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Posts tagged London
KJo directs emotional scenes of Ra.One?
Jul 27th
King Khan has summoned Karan Johar to London to direct the emotional sequences of Ra.One
Kunal M Shah (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 27, 2010)
Karan Johar is currently in London and shooting for Shah Rukh Khan’s film Ra.One. Karan is directing a couple of scenes for best friend Shah Rukh Khan’s magnum opus since SRK feels that Karan is the lucky mascot. He wants all the luck possible for this film.
Our source said, “Shah Rukh is extremely close to Karan and some days back he had tweeted, inviting Karan to come and direct a couple of scenes for him. SRK wrote that Karan is his lucky mascot and that’s why he wants Karan to do it.
Karan accepted the invitation and so Karan is currently in London shooting a couple of emotional scenes which are his forte, with SRK and Kareena. The schedule of the film has been split into two units for a couple of days. The original director, Anubhav Sinha, will continue to shoot the primary montages and action-packed sequences of the feature. Karan, in the meanwhile, will be shooting the mushier bits.
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“Karan left for London on Friday night and has also begun shooting from Monday. He is going to shoot for two days and after that Anubhav Sinha will once again take over as the director of the film,” said a source.
Incidentally the combination of SRK and Karan has not failed at the box-office so far, starting with Kuch Kuch Hota Hai up to the recently-released My Name Is Khan. Let’s hope that this superstitious arrangement doesn’t cause any tears for King Khan.
KJo in the meanwhile was too busy shooting to comment.
Dostana 2 postponed?
Jul 26th
The sequel has now been delayed because creative differences have cropped up between producer Karan Johar and director Tarun Mansukhani
Sonal Chawla (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 26, 2010)
For those who were waiting for the sequel for Dostana, this one is for you. The film has run into trouble, owing to the creative differences between the producer Karan Johar and director Tarun Mansukhani.
There is an element of disagreement over the second half between the director Tarun Mansukhani and producer Karan Johar. A source reveals, “Karan is not very happy with the script and especially the second half. He has asked Tarun to re-work the second half and take as much time as he wants to.
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| Tarun Mansukhani | Karan Johar | |
The movie for now has been postponed to an indefinite period. Karan heard the script before leaving for London.”
The source continues, “The differences were quite storng. Karan did not encourage what Tarun had penned and despite Tarun’s repeated attempts Karan did not budge.
They both had different points of view and failed to come to a common ground. The movie has been getting postponed for some reason or the other. Sometimes there were date issues with the three stars and then the script itself.”
“In fact the immediate crew has been asked to take their time off from the pre-production till Tarun is ready with the script, approved by Karan. There were also supposed to shoot a grand song in a circus next month and were doing a reccee in Kolhapur for the same to get some references. Everything has been called off and cancelled,” adds the source.
While Karan remained unavailable for comment, Tarun said, “Karan and I have collectively taken a call to delay the start of filming by a few months so as to gain more prep time. Dostana will still release as per schedule in the second half of 2011.”
He adds, “There is absolutely no discord between Karan and myself.”
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| A still from Dostana |
SRK wants to catch Akki’s Khatta Meetha
Jul 23rd
King Khan requests a special preview of Akshay Kumar’s latest Khatta Meetha. Clearly, the two archrivals are softening up to each other now
Kunal M Shah (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 23, 2010)
Seems like the monsoons have brought the onset of a new season of friendship. The surprising bit is that these friendly alliances are developing between the unlikeliest of types. After Mumbai Mirror reported about the blossoming camaraderie between Karan Johar and Aamir Khan, here’s another cracker of a story.
There was a time when Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar apparently couldn’t see eye to eye, professionally that is. There were several stories doing the rounds in the industry of their professional rivalry. Being two of the biggest stars in Bollywood today, both Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay did all in their capacity to occupy the number-one-star position.
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Turns out, the rivalry between the actors has suddenly simmered down. SRK met Akshay a month ago on a flight to London. The actors might have interacted with each other on that flight. The result is that King Khan is now very keen on watching Akshay’s latest release Khatta Meetha.
Our source said, “Shah Rukh Khan is in London working on his film RA.One. He will be taking a couple of days off to come to Mumbai next week. During the break he wants to catch up with Akshay’s film Khatta Meetha.
Shah Rukh’s office has requested the producers Ashtavinayak for a print, which he will be watching at the recently-built preview theatre at his residence.
The producers have also agreed, but are asking for a particular date in the coming week for this purpose. This is yet to be finalised. The reason is that SRK is not sure about his plans. He has no clue as to when he would come back to Mumbai. But one thing’s for sure. The day he returns will definitely be booked for watching the film.”
