Posts Tagged ‘blog’
Aamir Khan’s dog, Shah Rukh, who had created such a furore in both the Khans’ lives, no longer lives at Aamir’s Panchgani home
Shah Rukh Khan can heave a sigh of relief. Remember the dog in Aamir Khan’s life, Shah Rukh, who made headlines last year? Well, that dog is not a part of Aamir’s life anymore.
Recently, the dog Shah Rukh moved out of Aamir’s Panchgani bungalow because his master, Aamir’s caretaker, moved out, taking his dog with him.
A source says, “Since the old caretaker is out, there was no point keeping the dog Shah Rukh. The dog had to go with the caretaker.”
The dog Shah Rukh had played a big role in widening the rift between the two Khans. After Aamir had written on his blog, “Shah Rukh is licking my feet and I am feeding him biscuits every now and then. What more can I ask for?” and “Shah Rukh is smelling too much, I think he needs a bath,” the already hot competition between the two had been further fuelled.
While both were battling it out for supremacy at the box-office this sort of banter had only made them more competitive.
Evidently, after a while Aamir & Co had changed the dog’s name. After calling him Shah Rukh for sometime, they had started calling him Shahki.
There is an explanation for the dog’s name too. Said the source, “The old caretaker is a big fan of Shah Rukh Khan. Since Shah Rukh was shooting in Panchgani when the dog was born, he had named him Shah Rukh. Later, he himself started calling him Shahki and the others, in and around Aamir’s Panchgani property, followed suit.”
Anyway, things seem to be a lot better between the two Khans now. In April 2009, they came together on the same platform to support the producers in their fight against the multiplex owners. Recently, Shah Rukh attended the premiere of 3 Idiots. Who knows, with the exit of the dog, Shah Rukh, from Aamir’s life, their interpersonal equation may greatly improve too.
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.
Chetan Bhagat, whose book Five Point Someone, was the starting point of 3 Idiots, is not only amazed that Vinod Chopra and Aamir Khan have not read the book but also that they have been repeatedly saying that the film is only five per cent like the book.
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| Chetan Bhagat |
“Those that haven’t read the book (read Vinod and Aamir) should not be opinionating on it. Those that have read the book and seen the film put the contribution at around 70 per cent,” he says.
Though he has blogged about his disappointment at length, he insists it isn’t about suing them or about the money.
“I have truth on my side,” he says, “Even when Gandhi took on the mighty British Empire with just a small band of followers, he had truth on his side.”
He is just happy that the film has been to the movies what his book was to the book trade… a super hit.
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Has it soured Bollywood for him? His answer is an emphatic no. “There are many good people around too.” Chetan’s third book, 3 Mistakes of My Life, is currently being adapted for film by Abhishek Kapoor (Rock On!!) and his fourth, 2 States is being widely courted by directors. “I took the heat when Hello (based on One Night at a Call Centre) failed,” he says, not saying but obviously meaning, why shouldn’t he get the credit for 3 Idiots?
HITLIST (Mid-Day; January 1, 2010)
The writer has plenty to say about the movie being touted as being different from his book Five Point Someone
Chetan Bhagat is peeved that he has not been given his due credit in Rajkumar Hirani’s 3 Idiots. The film is based on his novel Five Point Someone. The writer has vented his ire ‘A book, a film and the truth’ on his blog (http://www.chetanbhagat.com/).
Here’s an extract….
“The 3 Idiots story credit issue has been making some noise now… and I think it is important I clarify a few things. Clearly, the makers of the film have been unfair and thousands of my readers have been saying so.This is not an issue that has ‘just come up’. I’ve been grappling with it for two years, but kept silent about it.
Wrong claims
The only reason it has surfaced after the movie’s release is because Five Point Someone has a few million readers, and when you copy a popular story claiming it as ‘original’ and ‘completely different’, people are going to find out.
