Bollywood News - Jhankar.Pk

Carving Dreams to manage Saif Ali Khan's business interests

2010-01-28 10:08:24

After being awarded the Padma Shree honour by the Government of India, Saif Ali Khan is on cloud nine. The suave actor now wants to strengthen his presence and foothold in the industry and has appointed leading talent management firm, 'Carving Dreams' to manage his brand and all his other business interests Commenting on this move, Saif Ali Khan says, "Carving Dreams has earned a tremendous reputation in the industry and given their expertise & strong credentials, I am confident that the association will prove to be a fruitful one. I look forward to working with them." Meanwhile Afsar Zaidi (CEO of Carving Dreams) also seemed delighted with this association and said, "We are fully geared to manage this responsibility and as a group, we are committed to extend the scope of celebrity management in this country. We look forward to this partnership with Saif Ali Khan."

Vivek Agnihotri signs Madhavan for his next film titled Freedom

2010-01-28 11:50:15

Director Vivek Agnihotri, who is best known for his 'mysterious-than- thou' kind of suspense film Chocolate, and also India's first ever football-centric film Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal (which was also his last release), has been 'out of the picture' for quite sometime now. Well, the good news is that the man is back with his next film, a biopic titled Freedom. And the news is that he has signed R. Madhavan as the main lead for the film. While Maddy, who is on a roll after the immense success of 3 Idiots, remained unavailable for comment, Vivek Agnihotri told Bollywood Hungama, "Yes, I have signed Madhavan for my next film titled Freedom. And I am planning to approach yet another southern superstar Mohanlal." Meanwhile, Vivek is also planning a film titled 12. Says Vivek, "12 is a film that will be based on the famous Hollywood classic '12 Angry Men'. And I am scouting for 12 talented actors from all across the country. I am planning to announce the film officially in the month of March."

"Yes, I am doing Lucy Liu's film" - Tannishtha Chatterjee

2010-01-27 04:42:41

Tannishtha Chatterjee is making waves. While she is busy travelling all over the globe with her film Road, Movie (which has almost become a regular in all international film festivals), closer home too she has a lot to cheer. She has just been signed for an international project which is made of four parts. The part in which she features as a central protagonist would be directed by none other than Lucy Liu of Charlie's Angels and Kill Bill fame. When the news broke first, one took it with a pinch of salt because some time back it was also said that Tannishtha was approached for a movie by some other acclaimed and internationally renowned film makers. Since that didn't quite turn out to be the case, one waited for the news to be confirmed from the horse's mouth. However, Tannishtha confirmation about the Lucy Liu project not just validates the news but also send out the right signals that India is fast becoming a hub for immense talent when it comes to international projects being conceived. "Yes, I am doing one of the four parts of this film which would be shot across four different continents. For the part that tells an Indian story, Lucy Liu would be calling the shots", confirms Tannishtha who first made waved with Brick Lane that was released more than two years back. Incidentally, this would be the first directorial outing for Lucy who is expected to visit India soon for the film's shoot. Other celebrities who are said to be shooting the other segments in different parts of the world are Meryl Streep and Angelina Jolie. Common factor about each of these parts would be that all of them would deal with the issue of human trafficking. "All these stories are based on true incidents and find their base in a book called 'Half The Sky'", details Tannishtha, "I play the character of a girl called Meena with whom something horrible happened in the past. How she triumphed over a period of time is what we get to see in the film." In last few years quite a few films have been made that deal with multiple stories. Are we looking at an episodic narrative with these four parts coming one after another or do all stories run simultaneously? Also, do these stories culminate with a common ending eventually? "It is too early to be divulging these details at the moment", says Tannishtha, "The film is in the development stage and this is all I can reveal as of now. The film's shooting is about to begin soon and I am keeping my fingers crossed."

