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Posts tagged risk
Prem Raj announces 3 films; Salman to star in I Am Hariprasad
Aug 23rd
By Devansh Patel, August 23, 2010 – 11:09 IST
People in our film industry do take risks. They do an offbeat film, they turn themselves from actor to director, and they do an overnight Hollywood migration. But this man has just about done something which can be rightly described as ‘out of the ordinary’. The term Prem Raj has evolved to describe an unpredictable factor in any number of domains. Now don’t ask me the question: Who is Prem Raj? Because it definitely isn’t Prem and Raj – two of the most clichéd Hindi cinema screen names. Having said that, the word Prem Raj is synonymous with one of India’s biggest super stars: Salman Khan. Didn’t get it? Ok, let’s flash back here. The director of Main Aurr Mrs Khanna, Prem Soni is back. He is back from the brink with a new identity, Prem Raj. I call him ‘The Wild Card’. But we all lovingly call him Prem. So for the rest of the interview, let’s stick to the latter. Prem just hasn’t changed his name but fortunes too. He has a big announcement to make which might leave the rest of the Indian film fraternity in a bit of frenzy.
This bit of news is going to take you on a long ride of exciting reading. So fasten your seat belts because Prem is officially announcing here on Bollywood Hungama his exclusive three film deal with himself. Again the question, isn’t it? Ok, I won’t torture you guys. I’ll answer. Prem is all set to make three films under his own production company called ‘Wild Card Entertainment Private Limited’.
Not one, not two but three films will be produced by Prem Raj under his company which will then be backed by another big production house for distribution and association. Prem hasn’t just taken a risk, he has doubled it up. Tripled it up is what most of you would be thinking.
To ask how he felt announcing the big breaking news on Bollywood Hungama, he said, “I’ve always been a big fan of Bollywood Hungama and know its reach. What better way than to announce my three films on the world’s most popular Bollywood gateway.”
So here’s an exclusive update from Prem Raj on his next three films:
Bombay Muumbai
“Bombay Muumbai is a love story with a backdrop of Bombay’s turn around into Mumbai with a gap of almost fifteen years between the first and the second half. The film tells the story of two people who separated in Bombay during the 1990′s and met up in Mumbai during the mid 2000.
This is the first time you’ll be seeing in a film that the main couple in the film are going to be playing 23 year olds in the first half and at the same time they’ll be playing 38 year olds in the second half. More than that, it’s predominantly about the city fifteen years ago and how love stories were in Bombay and how the love gets transformed into Mumbai. What are the differences in the two time gaps and is Bombay better or is Mumbai better.
The film is going to start by the end of this year and it will be having new faces. I believe that the city is the main hero and the protagonist. So I’ve decided that I need new faces because the story is very strong. The male lead is decided but it’s too early to take his name as of now. I am still searching for the girl and will announce both their names once the female lead is locked. I am also in talks with the director which I will announce once we finalize him. I’ve seen Bombay in my early teens and I see it today too with the youths. Finally it’s a story about how love evolves in changing times.”
Merrry Christmas
“Merrry Christmas will tentatively start early next year. It’s a tentative title as of now and is filmed in the romantic city Paris. It’s a story of two soul mates coming together in Paris and living a beautiful life. The story is split into two halves where you get to see a strict life of two people. It’s got its own twist and turns and is a love story.
The film is called Merrry Christmas because it revolves around the Christmas season. I have the script for the last eight months now and I am planning to make this for quite a long time now. I am in talks with one of the top actors of our industry and is almost on the verge of finalizing him. The announcement is going to happen soon and a big studio is going to back it up.
Merrry Christmas is going to be directed by me.”
I Am Hariprasad
“This one is a biggie. I Am Hariprasad stars my best friend Salman Khan. It had to be him in the title role. He plays Hariprasad in the film. The world audience will love him in this kind of a film. Half the battle is already won when you have Salman in the film. He is the best Hariprasad I could ever have.
I Am Hariprasad is a very unusual film for me to direct. I have written the script of the film too and it’s not something you’ll expect out of me because I believe in love stories and this one is not a love story.
There will be two leading ladies opposite him in the film and I Am Hariprasad deals with the biggest business in the world, business which is always on the upswing and is possibly the only thing which flourishes more than the recession – Religion.
