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

Mukul Dev’s been there, done that as far as his role in Rajani is concerned, for he’s played the baddie in the film’s Telugu version Krishna as well. It is cool to be a bad guy, he feels. “It was my brother Rahul Dev, who suggested my name for the original film Krishna as he didn’t have any dates, he says. He believes he bagged the role in the remake because he already knows whta it is about. Having played the boy next door in his early part of his career, he feels he should explore new kinds of roles, now.

“At 36, I think I should be more mature and handle characters  with darker shades,” he feels. Mukul, who was in Mysore for 10 days shooting for the film, shot for the climax action sequence in grand style with 1000 extras, 50 lorries, 25 scorpios and 100 tata sumos. ” The way the entire climax is picturised , will be one of the highlights of the film. It will be complete value for film goers money,” claims Mukul.

As for working with Upendra, he says, “he is a fantastic co-artiste and an excellent actor. Between shots, I watched his Kannada film A in the car. Though I could not follow the language, I was engrossed in the film from start to finish, and though this man could do anything as an actor. I personally would place him  alongside the likes of Naseeruddin Shah, ” agrees Mukul. He also has several southern films in the pipeline. ” I have 3-4 Telugu films, with Junoir NTR and Prabhas, among others.  The southern industry has been very good to me,I may be a baddie, but I make sure I don’t sign bad films,” lauchs Mukul.  About his Bollywood career, he says, “My film Poison, also starring Aman Verma, will release some time this year. With an all new cast, its an unusual story.” And on the small screen, on and off he is doing this show called Phir Koi Hai.

Priety Zinta ia very mad right now, at the ridiculous way media sits and  writes about anything it feels like, without the decency and the journalistic norm of contacting all parties-well in advance- for their side of the story. ” It’s almost everytime I am out of country, a new story is being coooked up about me. And each time I return, new allegations fly in my face. I can’t understand why the onus is on me to waste my time and energy, denying all allegations when someone publishes some stupid story about me,” Priety comes out.  Further the story about her break up and a new link up, is a pure stretch of imagination and an instance of armchair journalism, she says.

Apparently, what people are saying is that this story came aboutbecause she was cheering for Vikram Chatwal at the fashion week.  “That is riduculous, when I cheered for SRK, no one asked me why I cheered him the most,” she laughs. At the fashion week, there were others also, Arjun  and Mehr Rampal, Rahul Bose, Ujjwala Raut-, all celebrities and her friends, she cheered for all of them only because the show was for Mumbai, to see their spirit. And the message was – “Come to Mumbai, do your business, we don’t get scared, we live our lives as we want!!”   And even if she wanted to go anywhere with anyone, it need not be during the fashion week itself. “In fact, I’m honest about my life, if I want to live with someone, I will come out and say so myself, not wait for a journalist to publish a stupid atricle,” comfirms Priety.

Diganth and his  dates have always been a topic of discussion in Sandalwood. Over the past few months, namma doodh peda, has drawn much attention, including from the media  and film makers, for not being able to keep his commitments-because Diganth had  alloted the same  dates to three other films! The latest  was about Diganth having bungled dates for Ee Preethi, a film that’s being made by NRIs, Pryia Bharathi and Narayan Hosamane.  Diganth has just returned from the US after wrapping up the second schedule of Ee Preethi. Lets hope the problem has been sorted out?

“Yes, I was shooting there for 20 days, from Feb 20 to March 9. We’ve managed to to shoot a bit and I’ll be getting back in June for another 20 days to complete the film,” he says. But industry insiders say  that the actor was just sitting around for the first five days of his schedule in the US. “Although Diganth had reported for shooting, the team was still sorting out locations. Even the crew hadn’t been finalised. So, he had to wait till everything was settled,” says the same source.

“True, it happened even during my first schedule,  but I have no issues with them mow because everything is set right. Narayan uncle, has been really good to me and promised me that the next time I go there, everything will go smoothly,” defends Diganth. But Ee Preethi  has been in the making for a while now, since Diganth has signed it at the same time as Gaalipata. Isn’t that too much time to spend on one film?  “But we couldnt help it, and I don’t know  whom to blame, but problems have been caused to both of us. Our visas were rejected twice, so the schedule had to be postponed, throwing all our dates into a tizzy,” clarifies Diganth.

