Day: July 3, 2013

  • Karan Johar Was Not First Choice For ‘Bombay Velvet’

    Karan Johar Was Not First Choice For ‘Bombay Velvet’

    MUMBAI: Everyone is eager to watch Karan Johar make his first major appearance on screen as the baddie in ‘Bombay Velvet’. The producer-director however wasn’t the first choice for the role. 

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    Naseruddin Shah was set to reprise the character of Dosoo Karaka – the powerful and feisty Parsi journalist, who chronicled Mumbai from the 1940-70s.

    The character, having strong homosexual undertones, will now be essayed by Karan Johar. The multi-faceted producer-director is gearing up for his first big break as an actor and is preparing for ‘Bombay Velvet’, which will be shot in Sri Lanka.

    Naseeruddin Shah apparently had taken too long to give his nod to play the character. Anurag Kashyap was having a discussion with Karan Johar and bouncing off ideas, it was then it struck him that Karan will be able to perfectly play the character.

    Anurag Kashyap says, “It’s true we cannot get Naseer, and he can’t be replaced. It was just discussing with Karan (Johar) that the idea came, and once he said yes we worked on the character to make it younger.

    ‘Bombay Velvet’ directed by Anurag Kashyap will have Ranbir Kapoor in the lead alongside Anushka Sharma. The film, a trilogy about how Mumbai became a metropolis will be extensively shot in Sri Lanka. Fox Star Studios and Anurag Kashyap are jointly producing the film.

  • My Daughter Fought With Grace and Dignity: Pierce Brosnan

    My Daughter Fought With Grace and Dignity: Pierce Brosnan

    MUMBAI: Hollywood star Pierce Brosnan is grieving the loss of his daughter, Charlotte Emily, who succumbed to her long-drawn battle with cancer last week.

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    Brosnan, star of several James Bond films, including ‘Goldeneye’ and ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ paid tribute to his “darling daughter” in a statement, which read: “On June 28 at 2pm my darling daughter Charlotte Emily passed on to eternal life, having succumbed to ovarian cancer. Charlotte fought her cancer with grace and humanity, courage and dignity. Our hearts are heavy with the loss of our beautiful dear girl.”

    “We pray for her and that the cure for this wretched disease will be close at hand soon,” the statement added.

    Charlotte, 42, had been fighting a battle with ovarian cancer for the past three years. Her mother, Brosnan’s first wife Cassandra Harris, had also died from the disease aged 43 in 1991.

    Charlotte is survived by her 15 year old daughter Isabella, her 9 year old son Lucas, and long-term partner Alex Smith.

  • AIRPORT DIARIES: Vidya Balan And Others Leave For IIFA

    AIRPORT DIARIES: Vidya Balan And Others Leave For IIFA

    MUMBAI: Preparations for the IIFA weekend, which kick-starts on 4 July in Macau, are well underway. Spotted at Mumbai airport, taking off for China, were Bollywood celebrities, including Vidya Balan and her husband Siddharth Roy Kapur.

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    Vidya and Siddharth, or Vid and Sid (as they’re known), looked pleased as punch to be spending the weekend together, after a hectic last few months. Vidya looked relaxed in a peach coloured long blouse, while Siddharth went very casual in a chocolate brown tee and jeans.

    Along with Vidya, several other B’town actresses boarded the plane. Jacqueline Fernandes and Minissha Lamba were seen entering the departure terminal, clad in similar white ganjees and jeans. Sophie Choudry and yesteryear actress Sheeba were also spotted.

    Boman Irani, Ayushmann Khurrana and Goldie Behl were also clicked leaving for Macau last night.

  • Christian Bale Rules Out Batman Reprise

    Christian Bale Rules Out Batman Reprise

    LOS ANGELES: Actor Christian Bale, who is known to have essayed caped crusader Batman in the “Dark Knight” movie trilogy, says he is not playing the character in the forthcoming film “Justice League”.

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    However, he is looking forward to see what someone does with the character.

