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Posts tagged july 31
Rahul banged my head against a door-Payal Rohatgi
Aug 1st
Payal Rohatgi on the abuse, physical and mental, she endured while in a relationship with Rahul Mahajan
Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 31, 2010)
• Are you surprised that Rahul’s marriage has hit the rocks so soon?
Knowing Rahul, I am not surprised. He loves to change partners. For him, swayamvar was a gimmick. He offered me big money to participate in the show (pauses).
• Go on…
Rahul has been harassing me since the past two months. He has been sending me very odd messages at odd hours. Initially, I ignored his calls and messages, but eventually, I told him to lay off. But he continued.
• What exactly has he been telling you?
He said, ‘I am sorry. We should work out things between us again.’ It all smacked of desperation. But Rahul is not a man of his word.
• How long were you in a relationship with him?
Eight months. I was very serious about him and made a fool of myself.
• Is Rahul aggressive?
Men have that in them if they are under the influence of something.
• Drinks? Drugs?
No comments. Don’t drag me there.
• What do you have to say about the company he keeps?
He is surrounded by people who don’t advise him well.
• You haven’t answered my question. Is Rahul aggressive?
Yes, he is aggressive if and when he loses it.
• How often does he lose it?
(Laughs) I didn’t count. But if he loses it, he is vindictive too.
• Did he hit you?
Yes. It happened just before we went for Bigg Boss 3. I was late by only 15 minutes and he accused me of having an affair with my co-actor Irrfan Khan.
• Go on…
I was living-in with him then. When I reached home, he was so angry he banged my head against a door. I was bleeding. He then he started cajoling me. The doctor was called. Rahul told him I had fallen in the bathroom.
• Any other incident of violence?
Once I didn’t take his call since I was busy. He slapped me when we met.
• Describe Rahul as a boyfriend.
When he is wooing you, he will shower gifts and call you 200 times a day. But then, he changes colours. It takes very little to arouse his suspicions. Once suspicious, he creates hell. He is not even a dependable friend. Rahul is not a stable guy.
• Why didn’t you try to change him?
It is very difficult to change a 34-year-old.
• Do you repent that you were swayed by Rahul’s connections?
No. Life is a teacher isn’t it?
• You think that the two finalists (Nikunj Malik, Harpreet Chhabra) in swayamvar who lost to Dimpy were lucky?
Yes. And I was luckier than them. Only Dimpy…(sighs)
Salman has a Sholay moment
Jul 31st
The actor mouths a dialogue in Dabangg inspired by Asrani in Sholay, which was co-written by his father Salim Khan
Mauli Singh (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 31, 2010)
Salman Khan, who plays a cop in Arbaaz Khan’s maiden production Dabangg, will be seen mouthing Asrani’s memorable lines from Sholay in one scene.
Abhinav Kashyap, who is a great fan of the seventies era of Bollywood and Salim Khan films, has incorporated Asrani’s famous dialogue from Sholay, “Aadhe idhar jao, aadhe udhar jao, baaki mere peeche aao” in Dabangg, but with a twist.
The director says he used the dialogue as it suited to the situation in his film. “We haven’t lifted the dialogue from Sholay but it has the same flavour. It’s very situational. In Sholay, Asrani who plays a jailor tells his sepoys to follow him.
In our film there is a scene in which Salman goes for an investigation and he gets off his jeep and tells his sepoys to follow him.
He instructs them, ‘Mote wale iss taraf, patle vale uss taraf, aur jo fit hain wo mere peeche.’ Then he looks back and sees no one behind him and adds sarcastically, ‘Kya ho gaya hai police force ko?’ We have taken the dialogue a step forward and related it with the current situation. It’s a comment on the fitness level of the police force today.”
Kalki jumps off a bridge
Jul 31st
Sonal Chawla (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 31, 2010)
Kalki Koechlin, an Indian actress of French descent, sure has a taste for danger. After showing her acting skills in Dev D, the actress is seen doing some daredevil stunts.
The actress jumped off a 45-ft high bridge without using a body double in her next thriller Emotional Atyachar directed by debutant Akshay Shere.