But why did  he get into such a filp with his dates? “I was handling everything myseld-my films, my dates and my  remuneration. It was getting too much for me, considering my busy schedule. Sometimes, I’d forget the dates I had alloted even three or four months ago,” says the actor,adding that now,”everything will be back on track. I have hired a manager Ganesh, especially to handle my dates. So, ther’ll be more organised  and won’t attract bad publicity anymore,” promises Diganth.

Director Rohit Jugraj is bucking the trend of male oriented movies with his venture about three women.  Its all for you girls, and you guys better watch out, he seems to say. In a not so common endeavour in Bollywood,  now  a film will be focused primarily on women and the ties that bond them. Rohit, who earlier made Superstar, is working on a story based on friendship between women.

“I’ve always been curious about  how a woman’s mind works,” shares Rohit adding that, “women work together, laugh and cry together, sharing the intimate secrets of their lives and bitching about them  later. I have tried to understand the working of a woman’s mind. ” The movie won’t be a chick flick like Desparate Housewives, he maintains. “I’m making a commercial film which the whole family can watch together,” he claims.

The movie being produced by Abbas Mastan, is a modern take on women, and is a biter sweet story of three girls and the bond they share. It however does not revolve around their love lives entirely.  These are career oriented women,  who like to have fun as well.  So, the film will have drunken  driving and pub scenes as well.  Genelia D’Souza and Prachi  Desai are two of the friends and Rohit is looking for a new face to complete the cast.

But Rohit encountered a problem as not many male actors are willing to appear merely as the girls’ love interest. “The guys have important roles as well. It’s just that instead of guys in the lead, this film has 3 women protagonists,”  claims Rohit. Considering it’s a first of a kind movie, there is a certain amount of risk invloved, but Rohit is not worried. Besides having outstanding music, this film has beautiful locales, and also has an important message. “I hope the audience will accept it,” says Rohit.

Despite the success of his latest release, Arya has his feet firmly on the ground, even though Naan Kadavul is running to packed houses. Critics have also given his portrayal of an aghori sadhu a thumbs up. ” But the best compliment of all was when Rajni sir called upto congradulate me on my performance,” says an excited Arya. “Rajni sir often goes to the Himalayas and their interacted with many aghoris during his  stay there. But he told me that I beat them all-it seems I was that authentic!” laughs Arya.

Naan Kadavul, a story that deals with the lives of aghoris, directed by Bala, has been in the making for two and half years, which meant that Arya who had to grow his hair and beard for the role, had to stick to the  role for more than a year. “It grew really long and got very irritating. I couldn’t go out much or eat outside, and every time I had to drink tea, I had to move my moustache aside. But I put up with all for Bala, he had so much confidence in me,” explains Arya.

Working with Bala was an enriching experience, he says, ” I know he created super stars like Vikram and Surya. And I was sure it would happen to me too after Naan Kadavul’s release. Which is why I gave him three years without taking up any other film during that period. Bala has a tremendous vision. Nobody thought  of sketching such a role in Indian cinema before,” he says.

But why did the film take so long to finish? “it featured physically handicapped people, so, coordinating them and getting them to act was tough because  they worked for just three or four hours a day, so, these practical problems delayed the film. But it was such a great experience because Arya the star would never have been able to spend that kind of time with them. Being a part of this movie helped me gain so much insight to their lives,” observes Arya.

The team also faced other set backs. Three heroines turned down the offer that finally went to Pooja. “The roel was very demanding and most heroines weren’t comvnicing. Bala also didn’t beleive  that they’d be able to carry off the role. Finally, when Pooja did some trial shoots, Bala felt he had found the right person,” says Arya. And he’s full of praise for his co-star. This is his fourth film with her and he says that she is getting better with each film. Her role was a very difficult one to essay and she has done a good job.

So, now that Naan Kadavul has opened to such great reviews, will he like all actors  also hike up his price? ” I don’t come with a fancy price tag. My remuneration isn’t so exobitant that people can’t afford me. It will fit into the film’s budget,” says Arya.

Most of the galm dolls would be turning green with envy, at just the mention of Deepika Padukone. After all, the girl’s got it all in practically no time at all when most have had to struggle for years. She was a star even before her release with King Khan. A year and a few months in the industry, and producers continue to pursue her with bagsful of roles and sacks foll of moolah, she has already done a YAshraj film and her recent film is with none other than Akshay Kumar. She is endorsing several products, is on every magazine cover…. Deep’s popularity has literally reached sky high, sh’s also the ambassador for Kingfisher Airlines!!

