Posts Tagged ‘december 24’
Aamir, author in ‘Idiots’ row
Posted on: January 2, 2010
BHARATI DUBEY Times News Network (THE TIMES OF INDIA; January 2, 2010)
New Delhi: Three Idiots may be creating box-office history. But all’s certainly not well between Chetan Bhagat, the author of the book Five Point Someone from which the movie has been adapted, and its hero Aamir Khan, producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra and director Rajkumar Hirani.
An ‘idiotic’ controversy has broken out over accusations of credit poaching. The film credits the story to Abhijat Joshi and Hirani. Bhagat’s name appears at the film’s end.
Bhagat is miffed that the film does not give him due credit, but Khan claims that Bhagat is trying to take away credit from Joshi, the film’s scriptwriter. Agencies have quoted the actor as saying that he has advised Chopra and Hirani to file a case against Bhagat as he has defamed them with “false’’ allegations.
Reacting to this, Bhagat told a news agency, “For the past two years, I have trusted Hirani, Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Aamir blindly and this is what I get in return. Now I am being threatened with legal action, but I am ready for it.’’
Chopra too jumped into the fray on Friday. When the controversy was brought up by journalists at a press meet in Noida, he thundered, “Have you read the book? I have read the book, so shut up!’’ He also charged Bhagat with trying to gain publicity for his book.
But Bhagat was quick to retort that he didn’t need this kind of fame and he couldn’t help it if millions of people who had read his Five Point Someone had spotted the issue.
The row erupted on Thursday, when Bhagat blogged, “Pre-release, the makers made press statements like the movie is only ‘very loosely’, ‘2%-5% inspired by the book’. After the release, those who have read the book and seen the movie (and frankly, I think those are the only people who have the right to comment) find the film to be an adaptation of Five Point Someone.’’
‘3 Idiots’ not an original story: Author Bhagat
New Delhi: Irked at the makers of ‘3 Idiots’ not giving him due credit, Chetan Bhagat, whose book Five Point Someone on which the film is based, has blogged, “The setting, characters, plotline, dramatic twists and turns, one-liners, theme, message—almost all aspects that make up the story are from FPS. Yes, there are some changes, any adaptation requires that—but it is no way an original story. Leading movie critics have admitted to me that the film is 70% the book. Still, don’t take my word for it—go read the book, watch the film.’’
But Aamir Khan’s thoughts are different. At a press meet on Thursday, he said, “It is unfortunate that Chetan is behaving in this manner.’’ The actor said scriptwriter Abhijat Joshi and director Rajkumar Hirani had “abided by the contract’’ entered into with Bhagat and the author had been given due credit as per the contract. “For three years, Joshi has been working on the script. It is unfortunate that Chetan is trying to take away the credit from someone not as famous as he is,’’ Aamir said. He also mentioned how Bhagat had dropped in on the sets of ‘3 Idiots’ one day. “During the course of the conversation, I told him that I was still to read FPS and I intended doing it sometime soon. Chetan then told me that Abhijat’s script is different and I need not necessarily read the book,’’ he said. In his blog, Bhagat has also said that “crores was poured into publicity on shutting me out and cementing the fact that ‘3 Idiots’ is not based on FPS. Bhagat added, “I wanted to see the final script—it was never shown to me. I wanted to see the film before release—it was not shown to me.” TNN
Ghaziabad theatre in dock for pirated DVDs
Reliance Big Pictures filed a police complaint against Galaxy Cinema suspecting it of helping in making pirated DVDs of the film 3 Idiots in Ghaziabad on Thursday. “The pirated DVDs of the film were available in the market from December 24 and it was from those prints that we got hold of the cap code marking which matched with this cinema hall. We then lodged an FIR against the hall,’’ Ghaziabad station road SHO Rashid Ali told TOI. It is learnt that the DVDs of the film were found in Delhi and UP which was tracked by Reliance. Kamal Gianchandani, COO (distribution) of Reliance Big Pictures, clarified, “The sleeves of the DVDs were available in the market but some of them did not have DVDs of the movie inside. Our enforcement team with the local authorities spoke to the local pirates and asked them not to sell the DVD for the first three weeks and also the MSOs asking them not to screen it for the first three weeks. Most of them honoured the commitment.’’ Nearly 2,000 DVDs were confiscated in raids conducted in Chandni Chowk, Delhi, and Sirsa in Haryana.
