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Posts tagged Ashutosh Gowariker
Nandita divulged my secrets for publicity-Om Puri
02 years ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Powerhouse performer Om Puri at his candid best in an interview with BT
Tanvi Trivedi (BOMBAY TIMES; May 1, 2011)
For someone whose repertoire of films comprises – Ardh Satya, Aakrosh, Bhumika, Gandhi and more recently — Action Replayy 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 Gowariker. 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, More >
Mani Ratnam unveils book on AR Rahman
02 years ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Nasreen Munni Kabir’s book, a series of conversations between the author and the composer about his journey as a musician, was launched Wednesday evening
Noyon Jyoti Parasara (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 07, 2011)
Mani Ratnam in his own words is “not just a fan of A R Rahman - the composer but a bigger admirer of Rahman - the person”, making him the obvious choice to unveil Nasreen Munni Kabir’s biographic work, titled A R Rahman – The Spirit of Music.
The book elicits the heart-to-heart conversations between the author and composer about his life.
The book launch, in Juhu yesterday, had Ram Gopal Varma, Ashutosh Gowariker, Imtiaz Ali, Anthony D’Souza, Subhash Ghai and Shivamani in attendance. Singers Javed Ali and Madhushree were also present.
Nilesh Wairkar (l-r) Nasreen Munni Kabir, A R Rahman, Mani Ratnam at the book launchWhile the launch was a bit delayed as Rahman’s mother and sister were caught up in traffic, the wait was certainly worth it for the publishers, who were uncertain if the composer would have much to say.
Rahman however, surprised all by confessing about the trials and tribulations of his life. He narrated a small example to the audience, saying “One such moment was right after I had bought my studio. It was like a shell with an air-conditioner.
I had no money to buy any equipment. When my mother asked me what I needed, I told her I required Rs 4 lakh for all the equipment. So she sold some of my sister’s jewellery.”
Rahman More >
The truth behind the film in Hollywood Library
02 years ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
BOMBAY TIMES (March 18, 2011)
The claim: Many filmmakers claim proudly that their film has been selected to be part of the Oscar library. This is NOT the equivalent of winning an Oscar. Or anything to beat a drum about. The truth: Any film that is released in the US automatically becomes a part of the Academy’s library. It’s no distinction but merely a formal official procedure to keep records of the movies releases. Even if Ramsay brothers released their films in the US, its script would have been kept by Oscars. So, it’s no great achievement like Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Guzaarish) Karan Johar (My Name Is Khan) and Ashutosh Gowariker (Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey) will have you believe.
Indians at Oscars get ignored in global coverage
02 years ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Prithwish Ganguly | TNN (BOMBAY TIMES; March 1, 2011)
The 83rd Academy Awards saw some of the big names of Indian cinema grace the red carpet at the Kodak theatre but the people waiting to see Indian faces shine on it were disappointed again this year.
Our stars barely got any screen time in the global coverage. Bollywood, , has stamped its authority all over the world but Hollywood treats our stars like foster children. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan regarded as the mascot of Indian films globally, and husband Abhishek Bachchan were the only two who were covered in the global coverage. They have also been written about widely in the international press. In the Indian coverage, they were given their due time though with a full fledged interview.
The case of Mallika Sherawat is most curious. She hollers about her LA connections, and how she hobnobs with the best in business in Beverly Hills and even puts up details on her social networking site. But that’s all it is. Talk, talk, talk. At this year’s Oscar’s coverage, even in the Indian broadcast, there was just a fleeting shot of her — she wasn’t even asked to give a byte. The global coverage too did not give any attention to the Hissss actress. It’s time the actress stopped boasting about the AListers she dines and parties with, and to start concentrating on her flagging career in BTown, where she would get a little attention.
Ashutosh Gowariker and his son Konark were also present at this More >
Film production takes backseat for PVR
02 years ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
PVR Pictures shuts its production house temporarily due to the heavy losses suffered from Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey
Kunal M Shah (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 25, 2011)
PVR Pictures, one of the most promising production houses of recent times, has decided to close down its production house for the time being.
Barring Dibakar Banerjee’s Shanghai, which was a prior commitment, PVR wants to refrain from signing any more films.
The recent debacles of Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey and Aisha have contributed to their recent decision.
