RE: April 2008 - News - 7

April 15, 2008 6:05:01 PM IST
Bollywood Trade News Network

Ajay Devgan is known in the industry for being truthful and absolutely honest when standing by his beliefs and opinion and he is also humble enough to give credit where due we hear!

After receiving rave reviews post the release of the film and the enormous collection at the box office, when asked in a recent interview about his 4 months publicity blitzkrieg for his directorial debut, Ajay immediately gave full credit to Eros International, Co-Producer Kumar Mangat, Publicist Parag Desai and Publicity designer Rahul Nanda for taking U, ME AUR HUM to new levels!! He especially thanked his publicist for getting him to try to be more media savvy and consistently in the news for the past couple of months.

In an industry where the people behind the scenes are rarely spoken about, this comes as quite a refreshing change we say!

Quelle: http://www.glamsham.com/movies/scoops/08...team-040805.asp

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

übersetzt von soulsurfer:

Ajay ist bekannt dafür, absolut ehrlich zu sein und zu seiner Meinung zu stehen - und er ist auch bescheiden genug, Lob weiterzugeben.
Nach den begeisterten Reviews und den enormen Einnahmen an den Kinokassen gab Ajay in einen kürzlich geführten Interview über seinen viermonatigen "Blitzkrieg" wegen seines Regiedebuts sofort die Lorbeeren für den Erfolg an EROS International, Coproducer Kumar Mangat und die Mediaagenten Parag Desai und Rahul Nanda weiter! Sein besonderer Dank galt letzterem für seine Bemühungen um Ajays medienkompatibleres Auftreten.

13 Hours,51 minutes Ago; April 15

Imagine Ajay Devgan playing a modern-day Karna. Yes, that is going to happen in director Prakash Jha’s next film.

Aptly titled Rajniti , the movie takes inspiration from the Hindu epic Mahabharat and incorporates the characters from the epic into the present-day political setup. The movie is a political thriller.

Ajay Devgan, one of Jha’s favourites, will play the role of Karna in contemporary politics. Nana Patekar , another Jha favourite, plays the wise Krishna. Manoj Bajpai plays the greedy Duryodhana.

Apart from them, Jha has also signed Vivek Oberoi for a role.

However, the director has yet to finalize the actor who will play the most important character, that of Arjuna.

Jha says he has a very suitable actor in mind for the role. But the actor has not been finalized yet.

‘Rajniti’ will not just take characters from Mahabharat. The movie also incorporates some famous episodes of the epic into the contemporary setting.

Now, that would be interesting to watch.

Quelle: http://www.keralanext.com/news/?id=1212752

IndiaGlitz [Tuesday, April 15, 2008]

Trying to present the great epic Mahabharatha in the form of a three hour movie is not just difficult, but is almost near to impossible.

Getting inspired from the epic would be a much better idea for the practical minded persons.

And who is that practical minded person?

It’s none other than the acclaimed director Prakash Jha.

A film whose story is set up in the modern political world but with characters made up of personal traits of the main characters in Mahabharatha like Arjuna, Bheema, Karna etc is circling in the mind of the ace director Prakash Jha.

Some parts of Mahabharatha will be adapted into the film ‘Rajniti’ as part of the core story that takes the film forward.

Ajay Devagan is tipped to play the role of Karna and Manoj Bajpai is to represent Duryodhana.

It’s going to be a treat watching the bollywood actors giving life to the legendry personalities of Mahabharatha.

Quelle: http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/hindi/article/37933.html

According to early figures, the Ajay Devgan directed romantic drama U Me Aur Hum has managed to make good money in its first week of release in the UK.

On a competitive weekend, the film did respective business of £171,847 and entered the Box Office at number 14.

We will provide you with further detailed information on this film, and of the other release of the week Krazzy 4, as and when they become available.

Quelle: http://www.radiosargam.com/films/archive...ness-in-uk.html

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

übersetzt von soulsurfer:

Die Umsätze in Großbritannien liegen bei knapp 150000 Pfund, und der Film auf Platz 14 des Boxoffice.

