YRF Rumors: 2007

Shahid Kapur to do a Yashraj love story ?

After two hits, Shahid Kapur has consolidated his position as Bollywood’s next romantic hero.The good run of Vivah last year followed by the box-office success of Jab We Met this year has turned Shahid’s career around. Suddenly, the actor has found a place in the wish-lists of leading production houses.

Among them is Yashraj Films that are presently in talks with Shahid for a romantic movie.According to an industry insider: “ Aditya Chopra has been pretty impressed by the rapid strides Shahid has made in one year. Today, Shahid is viewed as an actor who can carry a film on his shoulders. That is why YRF has approached him for a youthful love story.”
Although there has been no official confirmation yet, there is a strong chance that Shahid will indeed be signed for the film.The movie will reportedly be directed by Anurag Singh, who has worked for YRF banner. If things fall in place the movie might go on the floors in the first quarter of 2008.Meanwhile, Shahid will act in a film to be directed by his father Pankaj Kapur .

Despite ups and downs in his personal life, year 2007 has been pretty good for Shahid. The actor did not ruminate much over his break-up from Kareena Kapoor and moved on with his life. Of late, he has been spotted with Tennis star Sania Mirza. Whether something is cooking between the two – it is still too early to say.

(Source : Apun Ka Choice

Yash Raj Films to launch TV channel

YRF is planning to launch a general entertainment channel (GEC) by the second half of 2008. Ravina Raj Kohli, who was earlier president of STAR News, has been roped in to head the channel. She was head of programming and marketing at Sony Entertainment Television (SET) and also responsible for setting up Nine Gold on DD Metro.

The content of the YRF channel will be different from the typical ‘saas-bahu’ shows and will include programming such as reality shows, documentaries, human interest stories and issue oriented shows. Besides, the channel will feature the movies and music releases that Yash Raj Films has produced over the years. The company is currently in talks with leading television production houses for its TV debut.

When contacted, YRF officials confirmed their company’s foray into the television segment, but refused to divulge any further details. YRF aims to become an integrated entertainment company. Television apart, it will venture into multiplexes. It is estimated that multiplex owners earn 60-70 per cent of the box office revenues from films produced by YRF.

Last year, the company ventured into film distribution, and a few years ago, it launched Yash Raj Music to release audio CDs and DVDs of its films under the Yash Raj Films Home Entertainment label. Entry into the television and movie theatre space will complete the circle for the organisation in the entertainment segment.

'Jobless' Shah Rukh being sought by Yashraj Films?

After opting out of a number of projects, Shah Rukh Khan had proudly stated: “I am jobless”. But he may not remain so for long.Om Shanti Om was SRK’s last big release. And now a lull has set in after the storm. Shah Rukh Khan, the superstar of Bollywood, has no movie commitment to look forward to after walking out of Shankar’s Robot and turning down Raju Hirani’s upcoming film.

On the other hand, industry’s topmost production house Yashraj Films is coming to grips with their dwindling fortunes due to a string of failures their movies have met this year, beginning with Tara Rum Pum , Jhoom Barabar Jhoom and Laaga Chunari Mein Daag . Even Madhuri Dixit ’s comeback film Aaja Nachle has failed to turn YRF’s fortune around. The only solace for the production house this year was the super success of SRK starrer Chak De India .

Now, Yashraj Films is once again falling back on its luckiest mascot and most reliable star Shah Rukh to take the production house out of the morass of flops.Reports have it that Aditya Chopra is keen to rope in SRK for a project now that the superstar has dates to spare. Aditya doesn’t want to waste much time and is reportedly going through a number of story ideas, some suggested by Jaideep Sahni , to plan a film with SRK as soon as possible.It is also being speculated that Aditya himself will direct the film.Meanwhile,

SRK is over the moon after the success of OSO and is spending his free time attending music launches and parties. On Monday, the superstar and director Farah Khan had a special gathering for the crew of ‘Om Shanti Om’. At the gathering, SRK gave away bonus cheques to everyone who worked in the making of the movie. That is SRK’s way of sharing the profits with the crew.

(source : Glamsham)

AAJA NACHLE holds in the Overseas

Contrary to the initial predictions, Yash Raj's Madhuri Dixit starrer, AAJA NACHLE has managed to hold rather well, especially in the Overseas.

While the Anil Mehta directed film has grossed a so-so $425,488 in the US, it has a rather satisfactory $660,238 to show from the UK. Even in Australia, the movie has managed to gross a decent Aus. $ 93,793. What is interesting to note is that AAJA NACHLE has had an allowable fall of 46 - 56 percent from the first to the second weekend, and this range is considered quite normal in trade parlance.

Well, we have to admit that the 'dhak dhak' girl still has a lot of fire power left in her and that is reason enough for the fans of the dancing queen, Madhuri Dixit, to go 'balle balle'!

Even Madhuri can't save Aaja Nachle

She came, she danced and she returned.
That's right. Madhuri Dixit [Images] has gone back to her family in Denver, the United States, after her comeback vehicle Aaja Nachle released over the weekend.
Though Madhuri's acting was brilliant, there were not many takers for the movie.
Some multiplexes recorded 30 percent ticket sales while the scene in single-screen theatres was even more discouraging.
And this despite no other major competition. The only other release last week was the low budget film Gauri.
"Madhuri danced and acted well but she chose a wrong script," said trade analyst Komal Nahta. "The film was anti-modernisation and therefore did not click."
Comparing the film to John Mathan Matthew's movie starring Ajay Devgan [Images] and Shahid Kapoor [Images], Nahta said, "Aaja Nachle was on the lines of Shikhar and therefore it did not appeal to masses. The content was poor."
Adding to Aaja Nachle's woes was the controversy over the lyrics of a song. UP Chief Minister Mayawati, while banning the film, termed the lyrics of the title track as casteist. Punjab and Haryana followed suit, but soon revoked the ban following producers Yash Raj Films' apology and the deleting of the objectionable words.
Though the ban did not amount to huge losses, the damage is already done.
"The theme of saving a dancing school was not good enough. Except for Madhuri, the film had nothing to woo the audience," said trade analyst Vinod Mirani.
"Moreover, to the new generation of cinegoers, Madhuri's name does not mean anything so all the talk of a comeback did not make much sense. There was curiosity among the people for Madhuri but when they saw the promos and got to hear about the script, the curiosity was killed," Mirani added.
Aaja Nachle was not produced at a very high cost, and the only star attraction was Madhuri. The producers, hence, are not likely to suffer heavy losses. One analyst, on condition of anonymity, pegged the "maximum loss" at "Rs 5 crores (Rs 50 million) and not more than that."
But it is a big setback for the country's biggest banner, as Aaja Nachle is its fourth flop of the year, after Ta Ra Rum Pum, Jhoom Bara Bar Jhoom and Laaga Chunari Mein Daag.
The only film that did well for Yash Raj this year was the Shah Rukh Khan [Images] starrer Chak De! India.

Aaja Nachle Review Links

http://allbollywood.com/v2/bd/stc/rev/a/149.shtml
http://withoutgivingthemovieaway.com/main/reviews/review-aaja-nachle/
http://www.buzz18.com/reviews/movies/review-aaja-nachle-is-for-everyone/28194/0
http://sify.com/movies/bollywood/review.php?id=14569298&ctid=5&cid=2425
http://www.planetbollywood.com/displayReview.php?id=120107042711
http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/hindi/review/9521.html
http://www.desipundit.com/baradwajrangan/2007/12/02/review-aaja-nachle/
http://www.jammag.com/movies/show_movie.php?movie_id=546
http://www.bollyspice.com/movie-reviews.php/aaja-nachle-movie-review.html
http://news.indya.com/newsDetails.aspx?xfile=2007/November/News_20071130_281
http://www.movietalkies.com/movies/editor-reviews.asp?MovieId=19045
http://www.ndtvmovies.com/reviews.asp?lang=hindi&id=279&moviename=Aaja+Nachle
http://www.laweekly.com/film+tv/film-reviews/movie-reviews-secret-sunshine-awake-the-amateurs/17843/
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/moviereview/2586116.cms
http://www.fullhyderabad.com/scripts/profiles.php3?section=Movies&name=Aaja+Nachle&ID=5053
http://www.timesnow.tv/NewsDtls.aspx?NewsID=4622
http://www.apunkachoice.com/scoop/bollywood/20071201-0.html
http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp;jsessionid=E811CB46033657A5E965D7F66721D96F?articleID=128294
http://www.radiosargam.com/films/archives/8978/movie-review-aaja-nachle-2007.html
http://www.indicine.com/movies/bollywood/aaja-nachle-movie-review/
http://www.mag4you.com/bollywood/Aaja+Nachle/8700.htm
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2007/nov/30aaja.htm
http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Dec12007/movies2007113038712.asp
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/masands-verdict-madhuri-spectacular-in-aaja-nachle/53368-8.html
http://glamsham.com/movies/reviews/30-movie-review-aaja-nachle-110702.asp
http://www.musicnmovies.info/index.php/2007/11/reviews/aaja-nachle-2007-movie-review-theater-se-bhag-le/
http://allbollywood.com/v2/bd/stc/rev/a/149.shtml
http://www.bollyvista.com/article/a/29/8333
http://www.mtvindia.com/mtv/movies/reviews/07/aajanachle/index.php
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=fc42d641-abeb-4bfe-a5f2-7875e359864f&MatchID1=4590&TeamID1=3&TeamID2=5&MatchType1=2&SeriesID1=1153&MatchID2=4603&TeamID3=6&TeamID4=7&MatchType2=1&SeriesID2=1157&PrimaryID=4590&Headline=Review%3a+EM
http://magnamags.com/magna_stardust/node/1782
http://movies.nytimes.com/2007/12/01/movies/01nach.html
http://www.nowrunning.com/film/review.asp?movieNo=3889
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/net/mmpaper.aspx?page=article&sectid=30&contentid=200712012007120103042860961c957b8
http://www.bollywoodmantra.com/movie-reviews-472-aaja-nachle.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2007/11/26/aaja_nachle_2007_review.shtml
http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movie-articles/movies-07/aaja-nachle-review.html
http://indiafm.com/movies/review/13401/index.html
http://www.andhracafe.com/index.php?m=show&id=29456
http://www.indianexpress.com/sunday/story/245879.html
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1136456

Avg Rating : ** 1/2

(Source : All Bollywood)

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Madhuri returns to Mumbai to promote 'Aaja Nachle'

Madhuri Dixit who was apparently not satisfied with her comeback film 'Aaja Nachle' will nevertheless be in Mumbai to promote it after Yash Chopra persuaded her to do so.

