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Posts tagged jaisalmer
Bellucci, Gibson to shoot in India for film on Malala?
01 month ago
by Fenil Seta
in Rumour has it
Jyothi Prabhakar (BOMBAY TIMES; April 6, 2013)
If all goes as planned, Mel Gibson and Monica Bellucci will be spotted shooting in various parts of India for filmmaker Amjad Khan.He is making a film in English on Pakistani teenage education activist Malala Yousafzai. Says Amjad,“The film is currently titled Gul Makai. It means cornflower, and it’s the name Malala used for writing her blog. If at all this changes for permission reasons, it will just be Malala.” He adds, “We start on May 22 in Bhuj, India. Thereafter, we go to Bhedaghat in Jabalpur (MP) as it resembles the Swat Valley on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border (where Malala was shot at). Next,we go to Jaipur, Bikaner and Jaisalmer. After that,we go to Tehran, Iran and then come back to Mumbai for the fifth schedule. The last leg of shooting will be in London.” But who is playing Malala? “Her identity needs to be kept under wraps for security reasons. The minute the formalities for her to play the role are finalised, I will reveal her name. At this point,all I can say is she is not Indian,but South Asian.” Kay Kay Menon, Seema Biswas, Om Puri and Naseeruddin Shah also feature in this film.
Lagaan actor in ICU; family struggles to pay medical bills
11 month ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Srivallabh Vyas of Lagaan fame has been bed-ridden for four years, but family rejects CINTAA’s ‘paltry’ aid
Shubha Shetty (MID-DAY; April 3, 2013)
Irrfan Khan had once said: “We misuse character actors in this industry for the main lead. That is why being a character actor here is no fun.”
He could have well been atlking about Srivallabh Vyas. This National School Drama alumnus who has played character roles in films like Sardar, Lagaan, Shool and Dil Bole Hadippa, is in the ICU of a Jaipur hospital for the last ten days and his wife and two daughters are struggling to pay his medical bills.
According to a close friend of Vyas, Hariram Acharya, his health problems began four years back when he was shooting for a film in Gujarat. “He fainted in the washroom in the middle of the night and injured his head. Next morning, he was found in a pool of blood. He was operated upon and since been paralysed,” said Acharya.
Due to financial constraints, his family had to relocate first to Jaisalmer and then to Jaipur and have been living in rented apartments. “Srivallabh sometimes screams all night, forcing his family to look for a new shelter every now and then. Vyas’s brother, a businessman, helps them out as much as he can,” his friend added.
It seems CINTAA (Cine & T.V Artistes Association), has been unresponsive to the family’s misfortune. Vyas’ wife Shobha, said: “CINTAA has done nothing for us. When I applied for help, Arun Bali from CINTAA offered a nominal amount of Rs More >
Tashan bombed but it gave me 2 hits: Size 0 & Saif-Kareena Kapoor
05 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Interviews
Kareena discusses flirting with Saif and her love of lace lingerie in her just-launched book
MUMBAI MIRROR (December 17, 2012)
DOWN TO SIZE ZERO In 2007, my life changed forever. I signed on Tashan, a fullon glamorous masala movie, with two of the hottest and fittest actors around: Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan. And me, rising out of the sea like a Bond girl, wearing nothing but a green bikini (…) I had nightmares of how my love handles would be on display for the whole world to see (…) Rujuta (Diwekar, fitness consultant) stormed into my life like a whirlwind. We met and chatted for a bit, and I signed up for her weight-loss programme. The next thing I knew, she was in my house, discarding my stash of banana chips, chocolates and french fries. Even my secret loot hidden on the top shelf (…)
But oh my God, the first class was pure torture. Yoga may look peaceful and calming, but even Arnold Schwarzenegger would have trouble breathing after twenty surya namaskars in a row. Payal (Gidwani, yoga consultant) had to physically lift my legs into the asanas and help me balance because I felt so heavy (…)
I shot the now-famous bikini scene and I must admit I was a bundle of nerves! But soon the shot was ready, the film was complete and the promos hit the screen. The very next day my photos were all over every newspaper, magazine, TV channel and website. And everybody seemed to love the new me! It felt like the whole nation was tuned in to my weighing scale, and they were More >
Check out red-hot Ameesha shooting at Jaisalmer
09 months ago
Parag Maniar (BOMBAY TIMES; August 14, 2012)
Ameesha Patel recently inked a lucrative deal as an ambassador of an eyewear brand. In fact, the actress also shot an ad for the campaign in Jaisalmer. According to our source, “The aim was to show an enigmatic look and thus the concept of shooting in a desolate road in the desert land. It was extremely hot and the sun was blazing down upon the crew, including Ameesha. But being a thorough professional, she shot without any complaints.”
The ad captures the actress in a sizzling avatar shedding her simple sweet girl-next-door image. “Ameesha has donned four different attractive looks for this campaign,” revealed the source.
Ameesha, who has curently just finished her work on Race 2, is happy with the new sexy image that the ad makers have created for her. And she hopes that not only the producers and directors, but her fans love it too. “Ameesha wants to focus on her work and nothing else,” our informer summed up.