For someone who is young and new to the industry, this kind of fame and success can give one a harder kick than a dozen tequila shots….. often giving one an attitude which is very famous in HiFi-The I’ve arrived-and-I-know-it-all one! Very few mgiht take this as an opportunity to futher growth in theri  field. “Yes, I’m very lucky that everything fell into place perfectly for me with my very first step in Hi Fi. But of course, that doesn’t mean I know everything. I have a long way to go and need to groom myself  constantly to meet the expectations of my producers,” Says Deepika.

Coming from a typical Maharashtrian background all these things really do not affect her much. Her dad Prakash Padukone being very famous in his times has seen fame and that had never affected him.  She certainly has not let success hit her head, and is here to do good work, and she is not going to give that up at any cost.  “I never had any perception of the industry when I started off,” she claims, ” but I’m having a wonderful time here and I’m very happy  with the kind of people I have met here and made friends with. I never imagined I would work with my favourite actor SRK, but then I got to work  with Akshay Kumar also, and all this has been very exciting for me,” she explains.

That there, but her characters  and roles are more or less similar. She is mostly looked upon as a glamorous girl, while when it comes to performance based roles, directors might look else where. There are plenty of young faces and new girls entering the filed, but that does not bother Deepika. “I strongly believe that nobody can be like me and I can’t be anyone else. The kind of performances I do, others  can’t and what others do I won’t be able to do successfully.  But there’ s room for everybody and I’m happy with whatever I’m getting,” says Deeps.

But there are times, she confesses when the media brings out something that is not true that irritates her. But being an actress, she knows that personal life  is not all that personal. That’s the reason why she didn’t try to refute her affair with Ranbr Kapoor.  I am truly in love with him and that’s why we decided not to hide our feelings from the public. Being in love is one of the loveliest feelings.  It is also said that Ranbir’s mother Neetu Singh is supposedly not in favour of her son’s choice, but …..whether new girls come in or not, whether Neetu Singh approves of her or not, whether there is something between Ranbir and other girls or not,….Deepika knows how to handle it. Instant success has only made this smart chick smarter!!!!!!

It is Zoya Akthar now, who  after taking up direction, seems everything her younger brother promised to be and more…….Women bring a lot to movie biz. No matter what they say, they are sensitive to emotions and it always shows. Zoya Akthar has had an interesting line up as assistant to directors like Mira Nair, Mahesh Mathai and Dev Benegal among others.  She ventured to direct her brother Farhan Akthar in her first film which also starred Konkona Sen Sharma, Juhi Chawla,  Hrithik Roshan and a long list of actors.

The film, being about two people, a struggler played by Farhan and a starlet played by Konkona, both trying to make it to the industry. Farhan loved the script, my parents really liked it. They knew it was different, a little out of the box, but they liked it. That way it was exciting to give your scritp to your entire family  to read adn you get great feedback…. which is perfect, claims Zoya.Perfect, it must be to have in-house geniuses but that has its own flip side. Sometimes, the familiar jokes shared among friends and family, make their way into the script and might not really click with the audience since they have no idea where these puns and punches are coming from.

“Luck By Chance has lots of true instances from the indsutry but there were times when we wanted to relate some instances onscreen, but didn’t because people would think it was a spoof ! It is so over the top that people would never beleive it actually happened,” says Zoya continuing, ” so we did without it. It is a thin line and I think I’ve walked cautiously.”  Zoya with her Farhan like smile said, ” I don’t care what they say about my style as long as they come to  the  theatres and watch the film.” That anxiety is completely understandable for a debutant director, or any director for that matter, but somehow, to quite an extent both Farhan and Zoya were said to be celebrity kids with a twist.

” Farhan and I are film geeks, having lived on films all our lives. And thanks to our parents our association with films have been real strong,” she confesses. As kids, they enjoyed everything they saw, which included a generous dose of Hindi as well as foreign cinema. Though they hardly undrstood, they were present at many film discussions. Zoya used to be a Rishi Kapoor fan, she remembers. It was around ‘88 that she met Mira Nair and was totally crazy about Salaam Bombay when she was about 21-22 years. She has worked on a bunch  of films mainly independent films like Bhopal Express, Bombay Boys. Her f irst mainstream   commercial film was Dil Chahata Hai. By then Hindi films had got cool and she knew this was what she wanted to do!