    “I have no information, no knowledge about anything. I’ve literally not had a conversation with a living soul. I understand that they may be making a ‘Justice League’ movie, that’s it,” contactmusic.com quoted Bale as saying.

    “It’s a torch that should be handed from one actor to another. So I enjoy looking forward to what somebody else will come up with,” added the 39-year-old.

    IANS

  • Alia Bhatt Opposite Emraan Hashmi In ‘Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin’ Remake?

    Alia Bhatt Opposite Emraan Hashmi In ‘Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin’ Remake?

    MUMBAI: First it was films like ‘Don’ and ‘Sholay’ from the ’70s that got remade. Then it was films like ‘Himmatwala’ and ‘Karz’ from the ’80s that got the remake treatment. And now it looks like Mahesh Bhatt and Bhushan Kumar do not want to keep films from the ’90s behind in this race.

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    After the success of the sequel to their 1990 film ‘Aashiqui’, Bhushan Kumar and Mahesh Bhatt are going ahead with a remake of their 1991 film ‘Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin’. The romantic film starring Aamir Khan and Pooja Bhatt was an unofficial remake of the Hollywood classic ‘It Happened One Night’.

    Emraan Hashmi, who is on a roll with unconventional roles in ‘Shanghai’ and ‘Ghanchakkar’, will enter the Bhatt fold again as he has been signed on for the role initially essayed by Aamir Khan in the original.

    Bhushan Kumar said, “We were confident that ‘Aashiqui 2’ will do well, so I went to Bhatt saab asking him to revive my father’s and his other hit ‘Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin’. That’s how we have joined hands in making another love story.”

    Mahesh Bhatt said that the reason he was remaking one of his biggest hits was because he felt the original had not done justice to the hero’s character. “With this remake, we seek to do justice to the character. Emraan Hashmi fits this character like a glove. With this film, women who have secretly lusted for him so far will now fall in love with him.”

    For the female lead, sources say that Alia Bhatt and Shraddha Kapoor are being eyed. With Mahesh Bhatt’s connection, Alia Bhatt obviously is considered the forerunner for bagging the role. But reports say that Bhushan Kumar is strongly rooting for the ‘Aashiqui 2’ star Shraddha Kapoor. Currently talks are on to decide about the actress.

    Fans of the original film will have to wait and watch if Emraan Hashmi will fit into Aamir Khan’s shoes and whether this remake will live up to the original.

  • AIRPORT DIARIES: Sushmita Sen Returns From London

    AIRPORT DIARIES: Sushmita Sen Returns From London

    MUMBAI: Last month Sushmita Sen was spotted at the Mumbai airport, with her daughters Renee and Alisah and mother Subhra Sen after holidaying in London. 

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    And now again, just a month later the actress was snapped at the Mumbai airport again returning from London. While we wonder if it is for work or something personal, Sushmita Sen surely looked at her bubbly best.

    Dressed in blue denims and a printed white t-shirt and white shoes, Sushmita Sen was quite happy to be back home. Just that there was no one to receive her this time around.

    The actress happily posed for photographs and interacted with media.

    We haven’t seen Sushmita Sen on the big screen for a long time, but its great to see her making appearances at the airport.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Priyanka Chopra’s Desi Turn in ‘Exotic’

    EXCLUSIVE: Priyanka Chopra’s Desi Turn in ‘Exotic’

    MUMBAI: Looks like the brand managers of Priyanka Chopra’s singing career clearly want to position her desi looks and appeal as being very ‘exotic’!

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    A teaser-trailer from Priyanka’s brand new single, ‘Exotic’ was released earlier this week, which clearly aims to cash in on her dusky, sensuous, earthy appeal. The song, which features International rap artist Pitbull, will release later, but the teaser has already generated a lot of buzz.

    Priyanka’s first single, ‘In My City’ with Will.I.Am of ‘Black Eyed Peas’ fame was a certified hit, with a whopping 4.5 million plus hits (and counting) on YouTube.