The actor, who lives in the US, will be in Mumbai Wednesday to attend the promotional events for 'Aaja Nachle' that releases Nov 30, Chopra said here Tuesday during a visit to accept the Zenith Asia award for his contribution to cinema at a ceremony organised by the National Films Archives of India.
Apparently, the actress felt Yash Raj Films did not deliver the promised goods and therefore refused to promote 'Aaja Nachle'.

Chopra, who gave her a makeover in his super hit 'Dil To Paagal Hai', had a tough time convincing her to change her mind.

The director said his son Aditya met Madhuri in Detroit last year and convinced her to make a comeback with their film. She accepted the offer and came to Mumbai from the US, where she lives with her husband Sriram Nene and their two children. She was in India for almost seven months to complete the film.

The actor had taken a sabbatical after 'Devdas' and will be seen in a film after five years.

Chopra, who hasn't directed any film after his cross-border love saga 'Veer-Zaara', also talked about his forthcoming venture which he plans to start in January next year.

'I don't direct too many films these days because I am short of ideas. I can only make romantic movies. I'm finalising the script for my next film. I cannot make action movies and that is why Yash Raj produces movies made by young and talented directors,' Chopra told IANS.

He is also looking forward to Yash Raj Films animation movie 'Road Side Romeo', which is being made in collaboration with Walt Disney. Chopra doesn't want to compromise on quality and has allocated a huge budget for the film, which is expected to release sometime in June next year.
He said: 'For the first time, we have an Indian animation movie with the quality of Disney animation.'

Ranbir scores a four in second film

Acting definitely is boy du jour Ranbir Kapoor’s métier. The ‘butt’ilicious actor has packed in a commendable performance in his grand debut film, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya , never mind the Censor Board snipping off his towel dropping scene in the film.

The film is not even a week old at the box office and Ranbir has already started work on his next with Yash Raj films. The as-yet-untitled film, which is a romantic comedy directed by Siddharth Anand of Salaam Namaste fame, has Ranbir romancing Bipasha Basu, Katrina Kaif, Deepika Padukone and Minissha Lamba.

Not bad at all for someone who’s just started out! But then again, he is a Kapoor. “I’m very happy to be working with a very talented team of people and shooting for Siddharth’s film starts at the end of the month. What can I say except that I am very lucky to be romancing these gorgeous women on screen!” says the slick ‘n’ suave actor with a disarming smile.

And what about reports about him replacing Shah Rukh Khan in Raj Kumar Hirani’s next? “I don’t know about that because I haven’t signed the film yet,” he says.

Kareena Kapoor to don a bikini?

If rumours are to be believed, Kareena Kapoor is all set to turn hot for Tashan .

Though Kareena has played a number of glamourous roles in her acting career, she has never exposed beyond a limit. Now, that limit might be redefined.

Tinsel town is abuzz with talk that Kareena will wear bikini for a few portions of the Yashraj Films presentation ‘Tashan’ that has Bebo pairing with her new beau Saif Ali Khan .It is learnt that director Vijay Krishna Acharya and producer Aditya Chopra want to present Kareena in an entirely new avatar in ‘Tashan’.

Aditya was previously instrumental in presenting Aishwarya Rai and Bipasha Basu in hot avatars in Dhoom 2 . Now he is apparently doing the same to Kareena.Reports say the reason why Kareena has been shedding her flab and getting in shape in the last few months is for the bikini scenes that will be shot in February next year.However, there has been no official confirmation of this either from Kareena or from the film’s makers.

Apart from Kareena and Saif, ‘Tashan’ also stars Akshay Kumar and Anil Kapoor .

(Source : Apun ka choice)

SRK to re-make Deewar?

There seems to be a love-hate relationship between actor Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan. Over the years Bachchan has ruled Bollywood and continues to be in the ace league. And Shah Rukh as we all know is not called the Badshah Khan for nothing. He rules too. However, SRK has been found following in the footsteps of Big B very often of late – be it hosting Kaun Banega Crorepati , or then being a part of the modern age Don -drama directed by Farhan Akhtar.

And now the latest stories doing the rounds is that SRK is most keen to remake AB's Deewar , so much so that SRK has already finalised the star-cast of the flick and has even approached Yash Chopra, the original director of Deewar , to direct it. Apparently SRK, we hear, is very fond of Bachchan's character 'Vijay' in the classic 1975 action flick, and wants to 'don' a similar garb and play a similar role, because of which he has cast himself as Vijay. Rumours also have it that he wants hot Bollywood-pair Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor to play the roles that Shashi Kapoor and Neetu Singh played in the original while Priyanka Chopra, who played Zeenat Aman's role in Don, has been considered for Parveen Babi's role in Deewar . Boman Irani will be seen playing Iftekhar's role and Shefali Shah Nirupa Roy's.

Though most people claim not to have 'heard of this', filmmaker Yash Chopra's office, too maintained the same. "We haven't heard of any such thing, and aren't aware of it." If the alleged venture will be produced by SRK himself under his home-banner Red Chilies Entertainment, the big question that still remains is: Has Shah Rukh acquired rights of the film? Deewar was produced under the banner of Trimurti Films of late Producer Gulshan Rai. Thus his son, filmmaker Rajiv Rai has the rights of the film. Rajiv Rai is based in the UK, and though he wasn't reachable, his office informed us, "Rajiv is not aware of any such buzz. He has the rights of Deewar and according to my knowledge hasn't sold it to anyone yet." "Rajiv is a filmmaker himself. Why will he sell the rights to anyone, when as a filmmaker he himself can remake it? I don't think he is even aware that Shah Rukh is planning to remake it, if at all he is," says a close friend and colleague of Rai.

Well, we'll just have to wait and watch if these rumours have enough strength in them? Will SRK actually build this Deewar , or will he simply break it down by rubbishing the rumours? That now, is another big question!

Salman Khan: I turned down 'Chak De'! What was I thinking?

(Sawf News) - The lead role played by Shah Rukh Khan in Chak De India, the year's biggest hit and a favorite for the best film of the year award, was first offered to Salman Khan who turned it down!
Salman Khan rues his decision and candidly explains what prompted him to commit the gaffe.

"I had an issue with the climax of the film. Adi in fact told me that he would make this [the film] into the biggest hit and you don't know what you are missing out on," he says

"I was fortunate that 'Partner' did as well.

"People have loved Chak De! and…I was wrong…and this is the scary bit when an actor's thinking starts going wrong. Adi has made it the same way as he narrated it to me…and I am thinking how can this work dude…it can't work."

News Copyright © Sawf News

Rani Mukherjee to play a fairy

Rani Mukherjee will be seen playing a fairy in director Kunal Kohli’s next film.The movie, yet untitled, will be a fantasy fiction of sorts with Rani and Saif Ali Khan in lead roles. Amisha Patel also plays an important part in the film.

Kohli is extremely secretive about the project, but the grapevine says the film is roughly inspired from the Mary Poppins stories. The movie will reportedly have Rani playing an angel with a magic wand and a resplendent dress.Speaking of costume, it is also learnt that Rani will wear just one costume throughout the film. Fashion designer Manish Malhotra has reportedly designed the costume for Rani.RANI AND SAIF JODIRani and Saif have paired together in the past in films like Tara Rum Pum and Hum Tum .

While the former was a flop, the latter (directed by Kunal Kohli) was a superhit. Even on Koffee With Karan, when the actress was asked who was her favourite co-star, Rani named Saif.KUNAL KOHLI AND YASHRAJ Kunal Kohli has directed three films of his career for Yashraj Films .

Only one of them (Hum Tum) proved to be a hit at the box-office. His last film Fanaa had an average run and critics found the movie disappointing.With his next film, Kohli is turning in-house producer for Yashraj Films. The movie goes on the floors in November.

Big B loved Laaga Chunari Mein Daag, defends director

Filmmaker Pradeep Sarkar is an angry man these days. His latest film Laaga Chunari Mein Daag which opened at cinemas last Friday may have received lukewarm reviews from the critics, but it's still running, and Sarkar can't seem to understand why people insist on running it down.
Contrary to popular belief, he says, the film is doing good business, and throws numbers at you to make his point.

"It was tight budget film made with Rs 15 crore and already on the first week it has made Rs 25 crores gross worldwide. In what way we are saying that it is not doing well?" asked Sarkar.
Admitting that the film did take a slow start in the domestic market, he's hopeful it will grow on audiences in the weeks ahead, much in the same way that his debut film Parineeta did.

