Ranbir gears up to play Bipasha's man
The newcomer gets to work with Asia’s sexiest woman in his very second film.
At first sight, it may appear an odd couple –
Ranbir Kapoor and
Bipasha Basu. But then, the Yashraj Films next presentation that they are doing is no ordinary love story.
The film, to be directed by
Siddharth Anand, tells a story that spans two decades of the protagonist’s life. In accordance with the subject, Ranbir will be seen in three different get-ups in the film.
He plays the same character at three stages of life – a teenager, a 28-year-old youth, and a man in his mid thirties.
In fact, Ranbir and Bipasha have reportedly done a couple of photo-shoots together for the director to see how compatible they will look on the big screen.
Ranbir has got his hair cut and Bips has got hers coloured black. Ranbir also sports stubble for his elder character.
The movie will go on the floors from November 24. Before that, producer
Aditya Chopra and director Siddharth Anand want to finalize the looks of the characters and test their compatibility.
Goal set to put spotlight on Football
After
Shimit Amin's
Chak De India, which took up cudgels for the much neglected sport of hockey in the country, there is tremendous buzz in film circles for
Vivek Agnihotri's
Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal, a film which seeks to put spotlight on the game of football in India.
Being produced by UTV and directed by Agnihotri,
Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal, a contemporary story of the Asian community in the United Kingdom told through the prism of professional football, hopes to do for football what
Chak De India did for hockey - raise the profile for professional football in India.
Coming close on the heels of the stupendous success of
Chak De India,
Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal, which will releases worldwide this Friday, has evoked tremendous curiosity in the film trade in India, more so because of its ensemble cast with Bollywood hunk
John Abraham in the lead opposite
Bipasha Basu along with
Arshad Warsi and
Boman Irani.
The level of curiosity generated by
Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal can be gauged from the fact that the film, produced by UTV Motion Pictures in association with its youth venture Bindass, has recovered its cost of production before its worldwide theatrical release on November 23. Syndication of satellite and music rights has fetched Rs 11 crores for the Company.
Further, it has garnered fabulous prices for overseas territory pre-sales, already totalling Rs 1.5 crores. In addition to this, UTV has roped in various top-of-the-line brand partners like Reebok, Western Union, Gillette and others, which have added another Rs 3 crores to the kitty. This is aside from the incredible media and promotional support offered by these brands.
Reebok, which sponsored the clothing line in the film, will retail the '
Goal' range across 535 outlets in India.
The film has thus recovered its entire cost of production of Rs 16.5 crores, scoring a Goal even before the start of the ''real match at the box office''.
The Company has also licensed the gaming rights for the film to Indiagames, which has tied up with FIFA to launch the Goal-FIFA challenge on the Games-On-demand platform.
Coming at a time when the popularity and viewership of football, especially Indian football tournaments, is on a decline with spotlight being on sports like Cricket and Tennis, 'Goal' is being seen as an attempt to create a buzz for the sport in the country through another story of triumph of human spirit against all odds.
ESPN Star Sports will integrate the catch-line of Goal -
Duniya Goal Hai - to promote English Premier League matches to be telecast on ESPN in the month of November.
Infact, a promotional event for the film in the capital this weekend saw John and Bipasha coming together with real footballers to make a pitch for presenting 'Goal' as an attempt by its makers to raise the pitch for the sport.
"These are the real heroes as they are representing the country on the international level. The film is a way to thank them for their contribution towards football," John and Bipasha said.
That the film is aimed at boosting the popularity of football is also evident from the fact that its release next week coincides with the kick-off of the I-League, India's first professional football league.
Says Agnihotri, "Goal is a film about the triumph of human spirit against the odds. A group of nobodies challenge the system and handle hostile situations in the film."
Irrfan in Ocean's Fourteen?
Rumour has it that
Irrfan Khan might get to play a role in Hollywood movie
Ocean’s Fourteen.
Many new doors have opened for Irrfan after his performances in
The Namesake and
A Mighty Heart. Filmmakers in Hollywood are now considering Irrfan for important roles in their films.
One such project, according to reports, is director
Steven Soderbergh’s next project
Ocean’s Fourteen which has
George Clooney and
Brad Pitt in main roles once again. Reports say Irrfan is being considered to play one of the conmen.
Sources are quoted as saying that Irrfan is in talks with the makers of the movie, but the actor cannot confirm anything until he signs on the dotted line.
Irrfan’s manager
Sunny Shah admits that Irrfan is getting many offers from Hollywood but he refuses to divulge any more details.
Meanwhile, back in Bollywood, Irrfan has become very choosy about the projects he wants to do.