I Am Hariprasad focuses on the relationship of man with God and the bridge between the two. Hariprasad is the Godman. It focuses on the Hinduism. Salman had his own inputs in the film and is working hard on this one. It is one of my ambitious films and is hilarious. It’s going to make people laugh and at the same time the film has drama.”
So if anyone thinks that Barack Obama is the busiest man on this planet, just rethink of a man called Prem Raj. Three back to back films produced by him, two of which he’ll direct and one of which will have Salman Khan. Did Deepika Padukone hear this bit? What about Sonam Kapoor? All new leading ladies…beware, Prem is on the prowl…and if this ain’t breaking news…what is?
BOLLYWOOD HUNGAMA.COM
Azam Khan-the most wanted Khan in Bollywood
Jun 23rd
He’s no star, he’s not made any blockbuster, so why is half the industry chasing Azam Khan? Here’s the reason
Mauli Singh and Saumit Singh (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 23, 2010)
A Bollywood Quiz question: Who is the most sought-after Khan in the industry today? If your answer is Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, or Salman Khan, sorry you have got it wrong. The name is Azam Khan. And this Khan, mind you, is being chased by Bollywood for all the wrong reasons.
Khan, a former executive director of K Sera Sera and the brain behind One More Thought Entertainment, which helmed such ambitious projects as Vinay Pathak-starrer Dasvidaniya, Khalbali Fun Unlimited and Phoonk, allegedly owes over Rs 20 crore to people across the industry.
Mirror has learnt that he owes money to so many people and organisations that now there is list of his creditors that almost everybody in Bollywood readily recognises. At the last count, this list had 123 entries.
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| Azam Khan in blue with Pervez Damania, Vinay Pathak and Shashant Shah; (below right) the Q7 Audi Khan drives despite his debts |
There are more than 20 cases of bounced cheques, misappropriation of funds and cheating filed against Khan in various courts of Mumbai. He owes money to film trade magazines, dubbing studios, poster and vinyl printers, camera hire outfits, even laundrywallahs and caterers. Several well known Bollywood outfits like K Sera Sera, YT Entertainment, Celebrities Management, and Nine Winds Media, too have payments stuck with Khan.
And that’s just Bollywood. Khan has a big casualty to his credit in construction business too. Nilufar Damania, businessman Parvez Damania’s sister-in-law and late Vispy Damania’s wife, who was on the board of Sonata Realty Private Limited with Khan, has filed a complaint at the Oshiwara police station accusing Khan of cheating and forgery of valuable securities.
The funniest story going around Bollywood is how Khan hops around the town in some of the most expensive cars - an Audi Q7 and a Merc S Class - while his cheques bounce all over the place “for lack of funds in his accounts.”
He also maintains a large office on Veera Desai Road and owns a plush 17th-floor apartment in Windermere, Oshiwara. The nameplate of the house carries his wife’s name.
But before we get into Khan’s extravagant lifetsyle and the misery of his victims, a little bit about the man’s past.
King khon
Barely two years ago, Azam Khan was one of the most sought after men, in the usual positive sense of the term, in the film industry. He had just started his own production house, One More Thought Entertainment, and his spanking new office in Andheri was a beehive of activity.
At a glittering launch party, Khan paraded nine well known directors who had signed up for the fledgling production house.
These included Jagmohan Mundra, Kundan Shah, Sangeeth Sivan, Ajay Chandok, Ravi Rai and Ashwini Chaudhary. “We are determined to provide a canvas to these directors who are brimming with unique ideas, stories and new concepts. We intend to produce twelve movies in two years,” Khan told the gathering.
Everybody believed him and not without reason - at K Sera Sera, Khan had overseen a number of major films like Sarkar, D Company, Risk, Darna Mana Hai, Ek Haseena Thi and Ab Tak Chappan. But Khan’s time at K Sera Sera now seems like another era.
One More Thought Entertainment’s first film to be released was the Marathi language Tingya. This was followed by a joint production called Dasvidaniya starring Vinay Pathak and then Phoonk, directed by Khan’s old friend Ram Gopal Varma, released.