The movie is set on the deserted highway between Mumbai to Goa and revolves around incidents that take place in one night between four sets of travellers. During one such incident Kalki is supposed to jump off a bridge around 45-ft high. A source from the unit reveals, “The director arranged a body double as it was a difficult task to be performed in the night.
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| Kalki Koechlin makes the jump from a bridge | |
As soon as Kalki arrived on the sets she saw a body double wearing her costume. She immediately went to the director and told him that she will do the stunt by herself and did not need a body double. The director was skeptical and gave her all the possible protection by making her wear a harness.”
Director Akshay says, “I was shocked when Kalki told me that she would jump off the cliff by herself. I was scared but she was courageous enough and performed the daredevil stunt really well.”
Sizzling reunion for Hrithik and Priyanka?
Jul 31st
The duo will come together five years after Krrish for the remake of Agneepath, to be directed by Karan Malhotra
Sonal Chawla (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 31, 2010)
After sizzling on screen in the super hit Krrish, one will once again see the couple Priyanka Chopra and Hrithik Roshan in the remake of Agneepath, directed by debutant Karan Malhotra.
The movie is produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Production and has Hrithik in the lead playing Vijay Dinanath Chavan. A source reveals, “Priyanka has been taken onboard to play the lead role played by Madhavi in the earlier film. Karan finds Priyanka apt for the role and approached her with the script. Priyanka said yes in a blink and is playing the lead opposite Hrithik.”
The source continues, “Priyanka and Hrithik will be coming together onscreen after almost five years. While Hrithik will be playing Amitabh Bachchan’s role, Priyanka will be essaying his nurse- girlfriend role, played by Madhavi in the original. Both complement each other on screen.”
The original was produced by Yash Johar. “Little minor changes will be made in the script, making it modern, keeping the plot more or less the same. However, the dialogue will be the same, penned by Kader Khan. The character played by Mithun Chakraborty has been totally done away with in the remake,” adds a source.
Despite repeated attempts, Priyanka remained unavailable for comment. Karan Malhotra did not comment either.
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| Hrithik Roshan (l) and Priyanka Chopra (r) | |
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| A poster of Agneepath (1990) |
Rahman pays homage to Lata at Wembley
Jul 31st
Subhash K Jha (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 31, 2010)
In an under-attended concert at the huge Wembley on Sunday evening(only 7,000 out of the 9,000 seats were filled) Rahman brought the house down when he paid a very unusual homage to Lata Mangeshkar. Rahman sang his most precious duet with Lata, Lukka chuppi from Rang De Basanti.
Images of Lata singing Lukka chuppi flashed on the monitor as Rahman joined her live at the stadium. The rendition brought the house down.
Apparently Rahman had flown into Mumbai to record Lataji’s voice and images. Says a source, “Lukka chuppi is one of Rahman’s favourite tracks. When he sings about a child being separated from his mother he actually feels he is singing about his own mother.
He wanted this song to be a part of his concert and he didn’t want a stand-in voice for Lata. So he recorded her singing the number live and sang along with the recording at the concert.”
Ritesh is doing up Karan’s penthouse
Jul 31st
The architect-turned-actor goes back to his original profession for pal Karan Johar’s new pad
Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 31, 2010)
Ritesh Deshmukh is designing Karan Johar’s new house at Union Park (Bandra). Karan decided on Ritesh only recently.
A source says, “Karan has been very friendly with Ritesh since a long time. They both have similar tastes. Moreover, Karan has seen Ritesh’s interior design work and has always been very impressed. Which is why he entrusted him with the responsibility to do up his new home.”
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| Karan Johar | Ritesh Deshmukh | |
Karan’s new abode is located on the top two floors of the 12-storey building Residency.
“The view from the top floor of director’s sea-facing building is lovely. Frankly speaking, Ritesh has a big challenge at hand. Karan likes light and pastel shades. Both have discussed the modalities and Ritesh will start work very soon,” added the source.
Attempts to confirm the news with Karan proved futile. However, Ritesh confirmed, “Yes, I will be designing Karan’s new house. But I don’t want to dwell on the details.”
Ritesh, incidentally, has an architectural firm Evolution in operation from 2000. He obtained his architectural degree from Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture and Environmental Studies.
