Feroz Khan's last wish was to remake Qurbani

Feroz Khan's last wish before he passed away in Bangalore was to finish his dream project - a remake of his 1980 blockbuster film "Qurbani".

"His last wish was to remake 'Qurbani' as 'Kurbani'. He was very keen that the film be made again and was working towards it," Rajkumar Tiwari, Feroz Khan's manager of 25 years, told IANS over phone from Bangalore.

"When he fell ill, he realised that a lot of energy was required to make a film, so he took a break and was adamant that he will make the film. Few songs had already been recorded. This project was his last wish and I am sure someone will take it forward," he added.

Feroz Khan passed away late on Sunday at his farmhouse in Bangalore after a prolonged battle with cancer. He was 69.

He had announced "Kurbani" at the 2006 International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) event in Dubai. His son, actor Fardeen Khan, was to reprise his father's role in the new version of the romantic thriller.

Apart from Feroz Khan, the original also starred Vinod Khanna, Zeenat Aman and Amjad Khan in pivotal roles.

The actor had also decided to star in the remake of the film. According to media reports, he had roped in filmmaker Sanjay Gupta to wield the megaphone for the movie. When contacted, Gupta refused to comment on it.

Anand Raj Anand, who has been signed to direct the music for the remake, said: "We had already recorded three songs for 'Kurbani' but his health was an issue. Right now I don't want to comment anything more on this as I am very sad about hearing of his demise."

With hit songs like "Aap jaisa koi" and the title qawwali "Qurbani qurbani", the music of the original was a chartbuster.

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Bollywood remembers Feroz Khan

Friend, mentor, excellent human being and real royal of Hindi cinema - that is how Bollywood remembers Feroz Khan, the filmmaker-actor who died after a year-long battle with cancer.

Writer-turned director Anees Bazmee, who directed Feroz Khan in his last film "Welcome" in 2007, is "heartbroken" to hear of the death.

"I have come back to Mumbai this morning and got to know about his death. It is very sad and I am heartbroken. He was very close to me and an extremely good human being. I used to be in regular touch with him," Bazmee told IANS.

"Welcome", which was a massive hit, was a special homage to Feroz Khan's stylish on-screen persona through his character Ranbir Dhanraj Xata (RDX).

"Nobody knows that he was not willing to work in 'Welcome' but he loved my previous film 'No Entry' and Fardeen's (Feroz Khan's son) role in it so much that we became very good friends and he agreed to work in the film just for me.

"But he also asked me to make sure that his style was kept intact in the movie, as he has always done roles with oomph and glamour and that's why I even gave him a line 'Abi hum zinda hain' in the film, which he infused life into," said Bazmee.

Beauty queen-turned-actress Celina Jaitley, who was launched by Feroz Khan in his home production's "Janasheen" (2003), headed to Bangalore on Monday to pay her last respects.

"Farewell my friend, my mentor... The many things we talked about... The many things I learnt from you are with me as my courage, you have gone but the love and support you gave me remains as a part of my heart... I wait for the day we will meet again back in god's hand where it all began. Love always, your 'Celine'," Celina told IANS through an SMS.

Feroz was also remembered by music composer Anand Raj Anand and writer Kamlesh Pandey for launching new talent.

Apart from Celina, he introduced Meghna Kothari and his son Fardeen in "Prem Aggan" (1998) and Vicky Arora in "Yalgaar" (1992) to name a few.

"He was a very stylish and straightforward person. He was principled and loyal to people. He always helped people with talent and made them famous. He did not just go for established names, which was a great thing in him," said Anand.

"He gave me confidence when he signed me for 'Janasheen' and now we were working together on the remake of 'Qurbani', but it is so unfortunate what has happened," he added.

Said scriptwriter Pandey, who wrote the dialogues for "Janasheen": "He was one of the royals of our cinema. Everyone knows how to make money, but very few know how to spend it and he knew that style exactly. He was an excellent friend, a great human being and he used to treat people very well.

"He also enjoyed good writing a lot. He was someone who had his own personality. The way he shot his films, his music, everything was great. He also looked for new talent," he added.

Feroz Khan is survived by actor son Fardeen, 35, and daughter Laila Rajpal.

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Feroz ji was like a father to me: SRK

Bollywood is in a state of shock at the sad demise of veteran actor Feroz Khan. Calling his death a big blow to the industry, the film fraternity has paid tribute to his remarkable contributions.