He doesn't grudge criticism, but says critics shouldn't harm a film's box-office prospects.

“People have their own point of view. Criticism is fine. But don’t say don’t see it. That is not criticism. That is actually saying ‘Don’t go and watch it’,” said Sarkar.

Refuting criticism that Laaga Chunari Mein Daag is a regressive film, Sarkar says the movie seems to have struck a chord with several people whose opinion he respects.

“My point is if it’s regressive film, there are people like Raj Kumar Hirani, Bachchan saab (Amitabh Bachchan) and Javed saab (Javed Akhtar) who have liked the film. I don’t think they are regressive people. They are very much now,” said Sarkar.

In no mood to spend his energies singing his own praise, Sarkar says he's already moved on to newer projects.
For him, Laaga Chunari Mein Daag turned out exactly the way he'd planned it. And that, for him, is what success is.

Akshaye Khanna kept out of AAJA NACHLE promos?

If you have checked the promos of AAJA NACHLE, you would have realized that it's about only woman - Madhuri Dixit. Now that's pretty much justified considering the fact that this is Madhuri's much hyped comeback film and deserves all the focus on herself.

Still, if one checks out the theatrical promo carefully, there are other actors like Kunal Kapoor and Konkana Sen who get a reasonable footage in the three minute promo. In fact even Ranvir Shorey and Vinay Pathak get a dialogue each to mouth in the attractive promo that has made quite a splash ever since it was aired first.

But where does it lead one of the most known faces in AAJA NACHLE after Madhuri Dixit? We are talking about Akshaye Khanna who doesn't feature in the promo for even a flicker of a second.

Knowing Yash Raj?s penchant for creating a well planned promotion strategy for their films, we are sure there would be valid reasons for Akshaye not being talked about at all as of now. Now is that a surprise element in the offering for AAJA

Laaga Chunari Mein Daag : Movie Review Links

Wedding Bells For Rani Aditya

Rani Mukerji and Aditya Chopra’s “are they or aren’t they” romantic tryst took another twist this week when it was announced the pair would be getting married. The rumour mills should grind to a halt after they let slip they will be getting married just before Valentine’s day next year.
But don’t expect the major fanfare that surrounds some of Bollywood’s other all-star marriages. In an attempt to avoid the media glare of Mumbai they will wed at the Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
“Aditya and Rani think that Umaid Bhawan is the perfect place, but all the arrangements are being done in a hush hush manner. Only a few close friends and Rani’s family know about the wedding preparations,” said a friend of the couple.
“Yes, Umaid Bhawan Palace has been booked for the couple,” said a source from the hotel.
The soon-to-be-wed couple has been secretly dating for almost two years and actually had their roka (a pre-engagement agreement) a couple of months ago.
Aditya, 36, is the son of filmmaker Yash Chopra, and Rani, 29, will be his second wife, after divorcing Payal in 2001.

Designing the look of Laaga Chunari Mein Daag

The 28-year old Sabyasachi is very proud of the clothes that he has designed for Laaga Chunari … “as it was the third time I was dressing my favourite Rani Mukerji. It is always a pleasure to do outfits for her as she is not fussy at all. As for working with Yash Raj Films, though it was my first time, it was like going to college as everything was done systematically.

They are the most organised people and I had a good time working with the unit,” he admits. Sabyasachi has also designed the clothes for Jaya Bachchan and Konkona Sen Sharma in the film. Sabyasachi says that since Laaga Chunari …is about a humble family based in Benares, he had to keep it simple. “In the first half, Rani is a simple small-town girl. In the second half though, there is a great transition in her outlook as she is now an escort and as a high-class call girl, she is made to look very sexy.”

For this, she was given classy designer clothes, sunglasses, high heels and elegant bags, something she has never done before. “Something like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman,” he beams adding that he has worked with Rani earlier in Black (a film that is close to his heart as he bagged the National award for the period clothes) and then in Ravi Chopra’s Baabul. For the small-town look, he has given both Rani and Konkona the local printed chintz kurtas, patialas and chanderi dupattas. “I have used a lot of cottons to go according to the decorum of the characters, that of UP-ite families.

For Mrs. Bachchan, I have made her wear loose fitting jaama blouses with cotton sarees and no accessories except for hari chudiyaan. She carries a small coin purse, stating the fact that she has none or very little money to put in it. Her aging goes well with her character of a lady struggling to keep her family surviving in dire circumstances,” he says. The other designers involved with the costumes in Laaga Chunari …are Manish Malhotra, Subarna Ray Chaudhuri and Shiraz Siddique and talking about them, he says that each one had a character for whom they designed clothes and “since I am practically new and have yet to gain a foothold in the film industry, I would take the help of Subarna who I have known since childhood. We bonded very well.”

For a designer who is known for his ensembles that have universal appeal and for his ‘Indianised’ Milan collection, Sabyasachi loves to experiment with garments, his speciality being coats, jackets, skirts, sarees, as well as using a lot of lace, voiles, chiffons and georgettes. All this comes from books, confesses the designer adding that for the recent London Fashion Week held from September 15 to 20 followed by ramp shows in New York, his Nomad Collection was inspired by two books, Paul Coelho’s The Witch of Portobello and Kite Runner by Khalil Hosseini. The clothes were multi-cultured with ideas from all over like Khazakistan, Soviet Russia, Communist China, India, and so on. It was a great hit.

Presently Sabyasachi is busy with his collection in London, Paris and New York for sales. He admits candidly that films are not his main occupation, “I am doing it just for fun. In fact, I have given up a lot of offers as I was not convinced with the projects,” he adds that his work in Laaga Chunari Mein Daag will prove his potential as a designer to the film fraternity and until then “I shall wait for a fantastic script to come my way,” he beams

Rani breaks her silence

Tinselville's Miss Congeniality, Rani Mukherji, seems full of joie de vivre as usual. No nail-biting nervous Friday moments for Rani as she gets ready for her new film, the Pradeep Sarkar directed Laaga Chunari Mein Daag to hit the marquee. After staying away from public glare and media flashbulbs for months, she returns to scorch screens in a film about women empowerment.

Turning recluse wasn't a conscious choice for her, she claims. "You've got to realise that the media functions differently now. Some sections of the media are interested only about our personal lives or what we do everyday. I'm not comfortable talking about all that, so I stay away. The media has been very supportive of me most of the time and I have some very good friends.

I like to talk about my work, and whenever a film is ready for release, I am around to chat." Given that Laaga... has an unusual storyline and isn't another bubblegum romance from Yash Raj Films, how confident is Rani about the film? "Laaga... is a complete Hindi film. It's the story about a woman's struggle to fend for family and traces her journey from Benaras to Mumbai. It's also about the pressures and expectations that a child has to face if she is the breadearner. Pradeepda (Sarkar)'s eye for detailing and framing is amazing. He's like this adorable teddy bear on the sets and made the experience so much work."

The other highs were of course working with Jaya aunty (Bachchan). "She's like a surrogate mother on the sets. We bonded instantly. When you work with powerhouse performers like Amit uncle (Amitabh Bachchan), Jaya aunty or Abhishek (Bachchan), you learn so much and have fun on the way. Coming to Laaga..., everyone is like one big family, Koko (Konkona Sen Sharma), Kunal, Anupamji (Kher)," rewinds Rani. And what's this constant need to experiment with her look in every film (a flamboyant fringe in Tara Rum Pum, straight hair in Laaga... and a bouffant in Saawariya)? "Well, it's important for a character to look convincing. I have been lucky with the people who've styled my look," she says matter-of-factly. For all those number crunchers, Rani firmly points out that she's no longer bothered by the numbers game anymore. Not for her the worries of holding on to the Queen Bee or No.1 tag. "I love the experience of being in front of the camera and shooting. That's the greatest high for me.

I sign a film because I am in love with the character. And acting enables me to be different people, live different lives and face new challenges." Once the greasepaint comes off, the real Rani, by the superstar's self-admission, is a "home body. I hate parties, and whenever I have time, I catch up with friends, take vacations with my family and relax." So, no Oscar dreams? "I respect all awards I get, but I never crave for them. I only want people to love my work and if I can make them smile, that means a lot to me. And as an actor, I would love to explore new opportunities, but my first priority is and will always be Bollywood. " Whether the queen can conquer hearts again is now a million buck question.

No Liplock: Amrita Rao

It is learnt that Amrita had a problem kissing on-screen as she is known as the girl next door. Amrita Rao has done what many new actors would have not dared to do. The petite actor has turned down Siddharth Anand’s next film under the Yashraj Films banner, which stars Ranbir Kapoor.

It is learnt that Amrita had a problem kissing on-screen as she is known as the girl next door. So far, she has acted in films like The Legend of Bhagat Singh, Main Hoon Na, Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi and Vivaah in which she played subdued roles.

Says a source, “Amrita was keen on working with a prestigious banner like Yashraj. She even had a couple of meetings with Siddharth Anand. But, she soon realised that she had to kiss Ranbir. She was very clear about not kissing on-screen. She did ask Siddharth if they could do without the kissing scene. But, he told her that the kiss was an integral part of the storyline.

Amrita had no option but to back out of the film.” Amrita Rao’s mother did not confirm or deny the news. She says, “I don’t want to comment about Amrita’s film deals. You may contact her manager.” Her manager, Uttam, says, “I have recently taken over Amrita’s work and wouldn’t be sure of the details.”

