Archive for manoj16_391
Creativity is the ART of hiding the source
November 17th, 2008
Hindi film industry’s fortunes are tied to three major films featuring Shah Rukh Khan , Salman Khan and Aamir Khan to be released next month.
December could well turn out to be the crucial month for the Hindi film industry. If Bollywood’s three forthcoming films starring Aamir Khan, Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan in Ghajini , Yuvvraaj, and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, respectively, become commercially hit then 2008 may prove to be a good year for the Hindi film industry, especially at the time of the economic slowdown.
Releasing in December, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is a Yashraj film featuring Shah Rukh Khan and the newcomer Anushka Sharma in the lead roles. Yuvvraaj is a Subhash Ghai film with Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor , Katrina Kaif and others while Aamir Khan’s Ghajini is the re-make of a superhit Tamil film.
Surprisingly, despite a poor start at the beginning of this year, so far, 2008 has seen about 8-10 per cent increase in the box-office collections of the top 10 Hindi films compared to those in 2007.
November 10th, 2008
By movietalkies
Monday Nov 10 12:14 PM
Monday Nov 10 12:14 PM
That director Sanjay Leela Bhansali has signed on Hrithik Roshan to play the lead in his next movie is old hat now. But what is really creating a buzz is the possibility of the director getting Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to play the female lead in the movie.
October 13th, 2008
Hrithik Roshan is still riding high on the big success of Ashutosh Gowariker’s JODHAA AKBAR, despite stiff opposition from the genre (historical), politicians and a section of the trade. When we had last heard, Hrithik Roshan was on verge of completing a long shooting schedule of his home banner’s international project KITES in Los Angeles. The superstar is expected in Bombay, anytime this week.
Waiting impatiently for KITES, the fans of the super choosy actor are keen to know as to whether Hrithik is doing a film with Sanjay Leela Bhansali, as per media reports. Well here is the exact situation.
While Hrithik’s business manager neither confirmed nor denied the news, a very reliable source, quite close to the super star assures us that Roshan junior has indeed signed the film. And before we leave, here is more joy for Duggu fans. The superhero is super excited about the script of the Bhansali film, which he says is his best till date!
October 13th, 2008
MUMBAI: In these days of economic meltdown and Bollywood’s big releases crashing at the box office, film producers looking to seal distribution deals at record prices are finding no takers, say observers. The trade is of the opinion that prices and star salaries have soared to the point of saturation , making a correction inevitable.
Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision’s Blue, which comes with a Rs 150-crore price tag, and Rakesh Roshan’s Kites (sale price pegged at Rs 120 crore) haven’t found ready takers . “These are prices that don’t look recoverable going by the current market. The market may have grown but not enough to generate a recovery of Rs 150 crore on a film, whatever be its merits,” a trade insider said.
Om Shanti Om was acquired at Rs 73 crore last year and Singh Is Kinng clinched a deal of Rs 60 crore. The distributors (Eros International and Indian Film Company-Studio 18, respectively) of the two “event films’ ‘ recovered their investment but it sparked off a trend of relatively smaller titles chasing disproportionate prices.
October 10th, 2008
Two of the biggest projects of 2008, JODHAA AKBAR and SINGH IS KINNG, both of which also turned out to be two major hits of the year, had one thing in common. And that was the handsome actor with a boyish charm and a baritone voice, Sonu Sood. Be it Rajkumar Sujamal of JODHAA AKBAR or King/Lucky of SINGH IS KINNG, the actor held his own against superstars like Hrithik Roshan and Akshay Kumar. Sonu, who was dubbed as wooden by the knowledgeable critics (?) during his earlier days is now having the last laugh!
Not satisfied with the twin triumphs, Sonu seems hell bent on a hat–trick of successes and proving his mettle as a solo hero. We are obviously referring to the masters of low profile sleeper hits, Rajshri Productions and their forthcoming, EK VIVAAH… AISA BHI. The film pairs Sonu with Eesha Koppikar, who has also created a name for herself by her versatile choice of roles.
Releasing worldwide on November 7, EK VIVAAH… AISA BHI looks better by the day and we are positive that it will prove to be the third big hit of the year for Sonu, and a very gratifying one too!
October 1st, 2008
Hrithik Roshan is another actor who has jumped onto the bandwagon of stars who strongly believe in ‘method acting’. They not only change their appearances but also believe in delivering authenticity to the extent that they prefer performing every scene by themselves!