The case is as simple as the makers claiming the story as their own, and clearly it is not. Pre-release, the makers made statements like the movie is only ‘very loosely’ inspired by the book….
After 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. 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 privately admitted to me that the film is 70 per cent the book. Still, don’t take my word for it — go read the book, watch the film.
I, frankly, was shocked to see this. This is because I was also fed ‘this is an original movie’ line a lot. 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 (even though trials had been done for people). What’s more, the makers had called me to their office and pressured me several times to withdraw my ‘Based on a novel by’ credit, which was by contract. They told me they’d replace it with something like ‘initiated by’ — a credit that doesn’t exist anywhere in the world. I still told them that if the film is indeed original, I’ll happily withdraw the credit, but somehow the promos don’t tell me so. I asked them to show me the film and they fell silent.
Soon, they started doing media promotions for the film, and kept me completely out of it (you’ll never find me in an interview with them). Crores was poured into publicity on shutting me out and cementing the fact that 3 Idiots is not based on Five Point Someone. Ten days before the release, I was called into their office. They said ‘we should be friends now’. I said I am always up for friendship, and the success of the film is good for me as well. They also said, and I quote verbatim ‘even though this is an original film, we have given you a great credit, right upfront. After all, we love writers and a king should treat another king with respect. You are family’. I believed them.
Then I went for the premiere. My family sat in the theatre shocked, as sequence after sequence came from the book. Two per cent means three minutes or so, and I had told my family to look for the few FPS moments and note them. However, there were so many that it became impossible to keep track. The plot was same — people meet at ragging, the first class with definition of machine, the friends separate, Alok (Raju) moves with Venkat (Chatur), Ryan (Rancho) helps Alok’s father, Alok rejoins group, etc, etc. From Alok (Raju) jumping to stealing the papers and calling out from Cherian (Virus’) office — the book came alive on screen.
However, my family had not spotted my credit in the beginning (there was none) and they were feeling let down. A screenplay associate credit to VVC had a prominent upfront placement. The story credit was not shared with me. And yes, all the office talk of a ‘king treated like king’ was a white lie. I knew they had played with me, and that ‘based on a novel by’ credit, which they were legally bound to give would be hushed away at the end — with the clear intention of making sure people miss it. And indeed, it came after the junior artistes and still photographer of the movie. My mother missed seeing my name, and for that she cried after seeing the film. I told her it doesn’t matter, as people know FPS. But yes, that hurt me a lot.”
| The Other Side |
| 3 Idiots director Rajkumar Hirani, producer Vidhu Vinod Chopta and actor Aamir Khan preferred not to comment. |
Bharati Dubey | TNN (THE TIMES OF INDIA; November 30, 2009)The actor apologised to Shah Rukh and his family on a talk show on Saturday night. When he was told that Shah Rukh’s children, who were his fans, were upset with him because of his blog, Aamir said, “I really respect Shah Rukh, especially because he is a family man. He takes care of his family. If I have hurt their sentiments, I offer my unconditional apology to Shah Rukh and his family.’’
Aamir denied that he called Shah Rukh the number 2 star. “I had said I consider Sachin Tendulkar as the numero uno, but he does not say that himself.’’
On the remark about calling his dog SRK, Aamir said it was said as a joke. He no longer calls the dog Shah Rukh, but calls him Shaaki.
Aamir Khan may be the most powerful man in Bollywood today giving successive hits as actor, producer and director but his eyes still gleam with unexpected animation as he sits down to do an interview. Here he is, candid and uncut
• In 3 Idiots you play a guy from 20 to 24 years, while you are actually 44. How old are you in your head?
I still imagine myself to be 18 or 22. The other day I was at the birthday of someone who I had always thought of as older than me in my head, an uncle type person. I asked him, how old he was that day and he said 30 and I got a shock because suddenly I realised that I was 14 years older than him. I am, of course, 44, which is middle-aged, but somewhere in my head I am lost in the 18-20 age group.
• Did that help you play this character?
