Posts tagged Abhishek Bachchan
Dostana 2 based in Punjab, without yellow trucks?
1Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 7, 2013)
Tarun Mansukhani can now breathe easy. His sequel to the 2008 hit Dostana, has finally been greenlgihted by Karan Johar, and the film is expected to go on the floors this summer. This was confirmed by Karan.
Mirror has learnt that in Dostana 2, Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham will reprise their roles from the previous film. However, contrary to reports that the film will be set in London, there is a buzz that the setting is likely to be the mustard fields of Punjab. A source close to the film said: “Dostana 2 will begin with Abhishek and John shifting base from Miami to Punjab.”
But those waiting to feast their eyes on John’s famous butt-flash in his canary yellow trunks, will have to look elsewhere. The men will swap their trunks for dhotis we hear. “But rest assured, the sequel is gonna be finnier,” assures the source.
The sequel has come through after several rounds of changes. Reportedly, Karan was not happy with the second half of the film and Tarun and his team had to rework the script a couple of times at least. The source said: “It took a long time to lock the script. Dostana was a hit and neither Karan nor Tarun wanted to take any chances with the sequel. They wanted a script that would ensure another success at the box-office.”
While the dhotis and the bromance are all in place, the slot for the leading lady -earlier portrayed by Priyanka Chopra- is yet to be filled up. We hear the announcement will not More >
Abhishek Bachchan-Bobby Deol in Do Aur Do Paanch remake
0Meena Iyer (BOMBAY TIMES; February 6, 2013)
There have been innumerable offers asking Abhishek Bachchan to do a role that has been made famous by his father Amitabh Bachchan. But AB Jr has steered clear of the temptation until now as he rightfully felt that no actor, including him, could do justice to a role done by Big B.
However, it seems that producer Kunal Kohli has managed to convince him, as word is, for the first time, Abhishek will reprise a role played by Big B. Almost 33 years after the release Do Aur Do Paanch (1980), he will step into his dad’s shoes in the remake of the yesteryear fun caper that also had Shashi Kapoor. Bobby Deol will play Shashi’s role and the girls, originally played by Hema Malini and Parveen Babi, are still being finalised The filmmaker says, “It’s too early to reveal anything, we will make a formal announce ment as soon as we are ready with all details.” The film will be directed by newcomer Akshaye Puri, who is a maternal cousin of designer Manish Malhotra and actor Varun Dhawan.
Yet again, Abhishek Bachchan set to have a working birthday
0Aakansha Naval-Shetye (DNA; February 5, 2013)
Last year Abhishek Bachchan was in Wai on his birthday, shooting for Bol Bachchan — the action-comedy that got him an entry into the Rs 100 crore club. And this year too, the actor seems to be in no mood to take a break for his birthday. This time, keeping him busy for the day will be the action thriller Dhoom 3. Though the actor’s hectic schedules will keep him away from home for most part of the day, insiders insist that he’s not complaining about having to work on his birthday. “Abhishek loves his work, so though some people on the production team were sceptical about making him work on his birthday, the others knew that he wouldn’t mind that, at all. When we informed Abhishek about the schedule, we were proved right, he didn’t complain even once nor did he ask for any changes. However, we feel that the team may be planning a surprise bash for him,” reveals a source.
Abhishek personally doesn’t enjoy partying on his birthday, and prefers to have a low-key affair with family and friends. He will spend the evening with wife, actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and daughter Aaradhya along with his parents and a few friends. “As of now, apart from a dinner nothing lavish has been planned,” says another source, adding that a break of two-three days with family later on cannot be ruled out.
Currently, Abhishek is said to be thrilled about the action outing that sees him reprise the role of Jai Dixit. Interestingly, he and co-star Uday More >
Odd for me at this age to hit nightclubs with Abhishek-Amitabh Bachchan
0Meena Iyer (BOMBAY TIMES; February 3, 2013)
At 70, Amitabh Bachchan’s film and social diary is jam-packed. Indian cinema’s biggest icon, who has just wrapped up the sixth season of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), barely has time to take a breather as five films with celebrated filmmakers await him. Excerpts of a brief conversation with Big B…
Is there a void now that this season of KBC has wrapped up? One always misses KBC because it gives me great joy to meet different kinds of people. I’m eagerly waiting for the next season. One tends to get involved with the people who come on the hot seat. Now, I’ve got film shootings beginning in a week’s time. Prakash Jha’s Satyagraha will be the first to go on the floors. It has Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor, Manoj Bajpayee, Arjun Rampal and me. I like Prakashji’s cinema. He makes films that deal with topics that have some social or moral standing.
Are you playing Anna Hazare in the film? No. I’m not playing Anna Hazare. I play a man of principles who fights for rights.
Which are the other films that you will do in 2013? There is a host of other films that I need to just programme. There is Sudhir Mishra’s Mehrunissa, Bhoothnath-2, R Balki’s film, Sujoy Ghosh’s film and then there is television. Yes, there will be the next season of the game show.
Mehrunissa is a love story. Does it feel good that makers are writing love stories for you even at this age? Mehrunissa is not a love story in the traditional sense. This is all I can say. More >
How Abhishek Bachchan beats jet lag
0BOMBAY TIMES (February 1, 2013)
It’s not unusual for anyone to suffer jet lag when travelling, but Abhishek Bachchan is an exception. The actor, it is learnt, doesn’t get any jet lag because he doesn’t sleep on his long flights back home.
