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Posts tagged Dubai
Shah Rukh Khan charges Rs 8 cr for a 30-minute jig in Dubai?
11 week ago
by Fenil Seta
in Rumour has it
Soumyadipta Banerjee (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 11, 2013)
In a market where most A-listers are ‘unavailable’ due to one reason or the other, Shah Rukh Khan seems to enjoy a monopoly of sorts. We’re talking about stars making special appearances and performing at high-profile weddings.
With Salman Khan advised not to dance given his trigeminal neuralgia condition and Aamir and Saif not supporting the idea, Shah Rukh is charging about USD 15,000 for an appearance and close to Rs 8 crore for a wedding performance. According to sources, the latter is roughly the amount he was paid for approximately a 30-minute performance at a high-profile wedding at Dubai’s Madinat Jumeirah hotel last Thursday.
“It was on the invitation of Ahmed Hashem Khoory and Mariam Othman, the bride’s parents, that SRK agreed to perform,” confirmed Rashid Sayyed, who organises a majority of the actor’s Dubai events and is a friend of the bride’s family.
“It’s not about Shah Rukh’s price. Even two years back, he was charging Rs 4 crore for a performance and Rs 1 crore for an appearance. And these days, anybody can shell out that kind of money – that’s roughly the cost of a superluxury sedan. The problem is getting him to perform. He is so busy that he only performs for people he personally knows. So unless you approach him through somebody he personally interacts with, he is not going to take up your assignment,” said a source close to the actor.
Apparently, Shah Rukh received around 250 invites for wedding More >
Mamta Kulkarni weds jailed lover, sets him free
11 week ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
The ’90s actor was dating drug trafficker Vickey Goswami, serving a life sentence in UAE. Marriage and conversion to Islam earned him clemency
Soumyadipta Banerjee (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 10, 2013)
Mamta Kulkarni, who walked the fine line between sleazy and sexy in the 90s, had disappeared from the city more than a decade ago. It is said that the actress, who shot to notoriety with a topless cover shot for a film magazine, embraced a life of anonymity after her fortunes dipped and she found love with international drug kingpin Vicky Goswami. In 1997 Vicky was arrested for trafficking 11.5 tonnes of mandrax valued at $ 6 million and incarcerated in Dubai.
Mumbai Mirror has learnt that Vicky, now 52 years old, was released from the Dubai prison on November 15, 2012, after his life sentence was reduced on account of his model conduct. While in prison he had converted to Islam, and married Mamta, who had been managing his real estate business that includes a prominent hotel in Dubai, in his absence. Sources close to the couple say, Vicky is now in Nairobi, with his faithful wife by his side.
Vicky’s hush-hush release from prison has been reported in several news channels in South Africa, from where he managed his network. “A life sentence in Dubai is in effect 25 years, but prisoners can apply for early release on various grounds. Apart from good conduct, these include learning to recite passages from the Qu’ran or converting to Islam. To strengthen his clemency appeal, Goswami More >
Why Manish Paul didn’t have to pay for Rs 50,000 worth of purchases in Dubai
01 month ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Asira Tarannum (MID-DAY; April 15, 2013)
Sources say Manish Paul recently got lucky in Dubai. Apparently the TV host ran a bill of Rs 50,000 during a shopping spree at an exhibition-cum-sale at the desert emirate.
However, at the time of paying the amount, Manish was pleasantly surprised when the owner of the store refused to charge him any money.
The owner apparently is a big fan of Manish. The actor says, “I am a shopaholic and as soon as I stepped into the mall, I bought several things like clothes, perfumes, watches and footwear. When I shop, someone has to tell me to stop.” The actor says he felt a bit embarrassed when the storeowner refused to accept any money. “It was a really sweet gesture. He told me I could pick up more stuff if I wanted.” Later Manish obliged the owner and his friends posing for photographs.
SRK’s Happy New Year to be filmed in Dubai?
01 month ago
by Fenil Seta
in Rumour has it
Mehul S Thakkar (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 26, 2013)
Shah Rukh Khan, who enjoys a special relationship with Dubai, has booked a lion’s share of one of the most lavish resorts there for over a month. Not for pleasure, but strictly for business. We hear one of the most important scenes of Happy New Year will be shot there sometime in August. Shah Rukh owns a villa in Palm Jumeirah and Atlantis, and the place where the Happy New Year crew will be stationed for the expensive scene, is close to his home away from home.
A source told Mumbai Mirror, “While Farah has been busy finalising the leading lady, her other crew members have already finalised some of the places where the film with five male and one female lead, will be shot. This underwater resort is where an important sequence of the film is shot.”
Shah Rukh’s Red Chillies is currently gearing up for the IPL opening ceremony and the actor, who is currently camped at Wai, shooting for Chennai Express, is closely involved with HNY as well.
A source added, “The stage is set. Thanks to SRK’s great rapport with Dubai, team Happy New Year will have exclusive access to the property. What Mission Impossible did to Burj Khalifa, HNY will do to this resort.”
No raahat for Rahat Fateh Ali Khan
02 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Subhash K Jha (DNA; March 7, 2013)
In spite of his constant pleas of unconditional amity with India and the Indian entertainment industry, Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan remains out of bounds here. Bollywood composers who wish to record their numbers with the maestro (who happens to be the late legendary singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s nephew) have to proceed to Dubai for the recording.