No. But given that it is necessary to get into the head of a character when you are jumping age lines, it gets more challenging. Jumping age lines, jumping accents, or jumping sexes like my playing a woman is always tough. I had actually told Raju to take someone younger but he insisted he could see me in the role. He said, “In real life, you are so close to Rancho, (the character that I am playing) I feel if you are saying what Rancho is saying people will believe it. What Rancho says is the philosophy of the film and I need someone who people will believe in.”
• You exude a lot of confidence on screen. Are you really a very confident person inside?
I think I am average, in the sense that most people are confident to a certain degree, people go through self doubt. I too go through self doubt. I am given to thinking, “Am I doing the right thing?” I only do things that I enjoy, that’s my first rule. I must be happy in what I am doing. If I am not happy doing an ad, I won’t do it. I don’t do it for commercial reasons. Yes of course I am earning money while I am doing it, but that’s not the core reason for doing it. This ultimately shows in my work, otherwise I am as confident or diffident as the next man. I also need reassurance like everyone else. I also need people to say “I liked your film”.
• When you were directing yourself in Taare Zameen Par was there anything about you as an actor that disturbed you as a director?
I have to say no. The actor and director in me saw eye to eye. Yes, when I see the film today, there are moments where I feel the scene could have been pitched differently. But that is in retrospect. That’s the corrective process in me when I am watching any of my work.
• In hindsight which of your successful films needed the most correction?
One of them would be Fanaa, the other would be Ishq, both highly successful films. In the first half of Fanaa, the character was pitched too filmy. I would have pitched him slightly different. In fact, Kunal (Kohli) and I had a long discussion about it. I would have made the character more real and more layered because as human beings we don’t have a singular emotion. When I am playing a character my attempt is that it should not be single dimensional, it should be layered. Ishq again had a lot of broad strokes and it’s also a very successful film.
• As a director do you have an actor wish list?
I am not sure whether I am thinking as a director right now. I think at heart I am still an actor. Of course now that I have taken the first step and directed one film, I am more open to listening to stories. Actually I have a very strange answer. While I am not in the mood of a director just now the opposite is also true. I think like a filmmaker. Coming back to your question, my wish list would really depend upon what the script is. So my casting would really be based on who can best play a certain part and who will suit the role. Each and every person connected to the film should feel that he is in love with it.
• Does success isolate you?
Success can be extremely isolating. And often, for multiple reasons. When you are successful, a celebrity, especially an actor, your stardom is like a magnet. It’s like the sun. (In fact, I wonder who coined this term ‘star’. Because every star is actually a sun). Because you are a star, every one is attracted to you for different reasons, some valid, some invalid. Some honourable, some not so honourable. But, as a human being our bandwidth is limited. So often what happens is that we need to shut off. It is humanly impossible to deal with so many things.
Have you noticed that stars, never make eye-contact when they are out in public. The moment you make eye-contact, you have to engage. And it’s not that we don’t like engaging. I love engaging with people. But I get tired. How many people can I engage with? That’s the nature of the beast. That’s the nature of my profession.
• You have been reportedly meeting people you met on social networking sites. Does engaging with them help you perform in some way?
Now people know that it’s me on the blog, but there was a time when they didn’t. The idea behind it was to interact with strangers. Because the minute a person knows who I am, he reacts to me in a particular way. He may or may not share certain ideas with me. Or the attitude of sharing will change. The fiber of the communication will change. But if the person doesn’t know who I am, which the Internet allows, then he’s freer. That was the kind of interaction I valued a lot. There were a few people who I found to be particularly engaging. Or unusual. And those were the few people to whom I revealed who I am.
If I felt that I had a certain rapport with someone, then I no longer felt comfortable hiding, or lying about who I am. If I have reached a level of engagement of this kind, I need to tell the person who I am. So then it happened that I took three-four people into confidence.
• Since you have just completed 3 Idiots with Raju Hirani, the director of the Munnabhai series, tell me an instant recall of a Munnabhai moment?