Ajay is Kajol’s ‘gangsta’
Jul 31st
Apart from the film fraternity, Ajay Devgn’s wife Kajol addresses him by the term
Sonal Chawla (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 31, 2010)
Ajay Devgn’s role in Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai seems to have impressed not only the film fraternity, but also his acclaimed actress-wife Kajol. After watching the film, she has started addressing Ajay as ‘gangsta’ along with his professional buddies.
A source reveals, “Ajay, Kajol and his directors like Madhur Bhandarkar, Rohit Shetty, Mahesh Bhatt and Ashwini Dhir watched his latest flick Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai together at his private screening.
His gangster look seems to have made Kajol fall in love all over again with the actor.
After the movie Kajol kept addressing Ajay as ‘my gangsta’. All the directors, who loved his villainous role, agreed with Kajol and have nicknamed him with the same name.”
The source continues, “Kajol obviously likes all his roles, but when it comes to the wicked villainous roles she totally adores him and feels he does complete justice to such roles.
After the movie Kajol and the gang of directors kept repeating his Sultan Mirza dialogues especially the one “jo apni maa ki izzat nahi karta, mein unka baap banke aata hoon.’
When contacted, Ajay laughed and said, “Yes apart from my friends and directors, Kajol has also started addressing me as the new gangsta.”
Dimpy speaks about her 5 month long hell
Jul 31st
Harassed by hubby, distressed by dad
Lekha Menon Yogesh Sadhwani and Jayatri Nag (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 31, 2010)
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| Dimpy Mahajan addresses the media a day after Mumbai Mirror broke the story that she had been beaten regularly by her husband Rahul Mahajan |
It was Thursday evening, Saumasri Ganguly, known to the world as Dimpy Mahajan, was pleading on the phone. The familiar and assuring voice of her mother was all she needed to break down. “I am all alone here ma, even baba (father) is not supporting me.”
By Thursday evening it was obvious, a battered, bruised Dimpy was fighting a lonely battle.
A family of extremely modest means, the Gangulys had played their parts during her closely followed reality TV marriage. They had taken a leap of faith once, but seemed to fight shy of doing it again.
They wanted her to go back to Rahul Mahajan, the man they believed truly, madly, deeply, loved her.
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| Dimpy showing bruises on her leg after Mahajan hit her on Wednesday night, forcing her to walk out of their house in Worli |
A man, who could afford her the life and the luxuries they had always wished for their daughter. “Or else why would Rahul send her business class tickets to return to Mumbai every time she came here for her exams?” questioned Dimpy’s concerned uncle, who lives in the same house as her family in north Kolkata.
Meanwhile, the 21-year-old was visibly in pain. The bruises on her thighs, hands and forehead were raw, throbbing. She feared for her life, her father’s life, who was at that very moment sitting with the man who had been beating her up.
When Mirror called up Mahajan on Thursday night, he said, “I just had dinner with Dimpy’s father.”
What he did not tell us was retired income-tax lawyer Saibal Ganguly, his father-in-law who had flown down from Kolkata in response to his daughter’s distress call, was there as a peacemaker.
He was trying to get an idea of what could have gone so horribly wrong between the charmer of a son-in-law and their beloved daughter.
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| Dimpy wed Rahul Mahajan on a reality show. Seen here with her father |
As seen on TV
Rahul Mahajan, flush from the success of his stint in Bigg Boss which saw him garner unprecedented public sympathy, participated in a reality show to choose his wife. 21-year-old model and small time Bengali actress Dimpy, wide-eyed and in Mumbai to try her luck in the glamour world, seemed to be a perfect choice.
Rahul and Dimpy were bonafide reality TV stars and seemed determined to milk it. Both made a slew of appearances on various TV shows, always professing undying love for each other.
But there was trouble in paradise. “Fights over petty issues would blow out of proportion and turn physical. He once hit me with a hanger, leaving a huge scar on my back,” says Dimpy.
The violence, she says, escalated with her insistence on appearing for her second year exams. A fact corroborated by her uncle Tapan Ganguly. “He would summon her back every time she came to Kolkata for her exams. He said, there was no need to study and for some Rs 5000-job. But Dimpy wanted to complete her studies,” said her uncle.
