Latest Gossips From The Cinema World
Latest Gossips From The Cinema World

He’s many things, an erstwhile model, an actor, and designer Rohit Bal’s nephew, but what Aditya Bal definitely is not is director Sanjay Leela Bansali’s choice for his next film, Guzaarish, as a tabloid report suggested. Aditya, who turned a chef after his Bollywood career didn’t take off, was unaware of the report, and when asked  whether he is part of the Aishwarya Rai Bachchan- Hrithik Roshan starreer, he said , “Am I? I didn’t know.”  After reading the report on the net, he was slightly taken aback.

” If the film gets under way in July, I should have known by now  had I been a part of it. But I didn’t get a call from any casting agency or the director,” said Aditya, who had earlier auditioned for Jodhaa Akbar, ” I have met Sanjay sir a couple of times, but I am not doin Guzaarish, and I find the report quite strange,” he stated.  Aditya tested Bollywood waters in the past. ” I did a few films, and they weren’t an intelligent choice. Then, the industry went into a transition phase. Only one [Mashooka] out of the three I did released. I did a double role in Rangeen, but it got stuck. I was fed up of waiting for the producer to complete the film. I also met a lot of unprofessionals and ran out of patience,” he said.

But would Aditya consider an offer from Sanjay? ” I’d do it as an assignment to add to another dimension to what I am doing right now.  But I would always like to work in the hospitality industry,” he said. Meanwhile Mashooka director Afzal Ahmed Khan got call form some of his friends intimating him about Aditya’s big break through and he is very happy for him. Industry sources maintain that its not Aditya Bal but VJ Aditya Roy Kapoor who has been pencilled in for Guzaarsih, and is also doing Vipul Shah’s London Dreams. There sure is a possibility that there may have been a mistake, agreed Aditya.

Its not often that tv actors make it to Sandalwood, but Harish Raj has made this transition successfully. The actor-director’s latest film Kalaakar, has a good run in theatres so far. And even though his Kalaakar high is yet to subside, the actor is excited about his next project, which is being directed by Swaroop Kanchi. Harish, who made a name for himself in the national award winning Dweepa, Thaayi Saheba, and Kanooru Heggadathi, will star in the English film Bangaloored. He was selected after Swaroop watched Kalaakar, which Harish directed and acted in.

” I heard a lot of people whom he met suggested my name, and what surprised me was when Swaroop told me,’I heard that you are the face of the newcomer in Kannada cinema,’ which made me happy,” says a pleased Harish. Though this is uncharted territory for Harish, the one familiar factor will be his Bengaloored so-star Meghna. ” She was my dancing partner for the Amrutha Mahotsva, and now she will be my acting partner,” he says.  In Bengaloored, Harish play  Babruvahana, a writer who’s a bit of a wanderer. ” My character returns from France after ten years and sees how Bangalore has become Bengaloored> That’s when he rediscovers his city, his friends and his love,” explains Harish.

Harish is sure that he can appeal to international audience. ” I know this film isn’t quite mainstream, but I’ve done theatre, ads, documentaries and feature films, so I’m quite confident that I can pull off this one too,” he says. On the other hand his co-star Meghna is also equally excited as this is her first international project.  She palys Radha, the pretty much girl next-door. Being born and brought up in the US, Meghna came to India to pursue a career in films, but it was not her NRI status that bagged her the international role, but her screen test which impressed Swaroop.

Longinus Fernandes, who was missed out in the slumdog credits for which the film makes Danny Boyle  made up by acknowledging him in the Oscars, has got further acclaim for his work on the award winning Jai Ho!song. The Bollywood choreographer has won the coveted Astair Award 2009, in the Best Film Choreography category at a ceremony held in New York. Longinus beat competition from choreographers Anthony Van Laast [Mamma Mia] Aakomon AJ jones [Centre Stage Turn It Up], Tracy Phillips [Make It Happen],  Patrick de Bana and Pedro Gomes [Fados], Kenny Ortega [High School Musical 3], and Todd Underwood [Were The World Mine], to create history. “I am really exhilerated,” said an excited Longinus, who couldn’t make it to New York as he was shooting for a film in Ladakh.

” My name was sent for nominations by Tabrez Noorani, the online producer for Slumdog, and it  came as a surprise because I never expected to win with so many heavy weights in the competition. I’ve grown up watching musicals of Fred Astair, Bob Fossey and the like and today, I find myself on the same plane,” he said. He also said that there’s always a woman behind the success of every man. Here, longinus would like to give full credit to Farah Khan. “We started on stage in 1985 and did some stage shows. Although she went full fledged into films, I continued doing my small bits here and there. But she has always promoted me. I’m sure she’ll be happy t hear this news. I thank Danny Boyle as he recognised my talent and put me up on such a hugh pedestal of world cinema.  And A.R.Rehman, as the song was very well composed.” Meanwhile, Longinus also bagged a few Hollywood projects and has already completed work on the mini series Bollywood Heroes. ” This is just the beginning and I have a very long way to go,” expressed the chorepgrapher.