Hrithik who has sported a moustache in Jodhaa Akbar, a tan in Dhoom 2 will now be sporting a beard in Kites! A unit hand of the film revealed, “Hrithik will have a thin moustache and beard in Kites. The actor is looking as great as ever in the look. He has also lost weight to look fitter. He also insists on performing all the stunts by himself.”
If rumours are to be believed the film is based on Hollywood film ‘Match Point’. The film has been film mostly shot in Mexico and Las Vegas and has Kangana Ranaut and Barbara Mori as Hrithik’s co-stars…
‘Sussanne and I did crazy things!’
This is the Bollywood hottie chilling in Bora Bora by wife Sussanne. The Roshans took their first break since their honeymoon in 2003 and went to the French Polynesian island leaving sons Hrehaan, who is two, and Hridhaan, just five months old, with Hrithik’s parents back in Mumbai.
September 30th, 2008
He’s played all kinds of characters on screen, now Akshay Kumar is ready to appear as a freedom fighter.And not just any freedom fighter… but the legendary Tipu Sultan. He’s likely to produce this film himself, sources say, because he finds the subject very intriguing.
Aware of how huge the subject is, and eager to chronicle Tipu Sultan’s freedom struggle accurately, Akshay is looking into research on this historical figure and planning a grand portrayal of the man on screen. He may tie up with a big production house, because it will be a mega budget film with himself in the lead, added the sources.
Tipu Sultan was the subject of a teleserial made by Sanjay Khan years ago. The sets had got gutted in a fire that injured many, including Sanjay Khan. But Akshay is undaunted by the memory of this ill-luck. If anything, he is backing his newfound success at the box office to be his good omen in this venture.
September 24th, 2008
SHE was not looking around to give that ‘Hey, do you know me?’ look and was taking little note of the ‘Look… there’s Isha Sharvani’ whispers. Her flawless skin and cute features invited many glances, but Isha Sharvani was her poised, composed self, with that ready laugh as we sat down for a chat.And excitement came rushing to her face as she started talking about her upcoming movie and, of course, dancing.
The movie is ‘Luck By Chance’, produced by Farhan Akhtar and directed by Zoya Akhtar. ‘‘It has an ensemble cast. Farhan is there. The film would definitely go down well with the youth,’’ said an excited Isha.Javed Akhtar and wife Shabana Azmi will make a special appearance in the movie, which is actually a film about the film industry. Many artists in the film industry will be there. ‘‘It was fun shooting for the film, because there was lot of young people around,’’ she added.And she is all thrilled about her dance sequence with Hrithik Roshan. ‘‘Dancing with Hrithik is a big challenge. And it took six days to shoot this song. Vaibhavi Merchant has done the choreography.’’ This naturally led us to the advertisement she did with Hrithik (for Parle’s Hide & Seek biscuits). ‘‘He is such a perfectionist. For that ad, we rehearsed for three days. Even if the director okays it, he will go on till he is satisfied,’’ she said.
September 23rd, 2008
In the war of Khans, young Imran has a long way to go. Not in terms of theatrics or box office hits, but in terms of pure sex appeal. Be it the virtue of his sardonic wit or newly developed six pack, 45 per cent of our nation’s population thinks Shah Rukh is the hottest Khan, according to a survey conducted by Filmfare magazine recently. Close on his toned heels is long-pumping bad boy Salman Khan, with 33 per cent of the population rooting for him.
Interestingly, when it comes to rating the sexiest among the women, Bipasha and Mallika have to take a back seat, with Katrina Kaif filling that spot, with 26 per cent votes. If Kareena needed any more incentive to put back her weight, her poor ranking - only nine per cent of the populace thinks she’s pin-up material (and one of them must be Saif) - should drive her to the nearest buffet.
Aamir will have to resign to being a thinking actor with only 11 per cent; while nephew Imran has Saif for company - both got only four per cent of the votes.
The opinion would differ drastically if one of these was to make foray into Hollywood. Only 15 per cent of the junta thinks SRK has what it takes to break into Hollywood, while only 8 per cent think Aamir will make it.
