Posts Tagged ‘Aishwariya Rai’
Priya Mani in Raavana?
Posted September 1, 2009
on:
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.
By Kunal M Shah (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 18, 2009)
![]() But Aishwarya’s condition worsened and she has now been advised complete rest because of which she requested Bhansali to give her two days off from the shoot of his forthcoming film, Guzaarish, in which she stars opposite Hrithik Roshan. The director readily granted her leave even though she was scheduled to shoot on Monday and Tuesday at Mehboob Studio. Aishwarya is currently under medication and is resting at home. |
Vivek Oberoi must’ve never in his wildest dreams imagined that he would be called a waiter at a party. It’s he who always calls Ganpat for the daaru, right? Well, this time the tables were turned during Ramesh Taurani’s silver anniversary, which had its share of drama with Vivek being the butt of the joke. Salman Khan’s younger brother Sohail Khan didn’t miss the opportunity to cock a snook at Salman’s sworn enemy Vivek Oberoi. It was bhai chaara at its best when Sohail decided to stand up for his bade bhaiya.
When Sohail walked in, Vivek was busy sipping a drink. Sohail proceeded further into the hall where the party was gaining momentum. A few seconds later, Sohail saw Vivek standing quietly in one corner. On spotting Vivek, Sohail couldn’t help but remember the enmity between Vivek and Salman and he decided to get cheeky. An eyewitness says, “Suddenly Sohail called out ‘Oye, Vivek!’. On hearing his name, Vivek looked towards Sohail. Immediately, Sohail looked at a waiter carrying a tray of drinks and again said, ‘Oye, Vivek, zaraa idhar aana’.” Vivek’s face fell when he realised that Sohail had humiliated him. The shocked actor simply put his head down and walked a few paces away from where Sohail was standing. Did Vivek want to confront Sohail? And did he control his anger as Salman was shortly expected to make an appearance at the do? We may never know, but one thing is for sure, poor Vivek is still paying for that much publicised press conference he had called in April 2003 complaining that Salman harassed and threatened him over the phone for his relationship with Aishwarya Rai, with whom Salman was romantically involved earlier. A friend of Sohail (name withheld on request) present at the party confirmed the incident. He laughed and said, “Uske baad Vivek ka chehra dekhne laayak tha.”
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MEENA IYER Times News Network (BOMBAY TIMES; July 24, 2009)
Katrina Kaif, whose performance in New York is still getting her compliments, is pleased as Punch… but the actress who recently celebrated her birthday with family in London, is also concerned about the huge responsibility this success has now thrust upon her. “I’m going to be expected to raise the bar with each further release,’’ she said, “and the thought is scary.”
Taking stock of the top brass in Bollywood, Kat said, “I disagree with the constant statement that actresses in Bollywood are interchangeable.’’ According to her, each of the top contenders had an uniqueness, and she was certain that what Kareena Kapoor could do… she herself would never be able to.
“Kareena is a fantastic actress,’’ admitted Kat. “I’m
still nowhere near her as a performer.’’
She was also of the opinion that Priyanka Chopra, Asin, Deepika Padukone, Vidya Balan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan had their own individual strengths. “I hate this media refrain that heroines in Bollywood are all the same,” complained Kat. “Priyanka, Asin and Vidya are my contemporaries. Can you imagine Parineeta without Vidya? Jab We Met without Kareena? Or, for that matter, Fashion without Priyanka? They are all first grade in these films.’’
Naturally, she is peeved that a magazine called them all assembly-line products who could be replaced by one another without the audience noticing the difference.
Katrina flashed, “By pigeon-holing us, the journalist is showing his or her lack of perception.’’