However, things went quickly downhill for him thereon.
Except for Tingya, which was a ready-made Ravi Rai film that One More Thought merely presented, almost all other films got embroiled in bitter disputes because of non payment of dues.
Ajay Chandok-directed comedy Khalbali Fun Unlimited; and My Name is 340, another One More Thought production, could not be released depite being almost ready.
When we contacted, Vinay Pathak, who co-produced and acted in Dasvidaniya, he said: “What can I say about a man who has duped us of our money and deprived us of our first film as producers? We don’t have even a print to show for it. He is completely unreachable for any kind of negotiation.”
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| Windermere (r) at Oshiwara where Azam Khan (l) lives on the 17 floor; poster of Dasvidaniya, one of the films Khan’s One More Thought Entertainment produced |
Shashant Shah, the director of Dasvidaniya, sounded equally frustrated. “Forget about the profit, he still has to pay us 50 per cent of the cost. He owes us around Rs 1.3 crore. He hasn’t paid the professional fees to my writer, music director, editor, cameraman, including me and Vinay Pathak. Even spot boys haven’t got paid.”
While at one point Khan offered to pay Shah Rs 30 lakh, the cheques that were issued bounced. Shah said he does not mind the losses. “But I want my film back. The rights for Dasvidaniya are still with him.”
Kailash Kher, who scored the music for Dasvidaniya is waiting for a payment of around Rs 15 lakh. “I sent a legal notice to him. He verbally promised to pay my dues, but never did. He is a smart guy. He didn’t let my cheque bounce but stopped the payment saying there wasn’t enough money in his bank account. I wonder how he can afford to move around in expensive cars if he doesn’t have any money to pay us.”
Khalbali Fun Unlimited was abandoned with just three more days of shooting to go. Payments to everyone associated with the film, right from the artistes to technicians to the direction crew, are pending.
With cases now escalated to the High Court, a substantial number of litigants have all but given up hope.
Raju Shah of YT Entertainment, who presented several of One More Thought productions, is a distraught man. “In order to recover my Rs 7 crore, I have already spent around Rs 50 lakh in lawyers’ fees, stamps duties and court fee. I am very depressed and my family is also very disturbed. We are suffering a lot,” he said.
Close shave
On at least one occasion, Khan came close to landing in jail. On the night of May 24, he was traced to a suburban five-star hotel by the Rajasthan police who wanted to arrest him.
They were acting on a complaint filed by K Sera Sera against Khan in Ganganagar. “We helped Rajasthan police track him. But when we went to arrest him at the hotel, he produced a transit bail,” said API Desai of Santacruz Airport police station.
Sanjay Lai, the MD of K Sera Sera, refused to reveal the money Khan owes to the company. “We have filed a case against him in the High Court. We are in the process of recovering the money.”
After days of efforts, Mumbai Mirror caught up with Azam Khan at his spacious office which once housed One More Thought Entertainment.
It is now the office of Ionic Realty, another construction firm in which Khan has an interest. Not a sign of One More Thought Entertainment remains – the company has officially submitted a winding up petition.
“Yes, there are cases against me, but a cheque being dishonoured does not necessarily mean I don’t intend to pay. I don’t dispute that I owe people money, but in several instances, they have failed to deliver the service required of them so I stopped payment on the post-dated cheques I had issued them,” said Khan.
Only some of the bigger companies One More Thought owes money to can take the matter to its logical conclusion. The others have been left with, well, a thought to ponder.
Controversial character from Lamhaa chopped off
Jun 17th
Anxious not to increase problems for Lamhaa, Bunty Walia removes the controversial character of Kuku Pare
Kunal M Shah (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 17, 2010)
Bunty Walia’s film Lamhaa has been mired in controversies from day one. Now we hear that the character of militant-turned-politician Kuku Pare has been completely chopped from the film. Newcomer Ajaz Khan plays the role of Pare in the Rahul Dholakia-directed film.
Our source said, “The entire track has been removed as the producers of the film did not want any more trouble. Apparently Kuku Pare was not very happy that his character was being portrayed in the film. Bunty and Rahul decided it was best to remove the character than risk any more trouble.”