I would say jaadu ki jhappi. That’s my big recall moment from Munnabhai. Both, Munnabhai MBBS and Lage Raho Munnabhai are my favourite films in the last five-seven odd years. They are great wholesome entertainment, which connect with you on a human level. Really connect with you on a human level.
Going back to one of your earlier questions, one of the key reasons for me doing this film, despite the fact that I am double the age of the character is Raju. I was so keen to work with Raju and I could see that Raju was excited about casting me in the film. Iske saath mereko film karne hain yaar. Agar isko lagta hain main bees saal ka ho jaata hoon toh main ho jaata hoon. Kyunki ye itna kamaal ka director hai, iske saath mereko kaam karna hain yaar.
Over the years all my professional decisions have been absurd. Its absolutely right for someone to tell me – ke tu 42 ka hain aur tu 22 ka character play kar raha hain. It may be an idiotic decision but all my decisions are idiotic. 3 idiots ka idiotic decision.
When I told anyone that I was making a film on dyslexia, they said I was mad.
When I signed Rang De Basanti, usse pehle Bhagat Singh aur Azad Singh par char filmey aa chuki thi. It was a crazy decision. My sister called me up in the evening and asked, “What are you doing?” I told her I signed a film, it’s the fifth remake of Bhagat Singh.She started laughing. She said abhi flop hui hain chauthi, aur tum paanchvi karoge. It was a bizarre decision.
Lagaan is another example. Today it is known as successful film but at that time it was a disastrous decision. None of my decisions have been practical.
• How easy or difficult it is to forgive past mistakes?
Earlier, I was much more unforgiving as a person; not only towards others but also towards myself. I was extremely unforgiving of my own mistakes. In the past four or five years, I have undergone a change as a human being. I have become more forgiving of myself and others. I see it as a very positive change in myself. One of the powerful things in the world is the power of forgiveness. Its what Jesus Christ and other great philosophers have said.
Also, forgiveness comes with the genuineness of the person’s intentions. If someone has done something to hurt me and then comes and says, “Sorry Aamir”, but does not feel it, then forgiveness does not come into the picture. But if a person genuinely feels ki usse galti hui hai, then you should forgive him. It’s the same for yourself, if you realise that you’ve done some wrong, you should forgive yourself. It’s one of the most healing things.
Today we have become very unforgiving people. It may be an ethnic problem, or a community’s problem or a country’s, or in your relationships, with your wife, children, parents, we get very very unforgiving and we hold that against them. We wear it as a badge which says ‘main tujhe kabhi maaf nahi karoonga’.
I used to be like this.
Like two peas in a pod
Sometime ago we had asked Imran Khan to rate himself and Aamir on a scale of 1 to 10, according to a few parameters…
Aamir rates Imran according to the same parameters…
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• Good looks
Aamir – I won’t rate myself as I don’t like it. Imran is exceedingly good looking. I’d give him a 9.
Imran – I would put us both at a 7 at this point just because of how young and great he is looking
• Patience
Aamir on Imran- 8 or 9
Imran – Aamir is a 10 and I am 9.5. We are both tremendously patient people. Again because I’m younger, I’m that 0.5 percent less patient but I am the supremely patient being that you’ll meet
• Quest for perfection
Aamir on Imran- He is extremely committed so 8
Imran – Aamir is a 10, I’m probably an 8
• Spontaneity
Aamir on Imran- 8
Imran – Aamir is 6, I’m a 7
• Acting talent
Aamir on Imran – 6. He is good but he has a long way to go.
Imran – I put myself at a 6, I put him at a 10. I so honestly think he is the best actor in the country today
• Communication skills
Aamir on Imran – 4
Imran – Mine aren’t too good. I’m not good at all, so 5 for me and him I don’t know, maybe a 7. Yeah he is better than me.
• Charm
Aamir on Imran – 8
Imran – I am more charming than he is definitely; he is not a charming person. He is 5. I’m an 8.