Another source said, “This is a newfound friendship; Akshay and SRK are known to be rivals. A while ago SRK landed up on the sets of Patiala House in Film City, where Akshay was shooting. They chatted for quite long. Now SRK is keen to watch Akshay’s film. That means the two archrivals are getting friendly.”
There are after all no permanent friends and no permanent enemies.
Ajay to play a terrorist in Priyan’s next
Jul 22nd
Devgn’s character will plant a bomb in a train in Priyadarshan’s remake of Speed
Subhash K Jha (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 22, 2010)
Ajay Devgn will be romancing Kangna Ranaut in Priyadarshan’s next film, that too in a speeding subway train from London to Glassgow. Novel, isn’t it?
Well, actually, Jan de Bont’s 1994 thriller, Speed, inspires Priyadarshan’s film. De Bont’s film was about a bomb in a speeding bus that would go off if the bus lost speed.
“But the difference in my film, says Priyan, “is that we’ve shifted the terror attack from a bus to a train.” The untitled thriller goes on floors on September 1.
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| Ajay Devgn | Priyadarshan | |
On choosing a train in London for shooting his film, Priyan says, “We’ve got permission to shoot at one of the London stations and inside a train. It took some effort but we did it. I don’t think it would’ve made sense to shoot the film without actual locations and the train.”
The most unusual part of the film is the casting. While Manoj Bajpai (a first for Priyan) has been cast in a positive role as the engineer trying to control the train’s speed, Ajay Devgn plays the terrorist. The last time he was cast in a negative role was in Raj Kumar Santoshi’s Khakee.
Apparently Devgn recommended Kangna to Priyan. Says the director, “I’ve just signed Kangna opposite Ajay. I’ve never worked with her or Ajay before. Tusshar Kapoor and Sameera Reddy have also been cast as terrorists. My other favourite Suniel Shetty is also there in a special role.”
Deepika is in love with pain
Jul 20th
Deepika Padukone has a new tattoo. No, this one’s nowhere close to her neck; it’s on her ankle
Noyon Jyoti Parasara (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 20, 2010)
While Deepika Padukone hasn’t had her ‘RK’ tattoo removed, she has decided to take her own attention off it. What better way to do that, than by getting a new tattoo? Deepika has got herself a brand new tattoo, which looks like an anklet (payal). And it is on her left ankle.
Sources close to the actress informed that Deepika got the tattoo done when she was in London recently. “While there, she suddenly decided to get a tattoo done.
She was very excited about the tattoo and sat through the process easily. Since she has got one done before this, she knew how to handle the pain,” said the source.
While she’s ecstatic about her newly tattooed ankle, Deepika seemed a bit miffed that we had heard about it.
Initially, she was not too keen on discussing it but when we persisted, she revealed that it was a fresh tattoo. “I am not revealing when and where I got it done. But yes, it is a new tattoo. Obviously, you have not seen this before,” she said.
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| Deepika’s ankle tattoo |
As for getting it done the second time, the actress seemed oddly fascinated about body art. She said, “This is the most painful place to get a tattoo done. And I love it.”
The pain or the tattoo, Deepika?
Sanskriti Media and Entertainment
Vidya out of Dhamaal 2?
Jul 20th
Vidya Balan is no longer a part of Dhamaal 2. She was unhappy with her remuneration as well as the character she was playing
Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 20, 2010)
Vidya Balan is out of Inder Kumar’s next Dhamaal 2. The buzz in the trade is that Vidya was neither too happy with the money she was being offered for her role, nor with the role per se.
A source says, “Vidya asked for a price which she deserves after she catapulted to the top bracket of actors, post the success of Paa and Ishqiya. She asked for Rs 1.5 crore (approximately). Like any other actor would in her place, she too has hiked up her market price.”
According to the film industry standards, the market prices of Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kaif are believed to be Rs 1.5 crore (approximately) and that of Priyanka Chopra’s around Rs 1 crore. Hence, given Vidya’s career graph in Bollywood, it is surprising that neither Inder Kumar nor Ashok Thakeria, the producer of the film, objected to Vidya’s exit from the film. “Inder and Ashok failed to understand the need of the hour. Despite discussions, the makers of the film and the actress could not meet at a common consensus,” adds the source.
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Meanwhile, Vidya’s friend insists the actress quit the project for qualitative reasons. She stands up for Vidya and says, “Yes, the news is true. Vidya is definitely not doing Dhamaal 2. But that’s simply because she didn’t find any meat in the portrayal of her character. She would have loved to attempt comedy with this film but it’s okay. There is always a next time.”
