Posts Tagged ‘josh’
By Taran Adarsh, November 17, 2009 – 08:42 IST
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While on Akshay Kumar and Priyadarshan, their new outing, DE DANA DAN, has evoked tremendous interest within and outside the industry. The film is piping hot, to put it in simple and straightforward terms. The Akshay – Suniel – Paresh pairing with Priyadarshan evokes strong memories of HERA PHERI.
“DE DANA DAN is not HERA PHERI,” producer Ratan Jain clarifies, “Sure, the star cast is same and so is the director, but there’s no effort to make a sequel to HERA PHERI or be like HERA PHERI. DE DANA DAN has a completely different storyline and the character sketches are poles apart too.”
But comparisons with HERA PHERI are inevitable. “I am well aware of that, but the fact is that DE DANA DAN is far more entertaining than any Akshay – Priyadarshan movies made in the past. DE DANA DAN has Priyan and Akshay at their best,” the respected producer explains.
Ratan Jain, who has worked with Aamir [AKELE HUM AKELE TUM, MELA], SRK [BAAZIGAR, BAADSHAH, YES BOSS, JOSH and MAIN HOON NAA] and Akki regularly, is planning a project each with Abbas-Mustan and Priyadarshan in the near future. What happens to KHILADI 2? “That will be made with Abbas-Mustan and Akki only, but till we lay our hands on the right script, we wouldn’t like to announce the project,” he says.
BOLLYWOOD HUNGAMA.COM
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on her birthday… and the 15th anniversary of her Miss World crown
MEENA IYER Times News Network (BOMBAY TIMES; November 1, 2009)
Fifteen years after she won the Miss World beauty pageant, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan continues to be the most celebrated Bollywood brand ever. With her waist-length hair cascading down high cheek bones, and striking green-grey eyes, with bodyguards keeping vigilance, she looks every inch the diva she is. And we ask…
How’s it feel to be the most beautiful face in Bollywood 15 years after you won your crown?
• I’m not very good at handling compliments but I accept it with grace. I’m grateful to God, my audiences and my filmmakers —be it Mani Ratnam (Iruvar, Guru, Raavan), Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Devdas, Guzaarish), Mansoor Khan (Josh), Ashutosh Gowarikar (Jodhaa Akbar), Ram Gopal Varma (Sarkar Raj), Raj Kumar Santoshi (Khakee), Aditya Chopra (Mohabbatein, Dhoom II) and others who never used just my beauty as the fulcrum. Instead, they kept the beauty and the aesthetics going at the same time in each of the film characters I played.
Life has come a full circle. Even after marriage, you still have the best makers backing you.
• These are the same filmmakers I have worked with in the beginning of my career. I got married in the middle of shooting Jodhaa Akbar and when I reported back on his set, Ashu told me that nothing has changed. It just meant so much more hard work for me because when I come to the work front, I don’t want anyone to think of me as being any less professional than I was when I was single. It was important for me to strike the right balance between home and work. All the film-makers I’m working with are super passionate about their work. Thanks to them, I still feel the same adrenaline rush that I always feel when I’m on set.
Earlier this year, you were awarded the Padmashree…
• It has been a memorable year, every other month there has been some honour. I have much to thank God for.
Abhishek and you have tickled audiences with that recent soap commercial.
• It is ten years of my association with the brand. So they suggested that it would be nice to bring Abhishek on board. Honestly, how time flies.
Amitabh Bachchan said it is for you and Abhishek to make him a grandpa whenever…
• Well, if you ask him a question like that, what can he say? It is an apt answer for a parent to give. When I was on the Oprah Winfrey show, I told her that every time there is even a bump, it is assumed that I’m with child. Being pregnant is not something one can conceal. When I am pregnant, the world will know.
meena.iyer@timesgroup.com
Priya Mani in Raavana?
Posted on: September 1, 2009
MEENA IYER (BOMBAY TIMES; August 31, 2009)
There are two theories doing the rounds. One is that filmmaker Mani Ratnam’s writers reportedly goofed. When they gave Mani a copy of the script of Raavana, a contemporary adaptation of the Ramayana, with Tamil superstar Vikram playing Ram, Aishwarya Rai playing Sita and Abhishek Bachchan playing Raavan, they forgot to include the very important character of Shoorpankha. Shoorpankha, who is Raavan’s sister, whose nose is chopped off by Laxman in the forest according to folklore and because of which episode Raavan swears revenge on Ram. Now, Shoorpankha is pivotal to the plot… could Mani’s writing team actually have over looked this detail? Seems improbable because Mani is known for his precision. A source from the South says Mani’s production team approached the current reigning diva Nayantara for the role of Shoorpankha but she refused. Next they approached National Award-winner Priya Mani.
Priya will play Shoorpankha in the Tamil and Hindi versions, just like Aishwarya is playing Sita in both versions. Theory two on why many top Bollywood heroines who were approached for the role of Shoorpankha refused it is because “no one wants to play Abhishek’s sister,” says a source. “Abhishek is a dishy actor, and not many actresses want to ruin their chances of being paired romantically opposite him by playing his sister in Raavana,” the source adds.
Girls who refused to be cast as Abhishek’s sister should recall Josh where Ash played Shah Rukh Khan sister, but she still romanced him very convincingly in Mohabbatein. After all it is just role play.
Fenil and Bollywood 