September 20th, 2008
Mexican actress Barbara Mori takes over from where Aishwarya had left in Dhoom 2. We are talking about the sizzling chemistry between Hrithik Roshan and Barbara in Anurag Basu’s Kites. The Roshans may not be talking about their latest film Kites’ sensuous theme and scenes, but we hear that the chemistry between Hrithik and Barbara promises to burn the screen.
According to our source, the scenes between Hrithik and Mori were so intimate and sensuous that papa Rakesh Roshan would gently be asked to leave the set.
September 18th, 2008
MUMBAI: Akshay Kumar’s Rs 71 crore remuneration which official sources attribute to market speculation has Bollywood in a tizzy. Pritish Nandy who heads PNC says, “The numbers in Bollywood are still as opaque as they always were. So it is the myth-building exercise that carries through.”
Speaking from Thailand, Akshay said that he was a stakeholder in the UTV project and it was incorrect to put a figure on the actual remuneration that he would take home because he is a partner in the deal.
Trade analyst Amod Mehra says, “An actor’s remuneration no longer comprises a simple cheque that he takes home as his wages at the end of a movie. The fact is that when the movie wraps up, the actor’s meter ticks even further.”
September 11th, 2008
aishwarya
The Tamil grapevine says that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has been paid Rs 6 crore for her role in Enthiram. If that is true, this makes her India’s highest paid actress!
Robot renamed Enthiram
But it is to be noted that Aishwarya agreed to work in Enthiram out of the respect she has for Rajinikanth. Forced by busy schedules to turn down a role opposite Rajini thrice before, Aishwarya deemed it would be inappropriate to deny the stalwart’s offer anymore. That is the main reason she signed Enthiram even after her call sheet overflowed with dates allocated to Mani Ratnam’s bilingual.
September 10th, 2008
aishwarya rai
AISHWARYA RAI Bachchan’s hands are full with projects from Hollywood, Bollywood and endorsements. She is sizzling after her marriage with junior Bachchan, Abhishek and has even put on a little weight. Thanks to her sweet tooth. No wonder, she is all dazzling and excited about her future. Excerpts from an interview
Q: When do you get time to introspect? Has the real Aishwarya changed or evolved over the years?
Aishwarya: I steal the time to introspect and I am not telling you when…(laughs). You define your own professional ethics or rules and it’s an individual choice. Right from my modelling days, the industry has been very welcoming and I was given the freedom to chart my own course. I have been blessed to push the envelope all along, be it in the choices I make or the roles I play to just the professional mode. There is an incredible power in the word ‘no’. If it’s your conscious decision, go ahead and make them but most of all, believe your decision and have a conviction.
September 10th, 2008
endhiran
Mumbai: Director Shankar’s Endhiran (The Robot) starring Rajnikanth and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in lead roles has gone on floors on 8 September in the US.
AR Rahman has composed two numbers to which Rajinikanth and Aishwarya will be shooting in the first schedule of the film.
The movie is being produced by Ayngaran International and Eros International. Cinematography of the film is by R Ratnavelu, art by Sabu Syril, lyrics by Vairamuthu, editing by Anthony, choreography by Raju Sundaram and costume design by Manish Malhotra.
September 9th, 2008
September 9th, 2008
Sanjay Gadhvi is back but this time without any Dhoom. His forthcoming film is the SanjayDutt-Imran Khan starrer Kidnap, which is produced by Shree Ashatvinayak Cinevision Ltd.
Interestingly, Gadhvi is one among a host of directors, who had worked with Aditya Chopra and left the Chopra camp on an acrimonious note. Moving away from the Chopra camp made things really difficult for Gadhvi who made a hasty exit after directing two hit Dhoom films. To add to it, the cynics from the Chopra camp insisted that both the Dhoom films had been ghost-directed by Aditya Chopra.
But Gadhvi continues to be known as the Dhoom director, a fact about which he is unhappy. He said, “I never wanted to make Dhoom. Dhoom was a space-filler; a stopgap film. After directing Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai, I wanted to make Kidnap, which was Shibani Bhatija’s (scriptwriter of Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, My Name Is Khan) first script for Yash Raj. However, Sanjay Dutt, whom we had finalised for the lead could not give any dates before 2004, so the film got stuck. Instead, Adi suggested making a quick film featuring actors who had the dates. That’s how Dhoom happened.”