Interestingly, Vidya has locked horns with her Dhamaal 2 co-star Kangna Ranaut in another film Bullet Train, which is to be directed by Priyadarshan. Bullet Train, which stars Anil Kapoor and Ajay Devgn, is largely going to be shot on a train from London to Glasgow.
Producer of Bullet Train, Ratan Jain has clearly worked out the economics of his film much in advance. He has no qualms in giving the lead role to the actress who is willing to settle for the price he has to offer. He confirms, “Between Vidya and Kangna, whoever agrees to do the role at a lesser price, will get to play the part in my film. The availability of dates will of course be another important factor.”
Despite repeated calls and text messages, Vidya remained unavailable for comment.
Abhishek-Katrina to work in 3 films together
Jul 19th
The two actors who hardly know each other will do three films back-to-back later this year
Subhash K Jha (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 19, 2010)
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| Nilesh wairker |
Abhishek Bachchan and Katrina Kaif will now be spending most of their working hours together (hope Ash doesn’t mind). The two have signed three films together and that too in a row. This would mean that Abhishek and Katrina, who hardly know one another, would be spending the next eight to ten months together.
Besides Tarun Mansukhani’s Dostana 2 and Abbas-Mustan’s Italian Job, the duo would be working on one of Vipul Shah’s next films, which will be a romantic-comedy.
Work on this film will start in January.
Katrina and Abhishek begin work on Dostana 2 as soon as Katrina returns in the first week of August from the shooting of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.
They will be shooting a song together in Mumbai, followed by a long stint in London.
The only time Abhishek and Katrina Kaif have worked together in a film was in Ram Gopal Varma’s Sarkar, five years ago.
“But that was so long ago!” says Katrina, “We were both different persons and different actors back then. So much has changed. I hardly know Abhishek that well. Now that we’ll be doing so much work together I guess the process of getting to know one another will happen automatically. The little that I know of him, Abhishek is great fun.”
Saif flies to London, meets kids, ex-wife
Jul 17th
After wrapping up his schedule for Agent Vinod, Saif rushed to London to be with his kids
Sonal Chawla (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 17, 2010)
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| Saif Ali Khan |
Agreed, Saif Ali Khan’s reputation does precede him and he’s indeed known to follow girlfriend Kareena wherever she goes, come hell or high water. But recently, Saif donned his responsible daddy avatar, just to be with his kids and ex-wife Amrita.
Moreover, as reported by Mumbai Mirror earlier, Kareena is believed to be very uncomfortable around Saif’s children. In fact, she is known to avoid them whenever they are around. (Wonder why the plot of David Dhawan’s Biwi No. 1 comes to mind?) If that isn’t possible Kareena just moves back to her own apartment when the children are with Saif. Obviously, Saif is left with no option but to leave her company to be with his children.
So be it. After wrapping up his Agent Vinod schedule in Morocco, Saif quickly took off for London to spend quality time with his kids Sara and Ebrahim, who are currently holidaying in London with their mother Amrita Singh. Apparently, London is one of Amrita’s favourite holiday destinations and the kids too enjoy there whenever they go.
A source revealed, “Saif has been shooting for almost a month. He has been away from the country either shooting or doing recce for his home production Agent Vinod. The actor was shooting with his girlfriend Kareena Kapoor in Morrocco for the film and luckily it was wrapped up way before schedule.”
One hopes Saif didn’t rush things… Apparently not. Saif didn’t want to come back to Mumbai as there was not much work here. He decided to fly to London, where his kids are currently holidaying with their mother Amrita Singh.
The source further added, “Amrita has a lot of friends in London and she ends up enjoying there even by herself. Saif is very attached to both his kids and keeps trying to spend as much time as possible with them.”
Turns out, Kareena is currently shooting in Mumbai and will be flying in a day or two to London. No, she is not planning to go there just to check what boyfriend Saif is up to; she has some of her shooting schedules for RA.One in London. Phew. Saif remained unavailable for comment.
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| Sara and Ebrahim with mother Amrita (Yogen Shah) |
Kajol’s quick thinking
Jul 17th
Subhash K Jha (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 16, 2010)
Soon after Mumbai Mirror reported that Kareena will be handling the publicity of We Are Family all by herself, Kajol has decided to help out as well.
Since Kajol will not be available closer to her due date, for the promotion and marketing of the film, she has now decided to record a significant number of interviews right now. These would have her publicising the film.
