RE: July 2007 - News - 2

Sridevi upset with Rajkumar Santoshi

It is now known that Sridevi has made a very special appearance in Rajkumar Santoshi’s next film Halla Bol. In fact, the appearance is so special that all she had to do was present Ajay Devgan (who plays a movie star in the film) with an award on stage along with her husband Boney Kapoor.

Sridevi and Boney had agreed to do the film as Boney and Rajkumar Santoshi share a good camaraderie. The latter has made Pukar for the producer in 2000.

Now both Boney and Sridevi are miffed with the film-maker because he is publicizing Halla Bol as Sridevi’s comeback film where the fact lies that she appears for a mere minute in the film.

What Sridevi and Boney Kapoor decided to do for friendship, turned out to be a publicity gimmick for the film. Hopefully, the duo will be more careful in the future.

Quelle: http://www.indiafm.com/news/2007/07/10/9714/index.html

Writers of KAANTE and VIRUDDH for CASH

If one calls out names like Yash and Vinay, it may not instantly ring a bell. But associate them with projects like KAANTE and VIRUDDH and one is bound to recollect the projects and query about these two men.

Well Yash and Vinay have been working together on number of films as writers and some of their best known work has been for the aforementioned films. The pair continues to churn out different films practically every year and CASH is expected to be yet another honorable addition to their repertoire.

Directed by Anubhav Sinha, the film has a complex plot about number of characters that double cross and even triple cross each other in order to earn money the hard way....i.e. by stealing. Yash and Vinay have written the film which has been shot entirely in South Africa and is now being readied for a July 27th release.

Eariler Yash and Vinay have also worked on films like PLAN, TATHASTU and ANKAHEE.

Quelle: http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/hindi/article/32244.html

Brazilian beauty shakes her booty in Cash

Item songs in films are poised to get as exotic as they can get. Director Anubhav Sinha has just shot a sizzling item number on Brazilian dancer Bruna for his upcoming Cash.
Bruna promises to put the other item girls of the Indian entertainment industry into the shade, and the director is immensely pleased with his discovery.
"Bruna is a very spunky and beautiful widely-travelled dancer-entertainer from Brazil. She has been trying her luck in entertainment industries all over the world," Sinha told IANS.
"A year ago someone suggested Bollywood as a paradise for entertainment-oriented activities. Her dance number in Cash, choreographed by Rajiv Goswami, will be the first of its kind."
Starring a host of actors such as Ajay Devgan, Suniel Shetty, Riteish Deshmukh, Zayed Khan, Esha Deol, Dia Mirza and Shamita Shetty, Cash revolves around three unique diamonds and one big heist that turns out to be a battle for the ultimate 'cash' prize.
The director, known for his stylish rock-video song sequences, wanted Caterina Murino, who played Solange in Casino Royale, to do the item song.
"But when I saw what Caterina was capable of, I decided to cast her in a full-length lead role in my next film that I'll shoot entirely in Italy," said Sinha.
That is quite like Subhash Ghai, who shot a song with Madhuri Dixit in Karma and scrapped it to cast her as the leading lady in Ram Lakhan.

Quelle: http://www.ibnlive.com/news/brazilian-be...sh/44444-8.html

Shreyas replaces Sharman in Golmaal 2

This is would probably be one of the biggest changes in the sequel to Rohit Shetty’s hit film Golmaal. Golmaal which released last year was a story about the adventures of four brats which included Ajay Devgan, Arshad Warsi, Sharman Joshi and Tusshar Kapoor. With the success of this comedy, the makers of the film decided to continue the adventures of these four men. However, the buzz is that Sharman has walked out of the sequel.

Reportedly, Sharman was asking for a big amount to work in the sequel. But the producers didn’t seem to agree with the kind of remuneration that he was demanding. He has therefore been replaced by Shreyas Talpade. However, the spokesperson from the producer’s office said that Sharman had date problems.

Golmaal 2 is produced by Shree Ashtavinayak Cinevision Ltd and will be directed by Rohit Shetty. The film will go on floors in September.

Quelle: http://www.indiafm.com/news/2007/07/11/9720/index.html

Devgan cures fan's bike fear



German woman attributes Ajay’s ‘evident confidence’ while riding bikes for getting over her phobia!

