Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif had to get messy with tomatoes for a song in Zoya Akhtar's Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.
And going by Woody Allen's quote ("Is sex dirty? Only if it's done right), the messier it is, the hotter it looks. In fact, the outcome was so hot, that the filmmaker's had to redo the entire song before it's release on national television.
The song picturised in Spain was to depict the Tomatino festival. The song was to depict the love angle between Katrina and Hrithik. But after the 'first cut' was shown to the stars, even they couldn't handle the heat.
A source informed, "The original plan was to begin the song with the boys and then move on to Hrithik and Katrina. But when both of them saw it, they felt that it could be misconstrued. So they requested the director to tone down the sizzle."
"Everyone was worried as it was to be released this Sunday on TV. However, finally it was managed. The song has now been changed. They have added portions of all the four (Hrithik, Katrina, Farhan and Abhay) actors together.
The song is about the four friends just like the theme of the film. When contacted, producer Ritesh Sidhwani said, "Yes, the Tomatino song has been changed. It's because cinema is a collaborate effort."
Before we see Ranbir Kapoor essay the role, Imran Khan attempts to get one up on his rival by copying the look in a promotional video of Delhi Belly
They say imitation is the best form of flattery but in Bollywood it's the best way to get one up on a rival or at least try to. This time it's between Ranbir Kapoor and Imran Khan.
The duo, who were thick-as-thieves, had a fallout after Imran's then fiancée made comments about Ranbir's performance in Rajneeti.
The tensions escalated when the media reported that Ranbir was passing on all his rejected brands to Aamir's nephew.
Now, as Ranbir has made his mark as an actor and Imran as a charmer, the latest turn of events is sure to fuel the feud up again.
First, Aamir decided to turn Imran into an item boy like Ranbir in the children's movie, Chillar Party. If this was not enough, Imran's mimicry goes one step further as he takes on a rockstar avatar for the promotional item number in Delhi Belly, a little before the Ranbir starrer Rockstar releases.
Our source told us, "The music video encapsulates three guys- with Imran essaying a rockstar. Vir Das and Kunal Kapoor are the other two guys in the video.
While Ranbir still has to wait for the film to be released with Imtiaz Ali, Imran has already played one, although only in a video.
Incidentally, Ranbir and Imran have shared a love-hate relationship in the recent past and although both say that all is well between the two, it is simply not true. With Imran pulling a fast one like this, Ranbir is surely not going to take it lying down."
Karan Johar loves the UK and the US. That is evident from his choice of locations for the films that he directs or produces. They are either set in those countries, or viewers are "cheated" into believing some of those locations are actually in India.
For instance, the Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire, that served as the grand palatial Indian home of Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham. But it does seem that KJo is partial when it comes to the UK, taking great pains to capture on celluloid its breathtaking beauty.
No wonder then, that Karan was chosen to be a global ambassador for tourism promotion in the UK. TOI caught up with the filmmaker, who was in the city to announce his latest association with his fave country.
"I'm here to talk about the UK, but I also noticed just how clean, beautiful and green Bangalore is. This is my second visit this year, and from what I saw, I think Bangalore is better than Mumbai," says Karan and adds, "I've been to the UK on holidays so many times, right from childhood. I'm not much of a countryside lover and prefer cities. Let's just say that I know London better than I do Mumbai."Karan will be canning his next directorial in the UK.
His love for all things English, though, is not limited to just his shooting locations. "The UK is the best place to indulge in retail therapy. My script writing sessions see me go there often and I've realised that the best way to get my creative juices flowing is to shop. I love to shop, so much so that everyone knows me at Selfridges," grins the filmmaker, who's also an avid fashion designer.
His next directorial, Student of the Year, will start rolling in July, which, says Karan, along with the two in-production films Agneepath and Stand by Me (tentative title) and three other projects, will keep him busy for the next couple of years. But why is he producing more often than directing? "When I make a film, I need to set aside at least a couple of years to get things right. I cannot devote time to any other subject that I feel passionate about. Production allows me to promote new talent, in terms of filmmakers and actors, and also dabble with genres that I, as a filmmaker might not do justice to," explains Karan.