• Tendency to lose temper
Aamir – We lose our temper, but we can handle it. We don’t react. So, I would give him a 2.
Imran – One and one
• Fidelity to spouse or girlfriend
Aamir – He is scoring a 100 on that one right now. So 10.
Imran – That’s a 10 for both. We are both very staid, solid guys.
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| 3 Idiots |
REAGAN GAVIN RASQUINHA Times News Network (BOMBAY TIMES; September 14, 2009)
There’s a certain grimness about knowing your body system is misbehaving on you. How do you deal with this?
• There is something sinister about your body under siege, under war. But you know the eastern tradition of warriorship, about being courageous enough to be vulnerable and open — it’s not so much about aggression. So I believe in the infinite power of the body to heal itself. I have to actually step back and trust and allow the process.
When Frank Zappa was asked about his coping with prostate cancer, he famously said “There are good days and there are bad days.” What are your days like?
• I have days when I don’t want to get out of bed. Other days, especially when I’m on a steroid high, you can’t tie me down. I’ve been communicating with other Multiple Myeloma members and we laugh. There’s a business exec who says when he’s on steroids he wants to show up at the office in sweat pants because his dress pants don’t fit.
Will you be getting back to Bollywood when you are in full remission?
• Why not! India has shown me so much support I’ll be happy to finally do some work there when I’m a member of the Full Remission Club. Chubby cheeks and all.
Since you heard this news, have you reached out to people you have not, for whatever reason, from the past years?
• My decision to go public was an act of reaching out to an entire community.
If you could distill what you now think is important in life as opposed to what now seems to have been trivial, what would they be?
• My basic spiritual belief system has only been reaffirmed not changed. I believe in basic goodness. I lean towards Buddhism so I believe there is Buddha nature in every individual.
I have done a lot of solitary meditation for the past few years. That inner space is important but I also now draw support from people. The Yellow Diaries (her blog) are a big source of strength. I read every single comment and make sure they are all posted for others to share. There are remarkable people and stories of inspiration and even practical information on the comment board.
Look at yourself in a mirror, how would you describe Lisa Ray?
I’m always surprised by what I see in the mirror and delighted by what’s in the plate in front of me.
By Bollywood Hungama News Network, September 9, 2009 – 15:24 IST
Lisa Ray, the stunning beauty from Toronto (Canada) who made a stunning debut in Bollywood with Vikram Bhatt’s Kasoor, has been diagnosed with a rare type of cancer of the bone marrow.
In her blog, Lisa has revealed that she was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma on June 23rd and started her first cycle of treatment on July 2nd. The actress, who keeps shuttling between Canada and India for work, started experiencing the early symptoms such as fatigue and exhaustion. After a series of blood tests and other procedures she was diagnosed with Myeloma.
Unfortunate as it may sound; Multiple Myeloma is a rare and incurable type of cancer which affects a large number of people each year. However, Lisa is not the one to give up hope so easily. She is determined to fight this disease.
We at Bollywood Hungama pray for her speedy recovery.
BOLLYWOOD HUNGAMA.COM
Mumbai: Actor Suchitra Krishnamoorthi has revealed that she experienced the casting couch while struggling to get a break in Bollywood.
The actor says that though she managed to escape, the incident left a scar. Suchitra, the former wife of noted filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, made her debut in 1994 with Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa. She described the “scary’’ incident in her blog, which occurred when she was still in her teens trying to make a career in the film industry.
“I remember many years ago, I had gone to meet a very successful producer about a film role at a plush suburban hotel. They were looking for a new face to launch,’’ the actor wrote. After a discussion about academics, family and work experience, the producer asked Suchitra to call her father to tell him that she was spending the night with him at the hotel and that he should pick her up in the morning, the actor said in her blog. AGENCIES
THE TIMES OF INDIA (September 3, 2009)
Fenil and Bollywood 