- By Taran Adarsh, April 15, 2008 - 09:00 IST

Auszug:

UMAH

Plusses
Well enacted, well penned and well directed venture

Minusses
Gets too serious in the second hour

Verdict
Picked up gradually after a slow start. Metros/multiplexes are faring very well. Monday was steady at plexes, due to holiday

Quelle: http://www.indiafm.com/trade/top5/index.html

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

übersetzt von soulsurfer:

Midweek sieht KRAZZY noch vorn, UMAH holt aber auf.

April 17, 2008 - 09:14 IST

Two diverse genre films fetched equally diverse openings last week. As pointed in our Box-office Update last Saturday, KRAZZY 4 started on a strong note, while the aggressively publicized U ME AUR HUM saw a low turnout.

The general trend in India is, love stories or family sagas start on a slow note, but gather speed if the word of mouth is tremendous. Instances like BAGHBAN, VIVAH and TAARE ZAMEEN PAR are still fresh. The films didn't open well, but went on to become money spinners eventually. So the below the mark response to U ME AUR HUM doesn't come as a surprise.

Fortunately for U ME AUR HUM, the reports were positive and the film picked up from Friday evening onwards. Saturday and Sunday again witnessed an escalation in business, while Monday being a holiday, the business at metros [mainly multiplexes] was encouraging.

The current status is, even if the film drops on Wednesday [it did dip] and Thursday, it should stabilize again during the coming weekend [April 18-20] since there's no major release this Friday. The plexes should ensure positive returns, especially at big centres.

Over an interesting conversation with a top notch producer a few days ago, the topic steered towards Ajay Devgan's ratings within the industry. What goes in his favor is that the actor is ready to experiment, he's ready to come out of the 'action hero' setups and work with varied directors who could tap his potential to the optimum.

Agreed, you are valued by the number of hits along side your name, but a good actor will always last more than people who don't know the grammar of acting right. Ajay has it in him and it's a matter of just one hit.

KRAZZY 4 caught a lot of traders unaware who expected the comedy to open to a moderate response. The impressive opening can be attributed to various factors. The brand [Rakesh Roshan], the item songs, the aggressive promotion, the genre [comedy] and the last-minute controversy that earned the film front page prominence. Negative or positive, good or bad, any kind of publicity is only going to make that film talked about even more.

KRAZZY 4 may have received a mixed feedback, but it took a strong start from its first show itself. The weekend was excellent, with the film making its distributors grin from ear to ear. What goes in its favor is its medium-budget pricing and big release [screens] on one hand and generous returns on the other.

The first 4 days were good and although its business dipped on Tuesday and Wednesday, the film should find a place in the 'Plus' category thanks to the good shares in the first week. An open week ahead should only ensure more booty for its investors.

Quelle: http://indiafm.com/trade/business_talk/index.html

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

übersetzt von sRuthle:

Man verweist auf TZP und Baghban und Vivah, die auch nicht so übermäßig gut besucht waren am ersten Tag, aber durch die Mund-zu-Mund Propaganda dann hinsichtlich der Besucherzahlen stark zugelegt haben.
Auch UMAH konnte seine Zahlen steigern, am Montag (ein Feiertag in Indien) waren die Zahlen "ermutigend", so steht es da, vor allem in den Großstädten (Multiplex Kinos).
Ajay Devgan sei bereit zu experimentieren, sein Image als Action Hero abzustreifen, arbeite mit verschiedensten Regisseuren und habe "es einfach in sich". Er brauche nur einen Hit. (Ja, den wünschen wir ihm doch von Herzen, oder?)

Krazzy 4 läßt die Verleiher "von einem Ohr zum anderen grinsen"....

Beide Filme waren weniger gut besucht am Mittwoch und wohl auch für heute sind nicht viele Karten verkauft, aber das ist wohl normal für solche Tage mitten in der Woche. Am Wochenende wird für beide Filme wieder relativ volles Haus erwartet.

Joginder Tuteja, IndiaGlitz [Thursday, April 17, 2008]

Auszug:

First weekend performance of latest release

It seemed like advantage U ME AUR HUM on the days leading to the weekend gone by when the Ajay Devgan-Kajol starrer released alongside KRAZZY 4. However, KRAZZY 4 went on to have a better start than U ME AUR HUM and clearly won the opening day battle. On Friday, the comedy/drama by Jaideep Sen took a very good opening and showed full houses at most of the centers, especially in the evening and night shows, hence ensuring that this Rakesh Roshan production would turn out to be a safe venture.

