"I’m definitely making 2 States" – Sajid Nadiadwala
Off late there have been numerous speculations, rumours, gossips and hearsay circulating around the making of the newest Sajid Nadiadwala production which is an adaptation of Chetan Bhagat’s popular book 2 States.
The film was announced shortly after the release of Nadiadwala’s last production Anjaana Anjaani and though there was an official statement made in this regard, tongues have continued to wag around it’s director, star cast, timeline and other logistics. While Siddharth Anand is supposed to direct the 2 States adaptation, there have been constant murmurs around Saif Ali Khan walking in and out of project as well as the choice of heroine being either Priyanka Chopra or Deepika Padukone. Also, the film by itself has been a bone of contention as apparently the screenplay hasn’t been finalised yet, hence leading to further doubts around whether it would come on floors in near future.
“I am most definitely making 2 States. I have bought the rights so eventually I would be making the film,” says producer Sajid Nadiadwala.
At Bollywood Hungama, we bring to you all the bare facts right from Sajid Nadiadwala, the man at the hot seat.
The director
“Siddharth is on board as a director. He is already working on putting together the screenplay.”
The hero
“Saif Ali Khan is confirmed as the leading man for the film.”
The heroine
“No heroine is finalised, whether it is Priyanka or Deepika or anyone else. The screenplay has to be finalised first.”
The screenplay
“Most screenplays take time to be written. Sometimes it can be cracked in 15 days, sometimes it takes 6 months. Siddharth is working on it.”
The timelines
“There is no timeline decided yet. As I said, first the screenplay has to be finalised, then the remaining actors would be approached and its only after all of this is locked that we can make announcements around the shooting kick start.”
In the meanwhile…
“I am constantly asked if Siddharth can make any other film for another production house. Of course, why not? I can understand if there is some time that Siddharth needs to get the screenplay in place for 2 States. If he feels that he would want to use the interim time period to make another film, he can take a call. He is not under any contract with ‘Nadiadwala Grandson’ and make films for outside banners too, if he desires.
Ranbir-Priyanka to feature as comic-book characters
Box-office collections notwithstanding, Anjaana Anjaani is certainly on a roll. The two suicidal protagonists in the rom-com who meet when they are on the verge of suicide are about to take a plunge in another direction.
The protagonists played by Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra will now feature in series of comic-books describing the adventures of their respective characters Akash and Kiara.
Producer Sajid Nadiadwala has spoken to a leading publishing house which enthusiastically agreed to the idea. The first graphics have already been prepared and if all goes well, the inaugural comic based on Ranbir and Priyanka’s characters in Anjaana Anjaani will hit the stands this Diwali.
That’s right… Kiara (Priyanka Chopra) and Akash (Ranbir Kapoor), the losers in love and business, respectively, are now being relocated from the screen into print and on the internet as comic-book characters.
Says producer Sajid Nadiadwala, “A lot of us involved with this film felt the Priyanka and Ranbir’s characters will translate well into comic-books. We are still in negotiation. But I can’t really talk about the project until all the deals are done.”
However, one of the actors from the film spilled the beans adding that if the comic-books succeed, Nadiadwala also has plans of doing a cartoon version of the Anjaana Anjaani characters for satellite television and the internet entitled The Mad Mad Adventures Of Kiara & Akash.
Wishing Ranbir Kapoor a very happy Birthday
He is the blue blooded hunk, hailing from the legendary family of Kapoor’s. Ranbir Kapoor has the looks, the style, the attitude and the performance skills that make him a complete star material. His strike record at the box can surely vouch for that right from Bachna Ae Hasino, Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani to Rajneeti. This Kapoor is climbing high and how.
Moving from strength to strength this birthday will only bring a lot more prosperity and success to him, leading him to the path of stardom. With his next release Anjaana Anjaani alongside Priyanka Chopra lined up, we wish this lad oodles of happiness on his birthday. May he do great work and keep the Kapoor flag flying high.
Aakrosh runs into trouble with censor board
Aakrosh, which was earlier supposed to release on the October 1, was shifted to October 8 and then again was further pushed to October 15, just to avoid clash with Anjaana Anjaani and Crook respectively. However, now it seems like the film has run into more trouble, but this time with the censor board.
The Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC) has issued a show-cause notice to the makers of Aakrosh stipulating approximately 30 cuts within the normal run time of the film. However, apparently the production house we hear has refused to make the necessary cuts.
Regional officer of CBFC, Alpana Sharma initially had demanded for the deletion of certain scenes and dialogues as the examining committee had objected to derogatory remarks made against the CBI, caste, community and women.
Aakrosh, which is directed by Priyadarshan and stars Ajay Devgn, Akshaye Khanna, Bipasha Basu and Paresh Rawal in lead roles is based on the subject of honour killings and explores the mysterious disappearance of three boys from Delhi University, who go missing in the dusty village of Jhanjhar, Bihar.
Anjaana Anjaani postponed further?
With the Ayodhya verdict deferred to next week, rumours started flying fast and furious within the industry that ANJAANA ANJAANI has been postponed yet again. The film was pushed from 24th September to 1st October and was now rescheduled for 8th October. The news gave panic attacks to several people in the film industry, especially film producers whose films are slated to release in October. A further postponement of ANJAANA ANJAANI would only mean that the release schedule would go haywire, yet again.