A source tells us, “PVR Pictures emerged as one of the biggest production houses of recent times, especially with a good mix of Bollywood and Hollywood films, which they distribute.
They have been quite prolific in the distribution arena; however it is the production that has taken a backseat, especially after the heavy losses due to Aisha and Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey.”
The source adds, “They made a very good entry in Bollywood with Taare Zameen Par and Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, which was a huge hit and all of a sudden PVR was one of the biggest production houses with lot of projects waiting to be announced.
However, not all the projects materialised and with Ashutosh’s film they suffered huge losses. Ashutosh is a good director but putting around 45 crores in an Abhishek Bachchan starrer was not a wise decision.
The film opened to very dismal and shocking collections and never picked up after that. They were in negotiations for many More >
Sajid, Ashutosh patch up at SRK’s house
02 years ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
The infamous awards night spat between Sajid Khan and Ashutosh Gowariker ended at SRK’s house when the two bonded over food and, we hope, films
Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 11, 2011)
Two years ago, when Ashutosh Gowariker and Sajid Khan had an ugly altercation at an awards ceremony, the entire nation was watching.
Recently, Sajid invited Ashutosh on stage at another award function, to declare that they had finally patched up.
But surprisingly, Ashutosh declined his offer and chose not to attend the function. The latest is that the battle is finally over. All is now well between the two.
Looking back, Sajid’s comment about Ashutosh’s hero Harman Baweja in Love Story 2050 had triggered the fight.
Ashutosh then voiced his displeasure about Sajid’s puerile humour. When Sajid told him that the organisers gave the jokes to him, Ashutosh ordered him to shut up.
Yogen shahBy this time, Sajid’s sister Farah Khan had also joined them on stage and was arguing in favour of his brother. Sajid then said, “Kisika baap bhi mujhe shut up nahi bol sakta!”
This baap of all fights ended recently according to industry sources. Sajid and Ashutosh apparently mended their differences over dinner at Shah Rukh Khan’s residence. “It happened a few days ago. Even Farah is okay with Ashutosh now.”
When contacted and asked why Gowariker did not attend the award function, where Sajid wished to announce their patch-up, Sajid nonchalantly said, “Well, what is More >
Deepshikha’s creating records!
02 years ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
BOMBAY TIMES (January 31, 2011)
Deepshikha Nagpal, the actress who has worked in Koyla, Baadshah, Partner, Dhoom Dhadaka etc. is gearing up for bigger things. She is likely to be in the Limca Book of Records for playing eight roles in one film; and we don’t mean eight characters. The actress who is making her directorial debut with a serious drama Yeh Dooriyan is handling as many as eight departments at a time!
She is not only directing and acting in the film, she has also written the story, screenplay and dialogue besides choreographing and producing it too. Ask her about her varied roles and she says, “I have been in the industry since long. My grandfather was a renowned personality in the silent era and has to his credit the launch of cult heroes like Ashok Kumar and Mehmood. I myself have worked with Ashutosh Gowariker, Rakesh Roshan and Abbas Mustan and have learnt things from them. My film deals with a very sensitive subject and I had to convey it to people, so I thought I might as well take up the challenge and make the film myself.”
Being a single mother herself and having a story which resembles her life, Deepshikha feels a special connect with the subject and wants to reach out to many women like her. “Yeh Dooriyan has the tag line Love After Divorce… is it a crime? And I really want to raise this question in society through my film. Women like me have to go through a lot and I hope my film opens the eyes of many,” says the More >
Channel refuses to air Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey?
02 years ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Meena Iyer | TNN (BOMBAY TIMES; January 2, 2011)
It’s common practice in Bollywood to negotiate the satellite rights of a film before it hits the theatres. Normally, the bigger the hype the better price the satellite rights get. Similarly, the Abhishek Bachchan-Deepika Padukone starrer Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey that was directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, who has an Oscar-nominated movie under his belt, was negotiated for a humongous price to a channel. KHJJS reportedly registered a four per cent opening at the box office. Allegedly, for the first time there was pressure to discontinue the 6 pm show of a big film. Under the circumstances, it’s not surprising that the channel, which had picked up the satellite rights and marked 15 per cent as an advance, has now decided not to air the film. A trade source says, “The channel, despite pressure from the concerned parties, has decided not to air the movie. They were even willing to forgo the advance that they have already paid.”
meen...@timesgroup.come