Posts tagged may 27

404 to be remade in English, Cantonese

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2 years ago
by Fenil Seta in

Prawaal Raman’s 404, based on bipolar disorder is being made by a Singapore based company with Hong Kong actors

Subhash K Jha (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 27, 2011)

 

India’s first genuine attempt at a psychological thriller 404 so impressed the film aficionados across the world, it is now being made into English and Cantonese too. It is the first Indian film ever to be made in English and Cantonese.

A Singapore-based company Tantra Films International has decided to purchase the remake rights of Prawaal Raman’s hugely lauded thriller 404. The film will be directed by Raman with actors of his choice, selected from Hong Kong.

Prawaal Raman

The excited director says, “They said 404 had elements of the supernatural done in a way that would be acceptable to an international audience.

They insisted I direct it because they feel no one else can interpret my script better than me. I’m flying down to Singapore with my producers of 404 on Monday to close the deal.”

Speaking on the singular honour, Prawaal says, “It’s like a dream. I made a film I believed in. I wrote so many drafts of 404, I have lost count. Now the script has been liked so much that it will be shot in Cantonese and English.”

Hoping this is not an end to intelligent films being made in India and then adopted by other film industries. Asking for too much, are we?

Big B turns music ‘creator’

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2 years ago
by Fenil Seta in

The actor has vocally created all the instrumental sounds for the title track of Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap

Noyon Jyoti Parasara (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 27, 2011)

 

We have heard him sing countless times, but for the very first time Amitabh Bachchan has vocally created all the sounds of the instruments referred to as ‘acapella’ internationally, in the title track of Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap.

Music director, Shekhar Ravjiani, elaborated, “What had happened is that our keyboard programmer had to leave early one day. And then Amitabh came in. He decided to try something new. We did the basic setup and then he replaced every track with his voice.

He recreated the sounds of approximately 10 to 12 instruments, from drum to bass to the snare to the chorus. In a nut shell, he did everything required to make a song.”

Reportedly, the song, in which the actor also sings, took him only a couple of hours to create. With the song doing the promotional rounds, it seems as though Big B has set yet another standard for other actors.

Despite repeated attempts, Amitabh Bachchan remained unavailable for comment.

Raveena Tandon talks about her toughest scene

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2 years ago
by Fenil Seta in
Subhash K Jha (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 27, 2011)

I can immediately recall three scenes that were really challenging for me. One was my death sequence in Shool, where I had to die with my eyes open.

Then the scene in Ghulam-e-Mustafa where Nana Patekar came to visit me, after my mother in the film passed away. I had to laugh and cry at the same time. That was tough. But, the toughest had to be my confrontation scene with Amitji in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Aks.

I had to get up close and personal with him and act seductively and provocative in front of Mr Bachchan. And it was terrifying on two levels.

Firstly, because I had grown up watching Amitji and to perform such an intimate dialogue with him was daunting. To make matters worse I was actually speaking with my on screen-lover Manoj Bajpai, while talking to Amitji. Let me explain.

Manoj’s character was supposed to be inside Amitji. So, I had to say to Amitji the things that I normally say to my romantic co-star.

While we shot this scene I had gone completely into a shell. After every shot I’d go to a corner and sit all by myself.

This self-imposed isolation created the impression that I was being uppity and difficult on the sets. Even Amitji got that impression. And there was little that I could do to dispel the notion.”

Bhansali signs Pritam’s ex-partner Jeet Ganguly

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2 years ago
by Fenil Seta in

The music composer’s ex-partner, Jeet Ganguly, is making a comeback to Bollywood with Bhansali’s next Rowdy Rathore

Subhash K Jha (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 27, 2011)

 

Miffed by composer Pritam Chakraborty’s rejection of his production Rowdy Rathore, director Sanjay Leela Bhansali has decided to rope in Pritam’s ex-partner Jeet Ganguly to score music for his film.

Jeet and Pritam came to Bollywood as a musical duo akin to Nadeem-Shravan, Jatin-Lalit, Dilip Sen-Sameer Sen and the more recent Vishal-Shekhar. They scored hits for Tere Liye (2001) and Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai (2002), both directed by Sanjay Gadhvi.

Soon Pritam chose to break this partnership, and when Gadhvi made Dhoom he selected Pritam over Jeet. Hurt and humiliated, Jeet returned to Kolkata where he managed to make a successful career as a composer in Bengali films.