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| Kajol | Kareena Kapoor | |
On Wednesday, just before Kareena Kapoor left with Shah Rukh Khan for London, to shoot for RA.One, Kajol spent the entire day with her and producer Karan Johar, recording interviews that would be aired close to the release of We are Family, in September. Cramming in as much talk as possible on Wednesday, Kajol was apparently at her spirited best.
Says Karan Johar, “Kajol, Kareena and I had a ball doing the stuff for We’re Family. We were all very careful about Kajol’s condition. Kajol too was very careful about what she could and couldn’t do. To expect her to plunge into the film’s publicity just before its release would’ve been impractical and unreal. September 10 — when the film releases — is too close to her delivery day.”
I’ve fought my share of battles-Katrina Kaif
Jul 17th
TIME TO CELEBRATE: Katrina Kaif
On her birthday, Katrina Kaif tells Sharin Wader Butani that she wishes for smooth-sailing ahead
BOMBAY TIMES (July 16, 2010)
The gorgeous Katrina Kaif is turning 26 today and guess what she’s doing on her special day — baby sitting. She’s away in Spain shooting for Zoya Akhtar’s Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, so there won’t be any party for the actress in Mumbai but she’s not missing out on any of that. In fact, the actress admits that she’s happy to get away from the rains in Mumbai. “My sisters have flown down from London to be with me and so has my three-year-old niece. I have not been able to spend time with her, so today that’s what I’m going to do,” she said on a long distance call from Spain.
The Cancerian might not have grand plans to celebrate her birthday, but she does have three wishes she wants to see fulfiled. “I want happiness, peace of mind and a lot of good film offers. I want to work in a film directed by Yashji someday,” said Katrina, who being in the top league of Bollywood actresses, won’t find it to too difficult to make her wishes come true. “I have had my share of battles. Life’s been tough. But now I want a smooth sailing,” she said.
Kat believes she’s a destiny’s child. “I came from nowhere and within six years, I’ve managed to make a place for myself in Bollywood. I think that’s because I live by my principles and one of them is not doing films for the sake of money. If people thought my debut film Boom was for monetary reasons then I would say it was due to sheer ignorance that I got myself in that film. But now I’m happy, even though I only work and have no life other than that,” she laughed. But for her, that’s the beauty of her job, it takes her places and allows her to meet different people. “In Zoya’s film, I’ve been zipping around on bikes, I did some deep sea diving too and it’s been fun. It’s not that I learned bike riding because of this film, I’ve always known how to ride bikes,” said the actress, revealing her sporty side. “I enjoyed watching the Spain-Germany football match here. Football mania had really gripped Spain. But unfortunately, I couldn’t catch all the matches because I was busy shooting,” she said.
There have been talks of how all work and no play has taken a toll on her health. She has been fainting on the sets due to low haemoglobin levels. “They are all Chinese whispers. I’m not sick as I’m made out to be. I was weak last December but that’s about it. I work out, eat well and take good care of myself. My trainer can vouch for that,” she said and added, “Actually I’m not accessible to people all the time, that’s why they cook up stories about me.”
But all that doesn’t affect the actress who has her faith keeping her afloat. “I’m a very spiritual person. I pray a lot. I feel God has his hand over me. I’m being looked after so I do my bit helping my mother with her charity. It gives me peace.” And when the time comes for her to call it quits in the film industry, Kat says she’ll happily hang up her boots. “I have not planned what I’ll do later on, but I’ll definitely move on in life,” she said.
Kat’s on Zoom tonight! Catch Katrina Kaif in an exclusive interview with Omar Qureshi on Planet Bollywood, ZOOM, 7.30 pm tonight. A teaser of the interview…
Raajneeti proves that Ranbir Kapoor and you have the perfect chemistry. This is your second success together…
• Though the audience loved us in Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, I was really nervous about this one, simply because it wasn’t a typical love story. It wasn’t a man chasing a girl kind of role, it was more realistic. I feel wonderful that even this has been so well accepted.
In love, are you a realist or a romantic?
• Hmm… I love romance and I completely believe in romance. I think that is eventually what is going to get you through life. Your companion and the person who you love is the only thing that will remain with you forever.
Some sections of the media claimed that Kareena would be just a wee bit possessive if Saif and you were paired up. Your reaction…
• I don’t think Kareena can ever be insecure, she is a very confident person. I am sure that the story is entirely made up. Secondly, after Race, I haven’t signed any movie with Saif, though I think he is amazing actor and I would love to work with him again.
