Where Bollywood Comes Alive
Posts tagged team india
Bhajji still bowled over Geeta?
Jul 29th
The grapevine says Harbhajan Singh is reportedly good friends with starlet Geeta Basra even now…
Meena Iyer | TNN (BOMBAY TIMES; July 29, 2010)
Harbhajan Singh, the Team India offbreaker, has bowled a googly to the media which is still wildly speculating over his reported relationship status with Bollywood starlet Geeta Basra.
The two, if some media reports are to be believed, are no longer an item. But that is baffling, because the ace spinner has been taking a keen and undue interest in Geeta’s Bollywood career of late.
BT has reason to believe that between his very recent and truly hectic Zimbabwe and Sri Lankan cricket tours, Bhajji found time to actually hobnob with a couple of important Bollywood personalities. And the reason for his networking is simple. A source says, “Harbhajan is keen to see that Geeta’s career which virtually ground to a halt after her appearance in Mukesh Bhatt’s The Train with Emraan Hashmi, gets back on track again. Harbhajan has spoken to a few people who he knows in Bollywood requesting them to take Geeta in their projects.”
Now if a A-list cricketer is going out of his field to give a maidenin-distress such importance, it could only add up to one thing. That the bowler and the Bollywood beauty continue to be friends. Harbhajan, who is in the midst of the Sri Lankan tour, couldn’t be reached for comment. But Geeta said, “He’s a well-wisher but that doesn’t mean he’s helping me in my career.
John-Bips to hold party for Mahi
Jul 5th
It’s likely to be on Wed, at John’s penthouse in Bandra
Meena Iyer | TNN (BOMBAY TIMES; July 5, 2010)
After the action in Dehradun over the weekend, the excitement is going to shift to Mumbai. And, BT has it that John Abraham and Bipasha Basu, who are Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s closest friends in Mumbai, are going to be holding a party for the newly-married Team India captain at John’s duplex penthouse apartment in Sea Glimpse building, Bandra Bandstand.
This party, a sort of reception for Dhoni and his new bride Sakshi (Singh Rawat), may happen on Wednesday, July 7, which is also the cricketer’s birthday.
Bipasha, who was shooting in Diu for Priyadarshan’s Aakrosh yesterday, could not accompany John to Dehradun for the wedding, because the couple (like everybody else, including Dhoni’s cricketing teammates) got short notice. John himself, who spoke to BT from the Dehradun airport, had no idea that he was heading for the ceremony. “I just got a call from Mahi saying, ‘Bro, please come’… and I rushed off,” said the Bollywood hunk who did not find the time to even pick up a gift for his buddy. Bipasha was attending to that.
She and John are both returning to Mumbai tomorrow, he has to report on the sets of Vishal Bhardwaj’s Saat Khoon Maaf, and Dhoni and Sakshi are slated to come to the city on Wednesday after a brief stopover in Delhi. As to who will be invited to the party at John’s home, according to Bipasha, only people close to them with whom Dhoni is comfortable. Apparently, the swashbuckling cricketer is a very private and reticent man, he doesn’t know too many people in Mumbai. “But he is a big fan of Ajay Devgn’s,” revealed Bips. The Bollywood couple have been on foursome dates with Dhoni and Sakshi before and are pleased at the marriage. John gave his friend’s choice a thumbs up. “Sakshi is a nice girl, very sweet… damn cute and pretty, a small town girl with good middleclass values, she is perfect for Dhoni. In our industry, he’d be devoured, he’s such a wonderful and amazing person,” said John yesterday from Dehradun. While Bips added from Diu, “I’m over the moon. I can’t tell you how happy I am that Mahi and Sakshi are getting together.”
A Full House of T20 fans
Apr 16th
LET THE GAME BEGIN: Riteish Deshmukh, Sajid Nadiadwala, Akshay Kumar, Lara Dutta, Sajid Khan and Arjun Rampal
Sajid Nadiadwala’s team will cheer Team India at the ICC World Twenty20
Times News Network (BOMBAY TIMES; April 16, 2010)
This ‘house’ is ‘full’ of cricket fans. So it wasn’t surprising when a leading Asian sports channel announced a marketing tieup with Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment for Housefull — they had done the same for Mujhse Shaadi Karogi and Heyy Babyy — with the cast of the film, Akshay Kumar, Lara Dutta, Riteish Deshmukh, Arjun Rampal and director Sajid Khan, ready to go on field with their support for Team India in the ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies. Interestingly, the release of the romcom entertainer coincides with the launch of the premier cricket tournament on April 30.
Akshay, honoured to be able to show his support for the Indian team, said, “I’m hopeful that we’ll lift the Cup once again. I am looking forward to the action with my family and friends. I have always been into sports and so a tie-up of my two passions — sports and films — is something that interests and excites me.” The very sporty Lara was equally charged up. “During the first T20 World Cup final, the streets were empty. I hope we have a repeat this year with just one exception — we get packed audiences at cinemas for Housefull as well,” she smiled.
