Filmy Duniya News & Gossips: January 2013

Friday 25 January 2013

Film industry to mark Phalke centenary with Bombay Talkies

    The Indian film industry will mark the centenary year of Indian cinema by releasing a film, Bombay Talkies, on May 3, showcasing how cinema has changed our lives. Why this date? Because it was on this day that the father of Indian cinema, Dadasaheb Phalke, released Raja Harishchandra.
    Four directors are on board — Karan Johar, Anurag Kashyap, Dibakar Banerjee and Zoya Akhtar. Producer Ashi Dua notes, “It wasn’t something that happened overnight it took me three years to put the film together, but the wait has been worth it.”
    “It’s a commercial two-hour film with four stories on how cinema inspires a regular human being to romance, hope, dream and get obsessed,” says Dua.
    Anurag’s story, set in Allahabad, features Amitabh Bachchan and deals with a fan’s obsession. Zoya’s segment, set in Indore, has Katrina Kaif and captures the Bollywood aspirations of a small-town girl. Dibakar's tale, set in Parel, Mumbai, features Nawazuddin Siddiqui and showcases how a Marathi boy is an adaptation of a Satyajit Ray story. Karan Johar’s part is about a traditional filmmaker who sells love through his cinema and he does the same in Bombay Talkies, too. His film stars Randeep Hooda and Rani Mukerji. Shooting begins in February.

Autumn in Kashmir

    Award winning and critically-acclaimed Indie feature Harud (Autumn) has recently released on DVD. Directed and produced by actorturned-filmmaker Aamir Bashir and co-written and coproduced by National Award winner Shanker Raman, Harud is shot entirely in Kashmir and is one of the most felicitated Indie films of recent times.
    The film, which stars award-winning Iranian actor Reza Naji (Song of Sparrows and Children of Heaven) and local actors from Kashmir, Shahnawaz Bhat, Shameem Basharat, Salma Ashai, is an attempt to tell a Kashmiri story based on the events of the last 20 years. The protagonists struggle to regain their dignity and in turn their humanity, from the daily violence that they are surrounded by.
    The movie won the Don Quixote Award at Fribourg International Film Festival in 2011 and had its world premier at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2010. The film has been screened around the world at international film festivals in Rotterdam, London, San Francisco, Jeonju — South Korea, Fukuoka — Japan, Dubai, Human Rights Film Festival in Melbourne — Australia and Mumbai International Film Festival.
    Harud is now available on Junglee Home Video. You can also watch it online on
www.youtube.com/jungleefilmclub

US EMBASSY HONOURS RANI

Atul Nishar, President of Namaste America and US Consul General, Peter Haas, co-hosted an inaugural ball in honour of Barack Obama, the President of the United States of America. Rani Mukerji was felicitated for her contribution to Indian cinema at this do. The inauguration ceremony featured a live telecast of the Presidential address. Deanna Abdeen, Consular Section Chief, US Consulate, Indu Shahani, Nayan Patel, Adam Rodriguez, Lata Patel, Sushama Reddy, Parvathy Omanakuttan, Vivek Jain, Mahabanoo Mody Kotwal, Talat and Bina Aziz, Madhu and Satish Shah, Ananya Dutta and Raell Padamsee were also present.

Atul Nishar, Peter Haas and Rani Mukerji

Sunita Menon and Amy Haas

Shantaram, Princess Francoise Sturdza and Niraj Bajaj

Deanna Abdeen and Dr Alka Nishar

Queenie and Adam

Kailash and Arti Surendranath

Rahul Saxena

Parvathy Omanakuttan

Simone Singh

Dalip Tahil

Gary Lawyer

Rajesh does the full monty

After flaunting his chest in the recently released Khiladi 786, actor Rajesh Khattar has gone a step ahead in Race 2. The actor will appear in his ‘birthday suit’ in the film. The only other actor in the scene is Saif Ali Khan. Says a source, “Rajesh wasn’t aware that he would have to bare it all, so it took him some time to prepare for the scene. The sequence was shot in privacy. Rajesh told a unit member that if he had known that he would have to bare, then he would have got into better shape. He said all the other
actors had worked on their bodies and he didn’t want to be the
odd one out.”