By Nikhil Ramsubramaniam, December 24, 2009 – 18:27 IST
Very few authors have managed to reach out to such a wide audience as Chetan Bhagat. The writer of international bestsellers like ’5 Point Someone’, ‘One Night @ Call Centre’, ’3 Mistakes of My Life’ and ’2 States’ have been widely read and now he is all set to see yet another of his book being made into a film. On the eve of 3 Idiots release, Chetan Bhagat speaks to Bollywood Hungama and talks about why 3 Idiots is a special film, his next big project and lots more.
After ‘One Night @ the Call Centre’, yet another book of yours ’5 Point Someone’ is all set to be seen in its celluloid version (3 Idiots). How does it feel?
It feels great. This time it’s a far bigger film, the buzz about 3 Idiots is enormous. We have done the right thing by putting the film ahead of us. It’s an incredible feeling to be able to reach out to so many people through the medium of cinema.
 Initially I did sit down with Raju and Abhijat while they were deciding to make a film based on ‘5 Point Someone‘. I even went to IIT with Abhijat a couple of times.  |
The screenplay has been written by Raju Hirani and Abhijat Joshi…Would you have liked to be a part of the screenplay writing process?
Initially I did sit down with Raju and Abhijat while they were deciding to make a film based on ’5 Point Someone’. I even went to IIT with Abhijat a couple of times. But it was just not possible for me to be involved at every stage of the screenplay writing process since I was in Hong Kong at that time, working full time and busy writing other books. Moreover, Abhijat is based in USA, Raju was in the US for quite a while working on the screenplay but it was not practical for me to do that.
| 3 Idiots is different from the book but at the same time it does borrow many things from the book. The core theme and message of the film is coming from the book itself. |
The question on everyone’s mind is how similar the film is to the book? Raju Hirani says that the film is just 10% of the book….your comments.
I don’t think Raju must have said something like that. In fact I just met him a few days ago and we spoke at length about the film etc. See…’5 Point Someone’ has over the years achieved cult status and has its own loyal fans. I am sure they would like to see each and every moment of the book on the big screen but that is not how the process works. Adapting a book and making it into a film is a relatively new thing in India. The film retains the soul of the book. 3 Idiots is different from the book but at the same time it does borrow many things from the book. The core theme and message of the film is coming from the book itself. And that’s why the makers have officially credited the film as ‘Based on a novel by Chetan Bhagat’
You are but obviously not directly involved with the film and its promotional strategies…does it upset you?
Not at all…at the end of the day I want the film to be a good film and I am happy that a film whose base is generated from my book has generated so much response and is the talk of the town.
Aamir recently was on an innovative promotional spree travelling the length and breadth of the country…what do you think about this marketing strategy?
When you have Aamir Khan, I don’t think anybody else needs to be involved in marketing of the film. Aamir is known for his innovative style of marketing. He will never directly say, ‘Please come and watch my film’ but he will do something that will grab your attention and make you go and watch the film. I am really inspired by his marketing. In fact there is a lesson for a lot of Indian marketing companies on the way Aamir does the marketing of his films.
Moving on from 3 Idiots, how is work coming along on the film based on your book ’3 Mistakes of My Life’ being made by Excel Entertainment?
| I am really inspired by Aamir’s marketing. In fact there is a lesson for a lot of Indian marketing companies on the way Aamir does the marketing of his films. |
Abhishek Kapoor (the director) is very conscious of the comparisons that will come between the book and the film and hence we (Abhijit, Pubali Chaudhari and I) are taking great care in writing the screenplay of the film. In fact even today as we speak, I am working on the screenplay of the film based on ’3 Mistakes Of My life’. We are aware that after Rock On and 3 Idiots, there will be a lot of expectations from people and hence we are working very hard on getting the screenplay right. I think we should be able to finalise it soon and begin casting in a month or so.
Your most recent novel ’2 States’ was launched a couple of months ago…how has been the response so far?
’2 States’ has had a fantastic response… easily the best of all the 4 books, that’s because it’s a very universal love story with a good dose of humour. It’s a very good book for a lot of people to relate and enjoy. It also carries a nice message. Especially in the South, the book has done extraordinarily well. I think I have been able to meet my fans expectations which is the ultimate dream for any writer.
| ‘2 States‘ has had a fantastic response… easily the best of all the 4 books, that’s because it’s a very universal love story with a good dose of humour. |
That book would make for an interesting Bollywood potboiler…any plans to adapt that book into a film too?
There have been many offers but I know that my fans would like me to be involved with only A-grade Bollywood. I don’t want to sell the rights to any filmmaker just for the heck of it. It should go into the right hands so that it emerges as one of the best films of the year
What else are you busy with these days apart from tweeting….the buzz is that you are scripting a film?