So, while everyone else on board catches up on their sleep during the 17-hour-long flights, he stays awake and spends time reading and watching movies. And even after landing in India, the actor doesn’t sleep during the day. Instead, he waits till his bed time in the night to ensure he maintains his routine. Looks like Abhishek has found an apt recipe to beat jet lags.
Riteish Deshmukh’s maiden Marathi film venture pays off
0BOMBAY TIMES (January 13, 2012)
Riteish Deshmukh’s Mumbai Film Company started 2013 on a high note with his maiden Marathi film BP-Balak Palak.
Says an elated Riteish, “I’m really thrilled with the response to the film. BP deals with an interesting concept — the need of sex education among children and how parents deal with it. Director Ravi Jadhav’s story has a strong appeal. It’s a family film and they are enjoying it. We hope this effort helps to form a better communication channel between parents and children.”
A lot of Bollywood biggies have supported the film, too. Calling it a “simple story, beautifully narrated”, Akshay Kumar said, “I recommend it to all parents. Kids grow up faster than we think. The film will teach a thing or two about parenting.” Karan Johar said he “absolutely adored” the film for conveying “such an important message so brilliantly”. Calling it “one of the most beautiful films”, Abhishek Bachchan said he was proud of Riteish for producing this film.
A distributor says, “BP marks the end of a six-week lull at the Marathi box office. Riteish’s association with the film has been the reason for it’s success.”
This year also marks Riteish’s completion of a decade in Bollywood. He has a number of films lined up for release — Grand Masti, Filmy Picture (remake of the Telugu film Sudigadu) and his next Marathi production, in which he’ll be acting too.
Will Aishwarya-Karisma meet eye-to-eye at Dubai gala?
0Asira Tarannum (MID-DAY; January 8, 2013)
The popular saying goes: let the sleeping dogs lie. But looks like an upcoming awards gala in Dubai could send tongues wagging yet again! According to sources, there is a high probability that Karisma Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan could come face to face while accepting their respective trophies at the event.
Given their connection to Abhishek Bachchan, sources indicate that sparks could fly when the whole world is watching. An industry insider says, “Things will definitely heat up at the awards ceremony in March. They both will be receiving awards for their achievements in Bollywood.” In fact, there is a high chance that Lolo and Ash will have to share their award with each other.
Our source adds, “Ever since Ash got married to Karisma’s ex Abhishek, they have avoided each other in public. Let’s see who beats a hasty retreat this time!” Anu Ranjan, the founder of the awards show refuses to comment on the matter. All she says is, “I can’t reveal anything right now as it will kill the fun of the show.”
Shaad Ali opts for a Marathi shaadi
0Prachi Kadam (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 7, 2013)
You read it here that Shaad Ali tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend – stylist Aarti Patkar, on Wednesday.
We can now tell you the couple had a Maharashtrian-style wedding ceremony at Aarti’s spacious bungalow at Turner Road, Bandra, yesterday. Among those present were the Bachchans, Vivek Oberoi and wife Priyanka, Ranveer Singh, Prahlad Kakkar, Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar, Kirron Kher, Rohan Sippy, Abhishek Kapoor, Tanvi Azmi, Zoya Akhtar and Arunoday Singh.
A source revealed, “Amitabh, Jaya, Abhishek and Aishwarya came in at 11am and were there till 4.30pm. The Bachchans have been close friends with Shaad ever since Amitabh, Abhishek and Aishwarya worked with him in Bunty Aur Babli. They consider him family. They even danced at the do. They are very happy because not only has he found love again, he is now all set to return to direction.”
According to the source, “Ranveer, who stars in Shaad’s next Kill Dil, stayed for nearly two to three hours. He was his usual self and danced with gay abandon. Vivek came along with a very pregnant Priyanka later in the evening.”
We also hear that Shaad Ali will soon begin scouting for locales for his next.
Abhishek Bachchan to debut as anchor with Zee Cine Awards
0The Bollywood star is slated to host the upcoming Zee Cine Awards 2013 with Riteish Deshmukh
Aakanksha Naval-Shetye (DNA; January 4, 2013)
Abhishek Bachchan will start the year with a new role — that of an anchor. The star will debut as an anchor for the Zee Cine Awards 2013 in the city. And his co-host will be buddy, actor Riteish Deshmukh. The actor, who has been busy rehearsing for the big day, reveals that he is delighted to host the awards this year.
“I’m very happy to be a part of the Zee Cine Awards this year. I’m going to host the show along with my friend and brother Riteish Deshmukh,” shares Abhishek amidst the hectic preparations at Yash Raj Studios, where the awards are to be held soon.
“This year the Awards are returning to Mumbai and our effort will be to make the show entertaining for audiences worldwide. We are nothing without the love and support of the audience. And that is the core of ZCA. The audiences have appreciated Riteish and me together in films, hope they like our pairing at ZCA also because we are really working hard for it,” adds the actor.
Riteish, too, echoes the same sentiments. “Abhi and I are hosting an award function together for the very first time,” he says, adding, “It is a huge responsibility that Zee has bestowed on us and we hope to entertain audiences to the hilt. The platform of Zee is huge and it reaches millions across the globe and we respect the choice of our audiences. This is the year’s biggest awards show. So More >