Shilpa to sizzle on Big brother
After scorching the Indian screen,
Shilpa Shetty is all set to sizzle on Britain's reality show
Big Brother.
The actress, having arguably the best figure in Bollywood, has reportedly been offered Rs.30 million for her participation.
The Indian version of Big Brother is currently running on Sony TV as
Big Boss which is produced by Endemol, the company that produces
Big Brother internationally.
Shilpa joins
Big Brother from January 1 and spends the next 25 days on the show.
Shilpa has been forbidden from talking about it, but reports quote a reliable source saying that the actress she has been paid the equivalent of a whopping Rs.30 million to be the only Bollywood participant on the show.
Reports are that when Shilpa was approached she was completely taken by surprise. She had made no overtures to Endemol to let them know she was interested in their show at all. But
Big Brother made inquiries.
Reports add that Endemol wanted their first Bollywood entry into the show and they needed someone with a smart, sexy look and attitude, someone who could converse fluently in English. Asians make up about 80 percent of viewers of the show.
Shilpa, who had other plans for Christmas and New Year, has quickly cancelled them to accommodate the month-long stint away from home.
Reports quote a close friend of the actress as saying: "Shilpa is basically a home bird and she's dreading this long stay with strangers. But she's also excited because it's an honour to be on
Big Brother. Not like its Indian counterpart
Big Boss where any and every wannabe was a contestant.
Big Brother has the biggest celebrities in the world."
Before signing the contract Shilpa found out how voyeuristic the show is expected to be and to her relief, there will be no cameras in the bathroom and the celebrities on the show won't be required to act sleazy at all.
Lock kiya jaye?
Actor Abhay Deol, we hear, is all set for his first ever on-screen kiss for a film titled 1:40 Ki Last Local. And just whom is he going to lock lips with? Apparently, it’s none other than Neha Dhupia. We have become privy to kisses in Hindi films these days. And our new age heroes make no bones about doing what the script demands. “After all it’s the expression of love. Don’t people kiss when they’re in love?” justified Abhishek Bachchan when he kissed on-screen for the first time. Point noted. Let’s grow up!
Saif Ali Khan turning to action flicks
He has played the romantic boy roles and he has played the villain as well. Now,
Saif Ali Khan seems eager for some adrenalin pumping action on the silver screen.
Saif has already been approached by filmmaker
Anil Sharma, known for his jingoistic and violent films (like
Gadar ), for his next movie, an action-packed thriller. And Saif, who has just completed the shooting of
Tara Rum Pum (a candyfloss romantic tale) is excited about trying something different.
Saif is considering Sharma’s offer and hasn’t given his consent yet. On another front, Saif has also showed interest in
Gautam Menon’s next movie, a stylish action film with a lot of special effects. Stunt experts from Hollywood would be roped in for this movie.
Although Saif has not signed this movie as well, sources close to the actor say that he is seriously looking forward to work in a full-fledged action flick.
Some reports say Saif is even willing to go through rigorous physical training if the movie’s script and concept excites him.
An image makeover for SRK
Farah Khan wants to give
Shah Rukh Khan a complete image makeover in her next movie
Om Shanti Om.
One can expect something new when Farah Khan happens to be at the helm of things. She made a superb directorial debut in
Main Hoon Na. And now she will incorporate the fashion statements and styles of 1970s into her next venture
Om Shanti Om, which again has Shah Rukh in the lead role.
The movie will feature
Deepika Padukone as SRK’s heroine. Others in the cast are
Shreyas Talpade,
Kiron Kher and
Bindu.
Farah has reportedly hired three designers to do costumes in the film.
Karan Johar will design SRK’s outfits,
Manish Malhotra will design for Deepika and
Sanjiv Mulchandani for the rest of the cast.
The costumes will be from the fashion of the 70s : hippie kurtas with pop-art prints and polka dots, printed shirts with long collars, and ghararas with crocheted flowers, etc. Even the hairdos of the main actors will be reminiscent of the styles of the 70s.
Farah, who has been a great admirer of entertainers from the 70s, says her movie
Om Shanti Om is not in any way based on
Subhash Ghai’s movie
Karz that had a song with the same title.
Amrita Rao paired with Siddharth
It is quite an unusual cast combination. But then, director
David Dhawan is thinking out of the box for his next movie.
