AJAY:
It was only after some hesitation that Ajay agreed to a picture. But it was only the camera he was shy of. Talking about his visit to Delhi, Ajay said, "I'm here for the shoot of my movie Sunday, but unfortunately , will not be present for the marathon run as I have to be in Mumbai for my next movie shoot."

WHO ALL CAME:
Amongst those who made their presence felt at the do were Ramona Narang with her husband Bruno, Atul Wassan with his wife Sonu, Gautam Bhimani, Dimpy Kapoor and his wife Kanchan and Meena Bhatia. Rohit Bal was there with good friend Inder Bajwa. Nisha Singh walked in late and caught up with her friends.

TOTALLY BINDAAS
The girl who was really freaking out at the party was Charu, who danced all alone on the dance floor, unmindful of the onlookers or the other guests. Way to go, girl!

Quelle: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Delhi...how/2497007.cms

Bollywood’s gettin’ younger!

Auszug

Everyone in the world gets their 15 minutes of fame, and now Bollywood’s got new blood, raring to have a go at the box office with their dancing and acting histrionics.

...
And there is Anjana Sukhani of Salaam-E-Ishq fame, who’s starring in Golmaal Returns and whose film Sunday with Ajay Devgan is almost complete. Ruslaan Mumtaz and Hansikaa have shown their skills and are now waiting to exhale in their future projects.
...

Quelle: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India...how/2497449.cms

A R Rehman to compose for Ashoka

Raj Kumar Santoshi has roped in music composer A R Rehman to do the background score for Ashoka.

Says Santoshi, “The film will have no songs, but a background score by the epic specialist A R Rahman.”

Rehman has earlier done music in period films like Lagaan, Zubeidaa, Jodhaa- Akbar and Legend Of Bhagat Singh.

Quelle: http://www.radiosargam.com/films/archive...for-ashoka.html

Irrfan refuses shoot

Apparently Irrfan Khan who is known for his style and for sticking to rules refused to do the shoot for the film Krazzy 4 . The reason behind him refusing to work was that the shoot was scheduled for a Sunday; this is the one day in the week the actor takes a break and rests without doing anything.

However this was not the first time he said no to shooting on a Sunday. He had also refused to work or shoot for the film Sunday made by Rohit Shetty.

Quelle: http://movies.indiatimes.com/Irrfan_refu...how/2496886.cms

Finally I`m having fun, Bebo says happily

Suddenly Kareena Kapoor is walking on sunshine. After playing the free-spirited Sardarni from Bhatinda in Jab We Met she`s all set to do a full-on comedy in the Gol Maal sequel entitled Phir Gol Maal where she teams up with Ajay Devgan after the very serious Shakespearean tragedy Omkara.

And Kareena is mighty pleased about this leap from the grim to the grin.

Though she doesn`t say it, friends close to her feel she has been trying to curb her naturally ebullient personality for some years now, attempting to be the person that she was not. Now suddenly, say her friends, Kareena is herself again.

Laughs Kareena joyously, "Although there`re lots of comic moments in Jab We Met I`ve never done a full-on comedy before. Even when I worked with Priyadarshan (who`s renowned for his comedies) I starred in his only serious film (Chup Chup Ke) in recent times.

And when we did a comedy together (Hulchal) I was the only serious character around. I guess I didn`t have the chance to have fun with my roles before Jab We Met. That`s why I`m looking forward to Gol Maal Returns. It`s my chance to pull out all stops."

The response to her performance in Imtiaz Ali`s romantic comedy Jab We Met has so far been phenomenal.

"The only other film I`ve felt so so good about in recent times is Omkara. The director Imtiaz Ali has brought out the playful extroverted side of me. While I was quiet subdued and withdrawn in Omkara, in Jab We Met I`m in my full element.

This character is really close to my heart. I think from my heart and like to speak my mind openly. And what I liked about this role was the amount of fun we had while traveling and shooting."

The fun quotient shows up in the film. "I think that enjoyment during shooting has shown up on screen. Everyone who has seen Jab We Met has been appreciative. "

And now Kareena after doing seriously angst-filled roles in Fida and Omkara is all set to let her hair down, throw her feet up in the air and have fun on screen.

Yes, Kareena is truly walking on sunshine. Tell her she looks different these days and she seems surprised.

"Do I look different? It`s just that I`ve become thinner. And I`m happy being myself."

Quelle: http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.as...&sid=ENT&sname=