Abhishek Bachchan and Deepika Padukone in Priyadarshans next
The super-prolific Priyadarshan who has directed 83 films in his 30-year career has just had a year, the first in his career, without releases. In 2011 Priyan had no releases. But he’s ready to make up for the lost year with as many as 4 films in 2012.
Of these, the ‘family comedy’(as he dubs it) which he will direct in July for producers Asthavinayak has him specially kicked. Not only is he working with Abhishek Bachchan for the first time, he has also reached out to Deepika Padukone for the female lead opposite Abhishek.
Deepika and Priyadarshan had a noisy fall-out five years ago when she opted out of Priyadarshan’s project Pirates about music piracy. Priyan was keen to launch her. The film was supposed to feature Deepika with four other newcomers playing part of a music band.
Instead Deepika chose to make her debut with Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om.
Incensed and betrayed, Priyadarshan stayed away from all things Padukone did until 2008 when Shah Rukh Khan used his clout to persuade Deepika to perform an item song in Priyadarshan’s Billu which Shah Rukh’s Red Chillies production house produced.
The thawing of the ice began then. Now it’s time for the director and actress to finally work together.
Says Priyan happily, “We broke the ice during the song in Billu. Now I’ve a role just right for her.”
It’s a double delight for Priyadarshan since he has never worked with Deepika or Abhishek
Says Priyan, “Abhishek and I have been planning projects together for the longest time. We were supposed to do a bio-pic on Chandrashekhar Azad. But who watches historicals any more? I’ve finally zeroed in on the perfect project for Abhishek. We start shooting in July.”
Abhi-Ash to star together in Rajkumar Santoshi’s rom-com Ladies & Gentleman
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will be playing the steady woman in ‘Casanova’ Abhishek’s life for Raj Kumar Santoshi’s Ladies & Gentleman. After having done everything from a family drama (Dhai Akshar Prem Ke) to a bio-pic (Guru) to a modern-day drama (Raavan) together, this is Aishwarya’s opportunity to have fun with Abhishek his expense.
In Santoshi’s film which he starts shooting in July, Abhishek plays a guy with an insatiable roving eye. Aishwarya has sportingly agreed to let her husband play the field on screen. 3 years ago, she refused Dostana with Abhishek because her character was shown walking away with another man. “I don’t think that would go down well with our fans,” she had argued.
“That’s Ash for you… beautiful and dutiful to the core. She won’t do any role that compromises her personal dignity or image as the Bachchan bahu. But if Abhishek is playing a devious unfaithful character she doesn’t mind bending the gender rules,” says a close friend of the couple.
This would be their first rom-com together.
For the first time in his career, Abhishek plays a full-blown womanizer in Ladies & Gentleman. And Aishwarya has no objections to him romancing several girls in her presence, albeit on screen.
Laughs Santoshi, “I had actually offered this film to Aishwarya five years ago. And look at destiny. It’s come back to her. Every role is earmarked for a particular actor. I feel Aishwarya is perfect for this film. Though Aishwarya has done comedy before, this is a new genre for Abhishek and for them as a pair.”
Santoshi starts a new banner, named after his mother, with Ladies & Gentleman.
Says the director, “This comedy takes me into the same genre as Andaz Apna Apna and Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani. But the humour here is not slapstick.”
With Ladies & Gentleman, Santoshi is starting a new banner named after his mother. Says Santoshi, “I’m starting my new production house named after my mother Rajam Santoshi. She passed away last year. I learnt the art of narration from her. If people say I am a good narrator it’s because of my mother and father (filmmaker) P L Santoshi.”
Sarah Jane Dias shoots for Pepsi commercial with Ranbir Kapoor
She’s playing a good game ever as she is set to make her debut with Abhishek Bachchan starrer Game, and even before her first film is out in the theatres worldwide, she has already shot with her second co-star Ranbir Kapoor.
You heard! Sara Jane Dias tells me, “I just shot a commercial with Ranbir Kapoor a few days ago for Pepsi and he again, like Abhishek Bachchan, is so down to earth and a great guy.”
Yes, she has shot a commercial with Ranbir Kapoor but that ain’t a bad start either. I mean, to be paired opposite India’s best and current heart-throb is an achievement for a newcomer like Sara.
She further adds, “Despite the fact that he is from a filmy royalty, he is really well read and well spoken. He knows how to hold a conversation and it’s nice to be able to meet people like Ranbir Kapoor because it’s only when you meet such people you come to know that they are normal.”
So impressed with Ranbir’s professionalism, she said, “He is a thorough professional. He comes on the sets, does his work and then leaves the moment the shoot is over. No more time to loiter around.”