The film, titled
Hook Ya Crook, will be a departure from Dhawan’s typical style of slapstick comedies. The movie will be a thriller, a comedy and a romantic tale, all rolled into one.
So far, two actors have been finalized:
Amrita Rao and
Siddharth of
Rang De Basanti fame. The movie’s main actor is yet to be finalized. Reports have it that Dhawan is thinking of signing either
Sanjay Dutt or
Nana Patekar.
The movie will be produced under the banner of UTV films. Its script is written by
Rensil DeSilva. The film’s plot will also have a cricket angle.
Hook Ya Crook is likely to go on the floors in the early half of 2007.
Anil Kumble in a Bollywood movie!
The famed Indian leg spinner will reportedly play a cameo in a Bollywood movie.
Cricketers turning to acting in films is not new. We have seen
Syed Kirmani, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Vinod Kambli, Ajay Jadeja and
Navjyot Siddhu making appearances in movies, some of them even playing significant roles.
Now it is
Anil Kumble who is set for a cameo in Hindi movie
Mirabai - Not Out, to be directed by award winning Marathi filmmaker
Chandrakant Kulkarni.
Although the film is not entirely based on cricket, the game still forms an important part of the story’s backdrop. In the movie, Kumble will play himself. He will appear in a scene with
Mandira Bedi, who plays a cricket fan.
Mirabai - Not Out will mark the acting debut of
Ejaz Khan. The film will also have
Anupam Kher and
Mahesh Manjrekar playing huge cricket enthusiasts.
To be produced by Pritish Nandy’s company, the film will go on the floors by December end. The makers of the movie are aiming to release it just before the world cup next year.
Falling in love with an invisible girl
How would it feel to fall in love with a girl whom no one except you can see? This happens to be the dilemma of the protagonist in
Arjun Rampal’s forthcoming movie
I See You.
The movie, directed by
Vivek Agarwal, is produced by Arjun’s wife
Mehr Jessia. It introduces a newcomer named
Vipasha Agarwal as Rampal’s invisible love interest.
The film’s story is set in London. Arjun Rampal plays Raj Jaiswal, the handsome host of a chat show called British Raj. He is a man who indulges in harmless flirtations and sometimes serious seduction with girls. Even the girls on the show are not spared from his flirtatious advances. Raj’s life is rocked when he encounters a beautiful girl called Shivani (Vipasha) in his own bedroom. She is like a mystery woman. She moves in and out of his room and office at her own will. And the most shocking thing is that only Raj can see her. She seems to be made for his eyes only. As Raj befriends and romances with a woman none can see, people around him, his friends and colleagues are shocked out of their wits.
But the big question is: Does Shivani really exist, or is she a figment of Raj’s imagination?
The movie stars
Chunky Pandey as Rampal’s friend.
Sonali Kulkarni plays a pretty woman who in reality is a husband beater.
Boman Irani plays a psychiatrist who believes he has cure for any mental disorder until he meets Raj.
Sophie Choudhary plays herself, a veejay.
I See You also has cameo appearances by
Hrithik Roshan and
Shah Rukh Khan. The movie’s music is given by
Vishal Shekhar.
SRK willing to act in Arab films
Bollywood superstar
Shah Rukh Khan has expressed his willingness to act in Arab movies, if invited by filmmakers of the region.
"It would be a different experience for me to work in an Arab film. And to any such offer from an Arab film-maker, I would say '
Assalamu Alaikum', without a second thought," SRK said in Dubai on Thursday.
SRK was honoured at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) just last week.
SRK added that Dubai felt like second home to him, especially because of its people and culture.
"The honour from DIFF is my first international award. Dubai is a wonderful city and I am happy to be here. The growth of Dubai is unbelievable. The infrastructure here is suitable for shooting of films," SRK said.
Shah Rukh to be at his evil best
In spite of getting mixed response to his evil act in
Farhan Akhtar's
Don, Bollywood's superstar
Shah Rukh Khan is once again ready to show his evil best.
Reports are that SRK is all set to make the sequel of
Don, which will be produced by King Khan's production company Red Chillies, in association with Farhan Akhtar's and
Ritesh Sidhwani's Excel Entertainment.
