Guess the murderer and win while watching the film

Picture this if you will: A murder mystery where you (the audience) are actively involved in guessing who the murderer is. SMS your replies to a number given while the film is being screened, before the mystery is solved and you might just walk out of the theatre with a prize.

Easier said than done? Well, we'd like to believe so. We spoke to new filmmaker, Sareesh Sudhakaran, who debuts as a producer and director with his film titled The Impossible Murder. The film employs the marketing tool mentioned earlier.

So what's the film about? Says Sareesh, "It's a murder mystery that clocks in at 81 minutes. An old woman is killed in her bedroom. There are five witnesses who are standing outside the door and when they break in to help her, there is no sign of the murderer or the murder weapon.

This makes it appear as an impossible murder, and the entire story revolves around the detective piecing together the clues and arriving at the solution to the crime three years after it was committed."

The film, due to release in the first or second week of June, will test the waters in select theatres in the Mumbai and Pune territories.

Sareesh is upbeat about his subject matter, even though whodunits have a short shelf life (what with people leaking out the suspense). He says, "Even though all the facts and situations are provided beforehand, the mystery is unsolvable.

Further-more, even after the ending is revealed, no one will be able to discover a flaw in the reasoning of the puzzle. Even if somebody watches a film, they'll go in trying to find a flaw, almost like we're challenging them to." He further claims that no one will be able to find loopholes in the film.

He informs that the audience will receive live feedback on their SMS responses. Five such interactions can take place during the film.

The film was made with individual funding over two years. The film's lead pair is a relatively new cast: Tarun Singh Negi (who plays the lead in the stage version of The Alchemist) and Swati Shetty, a newcomer.

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Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan brainstorm

Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan brainstormed with other producers at a Producers Guild Meeting convened to resolve the spat with multiplex owners on Wednesday, May 27 at Taj Lands End, Mumbai.

Shah Rukh and Aamir looked Mumbai cool in their Tees and jeans. Shah Rukh wore a white V-neck tee, blue distressed jeans and grey sports shoes. Aamir was dressed in a heather grey crew neck Tee, faded blue loose fit jeans and a brown baseball cap.

The meeting started at midnight and ended three hours later on a positive note, with indications that the spat could be resolved over the next couple of days.

Perceived more as actors than producers, Aamir and Shah Rukh are leaders and major stake holders in the industry.

Attentive and observant, Aamir spoke little during the meeting, occasionally chipping in to make a point; Shah Rukh came through as more involved and animated.

The Producers Guild and multiplex owners in India have locked horns over profit sharing, with the producers demanding a 50% share of profits. No Bollywood films have been released since early April.

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Its Raftaar v/s Rann as both are based on the backdrop of a TV channel

The makers of 24x7 Raftaar starring Emraan Hashmi and Neha Dhupia are in a mad rush to release their film. The reason? Percept Picture Company's film and Ram Gopal Varma's Rann starring Amitabh Bachchan and Riteish Deshmukh both have similar story lines.

Both stories revolve around the internal politics of a newsroom.

The buzz is that the guys at Percept at miffed at Ramu for starting a film on the same plot as theirs. A source reveals, "There is a big rush between Percept and Ramu to release their films as soon as the multiplex embargo lifts. Since both projects have similar plots and selling points, it's a race to reach first at the finishing post."

When contacted, Navin Shah, CEO of Percept Picture Company says, "Raftaar is a story of one media house using their resources to manipulate the market. The film has an extremely stylish look on the lines of Race and Dhoom." Reacting to comparisions with RGV's Rann, Shah says, "Well, I can vouch for the fact that ours is an original idea. We planned, conceived and made it before Mr Varma, and nothing can change that!."

Adding that his product is superior to Ramu's, he says, "Emraan Hashmi has a huge market of his own. His reach isn't just limited to metros and big cities. While RGV's films have an appeal that's limited to the big cities. We definitely have an edge with the broader appeal. Also, the Pritam-Emraan combination is a sure shot winner, while music has never been a forte for Ramu's film."

Percept plans to release Raftaar some time in August. "I am not aware when Rann is releasing and neither am I bothered. As per the market conditions, we plan to release Raftaar by August."

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What's happening in Bollywood Town!

Mithunda with son Mimoh, Hard Kaur and Kailash Kher turn cricketers and more

White Magic: We caught Mithunda in an uncomfortable position. He carries off the white shoes though.

Cricketers: ‘Batwoman’ Hard Kaur and ‘Batman’ Kailash Kher make us laugh with their antics at a Twenty20 promotion

Calling The Shots: Director Sabbir Khan explains the shot to Sylvester Stallone on the sets of Kambaakht Ishq.

