News (englisch) » November 2007 - News

Secret behind Govinda’s smoke! - November 1

There’s no smoke without a fire, but here’s the fire behind Govinda’s latest obsession with smoking.

Govinda we hear has taken up smoking, wonder why? To lose weight. Well, that’s the secret funda followed by our other stars as well.

Though it’s injurious to health, but lot of stars restore to it to lose weight,” says an actor on the condition of anonymity.

So after Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan, it’s Chi Chi’s turn to join Bollywood’s smoker’s club.

Quelle: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Secre...how/2505224.cms

Ajay goes SRK way

Raj Kumar Santoshi made The Legend of Bhagat Singh with Ajay Devgan and laughed his way to the bank. Four years later, he announced that he was making Ramayana, once again with Ajay and Kajol playing Lord Rama and Sita. And now for the latest announcement, the filmmaker has signed on Ajay, again, to play king Ashoka in his film Ashoka - The Great.

A PVR Pictures production, the film is slated to hit the floors in March, next year. But the pre-production work has begun and Santoshi is thrilled to talk about it, "It's the story of chand Ashoka turning into dharm Ashoka. Though Shah Rukh Khan has already made a film on the king's life, my film will be different." According to Santoshi, while SRK's film ends at the war of Kalinga, his takes off from there.

An excited Ajay lets in, "The story shows the king evolving from a 26-year-old to a wisened 55. I am looking forward to it." Sanjiv Bijli, joint MD, PVR Ltd. says, "It's a Rs 40 crore film. It will be high on the production value." Though the leading lady has been decided, both Santoshi and Bijli refuse to divulge the name. However, our sources say the options are between Bipasha Basu and Priyanka Chopra.

Quelle: http://in.news.yahoo.com/071031/32/6mnu1.html

Boss, what's the halla about?

Halla Bol will be remade in Tamil and Rajnikant may be roped in for the lead

Even before Ajay Devgan-starrer Halla Bol has hit the theatres, news about its Tamil remake, is already in the air. The buzz was kick-started after the film's director Rajkumar Santoshi sold the distribution rights to Pyramid Saimira, a Chennai-based distributor and exhibitor company.

It looks like Santoshi managed to impress the distributors with the storyline of the film. A reliable source informs, “The Chennai-based distributors for the film were very happy with its hard-hitting subject that centres round the Jessica Lal murder case that stirred up a public furore. They feel that if remade in Tamil, the film will certainly cater to the tastes of the audience in the South.”

The Chennai-based distributor company has already shelled out a whopping amount of money for the film and hence need not buy separate remaking rights. Presently, the company is in talks with superstar Rajnikant for the lead role. However, he will say a yes only after seeing the film next week.

When quizzed about it, Rajkumar Santoshi, who shares a long association with Rajnikant, says, “We are very close friends. But he is yet to see the film. I don't know anything about the remaking of the film.”

However, Sanjay Bhandari, the financial consultant of the film, was more forthcoming about it. He says, “The people from Pyramid Saimira loved the subject. They want to remake it in Tamil and are in talks with Rajnikant for the lead role.”

Will they need to buy the remaking rights? “No, we are business partners now. So, they can remake it whenever they want.”

Halla Bol stars Vidya Balan in the female lead.

Quelle: http://www.mumbaimirror.com/net/mmpaper....2625718ee2fbf5b

A novel role for Shekhar Suman

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A new fight club to join

Whether it is Ajay Devgan, Hrithik Roshan, Akshay Kumar or Suneil Shetty, all of the actors owe their screen fighting expertise to Chitah Yajness. Chitah's name is synonymous with martial arts and almost all artistes, at one time or another, have trained under him.

Ask any of his trainees and they will vouch for Chitah's imagination of using novel methods in his training regimes. His latest effort to incorporate music and dance in martial arts.

His 45-minute long DVD will be released soon. On the combination of music, dance and martial arts, Chitah Yajness Shhetty who is now making Boomerang starring Tara Sharma and Isha Koppikar says, "In martial arts, when you train your body on music – it is called Kathas. With this art, one's mental and physical strength is enhanced.

In this DVD, I have used Kathas exercises for the martial arts training." Shhetty hopes that people who will not be able to afford him his fees for learning martial arts will be benefited by buying his DVD.