Gone are the days when a film’s success depended on an item number by a galm girl making a special appearance. today, there is so much competition  that the heroine herself wants to do the item number! Earlier producer Manickam Narayanan, hired a vacant showroom in Saidapet to shoot for a song for his film Mundhinam Partheney with newcomers. Art director Thotta Tharani converted the showroom into a beautiful modern dance school with wooden flooring and paintings on the wall to give it a chic look.

Says director Magizh Thirumeni, a former assisstant of Gautam Menon, who is debuting with this film. ” The heroine of the film Ekta Khosla, plays a dance instructor, who runs a salsa school. We wanted to work out a new soncept cong for a fantasy number and Ekta was game for it.” Thirumeni says everything fell into place as it was a rap number in Tamil and English, written jointly by actress Rohini and singer Suchitra, and sung by Haricharan and Suchitra.

Ekta, did a very erotic salsa routine. Says choreographer Ramash, known for his erotic dance number Theenda Theenda…. in Thulluvatho Ilamai, ” as the song itself was in Tamil and English, and the music of Thaman [music direcotr of Moscowin Kaveri] had the right rhythm and beats, we had some sensous movements, and Ekta who is slim and tall, moved amazingly to the beats. ” Ekta who was chosen as Miss Beautiful Hair at Miss India 2006,later became a popular model.

She has done a film each in Kannada and Telugu, and is now looking foward to Mundhinam…. as her big ticket to stardom. ” I thought the concept of the song was terrific as though it was a fantasy number, and it was done in a very dignified manner, without any vulgarity or crassiness,” says the actress. Thirumeni concludes, “my film is a beautiful love story and deatures new comers Sanjay and Ekta, with soothing music by Thaman S.

A day after Adhyayan Suman and Kangna Ranaut confirmed theri split, Anjana Sukhani, Adhyayan’s co-star in his forthcoming Jashn, was held responsible for their split.  Anjana had frequently been spotted with Adhyayan of late,  spurring strong buzz that she was dating him even before the couple confirmed their  split.

Says Anjana, “since we are the lead pair of the film, we’re promoting it and so were seen together. I think it all started when Adhyayan and I attended a Holi party to promote the film as it was to release in April. I don’t know who started these rumours but they are baseless.” She can’t fathom the cause of the break-up. ” Every relationship is sacred, hey know what is best for them and I wish them all the best,” states Anjana.

But, she does recollect Kangna visiting the sets of Jashn a few times. ” She’s very sweet and humble and they looked very much in love,” maintains Anjana. Could it be the film’s overactive PR machinery at work then?  ” I believe in our product. people don’t  come to watch a film because a rumoured to be real-life couple is in it,” she feels. She does admit being friends with Adhyayan though.

” Of course, he’s a friend and I spent a lot of time with him while shooting for Jashn,” she reveals. Have things soured between them after these allegations against her? ” No, we don’t call each other to clarify thesee reports. I’m new to the industry and trying to learn to deal with these rumours,” she says.

As a kid, growing up in the US, Bhakta Prahalada was his favourite film. ” And whenever I went on stage, I would choose this legendary role for my mono acts. Appu sir essayed the character of Prahalada very beautifully, and I’ve admired him ever since,” says Chetan. And now, Chetan is all set to share screen space  with namma Puneet Rajkumar, in his under production Raam, a remake of the Telugu hit Ready. He will be making a guest appearance for the film, the shopoting of whcih will begin shortly.

” I’m really happy they chose me to star opposite Appu sir, its an honour,” exclaims Chetan, who recieved a call from Appu’s camp for the same. Chetan will play a software engineer in the film, and will be required to shoot for a day or two only. ” Chaitanya sir has been kind enough to accomodate my revised dates and has even advanced the shooting of Suryakanti by a day,” reveals Chetan.

So, is he okay doing a guest role so early in his career? ” I do not know if it is ok or not, all I know is that I am doing it out of great respect for Appu sir. I like him as a person and as a performer. And he’s such a natural actor! We’ve aslo  interacted before the film, adn he’s really cool,” sums up Chetan.

She’s made the crossover from Sandalwood to Bollywood, which means she should be busy, busy, and busy. But Daisy Bopanna hasn’t been seen on the big screen in more than a year. ” I underwent a spine surgery, after which I was rendered almost immobile. Moreover, my family, especially my mother, insisted I finish my education,” explains Daisy. The actress has not done anything film-related of late, except for a guest tole in Olave Jeevana Lekhachara, of which she says, ” my role is as small as Amitabh Bachchan’s in Amruthadhare,” adding that she has also completed the Telugu film, Sweet Heart.

But now she is back with a vengeance, with a new look and attitude. ” I gained 12 kilos after the surgery, because  I wasn’t allowed to go to the gym and lift weights. But I got back into shape by doing yoga and following a strict diet-and with a lot of will power of course!” she says. But it’s been worth it because Daisy’s been getting several compliments for her new look. After her make-over, she’s getting more projects as well. ” I’ve signed for a three film contract with the Bollywood production house that made films like  Sarkar, Golmaal and Partner,” says Daisy. And why did they approach her?