Rajesh Khattar

What do words like ‘sharirik sambandh’ mean, asks child artiste 10-year-old’s dialogues on TV show raises eyebrows

What do words like ‘sharirik sambandh’ mean, asks child artiste

10-year-old’s dialogues on TV show raises eyebrows

    Erotic dialogues and intimate scenes are not new on television anymore. But a 10-year-old mouthing dialogues like ‘Ye sharirik sambandh kya hota hai?’ and ‘Meri maa tabhi theek ho sakti hai jab unke saath sharirik sambandh hoga’ is raising quite a few eyebrows.
    Shruti Bhist, who plays seven-year-old Indu in Hitler Didi, doesn’t even understand the meaning of these terms, as told by her mother. According to the track, she overhears the family doctor say that Indira (Rati Pandey) will become normal only if her husband (Rishi Kumar, played by Sumit Vats) establishes ‘sharirik sambandh’ with her. Producer Ila Bedi Datta says, “I don’t understand what this brouhaha is all about. Little Indu overhears this word and asks her father what that means. This triggers the track of Rishi committing to consummate his relationship with Indira, irking Zara to no end.”
    Shruti’s mother Kusum says, “Shruti cannot even pronounce the word and asks me the meaning of it. I have told her not to discuss it with anyone. Kids also watch the show and it might affect them too. I brought it up with both the channel and the production house. They told me that the script demands it and requested me to look at it with a positive perspective.”

Indu and Zara in a still from the show

An elegant English evening

Anita Dev along with Kunika and Rana Singh of the lifestyle store Mondo Casa hosted an elegant reception for Lord Wedgwood and the British Deputy High Commissioner, Peter Beckingham and his wife Jill. The evening also marked the formal launch of exquisite tableware from Wedgwood, Waterford and Royal Doulton at the lifestyle store. Also present on the occasion was Peter Clewer, Business Development Director, Europe, Middle East and India. Seen at this elegant English do were Farah Khan Ali, Chhaya Momaya, Zarine Khan, Natasha and Nikhil Chib, Rashmi Uday Singh, Bhairavi Jaikishan, Aarti and Kailash Surendranath, Debbie and Arun Hitkari, Rouble Nagi, Nisha Jamvwal, Turkish Consul General Ceylan Ozen, Lucky and Mohammed Morani, Narendra Kumar, Sheeba, Manasi Scott, Bina Aziz, Azmina Rahimtoola, Kadambari Lakhani, Sameer and Palak Sheth and Bindu Mittal.

Bhairavi Jaikishan

Jill and Peter Beckingham

Raageshwari Loomba

Bhagyashree

Lata Patel

Chhaya Momaya

Nisha Javeri

Anita Dev

Rana Singh, Lord Wedgwood and Kunika Singh

Maria Goretti

Film franchise Transporter now a TV series

    Transporter: The Series, based on the popular movie franchise, wheels onto the small screen, backed by its creators, Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen.
    Produced on a budget of 250 crores ($43 million), the show has gripping car chases, unbelievable crashes and sizzling hot women that will surely keep you on the edge of your seat. It features one of US television’s hottest action stars, Chris Vance, known for roles in worldrenowned series such as The Mentalist, Prison Break and Dexter. He plays Frank Martin, a former Special Forces operative, who now makes a living as a no-questions-asked transporter. Not only does his charm work on women, his stunts and chases are an action buff ’s dream. While on a mission, Martin follows only three rules — never change the deal, no names and never open the package.
    To know more, join the PIXsaysSORRYGIRLS campaign on a microblogging site.
    The 12-part Transporter: The Series will air every Friday, Saturday and Sunday on Sony PIX, starting tonight, at 8 pm.