Quelle: http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Nov4...07110333974.asp

Will Rajini say ‘Halla Bol’

Speculations are rife over Rajini’s next move or should we say movie. The grapevine is abuzz with rumors of all sorts, first it was the Kamal-Mani-Rajini combo that was talked about but later fizzled out. Then when Rajini came out openly denying any decision yet on his next venture things calmed down a bit.

Now things seem to be taking a different turn, Pyramid Saimira the acquisition giant has now bagged the rights of Rajkumar Santoshi’s Halla Bol which stars Ajay Devgan and Vidya Balan in the lead. This film is loosely based on the rise of a small town youth to superstardom and how an incident in his life makes him come to terms with his true self, which was lost in its climb to stardom.

Pyramid Saimira have acquired the remake rights to this movie and talks are abound that Rajini would be apt for the role played by Ajay Devgan. Pyramid is in fact in talks with Rajini to star in this movie. The film’s financial advisor Sanjay Bhandari said “Pyramid Saimira is our business partner and they had expressed their desire to remake this movie in Tamil and have approached Rajini to play the lead.” Rajkumar Santoshi was earlier in talks with Rajini to play the role of Ravana in his next venture Ramayana, his magnum opus touted to be the most expensive Indian film ever made, which Rajini eventually turned down and Prakash Raj was offered the role. Let us hope that this one ends up being true but to guess whether Rajini would act in a role essayed by Ajay Devgan with negative shades and that too much after this well publicized venture hits the screens is a tall order in itself.

Quelle: http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movie-n...-halla-bol.html

She has a reason to smile

Aishwarya Sakhuja, it seems, is enjoying all the attention. The first thing that she does in the morning is 'checking my cell phone for any missed calls'.

She says, "I love it when people praise my smile and confident demanour." The actress hopes to work with the likes of Ajay Devgan, Hrithik Roshan, Naseeruddin Shah, Anil Kapoor and Govinda. Ask her to name a few films that made her cry, and she says, "Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, Masoom and Sholay.

Quelle: http://in.news.yahoo.com/071106/32/6mx3x.html

Ajay stalls Kaal director’s film

It seems like Ajay Devgan has turned out to be a roadblock in the way of director Soham Shah whose only claim to fame was the thriller Kaal that released in 2005.

The film turned out to be quite a dampener at the turnstiles and yet producer Kumar Mangat offered Soham another prestigious project.

This movie is yet to hit the floors the reason being that Ajay Devgan is still giving finishing touches to his directorial debut U Me Aur Hum which is being co-produced by Kumar Mangat.

Speaking about his film that is still to take shape director Soham Shah says, “At this point of time all I can say is that we are still waiting for Ajay to complete his film U Me Aur Hum . Only after that shall Kumar and I sit and work out on the other finer details of our film. Kumar is quite busy with Ajay’s film as well as other films, so till then we will have to wait and watch.”

It may be recalled that Ajay Devgan was one of the main leads in Kaal and though Soham is tight-lipped about his project, it is heard that Ajay will once again be part of his film.

Quelle: http://movies.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2521074.cms

Ajay Devgan needs direction?

One would think that after a successful first schedule of U , Me Aur Hum , actor-director Ajay Devgan would take a breather and relax. But no! The guy, instead, wishes to work harder, and almost immediately began shooting for Rohit Shetty's film Sunday , in Delhi. With most actors doing just one film at a time, AD seems to be doing several – Ram Gopal's Sholay , Anubhav Sinha's Cash and Santosh's Halla Bol , besides directing one of his own. We wonder where Devgan gets his energy from? Halla Bol!

Quelle: http://movies.indiatimes.com/Ajay_Devgan...how/2106658.cms

The man with the Midas touch

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Four years later, Bhansali returned with Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (Straight from the Heart) - a film he wrote and produced as well.

