Posts Tagged ‘september 30’
By Kunal M Shah (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 30, 2009)
Known to make successful Bollywood films from South Indian films over the years, Satish Kaushik has now set his eyes on the 2003 Tamil super hit film, Pithamagan, which he has been wanting to make since a long time.
The original Pithamagan was directed by Bala and starred Vikram who had also won a National award for his performance in the film. The film had also won six Filmfare awards in the South. In Satish’s remake, Sanjay Dutt will play the lead actor. A source says, “Satishji instantly loved Pithamagan when he watched it for the first time.
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Recently, he bought the rights of the films and has already spoken to Sanjay Dutt, who is equally excited about it.” Not denying the news, Satish Kaushik says, “I can only confirm the news when everything is official and finalised.”
World number one boxer and Olympic bronze medalist, Vijender Singh is all set to make his Bollywood debut in a part real and part fictional thriller.
The film, which will also have a terrorism backdrop, is tentatively titled One. South director Anand will direct the film and Yagnesh Shetty has written the story. An excited Vijender confirmed the news saying, “I am doing the film. The role suits my image of a boxer. However, I don’t want to reveal too much about the film or my role right now. I will speak when the time is right.” Since the film is based on terrorism and involves action sequences and martial arts, Vijender will undergo training for the same. Yagnesh, who produced Hum Tum Pe Marte Hain, has taken up the responsibility to prepare the 23-year-old boxer for the role. Yagnesh says, “It’s an interesting script and Vijender is very excited about it. The film also has a lot of action sequences because of its terrorism backdrop. I am currently training Vijender in martial arts and stunts.” |
Deepika gifts a lappy to Ranbir
Posted on: October 1, 2009
Deepika Padukone proved to be the perfect girlfriend when she threw a surprise party for Ranbir. He is also the proud owner of a brand new laptop. We don’t know if money can buy love, but it sure can make a boyfriend happy! Deepika organised the party to bring in his birthday on Sunday when he came back from Bhopal. Deepika invited few, but very close friends to the surprise dinner. Our source said, “Deepika took Ranbir to a suburban restaurant on Sunday night on the pretext of having dinner. She had already called some of Ranbir’s very close friends, which included Rohit Dhawan and Ayan Mukherjee, the director of Wake Up Sid. Ranbir, who is normally not a party animal, was pleased to see them and a couple of his old school friends. They had dinner and brought in his birthday. Ranbir was extremely thrilled.” Deepika’s present of a sleek and high-end laptop was thoughtful as she is aware of Ranbir being net-savvy. Ranbir loved the gift and was seen checking the features immediately. The source added, “On his birthday on Monday, Ranbir also saw the first trial of his film, Wake Up Sid with Deepika and his parents.” |
John crosses the bridge!
Posted on: October 1, 2009
AAKANKSHA NAVAL-SHETYE Times News Network (BOMBAY TIMES; September 30, 2009)
The story goes that John was shooting for Abbas Tyrewala’s 1-800-Love in London and, miraculously, the director managed to get permission to shoot on the iconic Tower Bridge for four nights. Which is astonishing, because many Hollywood films including Bourne Ultimatum and National Treasure were denied permission to shoot there. And even The Mummy, which has the famous chase sequence on the Tower Bridge, was allowed to shoot for only one night.
But for John and Abbas’s unit of seven cameras, the Tower Bridge and also the historical London Bridge — both of which cross the River Thames — were readily made available. The authorities even had the boat traffic on the Thames shut down for one night. An excited John reported, “I was reminded regularly for two months that Tower Bridge would be blocked off, but that night, as the clock struck 9.30 pm, and four police bikes escorted my car on to the middle of the bridge, I was over awed! The grandeur of virtually owning one of London’s greatest land marks — what an experience!” aakanksha.navalshetye@timesgroup.com
REAGAN GAVIN RASQUINHA Times News Network (BOBMAY TIMES; September 30, 2009)
Speaking about his strategy for the flick, Himesh — who has three back-to-back releases in Kajraare (produced by Bhushan Kumar and directed by Pooja Bhatt), Ishk Unplugged and John Mathews’s A New Love Ishtory after Radio, says, “I requested Ravi to go in for a very different release strategy as the film has been made for a target audience. The theatrical release will be in sync with the sensibilities with which Radio has been made. It has been treated with a very fresh approach and that’s what makes it very different or else, it’s a very simple love triangle set in 2009 with the backdrop of a radio station and an RJ as the protagonist.”
