Karan Johar shoots in Mumbai slums for My Name Is Khan

After Slumdog Millionaire, the West wants more of the Mumbai slums. Last week Karan Johar shot some key slum sequences in Borivali with the Slumdog Millionaire kid Tanay Chedda who plays SRK's childhood role in My Name Is Khan, and the incredibly underused Zarina Wahab who plays SRK's mother.

Karan chose the boy to play the childhood part of Shah Rukh's life not only because of his facial likeness to Shah Rukh, but also because of Tanay's instant connectivity with the Mumbai slums and thereafter the Western audience.

Says Karan, "Tanay is exceptionally talented. He was able to imbibe Shah Rukh's character traits and use them to make SRK's childhood look convincing."

The director now intends to cast Tanay as junior SRK whenever required, much in the way that Master Mayur played the young Amitabh Bachchan in a series of films.

Karan's exposition on the Muslim identity is expected to reach out to a global non-NRI audience. Though the take-off point for My Name Is Khan is 9/11, not a single shot is taken in New York.

The film is set in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Two of the most expensive cities in the US for shooting. While Karan Johar's production of Rensil D'Silva's Kareena-Saif film on terrorism will have Philadelphia masquerading as New York, Johar's own directorial take on terrorism and the isolation of the working-class Muslim has gone to the two actual US cities were the plot is location.

Karan shot in LA earlier this year. He leaves for San Francisco in May for a 40-day schedule. The first and last Hindi film to be shot in San Francisco was Imtiaz Ali's Love Aaj Kal.

Putting his shoulder surgery behind him, Shah Rukh with best friend Karan Johar and favourite co-star Kajol to accompany him would be gone to San Francisco for 40 days in May and June.

With Aamir Khan vacationing with his children out of the country and SRK busy with IPL, the two purported architects and the mediator Karan Johar for the solution for the multiplex crisis are all out of the loop, putting a large question mark before the deadlock that threatens to shut the film industry.

For Gossips And Mirch Masala Log On To Bollywood Paradize

read more...

"I wear a lot of seductive clothes" - Dia Mirza

What did you feel when you first stepped into the seductive red gown you wear in Acid Factory?
I was super excited by designers Shantanu and Nikhil's creation. And when I looked at myself in the mirror I said 'Wow'!

Would you wear something like that in real life?
Of course! In fact I wear a lot of seductive clothes and then all my friends exclaim 'Oh, you are looking hot!' It is only that the characters I have portrayed on screen were sweet and innocent, so filmmakers and people cannot imagine me as hot or sexy.

Would you like to do more films presenting you as hot and sexy?
I would like to be presented in many different ways!

How did you feel being the only girl in an all-male film?
I enjoyed all the attention my six co-stars, Aftab Shivdasani, Dino Morea, Danny Denzongpa, Fardeen Khan, Irrfan Khan and Manoj Bajpai showered on me during that 45-day schedule in Hyderabad. However, later I became one of them and then it was on a man-to-man level.

What if six men were to woo you in real life?
It's really never happened, but it would be fun. Like any woman I would bask in all the attention.

Are you likely to woo a man?
Hmmm, I think once in a way it's fun for a woman to chase a man. I would enjoy wooing a man, who is not paying me too much attention, because I would love to know the reason. He'll definitely keep me on my toes.

So what traits in a man would attract you?
At first instant it would be the way he carries himself. That would be in the way he greets me, my family and in the way he treats the help in the house. But of course with time, it has to be about how bright he is, how good a conversationalist, how emotionally intelligent etcetera. The list is long indeed!

Have you met anyone like that?
I have met a lot of interesting men. But no one has managed to have an effect on me in that way for a while.

There were rumours about you being close to Sanjay Gupta and Arshad Warsi!
As long as the people concerned and my family know what the truth is, I don't think I have to clarify rumours.

What made you take up the role of a nerd with negative shades in Jai Veeru?
Okay, so the film and I are not getting rave reviews but I don't regret doing it. I signed it four years back during my lean phase. Things have taken off since, but it does not take away the fact that I was signed when I was fed up of people telling me that I was talented and beautiful but not offering me work.

Otherwise what attracts you to a film?
I leave it to my gut feel! My biggest high is when a filmmaker tells me that no one but I can do the film. Shoojit Sircar's Johnny Mastana (earlier Shoebite) is special because the director told me that.

In Johnny Mastana, you are married to a UK-based businessman and in Kissan you are married to a son of the soil. In real life, would the professions matter to you?
For marriage, lot more things come into play, other than a person's profession. Like how grounded he is, how he gets along with his and my family, how independent he is and his values .

What does marriage mean to you?
It's a life-long journey between two individuals.

Are you a romantic person?
Yes, very. I'm very romantic for my family and all my close friends as well. I love pampering my close ones with gifts and surprises.

Is a candle-lit dinner the ultimate in romance for you?
No. The most romantic gesture I have seen is when a man notices his partner is uncomfortable in a crowded room and without uttering a word he goes across and puts his arm around her. Not a single word spoken, but everything said by that gesture.

For Gossips And Mirch Masala Log On To Bollywood Paradize

read more...

Soha's character in 99 has a wild streak

Actress Soha Ali Khan, whose career is going through a dry spell, is now looking forward to her upcoming venture "99" and says that her character in the film has a "wild streak".

