RE: February 2008 - News - 2

5 Feb 2008, 0000 hrs IST,TNN

Auszug:

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A source revealed, “Salman has personally taken efforts to revive his shelved project London Dreams which was originally supposed to be directed by Raj Kumar Santoshi.”

The film which is based on the desi music scene of UK will now be made at a larger scale than originally planned and is to be directed by Vipul Shah who’s last film Namastey London was a runaway hit. Not surprisingly, Salman is set to play the pivotal role in the film, which is now being made at a staggering budget of 65 crores.

More than 75 per cent of the film will be shot in London and is touted to have a huge appeal for the desi population there.

“Yes, London Dreams is on now and I would be directing the film,” confirms Vipul Shah. “Salman is very excited about the project and we would be making the film at a much larger scale now. As for the heroine, she is yet to be finalised. The film is set in the desi milieu of London. The music scene over there is very vibrant and you have some very talented artists like Rishi Rich, Juggy D, Bally Sagoo, and various other bands making some very distinct music,” he adds.

And though Shah is tight-lipped about the lead opposite Salman, a source reveals that the star’s girlfriend Katrina is a strong contender. “Salman is very keen on casting Katrina, though it’s too early for anyone to commit. She has not been finalised, but she is being considered,” the source added.

Quelle: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Enter...how/2755905.cms

Tuesday, February 5 2008

It's a little over two months to go for the release of U Me Aur Hum and the countdown has begun for the much awaited return of Kajol on the big screen.

In a main lead, Kajol was last seen alongside Aamir Khan in Fanaa (May 2006). Now it would be exactly after a couple of years that die hard Kajol fans would be cheering aloud on the lady's comeback. In between she was seen in a guest appearance in Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and Om Shanti Om though. Both the films have one common factor - Shahrukh Khan.

In U Me Aur Hum, her home production which has hubby Ajay Devgan making his directorial debut, Kajol would be seen as Piya. The film sees her making a transition from a girl to woman as she meets Ajay Devgan, marries him and later sees ups and downs of marriage hood.

U Me Aur Hum also stars Karan Khanna, Isha Sharwani, Sumeet Raghavan, Rituparna Sengupta, Sarika and Divya Dutta. Vishal Bhardwaj is the composer for the film and the soundtrack is expected to hit the stands late February.

Quelle: http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywo...hum-050208.html

Rohit Shetty will be a happy man listening to this since his film 'Sunday' which has opened with a mixed reaction from the audience gets to hang around and make some more money, thanks to the other film 'Rama Rama Kya Hai Drama'. Incidentally, the Rajpal Yadav - Neha Dhupia starrer has failed to get a good response, which has paved way for the Ajay Devgan - Ayesha Takia starrer to carry on with its audience till the other films like 'Superstar' and 'Mithya' arrive.

Quelle: http://www.bharatstudent.com/cafebharat/...?id=18070&cat=1

February 6, 2008 2:04:48 PM IST
Joginder Tuteja, Bollywood Trade News Network

Auszug:

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Now as the New Year has begun, he is looking forward to the arrival of U ME AUR HUM. Yet again, the young actor finds himself in a supporting role since the film is primarily centered on Ajay Devgan and Kajol. Others in the star cast are Isha Sharwani, Rituparna Sengupta and Divya Dutta.

While U ME AUR HUM arrives on 11th April, one waits to see if Karan would have any other release before 2009!

Quelle: http://www.glamsham.com/movies/scoops/08...year-020805.asp

February 6

Auszug:

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Q: Whose music among the recent films – ‘Sunday’. My Name is Anthony Gonsalves’, ‘Halla Bol’, ‘Superstar’ and ‘Jodha-Akbar’ – is better?
A: I personally like the song ‘Missing Sunday’ from the movie ‘Sunday’ very much. Apart from this, I also like the music from the film ‘Jab we Met’.
...

Quelle: http://www.santabanta.com/cinema.asp?pid=18823

7 Feb 2008, 0000 hrs IST,TNN

Actor-debutant director Ajay Devgan seems to love directing his dear wifey Kajol.