Twitter is a great way to stay connected with my fans. Yes…I do want to script a romantic comedy. Abhishek Kapoor has taught me a lot about screenplay writing. The best part about working with Abhishek is that he has shown me how the screenplay language works and also how to use restraint. Rock On was such a film that expressed so much more in spite of being subtle. My books tend to be quite filmy sometimes (laughs). It’s ironical that a filmmaker is telling me to be less filmy but I am forever indebted to Abhishek for teaching me these things about screenplay writing. Now I am hoping that I can do a better job.
BOLLYWOOD HUNGAMA.COM
By Virat A Singh and Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 24, 2009)
Hrithik Roshan gets this water. As do hundreds of residents in one of the city’s most posh suburbs. Every day, for over a month now, residents of Juhu’s 12th and 13th Road have been waking up to severely contaminated water flowing from their taps.
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| Water sample collected from Hrithik’s Juhu 12th Road home at 3 pm on Wednesday |
Supplied by BMC as drinking water, it is the colour of coal tar, with visible suspended particles, and smells of faeces. And it flows from taps meant for supplying clean, potable water.
This has forced Roshan’s wife Sussanne, a mother of two, to use the family’s good offices to bring the BMC to book. “It is a very bad situation. We are getting drinking water which is mixed with sewage water,” she told Mumbai Mirror.
The Roshans who live at Palazzio building on Juhu 12th Road sent Ashok Vasodia, their secretary to BMC K/West Ward office on Wednesday afternoon to lodge a complaint. Their concerns are shared by the other residents who live under the threat of an epidemic breakout.
Vigilant resident Kishore Gupta remarked, “We have a TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) meter at our house and the reading of the BMC water ranges from 135 to 200, while a packaged drinking water has a TDS of around 70. BMC water should normally have around 75. This shows the extent of contamination!”
“We are receiving dark, brackish water, which smells of faeces and can be used only to flush toilets. We are forced to use packaged water,” complained Sunila Lalwani, a resident of Jasmet on 12th Road, opposite Roshan’s Palazzio. She also added that her 11-year-old son Sachin who must have somehow ingested this contaminated water, had to miss his second semester examination after falling ill.
Rekha Teckani, who runs a playgroup for children in the neighbourhood, says, “If we take a bath with this water we start stinking. The question of using this water for drinking and cooking does not even arise!” Teckani buys packaged drinking water for her playgroup kids.
According to Dr Anant Narde, resident of Girnar building on 13th Road, the problem of contaminated water was aggravated after BMC contractors, appointed for re-laying 13th Road, damaged the existing water pipelines in September this year. “We have been receiving this contaminated water for over a month now and live in constant fear of our children taking ill. Officials from the BMC’s Hydraulic Engineering department assured us they will provide us free potable water. But we will have to bring tankers and it is not possible for us to go scouting for tankers in the morning. The neighbourhood has no option but to call for private water tankers.”
Some residents have even threatened that if the problem is not solved in a couple of days they will fill bottles with the contaminated water and present it to councillor Adolf D’Souza and all BMC officials from the K/West Ward as a Christmas gift.
Local councillor Adolf D’Souza blamed the contractors who damaged the pipelines while working on the road. “After receiving complaints from the residents we inspected the site along with officials of the Hydraulic Engineering department and discovered that the existing pipeline has been damaged at various places, allowing sewage water to seep through the water pipeline throughout the stretch. We have already laid new water pipeline on 13th Road and it was to be connected by March next year. But given the gravity of the situation I have asked officials to connect these new pipes to the main water line near Juhu Church and supply clean water from that pipeline.”
A senior official from Hydraulic department voiced, “We are tired of the sewerage department as their contractors have been merrily damaging water pipelines all around Juhu and neighbouring areas and we have to face the ire of locals. We are repairing the lines and laying down a new pipeline to solve the water woes completely but this will take around a week’s time.”
Juhu residents have been facing the problem of contaminated water for nearly 10 years. And laying down new pipelines may not be the answer. As Sunila Lalwani pointed out, “A new pipe line compounded the problem as it cut down the water flow drastically. We were receiving only one hour of water supply everyday. So laying down a new line without rectifying the water pressure problem is foolish.”
By Kunal M Shah (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 24, 2009)
The much-hyped premiere of 3 Idiots promised what seemed impossible – bringing all the three Khans under one roof. Well, turns out that it actually is impossible. For while Salman Khan made a gamely appearance, Shah Rukh did not complete the picture of the happy Khan-daan. It was left up to an unchaperoned Karan Johar to pass on the good wishes for both of them.