Another irritant is the constant comparison to Ash just because the two of them have endorsed the same products. “Aishwarya is an icon, I’m nowhere close to her,’’ said the actress who is currently one of the top contenders for Kareena’s No. 1 slot in Bollywood. And, as for that reference also in the media to her being “a modern day Madhubala”, Kat asked incredulously, “Where did that spring up from? Madhubala was an iconic actress. I’m not even one per cent of what she was. And I’m not amused at such comparisons because, honestly, I have no illusions of having reached somewhere with the body of work I have behind me. My journey has only just begun.’’
meena.iyer@ timesgroup.com
![]() The actress, who is one of Bollywood’s busiest currently, having films with topnotch makers like Mani Ratnam, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Vipul Shah, has been perfectly balancing her married life and career. She’s, however, angry that a section of the media has attributed quotes like “My career is more important to me than my family” to her. And is not amused with people putting words in her mouth like “If I want to remain in the film industry then I need to stay fit.” Ash is currently shooting with husband Abhishek in the jungles of Kerala for Ravana, but she conveyed her feelings through her spokesperson who said, “Aishwarya Rai is not just a star. She is also a daughter, a wife, a daughter-in-law and a symbol of true Indian tradition. She has always believed and practised values that govern our society.” The spokesperson further added, “Previously Aishwarya preferred to remain silent. Even when she was married off to a tree, she chose not to speak because she truly felt better sense would prevail. However, her silence should not be misconstrued as a sign of weakness.” The actress wants to know why should people speculate, when her spokespeople are available to clarify the truth. |
Sarkar 3 shelved
Posted July 22, 2009
on:Despite wanting to complete the Sarkar trilogy, Ram Gopal Varma gives up on Sarkar 3 because of no satisfactory script
Sarkar (2005) is one of Ram Gopal Varma’s acclaimed films. The film is his tribute to Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather series and it also netted handsome returns for the filmmaker. Then came the sequel, Sarkar Raj in 2008, but received a lukewarm response. Expectations from Bollywood’s first family, the Bachchans, were so high that critics and the audience were unkind to the film. Ramu says, “At that stage, I seriously wanted to take the series forward.” The general buzz was that after Abhishek Bachchan’s character was bumped off, the mantle of running the family would be taken over by Aishwarya Rai’s character and the story would be taken forward by her and Amitabh Bachchan’s character. RGV felt he had a winner on his hands and his team of writers tried to take the story forward from where they had left it with Sarkar Raj. “However, we couldn’t do justice to it,” confesses the filmmaker. Like The Godfather series, he too felt the graph going down with a third film. “If you have seen The Godfather, the first part where Marlon Brando plays the head of the family is easily the most arresting of the three films.”
Now, as he struggles with his writers to come up with the perfect script for the third film, he knows that it is not working out. “My relationship with the Bachchan family (no pun intended) is over,” RGV laughs. “I will make something with the three Bachchans at some other stage in life… But as far as a Sarkar 3 is concerned, it is shelved for sure.” Ramu adds, “My relationship with the Bachchan family is very close. I don’t wish to discuss the extent of proximity of our relationship because I have never done that in print. But yes, I can say that at the moment, my screen relationship with the Bachchan family is over.” |
Hrithik has been concentrating on his home production, Kites, which has left him with little time to prepare for the role of a paraplegic in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Guzaarish. The actor may be moving around on a wheelchair at home, but the role requires more work than that, for which time is in short supply. Bhansali’s solution is simple: bring Goa to Mumbai. He has decided to recreate Goa in a studio in Mumbai for the first major schedule, giving Hrithik some breathing room. Confirming the news, Sanjay said, “It’s not just Hrithik whose role requires tremendous preparation. Aishwarya’s part too is far from a slip-in slip-out character. Both are very busy actors. But they’re also quick on the uptake. And once they are back, they’ll be able to give themselves completely to the project.” In recent weeks, Sanjay has been meeting paraplegics all over the country and they’ve also been invited to Mumbai to meet the director. Commenting on the meeting, the director said emotionally, “It has been a life-changing experience. It is so inspiring to meet these people. Many of them haven’t moved from their wheelchairs and beds all their lives. And yet they’re so free-spirited and their zest for life is amazing.” “I want Guzaarish to be inspirational and not some depressing and defeatist story of physical disability. And I want my lead actors to be as inspired as I am. I know Hrithik and Aishwarya can bring the spirit of ebullience into the story. I know they’ll get the point as soon as they join me,” said Sanjay. |