Posts Tagged ‘son’
Vishnuvardhan passes away
Posted on: December 31, 2009
Kannada matinee idol Vishnuvardhan, passed away of cardiac arrest yesterday
At the age of 22, H N Sampath Kumar was rechristened Vishnuvardhan by legendary director Puttanna Kanagala and he had fame and popularity literally seeking him out overnight. The Mysore-born actor would often call his entry into films as dynamic and expressed a desire to have a graceful exit. It turned out to be an unexpected exit in the early hours of December 30; and not just from films.
At 59, none of his fans, friends or family expected him to perish. The late actor was suffering from diabetes and had developed cardiac problems during his last days. He is survived by his wife, Bharati and two adopted daughters.
Vishnuvardhan made his film debut with a small role in Vamshavriksha directed by Girish Karnad in 1972. In the same year, he appeared in Puttanna Kanagala’s magnum opus Naagarahaavu, where he played the protagonist Ramachari, which remains a much-liked character to date.
A polyglot who could speak six languages, his life changed when films beckoned him. As Vishnuvardhan would recall later in life, he had neither enthusiasm nor love for films. “I was not a hard worker, but a sincere worker,” he summed up his film career. When his first photograph appeared in Chitradeepa magazine after his film debut, what the young Vishnuvardhan aspired was to be recognised by girls as he walked around Gandhi Bazaar.
At the time Vishnuvardhan married actress Bharati, she was a bigger star than him. Their marriage lasted for a lifetime but the couple was childless. They adopted two girls. But the actor never spoke about this aspect of life.
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| Vishnuvardhan | Akshay Kumar |
In the last few years, Vishnuvardhan had become a disciple of Bannanje Govindacharya and taken up vows of silence from time to time. He would avoid public platforms that would necessitate him to make tough statements or take stands. However, he held on to his beliefs and would never waver from his somewhat radical views.
Akshay Kumar, who is holidaying with his wife and son in Goa, expressed his shock about the superstar’s death. Akshay says, “I worked with him in Ashaant (1993) and I think, that is the only Hindi film that Vishnuji did. We shot it in his home town Bangalore, and he was so popular! Men, women and children came to him to be touched by him. He was like God. Newly-born babies were named after him.”
Akshay remembers the good times that they had while shooting the film. “Vishnuji was disciplined, focused and hard working. I have learnt a lot from him. We did a Hindi and a Kannada version of Ashaant. The Kannada version was a super hit. The Hindi version was a flop. I guess he was a much bigger star than I could ever be. As I speak about him now all the memories of shooting during that film flash through my mind. I met him in Bangalore much later. He was warm and very friendly. Was he just 60? That’s no age to go.”
Starring Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri and Padmini Kolhapure, the film’s being produced by Rishi’s elder brother Goldy, and has been written and directed by debutant director Rakkesh Chaturvedi ‘Om’, who is a well known theatre artist. “After reading the script and knowing the cast, I felt that this is that character with which I want to start my career,” says Rishi.
Rishi plays Raam in the movie. Speaking about the movie, Rishi adds, “It’s about a mother and son. The mother is mysteriously murdered leaving the son in a cage of silence.” Rishi, of course, plays the quiet son, Raam. He credits his brother, Goldy for pushing him into it. “He was the one who said I had the talent, and motivated me to be an actor,” says the actor who used to bunk classes to take part in school theatre.
Rishi admits that he was a bit nervous when the shooting began. He says, “But Naseer Sir, Om Puri Sir and Padmini Maa’m made me feel comfortable. I would say it has been a dream role for me as I got an opportunity to work with legends of our industry and that too in my first film, I had never thought about it. I hope that audiences like the film.”
Producer Goldy Bhutani adds, “I thank Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri and Padmini Kolhapure for coming together for this project and would say that Rakkesh has done some excellent work as a director. It is a must watch film for everyone to know how circumstances take over the good times.”
Raghubir Yadav, aka Mungerilal, is wanted for constantly remaining absent in court. Cops haven’t been able to nab him, though he was shooting till a month ago
While actor Raghubir Yadav may be a known face in every household, thanks to the popular TV serials Mungerilal Ke Haseen Sapne and Chacha Chaudhary, for the police he remains untraceable for the past two months. This, despite him having been involved in shooting of a film right up to last month.
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| Meanwhile, Yadav’s estranged wife Purnima says he has been shooting for Aamir Khan Productions’ Peepli Live and will be attending the Sundance Film Festival in US soon |
Yadav is wanted by the police after a warrant was issued against him for constantly remaining absent in court.