Chris Vance, Andrea Osvart and Delphine Chaneac in the show

Kartik and Nushrat waited for second movie outing

    The actors of director Luv Ranjan’s Akaash Vani, Kartik Tiwari and Nushrat Bharucha, had worked with him in their debut film Pyaar Ka Punchnama. And, despite getting a number of offers, both Kartik and Nushrat waited for the right roles, which they got in this film, produced by Kumar Mangat Pathak and Abhishek Pathak.
    Says Kartik, “An audience is built by the number of good movies you do. It doesn’t bother me that I’m not making news for signing three-film deals. I think my confidence has more to do with the way our latest movie has turned out.” Nushrat agrees. She says, “Signing any film that comes along tends to backfire in the long run. Portraying characters without substance would’ve hampered my growth as an actress. It also shows desperation and poor choice of roles on my part.”
    Luv, who’s all praise for the youngsters, says, “Kartik and Nushrat were waiting for strong character-driven scripts rather than going on a signing spree.” He feels that at this stage in their career, it takes a lot of courage for the duo to reject offers. “I knew Kartik and Nushrat looked perfect as Akaash and Vani, but after seeing their confidence on the very first day of the shoot, I was sure that their decision to wait was well thought of,” he adds.
    Akaash Vani, produced by Wide Frame Pictures, releases today.

Kartik Tiwari Nushrat Bharucha

PACY THRILLER WITH HIGH-OCTANE ACTION SCENES

    Unlike its predecessor Race (2008), which got a ‘A’ certificate, Abbas-Mustan’s Race 2 has been issued a ‘U/A’ rating. Says producer Ramesh Taurani, “Apart from the thrills and twists, Race was a comparatively bold film. On the other hand, Race 2 is more of a pacy thriller and I’m sure the ‘U/A’ rating will help us reach a wider audience. Especially those who watch films with their families.”
    For the producer and his directors, the sequel has a dream cast. With Saif Ali Khan, John Abraham, Anil Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Jacqueline Fernandez and Ameesha Patel, it is the first multi-starrer of the year. It’s also the first time John will share screen space with Saif and Anil. Adds the producer, “The Saif-Deepika pair looked great together in Love Aaj Kal (2009) and Cocktail (2012), they share a great chemistry. We hope to recreate the magic in our film. I’m one of the first ones to have seen potential in Jacqueline and knew she would become a star. As for Ameesha, we have a good relationship with her. So it wasn’t difficult convincing her.”
    The movie boasts of some high-octane action scenes. The highlights include an extensive chase sequence featuring Saif, another scene has John in a cage fight and the explosive climax, which also features Anil. The girls too shot a number of breath-taking stunts.
    Race 2, produced by Tips Industries Ltd and UTV Motion Pictures, releases today.

Jacqueline Fernandez, Ameesha Patel, Ramesh Taurani, Deepika Padukone, Anil Kapoor, John Abraham and Saif Ali Khan

Wednesday 16 January 2013

Jessica dating a new man?

Jessica Chastain is reportedly dating Tom Hiddleston. The Zero Dark Thirty (which was also the highest-grossing film over the weekend) actress and the Thor actor are said to have been dating for some time and the relationship is so serious, Jessica flew to Britain before Christmas to meet Tom’s family. A source told a British daily: “Tom is taken with Jess and it’s serious. Before Christmas she visited Britain to stay with him and meet his family for the first time.” Jessica previously insisted she would never date an actor again after a bad experience.
While she has romanced an actor during her time at The Juilliard School — New York’s esteemed performing arts academy — dating an unnamed star more recently left her “freaking out”. She said: “I have a rule. No actors. I have dated an actor before, at Juilliard, but since then, I’ve only been on a couple of dates with one and I was so freaked out someone was going to take a picture of us, because they were famous.”

Jessica Chastain

Lindsay sacks lawyer, yet owes him $300k

Lindsay Lohan recently sacked Shawn Holley and replaced her with New York-based lawyer Mark Heller. But the troubled star is said to owe a substantial sum to Shawn. A source said, “Lindsay owes Shawn over $300,000 in legal fees and she hasn’t made any payments to her in over six months. Lindsay hadn’t paid anything for any of the work Shawn has done on her three new criminal charges of lying to cops, in connection with her car accident in Santa Monica last summer. Shawn has kept Lindsay out of jail for over five years now and she has no idea how good she has had it. Shawn is extremely respected by judges and prosecutors and that has benefited Lindsay greatly. Her new criminal attorney, Heller, isn’t even based in Los Angeles and certainly doesn’t have the revered reputation that Shawn does.”
It has been claimed that the actress, who recently received money from Charlie Sheen to pay her tax bill, may not be paying her new lawyer. The insider added: “I suspect that Lindsay’s new attorney is either representing her for a reduced fee, or not charging her at all. I think Mark wants the publicity that representing Lindsay Lohan can bring.”