Yes, she is a part of his directorial debut U Me Aur Hum, but she is also a part of a jewellery ad commercial which, in fact, Ajay took upon himself to direct. It’ll feature both Ajay and Kajol. Shot in Filmistan only recently, the ad will hit the small screens in mid-March. Also, the storyline of the commercial has been formulated keeping in mind the theme of the romantic, feel-good U Me Aur Hum. Well, let’s hope the movie proves to be a gem, and worth its weight in gold, too.

Quelle: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Enter...how/2761193.cms

Mumbai, February 07, 2008

When U, Me Aur Hum hits cinemas this summer, lead actor Ajay Devgan will mark his debut as director, joining a select list of Bollywood film stars who also wield the directorial baton.

Aamir Khan, Naseeruddin Shah and Rajat Kapoor have successfully made the transition in previous years, with their films earning commercial success, critical acclaim or both.

For Devgan, who made his mark as an action hero in the early 1990s, turning director seemed a natural progression after familiarising himself with the job profile over the years.

"Once you are an actor and you spend years in the industry, you learn a lot by looking at some of the best people (directors) in the business work alongside you," Devgan told Reuters on the sidelines of a film launch in Mumbai.

"It is only a transition for an actor when he becomes a director. If you enjoy cinema, you want to be part of the industry be it as an actor or director or something else."

Actors doubling up as directors are not new to Bollywood. The names of Guru Dutt, Raj Kapoor, Manoj Kumar and Dev Anand are associated with several Hindi classics in the latter half of the 20th century.

But their number declined steadily by the turn of the millennium and the few actors who continued to dabble in film-making found no takers for their efforts.

In 2001, Ashutosh Gowarikar, who had appeared in several films in supporting roles, achieved success as a director in Lagaan, a film that made it to the Academy Awards shortlist in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

The decade also saw actors Naseeruddin Shah and Rajat Kapoor earn praise for their first outings as director.

But no Bollywood superstar had taken the plunge till last year, when Lagaan actor Aamir Khan impressed critics and audiences with his directorial debut "Taare Zameen Par", a sensitive film about a child with the learning disability dyslexia.

Being at the helm of a film was a new and exhausting experience for the actor, who has been one of Bollywood's top onscreen stars for two decades.

"The past few months have been quite a ride," Khan wrote on his blog. "Am I ever going to recover?"

"I feel like I've been stuffed into a washing machine which doesn't have an off button. After this I really need to be put out to dry in the sun and left alone."

Directing a film can be more of an ordeal for lesser known actors especially if it lacks star power and its content deviates from the time-tested formulas of revenge sagas or romantic melodramas.

The shooting of Rajat Kapoor's third film Mithya, which releases this month, had been delayed by nine years for want of a producer.

"If you want to do something different and you don't have stars then you will have a tough time to find someone to fund your film," he told Reuters at a promotional event for Mithya.

But Kapoor believes things can only get better in the coming years.

"It was very frustrating, you know you have a good story but people want to fund routine films. But things are definitely changing. Producers have started trusting fresh scripts after seeing audiences liking new content."

Quelle: Hindustantimes

Author: Subhash K. Jha; Date: 07 Feb 2008

Auszug:

After his trial by Aag, meet a mellower Ramu who sounds different!

Ram Gopal Varma is a changed person. No longer willing to make films at the drop of a hat. No more the dial-a-quote wizard, this maverick movie- maker has mellowed, though not melted down. In a no-holds-barred interview, Ramu finally speaks out after months of silence.

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People believed you’d gone into hiding after Aag?
Why would I hide? I’ve made flops before. I didn’t speak because there was nothing to say. I went into a phase of introspection. I now feel I was making films lately with a certain frivolous, even callous, attitude. I was also making press statements for effect, for shock value. I decided to keep quiet for a while. Now it’s high time that I stopped talking stupidly.

Why do you think your utterances were stupid?
I want to make films that excite me and which, hopefully, will excite the audience. Once you start getting addicted to media interviews, you tend to forget you are a filmmaker, and not meant to entertain people through your interviews. I made Aag out of arrogance. I think I just wanted to be cocky by remaking a film I loved and respected.

Has Aag changed you?
Yes. But I don’t blame anyone else for going wrong in Aag. Mr. Amitabh Bachchan trusted my vision and intention. But I feel my intention was wrong. Aag was a three-year-old dream. Many changes happened. I was told by lawyers to change the story because my Sholay had to be different from the original. I lost my way along the way. Aag ended up being a caricature of Sholay.