On the lookout for Yadav, the Aarey police visited the address mentioned by the family court in Bandra. But not finding him there, they submitted a report to the court stating that they have failed to locate him.
On September 19, the family court which is hearing a case against Yadav filed by his estranged wife Purnima, had issued an arrest warrant against Yadav. The court had earlier issued summons to Yadav for failing to appear in court for some time.
“We went to the given address of Roshini Archreja, who worked with Yadav in TV serials, and whose residence Yadav was said to live at. But she denied he ever lived there,” said Inspector Ashok Duliye of Aarey Police Station. “On Monday, we informed the court that he is not available at the given address,” Duliye added.
“I have been fighting for maintenance for a long time,” said Purnima. “He has been shooting for Aamir Khan Productions’ Peepli Live and will be attending the Sundance Film Festival in US soon.
How come the police say they cannot trace him? I got married to him in 1988, and we have not been living together since 1996. I don’t have money to educate my son Achal. I’ve done odd jobs at the National School of Drama, but they were all on contract basis, and today I don’t have a job. Even my rent is paid by my friends and old neighbours,” said Purnima.
When contacted, Anusha Rizvi, director of Peepli Live, confirmed that she had done some dubbing with Yadav for her film about a month ago.
However, a police officer said, “In court cases, we usually search only the address given to us by the court authority, as problems can arise in identifying a person. On the other hand, if it’s a police case, we hunt for the accused everywhere.”
Despite repeated attempts, Raghubir Yadav could not be contacted.
SUBHASH K JHA Times News Network (BOMBAY TIMES; December 30, 2009)
By SHAHEEN PARKAR (Mid-Day; December 25, 2009)
Dara Singh is both amused and horrified to see Vindoo become a weepy person on Bigg Boss 3. Though his son is the frontrunner for the reality show’s prize in the finale tomorrow, his drastic behaviour is worrying the father.
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| Dara Singh and Vindoo Dara Singh |
Beyond limits
“I am shocked to see this side of him,” says the Rustom-e-Hind. “He has become extra sensitive in the house. Vindoo is an emotional man no doubt but he has gone beyond limits. I don’t think he is missing his family and resorting to all this. He was keen to be part of the show. Guess the situation has made him kuch zyada hi.”
Singh Sr catches up on the antics of his son every night. People ask him: Pahalwan ka beta hoke bhi rota hai?
“When tears roll down his cheeks and Vindoo keeps wiping them away, I keep chuckling.”
About the housemates telling him to create his identity and not latch on to his father’s name, he says, “Vindoo has always been known as Vindoo Dara Singh. He prefers it this way. He has been telling the others, too, to write their names like that. Many people like to show others in bad light. Neecha dikhane me aur ilzaam lagane mein…some love to do this to others — to each his own.”
Dara Singh’s last B-Town outing was Jab We Met. “I lead a retired life and if there are some dada and nana roles that come my way and I like them, I am game.”
He’s looking forward to the show’s finale tomorrow night. “If an invitation comes along, I don’t mind going to Khandala for the show,” he says. And the first thing that he will tell Vindoo on meeting him is: “Tu itna kyu roya?”
Who Knew?
Vindoo has a brother Amrik who is based in Chandigarh and runs a film studio.
Although Sanjay Leela Bhansali is known to be a strict disciplinarian on the sets, his love for kids is relatively unknown. Recently, he gifted Hrithik Roshan’s son Hrehaan a 3D videogame console, Nintendo Wii.
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| Sussanne with Hrehaan Roshan |
A source says, “Sussanne Roshan drops in on the sets of Guzaarish quite often. She was even present with the kids at the outdoor schedule of the film in Goa. The director, who is close to his nieces and showers them with gifts, was often seen playing with Hrithik’s sons after pack-up. In no time, he grew extremely fond of both the kids.”
Talking about the reason for gifting, the source says, “Bhansali learnt that Hrehaan is fond of videogames and is keen on buying the new Nintendo Wii. Without wasting a single day, he ordered the game and gifted it to Hrehaan. Hrehaan was excited about receiving the unexpected gift and thanked Sanjay with a warm hug.”
It’s not just Hrehaan who loves to play the game, even Hrithik is hooked on to it. The source adds, “Hrithik, who is tech-savvy, is addicted to the new game. He plays the game with the kids whenever he is home.
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| Sanjay Leela Bhansali |
This game also doubles up as a workout for the body.”