Check out Ameesha Patel shooting for ad in Jaisalmer
09 months ago
MID-DAY (August 3, 2012)
A tanned Ameesha Patel has just returned from Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, after shooting for a sunglass brand endorsement. As the shoot was mostly in the outdoors including the desert area, the actress had to face the heat — literally.
Says a unit source, “The heat was unbearable; it was insane. Temperatures went up to 46 degrees. The shoot was extremely close to the Pakistan border. But despite the harsh weather conditions, the ad turned out to be a fab shoot and will be something different for the audience.”
Ameesha has posted some pictures of her shoot on her micro-blogging site. She is loving her new look and the way the ad was filmed.
The heat may have tanned her fair skin but we hear that Ameesha is very excited by the way the shoot went off and is waiting for it to go on air. The brand, which will be out in September, caters to those who cannot spend huge amounts of money in buying shades but at the same time want it to be the latest in style.
The source adds, “Ameesha was mobbed by fans at Jodhpur airport. It took nearly an hour to get her out from the crowd. Ameesha will shortly be resuming her shoot for Abbas Mustan’s Race 2.
I was embarrassed in presenting Dekh Indian Circus-Imtiaz Ali
01 year ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
BOMBAY TIMES (May 21, 2012)
Everyone who has seen the National award winning director Mangesh Hadawale’s Dekh Indian Circus (DIC) has been raving about it. No wonder then, a prominent director like Imtiaz Ali has agreed to have an association with the film. When asked about lending his name to it, he said, “When I was asked to present it, I was embarrassed. It was something new for me. But if my association with the film makes it reach out to all Indians then I don’t mind being embarrassed for the moment.” He laughs, “I don’t intend to do this for all filmmakers who approach me.”
Ali adds, “People generally have an impression that a film that has its story based in the rural region is boring. But that is not true. I found DIC to be very refreshing and entertaining. The story has a message but delivers it in an entertaining manner. It is about this family in rural India that wants to go to watch a circus. The plot then draws parallels showing how life in a rural area is similar to life in a circus. At the end of it, you feel a strong emotional connect with the story and the characters of the film. Films based in villages are so rare these days.”
Imtiaz further says that though the film does not have a big star in it, the quality has not been compromised upon. “Usually a film with non-stars gets reconciled on several fronts but DIC boasts not only of high calibre visuals and technical finesse but also of high quality directorial skills. Shot in Jaisalmer and other places in More >
Agent Vinod flouts the law
01 year ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Rajasthan Government stops the shoot of Saif Ali Khan’s home production because the unit tampered with the heritage structures at Kuldhara
PB Chandra and Kunal M Shah (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 29, 2011)
Saif Ali Khan’s much awaited home production Agent Vinod seems to have hit a roadblock. Rajasthan government has refused permission to resume the film’s shoot at the historic Kuldhara village near Jaisalmer.
In fact, the city police have booked three crew members of the film co-produced by Saif’s Illuminati Films and Eros International.
The arrest of three crew members was followed by an apology from Saif, the lead actor and co-producer of the film. “Saif Ali Khan approached me and apologised for the act of his production staff that defaced the ancient site by painting its old heritage walls and applying cow dung to make it look older still for shooting the climax of the film at Kuldhara.
I had told him that the film unit will have to face the penal action and will also have to pay a fine under Rajasthan Monuments, Archaeological Sites and Antiquities Act-1961 and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act,” informed Rajasthan tourism, art, culture and archaeology minister Bina Kak.
When contacted, Saif Ali Khan said, “There has been a misunderstanding. We set up an expensive set and we thought we had all the permissions. Our line producer said so. We aren’t stupid to deliberately destroy heritage property.”
According to Kak, the production company had never obtained More >
Esha Deol is now an expert camel rider
03 years ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
After a grueling camel riding sequence in Rajasthan, Esha Deol is bruised, battered – and surprisingly pleased
By Subhash K Jha (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 16, 2010)
Esha Deol, in her own words, is bruised black and blue. After participating in a camel race in Jaisalmer this month and doing road stunts in Goa for her mother’s production Tell Me Oh Khuda, Esha can barely move her limbs.
“Director Mayur Puri and fight master Parvev bhai forgot I was, all said and done, a girl, and therefore delicate. This has been the most physically demanding experience of my life,” says Esha wincing in pain.
Incidentally, 26 years ago Hema Malini got on a camel in the Rajasthan deserts to sing the haunting Ae dil-e-nadaan in Kamal Amrohi’s Razia Sultan, and now Esha has ridden a camel in Jaisalmer. Protests Esha, “In Razia Sultan, mom was singing on the camel. I was wincing in pain. For ten days I rode the camel like a professional for a camel race along with Arjan Bajwa, Chandan Roy Sanyal and Sudhandhu Pande. I was the only girl in the team. But people seemed to forget that.”
Esha DeolFor the first few days, Esha was in a daze. “The seat on top of the camel is rough and my knees and inner thighs were constantly bruised. When my mother saw I was hurt she was livid, but I told her to chill. And we continued shooting on the camels for a good week after that. Now I can call myself an expert camel rider.”
Esha says that shooting Tell Me Oh Khuda has been a different More >