Many actors have flown to Banglore from various parts of the country to attend the last rites of this legendary figure.

His brother Sanjay Khan, who reached Bangalore after his death, said, "He was a lion. He was a wonderful, passionate man. His contribution to the film industry is immense. It's a deep loss to the family. I can say that there was a lion who used to roar but today he is no more."

Even King Khan expressed grief and said that he was like a father to him. Shah Rukh said, "I miss Feroz saab a lot. His death is a personal loss. Fardeen had told me about his illness. I was emotionally attached to him because my father too died of the same illness. I still remember when I met him for the first time and he kissed and hugged me. Whenever I met him after that he always showered his love on me and treated me like his son. He is one of the most beautiful people I have met in the film industry."

Bollywood actor Arbaz Khan too said that he was shocked when he came to know about Feroz Khan's death through an SMS. "I convey my condolences to the entire family. It's a very difficult time for Fardeen and other family members. I am so disturbed after hearing this sad news."

Other actors like Celina Jaitely, Malaika Arora Khan, and Zeenat Aman have expressed their condolences on his death. Zeenat Aman has reportedly said that she remembers Feroz Khan as a legendary actor for his memorable and inspiring work in the film industry.

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In Pics: Feroze Khan buried

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We have been preparing ourselves for Feroz's death

Akbar Khan says his brother was fearless to the end

He was gracious and loving till the end, says Feroz Khan's brother Akbar. He added that they had been preparing themselves for his death for quite a few months.

"For three months now we've been watching him slowly sink. We prayed to either relieve him from pain, or life," Akbar told IANS.

Feroz Khan died on Sunday (April 26) at his farmhouse in Bangalore after a year-long battle with cancer. He was 69. The entire family was gathered in Bangalore for the funeral, which took place on Monday (April 27).

"The entire family was here towards his end literally feeding him out of our hands," said the grief-stricken sibling. "And he enjoyed his glass of wine in the evenings with us till the end. He was a very loving friend and bhai (brother).

"We buried him next to our mother. It's unfortunate that we couldn't bring him back to Mumbai for so many of his friends and well-wishers to see him for the last time. But his last wish was to lie eternally next to our mother in our home town near Bangalore. And we had to fulfil that wish."

Akbar, who recently made the historical epic "Taj Mahal - An Eternal Love Story", says that contrary to his flamboyant image, Feroz Khan was a sensitive person.

"He was much loved by all his friends and colleagues. Contrary to his flamboyant image, he was a very gentle sensitive soul. Even in his frail condition towards the end he'd get up from his chair to greet each one of us in the family no matter how old or young. He was a friend first, then a father-figure," said Akbar.

"He was fearless even when faced with death. He was the apple of our mother's eyes. All of us five brothers and two sisters looked up to him. We've lost a father-figure. But he's relieved of his pain. But he was fearless to the end. He didn't even fear death. He'll always be with us."

Meanwhile, actress-politician Hema Malini, who is busy campaigning for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, catches her breath to remember Feroz Khan and says he was the only colleague to use an endearment for her and give her a sensuous avatar in his hit film "Dharmatma".

"He was the first and last man who called me 'baby'. No one has ever dared. I wish they would. What a suave man he was," Hema told IANS.

"When I agreed to do 'Dharmatma' he made it very clear I was there in the first-half only. He said, 'You can't say no, baby!' That was a new experience for me. My mother was more shocked than I was. With everyone addressing me as 'ji' it feels nice if someone comes up with a term of endearment.

"Earlier this week I was in Darjeeling campaigning when someone from the crowd shouted out 'Hemu' and disappeared into the mountains. I felt good because that's what my near and dear ones call me," she added.

Feroz Khan calling Hema 'baby' was not the only change that he brought to her life.

"He decided to take on the challenge of making me look more glamorous and sensuous than ever before. That was a tough job because I was constantly fighting to cover myself up more than those costumes by Parmeshwar Godrej allowed. I don't think I've ever used so many safety pins in my entire lifetime. He wanted me to be as uninhibited as today's heroines. That wasn't possible for me."

Hema shot in Afghanistan for "Dharmatma" and says it was a memorable experience.

"I don't think any film unit had gone there before. It was a memorable experience. And we really had to rough it out. It was freezing cold in Kabul. We had to stay in tents. In the evenings, we'd all sit together and prepare for next day's scenes.

