Shazahn excited about film on rave party

Actress Shazahn Padamsee, who was last seen in Sajid Khan's comic caper "Housefull 2", is upbeat about her next film " Disco Valley", which is about a rave party.

"I am doing a film 'Disco Valley'. It is a very young film, it's about a big rave party. It will start in October, so I am very excited about that," the 24-year-old said.

Directed by Sajit Warrier, "Disco Valley" also features Rajat Barmecha and Manjot Singh. It also features a pig as a protagonist.

Child Rights panel to hear complaint against Shah Rukh

Three months after he scuffled with MCA and police officials at Wankhede stadium after an IPL match, the Maharashtra Commission for Protection of Child Rights will hear a complaint against actor Shahrukh Khan for "corrupting" the minds of children with "filthy abuses in public".

The Commission has sent a notice to the complainant and Marine Drive police station to be present on August 16 for the hearing.

Complainant Amit Maru, through his lawyer Y P Singh, had approached the Commission saying seven cognizable offences were made against Khan and sought a direction to the police to register an FIR against the actor.

"If Maru or the police officials are not present, then hearing will take place ex-parte," said the notice signed by Commission's under secretary S S Supe sent yesterday.

Maru will have to explain how offences could be made out against Khan before the Commission proceeds further.

Madhuri's 'Gulab Gang' goes on floors in October

The shooting of Madhuri Dixit's comeback film " Gulab Gang", the production debut of director Anubhav Sinha, will begin in October. Since the movie is all about women's power, the filmmaker hopes to wrap it up in time to release it on International Women's Day in 2013.

"I'm very excited about 'Gulab Gang'. I'm hoping to release the film on March 8, 2013 on International Women's Day. The film will go on floors in October," Sinha told IANS.

All actors have been finalised for the projects, and the names are expected to be announced within the next 10 days.

I got down and dirty with Jism2: Dino Morea

In Bollywood today, you hardly would find an actor who doesn't have an alternate career plan in place. Most of them have chosen the natural progression and turned producers. The latest to join the bandwagon is perhaps the charming Dino Morea who seems to have hit a gold mine with his first project itself.

With Jism 2, Dino Morea has surely arrived as a producer. Talking about him turning producer, Dino says, "I am ambitious by nature and wanted to get to know the production side of filmmaking." He goes on to add, "I have learnt a lot from the entire experience. I have now come to respect the producer more now than ever. I had to get down and dirty with Jism 2, Pooja made it sure that I had a hands on experience when it came to producing the film. There was no delegation of work as such, so now I can hold the reins by myself."

Aamir gets Kareena and Rani together

The special music video which was recently shot for Talaash with Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Rani Mukherjee was actually Aamir's idea.

He came up with this music video idea for a very specific purpose. Turns out in the entire length of the film Talaash, the three stars are not seen together in one frame at any time. Aamir Khan, Rani Mukherjee and Kareena Kapoor don't come together in one shot as they don't have any scenes together.

 

Bipasaha is not as safe as she was 10 years ago: Mahesh Bhatt

Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt's forthcoming venture 'Raaz 3' which contains a slice from Bipasha Basu's life, says, the model-turned actress is not having a good run in the industry primarily due to the competition from the younger lot in the tinsel town.

A lot of films like 'The Dirty Picture' or the upcoming release 'Heroine' revolves around the meteoric rise and downfall of a superstar or a supermodel. Vikram Bhatt's directorial venture, 'Raaz 3' also appears to be similar, as it focuses on two actresses - Bipasha Basu and Esha Gupta -- with Emraan Hashmi playing the role of a director.

Katrina Kaif to feature in 'Rajneeti 2'?

Actress Katrina Kaif, who won critical acclaim for her performance in Prakash Jha's 'Rajneeti', is likely to feature in its second edition as well.

Director-producer Prakash Jha has already announced plans of making a sequel to the hit 2010 political thriller.

In 'Rajneeti', Katrina played the role of Indu, who was shown to be reluctantly drawn into the murky world of politics after her husband, Prithvi (played by Arjun Rampal), is killed. At the end of the film, the widowed Indu was shown to be pregnant.

"I did hear the idea about sequel from Prakashji, I think it was brilliant. The only thing is that most of the characters from the first film have been killed, so he has to set up whole thing again. The story line, the idea that he told me about 'Rajneeti 2' is amazing and I hope everything comes on properly," Katrina said in an interview last night.