Bhansali denied the story. However, a source close to Bhansali says, “Bhansali is extremely fond of Hrehaan and Hridhaan.When he learnt of their wish to buy a Nintendo Wii, he decided to gift it to them.”
Yash Chopra expresses wish to check out SRK’s vanity van; Baadshah fulfills it!
Posted on: December 19, 2009
Ever since Shah Rukh Khan purchased the costliest and biggest vanity van which has all the modern amenities, his favourite filmmaker Yash Chopra has been very keen to see it. Tickled by curiosity, he had expressed his wish to Shah Rukh. After all, it’s a swanky, fully loaded van fit for a superstar.
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| Shah Rukh Khan | Yash Chopra |
For quite some time, Yash Chopra has wanted to see Shah Rukh’s fancy van. Yesterday, Shah Rukh was scheduled to shoot for YRF’s TV show (hosted by Karan Johar) at their Andheri studio. Shah Rukh seized this opportunity to show it to Yash Chopra and travelled to the shoot in his vanity van.
Normally, no actor is allowed to take his vanity van inside, but yesterday Shah Rukh was given a special concession.
As soon as Shah Rukh drove in at 4.30pm, Yash Chopra came out. Shah Rukh emerged from the van, held Yash Chopra’s hand and took him inside. “Yash considers Shah Rukh as his son. Shah Rukh also has very high regard for Yash Chopra,” said our source.
Yash Raj’s head honcho spent a full 30 minutes inside the van where Shah Rukh showed him all the amenities very respectfully. “He loved the van. It’s like a one-bedroom house,” our source added.
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| Shah Rukh Khan’s vanity van (Pic: Satish Malavade) |
Vidhu Vinod Chopra-3 idiots saves lives (ER… that’s the producer in him hard selling his film)
Posted on: December 5, 2009
• You don’t have too many friends? Why?
I value friendship. For me friendship is not a loose word. If I call myself a friend, I am ready to give my life and if need be the friend should do the same.That Bambaiya friendship where people call you a friend on your face and as soon as you turn around they call you a bi*** or a swine is not friendship. I told Karan Johar, ‘I want friends like you; I want to throw a party.’ He said, ‘I can make you social,’ he tried and then he gave up.
He told me nicely, ‘You are happy where you are.’ I have only four friends now, I started with two. Rakesh Maria, Rajesh Parekh (and Firoza Parekh) and slowly I acquired the third friend, Amitabh Jhunjhunwala, but now, I am not sure, I am perhaps acquiring a fourth, which is Aamir. So my house is full now. I mean if I have four friends in this city, I am the luckiest. I now get invited to social dos. We get wedding invitations, we get party invitations. We are invited to places we have never been invited to before.
• What do you expect the audience will take away from 3 Idiots?
I could be wrong, but I personally believe that 3 Idiots is a step ahead of Lage Raho Munna Bhai. The other day there was a story in the paper of a kid who had jumped off the 19th floor when her mother was in another room and I told my wife that if this kid had seen 3 Idiots, she wouldn’t have jumped. I genuinely feel that if I had released this film a month ago, I could have saved that one life. I think 3 Idiots will save lives.
• Between Aamir Khan, you and Raju Hirani, if there is a clash of opinion, who wins?
We are very clear about this. Raju is head of creatives. At the moment, Aamir is head of marketing. There is no clash. But as head of the family I believe I have a veto and if I really want to use it, I can. I think the three of us are really the perfect 3 Idiots. I had heard horror stories about Aamir and he had heard the same about me but Aamir is the most unbelievable guy I have met in my life unless I am a fool, and he is performing all the time. I have only nice things to say about Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Sanjay Dutt and Saif Ali Khan but Aamir is something else. His level of commitment, his level of dedication, his level of affection, his level of seeking excellence is exceptional.
• Have you forgiven Shah Rukh Khan for trying to woo away Raju Hirani?
Oh totally. I called him yesterday to invite him for my premiere and we chatted for half an hour. Life is too short for all this s**t! Khalil Gibran has said, ‘I use hate as a weapon to defend myself.’ To me hate and love are both very strong emotions. I love my wife and if I have the same degree of negative feeling for anybody, then I am giving that person the same importance as I am giving to the woman I love the most in my life. How ridiculous is that?
• You famously said your films reflect the mood you are in. Given the comedies your production house is bringing out like the Munnabhai series, do we conclude you are in a good mood?