Don2 will carry the story forward from the climax of the previous flick and it is said that SRK will become a more powerful Don in the sequel. The character will be completely dark, where SRK's fans will get to see him performing his best in negative worst.
Reportedly, the entire cast for the sequel except SRK will be different.
But the fans will have to wait long for the sequel as it is said that it will be launched later next year.
Vidya Balan in MMS row
After the smashing success of
Lage Raho Munnabhai,
Vidya Balan has been caught in an ugly row.
According to the recent buzz, a one-minute hot video clip of a woman, bearing close resemblance to Vidya, is doing the rounds on the Internet and on MMS-enabled mobile phones in Chennai.
However, sources close to the heroine of
Parineeta fame have been quick to debunk the video as morphed or fake.
Whether morphed or look alike, the MMS clip is doing rounds among the youngsters in Chennai. According to youngsters who regularly received such clips, they prefer MMS clips of actors and famous models.
In the past,
Mallika Sherawat and
Preity Zinta too had MMSs of their look-alikes doing the rounds and a MMS had also come to the fore which allegedly showed
Kareena Kapoor and
Shahid Kapur smooching.
When contacted, Sanjay, secretary to Vidya, said, "She (Vidya) is busy shooting here (in Mumbai) and does not want to react to this. The issue is totally irrelevant to her and we do not want to encourage any discussion on the topic."
Vidya’s forthcoming flicks include
Salaam-e-Ishq and
Eklavya.
John to ride bike again
His passion for bikes is well known. Bollywood’s dashing star
John Abraham, who immortalized the role of a cool thief on motorbike in
Dhoom, is once again ready to replay the action.
The actor will be once again seen riding the motorcycle in
Sunil Shetty’s production
Raaste, which will be directed by
Farhan Akhtar’s assistant
Vicky Singh. The film was recently launched at the Global Indian Film Awards (GIFA) ceremony in Kuala Lumpur.
The film will also star
Abhishek Bachchan and
Sikander Kher, son of
Anupam Kher and
Kiron Kher.
Raaste is a story about three guys related to sports in their own way, played by John, Abhishek and Sikander.
"John plays a biker, Abhishek is a racer and Sikander also has an interesting part to play," says the director.
As far as the female cast is concerned,
Raaste has gorgeous
Aishwarya Rai, who meets these three guys while doing her research on sports.
The shoot schedule for the movie is yet to be decided.
John and Bipasha to train in football
A former English Premier League footballer will be training
John Abraham and
Bipasha Basu to play football for a Bollywood movie.
Vivek Agnihotri is going the whole hog to ensure the top-notch quality for his next venture
Goal, which is based on football. The movie will feature as many as 15 football matches, all of which will be shot in stadiums in the UK.
What’s more, the movie’s actors – John, Bipasha,
Arshad Warsi and
Boman Irani – will undergo a rigorous training in the sport before the film’s shooting begins early next year.
Former English Premier League footballer
Andy Ansah will be training the actors and choreographing the game in the film. Andy, a former striker who retired at the age of 30 because of injury, has been working as a football choreographer in the films based on the game.
While John has already been getting in shape for a month or so to play the footballer in the film, he and other stars will now learn the nitty-gritty of the game, like long passes, dribbling, dodging and other tricks under Andy.
Surprisingly, even Bipasha Basu will be shown playing football with John in the film. The real-life couple will reportedly be practicing for a week at St. Andrews in Bandra.
Bipasha has been turning down film offers with John because she had been "waiting for something substantial". But when she heard her role in Agnihotri’s film, she readily gave her consent to him.
Goal will be shot at football stadiums in UK, including the Manchester United stadium. Even the movie’s cinematographer will be from UK.
The film’s shooting will begin in January. It will be shot in a four-month schedule in the winter season.
Priyanka obsessed with Karan
There is a reason why
Priyanka Chopra’s name in
Nikhil Advani’s movie
Salaam-e-Ishq has an extra 'k'.
In the film, Priyanka plays an item girl who is obsessed with filmmaker
Karan Johar. She wants to work with him. So fixated is she in getting a break with Johar that she adds an extra ‘k’ to her name, Kkamini.
Nikhil Advani says he was earlier toying with the idea of roping in Karan for a cameo in the film.