The love triangle saw Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Ajay Devgan in compelling roles and bagged Bhansali a slew of awards: IIFA's Best Story, Best Direction and Best Screenplay; Filmfare's Best Director and Best Film, Screen Weekly's Best Director, Zee Cine's Popular Award for Best Director, Best Film and Best Story.
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Quelle: http://www.tonight.co.za/index.php?fArti...=449&fSetId=251

Spotted

Kajol and Tanisha’s dad Shomu Mukherjee has been ailing for a while now. On Wednesday, we spotted an emotional Tanuja outside Lilavati Hospital, Bandra. The yesteryear actress’s husband has been in and out of hospital for quite some time. Kajol’s husband Ajay Devgan has his hands full these days — looking after pa-in-law, shifting from his Juhu flat to his newly renovated bungalow in the same area and being present for the post-production of U, Me Aur Hum (the last day’s shooting also remains to be shot).

Quelle: http://www.mid-day.com/hitlist/2007/november/166716.htm

Ajay rolls up his sleeves …

After the sets, it's the kitchen that Ajay Devgan loves being in. Not many people know that Ajay is a super chef. Recently, the cast and crewmembers of Ajay's directorial debut, U Me Aur Hum, got a taste of his cooking.

From what we hear, Ajay asked all actors to bring homemade khana on the sets. When the actors reported to the sets, they were surprised to see Ajay bending over a barbeque, making smoking tikkas in the morning. A reliable source informs, “The last schedule was brilliant. The actors used to have a picnic of sorts every day during lunch. Ajay's chicken curry and grilled fish was quite a hit on the sets.”

Ajay Devgan, Kajol, Divya Dutta, Sumeet Raghavan, Isha Sharvani and Karan Khanna would get together for lunch on the sets. The actresses often complained of having over- eaten. Divya Dutta says, “We used to have a potluck of sorts. All eyes were fixed on Ajay's dabbas though. These small lunch-time gatherings were a lot of fun. Ajay would get dabbas for unit members as well.”

Divya Dutta dabba would usually comprise Punjabi dishes like rajma, and spicy curries for lunch. Isha Sharvani, who is extremely health conscious, would pack diet food in her dabba. Another source adds, “Ishaa is usually very careful about what makes way to her plate. But, by the end of the schedule even she couldn't resist gorging on the chicken curry that Ajay had made.”

However, the actors are yet to eat Ajay's famous biryani. Divya says, “Probably, we can have a party and request Ajay to make biryani for us.”

Quelle: http://www.mumbaimirror.com/net/mmpaper....3426156844b64e7

Bollywood stars Ajay, Kajol, Riteish in Ramayana - November 10

Raj Kumar Santoshi’s biggest project till date Ramayana will not be shot before December next year.

The versatile director’s much-discussed project will star Ajay Devgan as Rama, Kajol as Sita, Riteish Deshmukh as Laxman and Prakash Raj as Ravan.

Currently, Raj Kumar Santoshi is busy with his current projects Halla Bol and Shahid-Katrina’s romantic love story.

Quelle: http://www.radiosargam.com/films/archive...n-ramayana.html

Book Review: Fantasies of A Bollywood Love Thief - November 8

That's how one deconstructs the connotative meaning of the degrees of foolishness in the Indian heartland. Don't get scandalized for that's only the tip of the iceberg that was touched upon by Vishal Bhardwaj in Omkara, his Indian adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy Othello which was infested with swear words that are commonplace in the rural areas of Western Uttar Pradesh in India (Bard's Cyprus becomes Cypra gaon). Imaginative! Well, quite. Author Stephen Alter's (cousin of the perennially treacherous gora-man of Hindi cinema Tom Alter) finely nuanced Fantasies of a Bollywood Love Thief (Harper Collins) captures the entire process of the making of Omkara. It goes a step further as it gives an outsider's insight into the myths, mysteries and legends of Bollywood.

Before we move further it would be important to let you guys know about Stephen's background. He is an author of seven books of fiction and four books of nonfiction. In other words as someone who is writing on Indian films, his only claim to fame is being Tom Alter's cousin. Maybe it is for this reason alone that he got the opportunity to hang around with Vishal Bhardwaj and his writers Abhishek Chaubey and Robin Bhatt from the brainstorming stage in Mussorie till the final shots were canned in a Kandivali studio. It's this layman's observation of filmmaking that has come across succinctly in simple communicative language tugging at the varied range of emotions-n-idiosyncrasies of the biggest of stars and nondescript crew members.