    In this first look of ‘Exotic’, Priyanka is seen channeling her inner rock goddess, and is seen in a black net and leather ensemble, probably to symbolise her simultaneous good girl- bad girl vibe. Adorning her eyes is some heavy-duty, smoky-eye makeup, while her lip tint is nude. Her hair is tangled and wild, and the jungle setting reflects her wild avatar.

    Here’s a look at a short clip from Priyanka’s latest single, ‘Exotic’.

  • Flying High: Ranbir Kapoor Set To Join The Superhero League?

    Flying High: Ranbir Kapoor Set To Join The Superhero League?

    MUMBAI: ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’ has had a dream-run at the box-office and there is huge speculation over Ranbir Kapoor teaming up with best friend Ayan Mukerji yet again. 

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    It has been reported that Ayan Mukerji’s next is a superhero film modeled on the lines of Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Ra. One’ and Hrithik Roshan’s ‘Krrish’ and the upcoming ‘Krrish 3’.

    Ranbir Kapoor, who has a terrific bond with Ayan Mukerji, has worked in his earlier films ‘Wake Up Sid’ and the biggest hit of the year ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’. Reportedly, he is again set to team up with Ayan on this film as well.

    It looks like Ranbir Kapoor is surely on an experimentation spree. After playing deaf-mute character in ‘Barfi’, the coming-of-age guy in ‘Wake Up Sid’, and ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’, the rustic rogue in the upcoming ‘Besharam’ and the ambitious street fighter in ‘Bombay Velvet’, he is set to join the superhero league.

    Interestingly Ranbir Kapoor enjoys a great fan following with children, and it will be interesting to see how his fans accept his superhero antics.

    But isn’t Ranbir Kapoor already a superhero with so many hits in such less span of time? Whether he will be able to take his strides forward as huge as Hrithik Roshan or Shah Rukh Khan, will be interesting to watch. And of course Rajinikanth a.k.a ‘Chitti’ the robot isn’t far behind!

  • Aditya Roy Kapur Replaces Shahid Kapoor In Bejoy Nambiar’s Next?

    Aditya Roy Kapur Replaces Shahid Kapoor In Bejoy Nambiar’s Next?

    MUMBAI: Filmmaker Bejoy Nambiar may rope in Aditya Roy Kapur for his next film, but says the last word on the cast will happen only when he finishes the scripting.

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    Known for directing films like “David” and “Shaitan”, the director hasn’t titled his film yet.

    “I am still writing my next film and not decided about the cast yet. I am still working on the script and don’t want to comment on it. I just met him (Aditya) once and we are talking. I don’t want to reveal anything more than that,” said Nambiar.

    “Once I finish the script, I can probably talk about it but right now it’s too early,” he added.

    Reportedly the untitled film is the same project that Nambiar was supposed to do with Shahid Kapoor.

    IANS

  • SPOTTED! Ranbir Kapoor Goes ‘Besharam’

    SPOTTED! Ranbir Kapoor Goes ‘Besharam’

    MUMBAI: One would expect Ranbir Kapoor to celebrate after the success of ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’. But it looks like the star does not like resting on his laurels.

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    Ranbir Kapoor has been busy shooting for Abhinav Kashyap’s sophomore film ‘Besharam’ in which he plays a crooked person. The actor seems to have got his look for the character pat down too.

    The star has left his homely looks from ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’ behind and was seen totally disheveled while shooting for ‘Besharam’.

    Ranbir Kapoor was spotted with unkempt beard and hair, and was also seen sporting a burst of chest hair through a shirt that he had kept open. It also looks like his rogue character has a penchant for chains round his neck. He is living up to the tagline of the film – ‘Na sammaan ka moh, na apmaan ka bhay’.

    Abhinav Kashyap’s ‘Besharam’ has been in the final stage of shooting at an old city-mill over the past few weeks. The film will mark Ranbir Kapoor’s second major release this year.

    ‘Besharam’ is set to release on 3 October, 2013.