Recently, Ruth Schütrumpf, a 37-year-old German fan of Ajay Devgan, wrote on his website (ajaydevgan.net) thanking him for helping her overcome her fear of bikes. In an e-mail interview from Munich, Ruth tells us all about it.
What did you see in Ajay’s films that were so inspiring?
When I watched some of Mr Devgan’s movies again, specially those in which he is shown riding bikes and doing really dangerous stunts, I felt that he liked doing it, wasn’t scared and looked confident.

It was his evident joy and confidence that made me realise it’s only me and my way of thinking that has been a hurdle for me to develop my biking abilities.
Since when have you been watching his films?
I like watching Indian movies and use the Internet to buy good films. During one such time, I bought Kaal, which was dubbed in German and kept looking out for more of Mr Devgan’s films.

Today, I am deeply impressed by his talent. The way he looks, walks and speaks makes every character look real. I have 50 DVDs of his movies and don’t care that these films are not dubbed.

Which particular films of Ajay Devgan have you watched that has made the fear of bikes go away?
Phool Aur Kaante, Haqeeqat, Hindustan Ki Kasam and Parwana.
What was it that made you afraid of bikes?
When I was young, I enjoyed riding. I even went on my honeymoon to Italy on a bike. But now, as a mother of four young children, there was always a fear in my mind while riding my bike: What will happen to my family in case of an accident?

I could not bring myself to enjoy the ride as I was always driving slowly. My husband always had to wait for me by every bend of the street. But today, I have totally rid myself of this unnecessary and exaggerated fear of riding my bike.

What bike do you have now?
I have a Honda CBF 600 and my husband has a Ducati 900 SS. I started biking on my own some weeks ago. In Germany, you have to give a test to get your driving license, therefore you must join a driving school. That’s what I did last year. I did well in my exam.
Tell us about yourself.
I was born and educated in Munich, Germany and have worked several years in one of the big German multinational companies. I have three boys and one girl.

My family duties brought me to neglect most of my personal interests and hobbies, but in the evenings when all of them are sleeping, I like watching movies.
How did you come across Ajay Devgan’s website?
I came to know about Mr Devgan’s website from the biggest German- speaking Bollywood messageboard, http://www.molodezhnaja.ch/bollywood.htm. He has his own section there and some other fans of his found out very quickly about the website.

Ein Sonderapplaus für sRuthle!

Quelle: http://www.mid-day.com/hitlist/2007/july/160700.htm

Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag

Well director Ram Gopal Varma has changed the title of his film from Ram Gopal Varma Ki Sholay to Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag. Varma now also claims that his mega venture starring Amitabh Bachchan, Mohan Lal, Ajay Devgan, Sushmita
Sen and Nisha Kothari is not based on Ramesh Sippy's Sholay. Apparently Varma has made many changes in the script that it does resemble the original Sholay at all. "Thus I changed the title of my film that is to hit the theatres sometime in August."

Quelle: http://www.b4utv.com/showtime/newsbreak/...ramgverma.shtml

Sridevi hits out at Rajkumar Santoshi

If industry is to be believed Sridevi is upset with director Rajkumar Santoshi. The actress is apparently miffed with the director for proclaiming that Halla Bol is Sridevi's comeback film. "Halla Bol does have a scene involving Sridevi and Boney Kapoor. It is just that Ajay Devgan plays the role of an actor and Sridevi and Boney Kapoor present with an award in the film. It is very brief appearance and formal appearance! Sri and Boney agreed to do it as a favour to Santoshi who earlier made Pukar for the producer in 2000," said a source.

Quelle: http://www.b4utv.com/showtime/gossip/070712shridevi.shtml

Sharman's loss is Shreyas's gain

Sharman Joshi loses out on Golmaal 2 for demanding a whopping one crore for the film
Sometimes money can cost you your role and something similar has happened with Sharman Joshi, one of the most talented actors of the Hindi film industry. The actor who won accolades for his performance in Golmaal is now out of the sequel of the film. And the reason is money. According to an industry source, the actor asked for almost a crore. "When actors like Irrfan Khan and Pankaj Kapoor don't get that kind of money, who will pay Sharman Joshi one crore? Besides, he was even provoking the other actors of the film to hike their prices," said an insider close to the unit.

