RE: August 2008 - News - 3

Ajay Devgan: Tussi great ho!

Ajay Devgan has been very busy shooting for Toonpur Ka Superhero. And we’ll let you in on a little secret. Apparently, the Devgan dude has experimented with the maximum number of costumes and get-ups in this film than he has ever done in his filmi career. We hear he plays the devil, king, soldier, cowboy, goon, boxer and God in this kiddie’s flick. Now should we love him or hate him? Anyway, we’re dreading the overdose. Contributed by Urvashi Ashar, Deepali Dhingra, Sharin Wader and Gautam Buragohain)

Monday 25th August 2008 10.30 IST

Auszug:

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Q. How well do you expect Golmaal Returns to perform?
A. The film should open very well and be a big success. The film may well be Ajay Devgan's biggest hit ever.
Vikram Rawat, Canada
...

Quelle: http://www.boxofficeindia.com/youdetail....at=you_asked_it

By: Upala KBR; Date: 2008-08-25

It's extremely difficult for B-Town stars like Ajay Devgan ('Fag finale for Ajay'; HiTLIST, May 27) to stay away from the cancer stick after puffing on it for years. The actor has now started smoking yet again!

Ajay writes on his blog (http://ajaydevgan.net): "Today I wish to make an honest confession. Since the past week or so, I have been going through a tough time coping with the withdrawal symptoms and have started smoking again. Not as much as I did earlier, but it was getting too much. Hope my fans understand me."

A source close to the actor says, "He used to smoke almost 100 cigarettes a day till he quit it completely in May. But then he started suffering withdrawal systems. Eventually, it proved to be detrimental for him physically as he suffered from breathlessness, suffocation, nausea and headaches. Moreover, the recent hospitalisation of his mother ('Mommy takes ill'; HiTLIST, July 30) was a stressful time for Ajay along with the withdrawal pangs."

The source adds, "It got so bad that he was advised by his physician that cutting down drastically jolts the body and he could smoke in small quantities till he could give it up completely. Since then, Ajay has started smoking about five cigarettes a day. He has decided when his body gets tuned to function without nicotine, he will give it up for good."

The actor is currently shooting for the animated flick, Toonpur Ka Superhero which requires him to do a lot of action scenes.

Withdrawal symptoms
The first few weeks after one quits smoking are the most difficult and it takes at least eight to 12 weeks before a person gets used to it. Withdrawal is characterised by headache, anxiety, nausea and a craving for more tobacco. Most withdrawal symptoms peak 48 hours after quitting and disappear in six months.

Quelle: http://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/200...gan-smoking.htm

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übersetzt von soulsurfer:

Für Bollystars wie Ajay Devgan ist es extrem schwierig, nach vielen Jahren der Gewöhnung vom Glimmstengel zu lassen. So hat der Schauspieler jetzt das Rauchen wieder angefangen!
Ajay schreibt in seinem Blog: "Heute muss ich ein Geständnis ablegen. In der letzten Woche hatte ich ziemliche Entzugserscheinungen, die mich so geplagt haben, dass ich wieder mit dem Rauchen anfing. Nicht so viel wie vorher, ich habe es einfach nicht mehr ausgehalten. Hoffentlich verstehen meine Fans das."
Eine Quelle aus der Umgebung des Schauspielers sagt: "Er rauchte vorher fast 100 Zigaretten pro Tag, bis er im Mai plötzlich damit aufhörte. Aber dann kamen die Entzugserscheinungen. Er litt unter Atemlosigkeit, Erstickungsanfällen, Übelkeit und Kopfschmerzen, was sich als sehr nachteilig herausstellte. Dazu kam die Erkrankung seiner Mutter, die für Ajay ziemlich viel Stress mit sich brachte - dazu die ganzen Entzugssymptome.
Die Quelle fügt hinzu: "Es wurde so übel, dass ihm sogar der Artz sagte, dass plötzliche Aufhören sei zu viel für seinen Körper und er solle lieber wieder ganz wenig rauchen und dann aufhören. Danach hat Ajay angefangen, etwa fünf Zigaretten am Tag zu rauchen. Sobald sein Körper sich an ein Leben ohne Nikotin gewöhnt hat, will er ganz aufhören."
Der Schauspieler dreht gerade für TKSH, der ihm viele Actionszenen abverlangt.