"I think he is busy with another film 'Satyagrah'. If something really falls in place then it is good because I genuinely feel it is a good idea. It is something that excited me. I hope things fall in place," she said.

In 'Rajneeti' the characters played by Ajay Devgan, Manoj Bajpayee, Naseeruddin Shah, Arjun Rampal and Sarah Thompson die on screen. However, there are chances that Nana Patekar might return in its sequel.

Tannishtha Chatterjee learns Kutchi for Jal

'Road' movie starrer Tannishtha Chatterjee who will be seen in director Girish Malik's 'Jal' next, had to undergo an intense workshop to get the Kutchi accent right as she plays a Kutchi villager in the movie.

The determined actor preferred to hire a local teacher from the village instead of hiring a professional, who trained her to speak and perfect the Kacchi dialect. Apart from undergoing long hours of training without any complaints, Tannishtha made sure that she communicated with everyone on the sets only in Kutchi. She also visited the local areas to observe how people spoke and behaved to get into the skin of her character.

Praising his leading lady Malik says, "Tannishtha has done her homework well to portray her character well. By the end of the shoot she could speak the language fluently."

Surprise b’day bash for Abhishek Kapoor

Close friends from outside the film industry planned a surprise party for Abhishek Kapoor at a popular hangout on Sunday night. Abhishek turned a year older on August 6.

A source told us, "Abhishek was taken to this place, where he had no clue about people already waiting for him. He was very happy to meet his friends and people with whom he has worked professionally."

Among those present at the bash were Sohail Khan, with whom Abhishek made his directorial debut in Aryan, Arjun Rampal and Farhan Akhtar. Arjun even turned DJ, playing music for a while, according to the source.

An eyewitness at the party said, "It was a very chilled out affair. Suzanne Roshan, Mehr Jessia and Preity Zinta were seen deep in conversation. Abhishek's girlfriend Pragya took care of all the guests. A two-tier cake was cut at midnight."

Also seen at the do were the cast and crew of Abhishek's next Kai Po Che, Chetan Bhagat, whose book The 3 mistakes of my life the film is based on, Ritesh Sidhwani along with his wife, Yuvraj Singh and Kalyani Chawla. The celebrations went on till the wee hours of the morning. It was one rocking party for a very lucky birthday boy.

I cried when Sridevi married Boney: Manish Gandhi

Theatre and television actor Manish Gandhi is super excited about 'English Vinglish'. No, he isn't starring in the film but he confesses that he has been in love with Sridevi for as long as he can remember.

"When I was younger, my parents asked me, 'What is the one thing you want in life?' 'To share screen space with Sridevi,' was my response. I'm in love with her. She has inspired me in life. I cried when she married Boney Kapoor!" he says, though now with a laugh!

"Now that English Vinglish will release and she's back to acting, my hopes have been raised! I've seen Mr India, Lamhe some 300 times. Her comic timing, her madness, the way she delivers her dialogues despite not being too fluent with Hindi is just amazing," he adds.

Has he ever met her? "I had hoped to last year in Pune when she was shooting for English Vinglish with Adil Hussain, my acting professor at FTII! Unfortunately, I couldn't," he says, adding, "In fact, I'm doubly excited about the film because it stars my favourite actress and favourite teacher." Another actress who this young actor loves is Meryl Streep. "See Iron Lady and then Julie and Julia. I feel so small after watching her performance. She's too versatile," he says.

Raaz 3: Emraan is like my mentor, says Esha Gupta

Model-turned-actress Esha Gupta, who would be sharing screen space with Emraan Hashmi for the second time in Vikram Bhatt's 'Raaz 3', is full praise for the actor and looks up to him as a mentor.

The 23-year-old made her acting debut in 'Jannat 2' opposite Emraan. "I love Emraan. I was really scared of him during 'Jannat'. He as a person is very quite. During 'Jannat', he used to give his scenes as a piece of cake and I would be looking at him. The moment he used to react I was like tongue tied. I had no idea what I was doing. But he is really sweet," Esha said in an interview.

"He was like calm down.. I have done worse than you in my first few films. I thought he is joking. But it was during the promotions of 'Jannat' when Mahesh Bhatt told me... in his initial films Emraan used to give 30-40 takes, I was like I am not that bad then. He is quite like my mentor he has given me a lot of tips," she said.