Amrita Rao was unavailable for comments.

Saif's son makes his debut in Tashan

Yash Raj Film Tashan will feature Saif Ali Khan’s son Ebrahim. Eight-year-old Ebrahim has started walking on the steps of his parents very early. He plays the role of Saif’s son in the film. Both his father, Saif and mother, Amrita Singh, accompanied Ebrahim on the sets.Amrita Singh stood by him throughout the entire shoot and applauded him for his performance.

Ebrahim sure steals the glare of publicity from the father in the film. Spending a quality time with both his parents, while facing the camera for the first time, was surely an added bonus for the young star. Saif jokes that this young ‘nawab’ has the charisma to steal the limelight from him. So let’s wait and watch if Ebrahim, like father has traits of stardom.

Chak De India in Oscar library

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences has requested a copy of the screenplay of Chak De India for the permanent script collection. The scripts in the collection reside at the Margaret Herrick Library and are made accessible for research purposes only; students, filmmakers, writers and actors are among the regular patrons. Screenplays may only be viewed in the library: they do not circulate. Also, no screenplay is allowed to be photocopied.

(Indiafm)

Prithviraj Chavan wants Prime Minister to watch 'Chak de! India'

Shah Rukh Khan starrier 'Chak de! India' has caught the attention of whole nation, who want to lift Indian's national sport - hockey. Prithviraj Chavan, Minister of State for Prime Minister's office was so impressed by this movie. And now he wants none other than Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to take time out and watch the same.

Chak De India scores a hit for Yashraj Films

After the the below expectation results of Ta Ra Rum Pum and the debacle of Jhoom Barabar Joom, Yashraj Films are back and have resumed dishing out hits with Chak De India.

Chak De India got an average opening but it was clear by the Friday evening shows that the film would do well and the collections on Saturday just confirmed that. The all India average opening on Friday stood at around 60% but on Saturday and Sunday the collections were 90-100% at major centres. The smaller centres did not zoom up but still did well enough to hold their collections. The film has been released on approx 400 cinemas all over India with a major chunk of the screenings in metroes and A centres.

The film held rock steady on the dreaded Monday with collections of 60-70%. There is expectation of the collections to rise over the weekend again as there is appreciation for the film from the public.

Chak De India will emerge a hit or better in Mumbai, Delhi/UP(UP is only fair but Delhi/NCR is strong), East Punjab, CI, Nizam and Mysore. The other circuits will depend on how well they sustain collections from here on. But it's unlikely to have a losing circuit as even Bihar may notch up 18-20 lakhs from the 7 prints sent to the circuit.

On an all India basis the first week nett business should come in the region of 17-19 crore. The approx breakdown of collections are Friday-2.35 crore, Saturday-3.40 crore and Sunday-3.75 crore giving it a 9.50 crore nett gross for the first three days.

Overseas the film has disappointed with its start but the makers expect it to hold its collection well into the second week.

Negi plans match between screen-players and real ones

(PTI)

Don't be surprised if the actors you have seen playing hockey in the Bollywood film 'Chak De India' take on the national women's hockey team in an exhibition tie in the near future.

This is exactly what's on the mind of former Indian men's team goalkeeper Mir Ranjan Negi, who trained the on screen players for Shahrukh Khan starrer film that hit the theaters on Friday.

"When I started training them (16 in all) for the movie, barring three or four, none had any idea not only about hockey but even about running. You can see the promos for the film and get an idea of the transformation after comparing them with their on-screen performance," Negi said.

"It's mind-boggling how they have shaped up. When they started they did not even know how to run but now they can play good hockey. I am sure they can give a good fight to the Indian women's team. They won't be embarrassed and I am actually thinking of organising such a tie," Negi said.

Negi, who has coached the national women's team as assistant to M K Kaushik for two years in 2003 and 2004, said the actors in the movie were trained on the beaches here and at Marine Drive.

Negi said two of the actors who are seen as hockey players hailed from Manipur and the rest came from other parts of the country like Delhi, Punjab, Uttaranchal and even from Kolhapur in south western Maharasthra.

He wished the national team members also got the facilities like the movie actors received and expressed the hope that the sponsorship from City Limousine would improve lot of the country's women hockey players.

also read:

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1115018

Chak de India Box Office Update

The film opened to a mixed response. The multiplexes opened to a 60% response but the evening shows hit 80-85%. The single screens were lower at 40-50%. Overall the reports are encouraging from major centres and the film should emerge a success in most circuits. Circuits dominated by single screens like Bihar and CP Berar may struggle.

(Source : Box office India)

Waiting for a winning formula

After delivering two damp squibs back to back, Ta Ra Rum Pum and Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, Yash Chopra has made a cautious move with his third offering for the year, the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Chak De India. Yash Raj Films, Chopra’s flagship, has released only 400 prints of the film, which is way below the 500-660 prints for its earlier releases.

Released on August 10, the Rs 24-crore film has got good reviews and is expected to rake in over Rs 15 crore from the domestic box office collections in the first three days. The collections, however, would be lower than the Salman Khan-Govinda starrer Partner, which raked in Rs 16 crore in the first three days.

Multiplex owners were a little disappointed when the advance bookings, that opened on August 4, did not meet a good response. But now they are a happy lot as the weekend saw a full house.

“The film has not had a huge opening that a Yash Raj Films and a Shah Rukh Khan film usually get. But, since the reviews have been good, we got over 80 per cent occupancy for the weekend,” said Devang Sampat, vice-president (marketing and programming), Cinemax India. Added Saurabh Varma, vice-president (programming and distribution), Inox Leisure: “We are expecting to earn close to Rs 1.5 crore in the first three days.”

One reason why the film may not set the cash registers ringing for Yash Raj Films is that it is not showing in a few territories. Industry sources said that in the Bengal territory, out of six multiplexes only one is screening the movie. Also in North Kolkatta and Darjeeling, single-screen theatres have chosen to stay out.

The earlier film from Yash Raj, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, proved to be a disaster and resulted in the production house giving a rebate of 5 per cent on the revenue share with multiplexes.

Chak De India, Shah Rukh Khan’s first release this year, is a crucial movie for Chopra considering that his first two films this year didn’t live up to the mark. Theatre chain owners believe that the film will do favourable business overseas. Also, “The additional holiday on August 15 will boost footfalls,” said Gautam Datta, chief of marketing, PVR Cinemas. Whether King Khan will surpass Salman Khan and Govinda starrer Partner is still to be seen.

(Source : Business Standard)

'Chak De India' is the best reviewed major release this year

Rewiew Links

http://www.indicine.com/movies/bollywood/chak-de-india-movie-review/
http://www.radiosargam.com/films/archives/6001/movie-review-chak-de-india-2007-2.html
http://www.allbollywood.com/v2/bd/stc/rev/c/110.shtml
http://nowrunning.com/film/review1.asp?movieNo=3953&r=1266
http://news.indya.com/newsDetails.aspx?xfile=2007/August/News_20070810_86
http://www.ndtvmovies.com/reviews.asp?lang=hindi&id=252&moviename=Chak+De+India
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/review-chak-des-a-winner-all-the-way/46605-8.html
http://www.apunkachoice.com/scoop/bollywood/20070810-4.html
http://www.idlebrain.com/mumbai/reviews/chakdeindia.html
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Entertainment/Movie_Reviews/A-E/Chakde_India/articleshow/2273242.cms
http://withoutgivingthemovieaway.com/main/reviews/review-chakde-india/
http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/hindi/review/9323.html
http://glamsham.com/movies/reviews/movie_review_chak_de_india_080703.asp
http://www.bollyspice.com/movie-reviews.php/chak-de-india-movie-review.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/11/movies/11chak.html
http://movies.indiatimes.com/quickies/2272104.cms
http://www.movietalkies.com/movies/editor-reviews.asp?MovieId=19043
http://www.bollyvista.com/article/a/29/7944
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=03a89af8-b8ec-4216-8d74-3474475c177e&MatchID1=4502&TeamID1=2&TeamID2=6&MatchType1=1&SeriesID1=1122&PrimaryID=4502&Headline=Review%3a+EMChak+De+India%2fEM
http://www.businessofcinema.com/boc/?file=story&id=4735
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2007/aug/10chak.htm
http://www.fullhyderabad.com/scripts/profiles.php3?section=Movies&name=Chak+De+India&ID=4812
http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=90708
http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Aug112007/movies2007081018423.asp
http://nowrunning.com/film/review1.asp?movieNo=3953&r=1267
http://www.timesnow.tv/NewsDtls.aspx?NewsID=1939
http://www.santabanta.com/cinema.asp?pid=16376
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/net/mmpaper.aspx?page=article§id=30&contentid=20070811200708110421044377556c562
http://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/hindimoviesreview/2007/august/162223.htm
http://www.mtvindia.com/mtv/movies/reviews/07/chakdeindia/index.php
http://desipundit.com/baradwajrangan/2007/08/11/review-chak-de-india/
http://www.cybernoon.com/DisplayArticle.asp?section=fromthepress&subsection=filmreview&xfile=August2007_filmreview_standard81
http://www.moviewalah.com/review/2007/08/10/movie-review-chak-de-india
http://ww.smashits.com/news/bollywood/movie-review/6315/chak-de-india.html
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1114875
http://indiafm.com/movies/review/12948/index.html

Source : All Bollywood

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Saif Ali Khan grows moustache for 'Tashan'

By ApunKaChoice

Saif Ali Khan has once again experimented with his looks.First we saw the talented actor sporting a cropped haircut and stubble for his role of uncouth Langda Tyagi in Omkara . Now, Saif has grown a moustache and a mane for Yashraj Films presentation Tashan .