September 5th, 2008
Kangana
In a recent Interview, Kangana Ranaut talks about her meeting with Rakesh Roshan to talk about Kites.
He said ‘you are doing my film’. That’s the kind of rapport I have with Anurag. He never narrates the script to me. How can you refuse someone who has launched you and taught you acting, anyways? No complaints, ‘Metro’ worked out well. Same with ‘Kite’. I knew that Anurag was directing ‘Kite’ with Hrithik Roshan. One fine day he just called me and said you’re doing the film.
Of course Rakesh Roshan has a different style of working so he narrated the script. And I was super excited when I heard that I was doing my first film with Hrithik Roshan. I’m telling you, the drive from my place to Rakesh Roshan’s office was indescribable. I had butterflies in my stomach. I couldn’t believe I was doing a film with Hrithik,” she says with glee.
September 4th, 2008
Looks like Hrithik Roshan is making fans out of not only normal janta but also people he works with! After he left his co-star Mexican beauty Barbara Mori rather impressed, he has another fan — songstress Suzie Q.
Oh, and the girl whose latest hit was Jee Karda from Singh is Kinng , has become a fan of his singing! Suzie was originally called to vocally train Hrithik for the Spanish song he is singing with her in Anurag Basu’s Kites , which the director wanted the actor to sing himself.
In Suzie’s words, “It was a challenge for Hrithik to have to sing an English song. And the great thing is that normally someone else would have started with a pop song but Hrithik started with Jazz standards like Michael Bublé.” And what helped Hrithik was the accent training that he has been going through for the movie and the fact that his English is not Indianised but Anglacised. “We did quite a few sessions and Hrithik has a range of three octaves which not many can boast of. He has a great voice and if he works hard, he can put a lot of singers to shame,” coos Suzie. Oh, by the way, we hear Hrithik is also as impressed with Suzie’s singing as she is of his. He asked her “How do you sing so beautifully and effortlessly? Does that high note you sing even exist on the keyboard?” Mutual admiration society, eh?
September 4th, 2008
Jodhaa-akbar in the list of probabales at oscars
Mumbai: Filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker launched the DVD of his acclaimed hit film Jodhaa Akbar in grand style. Adding glitter to the event were some of the members of the cast and crew.
September 1st, 2008
Though the first half of the year saw just a handful of big successes in the form of JODHAA AKBAR, RACE and JANNAT, the opening month of the second half (July to be precise) witnessed the biggest one of 2008, the blockbuster, JAANE TU… YA JAANE NA.
However, the thirsty for success Bollywood must be ecstatic with the Independence Day month of August, as it has seen not one or two but four major successes. The trail blazing trend started with Vipul Shah’s SINGH IS KINNG and was followed the very next week by Yash Raj’s BACHNA AE HASEENO (their only success since CHAK DE INDIA). And if that was not enough, the week that followed saw Ram Gopal Varma giving it back to his detractors with his starless horror flick, PHOONK, which is going to be a sure fire super-hit. The icing on the cake comes in the form of the Arjun Rampal-Farhan Akhter starrer, ROCK ON! being off to a flying start across the multiplexes, where most of its prints are. And chances are quite bright that ROCK ON!! will turn out be the fourth success of the month!
Here is hoping that the remaining months of the year bring more joy to the Hindi Film Industry.
September 1st, 2008
Trade pundits predict, the day is not far when Bollywood will be churning out films at the rate of Rs 100 crore per project. Top filmmakers and actors too are opting for co-productions with big banners. Akshay Kumar, Sohail Khan, Madhur Bhandarkar, Shah Rukh Khan and even Hrithik Roshan have joined the bandwagon. Here’s a list of some of the costliest films all set to hit the screens sometime soon…
Veer
One of the hottest projects is Salman’s Veer, and according to trade circles, producer Vijay Galani has got an offer of Rs 150 crore for the worldwide rights.
London Dreams - Studio 18
August 30th, 2008
If timesonline.com is to be believed, the ambitious Unforgettable Tour of the Bachchans has ‘failed to expand Bollywood’s appeal beyond the Indian diaspora’.
The article titled ‘Bollywood’s Unforgettable World Tour extravaganza fails to woo Westerners’ suggests that the only people who have managed to catch the tour are members of the Indian diaspora.
“It must be galling,” the article begins and points out that despite the huge fan following Bachchans have in India, their reach with the westerners remains restricted.