While Sharman was not available for comment, Parag Desai of the production house said, "Remuneration was not much of an issue. It is just that his dates were not matching with the dates we needed to shoot the film in Dubai which is in the month of November-December . That is the reason we considered replacing him with Shreyas."

When contacted , Shreyas did confirm that he has been finalised for the role. However he didn't want to get into the controversy. "The role that was offered was simply fabulous and I could not resist the offer," he said.

Shreyas says he loved watching the first film Golmaal and is looking forward to working with the team. It is also learnt that Sharman had turned down Indar Kumar's film Dhamaal because of the pay and he was replaced with Ashish Chaudhary. It is not the first time that an actor has been replaced. It happened with Paresh Rawal who was out of the remake of Victoria No 203 after he allegedly demanded a lot of money, although the actor still maintains that the script was not upto the mark. Vivek Oberoi lost a lot of projects because of overpricing himself. Aishwarya Rai demanded a crore-and-ahalf and was out of The Rising. Golmaal 2 will be directed by Rohit Shetty and will have Ajay Devgan, Arshad Warsi and Tushar Kapoor in it. The film will go on floor in September.

Quelle: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Enter...how/2196375.cms

What's cooking?

Zayed Khan has a variety of interesting feathers in his cap. The actor, who enjoys everything from cooking, biking and singing to doing his own stunts, confesses that had he not belonged to a family of cine stars, he would have chosen to be a travel chef since he loves to cook.

In fact, while shooting for his forthcoming movie "Cash" in Cape Town, he used to cook for his co-stars.

The actor says he also enjoys doing his own stunts and hates body doubles being used to perform his stunts. He has reportedly done a breathtaking underwater stunt for Anubhav Sinha's "Cash".

In the movie, Zayed plays a small time criminal hired by ace con artist Ajay Devgan. He said he had the greatest of time shooting with gizmos and gadgets in Cape Town, which he visited for first time thanks to "Cash". The film is set to be released July 27.

Quelle: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Enter...how/2198154.cms

Halla Bol based on Safdar Hashmi: Santoshi

'Halla Bol' based on Safdar Hashmi: Santoshi
Director Rajkumar Santoshi says his latest film "Halla Bol" is inspired by murdered theatre activist Safdar Hashmi and urges people to raise their voice against injustice.

"'Halla Bol' means attack and the film says that one must not take injustice lying down. I am not advocating violence in my film but talking about raising our voice against injustice," Santoshi told IANS in an e-mail interview.

The film will be released some time in August and stars Ajay Devgan, Pankaj Kapur and Vidya Balan in important roles.

Most of Santoshi's films are inspired by reality. And this one is no different. It is based on the late Safdar Hashmi - who was killed by political goons while trying to stage the play "Halla Bol" in Delhi in 1989.

Santoshi has made films like "Family", "Khakee", "The Legend of Bhagat Singh", "Lajja", "Pukar" and "China Gate".

"I have always followed my heart, instinct and conscience and made movies. At this point of time, I am awaiting the response to 'Halla Bol'. I have made it with great love and affection," the director said.

The new film has Ajay playing the protagonist.

"Ajay is playing an actor in the film who moves from being a reel-life hero to a man whose reality gets lost in the mire of his roles and how he grows to become a hero in the real sense. Ajay is very versatile. He has the ability to portray this part realistically.

"The character required no stylised performance or a put on. I wanted to depict the star in a candid manner. I expected Ajay to do justice to the character and he hasn't let me down," said Santoshi, who feels that Ajay's talent hasn't been fully exploited yet.

Both Ajay and Santoshi bonded well in "Khakee" and "Lajja" and since then they have been trying to come together again but the plans didn't materialise. Finally, Santoshi managed to make "Halla Bol" with him.

"Ajay is a very good actor. Unfortunately, mainstream films have not tapped his talent enough. It is quite thrilling to see his histrionics slowly opening up in layers, film by film. He is a star performer on Indian celluloid."

Santoshi, who worked with Vidya for the first time, said: "Her role is very important. She plays Ajay's wife and her character goes through the trauma that every star wife goes through.

"Her character moves from being the girl next door who loves a struggling actor to becoming the love of his life to adjusting herself to the life of a star wife and coping with the trauma. Vidya has truly brought out the essence of the part she is playing. She has complemented Ajay's character with her performance."