Lindsay Lohan

I’m at my best in my apron: Gemma Arterton

British actress Gemma Arterton — who is married to Italian businessman Stefano Catelli — thinks she is at her “best” when baking for other people and loves explaining the processes she uses in the kitchen.
She said: “I love cooking. I love to accommodate people and make them feel good and special. I particularly love baking — I’m a real English girl for that. I love making pastry and my speciality is a lemon meringue pie. All my friends keep saying, ‘You should have a TV show, because when I’m doing my baking, that’s how I act. I’m like, ‘OK, now I’m going to do this...’ and ‘Now I'm going to do that...’ I have my little apron on and everything. I love it. I think that’s when I’m at my best — in my apron, actually.” She also admitted she only got interested in acting as a way to meet boys. She told a magazine: “I joined this drama group because I went to an all-girls school and there were boys in the group, so I thought, ‘Aha!’ But it was just a hobby. And then one of the teachers said, ‘Hey, you know what, be an actor, you’re good at it.’”

Gemma Arterton

CARMEN ELECTRA: I ADORE SIMON COWELL

    The former Baywatch beauty Carmen Electra has been romantically linked to the X Factor judge Simon Cowell and although Carmen, 40, insists the pair are just friends, she admitted to fond feelings for the 53-year-old music mogul.
    She said: “We’re friends. We’ve hung out a few times. He’s an awesome person. And I absolutely adore him.”
    However, Simon recently admitted he is smitten with Carmen but insisted she is not his girlfriend yet.
    Speaking about their budding romance, he said: “She’s not my girlfriend. We’re people who date. She’s adorable, isn’t she?”
    Carmen, who was once married to basketball star Dennis Rodman and rocker Dave Navarro, previously revealed she had fallen for the British millionaire after she filled in as a guest judge on Britain’s Got Talent. Simon and Carmen were first spotted enjoying a flirtatious dinner at Los Angeles restaurant Cecconi’s in September. An onlooker said at the time: “They were getting very cosy. They were holding hands and staring into each other’s eyes — and then they started making out intensely. They were with other friends at the restaurant but didn’t seem to mind.”

Carmen Electra

Keira Knightley falls ill due to overwork

    Keira Knightley caught pleurisy due to overwork.
    The A Dangerous Method actress was struck by the lung problem last year — characterised by a pain when sufferers breathe — but at the time thought she had just hurt one of her ribs. She said: “You do period films and you get some sort of weird archaic disease. And I didn’t realise, so I went on for another month. I just stupidly never went to a doctor.
    I was rehearsing for this play and then I found in rehearsals it got so bad that I couldn’t stand up any more. And they said: ‘Please, can you go to the doctor?’” The 27-year-old star has since turned to yoga to help keep her limber and functioning, but that has also resulted in a few injuries.
    She told an Australian magazine: “My body at the end of last year was breaking and I thought, ‘I’ve really got to try and do something’. I’ve been trying to get myself into gear. I’ve been doing yoga, but I’ve already got injuries — from bloody yoga.” Keira’s most recent role was in an adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s epic novel Anna Karenina, in which she played the lead, a role which she described as the “hardest thing I have done to date,” leaving her glad to let off some steam in the bar afterward.

Keira Knightley

Megan keen on more kids

Motherhood agrees with Megan Fox — the sexy star wants a brood of kids after becoming a first-time mum last year. She admitted she is so “in love” with baby Noah that her husband Brian Austin Green is a little jealous — and now she wants another kid. She told a US news show, “I’m just happy I got the opportunity to do it (be a mum). I was very overwhelmed with the intensity of the emotions I felt when I had him... and Brian is jealous because I love him so much. I want more kids. I’m so tired (and) I don’t know if my body could do it right now, but if it happens, it happens. He (husband) wants a little girl.”

Megan Fox

Matt ‘thrilled’ for Ben’s movie awards triumphs

Ben Affleck is storming through the Hollywood awards season with his movie Argo, and no one could be happier than his old friend Matt Damon. Matt said: “I’m just thrilled for him. I’m really happy. I’m not at all surprised, because I’ve known him for so long and I know how talented he is. It was tough to watch him get kicked in the teeth for all those years because the perception of him was so not who he actually was. I always felt a knee-jerk need to defend him. It was just upsetting. It was upsetting for a lot of his friends because he’s the smartest, funnest, nicest, kindest, incredibly talented guy. And the perception of him was the opposite. So that was tough. It’s taken him a long time. It wasn’t one thing that got him out of the penalty box. He had to dig. He did a lot of really good work over a long amount of time. The last movie he did (The Town) was great. And the movie before that (Gone Baby Gone) was great, too. Finally people now are ready to go, ‘Wow, he’s at the very top of the food chain.’”