Posted On Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Rajkumar Santoshi taken to court by PVR Pictures for reneging on their Rs 60 crore deal

Auszug:

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When he probed further, he said, “Yes, I was given the signing amount by PVR for both the films. I was also doing a lot of groundwork for the film and had even signed Ajay Devgan and Bipasha Basu for Ashoka. In fact even their costumes were finalised. However, after sometime, PVR stopped funding the film.
...
This isn’t the first time that Santoshi has pulled himself out of a project after signing it. Not so long ago, he was supposed to direct London Dreams for P J Singh, but now, Vipul Shah has been assigned to hold the directorial reins. Earlier, Keshu Ramsay had dragged Santoshi to court over money matters on a film called Saamna, which never took off.

Quelle: http://www.mumbaimirror.com/net/mmpaper....39096848b3c87c9

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übersetzt von Diwali:

Rajkumar Santoshi hat zur Zeit massive Probleme mit der Produktionsfirma, die ihn u.a. für Ashoka unter Vertrag genommen hatte. PVR Pictures wirft ihm Vertragsbruch vor, weil er einen neuen Film für eine andere Firma begonnen hat, bevor er vertragsgemäß ihre beiden Filme beendet hat, und hat ihn daher angezeigt; es erwartet ihn ein Verfahren beim High Court. Santoshi rechtfertigt sich damit, dass PVR seit einiger Zeit den Geldhahn zugedreht habe und er nicht mehr an den beiden Projekten habe weiterarbeiten können, und um nicht untätig herumzusitzen, habe er eben bis dahin das andere Projekt in Angriff genommen.

Das erklärt nun auch, warum es mit Ashoka derzeit nicht weitergeht ...

in der heutigen Mid-Day Ausgabe

Ajay Devgan and Kajol along with their daughter Nysa were spotted at a special aarti at Siddhivinayak Mandir, Prabhadevi, on Monday evening. The actor was accompanied by parents Veeru and Ajay Devgan, his sister Dolly and cousin Vikrant Sharma. The actor had been specially invited by the temple trust for the aarti.

Bilder im Bilder Thread

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übersetzt von soulsurfer:

Ajay Devgan und Kajol mitsamt Tochter Nysa wurden am Montagabend auf einer speziellen Aarti (Lichterzeremonie) im Siddhivinakyak Tempel in Prabhadevi gesehen. Der Schauspieler wurde von seinen Eltern, seiner Schwester Dolly und Cousin Vikrant Sharma begleitet. Er war vom Tempelkomitee zu dieser Veranstaltung eingeladen worden.

By: Amul Sharma; Date: 2008-08-28

Salman Khan refused to do a photo shoot for Vipul Shah's London Dreams after seeing the pictures of Ajay Devgan's promotional shoot. Reason? Sallu thought he needed time to match up with Ajay's stylish ways.

A source reveals, "Salman and Ajay were initially supposed to shoot together. But as Salman was busy with Veer and 10 Ka Dum, he gave dates a few days later. On the other hand, as Ajay had already blocked his dates, he couldn't shoot with Salman."

The source adds, "Ajay's shoot look and styling was immaculate. Designer Ana Singh did his clothes. When it was Salman's turn to show up and shoot a couple of days later, the actor wanted to check out how Devgan looked. After seeing the snapshots, Sallu refused to shoot saying that he needed time to prepare. Vipul Shah was present at the time and Sallu told him he wanted to look hotter than Ajay."

It is learnt that all those present at the shoot were taken by surprise by Salman's reaction. A few days later he was back and shot with a look that was styled by his sister Alvira Agnihotri.

Quelle: http://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/200...ndon-dreams.htm

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übersetzt von isabel:

Salman sollte ein ein Photo shoot für Vipul Shah's London Dreams machen..hatte es aber dann abgelehnt nach dem er die Fotos von Ajay gesehen hatte,der anscheinend super in seinem Photo shoot aussah.Salmans Forderung war: Er will heißer aussehen als Ajay!