June was a particularly bad month for Dimpy. Twice she got her mother-in-law Rekha Mahajan involved in the fracas. “I went back to Kolkata quite often because of the fights. Each time Rahul would cajole me to return and promise it wouldn’t happen again. I kept giving in, in the faith that he was a nice guy and he loved me. But there was this other side of him which I couldn’t handle. Also, being a middle-class girl, I wanted to give the marriage my best shot.”
Terror Thursday
Things came to a head right after the young couple celebrated their birthdays, which happen to be on the same day, on July 25. “All of Wednesday we spent time together and even had a few drinks in the evening. I went to sleep, only to be rudely awakened early in the morning by a blow on my face,” says Dimpy. “Rahul had seen something on my cell phone and wanted to know where it came from.”
Shocked but determined not to give in to his terror tactics, Dimpy told him upfront she was in no mood to oblige. “I told him even if you kill me, now I won’t say anything.” It was enough to send Rahul into a fit of rage and he continued with his assault.
“When I tried to run to the servant’s quarters next door, he grabbed me by my hair and kept hitting me even after I fell down.”
After the beatings, he started making calls to her parents in Kolkata asking them to make her see reason. “While he was on the phone, I grabbed my passport, wallet and cellphone and fled the house.” Dimpy ran down few flights and hid in the dark passageway between the two buildings and then made a distress call to her friend at 4.38 am. Only after her friend arrived half an hour later did she get out of her hiding place.
The trauma continues
Meanwhile her father flew down from Kolkata by 4.30 pm the same day, even as she remained holed up in her friend’s house. By this time, she had made up her mind to walk out and went back to Rahul’s house to pack her bags. “My father tried his best to help us reconcile and kept telling me that Rahul is a nice guy. At this I broke down and called my mother. I felt all alone, as even my father was taking his side. But later I could see his point of view. He is a simple middle-class man who didn’t want to see his daughter’s marriage breaking up.”
After over two hours, Dimpy left the house, along with her belongings and pet dog Naughty (gifted to her by Rahul) to her cousin’s place in the suburbs. Her father stayed back with Rahul to sort things out.
More drama was to follow. Rahul, who had by then got wind of her decision to go public tried damage control and sent her father to pacify her. The discussion between the family members continued till the wee hours of Friday morning.
As the day panned out, Rahul, clearly rattled by the attention, sent out feelers that he would speak to the media later in the day. Dimpy, though, indicated in her conversation with the Mirror team that she was contemplating going to the cops, but was held back by her concern for her family. “Before I do anything drastic, I will speak to my in-laws and request them to make Rahul understand that he has crossed the limits. If he sees reason, I will not approach the cops but stay away from him.”
Many hours of parleying between family members later, Dimpy Mahajan stepped out and faced the world, pale, tired, yet resolute. “We are disturbed by what has happened. I need time alone to recover,” she said before disappearing into Rahul’s apartment in Sukhada, Worli.
A lonely battle
But the odds were clearly stacked against Dimpy. Her father and her in-laws wanted her to go back to her abusive husband. Her mother, the only woman who sympathised with her, had taken ill after the news of the incident reached her. In fact, Saibal Ganguly told Mumbai Mirror, “Dimpy is only 21 and inept at handling family problems. That is why she spoke to the media. Please understand, such quarrels happen between couples, especially when the girl is so young. Something must have angered but he is repentant now. Rahul’s mom and I want them to stay together and Dimpy will go back to him.”
Sources close to Dimpy say, she has decided to go back to Kolkata. When Mirror called Rahul later in the evening, he claimed Dimpy was sleeping at home. “Her dog is also with me,” he said, adding, “The country should pray for us.”
Eerily, it sounded as if he was back on TV.