The movie, directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya, has all of the actors in very stylish avatars. Anil Kapoor will be seen sporting a heavy, handlebar moustache. Akshay Kumar will have very short haircut and designer stubble. Kareena Kapoor has worked out to lose weight to slip into sexy costumes for the film.Reports have it that Aditya Chopra , the producer, has given strict instructions to the stars to limit their public appearances because he wants their looks to create curiosity for the film.However, Saif has already done a commercial in his new look with sister Soha Ali Khan .

Apparently, ‘Tashan’ is based on a very unconventional theme. The entire crew of the film has been extremely secretive about the film’s story and plot.The film was recently being shot in Laddakh. Now, another schedule has begun in Rajasthan.

Scripting a win - Chak De India

With Chak De India due for release this Friday, scriptwriter and lyricist Jaideep Sahni has reason to feel upbeat

Shirin Abbas

He’s dabbled in almost every genre possible. If Company was an action flick, Bunty aur Babli and Khosla ka Ghosla had him trying his handat comedy. But now adman turned scriptwriter Jaideep Sahni is doing something different—a sports flick.

“The idea for Chak De India came from a small newspaper report,” he says. It was while flipping through a newspaper report on the victory of the women’s hockey team tucked away in one corner of the sports page caught his eye. He says the first question in his mind was, ‘Why such little print space? This item should have got more display.’ The seed of a story thus germinated and he began hanging out around stadiums, reading up every little bit of news on women’s hockey, obsessed with the need to give them their due.

Jaideep says Aditya Chopra heard the initial idea and immediately warmed up to it. With Shah Rukh Khan having served as hockey captain of Hansraj College in his college days, it wasn’t too difficult to select the male lead.

“Shah Rukh knows the pain and the pitfalls of being a hockey player and having to play second fiddle. He has commented that Chak De has been the most difficult film of his entire career—he was so deeply involved,” Sahni reveals.

All praise for the female hockey stars Sahni says he wanted to finally give a fair deal to the “three-time underdogs.” Elaborating, he states, “If you choose sports as a career you are an underdog because it is least important on the priority list of those who matter in this country. Then you are an underdog again if you choose hockey because India runs on cricket.
And if you are a woman playing for the Indian hockey team you become an underdog thrice over. But I’d like to tell them, they are my real heroes.

We have as a team put in our entire enthusiasm and zeal into the film and we hope that if fathers tomorrow encourage their daughters to take to sports and especially hockey, team Chak De will have done its job!” With such noble intention, the film better be good.

Multiplexes set to miss Madhuri

A STAFF REPORTER (Telegraph)

Last summer, Kajol’s comeback film did not make it to the multiplexes. This winter, Madhuri Dixit’s comeback film could also give multiplexes the miss.

Aaja Nachle looks set to follow in the footsteps of Fanaa with the slugfest between the Yash Raj film distribution channel and INOX turning ugly over the release of Chak De India. With no solution in sight — probably till the end of the year — the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer releases at one out of four city plexes — Fame (Hiland Park) — on Friday.

“The demands put forth by the multiplex owners were unacceptable. They don’t seem keen to release a movie which has patriotism and national integration, denying many the chance of watching it. I don’t think we will deal with them for the rest of the year,” said Pritam Jalan of Jalan Distributors, east India distributor of Chak De India.

Jalan distributes all Yash Raj films in the region and so the doors of INOX (Forum and City Centre) and 89 Cinemas could slam shut on the Puja release Laaga Chunari Mein Daag — with a strong Bong connection (director: Pradeep Sarkar; leading ladies: Rani Mukerji, Konkona Sensharma and Jaya Bachchan) — and winter biggie Aaja Nachle.

The exhibitors, too, have hardened their stand. “If we agree to the terms set by the Calcutta distributor of Chak De India, we will have to increase ticket prices drastically. We do not want to burden our patrons,” said Saurabh Varma, vice-president, programming and distribution, INOX.

The Jalan versus INOX tug-of-war over films from the Yash Raj stable started with the Aamir-Kajol starrer Fanaa in May 2006 and continued through Ta Ra Rum Pum and Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, before claiming Chak De.

The biggest loser, of course, is the city cinegoer. “Delhi and Mumbai have so many multiplexes, whereas Calcutta has just four. And if three of those don’t screen such high-profile films, then we have every right to feel cheated. We were planning to watch Chak De at INOX (Forum) this weekend, but now we will have to give the film a miss,” grumbled Pinky Agarwal, a resident of Lord Sinha Road and a big fan of Shah Rukh Khan.

Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor in Ladakh dustup

Mumbai Mirror
Posted on Tuesday, August 07, 2007 (EST)

Chhote Nawab Saif Ali Khan and haughty Kareena Kapoor were involved in a dustup in the cool and rarified environs of pristine Ladakh where the two are on the sets of Yash Raj Films' Tashan. Both the stars were unhurt but their bodyguards ended up bruised.

The fracas started when local 'fans' attempted to enter a restaurant where Saif and Kareena were having lunch, but were stopped by their bodyguards. Frustrated the 'fans' turned ruffians and began to abuse the stars. That didn't go down too well with one of the bodyguards who roughed up one of the hecklers.

The situation quickly deteriorated and a mob gathered and began to pelt the restaurant with stones

Saif then stepped out to placate the mob but perhaps a little too late. Faced with abuses he ended up loosing his own cool and a fracas ensued.

Eventually the manager and staff brought the situation under control but not before Saif and Kareena's bodyguards received injuries in the ensuing melee.

A unit member told Mumbai Mirror, "It was a scene straight out of a film. Saif got into a scuffle with local hooligans who claimed to be their fans. When Saif and Kareena refused to meet them, they created major chaos. Saif was infuriated when they started hurling abuses at them."
Following the incident, security for the stars has been spruced up and they have been asked not to venture too far away from the unit.

Yash Raj Films releases Chak De! India music

Yash Raj Films releases Chak De! India music NEW!
By Businessofcinema.com Team

MUMBAI: This August, as India celebrates its 60th Independence Day, Yash Raj Films' stable will release Chak De! India, a film that salutes the nation's national game – hockey. On 1 August the music of the film was released on Yash Raj Music.

The music of Chak De! India has been composed by Salim-Sulaiman. Lyrics are by Jaideep Sahni, who has also penned the story, screenplay and dialogues of the movie.

The title track of the film has been rendered Sukhwinder Singh, Salim Merchant and Marianne D'Cruz. Singers Hema Sardesai, KK, Anushka Manchanda, Krishna have been roped in for other songs.

Actor Shah Rukh Khan too has lent his voice for two songs in the film, Ek Hockey Doongi Rakh Ke and Sattar Minute. Khan isn't singing in them per se but is introducing the team of hockey players in one and is talking to the team before a crunch match in the other song.

The music CD also has the videos of Chak De! India and Ek Hockey Doongi Rakh Ke on it as a bonus feature and can be viewed on a PC.

The music is also available for download in a digital format (as a single song or entire album) through the Yash Raj Films Website and also on sites like iTunes, Rhapsody, Yahoo, among others.

Aditya Chopra tightens the screws on the script department

Abid, Bollywood Trade News Network

It seems like Aditya Chopra is not a happy man these days. Not only has he and his family been targeted by gossip mongers, day in and day out, even on the professional front, things have not been looking bright. After the below expectations outcome of the Saif, Rani starrer, TA RA RUM PUM, the debacle of JHOOM BARABAR JHOOM, has shaken the Yash Raj empire.

As per sources, Aditya Chopra has tightened the screws on the script department of Yash Raj Films. We are also told that the low key (but systematic) publicity of the August 10 release, CHAKDE! INDIA, and also its late audio release, has been done as per a deliberate strategy. The Chopras want to keep the expectations low from their offbeat Shah Rukh Khan starrer and are hoping for the movie to seek its audience on its merit.

Queen to attend Chak De! India premiere

By Riya V Anandwala

The Queen of England is scheduled to attend the premiere of Chak De! India in London. The movie has been produced by Yash Raj Films and stars Shah Rukh Khan. The premiere will also be attended by the Mayor of London Ken Livingstone.

Says a source close to the development, “The Queen is expected at the premiere of Chak De! India in London. Apparently she said that it’s an honour for her to be associated with Yash Raj films and their film Chak De! India.”

The premiere will be held on 9 August at the Somerset Hall.

When contacted by Businessofcinema.com, Yash Raj Films marketing head Tarun Tripathi refused to comment on the development.

The production house has also roped in brands like P&G as sponsors for the event in London. Adds the source, “The evening will be very expensive, so the production house is tying up with big brands, which will take care of securities, rent etc.”
Their promotional strategy includes a tie-up with the Star group. Tripathi informs, “I can’t say much but yes, we have tied with them for our film’s promotion.”
Apart from Khan, the film also stars Aanjjan Srivastav, Javed Khan, Vibha Chibber, Mohit Chauhan, Nakul Vaid, Joyoshree Arora and Vivaan Bhathena. It has been directed by Shimit Amin and has music by Salim - Sulaiman.