Reasons for a very good start of the film can be attributed to a) comedy promos working well with the audience, b) Hrithik's version of 'Break Free' which turned out to be a rage and c) Last but certainly not the least, the entire Rakesh Roshan-Ram Sampat controversy which did help the film in gaining mileage all over.

Though word of mouth has been mostly in decent range, KRAZZY 4 is now set to be a winner and would at the least turn out to be an above average performer.

On the other hand U ME AUR HUM took a decent start but not the kind which makes a film being termed as safe. Fortunately, the film was appreciated by most who saw it while the reviews were mostly favorable as well which meant that on Saturday and Sunday, the film did show good pick up. Since the film has been released with relatively lesser number of prints, it doesn't belong to the kind for which the verdict can be out based on the opening weekend rush. The film would have to be monitored closely for it's stable performance for at least 3 weeks before a clear box office status can be attributed to it.
...

Quelle: http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/hindi/article/37980.html

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

übersetzt von soulsurfer:

KRAZZY 4 hat das Duell vom Eroeffnungswochenende gegen UMAH offensichtlich gewonnen. ... UMAH hatte keinen schlechten Start, ist aber noch nicht auf der sicheren Seite. Gluecklicherweise wurde der Film von den meisten Zuschauern sehr geschaetzt. Ebenso waren die Kritiken gut, weswegen das erste Wochenende dann gut lief. Wegen der relativ geringen Anzahl der Kopien kann von diesem Wochenende noch nicht auf den Verlauf der naechsten Wochen geschlossen werden. Wir muessen wahrscheinlich drei Wochen warten, bevor ein endgueltiges Boxofficeurteil gefaellt werden kann.

Sonali Joshi, Hill Road Media; Thursday, April 17, 2008

Ajay Devgan shot for the reality show Rock N Roll Family on Monday despite having lost his father in law last Thursday. Expectedly, Kajol and Tanuja did not come for filming

Mauli Dave, who hosts of the show, revealed, “Tanujaji and Kajol could not attend the shoot this time but we were expecting it. Ajay came and completed the entire episode. The families keep on interacting with them so we all missed them. We have become like a huge family on the sets.”

Jeetendraji and Esha Deol visited the sets as special guests. Kajol and Tanuja are expected to re-join the shoot next week.

Meanwhile, there is going to be a wild card entry episode next week in Rock N Roll Family. This week Sharad Kelkar is going to perform on Dard –e-disco and Mauli on Race Sansoon Ki. The team of Saat Phere will also perform during the show.

Recently, Kajol went to Pune to perform the final rites of her father. It is said that April 17 is last day of the rituals and after that she may resume shoot.

Rock N Roll Family airs at Friday-Saturday at 10 pm.

Quelle: http://www.indya.com/news/newsDetails.as...ws_20080417_168

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

übersetzt von soulsurfer:

Trotz Trauer kommt Ajay seinen TV-Verpflichtungen nach
Ajay Devgan drehte am Montag für die Realityshow Rock N Roll Familiy, obwohl sein Schwiegervater erst letzten Donnerstag verstarb. Erwartungsgemäß blieben aber Kajol und Tanuja zuhause.
Der Gastgeber der Show, Mauli Dave, erklärte dazu: "Tanujaji und Kajol konnten diesmal nicht bei den Dreharbeiten dabei sein - wir haben das erwartet. Ajay ist gekommen und hat die ganze Folge gedreht. Weil die Familien mit ihnen allen zusammenarbeiten, haben wir die beiden natürlich vermisst. Wir fühlen uns hier am Set eng miteinander verbunden."
Jeetendraji und Esha Deol waren diesmal als Gäste am Set. Kajol und Tanuja werden nächste Woche beim Drehen zurückerwartet.
(...) Kajol hält wegen der letzten Riten für ihren Vater derzeit in Puna auf. Voraussichtlich werden diese am 17. April beendet sein und danach wird sie wahrscheinlich wieder an die Arbeit zurückkehren.

