The Ajay Devgan starrer 'Sunday' is all set for a release on January 25th but then the makers Kumar Mangat and Sunil Lulla are busy making their own plans to ensure nothing goes wrong. Now, they are all set to launch another promotional music video, which will be done by the Pakistani band Suroor, they will be playing the number 'Pyar tho Hona Hi Tha' featuring the lead singers Kamran Bari and Mohammed Ali. The video will also have Ajay and Ayesha Takia in the frames and the makers are confident that this will actually boost the promo activities for the film.
ONCE AGAIN? Kajol and Ajay Devgan in U, Me Aur Hum After making his directorial debut with U Me Aur Hum, Ajay Devgan plans to direct again — again, a decision taken from the heart, he adds. Ajay leaves today for London for the mixing of the songs. We catch up with him for a brief chat on his next as a director, his next release, UMAH and the Aamir-SRK controversy..
A thriller, maybe...
Ajay confirms plans to direct again, “I have an idea and am toying with it right now but I won’t be doing anything on my next film till my first copy is out. I am working on the scripts... I directed UMAH because I wanted to say something from the heart, had a script ready and felt like going ahead with it. For me, directing is not a commercial business but an emotional one.”
Ajay’s next won’t be a love story like UMAH. Ajay says, “I want to change genres so most probably it could be a thriller or comedy.
Ajay’s not nervous about the release in April, “It’s not about being confident, but I am not insecure either. I don’t know if the audience will like the film. I made something from my heart. It is completely commercial with lots of humour and all kinds of emotions. With U, Me Aur Hum, I wanted to say something positive about love.”
Date diary’s full
UMAH is the actor’s take on love and relationships, “It’s about what I believe in and about love maybe with some of my experiences interwoven through the years.”
Direction will have to wait as Ajay’s date diary is full this year with Ashoka, Vishal Bhardwaj’s next, Golmaal Returns, Toonpur Ka Superhero and Prakash Jha’s Rajniti.
Not insecure
His next release is Sunday, where he plays the corrupt cop like in Khakhee, “That was a serious film on corruption while Sunday is funny. I don’t play a negative corrupt cop. I feel the film and my character should be entertaining. There are lots of hilarious sequences in Sunday especially the one where Mukesh Tiwari and I are having a conversation while interrogating some people.”
He’s not worried about Arshad and Irrfan (known for their comic timing) stealing his thunder, “Everybody has his own place in the film. Also I don’t get insecure while sharing screen space. It helps the film if the actor in front of you has got good timing.”
‘Haven’t taken names’
Recently it was reported that he had offended Aamir and Shah Rukh Khan with his dialogues in Halla Bol. Is he upset? “No. I am not upset as its good promotion for the film. To people who think that we have referred to them, then all I can say is, it’s your guilty conscience talking. We haven’t taken any names. But I don’t think Aamir and Shah Rukh are upset. If Shah Rukh and Aamir are upset they need to come and tell me. We will then sit and sort it out.”
Posted online: Friday , January 18, 2008 at 12:38:14 Updated: Friday , January 18, 2008 at 12:53:50
It’s difficult to pin down Ajay Devgan. Last time, despite an appointment, he ditched and left the venue before the press arrived. On Tuesday, Devgan was having a quiet lunch with friends Kumar Mangat and Rohit Shetty, but wasn’t in a mood for a leisurely chat with them. So he hurried with the lunch and got started with the Q&A.
Currently editing his debut directorial venture U, Me Aur Hum that stars wife Kajol, Devgan is making time to promote his other film Sunday, directed by Shetty. “It isn’t that I’m media-shy or anything, I’m plain lazy,” said the powerhouse actor, embarrassedly.
He was polite and to the point, not faking efforts of familiarity as many stars are wont to. “U, Me Aur Hum is not a remake of Notebook,” he clarified, adding, “I’ve always been interested in being on the other side of the camera. I have made short films, written scripts and assisted camerapersons. So I wanted to direct when I had a subject.”
In torn jeans and a shabby shirt, Devgan leisurely smoked a ciggie—the image was a far cry from the frivolous actor we will soon see in comedies like Sunday or Golmaal Returns. “I try to strike a balance by acting in both masala and serious films. I need to satisfy the actor in me, at the same time it’s my duty to entertain and give commercial hits,” he doled out quotes.
In no time, the discussion digressed to his family. The Devgan couple’s private lives have been a subject of constant media interest; and Kajol’s actor-husband tried his best to maintain a polite guard. “It isn’t that I had to convince Kajol to act, she liked the script,” he said matter-of-factly. However, he was more comfortable chatting about his four-year-old daughter Nysa. “Kids are very smart these days. Though we don’t let her see our films, she knows her parents are celebrities,” he smiled.