The latest Bollywood song to be recorded with Rahat in absentia is the number Dil ko aaya sukoon for Priyadarshan’s Rangrezz written by Sameer Anjaan and composed by Sajid-Wajid. This love ballad also marks the debut of singer Hiral Brahmbhatt, who is a very well-known singer in Gujarati cinema. While she recorded her part of the song in Mumbai, Sajid-Wajid flew to Dubai to record Rahat’s part of the duet.
Apparently producer Vashu Bhagnani tried every trick in the book to get Rahat to India for the recording, but to no avail. Hiral says, “Unfortunately I couldn’t record the duet with Rahat saab. Sajid and Wajid recorded with him in Dubai. No one would be able to tell that the two singers were apart when they sang this song. But I would love to sing with him at some point.”
As for the inability to bring Rahat into India, sources say the status quo is unlikely to change in the near future. “Relations between the two countries have worsened. And then Rahat is a special case. He was alleged to have been involved in FERA violations in India and would therefore be even more wary of coming More >
After Muscat, SRK-Katrina to now perform in Dubai
12 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 5, 2013)
In February this year, Shah Rukh Khan performed with Katrina Kaif at a high-profile show in Muscat. This was the Jab Tak Hai Jaan couple’s first live act together. The latest is that the two are once again being roped in for another show. This time, they will shake a leg in Dubai.
Sources close to the show say that the event managers are looking at October 24 as the possible date. At least three local organisers are in talks with Mohammed Morani whose company will helm the show. Talking about another Shah Rukh-Katrina show on the cards in Emirates, Morani said, “The response to Shah Rukh and Kat’s last performance was terrific. And enquiries are in progress for such a show in October in Dubai.”“
Interestingly, Shah Rukh’s archrival Salman’s show with Priyanka Chopra in Dubai in December 2012 had eventually left a rather large hole in the organisers’ wallet. The Dubai organisers seem to be on a safer wicket with Shah Rukh.
“Shah Rukh and Katrina’s show in February was a goods commercial decision. We would like to capitalise on that,” said a member of the events team.
Manoj Bajpayee holidaying in Dubai with family
02 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Kunal M Shah (MID-DAY; March 5, 2013)
It’s holiday time for Manoj Bajpayee and his family who took off for Dubai to enjoy some family time.
Manoj has been in celebration mode for a while. Close on the heels of his daughter Ava Nayla’s second birthday a few days ago, the actor decided to spend some time away from the city.
Says Manoj, “I have been busy working on so many films that I have not had any time to spend with my family. It had been eight months since I went with my family to London and I have been shooting non-stop with Prakash Jha recently. Now that I have a break, I decided that I should take a holiday. These are happier times as I have got some very good feedback for my character in Special 26.”
Sonu Sood returns signing amount to producers after suffering injury?
02 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Rumour has it
Asira Tarannum (MID-DAY; March 4, 2013)
Looks like Sonu Sood prefers to play it fair and square.
Sources say that the actor broke his leg in Dubai and the first thing he did was to call up the producers of his next films from the hospital and inform them about the mishap. He apparently even offered to give back the signing amount to them.
A source says, “He kept on saying aloud, ‘What will I tell them?’ He was very upset. He called them up straight and informed them about the accident.” A friend of Sonu states, “ The actor doesn’t like wasting dates. In the past too, when he fractured his nose, he waited for seven days to complete the shooting and then have his nose fixed.”
Down and under
Sonu also opted out of the Telugu remake of Zanjeer due to his injury. Buzz is that he has been replaced by South actor Srihari. Apoorva Lakhia, who is helming the project, says, “What has happened with Sonu is very unfortunate. We took one year to finalise everything and get him on board. We shot with him for a day and even thought of rescheduling the dates once he gets well.” However, since the film is slated for a May release, the replacement was necessary. “We are talking to Srihari, but nothing has been finalised.”
Jayanta Bhai Ki Luv Story: When Love takes you by Surprise
03 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Hiren Kotwani (BOMBAY TIMES; February 13, 2013)
Love is unpredictable. You may find it under least-expected circumstances, and that too, with people you never thought you would fall in love with. This is essentially the crux of Jayanta Bhai Ki Luv Story (JBKLS).
Actor Vivek Oberoi, who plays Jayanta Bhai, says, “This bhai is different from the other bhais I’ve played. He’s lovable, jovial and entertaining. His love story is interesting since he and the girl come from two different worlds.” The lead actress, Neha Sharma, enthuses, “I’m very anxious, but also can’t control my excitement. I couldn’t have asked for a better team — an extremely supportive producer, a talented director and an amazing co-star.”
MUMBAI PLAYS A ROLE TOO
Mumbai plays an important part in the film, which has been shot across the city, from Colaba in the south to Madh Island and even Dahisar in the north.
Says director Vinnil Markan, who has grown up in Delhi, “I love the town side of Mumbai, especially its architecture. It has an old world charm, which I’m mixing with the new-world buzz. We’ve shot in places like Kotachi Wadi in Girgaum, Worli Fort, Matunga King Circle and Five Gardens in Dadar, locations not usually seen in films.”
Monsoon also marks its presence in the characters’ lives. Vinnil explains, “Most of the film was shot before and during the initial phase of the monsoon season, the remaining was completed by early July. Rain is used as leitmotif in the film. When it’s all bright More >