Arjun Rampal’s back from a round of heavy duty partying in Dubai at the launch of the Atlantis in the Palm. Among invitees of good friend Shah Rukh Khan’s party were Robert De Niro, Mischa Barton, Mary Kate Oslen, Kylie Minogue, Charlize Theron and Lindsay Lohan. ‘It was great fun, it always is and the music was great,’ says Arjun. And its time to put on the party hatsonce again as the actor blows out 36 candles. ‘ Are you rubbing it in?’ he asks, adding ,’ I don’t feel it, I should be  turning 26.’ Since he’ll be shooting the whole day for Fox, he’ll take it easy this time.

‘It won’t be anything grand, a quite dinner with family and friends. In fact, I always end up shooting on my B’day, and by the time II finish ‘I’ll be too exhausted to party,’ says Arjun.The partying will be reserved for wife Mehr’s b’day. Hers is just 4 days after mine, so we’ll party then,’ he says.  As for the guest list, he says he has no idea as his wife will take care of it. Is he thinking of strumming the guitar for his guests? ‘Actually it is not a bad idea, Farhan will be there, he can sing and I can play the guitar,’ he laughs.

Speaking abou b’day wishes, Arjun says this yearhas been great for him and he shouldn’t be greedy, butjust the duas of his fans and his well wishers should do.  Recently he has been called the coolest dad in India, and he says he is proud of it as it invovles  being a dad. Things look professionally well after ROck On!!! Besides Fox,  there is Prakash Jha’s RajNeeti in which he palys a politcian. Remind im that his first outing as a producer I See You, tanked at the box office, he says that the film was good but not enough awareness was created around it.

One has to learn from failures, and now arjun is back with an eight pack, for amit

Asin has wooed the box office with her first outing Ghajini. You might want to look up Flat No Cloud 9 in Seventh Heaven, if you are looking for an actress by the name of Asin. She has rightfully earned this new address courtesy the success of her debut film Ghajini, not to mention a plethora od accolades. Now, she seems to have her feet planted firmly on terra firma.

She hasn’t turned into a thrilling  quote a minute machine, she measures her words and revels in political correctness. Some day, she is the heir to the throne  Sridevi left vacant, is the opinion of many and they may be right. Asin has that unique brand of South Indian no-nonsense professionalism. Not much rattles  her, not success nor scandal.

She takes the bouquets and the brickbats with equanimity. She throws no tantrums, but she has her way gently, nicely. Now, is that not the mark of a true star? Asin feels that the phenomenal record breaking success of ghajini has changed her a life. When she signed for Ghajini, little did she  think about the larger picture, never expected the effect it would have on her career. I was a known face down South, but not in Mumbai.”

Shekhar Suman’s son Adhyayan, was spotted by Ajay Devgan at a saloon, and what happened next was a call from Kumar Mangat, Ajay’s business manager. Mangat, who was all set to launch his daughter Amita Pathak, was on the lookout for new faces to cast opposite her. So, Adhyayan became one of the faces to be launched with Amita in Haal-E-Dil. Sadly, it did not turn out to be his dream launch and he was sulking for almost a year until Mahesh Bhatt decided to re-launch him with Raaz 2. He is obviously nervous and expecting a lot from his re-entry. “After my first film, I had become a little insecure and scared, till the Bhatts came to my rescue,” he says.

People are expecting  a lot out  of Raaz-the mystery continues, and a lot from him also. Post Haal-E-Dil, Adhyayan was not in great spirits. Perhaps realising this, dad Shekhar Suman  whilst shooting with Mahesh Bhatt for a TV show, Jhoom India Jhoom, approached the film maker to re-launch his son.  Things now look Hunky-dory, but that’s all only once the Raaz happened. However, Adhyayan prefers to look at Haal… positively. For a fact, it taught him to insist on a script and narration, that things should not be trusted easily. It also helped him understand the nuances of acting.

The  Bhatts initially did not plan to cast him in Raaz… he was first signed for a solo film, but later Mukesh Bhatt changed his mind. He felt that it was important for Adhyayan to do a two hero sujbect first before he could be built up as a solo hero. He has now finished work on another of Bhatt’s projects-Jashn with Anjana Sukhani and Shahana Goswami and is pretty excited about his solo project.  Films and film making were always on Adhyayan’s mind. However, the actor in him awakened when he went to the New York Film Academy in US to study film making. He did a few short films and one with his dad and Javed Jaffery. Often explaining to people how to act made him think about acting, but was hesitant because of his 120kg weight. That was the turning point; Adhyayan hit the gym, shed the excess baggage, and headed homewards.