You admit that?
When people around you keep saying it’s turning out well, you tend to get carried away. Aag was a special flop for me. Just as Sholay was a benchmark, Aag was a landmark for me. If Aag wasn’t attached to Sholay it’d have been just another flop. But because of the Sholay factor, my blunder was magnified manifold. It was time for me to take time off to think deeply.

You sound different!
Eventually you are what you are. Now I’ve become more intense and objective. And I’m very clear about what I want to do. I was making callous cocky statements. But somewhere I felt I was going wrong. I’d
never again jump into a project because it sounded good on the idea level. I’ll only do films with scripts, and with full objectivity and make sure that it has the potential to get an audience. Nobody realises mistakes until he gets a solid slap. Aag was that slap. Making a success isn’t in my hands. But making sure that I make films with objectivity is something I can do, and I will.
...

Quelle: http://www.mid-day.com/web/guest/enterta...XT_5_groupId=14

Author: Upala KBR; Date: 08 Feb 2008

Bhatt wants Ajay Devgan to play the lead role for his docu-drama

Mahesh Bhatt quit direction with the Ajay Devgan-Sonali Bendre starrer Zakhm (which also won Devgan his first national award).

He now wants to return to filmmaking again with Ajay Devgan with his docu-drama based on the life of speaker-philosopher, UG Krishnamurthi.

Buzz is that he approached Ajay Devgan to play the role of UG. Bhatt says cautiously, “I would love to have Ajay Devgan play the role and have approached him for it.

However, one has to see whether Ajay will allow himself to take the risk of an experimental film of this nature. He is the best actor for the role.”

Humility counts

Bhatt explains his reasons for selecting Devgan to play his mentor’s role, “ In Zakhm, he was at his most brilliant and brave (he had played Bhatt himself). Ajay is the only actor I can think of presently who has an emotional point.

Only his acting has that humility which allows somebody else’s life to invade him and portray that character without any pretensions. He soaks up information like a sponge and becomes the character. I don’t think he has stagnated as an actor you are as good or bad as the writer or director is.”

Not a comeback

Talking about the project Bhatt says, “I want to clarify that I have no intention of making a comeback into fictional feature films again. After giving up feature films, I have been making documentaries on the super cyclone of Orissa, the drought of Rajasthan, Nagaland, the lives of the Bastar tribals and the Jamiyat Ulema E Hind. I am going to make a documentary of a four-hour duration, which chronicles my own perspective of UG. It will be a non-fiction film like A Mighty Heart.”

Quelle: http://www.mid-day.com/web/guest/enterta...XT_5_groupId=14

Author: Tushar Joshi; Date: 08 Feb 2008

The couple had a heated argument over leaking private text messages

They like to keep things private. We rarely get to hear about any tiff between Ajay Devgan and his wife Kajol. However, a source close to the couple spills the beans.

Flare-up

A recent argument between Kads and Ajay didn’t remain behind closed doors as it was heard an eavesdropper. The reason behind the drama? A source close to the couple tells all, “Ajay discussed some of Kajol’s private messages with Kumar Mangat who is his good friend.

The drama began when Kajol texted Shah Rukh about a project offered to her by Rajkumar Hirani. She was enquring about Hirani and his views on the script and her role.”

Kajol who discusses her work with Ajay, told him about the messages she sent Shah Rukh. She even shared with him other details about the film. But when Kajol, known for her fiery temper, realised that Ajay had shared this information with Kumar Mangat, all hell broke loose.

“When Kajol heard other people talking about her private messages with Shah Rukh, she was shocked. Especially because it showed her ignorance about Hirani’s calibre. This was something she had only shared with Ajay. Kajol confronted Ajay and asked him if he had discussed their conversation with anyone else.”

Ajay denied the allegation and told her it was a case of pure misunderstanding. “Kumar Mangat later met Kajol and sorted out the matter with her. However, it took quite a while for her to cool down and forget the fight.”

When contacted, Ajay just laughed off the incident.

Quelle: http://www.mid-day.com/web/guest/enterta...XT_5_groupId=14