However, ANJAANA ANJAANI producer Sajid Nadiadwala denied he had decided to shift the film any further. “There’s no truth to these rumours. I am not pushing the film ahead. ANJAANA ANJAANI is confirmed for 1st October and that’s final,” the enterprising producer put an end to all speculation.
Anjaana Anjaani to release on 1st October
There was slight uncertainty which was building up around the release date of Anjaana Anjaani. Though plans for 24th September were finalised months back, the latest developments around the court verdict to be passed around 60 year-old Ayodhya title suit has apparently led to some rethinking amongst the makers. Add to that the fact that the film’s lead Ranbir Kapoor has shared his thoughts around the film’s release pretty openly has led to further round of speculations.
During one of the promotional events of the film, Ranbir Kapoor went on record to state that it was improper to release the film on 24th September since such a big national level decision was being announced on the same day. He felt that it was more appropriate to release Anjaana Anjaani a week later. Though producer Sajid Nadiadwala and director Siddharth Anand were supposedly not quite prepared for such comments, they have now been prompted to give it all a rational thinking and are finally releasing the film a week later on October 1st.
Says an industry observer, “The film has heated up quite well for this Friday release. The music is hit while promotional events have been going on full swing as well. No producer would actually want to move his film ahead when so much publicity has already taken place. A week’s delay would lead to more investment in the entire promotion and publicity machinery.”
“However, what is also of utmost importance is to pre-empt the sentiments across the country on 24th September. Really, one can never be too sure about how tense the situation could be then. It is not just about UP; it is about the whole country. Security is already pretty pressed up for the entire weekend. It may not be a bad idea after all for Anjaana Anjaani to hold on for a while and let 24th September pass by”, he continues.
Now that this Ranbir Kapoor- Priyanka Chopra starrer has decided to come on 1st October, it won’t be a bad deal after all. The only major competition for the week is with Aakrosh but given the dramatic genre of this Priyadarshan directed film and hence a different target audience, it won’t be an issue for any of the two films to do well. Rajnikanth and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan starrer Robot also releases on 1st October but again, its audience base is primarily down South.
While neither Sajid Nadiadwala nor Siddharth Anand were available for comments, the lead actors were continuing to promote the film in a business as usual manner.
‘Anjaana Anjaani’ postponed to next week?
Speculation is rife that Sajid Nadiadwala, the producer of ANJAANA ANJAANI, has decided to push the film ahead by one week, since the judgement on Ayodhya dispute is expected on September 24, which coincides with the release date of the film. However, the enterprising producer has decided to take a call – whether to release the film on September 24 or push it ahead by one week – on Monday today, after consulting his distributors. Watch this space for further developments!
Live Chat: Siddharth Anand on September 1 at 1330 hrs IST
He is a man who is a clear example of the proverb ‘Actions speak louder than words’. He is the ace film maker Siddharth Anand, who has to his credit, commercial films like Bachna Ae Haseeno, Ta Ra Rum Pum and Salaam Namaste.
Well, he is the man who is also the talk of the town, for he has got a mega film up his sleeve releasing this season. The film’s called Anjaana Anjaani and stars the mint-fresh pair of Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra.
Here’s your chance to catch Siddharth Anand up, close and personal on Bollywood Hungama’s Celebrity Chat on Wed, September 1 at 1330 hrs IST. Don’t miss it!
TBS Digicon 6 scheduled for November ’10
Started in the year 2000 with the aim of exploring and encouraging new animation content creators, TBS Digicon6 – animation awards is scheduled to take place November this year in Tokyo, Japan.
The organizers have partnered with Mumbai based animation education Frameboxx, which will be representing Digicon in India and will also be responsible for collecting the entries. Apart from the international edition, the duos have also planned an India chapter for the awards which will be named as Frameflixx – Digicon awards.
Says Rajesh Turakhia, MD of Frameboxx, “As you are aware that Frameboxx has successfully conducted the Frameflixx awards for 2009 & 2010, the whole idea of collaborating with TBS and planning for the India chapter is to raise the same to the international level.”
The entries sent are judged by a judging committee, set up by the secretariat on the basis of creativity, expressiveness, design and artistic quality, sound effects and other such criteria.
“The exposure that the Indian participants will get is going to be enormous and all qualified Framelixx – Digicon entries will be direct entries to Digicon Asia. Besides Frameflixx, the entries collected by our other online partners will also have a direct entry to Digicon.” he added.
TBS Digicon’s Takafumi Yuki shared, “This year is the first time that the Awards will be jointly announced. Efforts are on to popularize the event, raise awareness and get more and more artists participating in it.”
For more details about the awards and participation, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/2cvcsgy
Live Chat: Sidharth Anand on September 1 at 1330 hrs IST
He is a man who is a clear example of the proverb ‘Actions speak louder than words’. He is the ace film maker Sidharth Anand, who has to his credit, commercial films like Bachna Ae Haseeno, Ta Ra Rum Pum and Salaam Namaste.
Well, he is the man who is also the talk of the town, for he has got a mega film up his sleeve releasing this season. The film’s called Anjaana Anjaani and stars the mint-fresh pair of Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra.
Here’s your chance to catch Sidharth Anand up, close and personal on Bollywood Hungama’s Celebrity Chat on Wed, September 1 at 1330 hrs IST. Don’t miss it!