Post, 'Jannat 2' life has become hectic for Esha considering the numbers of films she has on hands 'Raaz 3', Prakash Jha's 'Chakravyuh' and one more film with Bhatt camp. "I am maintaining myself still the same way...the only thing that has changed is that life has become more hectic. My day starts at 5 am and gets over at 10.30 pm. Its a long day but I love it.. I can't sit idle. I think somewhere we start ignoring our family more because we don't get time...But I must say life is only getting better and better," she said. 'Raaz 3' is a sequel to 'Raaz' and 'Raaz: The Mystery Continues', where Esha will be seen alongside Emraan and Bipasha.

Salman, Katrina look wonderful together: Shah Rukh

They may not be on talking terms but Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan doesn't shy away from heaping praise on arch-rival Salman Khan. And this time it is for Salman's forthcoming film "Ek Tha Tiger".

Asked what does he have to say about Salman and Katrina Kaif's chemistry in the film, Shah Rukh said: "It is very nice they have done few movies together. I think chemistry is a too deeper word... media has created it. Kajol and I always had this issue, 'what is this chemistry?' It has taken me years to understand what this means."

However, Shah Rukh added that Salman-Katrina look wonderful together and even wished them luck for their film.

"I don't know about the chemistry but it looks like a wonderful pair. I wish them all the luck," he said during an event.

After Salman, Katrina will be seen with Shah Rukh in an untitled project directed by Yash Chopra. The film also features Anushka Sharma.

Anupam Kher plans theatre fest in Shimla

Noted Bollywood actor Anupam Kher is in his hometown to mentor budding talents in the city. He says that it is payback time and that he will do that by grooming aspiring actors and organising a theatre fest here.

He started a three-week long session Monday at the Gaiety Theatre, the prominent landmark of the town.

"Shimla has given me a lot and now it is time has come to pay back by bringing out hidden talents in aspiring actors. I will share whatever I have learned about acting," Anupam told IANS.

For him, the actors are not born but made.

"Formal training and a right platform are must for one to grow," he added.

Mom-in-law upset with Farah Khan

Director-turned-actress Farah Khan has revealed that her mother-in-law is a bit upset ever since she saw Boman Irani in a towel during the shoot of " Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi".
"Shirish (Kunder), as usual, has not reacted at all. He has this deadpan reaction. But my mother-in-law was very excited that I was acting in a film. So she came to watch the shoot one day but unfortunately that day Boman was shooting the semi-nude scene," the 47-year-old said in an interview.
"She thought that my bahu (Farah) is working in the film, must be a homely picture. But Boman was sitting there in a towel. She has not spoken to me since then and I have you (Boman) to thank you for that," she added.
Meanwhile, when asked if she ever took any acting tips from brother Sajid Khan, Farah said: "He had done one film, I don't know if you remember, 'Jhooth Bole Kauwa Kaate'. After that film, no. But yes, he has a sense of humour."
"Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi" is slated for an Aug 24 release.

Salman says no to small town promotional tour

Superstar Salman Khan is playing safe - he has decided against travelling to smaller cities to promote his forthcoming film " Ek Tha Tiger" and he has a valid reason to do so.
"It's not about crowd control. There are women and kids and in their excitement, the men try to take advantage of the fact that there are women in the crowd. Then there are kids and senior citizens who are pushed around. God forbid, if something happens, it comes on to us," the 46-year-old said.
"If someone gets injured, that's Ok but god forbid if someone dies in these mishaps, then the responsibility falls on us. Then if our security guard pushes someone to protect us, then that also becomes a big issue. So it's better to stay away from all this," he added.

B-town celebs proud of boxer Vijender Singh

Indian boxer Vijender Singh got knocked out of the London Olympics quarterfinals but Bollywood celebrities like megastar Amitabh Bachchan and actor Siddharth have congratulated him for giving a tough fight to his opponent.
The celebrities took to Twitter after Vijender lost 13-17 to Uzbek Abbos Atoev at the ExCel Arena in London.
Amitabh Bachchan: Well fought Vijender! You have done the country and all of us proud
Rannvijay Singha: We are very proud of you champ, you fought well Vijender.
Siddharth: Vijender Singh stops just short of a Beijing glory repeat...close fight! Tragically close. Well tried champion...you already do us all proud!
Vijender, 26, had bagged a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Dirty Picture finally to be aired on tv!