Santoshi roped in Pankaj Kapur to play a reformed dacoit in "Halla Bol" and says he wanted to cast the talented actor right from the beginning.

"He plays a reformed dacoit who is into street theatre and does issue-based plays. It is in his troupe that Ajay starts his career as an actor.

"I had Pankaj in my mind for the role and he has performed so well. He had grown a beard for three months to look genuine for his character in the film. I worked with him when I was assisting Govind Nihalani. I have immense respect for him as an actor for him," he said.

How did the director manage to can the film in 75 days in two schedules in over 65 locations? "That speaks for the efficiency of the production team. We planned well, so shot well."

Quite a few big stars are making special appearances in the film - Sridevi, Boney Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Ruby Bhatia, Pahlaj Nihalani, Neeraj Vora, Tusshar Kapoor, Ranjit Kapoor, Mukesh Tiwari, Kareena Kapoor and Lekh Tandon.

"Yes, they are friends and they have just played themselves."

It seems to be Santoshi's turn to take up a theme that featured in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's "Rang De Basanti". But the director says he had been toying with the idea for several years.

"I have been toying with the idea for the last four or five years. There is an urgent need for people to know what is happening around them and also to openly speak their mind. They should raise an issue and give a platform to it, only then things will change."

Asked about his future projects, he said: "I have never been the type to follow trends. For example, I made 'Ghayal' when mostly musicals were being churned out. Even 'Andaaz Apna Apna' did not follow any trend. I had made 'Damini', which showed that justice delayed was justice denied."

Quelle: http://nowrunning.com/news/news.asp?it=11118

RGV's AAG and DARLING to see back to back release? - July 12, 2007

Now this one sounds too absurd to be true but then chances are that Ram Gopal Verma would have competition with himself more than anyone else. Reason? His version of SHOLAY, now tentatively re-titled RAM GOPAL VERMA KI AAG, could be immediately followed by his own DARLING.

While August 31 is the date that has more or less been confirmed for RAM GOPAL VERMA KI AAG, there are initial indications that DARLING would arrive just a week later i.e. September 07th. If something like that indeed happens that it won't be anything less than a professional hara-kiri since it would only result in clashing of business between the two films.

Even in the earlier days, one can't remember the last time that such a situation worked for a film maker. Years back David Dhawan found himself in this situation with DEEWANA MASTANA and MR. AND MRS. KHILADI. In spite of both the films being good, audience showed a green signal only to DEEWANA MASTANA.

Situation was repeated around two years back when Priyadarshan had two of his films releasing on the same day - GARAM MASALA and KYUNKI. The world knows about which of the two films went on to do bumper business!

Looking at history, people behind RGV KI AAG and DARLING would certainly be look at spacing out the two flicks!

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

Confusion continues over new Sholay title

From Ram Gopal Varma Ki Sholay to Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag or so the rumours go.

Is this then the journey of a filmmaker trying to pay tribute to India's favourite film but then again till the court confirms it who's to say which name the marquee will boast.

And despite the modest choices Ramu fans are certainly gearing up for his version where Basanti is Ghungroo, where Dhano is a rickshaw there's excitement aplenty yes but be warned he swears its not a remake.

"Its not a copy but it is my ode to Sholayesque films," said Ram Gopal Verma, filmmaker.

Right, But as a devoted fan of the film we had to ask how well does he know his subject.

Whether it measures up to comparisons or no curiosity should guarantee at least a strong opening.