Hollywood Stunt Director shoots action sequences for Toonpur Ka Superhero
By Nikhil Ramsubramaniam, August 30, 2008 - 12:34 IST

Jack Gill is a name you may not instantly connect with. But in the West, Jack is a name to reckon with, when it comes to directing high-octane action sequences. Jack is one of the leading action directors in Hollywood having directed action scenes for films like Terminator-2, Wild Hogs, RoboCop, Bad Boys 2, Gone in 60 Seconds, Pearl Harbor and Dare Devil to name a few. Now the man who has worked with the Who's Who of Hollywood comes to Bollywood to direct the action sequences for Ajay Devgan- Kajol starrer Toonpur Ka Superhero. Produced by Kumar Mangat and presented by Eros International, Toonpur Ka Superhero is India's first live-action and 3D animation feature film which is directed by Kireet Khurana. In the midst of directing some never before seen action sequences at Mehboob Studios, Bollywood Hungama caught up with Jack Gill to find out his experiences after having worked with the biggest names in Hollywood.

After having directed some heavy duty action sequences for films like Déjà vu, The Day after Tomorrow, Dare Devil, Pearl Harbor, and Gone in 60 seconds, you are now making your debut in Bollywood with Toonpur Ka Superhero. How does it feel?
It's fantastic to be here. One of the perceptions that we had about India is that you still have elephants roaming on the streets and that it's a land of king cobras but I don't think that is the case. It's very civilized and you have the same equipments that we use in the States. So that's great

How did you get this offer and what made you say yes?
I was working on a film in Louisiana when I got a call from the makers and here I am.

What had you heard about Bollywood before you came down?
We didn't really know much except for the fact that the whole film industry is in one area. However, we figured out that it's not true and that Bollywood is spread across all over Mumbai. We thought there would be just one big gate, surrounded by walls (something like our Universal Studios in Hollywood) where all the action takes place but it is really spread out over here.

You are doing action sequences for Toonpur Ka Superhero which has a mix of real and animated characters. So what special action do we get to see in this film?
You get to see an amazing interaction between both the animated characters and real-life characters. We have action sequences with the regular characters and then you have the animated characters doing some action. So you get the best of both sequences.

Do we get to see the animated characters kick some butt a-la Kung Fu Panda?
They do...they kick some butt, they throw people around, they get squished and smashed. It's simply hilarious and a lot of fun

Which is your favorite animated character in the film?
Well...we have a lot of characters...they are all really good. If I pick anyone favorite and tell you why, I am going to give away the plot and don't want to do that.

Ajay Devgan started off as an action hero. Did you see any of his films? How has been the experience working with him?
Yes, I did see some of his films before I came here. He has done some amazing action stunts during his younger days but now that he has been kind of out of the action genre for a while and we had to get him back to the physical aspect of it. So it's good to get him back to doing some action and I must say he has adapted to it really well. It has been fantastic working with him. He is a very professional actor and knows exactly what he wants and how to do it. From an action director's point of view, you tell him what to do and he does it exactly in the first take which is fantastic.

Are you aware that Ajay's dad Veeru Devgan is a noted action director himself?
Yaa...he told me that his father was a noted action director of his times and it's great to know that Ajay comes from such a family

How many people have you got along with you for the shooting of Toonpur Ka Superhero?
We are a team of 6 including me.

How many days have you guys shot for and how much of it is left?
We have been here for about two and a half months and we have another week to go.

In the recent past, Bollywood films such as Tashan have seen new forms of action such as Parkour. Do we get to see any action of that sort in Toonpur Ka Superhero?
We have got some stunts in this film that has never been seen even in any American cinema. I can't tell you what it is but it is bigger and better and faster than any stunt which you have seen in American cinema.

The clichéd question, how different is it choreographing action sequences abroad and out here?
It's not that much different at all. The crews react exactly the same way they do in the United States as they do here. I haven't heard any problems at all from any of the crew members out here. So it's pretty much the same.

You have directed the action sequences for some really big Hollywood films and have been in the industry for nearly 30 odd years. So how did it all start for you?
Well...I started out as a stuntman in the business and was also an actor. After I prospered as a stunt director, I felt that I wanted to direct actors only in action sequences. For the last 11-12 years that's all that I have been doing- directing action sequences.