(Source: BusinessofCinema )

Yash Raj Films' Laaga Chunari Mein Daag in legal hassle

By IndiaFM News Bureau, July 31, 2007 - 10:43 IST

Pradeep Sarkar’s Laaga Chunari Mein Daag is in news for erroneous reason. Producers Himanshu Joshi and Hirachand Jogani of Bhoomi Shree Pictures have claimed that this particular title has already been registered by their company so Yash Raj Films can’t use the same title. The producers have already sent a legal notice to Yash Raj Films regarding the same and they also plan to write to the Producer’s Guild to probe into this issue. Speaking to IndiaFM, Shreepati Mishra, director of the film says, “This is our title as we had registered it first with AMPTPP.

Yash Raj Films had requested us to give this title but when we refused to give, they registered Laaga Chunari Mein Daag - The Journey Of A Woman. This title is very similar to our title. We are planning to write a letter to Guild regarding the same issue.” Shreepati also added that they sent a legal notice to Yash Raj Films and they replied with a letter saying that their title is Laaga Chunari Mein Daag - The Journey Of A Woman which has been approved by Guild. “I wonder if they have a supporting line, why they are not using it? Nowadays everywhere in news, in media reports and even in their publicity calendar they have mentioned Laaga Chunari Mein Daag which is wrong” he says.

When IndiaFM contacted spokesperson from Yash Raj Films, Monika Bhattarcharya, she informed that their title is Laaga Chunari Mein Daag - The Journey Of A Woman and they are using the same title everywhere. However, the title fight is not new for Yash Raj Films. Earlier they had to face similar problems for Saif and Rani starrer Ta Ra Rum Pum. Producers Himanshu Joshi and Hirachand Jogani of Bhoomi Shree Pictures have decided to fight for the title Laaga Chunari Mein Daag.

Being confident about their film, director Shreepati Mishra says that “Though ours is a small budget film, we are confident about the storyline. Our title goes well with the script and songs that we have in our film. Laaga Chunari Mein Daag is a story of three sisters’ and we are in talks with the stars. We will finalize soon as we plan to start the shoot in August. We are planning to finish it in October since we want to release with them.”

Aditya Chopra wanted to produce 'Gandhi My Father'

©2007 Bollyvista.com

Not many people know that this week's release 'Gandhi My Father' was earlier supposed to be produced by Aditya Chopra. The film's director Feroz Abbas Khan had approached Yash Raj Films with the subject and Adi was keen on making this film, but thought it may spark some controversy and hence dropped the idea.
It was later, that Anil Kapoor stepped in the producer's shoes to complete this film. Coincidentally, 'Gandhi My Father' and Yash Raj Films' 'Chakde India' are releasing back to back.

Best in the business come together for CHAK DE INDIA

Joginder Tuteja, Bollywood Trade News Network

On the face value, USP of CHAK DE INDIA may appear to be just Shahrukh Khan. Still, if one digs deep down, there is much larger effort that has gone in making this film truly different from what Yash Raj Films has made in the past. First and foremost the director at the helm is Shimit Amin who could easily be counted as the unlikeliest of all when it comes to associating a film maker with YRF.

Otherwise how could one imagine the man behind a gritty AB TAK CHAPPAN to be making a film for the production house which thrives on feel good entertainers? Well, this is not all as the major part of the film's crew also comprises of technicians who are easily the best in the business.

Jaideep Sahni, the man behind projects as diverse as 'Company', 'Bunty Aur Babli' and 'Khosla Ka Ghosla' pens the screenplay of 'Chak De India'. Amitabh Shukla, who has used his scissors to perfection in films like 'Namastey London', 'Krrish', 'Kabul Express' and 'Bluffmaster' has been roped in as an editor. Sudeep Chatterjee, who has captured the frames of 'Iqbal' and 'Dor' with as much élan as 'Jaan-E-Mann' is the film's cinematographer whereas art director Sukant Panigrahy has left the fantasy world of 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom' behind to get more realistic with the real drama of 'Chak De India'. Usual suspects like Ganesh Acharya and Salim-Sulaiman hardly need an introduction as they come together for choreography and music of the film.

Last but not the least, with brains of producer Aditya Chopra behind the project, it makes it a 10 out of 10 for 'Chak De India' when it comes to setting the base right for the film. 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom' may have bombed at the box office but that hasn't stopped Yash Raj Films from being busy. Neck deep into the promotion of 'Chak De India', the country's numero uno film making house has made sure that they deliver nothing but the best for this ambitious Shahrukh Khan starrer.

The film releases on August 10, 2007.

Unfair game

TNN
Hockey is our national sport and it is going to get it's due, atleast on screen with the Yashraj film Chak de India, but not before the Women's Hockey Association of India is satisfied.
After three disappointing films, Kabul Express , Tara Ra Rum Pum and Jhoom Barabar Jhoom , there is still no peace for Yashraj Films. Their trump card, Chak De India , reportedly, has run into trouble even before it has released. The Women's Hockey Association of India is pretty upset with Yashraj Films and has demanded a screening of the film to see if they have portrayed the players in the right manner. Vidya Stoke, President of the Women's Hockey Association of India says, "We want to see the movie before its release.

Couple of years ago, when the movie was in the planning stage, Yash Chopra sought help from us. We were more than happy to help them thinking that it would create awareness about the sport in the country. They took a lot of inputs from us and it has helped them big time in making the movie. It's only fair that we get to see it before the release." She added, "However, after we helped them out with research, we never heard from them. Now, we got to know that the movie is releasing very soon, but they have not kept us posted about it. We should have been given the script of the movie so that we could have an idea about how they have portrayed women's hockey in the film. We want a pre-release screening of the film. That's it."

Chak De India is based on women's hockey. The movie shows women players from different corners of the country . The entire team enacts a team of underdogs and how things change with a new coach (Shah Rukh Khan) at the helm of affairs. The team of underdogs gets their self-confidence , and finally wins a championship. Stoke lets us in on the reason behind her displeasure. "Our women's hockey team is doing really good. If they are showing that they are turning women hockey players from zero to hero, that's really unfair. That will reflect badly on our team. A coach enables players to perform well and never transforms them from zero to hero, not in our team at least," she said.

(CONTRIBUTED BY RANJIB MAJUMDER, SANDIPAN DALAL, DOMINIC FERRAO, URVASHI ASHAR, RUBINA A KHAN AND MADHUREETA MUKHERJEE)

The best of Yash Raj Films' music

By Subhash K. Jha.

From 'Daag' and 'Kabhi Kabhie' to 'Dil To Pagal Hai' and 'Veer-Zaara', the songs from Yash Raj Films' romantic sagas always had a dreamy quality and the haunting melodies captivate listeners even today.

Here are some of the best musicals from the Yash Raj banner:

1. 'Waqt' (1965) - Before Yash Chopra branched out on his own to form Yash Raj Films he regularly made films for his brother, the illustrious B.R. Chopra. 'Waqt' started the long association between B.R. Films and composer Ravi who came up with some of his choicest jingles for this one.

At the peak of the Lata Mangeshkar mania, Ravi audaciously got Asha to do 'Kaun aaya ki nigahon mein khanak' and of course, the evergreen 'Aage bhi jaane na tu'. But the pick of the lot was 'Ae meri zohra zabeen', Manna Dey's evergreen number that was also used by Aditya Chopra in 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge' three decades later.

2. 'Daag' (1973) - Yash Chopra branched out as an independent filmmaker with this melodious menage a trois, remarkable for being the only time Laxmikant-Pyarelal teamed up with poet Sahir Ludhianvi. The end-result was there for all to hear in Kishore Kumar's 'Mere dil main aaj kya hai' and Lata's 'Jab bhi jee chahe nayee duniya' - the latter was appropriated from a Noorjehan ghazal.

But at the end of the endeavour, Ludhianvi vowed never to work with the mighty Laxmikant-Pyarelal again. 'They don't understand poetry,' Ludhianvi sneered. For his next project, Yashji had to choose between the poet and the composing duo. He chose Ludhianvi.

3. 'Kabhi Kabhie' (1975) - Yash Chopra's most poetic film and arguably his best musical to date, fished out Khayyam from semi-hibernation. Using Ludhianvi's poetry and Lata-Mukesh's vocals as crutches, Khayyam created a wonder world of poetry, passion and pain.

'Kabhi kabhi mere dil mein', 'Main pal do pal ka shayar' and 'Mere ghar aayee ek nanhi pari', are perennials. There were also some young tunes for Rishi and Neetu like 'Jaan-e-man tum kamaal karte ho', 'Pyar kar liya to kya' and 'Tera phoolon jaisa rang'. Lata went from being sweet 60 for Waheeda Rehman to sweet 16 for Neetu Singh without skipping a beat.

4. 'Trishul' (1978) - Yash Raj-Khayyam's follow-up to 'Kabhi Kabhie' suffered for being an action movie. But the magnificent theme song 'Tu mere saath rahega munne' lifted the whole score to the stratosphere of the sublime.

One of Amitabh Bachchan's favourite songs, 'Tu mere saath', is arguably the best song that Lata has sung for a Yash Raj film. Bachchan played the protagonist in the film. Also, up there among the greats is the Lata-Yesudas duet 'Aapki mehki hui zulf'.

5. 'Silsila' (1991) - Shiv-Hari and Javed Akhtar created quaint and compelling numbers like 'Yeh kahan aa gaye hum', 'Neela aasman so gaya' and 'Dekha ek khwab'. 'Silsila' painted as many shades of romance as possible.

The other scores that Shiv-Hari did for Yash Raj Films, namely 'Chandni', 'Lamhe', 'Parampara', 'Vijay', 'Faasle' and 'Darr' were no patch on that of 'Silsila'.