"Otherwise after shooting I always kept to myself. But he persuaded not just me but also my mother to join the unit in the evening. 'Come on, mom. Join us.' My mother was taken aback. We're basically very shy people. But he'd make her part of the discussions. That's the way to make films. One gets so charged and enthusiastic. I wish Feroz Khan and I had done more films together," Hema said.

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Amitabh Bachchan remembers Feroz Khan

Describes him as a flamboyant filmmaker

Mourning the death of veteran actor Feroz Khan, Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan says that despite several attempts in the past the two could not work together.

"There were many attempts by both of us to work together but somehow it didn't work out," Amitabh posted on his blog.

"He will be remembered for his passion and commitment to the craft. May his soul rest in peace and may the Almighty give his family strength to bear the loss," he added.

The flamboyant actor-filmmaker died on Sunday at his farmhouse in Bangalore after battling cancer for a year. He was 69.

Amitabh describes Feroz Khan, who made hits like "Dharmatma" and "Qurbani", as a flamboyant filmmaker.

"A flamboyant filmmaker, one that in the middle of his acting career became a producer and director and gave us some very memorable films - all with a certain stamp of flamboyance.

"What he displayed in his persona, reflected in the way he made his films. In many ways, he pioneered a certain flash and sophistication in his very first venture as a maker and that remained with him and all his films throughout," he wrote.

Amitabh also pointed out that Feroz Khan always had a "progressive and visible difference in the way he functioned" including the "content of the subjects he chose, in the unique casting that he did or in the fresh talent that he introduced in music and presentation".

Amitabh recalled the recent Stardust award function where Feroz Khan was given the Stardust Pride of the Industry award.

"In a most poignant moment, his son Fardeen had received it on his behalf from Jaya (Bachchan) on stage - Feroz being too ill to be present," he added.

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The trick behind Akshay's double role in 8x10 Tasveer

Filmi double roles have always fascinated us. To make them possible, techniques like shooting in several layers, shooting with the help of chroma are common practice. But if we talk about Akshay Kumar's 8x10 Tasveer, there is certainly something unique.

Akshay's double role: The best sequence and the most challenging one too! No chroma shots, but frame by frame rotoscoping (technique of cutting out the images) done by Vfx house Prime Focus. All of Akshay's shots were shot twice in two different layers using a dummy character in front of him. Later, the dummy character was rotoed out from each frame and was replaced by Akshay shot in a separate layer.

"It was a long sequence and was shot on the boat where everything was shaking. As the part of the post production, we had to roto out Akshay in each and every frame; besides, all the shots needed to be stabilized because of the shake. The scene where both the Akshays are fighting was the most challenging one," says Merzin Tavaria, Creative Head, Prime Focus.

Frame by frame rotoscoping was done to replace the image



Dummy characters were used for the reference.


Dummy character was rotoed out frame by frame



The dummy character was rotoed out from each frame and was replaced by Akshay shot in a separate layer

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Exclusive: Shah Rukh Khan on his Knights

Kolkata Knight Riders have registered their first win in IPL season 2 and team owner Shah Rukh Khan now wants to put all the controversies behind and concentrate on cricket. He spoke to Vimal Kumar after the victory celebrations.

SRK: It's going to be difficult at times. People are not going to understand from outside. All I can tell you is: "You can love us, you can hate us, but you can't ignore us. We will try our best as humbly as possible. We will try and entertain everyone. We are open to be talking about the team the way we wish to. We love you and we are going to try our best. Whichever the part of the country you are in, make sure you are proud of Kolkata Knight Riders."

Q: IPL is shifted to South Africa. Rain is playing spoilsport. Your take on that

SRK: Weather is not something that even I can control or, you can control. It's unfortunate. But apparently, it is not seasonal rain here, either. So things happen like this. When the moment is big, the occasion is really important, small things can spoil it. But the idea was the IPL2 should be held. So forget the rain. Whenever it rains we just sing a good rain song. But beyond that, yes it's unfortunate. I feel sad that some of the matches are getting curtailed because of rain.

Q: You must be feeling happy that your team has started winning.

SRK: I don't think we have started winning. We have twelve more matches to go. I can't be happy so soon. But I am very happy that the team has started playing together. And inshe allah... as we go along the next twelve matches we will play together. As long as we play together, winning or losing is not important. I think if we are able to bring the spirit of the Kolkata Knight Riders into this, that is more important. So I am happy for the kids. I think they were very depressed after losing the first match. I am happy that they are happy now. But a long way to go.

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