Another notable aspect about this 280 odd pages book is that it has been divided into two parts. In the sense, that out of 36 odd chapters, almost half of them are devoted to describing the various stages of the making of Omkara while the other chapters deal with Alter's dalliances with the notable members of the film fraternity. Each chapter is brief (say around 8-10 pages) and racy. And what makes the reading more interesting is a chapter like Monsoon Brainstorm which is immediately followed by a chapter called Sex, Films and SMS.

On one hand, Vishal Bhardwaj is ruminating on his plans post the critical acclaim of Maqbool; how he plans to make Mr Mehta and Mrs Singh with Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor; why Shahid Kapoor is suitable for another script called Romanchak and why he thinks Indian version of Othello should be based in the gun-culture of Western UP. The smoky chain of thoughts is immediately interspersed with the sage-like-intellectualism of Mahesh Bhatt as he justifies Vishesh Film's Kalyug based on the rampant trade of blue films featuring ordinary Indians in the cyber world. Let's give you a few more vignettes of invigorating information shared in the book.

There's a palpable tension in the air when a big star like Ajay Devgan has a script narration. Kareena Kapoor says yes to Desdemona but, her fees a whopping Rs 2.3 crore. Saif knows Langda Tyagi shall earn him rave reviews but there's the eternal dilemma whether he should go in for a closely cropped hair cut or settle in for the latex friendly wig. Producer Kumar Mangat gave a serious thought to Aishwarya Rai as prospective Billo Chamanbahar entirely on her 'Kajra Re' Prowess. Lyricist Gulzar sahab peppered in with pertinent suggestions during the music sessions while a sumptuous lunch was under preparation.

The title dangled between Omkara, O Saathi Re and Isak till it finally tilted in Omkara's favour after an audience poll. Writer Abhishek Chaubey's involvement in the film was tremendous. There was risk involved in assigning Tasaddukh Hussain and Meghna Manchanda the key tasks of DOP (Director of Photography) and Editor respectively since it was their first film. Both shined way beyond expectations. The sessions at Mumbai's Sun n Sand hotel evoked the glamorous heritage of Bollywood. The grueling shooting schedule in Wai was an antithesis of the mascara powder romance the world associates Hindi films with.

Film stars may say anything but when 'intimate' scenes are shot, there's more than a 'casual' contact between bodies. It was clearly apparent while filming 'Beedi Jalayi Le' where the 'closeness' between Viveik and Bipasha described by an onlooker's eyes titillates attention. 'Masterji' Ganesh Acharya's attempts of bringing everyone in 'mood' are notable. The fight on the sets, producer harrowing over the film going over budget, varying crowd behaviour in Maharashtra and UP, Samir Chanda's fantastic acumen while making elaborate sets, the arduous post production stage and then the first screening attended by the who's who of film world, Alter encapsulates it all. Time to look at the other side, away from Vishal's spectrum!

The chance meeting with Evergreen Dev Anand as he graduates from a Love at the Times Square to Mr Prime Minister while the world, gushes over his unparalleled work in 1960s or 70s. Shekhar Kapur finds Mr India to be a “flawed script” as he is planning his next, Pani. Controversial director Madhur Bhandarkar has his own take on 'realistic cinema' and he has an interesting observation that the drivers know about their 'sahabs' much more than maybe what they should. Why Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge still continues to go house full at a Mumbai matinee? Javed Akhtar has problems with Sholay being made again although he okays son Farhan's remake of Don.

Art house filmmakers Shyam Benegal and Govind Nihalani have their own take on films. Benegal's comments on his film Bhumika and Nihalani's concerns on piracy are interesting asides. The last few chapters are devoted to wrapping up Omkara, the revelry at the holi party thrown by Ajay Devgan, what is meant by a Call Sheet and how it has brought in more professionalism and discipline in Hindi films.

Fantasies of a Bollywood Love Thief makes a riveting read. It's extremely interesting and once you start reading you just can't put it aside before finishing it off. It's also an honest attempt at detailing the making of the movie, how stars gave into their tantrums at times, how the 'suggestion' of a big star like Ajay on a particular shot of Viveik is overlooked by the director, a decorous gentleman like Vishal Bharadwaj can snap at times at his mentor Gulzar's observation etc. We are eagerly looking forward to Stephen Alter's next book. And it better be on Bollywood!

Published by: Harper Collins
Rating: *** 1/2

Quelle: http://www.indiafm.com/features/2007/11/08/3240/