” They’ve seen me in a couple of films, down south, and also wanted someone who was sporty and had a biker chick image, which I have,” she explains. However, she can’t divulge any more information about the deal, except that the first film may take off in August or Spetember. But she’s sure that this is the right way to get her career back on track. ” Its a good production house,where big and established actors have worked,” she maintains. Daisy’s also been recieveing many offers from the South, but hasn’t yet signed any thing other than Sweet Heart and Olave……

” That’s because I haven’t recieved any good scripts so far. If I get really good ones, I ‘ll take the plunge,” she says. And if nothing else, the actress’s confidence will see her through. ” I’man amazing performer and getting the right role is challenging, but I’ll meet lot more people. Hopefully, one more bit of  news will come my way,” she smiles before signing off.

Movie lovers are breathing a sigh of relief  as the nine week multiplex strike has finally been called off, and several  films awaiting release are now at their favourite screens. Among them the most  looked foward is none other than Vashu Bhagnani’s Kal Kisne Dekha.  And naturally the lead pari Jackky Bhagnani and Vaishali Desai are ecstatic. Being their first film, both actors have put in their  best efforts. Since youth is the flavour of the season, -judging by the recent elections- and the fact that Kal….is also a youthful film, everybody is keeping their fingers crossed that the youth will lend a lot of support to the young debut star cast.

The producer, known for his racy hits, has incorporated all the commercial ingredients in Kal… Jackky is on a whirlwind tour promote his debut film. He has just anded back home after addressing press conferences in London, Dubai and Delhi, and is now off to Macau, to perform at the 10th IFFA awards.

It has been a very pleasant  experience for Jackky interacting with the international press. Also, according to sources, the response to the film has been fantastic. Kal…. was slated to be released int he first week of April, but, producer Vashu Bhagnani stood by  the producer-distributor association like a rock and refused to release the film during the strike period.  This is despite the fact that it cost him extra money to maintan the momentum of the publicity. But now, the buzz has already been created in the market and the dry spell is over. The entertainment business could not have got off to a better start than this!

Suddenly Hrithik and Sussanne are in the news every other day. If not for walking the ramp abroad at a film awards night together, then for lovingly fooling  at the rehearsals of Farah Khan’s jewellery line show.  And if not that, then for presenting the picture of perfect matrimony at the launch of a company that plans weddings! But Bollywood cannot be fooled !This, say some is an eye wash for the public, which has been appalled by Hrithik’s very apparent closeness to Mexican actress and Kites co-star Barbara Mori. Unable to take the gossip of a torrid relationship between them, Sussanne is believed to have read Hrithik the riot act. She also began to accompany him to public events to show the world that they ate a couple.

Talking about the ramp show, Sussanne said, somewhat defensively, ” I wouldn’t have done something like this in Mumbai, but Hrithik was very  excited.  We havent’ done anything like this before.” Now, was this an effort to confirm their bond and convince the world that everything is fine?  ” I may not be an actress, but I have a filmi background, and I’m aware how people put two and two together,” Sussanne shot back. But not even Sussanne can deny that on-screen at least, sparks did fly between Hrithik and Barbara. However, Sussanne does feel that rumours of a romance between the co-stars were fabricated. ” There’s nothing between them that would distract or disturb me. I understand that if a man works with a good looking girl, he is bound to get linked to her,” she said.  And as for the chemistry, Sussanne agreed, ” obviously there’s chemistry because it is a love story. It looks real, but that’s how films internationally are supposed to be. Its good for the film , and we all want it to work.”

Sneha Ullal is back with a bang in Tollywood, as she returns on screen with a new film. “It’s wuite different from the roles I have played before,” says the Ash-look-alike. After being hailed a sensation after her debut film Ullasamga Utsahamga, Sneha had to contend with a dud in Nenu Meeku Telusa. ” I don’t regret a bit since we recieved great acclaim. I feel proud to be associated with such a sleek and trendy film,” she says.

If she’s not signed with top Tollywood stars, ther’s a reason for it. She says, ” I got three big offers while I was shooting for Ullasamga….but I could not take them up as I had assured the director Karunakaran, that I won’t do any film till its release. ” Did her promise cost her dearly? ” I do not think so, I can’t go back on promises I’ve made. I might have lost some str-studded films, but now I’ll make up for it,” she avers. Now that she has decided to park herself down South, she has also done a Sandal wood film with Upendra.

“Although it was a star centered film, it revolved round me, and it was a challenge to do the role,” she says. This girl made her debut with Salman Khan in Lucky-No Time For Love 2004, has not given up Bollywood completely. ” My film Click is set to hit the screens  soon. I also have a film with Salman which is under discussion. ” How does she feel to be back with her mentor Salman Khan ?

” More than a mentor, I’d like to call him  a good friend. He’s always been there for me, and he felt that I should do films down South for theri professionalism.  I am very happy that he answers my calls when I need him.” Katrina, are you listening?!