She ends the talk but not before confessing her favourite Ranbir Kapoor film. “I loved him in Raajneeti and Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahaani.”
Yeh hi hai right choice baby! Aha!
‘Tere Bin Laden 2′?
Another sequel in the making? Trustworthy sources have whispered in our ears that producers Pooja Shetty Deora and Aarti Shetty and director Abhishek Sharma are planning a sequel to TERE BIN LADEN. The low cost film, helmed by a first-time director and starring talented names such as Ali Zafar and Pradhuman Singh, ranks amongst the successful films of 2010, which, very frankly, is a big achievement since a majority of biggies made a deep hole in the pockets of their investors.
However, director Abhishek Sharma doesn’t rule out a possibility of TERE BIN LADEN 2. “Yes, we have had discussions [about the sequel], but till we don’t hit upon the right idea, there’s no point going ahead with it. Pooja, Aarti and I genuinely feel there’s no point announcing a sequel, if the script isn’t in place. If we hit upon an interesting idea some day and if we feel that the second part will be better than the first, we will go ahead and make one. But not in the immediate future.”
The soft-spoken director adds that he’s working on a few concepts, apart from TBL 2, and has discussed it with his producers. “But nothing is finalized right now,” he adds.
Abhishek Bachchan to star in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s next
While on one hand Sanjay Leela Bhansali is still coming to terms with the debacle of Guzaarish, on the other he is already planning his next project.
For his next venture, Sanjay is planning to cast none other than Abhishek Bachchan. The film is an intense human drama about contemporary situations. It talks about the dilemma that a young individual faces in trying to jump across the hurdles that are placed in his life by the wheels of the government.
Bhansali explains that his reason for choosing Abhishek for the pivotal role is because the director feels that AB Jr. has immense untapped potential.
While Bhansali has earlier worked with Bachchan Sr (Black) and even Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Devdas, Guzaarish), it would be interesting to see him working for the first time with Junior Bachchan.
Anurag Kashyap accuses Big B of postponing release of Chittagong
Anurag Kashyap is known to speak from his heart and doesn’t believe in mincing words. This time Anurag has gone ahead and taken pot-shots at none other than Amitabh Bachchan. Apparently, Anurag is upset as he feels that Big B used his clout to postpone the release of the film Chittagong (which is also based on the 1930 Chittagong uprising just like the Abhishek Bachchan starrer Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey)
While Khelein Hum Jee Jan Sey (KHJJS) is a big budget film made by a veteran director like Ashutosh Gowariker and stars bigwigs such as Abhishek Bachchan and Deepika Padukone, Chittagong is a relatively smaller film directed by Sonali Bose and stars Manoj Bajpayee in the lead.
Both Chittagong and KHJJS were to release last Friday (Dec 3) but finally only KHJJS released and Chittagong got postponed. Anurag Kashyap may not be directly involved with the film but he still smelt something fishy in this sudden act and expressed his rant on a social networking site. The maverick filmmaker said, “See Chittagong, a far superior film made on the same subject as Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey.. At 1/8 th the cost, far superior actors and immense passion… Producers decided to sit on it, because of a phone call from someone, because that someone was trying desperately to save his son’s career… welcome to Bollywood, where whose son you are outshines all the hard work and passion and potential and talent. KHJJS came and went, now what?”
The comment has certainly not gone down too well with Big B who has called the accusation as incorrect and baseless. While Big B refuses to comment further on this issue, this certainly is something he won’t forget in a long time to come.
Aishwarya takes time off to promote KHJJS
It’s not only Abhishek who goes out of his way to be present for his better-half. Aishwarya has taken time off especially from all her commitment to promote Abhishek’s new film Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se.
Says a source, “So what if Ash doesn’t star in Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se? It’s her husband’s film and the director Ashutosh Gowariker is a dear friend. Besides, not too many people know this, but after Asin chose not to work in the film, it was Aishwarya who recommended Deepika Padukone for the part.”
Blushes Aishwarya, “Yes I am there for Abhishek’s film. In fact, we all try to be there for each other in our family.”
Ramu pitched Vivek against Abhishek?
Everyone is wondering why Ram Gopal Varma suddenly decided to move forward his Rakht Charitra (RC) sequel from November 19 to December 3 after making a noise about taking on Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Guzaarish.
The official explanation is, RC2 was not ready on time. That according to a source is pure hogwash.
The real reason why Ramu, the master of marketing manipulations has chosen December 3 is so that he could pitch his Vivek Oberoi starrer against Abhishek Bachchan’s prestigious historical release Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey.