And then, the favourite question of all journalists: what is his equation with his wife’s best friend Shah Rukh Khan? “I have answered this for the past 12 years. Please kill the question now,” he said.
When we reported the story of Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan not happy with Ajay Devgan’s dialogues in Halla Bol, we got tons of feedback. So much so that now Ajay Devgan himself has gone on record to explain the issue.
This is Ajay Devgan’s statement in the whole issue: “Tell me, is there any dialogue in the film that implies anything about another actor? There is no rivalry between any of the Khans and me. They are fine in their place and I in my own. I’m not really bothered about who thinks what about me. I have always lived life on my own terms and conditions, and I’ll continue to do so. Whatever success I have managed to get is only on my conditions. There have been no compromises. There is no anxiety either.”
Sunday seems to be a pretty funny and unusual name for a film, but director Rohit Shetty thinks otherwise. Well for starters he says that the film besides being a comedy also has a dark side to it.
This was the main reason he wanted a title that would not look and feel comic but at the same time was not too much into action or thrilling.
Hence he settled for the name Sunday as it seemed perfect and didn't give out too much about the film.
Well hopefully the film Sunday will be as good as the day itself.
We all watched the film Golmaal and found it to be a true rib tickler. Well for all those who felt that they want seconds Rohit Shetty says that the sequel to the film titled Golmaal Returns will be twice as much fun and adventure as the first one.
Why we ask and without missing a beat he says that since Golmaal had just 4 heroes and 1 heroin the fun quotient was limited but in the sequel there are 4 heroes and well as the same number of heroines.
So we guess that besides being another film that will tickle you funny bone till no end this film will also have a huge star cast.
January 17, 2008 5:12:43 PM IST Bollywood Trade News Network
Makers of SUNDAY haven't shied away from the fact that their film is a remake of Telugu hit ANUKOKUNDA OKA RAJU. Here we bring to you the facts which tie the two films together:
About ANUKOKUNDA OKA RAJU
Sahasra (Charmi) is a chorus singer struggling to make a career in playback singing.
One night she goes to a wild party on the insistence of her fast-going girl friend (Pooja Bharati). The next day, life seems as usual for Sahasra. Only she is oblivious of one small detail - the next day is actually the day after. And she is completely unaware of what happened during that one missing day in her life.
She realizes something is amiss only when, a few days later, she gets chased by unidentified men who try to murder her. The rest of the story is all about unveiling the mysterious happenings that occurred on that night where she went to party.
About SUNDAY
Sehar�s (Ayesha Takia) world turns topsy-turvy when she gets a clue about the missing Sunday of her life, which points to a possible violent attack on her. A C P Rajveer (Ajay Devgan) takes up the case to sort out the complicated and jumbled up threads of Sehar�s life.
It comes to light that on Sunday, different people interacted with her and amongst them, one could be the accused. The lot included Ballu (Arshad Warsi), the taxi driver and his friend, Kumar (Irrfan Khan), a struggling NSD actor, Ritu (Anjana Sukhani), Sehar�s close friend, a scary and suspicious character who resides in Sehar�s society, and the group whom she had come across while partying at the discotheque.
However, Sehar cannot remember anything about this 'Sunday'. A dubbing artiste by day, is 'Sehar' also a serial killer by night? Is Seher really innocent as she claims to be? What if one day went missing from your life?
Ajay Devgan is as cool as cucumber, though his film 'Halla Bol' seems to have performed weakly at the box office. When asked about it, the star said that they have received some real good reviews for the film and some sections of the audience have acclaimed it very well. This could well be an expected outcome since the movie was more social message oriented and did not have the type of typical masala ingredients that would appeal to most of the Indian audience. However, as Ajay rightly said inside sources reveal that the film has found its impact on certain classes of viewers and Santoshi would be a happy man with his attempts.
Ajay Devgan and Ayesha Takia are coming together in a film called Sunday and guess what? The day Sunday is actually missing from their life. Ayesha has been working round the clock which includes all Sundays, and so is Ajay Devgan.
The actor who normally does not work on Sundays and devotes the day to his loved ones after working so hard, has been working round the clock even on Sundays in 2007 and this year as well. With continuous shooting, dubbing and promotions for Halla Bol and Rohit Shetty’s Sunday and shooting for his directorial film U Me Aur Hum , Ajay has been working 24/7 all days of the week.
Even though Halla Bol has released, we hear Ajay has not taken it easy and has immediately started promotions for Sunday. And next week, he leaves for London for the sound mixing and postproduction of U Me Aur Hum . We wonder if he will be dropping in to check Salman’s statue in Madame Tussauds?