Anupam Kher to do TV show called 'Angrezi OK Please'

2010-01-27 11:11:31

He is a man who can be aptly called the 'Living Legend' of Bollywood. The world knows him by the name of Anupam Kher, one of those who have been largely responsible for giving Bollywood its global identity. After a few shows that he did in the past, Anupam Kher will soon be seen on television again. This time round, it's an informative and educational TV show for Doordarshan called as 'Angrezi OK Please'. Talking exclusively to Bollywood Hungama, Anupam Kher said, "It's a show that is being made by the NGO called 'Pratham'. They wanted me to anchor this show that dealt with teaching the underprivileged children and their families on how to use English on a day-to-day basis. I have shot 13 episodes for the same. It's really a very interesting concept. The show has all kinds of people as participants, ranging from driver's children, carpenters, Udipi restaurant workers etc... It's a show for those who feel that 'I wish I could speak English, but...' Talking about the concept of the show, Anupam says, "It's wonderful to see the children's parents (who did not know English) and their children who had partial knowledge of the language, talk the language. Overall, it's a game show where phonetics is involved. It's a very well-researched show. It had three teams split up as 'Mega Stars', 'Super Stars' and 'Rock Stars' and each team is represented by two children and two guardians of the same family. While the youngest child gets to play the game, he can also consult his/ her family for the answers." When asked about the date when the show will go on air, Anupam says, "I have no idea about the exact date, but, it should happen soon." The news is that, Kher, apparently, did not charge even a single rupee for the show. When asked the difference between his previous show based on kids called Say Na Something... and his current one 'Angrezi OK Please', Anupam said, "While the cuteness of the children came across in 'Say Na Something...', 'Angrezi OK Please' will make children learn and also give them a sense of achievement." Lastly, when we asked him about his future plans of his play 'Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai', he said that, "On that same level, I would be happily celebrating 400 episodes."

Abhishek Bachchan in Anurag Basu's next; Goldie Behl to produce it

2010-01-27 11:34:58

This is what Bollywood's celluloid made of. Director Anurag Basu has been in the news for quite sometime now, courtesy, his most awaited film Kites, which stars Hrithik Roshan alongside Barbara Mori. Well, the news is that, even as the release date of the film has been oscillating from one end to the other, Anurag Basu now been roped in by Goldie Behl for a film. The friendship between Abhishek and Goldie is as old as the indomitable 'Jai-Veeru' jodi. So, it comes as no surprise that Abhishek has been signed as the male lead for the film which will be produced by Goldie and directed by Anurag Basu. One of Bollywood Hungama's confirmed sources said, "Hrithik required his father to back Kites and now Abhishek's close friend Goldie will produce his next and that the movie will be Anurag's most ambitious project till date. It truly has a genius script." From what we got to hear, the said film will be shot in exotic locations with never seen before visuals and a lot of work will go into Abhishek's look for the film as well. This will surely be one of the most highly anticipated films.

"Makers of Ishqiya have shown great faith in us" - Boney Kapoor

2010-01-28 06:17:00

Boney Kapoor's 'BSK Network and Entertainment' have been entrusted with the responsibility of all India theatrical distribution of Ishqiya and the man at the hot seat understands that this is yet another instance of great faith shown in him and his company. Buoyed by the huge profits that distributors made with his last release Wanted, Boney Kapoor is sure that the story would be repeated for Ishqiya as well which is carrying wonderful reports and looks positive to be a winner at the box office. "Makers of Ishqiya (Raman Maroo of Shemaroo Entertainment & Vishal Bhardwaj) have shown great faith in my company by asking us to exploit the all India distribution of the film. It's a prestigious film and given the wide network that I enjoy across the country, Ishqiya is in safe hands", says Boney Kapoor whose Wanted was the biggest single screen success of the year 2009. Given the fact that Ishqiya too is aiming for a huge market, especially in the interiors of the country, the distribution responsibility going to BSK does make sense. Unwilling to divulge the exact figures involved in the deal around Ishqiya, Boney Kapoor does promise though that it should be a winning preposition for all. In addition, he also dispells the theory that BSK has 'acquired' Ishqiya. "No, we haven't taken over Ishqiya per se", says Kapoor, "We have mainly appointed sub-distributors across the country who would be further exploiting the film at the remotest corners. Everyone is pretty kicked about the film and given the positive vibes that it is carrying along with some fantastic music, we are sure about Ishqiya being a winner in the making." Starring Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi and Vidya Balan in the principal roles, Ishqiya is the debut directorial effort of Abhishek Chaubey, an erstwhile assistant to Vishal Bhardwaj. The film releases this Friday along with Rann, a Ram Gopal Varma film. Meanwhile, Boney Kapoor also has two of his own productions lined up. While first to come would be Milenge Milenge (Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor) which is directed by Satish Kaushik, soon to follow would be Anees Bazmee's It's My Life (Nana Patekar, Hurman Baweja, Genelia D'Souza). Exact release dates of both the films would be announced soon.