Yes, I am in a very happy mood. I sing songs all the time. I think life is really kind to me and I am just very grateful. My little daughter writes poetry which I don’t understand and my son plays cricket with Sachin Tendulkar’s son. God has given me a movie like 3 Idiots, friends and two families, one in cinema and the other at home. I came to this city to make one Hindi movie. If I had died after making one feature film after coming from the village that I came from, I would have died happily.
• Are there any actors you can’t conceive of working with for any reason?
The list is long but to tell you honestly it isn’t about individual actors. It is about attitude. I will not work with actors who have the wrong attitude at this given moment. On the other hand if there is an attitude change, I would willingly work with them.
• What is delaying Munna Bhai Chale Amrika?
If after Lage Raho Munna Bhai we had churned out a Munna Bhai film a year, it would have made Rs 200-250 crores and even if they had been s**t, people would go and see them. But we didn’t and won’t till we are happy with the script. Now we are happy with what we have written and so hopefully we will do it next year.
• Is it tougher to write an original screenplay or adapt a book?
To tell you the truth, I haven’t read Five Point Someone on which 3 Idiots is based. The only person in the team who read it was Raju. But I believe our film is very different. Having said that, the starting point was Raju reading the book.
• If you were given the choice to remake a film with the intention of improving it, which film would that be?
Ram Aur Shyam with Aamir Khan. I love that film and now that I am an admirer of Aamir, I would love to make that film with him. I don’t think he can do it better than Dilip Kumar, who was absolutely superb, but it would be a challenge for Aamir and me.
The National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) probe on Mahesh Bhatt’s son, Rahul’s alleged links with terror suspect David Coleman Headley have not deterred filmmaker Anurag Basu’s plans.
He is set to revive Rahul’s Bollywood launch, Suicide Bomber.
Confirming the news, Basu said, “I have been missing Bhatt saab and his production house Vishesh Films. I did two films with them, Murder and Gangster, which put me on the filmmaking map. Rahul is a good boy and I owe him a good break in Bollywood.”
Basu was supposed to launch Rahul in Suicide Bomber two years ago. This was long before Basu got busy with Rakesh Roshan’s Kites. “In fact, I was supposed to make Suicide Bomber with Rahul before Life In A Metro for UTV. However, at that point of time, the script about global terrorism seemed premature. However, in the last two years there have been so many films on the subject including New York and Kurbaan. So, reviving Suicide Bomber seems right,” added Basu.
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| Anurag Basu | Rahul Bhatt |
Besides being fond of Rahul, Basu has another reason to return to the Bhatt camp. He elaborated, “Suicide Bomber is the only film that I co-wrote with Mahesh Bhatt saab. Otherwise, all my scripts have been written solely by me. I certainly want to make the film and that too only with Rahul.”
Some time ago, when asked about his son’s launch, Mahesh Bhatt had also made it clear that he wanted to launch his son with no other film but Suicide Bomber. He had said: “Suicide Bomber is my idea and our company has registered the title. My son has made it clear that if and when he gets into the world of acting it will be with Suicide Bomber. I only want to make Suicide Bomber if the world is ready to hear the so-called enemy’s point of view. If we want to stop the bloodshed we’ll have to hear their voice. My son’s film doesn’t have a happy ending.”
The film is expected to start next year.
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| Nandita & Om Puri |
Om Puri blasted his wife Nandita through this paper for exposing some of his most private and sexual experiences in her biography, Unlikely Hero: The Story Of Om Puri.
However, Om, now regrets his decision to have spoken out so bitterly against his wife and her book.
“I was very angry and admit that I said things that I shouldn’t have said. I deeply regret my impulsive nature. It has hurt my wife and my son Ishaan.” While Nandita has been angry and grief-stricken, Om, who is still in Chandigarh said, “Nandita has been bombarded with calls, messages and visitors inquiring about what I said.
What’s worse is that my son Ishaan too has come under scrutiny. I’m not in Mumbai to protect them from the damage I’ve caused. I can’t sleep or focus on my work. I don’t want our child to suffer for the mistakes I have made. I therefore sincerely apologise to my wife and to my son for being so rash.”
Om is livid with the book’s publishers and says that they are to be blamed for sending out such sensitive aspects about his sexual encounters to the media. Om said, “My anger should have been projected at the publishers for trying to pre-sell my wife’s book by leaking out only the sexual episodes. My story doesn’t need this kind of publicity.”
It was coincidentally Nandita’s birthday yesterday and Om felt miserable. “My son has been crying over the phone. I beg my wife and son’s forgiveness.” Well Om, your life is certainly an open book now. You and she have said it all indeed.
Fenil and Bollywood 