Colour Co-Ordinated: Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar make a pretty, white picture at a music launch. Shabana has put on weight

Singer too: Suchitra Pillai croons her heart out at a musical do last night. She sang mainly English songs

New Look: Mimoh has chopped his unruly locks and lost weight. He has also grown a beard to look grown up. Let’s hope it helps his filmy career.
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John Abraham sends parents in his place to wish trainer

Bollywood was out in full force for the wedding of celebrity fitness trainer Ziauddin Khatib to Sabah on May 25 at the Bandra Reclamation, Mumbai, with Emraan Hashmi being one of the first guests to wish the newlyweds. However, good friend and client John Abraham couldn’t make it so he sent his parents in his place to extend his good wishes to the couple.

Though John is a huge Bollywood star, not many have seen his parents. Mr. and Mrs. Abraham walked in on time and stayed at the reception till the very end, enjoying themselves with the other guests.

Other famous faces at the reception were actor Bikram Saluja, who walked in with Khalid and Kulraj Randhawa, who was all praise for her kickboxing trainer. Ayesha Takia’s father Nish Takia also attended the ceremony. Muzamil Ibrahim and his brother Mudassir both walked in together, while Javed Ahmed was heard discussing fitness with a police officer present at the occasion. The wedding ceremony took place at the Spastic Society at Reclamation in Bandra.

Ziauddin Khatib has made India proud by winning the World Fastest Knockout three times - the quickest being in 29 seconds. He is also the President of the Indian Kickboxing Association. Ziauddin Khatib has trained Bollywood celebrities Hrithik Roshan, John Abraham, Jaya Prada, Deepika Padukone, Sonam Kapoor, Bipasha Basu, Tabu, Harman S. Baweja, Emraan Hashmi and Kulraj Randhawa in kickboxing.

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Will Aamir star in Danny’s next

Danny Boyle was in the city to help his child stars to get a roof above their heads. But we are told that this wasn’t his sole purpose.

The director also met up with Aamir Khan to discuss his next project.

The star is back from his long holiday with his family in the US and director, Danny Boyle didn’t want to miss his chance of talking to him.

If sources are to be believed, the Slumdog director has expressed his desire to work with Aamir when the actor came down for the premiere of his Oscar winning film.

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Kareena Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan patch up at KJo's party

Karan Johar's birthday party on Monday evening turned out to be an occasion for more than one grand reunion. KJo made sure that Abhishek and Kareena put aside their differences and became friends again.

Following the thawing between Abhi and Bebo, the camaraderie between Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Kareena Kapoor that evening didn't surprise anyone.

To see them laughing, giggling, whispering and behaving like two long-lost sahelis was something that did bring a smile to all the invitees' faces and added that extra zing to Karan's glamour-gorged party.

The highlight of the evening was Ash and Bebo taking to the dance floor. Finally, the long-standing cold war between the Bachchans and Kapoors that started when Abhi's relationship with Karisma's sister ended, came to an end. All ties had been severed between the Bachchans and Kapoors.

It was reported that Abhishek refused films with Kareena, prompting the emotional girl to react angrily and defiantly. She publicly snubbed Amitabh Bachchan at an award function last year. Very recently, through the subtle efforts of Aishwarya and Karan Johar from both ends, the two families began to dissolve their differences.

KJo's party on Monday evening did the trick. Now it's only a matter of time before Abhishek and Kareena finally come together again for a film after Refugee and Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon. Chances are KJo will design the project.

Brief encounters: Who's the ice maiden now
Ash and Sonam too had a very brief chat. However there was no lets-be-friends vibe between them, even when they spoke to each other for a few minutes. It was very formal and although Ash was warm, Sonam's stance was aloof. A source reveals, "As soon as Ash spotted Sonam, she rushed to her side and gave her a warm hug. She complimented her on the outfit she was wearing and told her how much she loved her style sense." There was no talk about Sonam being dropped from Cannes at the last minute. Minutes into their conversation, Kapoor spotted someone, she excused herself and walked away.

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Deepika in talks to play female lead for Krrish 2

After the release of Kites, Rakesh Roshan will soon start working on Krrish 2. According to well-placed sources, the film is already in the scripting process, with a newer concept. It will feature Hrithik Roshan yet again and Deepika Padukone is being considered for the part of the leading lady.

A source reveals, "After the success of Krrish, the Roshans decided to go ahead with the sequel of the movie. Their first priority was to finish with Kites and then work on Krrish 2. Kites is almost done and is in the post-production stage. Rakesh Roashan's production house FilmKraft is working on Krrish 2. They are at an infant stage and still working on script and the star cast, but it obviously includes Hrithik as the actor."

The source continues, "The layout of the script is ready and it will see Hrithik in a superhero avatar once again. He will be seen saving the Seven Wonders of the World, so naturally the film will be shot extensively at various foreign locations. Hrithik will undergo physical training once again for the role. Like the prequel, this too will have SFX and a big crew of foreign technicians."

It is believed that Papa Roshan is keen to have Deepika for the role opposite Hrithik, as he feels she suits the role perfectly and he was very impressed by her stunts and athletic character in Chandni Chowk To China. When quizzed, Roshan said, "Not thinking of anything till the release of Kites."

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