After having done so many big films which have been 3 of your most memorable films that you have worked on?
The most fun was Austin Powers. That has a lot on tongue-in-cheek humor with a lot of stunts and was really good fun. Austin Powers in Goldmember (the most recent one had some really big action sequences in the beginning and getting to design all of that and the whole post-production was a lot of fun. Besides Austin Powers, I also enjoyed working on Bad Boys 2 and Terminator 2

Having been an action director for most your life, what precautions and safety measures do you take as an action director?
In the US, you have to be really careful about each and every stunt so when I brought my team here, that was one of the main aspects of that we brought along with us. The Indian cinema and entertainment industry had to adapt to our safety guidelines. We brought over a lot more safety measures from what I they that are used to here. But I think they have adapted well to out safety standards. One of the reasons why we are too safety conscious in the US is that we have a lot of lawyers so we don't want to get into any litigation case (laughs).

Out here a lot of our Bollywood stars like Akshay Kumar, Suneil Shetty, Ajay Devgan do their own stunts. What's the scene in the West? Do stars do their own stunts?
They all say they do their own stunts. There are a few stars like Tom Cruise, Keanu Reeves who do their own stunts but I like said because of the litigation issue in the US, the entertainment industry can't afford to have a star with a scar or a scrape. So, they really don't want the stars to do their own stunts. The few stars who do their own stunts are taking their liability in their own hands.

Which Hollywood actors have you enjoyed working with the most in your illustrious career?
I really enjoyed working with Nick Nolte, Tom Cruise. Tom Cruise is really in-tuned to his character. Even after finishing the shot, he still remains in character.

Since you said that your initial days were as a stuntman, which has been the most death-defying stunt that you have done?
There have been a lot of them. I have broken my back twice and my neck once. I have fallen from 12 storey buildings, jumped off exploding boats and have flown through the air hanging from a helicopter. But I guess the 12 storey fall was the most exciting although I was lucky that I didn't get hurt (laughs)

How are stuntman treated and paid in Hollywood? Are there any associations to look after their safety and welfare?
There are associations for stuntman. I belong to Stunts Unlimited which is the premiere stunts organization in the world. We only have 52 members. No matter which country you go to, you kind of have certain camaraderie with the people there as they have all heard of Stunts Unlimited. So everybody comes together as a team and we work together because in the line of work that we are in, nobody wants to get hurt as your life is at stake.

I believe you are also the President of Stunts Unlimited. So what are your roles and responsibilities as President of Stunts Unlimited?
Yes that's true...Being President of Stunts Unlimited means you have to try and oversee all the other members that you have and the films which the members are working on. We usually have 10 -12 films at a time, so I have to go through and make sure that all of the films are on paper and step in if my help is needed at any point of time

Out here some action directors have directed films (Tinu Verma, Veeru Devgan). Do you have any plans to direct?
I have already directed 2 films. One of them is called Body Armor. But what I tend to do is go back to the action. The action scenes are so much fun and I get so much of it that I don't really feel like doing anything else now. That's my livelihood now.

You are in your early 50's yet are so fit...so what is your work-out regime like?
I have a trampoline at home. I work on the trampoline all the time, it keeps my cardio up and is as good as running on the treadmill. I also have a park across the street so I do a lot of running as well (smiles).

What are the projects that you are working on?
I have got Wild Hogs 2 coming up. Wild Hogs is a film that I had worked on earlier and we are now doing Wild Hogs 2 in Europe. I'll be doing that in January 2009.

Any plans to come back and do some more films in Bollywood?
Of course...we have plans to do another film in Bollywood after Toonpur Ka Superhero. I hope I can come back again as I have had a lot of fun here.

Quelle: http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/features...4239/index.html

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übersetzt von soulsurfer:

Ein Interview mit Jack Gill, dem Stuntdirektor von TKSH. Er sagt, dass er Mumbai toll findet und vorher ganz andere (antiquierte) Vorstellungen von der Stadt gehabt hätte - auch von der Filmindustrie, die wirklich riesig sei. Die Möglichkeiten und das technische Equipment hätten ihn begeistert, und er sei sich sicher, dass in TKSH Stunts gezeigt werden, wie sie auch Amerika noch nicht gesehen hat. Die Dreharbeiten dauern insgesamt fast drei Monate, Ende nächster Woche wird Schluss sein.
Über Ajay selbst heißt es:
Ajay Devgan hat als Actionheld angefangen. Haben Sie seine Filme gesehen? Wie war die Arbeit mit ihm?
Ja, ich habe ein paar von seinen Filmen gesehen, bevor ich hierher kam. Er hat in seinen jungen Jahren ein paar tolle Stunts gemacht. Aber jetzt war er aus dieser Art von Arbeit einige Jahre raus und so mussten wir an den körperlichen Anforderungen ein wenig arbeiten. Es ist toll, ihn wieder in Actionszenen zu sehen, und ich muss sagen, dass er das wirklich gut hinbekommen hat. Es war fantastisch, mit ihm zu arbeiten. Er ist ein sehr professioneller Schauspieler und weiß genau, was er will und wie er das umsetzt. Als Actionregisseur müssen Sie ihm nur sagen, was er zu tun hat, und er bekommt das beim ersten Mal genauso hin. Das ist wirklich toll.