Amitabh Bachchan was missing in action as well, taking some of the sheen away from the big premiere. Of course, other stars showed up but many of them are associated with the film or with director Rajkumar Hirani’s earlier Munnabhai series.
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| From (Left): Kareena kapoor and Saif Ali Khan, Kiran Rao and Aamir Khan, Imran Khan and Avantika, Rajkumar Hirani and Vinod Chopra |
Aamir Khan, always the professional, played the courteous host despite the fact that he was running a high temperature. His doctor had visited him twice yesterday and his fever had hit a raging 103 degrees. Dressed in a Sabyasachi suit, he received the guests with the cast and the crew of 3 Idiots at a multiplex at Wadala, while his wife Kiran Rao stationed herself on the first floor near the screens. She was seen discussing the film with Chetan Bhagat. Bet he was trying to figure out which bits from his book finally made it to the film.
Salman caused quit a stir when he appeared and had to be whisked away and he entered the venue from a different route. Kareena Kapoor, looking stunning in a saree, came in with a dapper-looking Saif Ali Khan. Mona Singh, who makes her debut with the film, was seen in a quiet corner with her father, keeping a low profile. Bhushan Kumar was heard saying that he had cancelled his family vacation for the premiere. Touching.
Mansoor Khan was the self-appointed babysitter as he was seen loading up on the popcorn for Aamir’s kids Junaid and Ira. Reema, Aamir’s ex-wife, was also present.
Sanjay Dutt came without his devoted wife Manyata, while a bearded Sonu Nigam decided it was better not to leave his better half at home.
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| Sanjay dutt | Sharman joshi | Salman khan |
Yuvraj angry seeing Kim-Abhishek cosying; aruges with them and guess what happened next
Posted on: December 24, 2009
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It’s never a good idea to be in the same room with an ex and a current partner. Kim Sharma found herself in this unenviable situation when her ex, Yuvraj Singh, made an appearance at a party where she was getting rather cosy with her ‘good friend’ Abhishek Kapoor.
Sparks were bound to fly and this time, they threatened to scald poor Abhishek.
When the cricketer entered the party, he simply greeted Kim formally. But the Zen state didn’t last long as watching his ex with another man seems to have rekindled his possessive streak. He was annoyed and went up to Abhishek. A major argument ensued and Kim decided to leave the venue with Yuvraj.
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| From (Left): Kim Sharma, Abhishek Kapoor, Yuvraj Singh (Pic: Yogen Shah) |
Our source said, “Kim tried to salvage the situation. She asked both of them to calm down.” Things were normal for some time, but Kim and Yuvraj shocked everyone when they left the party together.
Kim and Abhishek refused to comment on the story.
Anees Bazmee-the sequel junkie
Posted on: December 24, 2009
By Kunal M Shah (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 24, 2009)
Anees Bazmee is becoming a sequel specialist now. He is working on as many as four sequels simultaneously and if all goes well, the fifth is not far away. The four sequels that he is working on right now are No Entry 2, Welcome Back, Mr. India 2 and Hera Pheri 4.
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| Anees Bazmee |
Anees informs us about his sequels in making, “I am in the process of writing all these films and so far I have only managed to complete Hera Pheri 4. I have also been busy with the shooting of No Problem and that’s the reason I have not been able to finish writing the other films. In fact No Problem also has a possibility of a sequel.”
When asked what precaution he takes while making a sequel considering that the original is already a hit, he tells us, “I do not need to spend any time establishing a character in the film and there is a major disadvantage as a writer and a director. However, since the film is already a hit, I need to work doubly hard on every scene. Be it an emotional, comic or an action scene, I have to make sure that they are even better than the first one so that there is some novelty factor.”
After Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye (2008), the successful combination of director Dibakar Banerjee and Abhay Deol will be seen again. The untitled film is a political thriller involving an assassination. Abhay will play one of the protagonists.
Confirming the news, Dibakar says, “The film is based on a European novel published in the mid-1960s. We are still negotiating for the rights of the book. Ever since I read the book, I wanted to convert it into a film. Of course, I will adapt it to Indian sensibilities. The film deals with three principal characters. Abhay plays a South Indian judge, while the other characters are a journalist who sells soft porn to magazines and an expat social worker, who will be female.”
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| Abhay Deol | Dibakar Banerjee |
Currently Dibakar is talking to a few heroines who will star with Abhay. He says, “I need one girl. She will be finalised in the next few days. But the biggest challenge in this film is that Abhay Deol will have to learn Tamil. He plays a Tamilian and has to speak several lines in Tamil throughout the film. For that, he will be first learning the language,” Dibakar added.