And this certainly seems to have worked. Everyone associated with this film is earning and earning big. But he also learns from mistakes. “Romcom is the flavour of the film. After going wrong with Karzzzz, I felt that the release strategy should be right. When you talk about a multiplex audience, then Radio cannot be released in a thousand theatres, right? Everything today is about price. Is it a price hit or a price flop? Now that the cost of this film has already been recovered, everything that comes from theatre will only be a profit,” he says. Didn’t we say earlier, that time is money? Well, here’s to the box office singing all the right tunes too!
reagan.gavin@timesgroup.com
SUBHASH K JHA Times News Network (BOMBAY TIMES; September 30, 2009)
The film, that opens on October 16, has Irrfan playing a conservative and sexually repressed Gujarati diamond merchant and the nifty Natalie, a Jew who becomes a sanyasin. Apparently, the chemistry between the two actors had such a vibe that they’ve agreed to do another film together… with or without Mira!
Irrfan found his role a challenge. “My character’s dilemma is that the woman who was once my wife, has now become a sanyasin, and he has to worship her.”
That they had a blast while shooting, can be seen from this still of the film that has Irrfan dressed up as a Jew and Natalie as a typical Hindu bride — the best-looking bride that Irrfan claimed he had ever seen! “She looks very young,” the Bollywood actor said, “but Natalie has been acting from the time she was a child. She’s truly a wonderful actress. We shot the film at one stretch.” Of their synergy, he added, “Actors all over the world are linked by a common craving for excellence. We’re all looking for challenges and glory. But with Natalie, it was very different. We constantly chatted, discussed one another’s culture and shared very warm vibes.”
Swati Deshpande | TNN (THE TIMES OF INDIA; September 30, 2009)
Mumbai: He’s a “small-time actor’’, and while he may be no “saint’’, he’s “no rapist’’ either. This is what actor Shiney Ahuja’s lawyers said, seeking bail pending trial on charges of raping his 20-year old maid at his Andheri home one morning.
In a fresh bid for freedom after spending more than 100 days in jail, the 35-yearold actor–through his counsel Shirish Gupte along with Shrikant Shivade–said the “victim has not even used the word ‘rape’ in her statement to the magistrate regarding the June 14 incident’’. She “had no external injuries, creating doubts over her claim that she resisted him’’, they said. The complainant had called Ahuja many times from her cellphone the previous night, said Gupte.
Forensic experts have said earlier that the absence of external injuries did not mean there was no rape. A woman could be forced into the act by the threat of violence, experts reasoned.
The panchnama noted that when he was arrested on June 15, Ahuja’s left wrist and right little finger had a “nail mark’’ which the actor claimed were sustained while he was working out, and not from the victim’s nails.
The DNA analysis showed no profile was obtained from the victim’s vulval swab, but did find some evidence to match Ahuja’s “control blood component’’ in one of her smear slides. “The reports fail to conclusively establish rape,’’ Ahuja’s plea said, suggesting it was “a consensual act’’.
Saying bail was a rule and not an exception as held in numerous Supreme Court judgements, Gupte said even medical evidence had “little against the actor’’. There was “no semen and blood’’ found on the victim in the panchanama on his or her clothes and at the scene of offence, he added.
Ahuja’s bail was rejected by the sessions court in July on the grounds that he may tamper with the witness because he was “rich and influential’’. But Gupte said: “How is he influential? He has just made his name in a few films. Besides she stays in Raigad district and will only come for the trial. He doesn’t know where she is.’’
The written bail plea, however, describes Ahuja as a “well-known film personality, having won several professional awards… with roots in society’’.
The hearing will continue in the court of Justice A P Deshpande on Wednesday, when the prosecutor will oppose the bail plea.
The maid had narrated the entire incident of “forcible sexual intercourse’’ to neighbours Adarsh Gupta and Sanjeet Kaur. The neighbours then took her to the police station at Oshiwara to file the complaint.