18th Apr 2008 13.01 IST
By ApunKaChoice

Ranbir Kapoor is all set to play modern-day Arjun in Prakash Jha 's inspiration from the Hindu epic Mahabharat titled Rajniti .

We told you Monday that Ajay Devgan will be playing a modern-day Karna, Nana Patekar plays the wise Krishna and Manoj Bajpai plays the greedy Duryodhana.

‘Rajniti’ incorporates the characters from the epic Mahabharat into the present-day political setup. The movie is a political thriller and also incorporates some famous episodes of the epic into the contemporary setting.

And now reports are that Jha has signed Ranbir for the role of Arjun in the film.

When Jha narrated the script to Ranbir, he loved his part and instantly gave his words to him. He will soon allot his dates, as he is busy shooting Bachna Ae Haseenon .

Speculation is also rife that Jha will now approach Deepika Padukone for the modern-day Draupadi.

Now that would be very interesting.

Quelle: http://www.apunkachoice.com/scoop/bollywood/20080418-0.html

IndiaGlitz [Saturday, April 19, 2008]

Sikandar Kher is set to set screens on fire.

Sanjay Gupta's Woodstock Villa marks Kher's debut and the actor is going to be launched in jhakaas ishstyle! Remember the opening scene of Sanjay Dutt in Rocky? And Ajay Devgan dare devil entry scene in Phool Aur Kaante! Sanjay Gupta has similar plans too launch Sikandar in a very stylish way.

Industry sources reminisces that whenever there are opening shots of the hero on a bike like SRK in Deewana, John Abraham in Dhoom or Sanjay Dutt & Ajay Devgan in their launch , the film has always done exceptionally well and the hero has always established himself in Bollywood.

Industry sources who have seen the rushes rave that the opening sequence has been stylishly shot. In fact they say that it reminds them of Tom Cruise entry scene on a bike in the cult classic 'Days of Thunder!

The scene introduces Sikandar on a very expensive bike, coming out smoke, has been shot in lavish style that is going to be remembered for a long time to come. In fact the scene will be the talk of the town.

Wait and watch!

Quelle: http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/hindi/article/38027.html

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

übersetzt von soulsurfer:

In WOODSTOCK VILLA soll die Eröffnungsszene von Shikandar Kher ebenso spektakulär werden wie die z. B. die von Ajay in Phool Aur Kaante! Angeblich sind ein teures Motorrad und seeehr viel Rauch beteiligt ...

13 Apr 2008, 0725 hrs IST,CHARU AMAR

Auszug:

Angelina Jolie has one, Esha Deol has one, and Ajay Devgan has one too. No, we are not talking about that, but the reference here is to tattoos!
...
Celebrity tattoos
Be it Angelina’s Buddhist Pali prayer for her son Maddox or our very own Esha Deol’s body art reading the ‘Gayatri Mantra’ or for that matter the ‘Mother Mary’ on tough guy Ajay Devgan’s arm...more and more celebs are sporting cool tattoos. Even actor Anil Kapoor is all set to get into the inking groove and get some smashing tattoos all over his (not hairy anymore) body for his latest flick Tashan!

So, get into the inking groove and let your imagination draw designs that speak your mind!

Quelle: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Lifes...916,curpg-1.cms

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

übersetzt von soulsurfer:

Da steht zu Ajay unter Tattoos berühmter Leute: Ob Angelinas buddhistisches Ornament für Sohn Maddox oder Esha Deols Körperkunstwerk mit dem Gayatri Mantra oder die "Heilige Maria" auf dem Arm unseres tapferen Jungen Ajay Devgan ... immer mehr Stars haben koole Tattoos. [Heilige Maria? What the ... Fotos?]

Published on Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 15:49

Auszug:

...
Rajeev Masand: Your contemporaries are moving into direction. Is that an area we see you going in?

Shah Rukh Khan: I think it is a very lonely job. Ajay Devgan, Aamir and Sunny Deol have lots of guts and I wish them so well. The other day I met Ajay and I wanted to ask him how does it feel to be directing? Am I ready to be this lonely so early? I don’t think so. I like the sound, the noise and people. I want to do shows, movies, and endorsements, Knight Riders. I want to do so much that there is nothing left to do.