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| Ajaz Khan as Kuku Pare | Bunty Walia |
When contacted Bunty Walia said, “The character was not fitting in the scheme of things. Rahul thought that the character should be left out and that’s about it. There is nothing more to it.”
Ajaz Khan, who plays the role, said, “I have no issues if it is for the betterment of the film. Bunty is a close friend and it was a good role for a newcomer like me. However I am sure we will work together in the future. There were too many controversies surrounding the film. I guess they didn’t more with this character.”
Bappi’s jewellery insured for Rs 1 crore
Feb 25th
Producer of Bappi Lahiri’s upcoming film gets his jewellery insured for Rs 1 crore
By Kunal M Shah (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 25, 2010)
With a substantial amount of gold co-starring with Bappi Lahiri in h
is upcoming film Bappida Tussi Great Ho, producer Vilasrao Tayde decided not to lose some golden sleep over its security.
The film attempts to reveal the mystery behind the singer-composer’s obsessive love for the yellow metal. In fact, besides the copious amounts he wears on his neck and hands, Bappi will be adding some more to his waist as well. And some of the jewellery will be from his personal collection.
Says Tayde, “Yes we have insured the jewellery for approximately Rs 1 crore. The shoot starts next month and we will also be shooting outdoors.
At the end of the day, it is my responsibility to keep the gold safe I didn’t want to take any unnecessary risk.” Tayde adds that he’d been planning the insurance ever since the script was discussed with Bappi.
Movie Review: ISHQIYA by TARAN ADARSH
Jan 28th
By Taran Adarsh, January 28, 2010 – 10:55 IST
Get ready for tangy, pungent, sizzling and spicy stuff. Be forewarned, ISHQIYA isn’t the fluffy, candyfloss, saccharine sweet story of lovers breaking into songs in mustard fields. In ISHQIYA, you just don’t know what turn the story may take next. Not just the story, even the characters here are so impulsive and unpredictable.
You need to have a strong stomach to absorb ISHQIYA. It’s high on drama, it’s wild, it’s real. But it’s not dark, it’s not sleazy, it’s not crass. Frankly, you don’t expect debutante director Abhishek Chaubey to make a stereotypical fare thanks to the tutelage by his guru Vishal Bhardwaj, who loves to swim against the tide and undertake risks in film after film.
| BY BOLLYWOOD HUNGAMA.COM |
You could call ISHQIYA a distant cousin of OMKARA. Set in Gorakhpur in North India, the film has a rustic feel, depicts characters that may make you uncomfortable and is laced with saucy lingo. Yet, it’s different than OMKARA.
Two thieves, Khalujaan [Naseeruddin Shah] and Babban [Arshad Warsi], are on the run from their boss, Mushtaq. They seek refuge at a friend’s house, but instead meet his widow, Krishna [Vidya Balan]. The time spent together draws the duo to her, Khalu with his tinted vision of old-fashioned love and Babban with his lustful eye. But the past catches up with all three!
There’s no denying that the promos had prepared me of the journey ahead, yet it took me a good 15-odd minutes to get into the world of Khalujaan, Babban and Krishna. But once you get sucked into their world, the blurred images start getting clearer and clearer and you become an active participant in their journey.
The first hour passes in a jiffy, but the story actually gets dramatic and volatile in its second hour. It’s at this stage that things start getting more and more unpredictable. The story does a somersault every 10 minutes and by the time it reaches its finale, you’re curious to know how the debutante director would conclude this saga. The end, of course, will have its share of advocates and adversaries, but the fact remains that it’s offbeat.
Abhishek Chaubey is a welcome addition to the ranks of avid storytellers. His choice of the subject and also handling of the material is what makes this film so eminently watchable. Not once do you feel that ISHQIYA has been helmed by a first-timer. Note the change of events in the song ‘Dil To Bachcha Hain Ji’ or the kidnap drama and the heated argument that follows thereafter. Even the passionate lovemaking sequence between Arshad and Vidya has been dexterously canned.
However, Chaubey and his team of writers could’ve kept the writing simplistic towards the finale. It’s complex and also lacks clarity. Yet, all said and done, screenplay writers Vishal Bhardwaj, Sabrina Dhawan and Abhishek Chaubey deserve kudos for coming up with a film that keeps you hooked for most parts.