Quelle: http://www.ndtvmovies.com/newstory.asp?s...NTEN20070018629

Everyone works for Cash

Ritesh Deshmukh is one of those actors in Bollywood who has given hits consistently, be it Bluffmaster, Malamaal Weekly or the more recent hit Apna Sapna Money Money.
Now, the actor is all set for an image change from comedy roles to a hard core action one in the upcoming film, Cash, along with Ajay Devgan, Zayed Khan, Esha Deol and Shamita Shetty.
Narendra Singh caught up with the actor as he spilt the beans on his spiky hair and action stunts.
You have starred in films like Bluffmaster, Malamaal Weekly and Apna Sapna Money Money. Now, it is Cash. What's the fascination with money?
Everyone works for money only. Some people do good work and earn money while others follow a different way but the end remains the same for all -- to earn money.
But is this mere co-incidence or something else?
I don't know. Whenever I do a film and people ask for the titles of my film, I invariably end up saying names like Malamaal Weekly, Apna Sapna Money Money and Cash.
Even one of my forthcoming films, Dhamaal has the same issue. I think I cannot be blamed for all these. You should blame the directors and producers of these films, it is they who are running after money (laughs).
So are you running for cash or diamonds here?
Cash has a diamond heist as well as element of cash in it. It's a two-in-one robbery.
Ajay Devgan is the mastermind and is responsible for bringing together Zayed Khan and me. The film sequences have been shot very well. Zayed has done his stunts in water whereas mine are limited to land. Ajay, on the other hand, has performed his in mid air! And it was Anubhav who decided that everyone in the film should do different things.
You're seen skateboarding in the film...
Yes. I never had a skateboard when I was young. When I was in college, I saw a lot of kids perform cool feats on them. At that time I thought I would never get to use these skateboards. When I was told that I would have to ride a skateboard in the film, I was so excited. It was like I was a kid again and was given a new toy.
Initially, it was bit difficult using the board and I fell so many times while learning. Now, after mastering it, I feel good.
You should also be thankful to Anubhav that he opted for roads of Cape Town rather than those of Mumbai!
Yes, of course. Thankfully, there was not much traffic on the roads of Cape Town and because of this you can street loch pretty well. Street loch is almost like a skateboard except that it is long and you can almost lay on it horizontal to the ground. You must have seen the shots in the promos.
You sport a very disheveled look in the film. Now that shooting is over are you glad to comb your hair?
You actually mean I sport a weird look in the film (laughs)! Actually, whenever I woke up, my hair ended up looking like arrows and because of the spikes there were holes on the mattress! The hair was so spiky that if I were to head butt anyone, the end result would be bloody!
But it was fun. We took so much liberty with our looks -- Zayed's hair has this bluish tinge while mine is tobacco brown. Ajay has this blondish appearance whereas Shamita's is reddish. We have used all possible colours for the film (laughs).
Is the look of the film inspired from Japanese manga comics?
Yes. But I had told Perry (hairstylist) that the manga look would cost me a lot. If you were to see them in detail, you will find that the cuts of the hair are very similar. You would find thin strands of hair if seen from the back. You could also see layers. Perry has done a brilliant job.
How was it working with Ajay Devgan?
Though Ajay is a very senior actor, he mingles easily with young actors like us. He will never let you feel that he is a senior actor and a superstar. This is a great quality about him.
From action in Cash to changing diapers in Heyy Baby...
Yes, it seems so and it's interesting. I am glad that I am getting opportunity to do different films. The kid is the real star of the film.

Quelle: http://www.rediff.com/movies/2007/jul/12ritesh.htm

Cash has 20 minutes of animation

Animation is the next big thing in Bollywood and director Anubhav Sinha knows it well.

He has included about 20 minutes of animation in his forthcoming film, Cash. Though animation has been part of Hindi films for a while now, it was confined to the periphery in films like Hum Tum and Aap Kaa Surroor. The animation in Cash is more upfront.

The animation for this film is inspired from Japanese manga comics where the characters will have different hair colours. "While writing the film, I thought we should incorporate animation but we dropped the idea because of cost constraints," Sinha explains. "But after we returned from South Africa and saw the rushes, everyone suggested that animation should be included."

But that's not all. Anubhav is so impressed with animation that soon, he will make a full-length animation film.
"The animation in Cash has come out so beautifully that I have decided to make a full-length animation film," Anubhav says. A few days ago, Anubhav finalised the hairstyle of the protagonist of his forthcoming animated film, which would be pink in colour. Animation doyen Ram Mohan and Tilak Shetty, with technical work from Graffiti, have helped him in his animation venture.
Yash Raj Films have also announced their intention of making animation films in association with Walt Disney. Their first venture Roadside Romeo will be directed by Jugal Hansraj. It will hit theatres during summer next year. Karan Johar will also dabble with animation. Pritish Nandy Communications has already started working on the animation venture of their film, Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena.

Quelle: http://www.rediff.com/movies/2007/jul/12cash.htm