According to our sources,  Shreya Ghosal informed Bhansali about Jeet’s melodies in Bengal. “Sanjay listened to Jeet’s music and was simply blown away by its melody. He got in touch with Jeet and offered him a chance to score music for Rowdy Rathore.”

Pritam (top) and Jeet Ganguly(above)

The rest, as they say, is history. Bhansali has big plans for Jeet Ganguly’s music. The musician, who was forcibly exiled by the politics of Bollywood’s music industry, is about to strike again.

With Pritam topping the charts in Hindi films with one hit after the other, we have to wait and see how Jeet Ganguly’s comeback affects his More >

Shraddha refuses film starring ex-boyfriend?

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2 years ago
by Fenil Seta in

Shraddha Kapoor opted out of Manish Tiwari’s Ishak, as the script calls for some intimate scenes with her former off-screen beau, Prateik

Kunal M Shah (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 27, 2011)

 

When things go sour between the ‘just friends’ in the industry, the directors unfortunately face the raw end of the deal. And this time, it was director Manish Tiwari’s turn. For his film, Ishak, an Indian adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, the director was very keen to cast Shraddha Kapoor in the lead.

However, it would require the actress to star opposite her ex-beau, Prateik, who plays the male lead. To top it off, the film’s script demanded intimate scenes between the two.

And so to the director’s woe, Kapoor has opted out of the project and his search for a new female lead is once again, on.

When contacted, Manish Tiwari confirmed, “Yes, Shraddha was first on our list but she had an issue. The scenes that she had an objection to had narrative reasons to stay. It is not just a kiss in a moment of love, but it’s at a climax point.

It is when the two have to leave each other. It is a very intense, dramatic scene. There are more pressing matters in the scene than the kiss. In this day and age, kissing is not a big deal. But, as I said, Shraddha had her own reservations and now we are looking for another actress for the film.”

On the other hand, Shraddha Kapoor refrained from making any comment on the matter, when contacted. The film, which is produced by Shailesh More >

Cornered Anees hits back

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2 years ago
by Fenil Seta in

The director has put his foot down on the treatment meted out to him by the producers of Ready; refusing to co-operate in marketing strategies

Subhash K Jha (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 27, 2011) Director Anees Bazmee and a film still from Ready  (l)

There seems to be no end to the friction between director Anees Bazmee and the producers of Ready. The latter seem to have attached themselves to Salman Khan, and in the process isolating the director to the extent that he figures in none of the media events or marketing strategies of the film.

A close friend of the director confirmed saying, “The strategy is simple. If the film clicks, Salman and the producers take all the credit. If it doesn’t, they will put the whole blame on Bazmee.”

The latest ploy being Bazmee receiving a ‘request’ (read: command) to attach ten trailers of forthcoming feature films to Ready. But, Bazmee has made it clear that there is no way he can include ten trailers in the screening time of Ready, which incidentally runs well over two hours.

The director doesn’t deny the latest crisis in his troubled relationship with the rest of the Ready team. He says, “There are 8-10 trailers waiting to be attached to Ready.

These include Chillar Party, in which Salman is a producer and two films of my producers. Ready will be the first big release post-IPL. Naturally there are trailers that want to cash in on my film’s visibility.”

Bazmee further retorts, “My film is 2 hours 24 More >

Abhi walks in SRK’s bash wearing MI jersey

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2 years ago
by Fenil Seta in

The actor arrived at Shah Rukh Khan’s Mannat sporting a Mumbai Indian’s jersey to celebrate KJo’s 39th birthday

Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 27, 2011)

 

Mumbai Indians thrashed Kolkata Knight Riders in a pulsating eliminator at Wankhede on Wednesday. Meanwhile, KKR owner Shah Rukh Khan and his buddies, putting up a brave front, tried to get into the celebratory spirit to bring in KJo’s 39th birthday.

But things became a little tough to handle when Abhishek Bachchan walked in to the party wearing a Mumbai Indians team jersey. Bachchan Jr arrived around one in the morning; well over an hour after Harbhajan Singh hit the unforgettable six over midwicket, clinching the match.