Nikhil directed his first movie
Kal Ho Na Ho for Karan Johar’s company Dharma Productions. After that he broke away from the production house, but he insists that there are no cold vibes between him and Karan.
Throughout the making of
Salaam-e-Ishq, Nikhil got “moral and creative support” from Johar. In fact, Johar even allowed two songs that were originally meant for
Kal Ho Na Ho to be used in
Salaam-e-Ishq.
By the way, this is not the first film in which Karan is playing an inspiration for an actress. In last year’s
Home Delivery, he played his real self who is pursued by the movie’s hero (
Vivek Oberoi) and heroine (
Mahima Chaudhary).
Now, Kangana to play a con girl
After playing the roles of traumatized women in her two films,
Kangana Ranaut is now set to prove her versatility.
Kangana seems to have bonded well with director
Anurag Basu, in whose film
Gangster she made her acting debut. Now, the talented girl from Himachal is doing a very different but serious role in Basu’s next movie
Metro.
But that is not it. Basu is said to be planning to produce and direct a movie that will redefine Kangana’s onscreen image. The yet untitled movie will have Kangana playing a very glamourous role of a con girl. The movie will also have Kangana doing a couple of item songs.
Now, considering that Basu has so far made films on serious subjects and has never included any item songs in his movies, this planned project for Kangana will be a departure for him as well.
Even though Kangana is not a part of his other movie
Suicide Bomber, Basu says she has tremendous potential waiting to be tapped.
Meanwhile, Kangana has become very friendly with Basu’s wife and children. The filmmaker says she has almost become a part of their family.
Tulip Joshi's career now coming to bloom
After disappearing from the silver screen for a long time,
Tulip Joshi is back. And she is here to stay.
This comely belle went into a self-chosen hibernation (due to poor health) after making her mark in two Bollywood movies (
Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai and
Dil Maange More ) and an art-house film (
Matrubhumi) that showcased her acting abilities.
Now, after staying away from the limelight for more than a year, Tulip is back. The coming months will see the release of two movies featuring her:
Manish Gupta’s
Hostel and
Arindam Mitra’s
Shunya.
In
Hostel, Tulip plays a middle-class college girl who becomes an inspiration and moral support for a guy (
Vatsal Seth) who lives in a males-only hostel. The film is a realistic love story with lots of action.
Shunya, on the other hand, is based on a very unconventional subject. The film gives Tulip a chance to act with the greats like
Naseeruddin Shah and
Kay Kay Menon. In the movie, Tulip plays an established actress.
While these movies may sound like art-house productions, Tulip is making sure to balance her career properly with some mainstream movies also.
She is reported to have signed a few films with
Sanjay Dutt and
Sanjay Gupta’s White Feather Films. She is already acting in one of Gupta’s
Dus Kahaniyan.
Then, Tulip has signed a movie called
Mera Bharat Mahaan, to be directed by
Samir Karnik who made
Kyon, Ho Gaya Na. There is a possibility that
Salman Khan may act in the movie as it is being produced by his secretary
Vikas Kapoor.
Not just this, Tulip has made it clear that she is now looking forward to work with big banners. She is hoping for a call from Yash Raj Films who launched her into Bollywood more than four years ago.
Mohit Ahlawat out of 'Sholay'
It appears that
Mohit Ahlawat has ceased to be
Ram Gopal Varma’s blue-eyed boy.
Varma’s dream project,
Ram Gopal Varma Ki Sholay, is in news again, this time for a change in the star cast.
Reports reveal that Mohit is no more part of the remake. He was to play Jai in the film, a role which was enacted by
Amitabh Bachchan in yesteryear’s blockbuster
Sholay.
But now Ramu has taken an immediate decision of excluding Mohit from the movie’s cast. According to Ramu, he was so busy in giving shape to Gabbar Singh’s character that he didn’t realize the changes in the script. And finally, when he took out time for working on Jai’s character, he found that Mohit did not fit into the character anymore.
However, Mohit has a different story to tell. He says that he did not want to play the character himself so he stepped out of the project by his own will.
Ram Gopal Varma Ki Sholay stars
Ajay Devgan (as Veeru),
Amitabh Bachchan (as Gabbar),
Sushmita Sen (as Radha) and
Nisha Kothari (as Ghungru, the modern Basanti). Let’s see who steps into Mohit’s shoes now!