Priti Shahani resigns from Studio 18 / The Indian Film Company

2010-01-27 02:46:51

Priti Shahani joined Studio 18 / The Indian Film Company in June 2006 as Sr Vice President Marketing, Distribution and Syndication. Priti is one of the founding members that made up the core team that within the last 3 ½ years set up one of the most prolific film studios in the industry. She worked very closely with key industry players to make Studio 18 / The Indian Film Company the premiere destination for all talent within the industry. Besides introducing & overseeing aggressive marketing/distribution campaigns for blockbuster films such as WELCOME, SINGH IS KINNG and GHAJINI, Priti was instrumental in unlocking hidden revenue for films; with JAB WE MET Priti pioneered the satellite rights syndication model which now has become the norm within the industry. Having setup Studio 18 / The Indian Film Company on its journey ahead, Priti is set to move on to take up newer challenges and hasn't finalized her future plans yet, but is exploring various options. She is currently serving out her notice period with the company until March 31, 2010.

"Yes, I am doing Lucy Liu film" - Tannishtha Chatterjee

2010-01-27 04:42:41

Madhur Bhandarkar joins Twitter

2010-01-25 08:40:45

While the likes of Gul Panag stay on to be the trail blazer in evangelising Twitter in Bollywood, last one year has seen a horde of Bollywood celebrities waking up to this networking tool. Shah Rukh Khan, Karan Johar, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Mallika Sherawat are some of the many regulars on Twitter. Now Madhur Bhandarkar has succumbed to the Twitter mania as well. The man has created an account for him and can't help singing praises about it ever since he joined. "I used to wonder what was so special about this entire 'Twitter' talk before I was introduced to it. I can't help but being hooked on to it ever since I joined. I guess in Bollywood, especially for us filmmakers it is really something that one can't escape from", says Bhandarkar who is quite a regular now and has been sending out half a dozen tweets a day. He can be found at mbhandarkar268. "I am sure Twitter is going to be really beneficial in days to come", says Bhandarkar, "It's a great way to stay connected to your friends, followers and cinema enthusiasts in general. This is just the right way to get instant feedback and reactions from people once they watch a film of mine or anyone else. In the fast paced life that we live, this is turning out to be a blessing."

SRK gets Moon crater named after him

2010-01-25 11:49:26

For those who thought that the fans of Tollywood (Tamil film industry) were one crazy lot, we are sure that this piece of news will just not be a 'Moonwalk' (quite literally) for them. Its general knowledge that Shah Rukh Khan is called the 'King' for reasons enough that will fill all the pages of an Encyclopedia book. And the fan following that he has is nothing short of hysteria. Well, if that wasn't enough at all, there is a piece of news that is bound to make you sit up and take notice. The news is that one of SRK's biggest fans had purchased (you read it right) a piece of land in SRK's name on Moon. And the good news is that, the International Lunar Geographic Society (ILGS) has now approved of the same. The crater in question is located on the moon's Sea of Tranquility and is the largest of the four Arago craters, positioned directly south of the main crater. It is said that the crater was named after SRK on his 44th birthday in November last year, and was only recently approved by the International Astronomical Union following a spate of petitions from SRK fans worldwide. With this, SRK has proved quite literally, as to what 'feeling over the moon' really means. Way to go, SRK!

Aamir, Rahman to receive Padma Bhushan; Padma Shree for Rekha, Saif

2010-01-25 12:09:53

It's the height of award season with Bollywood actors being showered with recognition from all the fronts, the latest being the actors Aamir Khan and Saif Ali Khan. Following the National Awards that were recently announced, Bollywood Hungama has now learnt that Bollywood's 'Mr. Perfectionist' Aamir Khan has been awarded the Padma Bhushan. The actor will be awarded with the same on the 60th Republic Day celebration for his outstanding contribution to Hindi cinema. Speaking about the win Aamir says, "I am so happy to receive this unique honour. The first thing that comes to my mind is my mother's smiling face. Indeed this has been a good day for me. First my film Peepli Live gets a superb response here at the Sundance Film Festival, and then I receive this wonderful news of receiving the Padma Bhushan. I only wish I was back home right now. I would like to thank God for these happy moments, and all my fans and well wishers for their love, support and good wishes." Besides Aamir, music maestros A. R. Rahman and Ilaiyaraja have also been awarded with the Padma Bhushan. If that wasn't enough, the ageless diva Rekha, chotte nawab Saif Ali Khan and celebrated sound engineer Resul Pokutty have been awarded the Padma Shree for their significant contribution to cinema. Also, yesteryear actress Zohra Sehgal will be honoured with the Padma Vibhushan. The awards will be presented to the winners on Republic Day tomorrow.