Varinder Chawla Shah Rukh Khan goes out to meet his guest Abhishek Bachchan and Goldie Behl, with Abhishek sporting a Mumbai Indians jersey (inset); Bachchan made peace with Rani Mukerji and Priyanka Chopra at the party (Below)

“Abhishek ne yeh kya pehna hai?” soon became the topic of discussion. After all, it was shocking to see someone walk into SRK’s house wearing a Mumbai Indians team jersey, when he was still reeling from the shock of having been knocked out of the IPL for the fourth consecutive time.

SRK, known to be a rather emotional man, had even skipped the match on Wednesday, preferring to watch it from the confines of his home instead. How did he take this salt rubbing on his wounds? “SRK seemed to be taking it all rather sportingly.

After all, he More >

Amole Gupte ready to fry your brains!

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2 years ago
by Fenil Seta in

BOMBAY TIMES (May 27, 2011)

Always associating himself with good projects, Amole Gupte will soon be seen playing the hysterical song-fixated character Raghu Burman – a hardcore RD Burman fan. Bollywood’s most loved music director Rahul Dev Burman is all set to be immortalised in Bheja Fry 2 by the talented writer/director/actor who plays a character closely sketched on the lines of iconic music director. Says director Sagar Ballary, “Today’s generation is still very much aware of Burman’s music and so we’ve used his songs and music extensively with Raghu Burman – the character Amole essays in the film.” Interestingly a lot of incidents from Burman’s real life have been included into Amole Gupte’s character. After the recent success of Stanley Ka Dabba that showcased Gupte’s excellence behind the camera, Bheja Fry 2 is here to establish his impeccable comic timing in the film that promises to tickle your funny bones much like the original but this time around on a much larger canvas with madder antics with a talented star cast. Says a source, “With films like Taare Zameen Par, Stanley Ka Dabba, Kaminey and the likes in his kitty Amole only associates himself with interesting cinema. The script of this film had him in splits and he agreed to get onboard immediately.” The project also stars Vinay Pathak, KK Menon, Minissha Lamba and Suresh Menon. The film is produced by Mukul Deora and directed by Sagar Ballary comes to a theatre near More >

Kucch Luv Jaisaa: Don’t take your wife for granted

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2 years ago
by Fenil Seta in

That’s the message in Shefali Shah and Rahul Bose starrer Kucch Luv Jaisaa that releases today

Nimisha Tiwari (BOMBAY TIMES; May 27, 2011) When is the right time to break free from a relationship and is love alone the right reason to stick around? With Kucch Luv Jaisaa, that releases today, actors Shefali Shah and Rahul Bose will unravel many such serious and fun aspects of life.

For Rahul, love means laughter, friendship, passion and most of all, valuing the person. “It’s when you feel under-appreciated that you look for appreciation elsewhere. Women especially should never stand for being taken for granted. If it happens, it’s time for a heart to heart. If it happens again… walk out!”

Shefali, who plays a desperate housewife in the film absolutely loved her role and says, “Breaking free is finally about being yourself. No pretences, no defenses, true to your inherent grain… free, the way you were born to be.”

Love is what binds you and yet sets you free. Barnali Shukla, writer and director of this film, says, “I would call May 27 as Break Free Day, the film tells you just why.”

Producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah has the last word and agrees, “Unfortunately, most women don’t even realise that they actually need to have a break. With this film, fun begins when a housewife ends up meeting a criminal and this incident changes her life completely. It’s about breaking free from a taken-for-granted mould.”

Three biggies missing at KJO’s birthday

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2 years ago
by Fenil Seta in

Here’s why Salman, Aamir and Akshay were not present

Prithwish Ganguly (BOMBAY TIMES; May 27, 2011)

 

At Karan Johar’s birthday bash at Shah Rukh Khan’s home, Mannat, on Wednesday night there were a few prominent faces missing. Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar, and Salman Khan — all friends of the birthday boy were not present to wish the filmmaker. For appearances’ sake, it was not a party, but just friends getting together to watch Shah Rukh’s team play the eliminator match. However, a lot of film people did get calls two days earlier asking them to come for Karan’s birthday dinner at SRK’s house. Because of the venue, Salman, who is said to be in talks with Karan for his home production was not invited. Aamir was not present as he was in Puducherry, but the biggest mystery is why Akshay Kumar was left out of the guestlist. The actor’s wife Twinkle Khanna has been friends with Karan for years and has always been present at all his bashes. So why the omission? Especially because Farah Khan was invited, despite her fallout with King Khan.

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