6. 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge' (1995) - Though they couldn't create a title tune to match the song of the name that Ravindra Jain composed in 'Chor Machaye Shor', there was nonetheless an everlasting swerve towards verve in 'Tujhe dekha to yeh jana sanam' and 'Ho gaya hai tujhko to pyar sajna'. Lata and Asha Bhosle belted out a solo each - 'Mere khwabon mein jo aaye' and 'Zara sa jhoom loom main' - for the effervescent Kajol.

7. 'Dil To Pagal Hai' (1997) - Uttam Singh's feisty songs were led by the foot-tapping 'Dil to pagal hai' where the then 70-plus Lata sounded no more than 20. Yash Chopra's utter devotion to the Lata's vocals came to full fruition.

8. 'Veer-Zaara' (2005) - Madan Mohan's dormant songs were rejuvenated by his son Sanjeev Kohli. The numbers had an incredible amount of melody quotient, especially in the number 'Tere liye'.

Udit Narayan's voice dipped to an incredible bass in 'Main yahan hoon yahan'. Every singer from Lata to Roop Kumar Rathod put his or her best foot forward to create a score that never bored.

9. 'Bunty Aur Babli' (2005) - 'Chote chotey shehron mein' the mood of lingering fun reached a full crescendo in this soundtrack. Gulzar put on his zany cap to write his sauciest song yet.

'Kajra re' ranks as one of the new millennium's most successful item songs. But the love ballad 'Chup chup ke' sung by Gaytari Iyer and Shankar Mahadevan ranks much higher.

10. 'Dhoom' (2007) - 'Dhoom machale' need we say anything more?
And the also-rans: 'Kala Patthar' - Rajesh Roshan's only tryst with Yash Raj contained the hit duets 'Ek rasta hai zindagi' and 'Bahon mein tere'.

'Mashaal' - On Lata's recommendation, Hridaynath Mangeshkar got the chance to do one score for Yash Raj. Remembered for the bhajan 'Om namah shivay'.

'Chandni' - 'Mere haathon mein nau-nau chudiya' pulsated with the power of Lata's vocal chords.
'Lamhe' - It had elegant though somewhat listless ballads by Shiv-Hari.

'Darr' - 'Tu mere samne' and 'Tu hai meri kiran' by Shiv-Hari were quite popular at that time.
'Mujhse Dosti Karoge' - Shiv Kumar Sharma's son Rahul composed some extremely pleasant melodies. Lata went from papa Shiv to son Rahul with age-defying fluency.

'Salaam Namaste' - the zing sting by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.

And last but not the least, 'Fanna' - Jatin-Lalit got together for the last time.

Anil Kapoor removes chest hair for tattoos in new movie

MUMBAI, India (AP ): Veteran Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor shaved off his chest hair and got tattoos for a new movie in which he plays a villain, a news report said Thursday.
In his earlier movies, Kapoor often proudly showed his hairy chest.
"But reinvention and makeovers have been part of my acting repertoire long before they became fashionable,'' The Times Of India newspaper quoted Kapoor as saying. The movie "Tashan'' (Showoff) is being produced by Yashraj Films, one of the Bollywood's top production houses.
Kapoor, 44, recalled that he had put on a lot of weight for "Badhai Ho Badhai'' (Congratulations) and lost a lot of weight for "Musafir'' (Traveler) earlier.
His role in the new movie required him to get rid of his chest hair and get tattoos for the character.
"I have got them done on back, chest, you name it,'' the actor quipped.
"For every part that I play I want to create a new look for my character,'' Kapoor said.
Kapoor has acted in more than a dozen blockbusters, including "Mr. India,'' "Tejaab'' (Acid) and "1942: A Love Story.''

Kareena claims she is not anorexic

Kareena Kapoor is a typical Punjabi girl and loves food. The actress has also always had a healthy and curvaceous figure. However recently the actress decided to get fit and go for a svelte body type. Now the actress has lost oodles of weight and is looking extremely thin, this has prompted many within the industry as well as her fans to speculate that Kareena is anorexic. However the actress clearly states “I am far from anorexic. I have lost weight for my role in Tashan.

I’ve been training to do some action scenes and hence the sudden weight loss.”The actress wants to put an end to recent speculation about having several eating disorders etc. Kareena is extremely upset with recent rumours that she is anorexic; she says “Rumours that I have supposedly become anorexic have gone completely out of hand.

I don’t want people to panic, it’s a bizarre rumour.” Kareena confirms that the huge weight loss is for a unique role in the film Tashan, but she claims that she has been having a healthy diet and working out regularly which is how she lost oodles of weight. On her diet Kareena says “I’m following a healthy diet and a regular workout regime and feeling great.” The actress claims that the secret to her losing weight is staying completely off junk food. “I’ve stopped eating junk food till Tashan gets over in November.” Kareena point blankly states that she would never starve herself and claims that actually she is a complete foodie like every true blue Kapoor in her family.

Kareena has been off some of her favourite foods like Chinese, junk food like sandwiches, noodles etc. However Kareena maintains that after the film is over in November she will gorge on junk food and get back to her healthy look, Kareena says “I promise that after the film is over, I will start eating everything. After Tashan, you will get to see a curvy Kareena once again.” Kareena’s dietician Roojuta helps her maintain a healthy diet chart and she also practises yoga, she says “I am doing lots of yoga to tone up my body.” Kareena says “I have lost five kilos and its all thanks to a healthy diet and regular exercise. Nonetheless Kareena is miffed with rumours of her being anorexic and she claims that when she puts on weight she is labeled fat and when she loses weight she is called anorexic, so either ways people always have something to say about her.

Kareena says “I have worked very hard in these last seven months to lose weight, so please don’t take away from it by calling me anorexic.”Well so hopefully all the rumours of Kareena turning anorexic will be dispelled especially after November when the actress finishes her film and binges on all that junk food.

'Chak De India' promos replaced

The trailers of the Shah Rukh Khan starrer 'Chak De India', which were included in 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom' and unceremoniously removed from theatres due to the negative flak generated, have now been replaced with new ones.

The new and exciting promos will be included in the forthcoming film 'Partner'. If insiders are to be believed, the fresh trailers are filled with a patriotic flavour and will mend the loss created with the initial promos.

Haven't we heard better late than never?

(Source : bollyvista)

Shaad Ali's next with Yash Raj

Forget the fate of 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom' at the box-office and move on. This is what Aditya Chopra must have told Shaad Ali the film's director.

Shaad Ali will be directing his fourth film for Yash Raj after Saathiya', 'Bunty Aur Babli' and 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom'. The film titled 'Tevar' will have Akshay Kumar in the lead role and will roll out in October of this year.

Interestingly, the title of the film has been suggested by none other than Salman Khan.

(Source : bollyvista)

2007 is a bad year for Yash Raj: Numerologist

July 05, 2007 14:47 IST

Numerologist Niraj Mancchanda had predicted long before the release of Yash Raj Films' Ta Ra Rum Pum and Jhoom Barabar Jhoom that they would not open well at the box office.

Ta Ra Rum Pum [Images] totals number 38 and Jhoom Barabar Jhoom totals number 59, and both numbers do not vibrate with Yash Raj Films founder Yash Chopra [Images] and his son Aditya Chopra [Images], the studio's creative mastermind.

He adds that even though Yash Chopra is a number nine and Aditya Chopra is a number three; and both numbers vibrate with the year 2007, this year will not be good for Yash Raj Films.
He predicts the fate for the other YRF releases this year:

Yash Raj Films totals number 33, which is Laxmi's number and the number vibrates with both Yash and Aditya Chopra. But two planets, the retrogate Jupiter and the shifting of Saturn to another house will not only damage their banner's goodwill but will also give them monetary losses.

Since film distribution is my family business I know what kind of business Ta Ra Rum Pum and Jhoom Barabar Jhoom has done in India.

Shimit Amin's Chak De India, which stars Shah Rukh Khan [Images], and will release in August -- totals number 32. It will do below expectations as well. The business will be on the basis of holidays only, and will be nothing great.

Pradeep Sarkar's Laaga Chunari Mein Daag is scheduled to release in October. It totals number 65. This will fare below average; and will not open to full houses.

Madhuri Dixit's [Images] comeback film, Aaja Nachle totals number 26. It will be a box office disaster, which will shock everyone.

Next year's Tashan will be a hit because of its lead actor, Akshay Kumar [Images].

King Yash reads the signs, relents on revenue sharing

You wouldn't expect Yash Chopra, the reigning king of Bollywood, to indulge in such marketing tactics. But with Jhoom Barabar Jhoom tanking in the box office, last week, Chopra is believed to have offered discounts on the revenue he was sharing with multiplex owners to ensure that the movie is not masked out of theatres.

Only a few months ago, Tinsel Town’s badshaah had shown his clout by forcing most multiplex owners to fork out a larger part of their revenues as his share for all movies produced by his production company.

Admits Sanjeev Kohli CEO Yash Raj Films : “Jhoom did very well in its first week but in its second week it did not perform as expected; as a gesture Yash Raj Films has given a rebate of 5 per cent on the revenue sharing proportion with multiplexes.”

My film not adapted: Siddharth Anand

Mumbai, June 4 (IANS) There is a strong rumour that Ranbir Kapoor's post-debut film, to be directed by childhood friend Siddharth Anand, is a remake of Hollywood romantic comedy "The Bachelor". But the young Anand, currently scripting the movie, completely denies adapting it from Gary Sinyor's 1999 film."