Live Chat: Rajkumar Hirani on Jan 29 at 1500 hrs IST

2010-01-25 13:27:46

He is among the most successful directors in Bollywood after having given not one or two but three huge blockbusters one after the other. We are indeed talking about the super-talented Rajkumar Hirani- director of cult classics like Munnabhai MBBS, Lage Raho Munnabhai and of course the film that the whole world is now talking about - 3 Idiots. Raju Hirani, who is currently enjoying the sweet smell of success of his latest film 3 Idiots, will be live on Bollywood Hungama's video chat on Friday, Jan 29, at 1500 hrs IST. Don't miss this golden opportunity of getting to ask all that you ever wanted to one of the most happening directors of Bollywood.

Veer runs into trouble as HC issues notice to Salman, producer and director

2010-01-25 14:14:18

Today when there are well above 250 films releasing every year in Bollywood, finding a unique concept can be a task, and every now and then, there are claims of copyright infringement being made. The latest film blamed for copyright infringement is Veer, and the makers of the film are accused of lifting some concepts from a certain book without any approval from its author. The Salman Khan starrer that released recently has been dragged to court for copyright violation by author Pavan Choudary. The plaintiff claims that the idea and concept that India should not be a 'Sone Ki Chidiya' but 'Baaj' (hawk) has almost been identically copied and adapted from his book 'Trilogy of Wisdom' and that the makers of Veer are using the same for their commercial gains. Justice V. K. Shali of Delhi High Court has since asked actor Salman Khan, the film's producers and also director Anil Sharma to file their response on the allegation levelled by author Pavan Choudary, who has sought damages of Rs. 20 lakh from them. The author also pleaded that the court should stay the screening of the film.

Hollywood biggies in 'Teen Patti'?

2010-01-26 03:30:04

After winning accolades in PAA, Amitabh Bachchan will now be seen in two diverse films [RANN, TEEN PATTI], enacting equally diverse roles. While Bachchan enacts the role of a media moghul whose word is considered gospel truth in RANN, he enacts an equally challenging role in TEEN PATTI. It's a known fact that Sir Ben Kingsley also plays a crucial part in TEEN PATTI, but there are murmurs that Hollywood heavyweights such as Pierce Brosnan and Richard Gere also appear in cameos. "That's completely true. There's no reason why we would keep them under wraps if they were part of TEEN PATTI. But the fact is, they aren't," TEEN PATTI producer Ambika Hinduja tells me. Another news doing the rounds is that the film has gone over-budget, from Rs. 12 cr. to Rs. 20 cr. "Not true again. I'd like to clarify that the budget of the film was never Rs. 12 crores. Also, the film was completed within schedule and there was no question of the budget hitting the roof," Ambika sets the record straight.

Arshad Warsi plans to produce films regularly

2010-01-26 03:35:10

Click above for movie stills: Ishqiya Arshad Warsi is enjoying playing the role of a producer. The talented actor has already completed his first film, HUM TUM AUR GHOST, which is slated for a March release. The film was initially titled KAUN BOLA. "Yes, but HUM TUM AUR GHOST sounds cute. It evokes interest in the film," Arshad smiles. The film was completed quite some time back, but the release date was pushed forward intermittently. "That's because I wanted ISHQIYA to come before HUM TUM AUR GHOST. But ISHQIYA got pushed ahead because Vishal Bhardwaj wanted to bring KAMINEY before ISHQIYA. And KAMINEY got delayed due to the producers versus multiplexes strike. That explains the delay in the release of HUM TUM AUR GHOST," Arshad states. Arshad plans to continue producing films. "I enjoyed the process of making this film. In fact, I plan to produce films regularly. Whether I star in them or not, is besides the point," Arshad states confidently.