Vishal Bhardwaj’s musical score has his unmistakable stamp all over. The film is embellished with two lilting gems – ‘Ibne Batuta’ and ‘Dil To Bachcha Hain Ji’ – which are a rage with listeners already and have been juxtaposed beautifully in the plot. Mohana Krishna’s cinematography is first-rate. Dialogues [Vishal Bhardwaj] are acidic and a few lines are indeed startling.
Every actor in ISHQIYA delivers a sparkling performance! Naseeruddin Shah is superb as a romantic. He is matchless in the sequence when he learns the truth about Vidya and Arshad. Arshad packs in a bravura performance yet again. Post MUNNABHAI films, Arshad should be liked in this one the maximum. Vidya continues to surprise. It’s a dynamic performance undoubtedly. PAA and ISHQIYA are two landmarks in her career.
The actors enacting the role of Jijaji, the kidnapped victim and Vidya’s husband are all perfect. The child, who interacts with Arshad, is natural. In fact, every performance in ISHQIYA is worthy of mention.
On the whole, ISHQIYA is definitely worth a watch. The film has a riveting plot, great performances, soulful music, an absorbing story and skilful direction to make the viewer fall in ishq with it. It should appeal to the hardcore masses as also the multiplex junta.
Ahmedabad gets ready for satellite movies
Jan 28th
New theatre will not have film reels; it will screen movies that are transmitted via satellite from Mumbai
By Shraddha Singh (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 26, 2010)
Imagine a movie with no film reels or grainy images. Instead, a satellite beams a new film straight to a large screen while you dig into a tub of cheese popcorn.
From Tuesday, Amdavadis will get to experience it. Film production and distribution company K Sera Sera has set up such a hi-tech system in its two-screen theatre in a mall near SG Highway. Interestingly, the company is calling it a ‘miniplex’, a concept it plans to introduce across the country within three years.
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| Company officials promise that you will never see a dark or grainy picture in the miniplex, which is to be inaugurated by Shah Rukh Khan on Tuesday |
But, why visit such theatres? For a start, it’s because of the picture quality.
The process does away with the traditional projection system involving film reels. Instead, digital projectors connected to servers receive seamless transmission from a satellite. These projectors give high-definition pictures, so you will never see a dark and grainy picture on the big screen.
K Sera Sera CEO Sanjay Gupta claims that the resolution and picture quality would be similar to that of a Blue Ray DVD. The miniplex is expected to be inaugurated by Shah Rukh Khan. Such theatres are common in the US and a few other countries, but, as of now, no other city in India, not even India’s film hub Mumbai, has such a cinema.
Transmission via satellite helps production houses pare down distribution costs. It also cuts the risk of piracy, as reels are eliminated.
Explaining the process, Gupta said that once a movie is complete, it would be ‘digitised’ and then uplinked to a satellite. The satellite would transmit it to a theatre where servers would decode the encrypted information and pass it to digital projectors.
“Our control centre will be based out of Mumbai and operate 24×7,” he said. “We will offer the multiplex experience at half the cost.”
Marathi film composers signed for Bhansali’s next?
Jan 22nd
Impressed by their work in Marathi film Natrang, Sanjay Leela Bhansali signs up music directors Ajay and Atul for Chenab Gandhi
By Kunal M Shah (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 22, 2010)
Sanjay Leela Bhansali is known for his sharp music sense. He first discovered Ismail Darbar and as a team, they gave two blockbusters with Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas. His risk paid off, and the music was a huge hit.
Now, Bhansali is set introduce music director duo Ajay and Atul in Bollywood. They have just delivered a superhit Marathi film Natrang.
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| Ajay and Atul |
Our source said, “Someone suggested their names to Bhansali, who heard their music and loved it. He met up with them and immediately signed them for his upcoming film Chenab Gandhi, which stars Amitabh Bachchan, Rajeev Khandelwal and Vidya Balan in lead roles.
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| Sanjay Leela Bhansali |
Bhansali was very impressed by the music they had created for the Atul Kulkarni and Sonali Kulkarni-starrer Natrang.
The film created a buzz not only for its performances, it got some rave reviews for its music as well.”