The film will be shown on Sony tv on 26th August 2012.
Ekta Kapoor's The Dirty Picture wasn't allowed to be aired on television on prime time owing to its supposed adult content few months back by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. For the fans of Balaji and Vidya Balan in particular, good news is the film will now be shown on sony channel on 26th August.
Tanuj Garg, CEO, Balaji Motion Pictures tweeted, "'The Dirty Picture' satellite premiere on SONY on 26th August. For four months, it was painful to see the callous treatment being meted out to celebrated creativity. At last our Dirty Picture airs on 26Aug on Sony!"
Sneha Rajani, Senior Executive Vice President & Business Head, Sony confirmed, "Yes, The Dirty Picture will finally premiere on 26th Aug. At 12PM in the afternoon & 8.30PM the same night. Not post 11PM, as reported."
However few portions of the film have been cut. Sneha tweeted, "Now the furore over the cuts! Yes, 11 mins have been cut/muted. 2hours 11mins of the film remains. The essence of the story remains. And if you have issues with the cuts.. Contact the authorities! Not us.. We are merely law abiding Broadcasters!

Aamir Khan gifted Maulana Azad's speech to sister

For her elder sister Nikhat's 50th birthday, Aamir Khan gifted her five speeches of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.
Aamir Khan's sister, Nikhat celebrated her 50th birthday on Saturday and the entire Khan-daan was in Pune celebrating her birthday with lot of fanfare.
Aamir Khan had been thinking since a really long time of a special birthday gift for his sister. The entire family had been pitching in ideas for gifts to give to Nikhat. Everyone in the family had given him several options.

However, our perfectionist Khan wanted to look for the most perfect birthday gift for his sister. He especially wanted the gift to be extremely special, as it was Nikhat's 50th birthday.

Gangs of Wasseypur as a 5-hour extravaganza

Watch 'Gangs of Wasseypur' part one and part two back-to-back in select cinema-halls across the country.
For the first time in Indian cinema, two parts of a film are going to release together in theaters. Gangs of Wasseypur part one and two will be playing in theaters back to back on this Wednesday, August 8.
The part one of Gangs of Wasseypur released on June 22, 2012. The film received such a great response that the makers of the film have decided to re-release the film along with part two in order to refresh everyone's memories.
 

Producer doles out more money for pig than actors

Rajat Bharmecha of Udaan fame, Manjot Singh and Shazahn Padamsee won't like this one bit but the star-pig who plays the fourth protagonist in their rom-com Disco Valley will be paid a larger remuneration than the human actors.
And the pig is not come into the picture without heartaches and tantrums. Apparently, the original plan of importing a trained pig from Australia had to be dropped because of the cost factor. Apparently the pig, if air-hopped from Australia to Fiji (where the film will be shot) would have cost the producer more than the budget of the entire film.
The film's producer Siddharth Jain met Fiji's prime minister Frank Bainimarama who offered to help with the pig crisis. Recalling his harrowing experience Jain said, "When we decided to make a pig a pivotal character we never realized it would be so expensive. More than the cost of hiring a pig maintaining it every day was too expensive. So instead of hiring the pig we decided to buy it outright and get a pig trainer."
Then began the next stretch of problems. "We wanted a small cute pig. So we paid the price of over-sized pig for a small one. Then we realized that the pig was temperamental. So we hired two identical pigs, so that if one is not the mood to give his shot, the other can step in. Quite like the two babies that Sajid Khan used in Hey Babby."
Jain is grateful to the prime minister of Fiji for offering assistance with the pig situation. "He offered that we use local Fiji pigs instead of bringing them from Australia. We couldn't get a pig trainer, so we now have a dog trainer looking after the pigs."
Apparently all this constant attention to the pigs has not gone down well with the human actors in Disco Valley. We hear Bharmecha and Manjo have made their displeasure very clear to the producer.
Says Jain, "It can't be helped. This is the first film in any part of the world which has a pig for a main character. That is not the same as a dog or an elephant in a film. No one knows how pigs behave. There's no pattern-history. So we are all moving cautiously."
Apparently the pig is required to accompany the main human characters everywhere. It even has conversations with the cast. And has a fight sequence of its own at the end.