Says the well-informed source, “Ramu likes to create an extra buzz around his films. When Phoonk 2 was released with Chance Pe Dance, Ramu tried to pitch the crow in his horror film against Shahid. Abhishek and Vivek are seen to be at loggerheads. Ramu intends to play up their rivalry. Although both actors have worked repeatedly with Ramu the filmmaker is not averse to deliberately pitching them against one another.”
Ramu feigns ignorance about his marketing maneuver. “The reason Rakht Charitra 2 was delayed is because the post-production took longer than we thought it would. I didn’t even know our film was coming on the same day as Abhishek’s. Not just that, both are based on true stories. Vivek and Abhishek play real- life characters in the two films. Having said that, let me also add that a lot of our marketing focus for RC2 would be on the Tamil superstar Suriya whom I regard as next only Rajnikanth in popularity. Since he’s making his Hindi debut, we’re trying to figure out ways to bring him in front of the Hindi audiences.”
This, according to the source, is exactly why Ramu has chosen to peg his sequel on the old Abhishek-Vivek rivalry. Says the source, “After the rejection of Rakht Charitra in the Northern belt, Ramu can’t take a risk with the sequel. Suriya may be a superstar in the South. In Hindi, even Rajnikanth doesn’t have a market. RC2 has no songs and items to promote. At most, Suriya can do some interviews before its release. He can’t create an excitement around the film.”
Protests Ramu, “We are not insecure about Suriya’s acceptance in Hindi, neither is he. We’ve a fusion-version of Rakht Charitra parts 1 & 2, in Tamil Nadu that we’ll release on December 3. As for the Hindi release, the film will work not because of the actors but the theme.”
Abhishek flies down for a night for special screening of Guzaarish
Love for Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has a sparkling connotation even after five years of togetherness. On Thursday night, for a special screening of
his wife’s film Guzaarish, Abhishek flew into Mumbai out of Goa where he’s shooting with a whole bunch of co-stars for Abbas-Mustan’s Players
and flew back to Goa the next morning, and that too when there was just one day of shooting left in Goa.
Says a source, “Aishwarya told him the premiere for Guzaarish was cancelled, so he had no plans of returning to Mumbai until Saturday morning when the
schedule in Goa ended.
But when he heard that there was a very special screening of Guzaarish on Thursday evening for hand-picked guests, Abhishek decided there was no way
he would not stand by his wife’s side at this important gathering.
Abhishek first informed all his co-stars Bipasha Basu, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Sonam Kapoor, he then took Abbas-Mustan into confidence. The directors were
worried since there was just one day’s shoot. But when they understood how important it was for Abhishek to be by his wife’s side, they let him go. He flew
out into Mumbai on Thursday evening, flew back on Friday morning to complete the schedule.”
Casting trouble keeps Ashutosh Gowariker’s Buddha on hold
The biggest ever project devised by Ashutosh Gowariker, Buddha, continues to be on hold. The filmmaker, who is known for films that are set on a huge
canvas while boasting of an opulent treatment, has decided that he won’t progress on the film till he finds the perfect actor to play the part of
Buddha.
“Frankly, it is a very difficult casting which I have in hand here”, says Ashutosh Gowariker who would be attempting a film with a religious base to it for
the first time ever, “I have seen so many actors worldwide but still haven’t found the right face to play the part. It is so difficult because this actor has
to be convincing as someone who goes through a complete turnaround in his life. I have to go ahead in a zero-compromise mode here.”
Another strong reason behind casting a correct face and physical appearance is the fact that Buddha is being pitched for an international market. This
means that the actor, whether new or established, is required to have a pan-universal appeal.
“While this is truly a major reason, I also feel that the team of Buddha has a responsibility to take care of for several other nations as well”,
continues Gowariker, “There are millions in this world who practice Buddhism; whether it is Japanese, Koreans, Vietnamese and others. When they see our film,
they should be able to relate to the actor and say that this is their Buddha. I should be accurate enough in my presentation so that there is a sense of
reverence that comes in for a world-known personality like Buddha.”
All of this means that while the search continues for the right face and personality, Ashutosh Gowariker may well move to some other film in the interim. His
Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se is up for release and post that, it would be time for Gowariker to zero on another subject and begin work on it.
“Frankly, I haven’t closed on anything as of now”, he brings on a smile here, “All that is occupying my mind currently is Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se.
There are just a few more weeks to go and we are going full steam ahead in pumping up the promotion further and bringing the film to the audience.”
A period thriller, this Abhishek Bachchan-Deepika Padukone starrer is based on the book ‘DO and DIE: The Chittagong Uprising 1930-34′ by Manini Chatterjee.
Also starring Sikandar Kher and Vishakha Singh, Khelein Hum… has music by Sohail Sen and releases all over on 3rd December.