  • Manyata Dutt Braves Out For ‘Policegiri’ Screening With Twins

    Manyata Dutt Braves Out For ‘Policegiri’ Screening With Twins

    MUMBAI: Close on the heels of news that Sanjay Dutt-starrer ‘Policegiri’ will be screened in Yerwada prison, our photogs spotted Dutt’s wife Manyata Dutt at a private screening of the film, with her children.

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    A washed-out and tired looking Manyata was spotted entering Mumbai’s Ketnav theatre, to catch a special screening of her incarcerated husband’s latest film. Dressed in a knee length green printed dress, Mrs. Dutt was accompanied by her two children, Iqra and Shahraan.

    This has been Manyata’s first public appearance since her husband, Sanjay Dutt, was sent to Yerawada Jail in Pune early last month.

    While Dutt languishes in jail for his alleged involvement in the 1993 Bombay blasts case, the makers of ‘Policegiri’ have found a novel way to promote the film without its lead actor. A petition called ‘Write2Sanjay’ has been launched, where fans can write personal messages, which will be delivered to the actor in prison.

  • Shah Rukh Khan And Deepika Padukone March Towards ‘Chennai Express’

    Shah Rukh Khan And Deepika Padukone March Towards ‘Chennai Express’

    MUMBAI: With ‘Chennai Express’ nearing closer to release, remember that Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone will soon be seen everywhere possible.

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    Yesterday, the two actors, who had previously starred together in ‘Om Shanti Om’, were spotted at Mahalaxmi as they were headed to promote their film.

    Deepika Padukone was seen wearing a graceful yellow sari and she looked every bit the diva. Her co-actor, on the other hand, was in Western wear. Shah Rukh Khan wore a six-button blazer over a pair of jeans and looked suave as he had combed his hair back.

    The two stars were surrounded by their bodyguards as they willfully marched into the building. Be prepared for a lot more Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone as ‘Chennai Express’ releases next month, 8 August, 2013.

  • Mama’s Boy Sooraj Pancholi Returns From Jail

    Mama’s Boy Sooraj Pancholi Returns From Jail

    MUMBAI: After spending close to three weeks in jail, Sooraj Pancholi is finally out on bail. 

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    Once the news spread, that Sooraj Pancholi is going to be released, there was a huge crowd of media in front of the Mumbai court. Sooraj Pancholi’s parents, actor Aditya Pancholi in an ochre-yellow Being Human shirt, Zarina Wahab and sister Sana Pancholi also were present to receive their son and brother respectively.

    It was around 5:00 PM when Sooraj Pancholi came out after completing the jail formalities. He was dressed in a black t-shirt and sported an unshaven look.

    The budding actor was arrested on charges for allegedly abetting Jiah Khan’s suicide. Mumbai court has granted bail to Sooraj Pancholi and released him on a surety of Rs 50,000 and has confiscated his passport.

    Zarina Wahab came straight from the shoot of her television series. The family avoided media glare and sped away in their vehicle. They refrained from answering any questions.

  • Tom Cruise Writes Emotional Letter To Katie Holmes

    Tom Cruise Writes Emotional Letter To Katie Holmes

    LOS ANGELES: Actor Tom Cruise has reportedly written an emotional letter to ex-wife Katie Holmes in the hope to resolve the tension between them.

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    “I think it’s something Tom’s been thinking about a lot recently, but especially as July was approaching. It’s like he’s finally recognised that Katie will always be the love of his life,” a source shared.

    “It was such a shock when she left him, although she would no doubt argue that he ignored the signs, terms with that decision but I think Tom finally understand why she had to end things.

    “It’s taken a long time for him to come to and let go of the anger, but it seems like he finally has and he obviously will have wanted to tell her that,” the source added.

    The couple, who reportedly only communicate via intermediaries, is said to have attempted to call a truce in March, but have barely exchanged words since.

    Thrice-divorced Cruise, 50, is now more determined than ever to rekindle his friendship with Holmes for the sake of their seven-year-old daughter Suri.

    They split last year.

    IANS