Riteish Deshmukh was betting on Virender Sehwag and Yusuf Pathan as “they they are the biggest hitters in the world” and Sajid Khan had a message for Messrs. Dhoni & Co., “Come on India, we can lift the Cup again!” Sajid Nadiadwala admitted that there cannot be a better marketing tie-up than being associated with the ICC World Twenty20, said, “This alliance has been successful for previous films from the Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment camp and we are certain it will now add immense value to our next venture Housefull and also strengthen our company profile.”
Hook Ya Crook shelved?
Apr 11th
UTV shelves Hook Ya Crook, now John Abraham and David Dhawan decide to finish the film themselves
By Kunal M Shah (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 10, 2010)
With John Abraham and Genelia D’Souza in the lead, the David Dhawan directed Hook Ya Crook seemed to have everything going for it when it was launched some time back, including a rock solid producer like UTV.
But there’s news that the film — now 90 per cent complete — has apparently been shelved. UTV, which has already pumped several crores into the project, now feels that the film just isn’t working.
A source said, “Hook Ya Crook was a film that even UTV was banking on, but after they saw some portions of the film, they were very unhappy with the product. There had certain creative differences with director David Dhawan, following which the film has now been shelved. It’s been around six months since the shooting of the film was stopped and the project is now in the cold storage. It was a humungous decision for UTV, considering that they have already invested Rs 20 crore in the film.”
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While rumours about the film getting stuck had been doing the rounds for some time, everyone connected with the project insists that the only delay is because of the non availability of dates from Indian cricketer stars.
Said Siddharth Roy Kapoor of UTV,”We are waiting for the dates of the cricketers as we have to shoot the climax with them. Once we get the dates and shoot, we will announce the release date of the film.”
The climax of Hook Ya Crook is a cricket match between Team India and a team comprising jail inmates. John Abraham plays the skipper of the prison team.
“The decision of UTV to shelve the film has come as a huge setback to John, because he firmly believed in the film and had really worked on it, especially after his last film Aashayein failed to release at the box-office,” said our source.
Another source close to the project added, “Both John and David don’t agree with UTV’s decision to shelve the film. In fact, they have decided to complete the film by themselves and organise a grand release. John and David are working to shoot the remaining portions quickly and start working on the post-production.”
Despite repeated calls to David Dhawan and John Abraham, they remained available for comment.
John Jinxed
John Abraham seems to be having a run of tough luck. His film with Nagesh Kukunoor, Aashayein, couldn’t get released and now even the David Dhawan directed Hook Ya Crook may meet with a similar fate. There are also rumours about Abbas Tyrewala’s 1- 800-Love, which has been inordinately delayed.
It’s an LBW for John!
Sep 12th
IN BAD SHAPE: John Abraham. For more pictures of the hot actor, log on to http://photogallery.indiatimes.com
John Abraham’s injured ankle threatens cricket climax for David Dhawan film
SUBHASH K JHA Times News Network (BOMBAY TIMES; September 12, 2009)
Poor John Abraham. The Bollywood hunk, who has been bedevilled by injuries often, has now been declared hors de combat following an ankle injury he suffered a couple of months ago. The actor, who’s busy in London doing 1:800 Love for Abbas Tyrewala, recalled he was last laid low by a virus that hospitalised him during the shooting of Kabul Express in Afghanistan. But this time, the threat is more serious.
The ankle he fractured is refusing to heal. And not only have all potential action films featuring John been put on hold, but the climax of David Dhawan’s Hook Ya Crook is awaiting completion as well. Doctors have prescribed months of rest for him. “For an athletic, outdoors guy like me, this is like death,” groaned John from London.
“Outwardly it qualifies as just a broken ankle. But actually breaking that bone is a very serious matter,” revealed John. If he continues putting pressure on the leg instead of resting it, as he’s doing now, John may well end up with a limp for life!
Incidentally, the climatic scene in Hook Ya Crook — in which film John plays a cricketer — requires the actor to undergo a rigorous cricket camp with Team India greats like Yuvraj Singh, M S Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh. “I can hit a sixer. But to look convincing, I’ve to play like a professional. For that I need to train. Then I also need to run very fast. My ankle just won’t be able to take the strain. I’m hoping it will be better by November,” said John ruefully.
He’s fortunate Abbas’s film doesn’t require much physical application. “It’s mostly about emotions,” sighed John, who returns to Mumbai to resume shooting for 1:800 Love next week. “We’re all in that mellow, romantic mood and would rather complete Abbas’s film in one stretch when I’m not physically up to doing anything else,” added John. After two months in London, he is itching to get back. “Has Mumbai missed me,” he asked.