Matt Damon

Ben Affleck

Rosie feels shy at big events

Model-actress Rosie Huntington
Whiteley says she is intimidated by the Hollywood lifestyle and feels awkward at big events. The stunning 25-year-old catwalk queen, who is dating actor Jason Statham, said she hates the idea of getting drunk with people she does not know. “I’m a lot shyer than people realise, especially around people I don’t know. It makes you really hold on to the special people. I’ve never felt comfortable in big social groups or going to crazy parties. I’ve always been able to see the difference between work and personal life. I don’t try to take my career or myself too seriously, but it’s important to be responsible,” she said. The British beauty is a household name and has her own lingerie range and a newfound film career with a role in Transformers 3 and the upcoming Mad Max: Fury Road.

Rosie Huntington Whiteley

Sarah-Jane Dias reveals her fantasy The actress opens up about her Hollywood crush

Sarah-Jane Dias reveals her fantasy

The actress opens up about her Hollywood crush

“The one Hollywood star that makes me go Bom Chicka Wah Wah is George Clooney. He is suave and spells sophistication and is an extremely
    talented actor too. He is also very downto-earth, which adds to his irresistible charm. I also like the way he dresses and found his look in Ocean’s Eleven and the subsequent series Ocean’s Twelve and Ocean’s Thirteen to be simply outstanding. Whether it was the suit or just the jeans he made me go weakin-the-knees. I loved him in Intolerable Cruelty and the way he said in the film, “I am Shiva the God of Death.” And how I wish to be stuck in an elevator with him — my wildest fantasy would be fulfiled. What would you expect me to do in the elevator with him? Get to know him better as in “better”!
    My family and friends keep teasing me about my crush on Clooney. Just the other day I said that I wanted Robert Downey Jr to marry me and my friends teased saying, “But what about George Clooney?” Abhishek (Bachchan) would tease me too saying how George had invited him home and I’d say, “Next when you meet him tell him about me and my fondness for him.” Well, I am in a relationship with George Clooney, the only thing is that he does not know of it.”
    The new Axe commercial has popularised Bom Chicka Wah Wah as the latest phrase for girls expressing their attraction to guys...

Sarah-Jane Dias

Inflation talk at this filmi do

Rohit Shetty unveiled the first official poster look of producer Ashok Pandey’s second film Saare Jahaan Se Mehnga. The film made under the banner of Revel Films, is a satirical take on inflation. Present at the do was director Anshul Sharma along with the cast of the film including Sanjay Mishra, Pragati, Ranjan Chhabra, Vishwa Mohan Badola, Zakir Hussain, Disha, Pramod Pathak and Sitaram Panchal.
The movie releases on March 1.

Rohit Shetty

Ranjan Chhabra and Disha

Ashok Pandey

Zakir Hussain

Sanjay Mishra

Pragati

Anshul Sharma

THE PARTY AHEAD OF THE BLACK LADY NIGHT

The 58th Idea Filmfare Awards 2012 Nominations bash on Monday evening saw the creme de la crème of Bollywood with many of them grooving until the wee hours. Varun Dhawan along with Siddharth Malhotra danced to Main Toh Raste Se Jaa Raha Tha. After Karan Johar coaxed Priyanka Chopra, she sang Itni Si Khushi. Imran Khan seemed to be in a mood for photography as he tried learning a lesson or two on different angles and lens. The event also saw a fashion show, celebrating 100 years of cinema, by Manish Malhotra. Also seen were Suniel Shetty, Raveena Tandon Thadani, Anu Malik, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Puneet Malhotra, Bhushan Kumar, Shruti Haasan, R Madhavan, Pritam Chakraborty, Swanand Kirkire, Gauri Shinde and R Balki, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadda, Huma Qureshi, and Sonali Bendre among others added glitz to the already glamorous night.