"I play the character of a girl called Pooja, who is a lobby manager of a hotel floor. She is stylish, confident and vivacious and has a wild streak," Soha told IANS.

"In the film, two conmen played by Kunal Khemu and Cyrus Broacha enter the character's life and since she wants some excitement in her life, she happily joins them. She is a fun character at heart," she added.

The romantic comedy will hit screens in May.

For Gossips And Mirch Masala Log On To Bollywood Paradize

read more...

Anushka Sharma loses out on remake of hit Telugu film

Telugu hit "Arundhati" is all set to be remade into Hindi and the makers wanted to cast Anushka Sharma in the title role. But the "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi" heroine couldn't be finalised for it because of some misconceptions.

"They needed someone strong, robust, young and determined and very north Indian as the lead in Hindi. They really wanted Anushka Sharma. She was perfect. But the producer was under the impression that she's under contract with Yash Raj Films and unable to do any outside film," said a source close to the film.

"Now they might settle for the actress who played the lead in the Telugu 'Arundhati' in Hindi. Coincidentally, her name too is Anushka," the source added.

Many producers, including Madhu Mantena, who produced "Ghajini", were vying for the Hindi remake rights. But Telugu producer M. Shyam Prasad Reddy is finally making it in Hindi.

Sonu Sood, who played the main antagonist in the Telugu version and is set to encore the same part in Hindi, confirms these developments.

"I'm excited because we all worked very hard on making the Telugu original something special. Lots of producers wanted to remake it in Hindi. But now the original producer has decided to go for it. The Hindi 'Arundhati' will be far more expensive and polished. We start shooting in June," said Sonu whose last Hindi relase was "Ek Vivaah... Aisa Bhi".

Sood has already started preparing for the part and said: "The Hindi version will have to be severely revised."

Priyadarshan was approached to direct "Arundhati" in Hindi but apparently he wasn't ready to accept the offer at such short notice.

"And the original director Kodi Ramkrishna can't understand Hindi. So we're probably going with a guy named Rahul who did all the special effects in Tamil," said Sonu.

Arjan Bajwa of "Fashion" fame, who played the romantic lead in "Arundhati", is not part of the Hindi remake.

Said Arjan: "They haven't asked me. Even if they had, I wouldn't do it. Have you seen what has been done to my role in the Telugu film?"

For Gossips And Mirch Masala Log On To Bollywood Paradize

read more...

Aamir on pleasure trip

Aamir Khan, who has flown to North America with his son Junaid and daughter Ira, will return to Mumbai on April 30 to cast his vote.

He will then fly out immediately with wife Kiran Rao for another month long holiday overseas. The reason Kiran couldn’t join Aamir and his two kids right away is because she is busy with the post production of her film Dhobi Ghat and wanted uninterrupted work time. It’s also untrue that Aamir has delayed the shooting of Raju Hirani’s Three Idiots.

When he committed his dates to them, the meticulous actor — who plans even a toilet break with precision — had already told his director of his vacation time between April and June 2009.

For Gossips And Mirch Masala Log On To Bollywood Paradize

read more...

Priyanka-Ranbir on weight watch

Fancy Priyanka Chopra with 20 more kilos? No? Priyanka too doesn’t and she has hence let one fat project slip out of her hands.

She has walked out of what could have been her most challenging role, opposite Ranbir Kapoor, in a Siddharth Anand film.

Explaining Priyanka’s decision, our source says, “Priyanka’s metabolism doesn’t permit her to experiment with weight. She needs to be slim in Yash Raj Film’s Pyaar Impossible and she can't possibly jump to being fat within a few months. And, not after her recent health scare.”

For Gossips And Mirch Masala Log On To Bollywood Paradize

read more...

Ranbir-Deepika, only good for films

The speculation about the state Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone’s relationship continues.

Days after Ranbir Kaboor reportedly criticised Deepika’s dress sense in public and mother Neetu Singh passed her off as just a friend, it’s now the hero’s sister, Riddhima Kapoor Sahni, who refuses to acknowledge the couple.

“Ranbir and Deepika are young, talented people and are quite poised and charming,” says Riddhima. When questioned about whether she accepts the two as more than friends, Riddhima says, “They make a good on-screen pair and their chemistry is fine.” But what about their off-screen romance? “I’ve never seen them together in that sense, so I don’t go by the media reports. Moreover, I stay in Delhi and don’t want to comment on this.”

For Gossips And Mirch Masala Log On To Bollywood Paradize

read more...

Katrina sides Sallu

Ok, so while the Ranbir-Deepika pyar ka insecure kissa gains momentum on one end, there’s another ajab kahani at the other.

It, of course, has everything to do with Katrina Kaif and Salman Khan’s ishq-vishq. They are so used to reading about their break-up stories, that every time such a tale is out in print they hurriedly make an appearance together! Coincidence? Anyway, our dear Katrina is always asked questions about beau Khan’s fading career... unfortunately Sallu’s last few films haven’t done too well at the box office, na?... all this, while his lady Kaif is riding a high horse! But KK has been sweet enough to maintain rather sternly, “No matter how well or badly Salman’s films do, he’ll always be a superstar. There’s just no taking away from that fact; he’ll always be iconic...” Now in matters that concern the heart, it’s not too easy to say dil pe mat le yaar!

For Gossips And Mirch Masala Log On To Bollywood Paradize

read more...