My film is certainly not adapted from any source. It's as much 'The Bachelor' as my 'Ta Ra Rum Pum' was 'Reservoir Dogs'," Anand told IANS.Ranbir, the son of Rishi and Neetu Kapoor, is debuting with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Saawariya" and the rumours of him doing Chris O'Donnel's role from "The Bachelor" originated from the casting of several prominent leading ladies opposite the young actor.

While Katrina Kaif plays one of the leading ladies, Deepika Padukone, who stars with Shah Rukh Khan in "Om Shanti Om", has been finalised to play another lead.

Would you find Rani Mukherjee playing a middle class sex worker offensive?

In the film Laaga Chunari Mein Daag, Rani plays a small town girl from a respectable middle class family who leaves her home lured by city life. However, confronted by adversities she is eventually forced to resort to prostitution to make a living.

Yash Raj Films (YRF), the production company, isn't sure the plot will go down well with the audience.

A girl from a poor family being forced into prostitution is a tried and tested plot that has readily been accepted by audiences in the past and based on which some of memorable and sensitive films like Amar Prem (1971, Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore) have been made.

However, the concept of a middle class woman resorting to prostitution is giving YRF honchos cold feet, because they feel it may not go down well with the predominantly middle class audiences.

Rattled by two lackluster releases this year - Ta Ra Rum Pum (Saif, Rani) and Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (Abhishek, Preity, Lara, Bobby) - YRF does not want to take chances.
"We don't know how kindly the viewers are going to take the fact that a woman from a middle-class family becomes a sex worker in times of crisis. Surely, we are giving it a thought. After the Jhoom Barabar Jhoom debacle we want to play it safe," a source told Mumbai Mirror.
To conform with the YRF image the film has been kept family oriented by emphasizing the mother-daughter relationship in the plot. However, no one is sure if that is enough.
The problem of course is filming is nearly complete and all they can do now is tweak Rani's role through some deft editing.

"Yashraj films are always meant for family viewing. We don't want to outrage our viewers' sensibilities. Saying so, we can't have any last minute changes as the film has been mostly shot. We intend to release the film in September."

Yet another damper for YRF is the fact Rani also plays a sex worker in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Saawariya.

Anurag Kashyap disowns Jhoom Barabar

BHARTI DUBEY Times News Network

Writer-director Shaad Ali's refuses to the blame for Jhoom Barabar Jhoom.

Shaad Ali's film Jhoom Barabar Jhoom has made Anurag Kashyap's head hang in shame. The writer-director refuses to take the blame. "I am fed up of people calling me and abusing me for the film. This is not the film I have worked on with Shaad Ali and Tigmanshu Dhulia who has also been given the credit or discredit as script consultant."

Kashyap says they had given Shaad a film by the title of Sangam Mail which had a story of two people waiting at New Delhi railway station. "All I can say is this film is a very sad derivative of the story idea of the script we gave Shaad."

According to sources close to the duo "Shaad Ali and the two writers know each other from the time of Dil Se . Tigmanshu was also an assistant of Mani Ratnam and at that time the idea was discussed with Shaad which was developed by Anurag and him later. In fact, has made two films out of that one script, Bunty's character of Bunty Aur Babli too originated from Sangam Mail ."

It maybe recalled here that Tigmanshu has not even been paid a single for the idea. When contacted Tigmanshu said, "I really don't want to get into this, all I can say is this is not the film we wrote for Shaad. He is a friend and I don't won’t to spoil it." Shaad refuses to comment on the issue. He sent a SMS saying, "I am in Kanpur and I don't speak to the media." Incidentally on the day Shaad left for Kanpur (which happened to be next day of the release of his film) he got into a scuffle with airport security.

Yash Chopra releases book on Madan Mohan

By Businessofcinema.com Team

MUMBAI: Filmmaker Yash Chopra released a book on late composer Madan Mohan in Mumbai.
The book was launched at a musical show held in memory of the late composer. Said Chopra, "I have been an admirer of Madanji's music but did not get the opportunity to work with him in his lifetime. It is indeed miraculous that my film Veer-Zaara could use his unused melodie 30 years after his demise, as the soundtrack. It was almost as if he had left behind a tune for every conceivable situation in my film."

The function featured 30 songs from the repertoire of Madan Mohan, rendered by singers. The hits sung on the occasion included Aapki Nazaron Ne Samjha, Hum Pyaar Mein Jalnewalon Ko, Lag Ja Gale, Tum Jo Mil Gayo Ho, Kaun Aaya Mere Man Ke Dware, Phir Wohi Shaam, Jhumka Gira Re, Dil Dhoondhta Hai and various others including Tere Liye from Veer-Zaara.
Approximately 40 musicians formed the orchestra that featured only acoustic instruments without electronics – to recreate the sound of the golden era of music.

The book titled, Ultimate Melodies, has been written and compiled by Vishwas Nerurkar and Bishwanath Chatterjee. It features write-ups on the legend by Yash Chopra, Gulzar, Manna Dey, Sadhana, Bhupinder Singh, and Madan Mohan's family members. The book also documents various facets of Madan Mohan's life, and all the songs and films for which he composed. It is a journey through his career spanning 25 years, which was cut short by his untimely demise at the age of 51.

Madan Mohan's elder son and Yash Raj Films' CEO Sanjeev Kohli said, "It is our privilege that 32 years after the demise of our father, he is being honoured by his fans through this book that will further perpetuate his memory and melodies. With Veer-Zaara, the younger generation got more familiar with his compositions, and through this book, his admirers will learn so much more about their favourite composer."

Madan Mohan composed for over a 100 films during his career, and won several posthumous awards for the music in Yash Chopra's film Veer-Zaara, including an IIFA Award.

Premiere tickets for Chak de India in UK

27/6/2007

WIN! A pair of tickets for the premiere of Chak de India, starring Shah Rukh Khan.
The CHAK DE INDIA – ‘INDIA NOW’ PREMIERE takes place on Thursday 9th August.
In celebration of the India Now season, Chak de India premieres as part of the Film4 Summer Screen, with top Indian star Shah Rukh Khan as a coach, who is fighting his personal demons as he takes a motley group of girls to the pinnacle of world hockey.

This giveaway is on a first-come, first served basis, so hurry! Email your name and postal address to: editor@blink.org.uk

Winner(s) must collect their tickets on the day from Somerset House, Strand, London WC2.

Shaad files for divorce!

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Jhoom Barabar Jhoom's poor show at the box-office has only added to director Shaad Ali's misery.

On the personal front, the filmmaker is still reeling under the effects of his broken marriage. Shaad married childhood sweetheart Shahzneen Hussian in a grand ceremony on January 28, 2006 at Lucknow.

However, the strain in their relationship began showing soon after, which led the couple to live separately. Sources inform that the couple has already filed for divorce. Reportedly, the couple was at loggerheads even when Shaad was filming Jhoom Barabar Jhoom in London, last October. Although Shahzneen was not part of the crew, she used to give creative inputs.
Once the couple had a fierce showdown and eventually, Shahzneen packed her bags and walked out.

A cast member, on condition of anonymity, says, "We witnessed regular fights and arguments between the two on the sets. They just couldn't get along. One day, Shahzneen left from the sets in a huff after she fought with Shaad. It's very unfortunate as they have known each other since their school days." Shaad's parents - filmmaker-designer Muzaffar Ali and former MP and CPM leader Subhasini - are yet to come to terms with the break-up of their son's marriage that barely lasted for eight months. "His parents are unable to comprehend the cause for the split," says a close family friend. Shaad has found solace in religion these days.

Of late, the bohemian film-maker has been reading religious books. A close friend of the filmmaker adds, "He has been going through a personal crisis. He has just discovered his spiritual side. He reads a lot of religious books, which gives him peace of mind."
When quizzed about it, close friend and choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant says, "Shaad has been pretty close to Sufism. As for his broken marriage, it's very difficult to comment. You never know what happens between two adults."

A self-confessed recluse, Shaad was not available for comment.

No war between Bunty and Babli!

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

For those who were waiting to see deathly tension to erupt on the sets of Pradeep Sarkar's Laga Chunri Mein Daag after what's widely been labelled the wedding snub, there was disappointing news.

There were absolutely no cold vibes between Rani Mukerji and Abhishek Bachchan when he returned two work after a two-month break. "How can there be?" says a close friend of both the stars. "Rani and Abhishek have done four films. They're seen as the new Amitabh-Jaya pair. And forget that.

They're so comfortable with each other. Yes, not being invited to the wedding did hurt Rani. She always thought of the Bachchans as a part of her extended family and hoped they considered her the same.

Initially, she was upset about not being invited. But the minute she met Abhishek last week after all grievances dissolved instantly." Rani and Abhishek are back having fun on the sets as though nothing has happened. "Nothing about Abhishek has changed after marriage. He's still a major prankster filled with masti. When Rani realised this, she immediately dropped her defences. The party spirit that prevails every time Abhishek is around is back. The set for Laga Chunri Mein Daag resembles a picnic spot," says the source. Joining the revellery are Kunal Kapoor and Konkona Senshar ma. "In fact Abhishek has known both the director Pradeep Sarkar and Kunal for years. Abhishek often jokes that he wants to be as thin as Kunal," says the source.

The buzz on the sets of Laga Chunri... is that Abhishek hasn't changed one bit. "Marriage hasn't made him less bratty. It would take a lot more than marriage to the most beautiful woman in India to change Abhishek," jokes Abhishek's buddy

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