Quelle: http://www.ibnlive.com/news/interview-sr...pl/63595-8.html

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

übersetzt von soulsurfer:

R.M: Ihre Zeitgenossen verlegen sich alle auf das Regiefach. Werden wir Sie auch dort sehen?
SRK: Ich denke, das ist ein einsames Geschäft. Ajay Devgan, Aamir und Sunny Deol haben viel Mut, und ich wünsche ihnen Glück. Kürzlich habe ich Ajay getroffen und wollte ihn fragen, wie das so ist mit der Regie. Ich denke ich bin noch nicht soweit, mich schon jetzt so einsam zu fühlen. Ich mag die Musik, den Lärm und die Menschen. Ich will Shows und Filme und zusätzlich Sachen wie die Knight Riders machen. Ich will alles bis zum Letzten ausschöpfen.

IndiaGlitz [Saturday, April 19, 2008]

If the reports coming out are true Ranbir Kapoor will be seeking and getting advice from none other Nana Patekar to make his moves right.

Not in Bollywood, but in the urban battle ground in ‘Rajnithi’ Director Prakash Jha’s next film.

The ace director’s new film is his version of the great epic Mahabharat.

The film combines the evergreen, legendry characters of Mahabharata and the present day political scenario in the country.

After the news of Nana Patekar playing the role of Krishna, Ajay Devgan as Karna and Manoj Bajpai as the kaurava Duryodhana in the story inspired from the great epic came out , it was also reported that Prakash Jha is in the lookout for the actor who can do justice to the role of Arjun.

Some famous stories from Mahabhartha, unfolding in the modern political world can also be seen in the film.

If the news of new kid Ranbir going to enact the Pandava warrior is true, why the director thought him apt for the important role is something that only the director himself can explain.

But there is one thing.

Many of today’s top B-Town hunks would have loved to get that role of one of the greatest heroes of India.

Quelle: http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/hindi/article/38032.html

Prithwish Ganguly
Monday, April 21, 2008 23:59 IST

Auszug:

...
But what made this devout Ajay Devgan fan cast Ranbir in the lead?
“Ranbir suited the role more I guess, we recently did a photo shoot with Ranbir and Katrina and found their chemistry to be engaging,” he said.
...
But why is Ajay not in the lead? Is it because of his recent streak of landing flops?
“The film is a youthful romance, casting Ranbir in the lead is purely the script demand. There’s nothing to read in between the lines,” the director shot back.
...

Quelle: http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1160754

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

übersetzt von soulsurfer:

Die Hauptfrage ist sozusagen, warum Regisseur Rankumar Santoshi (Lajja, Khakee) diesmal nicht Ajay sondern Ranbir für die Hauptrolle genommen hat: Santoshi fand, dass Ranbir besser zur Rolle und zu Kareena passt.
Aber warum hat nicht Ajay die Hauptrolle bekommen? Wegen seiner Pechsträhne am Boxoffice in der letzten Zeit?
"Der Film ist eine Jugendromanze, Ranbir die Hauptrolle zu geben folgt nur den Anforderungen des Drehbuchs. Da gibt es nichts hinein zu interpretieren!", gibt der Regisseur ziemlich schroff zur Antwort.

22 Apr 2008, 0000 hrs IST,TNN

Not only is Shah Rukh Khan going to star opposite a new girl in his next film, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, good friend Salman Khan will also be seen romancing a young Punjabi girl in Vipul Shah’s London Dreams.

Two girls, who hail from Chandigarh and Mumbai, have been shortlisted for Aditya Chopra’s Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, and are currently undergoing training for the role at the Yashraj Films studios. “The girls are currently staying with their parents in a five-star hotel near the airport. They commute every day to Yashraj studios for their training,” says a source. Although the role demands a typical Punjabi girl and the newcomer from Chandigarh suits the role, Adi is keen on pairing the Mumbai girl with Shah Rukh.

Meanwhile, Vipul Shah is searching for a newcomer with whom Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan will fall in love in London Dreams. Vipul Shah says, “I am busy with auditions and keep asking people to recommend whoever they think will be perfect for my film. The criterion is that the girl should have classic innocent looks.” Aditya Chopra’s film will go on the floors in mid-May, while Vipul Shah will start rolling in June.

Quelle: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India...how/2968715.cms