The director will take a short break after the release of Love, Sex Aur Dhoka (LSD). He adds, “This movie has completely drained me emotionally and I need to give sometime to myself. The script is already written and ready and will only go on floors by the end of next year. Unconventional subjects are my forte, but this film will not be bolder than LSD. Trust me, you will not have seen a bolder film than LSD in your life.”
Is this a Balaji production roo? That’s the buzz, we told him. He says, “There are no producers as such on board yet.”
Producer Sajid Nadiadwala, director Siddharth Anand and music composers Vishal Shekhar asked Ranbir Kapoor to lend his voice for a song in Anjaana Anjaani. Not only did Ranbir sing, but he also finished recording it in 45 minutes.
The recording took place at Vishal Shekhar’s studio in Bandra at 1am on Wednesday. Ranbir was on his way home before 2am. “He shocked both, Vishal and Shekhar. His singing was so smooth and comfortable. This facet of Ranbir was completely unknown and untapped,” says an industry source.
The scene which required Ranbir to sing isn’t a random input. Ranbir breaks into the song with a band playing behind him. The song is shown for a little over one-and-half minute.
Ranbir’s leading lady, Priyanka Chopra, was also present in the studio at around 10pm. Priyanka will also sing a solo for the same film, if everything goes well.” She heard the tune last night and brainstormed with Siddharth and Vishal Shekhar about her comfort level with the pitch of the song. She is yet to muster up the courage to sing. As things stand today, she should be singing the song in the next couple of days,” added the source.
It was the director of the film who wanted Ranbir to sing that particular song. Siddharth said, “Ranbir improvised a lot and did a brilliant job. It was my idea to make him sing. He knew about it from the time he read the script. But the scene where he sings remains to be shot. It will be canned in the next schedule in the US.”
Vishal thinks that Ranbir’s voice was necessary for credibility. He said, “Though it’s a song, it’s also a scene. We had to get Ranbir to do it for authenticity and he totally rocked!”
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| Shekhar and Vishal (Pic: Raju Shinde) |
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| Ranbir Kapoor | Priyanka Chopra |
Karan Johar doesn’t just manage to get his celebrity guests to open their hearts and reveal their innermost secrets on his TV show, he is also their confidante in real life.
No surprise then to know that Hrithik Roshan confides in him about the dilemmas that trouble him.
Reliable sources have told Mumbai Mirror that recently Hrithik confessed to Karan that he was just not able to get Kites co-star Barbara Mori out of his mind and the effort to keep up the façade of being happily married to Sussanne is tearing him apart. Though these rumours are not new the fact that Hrithik spoke to someone about it just shows how much it is affecting him. Reports also say that Hrithik has made it quite clear to directors close to him that he would be willing to green-light projects that required him to star with Barbara but no one has taken the bait yet, as they all wait to see the reaction to Kites.
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| Hrithik Roshan and Karan Johar (Pic: Yogen Shah) |
The rather prim and proper Hrithik has also become a party animal, and friends around him are worried that he overindulges. Said a worried co-star, “Hrithik used to be one of the most balanced people around but suddenly one hears that he and his cronies, which include several well-known names, party almost every night and some of the things that go on there are alarming. Everyone in the industry knows about this, but no one will talk.”
Despite this, Hrithik continues to be one of the most professional actors; he reaches on time and is present on sets even when he is not required for a scene. His films are liked by the audience across the board and he only gets better as an actor as he challenges himself with every film he does.
Akshay invited on The Hour
Posted on: December 24, 2009
Bollywood Khiladi Akshay Kumar did more than cause a stampede in Toronto where he went last week to be be the Indian torch bearer for the 2010 Winter Olympics. The action star, who intends to auction the torch and give the proceeds to the Special Olympics, was subsequently invited to television studios to be on one of Canada’s most powerful and influential talk shows – The Hour.
Aired every night, The Hour covers politics, the arts, entertainment, the environment, human rights, sports and more. Its host, George Stroumboulopoulos, is one of the most respected journalists in Canada and has interviewed many of the most influential and recognised people in the world from heads of state to rock stars.
Naturally, Akshay with his huge fan following in Canada was the perfect choice as subject on the show that earlier featured Hollywood actors Matt Damon, Samuel L. Jackson, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tom Cruise. The Khiladi is not saying what Stroumboulopoulos asked him, but the TV host is known more for flamboyance than any cut-andthrust on air.