Possessing a beautiful face and a mesmerizing smile, Ayesha Takia is one such actress who is capable of winning over people with her performance as well as sweet talk. Another interesting thing about Ayesha is that the cutie has been able to win applauses from the audience both for her roles in serious films as well as in comedy. Soon Ayesha will be seen in an interesting role in Rohit Shetty’s comedy thriller SUNDAY. Recently, we caught up with Ayesha and during a brief encounter she talked about her film SUNDAY, her upcoming projects and plans for the future. Here are the excerpts.
Tell us something about your character in SUNDAY. In this film, my character’s name is Sehar who works as a dubbing artiste for a cartoon network. She is a very forgetful kind of a girl and cannot remember things of the past and as a result she is often in problems.
This is the first time that you are portraying a dubbing artist. Did you need to take any special preparation for this? Actually Vikash, who had trained Tussar Kapur for the dumb character in GOLMAAL, has helped me a lot in doing this role to perfection. Simultaneously, I used to watch a lot of cartoon films at home to prepare myself for the role which demanded that the facial expressions of the artist should match his voice. While doing this role I have often noticed that the expressions of some dubbing artists are very loud and on the other hand, some people’s appearances are so funny that I often used to feel ashamed. I loved doing this role as it provided me with an opportunity to learn a lot of things. ... What has been your experience working with co-stars? I have enjoyed a lot working with everyone. There were four men - Ajay, Arshad, Irfaan and Rohit - in the film and I was the lone girl. But I have never felt any difference working with them and even joked with them. Ajay is not only a sporting person, but also very protective. Many people have told me that he is prankster, but I have always found him to be an introvert. Irfaan too is very much like Ajay, but Arshad is a funny person and always made us laugh with his jokes and pranks. And what should I tell about Rohit, he was the director, but still one of us. While working he was serious, but rest of the time, he was like a friend.
In this film there is an incident where you miss a Sunday. How do you spend your Sundays in real life? (Laughingly) Sundays were very attractive to me since my school days as it would be a holiday. I always feel very upset when I miss a holiday in real life. On Sundays I wake up late and do all my work leisurely. And there is a special fun in watching television shows on this day. ... Since the beginning of your career you have concentrated on career-oriented films rather than masala films. What is your take on this? Actually, I am fortunate that in the initial days of my career I have got good offers. I am also grateful to the audience who has appreciated my performances in SONCHA NA THA and DOR, otherwise these days an artiste’s fate is sealed between hit and flop films. This year my first release is SUNDAY and I have a lot of expectations from this movie as not only the film is good, but also because it involves good actors and a talented director. ... In Bollywood, the audience generally appreciates male comedians rather than female comic actors. Do you feel that the audience will do justice with your performance in SUNDAY? I sincerely pray that the audience appreciate my performance as a comedienne in the movie. My favorite woman comedians in Bollywood are Sridevi and Juhi Chawla and I am sure that everyone will accept this. To tell you honestly, I would prefer to do comedy roles to wearing low cut blouses like the present day heroines.
Ajay Devgan claims controversial remarks not meant to offend SRK, Aamir Januar 18
Ajay Devgan has begun the New Year on a good note with Halla Bol. A film with a social message, it was appreciated and Ajay received good feedback for his performance in the film. However a new controversy has been raked up with the film. According to several sources, Ajay has made scathing remarks indirectly in Halla Bol to his contemporaries like Shahrukh and Aamir. It has been reported that Ajay's scathing remarks have irked the Khans.
In Halla Bol, some indirect references were made to SRK performing at famous personality's lavish weddings. In the film, Sameer Khan's (Ajay) secretary pokes fun at a particular Khan who is set to dance as part of celebrations at I.N.Mittal's daughter's lavish wedding. In real life too SRK and Saif Ali Khan had performed at the million pound wedding of Vanisha Mittal in Paris. There was also another reference to a Khan who was cheating on his wife. Reportedly sources claim that these remarks were made in poor taste and the superstars were no doubt upset about them. Ajay himself does not perform at weddings and has made this quite clear to one and all. But Ajay is not upset with the media for blowing up this controversy on the film, he says "No. I am not upset as its good promotion for the film. To people who think that we have referred to them, then all I can say is, it’s your guilty conscience talking. We haven’t taken any names. But I don’t think Aamir and Shahrukh are upset."
Meanwhile the New Year will hopefully continue on an exciting note with the release of Ajay's next film Sunday which is a comic thriller. Ajay is excited to play a cop with comic timing in Sunday, he says "There are lots of hilarious sequences in Sunday especially the one where Mukesh Tiwari and I are having a conversation while interrogating some people.” But despite actors like Arshad and Irrfan Khan who are known for their comic timing in the film, Ajay is not insecure. He says "Everybody has his own place in the film. Also I don’t get insecure while sharing screen space."