Wussten Sie, dass Ajays Vater Veeru Devgan ein anerkannter Actiondirektor ist?
Ja, er hat mir erzählt, dass sein Vater früher ein viel beachteter Actionregisseur war. Es ist super, dass Ajay aus so einer Familie kommt.

August 30, 2008 1:57:28 PM IST
Abid, Bollywood Trade News Network

Though the Rohit Shetty and Ajay Devgan team's last venture, SUNDAY, failed to set the box-office on fire, they are back with a much more commercially appealing GOLMAAL RETURNS.

In order to make the Ajay Devgan, Kareena Kapoor, Arshad Warsi, Shreyas Talpade and Amrita Arora starrer hotter in the trade and distribution circles, the makers have gone ahead and shot a highlight song on Ajay Devgan-Kareena Kapoor and others. Choreographed by Ganesh Acharya, 'Tha Karke' is said to be one of the most expensive songs ever to be shot in Bollywood.

Reliable section of the trade is now of the view that GOLMAAL RETURNS will take a good opening when the film releases on the 29th/31st October and will mark the return of Ajay Devgan too!

Quelle: http://www.glamsham.com/movies/scoops/08...arke-080802.asp

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übersetzt von soulsurfer:

Der letzte Film von Rohit Shetty und Ajay Devgan, SUNDAY, hat die Kinokassen nicht gerade zum Klingeln gebracht. Jetzt aber kommen sie mit dem wirtschaftlich erfolgversprechenderen GR in die Kinos.
Um den Kinoknüller mit Ajay Devgan, Kareena Kapoor, Arshad Warsi, Shreyas Talpade und Amrita Arora für Handel und Distribution noch attraktiver zu machen, wurde ein spezieller Song mit Ajay und Kareena gedreht. "Tha Karke" wurde von Ganesh Acharya choreografiert und ist angeblich einer der teuersten Songs, die je für Bollywood in Szene gesetzt wurden.

Der Handel rechnet fest damit, dass GR ein gutes Eröffnungswochenende hat, wenn der Film am 29. oder 31. Oktober herauskommt - und das der Film die Rückkehr von Ajay Devgan auf die Erfolgsstraße markiert.

27 Aug, 2008 06:00 am ISTlChuman Das and Reshma Kelkar/INDIATIMES MOVIES

Auszug:

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Rajkumar Santoshi’s legal woes have once again come back to haunt him. And this time the tussle is between PVR Pictures and the director.

Santoshi had signed a two film contract with PVR. And as per the contract Santoshi on completion of those two films, could work on any other film. The first film was called Ashoka and Santoshi had also signed Ajay Devgan, Bipasha Basu and Anil Kapoor for the main lead roles. Apparently Ashoka got stalled and the film was shelved. However, Santoshi did not return the money to PVR Pictures, who then dragged the filmmaker to court.
...

Quelle: http://movies.indiatimes.com/News__Gossi...how/3408295.cms

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übersetzt von soulsurfer:

(...) Santoshi hat bei PVR für zwei Filme unterschrieben. Laut Vertrag sollte er, so lange er für deren Fertigstellung tätig war, auch an anderen Filmen arbeiten können. Der erste Film ist ASHOKA mit Ajay Devgan, Bipasha Basu und Anil Kapoor in den Hauptrollen. Offensichtlich gab es Verzögerungen und der Film wurde auf Eis gelegt. Trotzdem bekam PVR Pictures von Santoshi kein Geld zurück, die daraufhin den Filmemacher vor Gericht zerrten.