Zoe Blackler, who has authored this piece, has also quoted Shekhar Ravjiani of the Vishal-Shekhar duo as having said that 85 to 90 per cent of the audience are from the diaspora.
August 29th, 2008
Despite the hype surrounding the Bachchans’ Unforgettable tour for two months, the first segment of the tour has been called off abruptly. After the London leg of the show, the performances scheduled in Rotterdam and Oberhausen have been cancelled at the last minute, as the promoters of the show were not too keen on them.
Our source said, “Fans who had purchased tickets in Rotterdam and Oberhausen, were very disappointed as the tour was called off at the last minute but we could do nothing about it. We arrived at the decision to call off the tour after weighing the pros and cons of every possible solution. The local promoters defaulted at the last minute making it impossible for us to continue with the shows.”
However, another source close to the tour gave an altogether different version. He said that the tour has been called off due to the lack of response from the audience. The source revealed, “The official take is that local promoters defaulted and did not meet the requirements of Wizcraft and stars on the tour. However, one of the main reasons for calling off the tour is mediocre ticket sales.
August 27th, 2008
“The kites are a symbol of a kind of relationship that exists in the love story of the film”
General:‘Kites’ is a working title only ,big-screen-movie,romance/thriller,India - 2009 - scheduled release date.
Cast:
Hrithik Roshan
Barbara Mori (Salsa dancer)
Kangana Ranaut (Gina, Hrithik’s wife)
Yuri
August 24th, 2008
Apni nazar apne shikaar par rakhiye,” says Jodhaa. “Wahin toh hai,” winks Akbar longingly gazing at his mesmerizingly beautiful wife. This engaging sequence is part of a deleted scene from Jodhaa Akbar that you get to see in the DVD of the film released by UTV Home Entertainment. The nine deleted scenes are the highlight of the royally packaged DVD of one of the modern day classics of Indian cinema. Another big highlight is the presence of subtitles in Arabic (apart from English by Nasreen Munni Kabeer) which will introduce the film in the Arab world as well.
Packaging
Smartly packed in a hard cover where Hrithik-Aishwarya’s sword-sharp love-image stares in your eyes. Two DVDs carry the first and second halves of the film while the third one is loaded with several interesting bonus features. A surprise favourite is a demurely enclosed set of 12 postcards with plush quality images chronicling notable scenes.
What’s so special
August 22nd, 2008
It is a well known fact that each of the top stars’ new release creates a new record in big cities/regions and it’s a close battle.
But the segregation is relatively clearer in the interior regions.
BOI invariably classifies Bihar,CI, CP Berar as the interior regions of India.
Performance of recent successful(“successful” in case of Aamir) of Top stars’ movies in interiors:
August 20th, 2008
Aishwarya Rai
S Shankar’s futuristic film Robot seems to create news every passing day. Bollywood’s well-known fashion designer Manish Malhotra has been signed to design the costumes for Rajnikanth and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan—the lead actors in the film.Sources reveal that the designer is already off to New York shopping and studying what newness he can lend to the costumes of the sci-fi film. “Shankar was bowled over with the costumes Manish had created for Rajnikanth in Sivaji: The Boss in his previous directorial and wanted only Manish to do the film’s costume design. Manish also agreed the minute Shankar approached him,” says a source close to the development.
Robot reportedly has a budget of approximately Rs 120 crores making it the most expensive feature film to be made till date in India.
Since Manish is in New York at the moment (he will return on August 21), he could not be contacted. However, his spokesperson confirmed that the designer has indeed been roped in for the film and that he is in New York planning and shopping for the costumes.
August 20th, 2008
This has never happened before. A film that does extraordinary business all over the country and overseas has bombed in one specific area. Anees Bazmee’s Singh Is Kinng is a flop in Bihar, an area where Akshay Kumar’s films from Jaanwar to Hey Babyy have acquired a blockbuster status without batting an eyelid.
The reason for this incongruous occurrence? According to on one of Bihar’s primary exhibitors, Suman Sinha, “The Punjabi dialogues songs and dances went against the film. The Bihar distributor paid a whopping amount of money to buy Singh Is Kinng and is now going to lose a hefty amount.”
Producer Vipul Shah is aware of his blockbuster’s tainted spot in Bihar. “I