Ajay is also excited about his directorial debut sometime in April this year, where he will also be seen acting alongside wife Kajol. About his directorial debut, U, Me Aur Hum, Ajay says "It’s about what I believe in and about love, maybe with some of my experiences interwoven through the years.” Ajay is not nervous about his directorial venture, he simply states "It’s not about being confident, but I am not insecure either. I don’t know if the audience will like the film. I made something from my heart. It is completely commercial with lots of humour and all kinds of emotions." But it seems that the directorial venture is not just a one time thing and Ajay already has a few ideas about his next project. Ajay said "I have an idea and am toying with it; I am working on the scripts." So this seems to be quite an interesting year ahead for Ajay and he is no doubt looking forward to it.
Actor Ajay Devgan, who is an image of an intense actor and a voice that questions the system has decided to go for a break. After a very thought provoking performance in the recent film 'Halla Bol', Ajay will now be seen in a contrastingly different role of a police officer but a very comical type. He would be seen chasing Ayesha Takia in the upcoming movie 'Sunday' directed by Rohit Shetty. It will be interesting to see, how his fans will take their hero in a hilarious note instead of a heated young man note.
... Ajay Devgan who hates the idea of shaking a leg, learnt salsa for months on end, as he had to shoot a long dance sequence for his directorial venture U Me Aur Hum. ...
He does not have a huge fan following like Shah Rukh Khan and he does not possess a Greek-godlike figure but that could not stop Ajay Devgan from becoming one of the top actors in Bollywood. From Phool Aur Kaante till today, Ajay Devgan has proven that an actor can play different kinds of roles in a life time.
Ajay Devgan is the son of famous stunt choreographer, Veeru Devgan. After finishing his graduation, Ajay pursued his career in acting. He did not have to wait long for success. His debut movie, Phool Aur Kaante, was a hit and turned him into a star overnight. One of the memorable scenes in the movie was Ajay Devgan appearing on screen riding on two bikes. After Phool Aur Kaante, Ajay established himself as an action hero and did a series of action movies.However, the movies did not do very well in the box office. Rohit Shetty also worked as an apprentice of Kuku Kohli in Phool Aur Kaante. So the two have been friends for a long time. Ajay's career took a turn after 1997. For his work Ajay won numerous prestigious awards and nominations.
Sunday: On 25th January, Ajay Devgan's second movie of 2008, Sunday is releasing. In this movie, Ajay Devgan is played the character of a police officer. The movie is directed by Rohit Shetty and produced by Kumar Mangat and Sunil Lulla. The basic idea of the movie is taken from a hit Telugu movie, Anukokunda oka roju. Previously, Ajay and Rohit came together in the hit comedy of 2006, Golmaal. Sunday is a comedy thriller. The story revolves around a girl named Seher, who forgets about what happened to her on one Sunday. Ajay Devgan plays the character of ACP Rajveer Randhava. Rajveer is in love with Seher and he knows that his fiance is innocent. He tries to find out what happened with Seher on that dreadful Sunday.
As I have mentioned in my previous post that Sunday is inspired from a Telugu movie, Anukokunda oka roju. Made in 2005, Anukokunda oka roju was directed by Chandrasekhar Yeleti. Jagapathi Babu and Charmy played the central characters in the movie. The name of the character played by Charmi is Sahasna, an aspiring playback singer.
One night, she goes to a party with her girl-friend (Pooja Bharati). The next day, she forgets about what happened in the previous night. After few days, she realized that something was missing from her life. Few days later, she was chased by a murderer. In Sunday, Ayesha Takia plays the character of a dubbing artist, Seher. She forgot a violent attack made on her on a Sunday. ACP Rajveer (Ajay Devgan) finds out what happened to her on that Sunday.
The director of the movie, Rohit Shetty, admitted that the basic idea of the film was taken from a Telugu movie but his treatment of the subject is very much different from the original movie. DNA reports:
Rohit confirms, “We never tried to hide the fact about the film being a remake. It is better to let people know in advance rather than face embarrassment later.”
Does the producer of the original film know about this? “Pretty much,” says Rohit adding, “We have even bought the rights from them. There is no behind-the-back game happening here.”
Rohit, who had earlier directed ‘Golmaal’ and ‘Zameen’ adds, “I wish to make one thing clear that ‘Sunday’ is not an out and out remake of ‘Anukokunda Oka Roju’. Our ‘Sunday’ is a complete entertainer. We have just taken the basic germ of the story and brought our own innovation to the concept and treatment.”
He further added that the original movie is very dark and serious; on the contrary, Sunday is a comedy. The climax of Sunday is very different from that of the original.