And while he loved the catfights and controversies his television chat show generated, Karan refuses to be drawn into a conversation about why he chose Salman over good friend SRK for one of his projects. Reports suggest that Salman will play a pivotal role in Student of the Year. "The casting for that film is yet to be finalised," is all the filmmaker volunteers, but adds that he loved every moment of every catfight on his talk show. "It was marvellous. We just wrapped up the third season. I'm not sure if and when we will return with another season," he says. But won't it get repetitive and boring if he were to quiz the same Bollywood stars again? "Well, there are suggestions that I should speak to politicians," laughs Karan and adds, "But for the time being, I am taking a break from television."
If he is on a break, then what plans does he have for his birthday next week? "I turn 39 next week and I have no plans. I guess this is when the depression before you hit 40 sets in," he signs off.
Rahul Bose says he would love to explore the action genre but admits that action films have big budgets which need more saleable stars
After garnering rave reviews for his superb performance in I AM , Rahul Bose will be next seen in a diametrically opposite role in the romantic-comedy Kucch Luv Jaisa . He plays a smalltime crook in the film. "I play a passport forger who leads a solitary life and has a deep sense of pain inside him. He believes that the world can be bought and sold. But he is an honest criminal", reveals Rahul. "The story of the film starts when he meets a housewife (Shefali Shah) and experiences fundamental changes in his life".
Known for playing sophisticated and suave characters, Rahul Bose will be speaking street-smart Mumbaiyya lingo in this film. "The dialect of my character is party derived from his village, partly from the Mumbai street language and partly from filmi dialogues. I mean who speaks lines like ' Kaan ke neeche bajaa dalunga '. It's all shown in films which people like to imitate. My character is a mishmash of all these three".
Was this linguistic trait in his character a completely new ballgame for the actor? "I would say it was as easy or as difficult as playing the character of Snehamoy in The Japanese Wife . It took me 29 days to dub for that film. I know kids from the slum who pick up lines from films instantly".
Nevertheless, other than how the character speaks, he hardly speaks in the film." In a line from the film he says, ' mujhe bolna toh bahut hain, par sunne wala koi nahi '. There is a tragic innocence about him", says Bose.
Though from its promotions Kucch Luv Jaisa might appear a female-centric film, Rahul Bose insists that it's just a marketing strategy and the perception would change, once the film releases. He will be teaming up with Shefali Shah again after 15 Park Avenue . "Frankly that didn't even come to my mind. You see actresses like Shefali, Konkona, Tabu are so instinctive, intuitive and have a rhythm that words are not necessary to explain their talent", says Rahul.
The actor is equally comfortable at doing both serious and funny roles. "I started doing comedy on stage so it comes to me instinctively. But otherwise I have done buddy films, love stories, social dramas and attempted almost every genre". Action is one genre that he would love to explore. "But action films are mounted on huge budgets and so they need more saleable stars and not someone like me", confesses the actor candidly.
Rahul Bose sounds excited about his next two films. "One is called ' Traveling with Mohammad ' which is about the Hindu-Muslim divide. Arun Asthana is directing the film which also stars Om Puri. Then there is 'Jeene Do ', a love story directed by Varun Malhotra. The idea is to do interesting stuff", reveals the actor who is also scripting a film which he wants to direct. "But I am not divulging anything about it now", signs off the actor on a smiling note.
This is no ordinary wheel chair. It's the oneHrithik Roshan used in the film Guzaarish, where he played a paraplegic. And guess what? This chair has no takers.
It's lying in filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali's office for the past many months. Bhansali wants to donate the chair to somebody in need, a hospital or a charitable organisation, but hasn't been able to do so. "I tried to offer it to some patients, but they declined saying they have small homes and it would be difficult to maneuver," he told BT.
This was a specially made-to-order remote-controlled chair. So will it find its new owner soon?
The Indian Premier League (IPL), in all its four editions, has turned out to be a marriage of cricket and glamour. On Saturday, Bollywood heartthrobPriyanka Chopra was at the Eden Gardens here to watch the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)- Kings XI Punjab match.