Reader Reactions
• Get well soon Rahul Mahajan
Your report exposes the reality of television reality shows. People like Rahul Mahajan should never get married. If they do, they should think twice before assaulting a woman. I guess Rahul baba forgot this. People who beat others are sadistic in nature. They seriously need medical attention. I can only wish a speedy recovery to him.-Abhishek Sukhdevan
• Rahul behaviour not surprising
First, it was Rakhi Sawant’s swayamvar on the small screen which never materialised into marriage. Now, it is Rahul Mahajan’s marriage to Dimpy Ganguly, in another reality show, which is heading towards splitsville. Dimpy was very well aware of Rahul’s history of domestic violence and divorce with Shweta Singh.-M C Joshi
• Send him for counselling
Rahul Mahajan is a serial wife beater. He seems to have lost his mental balance. He needs to go for counselling sessions in a rehabilitation centre.-S M Ansari
Ash’s Endhiran to clash with Sallu’s Dabangg
Jul 31st
Their destinies continue to star-cross… even at the BO
Meena Iyer | TNN (BOMBAY TIMES; July 31, 2010)
Guess who’s taking takkar with Salman Khan at the box office this Eid? Not Karan Johar, the filmmaker prudently brought forward the release of his We Are Family to September 3, to clear the deck for Salman’s Dabanng on the 10th; but it’s Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who’s bilingual The Robot opposite Rajinikanth is believed to be slated for a simultaneous release.
The promos of Dabanng have created a kind of trade flurry. Bollywood’s enfant terrible in his Robin Hood act has captured the imagination of the tapori class and the tradewallahs. It is the film promo that has the highest number of hits on an internet site, says a television journalist.
As for the Rajinikanth-Aishwarya starrer in Hindi and Endhiran in Tamil, a trade source says, “ So far they have only said The Robot is coming in September. Whether it will come on Eid will be announced shortly. However, there is scope for both films. Dabanng will prove to be very strong in the Hindi belt and Rajnikanth, who is a demi God in Tamil Nadu, has the biggest patronage ever in the South.’’ Bollywood trade consultant Amod Mehra says, “The recovery pattern for a Rajinikanth film is very unusual. Besides the regular markets for South films, Rajinikanth also has a huge fan base in Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, UK and Australia.’’
India’s costliest film
Rajnikanth’s price is still a mystery. Aishwarya is Bollywood’s highest paid actress even today because she has reportedly been paid Rs 6 crore for the two versions of Shankar’s The Robot (Hindi) and Endhiran (Tamil). Touted as India’s answer to James Cameron’s Avatar, this science-fiction entertainer has used animatronics technology which has been used only in films like Jurassic Park, Terminator and Avatar. “We realise that we have made the costliest Indian film but when it is Rajnikanth and Aishwarya, what else can we do,’’ says Shankar, who is known as the South’s most expensive director.
A Mohd Rafi museum
Jul 29th
The music legend’s son Shahid Rafi is launching a music academy in his father’s honour on July 31
Kunal M Shah (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 29, 2010)
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| Mohd Rafi |
All Mohd Rafi fans, pay attention. Shahid Rafi, son of the music legend Mohd Rafi, is all set to launch a music academy in his father’s memory on the 31st of this month, which is Rafi’s 30th death anniversary. An apt tribute indeed.
Shahid Rafi has joined hands with 11 other people from the industry to launch this academy, which will double up as a Rafi museum of sorts. A musical night will kickstart the launch and will see many prominent people from the film and the music industry.
When contacted, Shahid Rafi said, “I have been getting this request for the last 25 years. Everywhere I go, people come up and tell me that their love and respect for Rafisaab is immense. That’s why I decided that we should do something like this. We have zeroed-down on a place in Lokhandwala, Andheri.
We will renovate the place and then start the academy. We are planning to get prominent people from the music industry to come and teach students there.
Apart from this, we will host shows in honour of musical legends, who are not amongst us now and will also felicitate members of their families.”
And guess what? The museum will have exclusive pictures, videos, many of his unused songs and his musical instruments on display among other things. Shahid Rafi added, “The museum will be like a walk down memory lane for his fans.”
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| Shahid Rafi |
Apart from Shahid Rafi, the academy will have relatives of legends from the Indian music industry like Raju Naushad (Naushad’s son), Andalib Majrooh Sultanpuri (Majrooh Sultanpuri’s son), Ruhan Mahendra Kapoor (Mahendra Kapoor’s son), and Firdaus Shahid Rafi (Mohd Rafi’s grandson), amongst others in the governing body members of the Academy.