Priyanka was seen enjoying every moment of the action, sitting beside KKR co-owner and megastarShah Rukh Khan.
She applauded every stroke but seen most happy when KKR got wickets. "Oh, I am really enjoying the game. KKR is doing great," she said.
On a high after KKR got success in previous game, Shah Rukh said, "We have regained the momentum. We are performing much better this year. We will surely do well."
Salman Khan and Ajay Devgn are not the only actors to keep watch on good South films; Akshay Kumar, too, has joined the bandwagon. The actor has started watching them quite often these days. It's believed that he is planning to remake a Tamil film 'Ko' in Hindi.
According to an industry insider, the actor attended a special screening of the recently released Tamil film 'KO' and was impressed by the story. It is believed that Akki spoke to director KV Anand and expressed his desire to buy the remake rights of the film.
The source adds that the actor also discussed about producing the remake under his banner. If that happens, Akshay will be seen in the role of a photojournalist, played by Jeeva in the original. Akshay is yet to decide his director though names like Priyadarshan and Anthony D'Souza being considered.
Apart from Jeeva, 'Ko' starred Karthika and Prakash Raaj in lead roles.
For someone whose repertoire of films comprises – Ardh Satya, Aakrosh, Bhumika, Gandhi and more recently — Patiala House and 3 Thay Bhai –Om Puri surprises us when he confesses that he does not enjoy the process of filmmaking any more!
"I was enjoying it till the 80s and early 90s. After 1995 the quality of films in Bollywood has suffered." In Ahmedabad for an international film festival, Puri says present day films revolve round characters one can't relate to. "In a country where 90 per cent of the population lives in villages, I don't understand how can films like Singh is Kinng, Patiala House and Tees Maar Khan be made? I don't understand how can you give away crores of money to an actor because he has achieved star status. Only in the Hindi film industry an actor is bigger than the film. And when a film flops, producer marta hai bechara."
Predominantly an arthouse cinema actor, Puri feels "meaningful" films still have their share of audience. "There is a lot of good cinema being churned out by Vishal Bhardwaj, Dibakar Banerjee, and Ashutosh Govariker. The only difference between them and earlier arthouse filmmakers is that in the case of the former lot, the main protagonist in a commercial film has to be a saleable star. For a film like Sarkar, Mr Bachchan's role could have been essayed by me or Naseeruddin Shah, but Mr Bachchan has a wider reach so he was chosen. Chak De! India, Mumbai Meri Jaan, Taare Zameen Par were all good films. I think the onus of producing good cinema lies in the hands of the Shah Rukh Khans, Aamir Khans and Akshay Kumars of Bollywood."
As talk veers to his turbulent marriage to Nandita, Puri candidly admits, "if after 15 years you are not compatible with your spouse, then it is better to live separately. I had compatibility issues withNandita earlier, but the only reason why I didn't think about splitting with her was because of my son. Nandita hurt me the most when she wrote my biography and divulged unneccesary details about my relationships and secrets just for publicity. I had shared a lot of information with her as a husband, they were not meant for public consumption. Nandita was very insensitive when she mentioned the names of the women I had been involved with. The book was meant to be an inspiring story on how I became an actor, but it got publicity for the wrong reasons."
Almost every time a new pair works together, they get linked. When the pair is as hot as Bipasha Basuand Josh Hartnett, it is inevitable.
There has been a buzz that the Singularity co-stars are dating. The rumours sparked when Bips posted their pictures together on a social networking site. These pictures were leaked and splashed in tabloids. To be fair, their body language in the pictures did come across like that of a cosy couple, but we all know that pictures can lie, so we decided to ask Bips directly.
The actress, who is known to be fortright, has this to say when asked about Josh, "I have decided that I will keep things, that I share with people and the equations that I have with them, upto me. Josh and I have become close, but you know the moment I say something, it will be interpreted in a totally different way and then things generally get out of control. We share a great bond."
Should we read between the lines Bips? Are you seeing Josh? "I will not answer this. I don't want to walk down this road," she fires back. Hmmm.. what do we say now?
