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Vishal to choreograph sensuous number for Emraan

Dec 172012

Emraan Hashmi has been known for his romantic songs in films. The actor has a fantastic track record for the hit love songs in his career and keeping his image in mind, filmmaker and composer Vishal Bhardwaj has agreed to choreograph a song for Emraan in his forthcoming production Ek Thi Daayan. The film is being directed by debutant Kannan Iyer.

Vishal Bhardwaj is a kind of producer who never interferes with his directors however new they are. But in the case of Ek Thi Daayan which is a super-natural thriller, the filmmaker-composer is all set to debut as a choreographer for a sensuous song in the film with Emraan Hashmi and Huma Qureshi. The song composed by Bhardwaj himself has lyrics by Gulzar.

Debutant director Kannan Iyer seems only too happy to step aside for his producer-composer, “This is one of Vishal Bhardwaj’s most sensuous compositions ever. And being as involved as he is with his music, he wanted to choreograph the song himself. After all, he understands the nuances of this song better than anyone else.”

Vishal Bhardwaj is currently busy wrapping up his Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola however he has promised to wield the mega phone for the song in Ek Thi Daayan for the next couple of days. As for Emraan, this would be his next film after two back to back super hits Raaz 3 and Jannat 2. “Emraan is happy with the decision; he does not want to let go of the momentum,” says a source close to the unit.

Ek Thi Daayan co-produced by Balaji and Vishal Bhardwaj Productions is slated for April 18 release.

Sushant Singh Rajput doing Hiranis film for free

Celebrities

Dec 172012

While merrily lashing out at “competition” (read: Deepika Padukone) Anushka Sharma also took a snipe at Sushant Singh Rajput , stating rather unnecessarily, “Sushant has only eight days of work (in Raj Kumar Hirani’s PK)…he is just a small chapter in my life.”

Taking deep umbrage to what is being seen as an attempt to undervalue the newcomer, a source says, “Isn’t Anushka pissed off about her colleagues trying to downplay and downsize her stardom? Then why is she doing the same to another colleague? Why is Anushka commenting on the length and breadth of a co-star’s role? How does she know the size of Sushant’s role? No one except probably Aamir has read the full script.”

Setting the record straight, the source says, “Yes, it’s a relatively small role. At a time when he’s playing the lead in a Yash Raj film, Sushant has agreed to do the role in PK for one reason only, Rajkumar Hirani. It was Sushant’s dream to work with Raju. When he was offered the role, Sushant was over the moon. Raju warned him it’s a small but important role. Sushant said, ‘Doesn’t matter, Sir, even if you ask me to walk from one side of the frame to the other I’d do it’.”

Apparently, Sushant has not charged a single penny for the part. Says the source, “Raju gave Sushant Rs.20 as signing amount, and asked him what he’d like as his fee. Sushant refused any payment, got the Rs.20 laminated and has framed the same on the wall of his living room. That’s the kind of regard Sushant has for Rajkumar Hirani.”

The source informs that Sushant Singh’s role in PK would be billed as a friendly appearance. “He will be seen at the beginning of the film. His character then disappears and reappears at the end,” informs the source.

“Anushka wants her colleagues to stop commenting on her roles. She should follow what she preaches,” the source adds.

Sushant Singh Rajput remained unavailable for comment.

Vishal Bhardwaj upset with Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandolas A certification

Celebrities

Dec 152012

It could be because of its unusual starcast or its tongue twisting long name Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola, that the film indeed is one of the most awaited films of the recent times. The film which releases next month has been given an ‘A’ certificate by Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), that has made Vishal Bhardwaj reasonably upset.

The reason stated for the ‘A’ certificate is that in the film, Pankaj Kapur’s (who plays one of the central roles) character named ‘Mandola’, as a habit, keeps on repeating the word, ‘Paincho Paincho’ in the film, which sounds very close to an abusive term in Hindi.

But Vishal defends his stand stating that it isn’t an abusive word and that it’s meant to be hilarious, not offensive. He added that one shouldn’t kill the flavor of the region for one word that sounds like a ‘gaali’ as it is not an adult film. He says that the phrase is not offending, but is amusingly musical! He argues that while the society has accepted an extremely popular family restaurant in Bandra called ‘Papa Pancho’, then why cant ‘paincho’! That’s the reason he has decided to appeal the decision passed by the CBFC and is planning to take it up with the Revising Committee on 17 December.

Lastly, he said that he will request the Censor Board to have a look at the film again as he has not accepted the ‘A’ rating by the Regional Officer and that he is taking it to the Revising Committee.

Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola, is a film that stars Imran Khan, Anushka Sharma, and Pankaj Kapur in the lead roles and releases on 11 January, 2013.

Watch Promo: Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola

Delhi Police personnel to watch Dabangg 2 with Salman Khan

Celebrities

Dec 152012

The Delhi Police personnel, who have been appreciated for their bravery and meritorious services, will now get a chance of a lifetime to watch Dabangg 2 with none other than Salman Khan before the film’s release on Dec 21.

Sources say that Salman Khan, who will arrive in Delhi on Dec 18, will not only pay his tribute to police martyrs, but also will meet the relatives of the five policemen who died during the Dec 13, 2001, parliament attack.

Readers may recall that, earlier too, a special screening of Rowdy Rathore was held for Delhi Police’s SWAT (Special Weapon and Techniques) team with Akshay Kumar.

Pritam nominated for Barfi at Asia Pacific Film Festival

Celebrities

Dec 152012

Even before the Oscars take place, here is some good news for the film Barfi. The news is that music director Pritam has now been nominated for the music of the film at the prestigious Asia Pacific Film Festival to be held in Macau. Readers may note that, he is the only Indian musician to be nominated at the award ceremony that will be held during the course of the festival.

For starters, The Asia Pacific Film Festival is an event hosted annually in different Asian Cities by the Board of Directors of the Federation of Motion Picture Producers in Asia-Pacific. This year, the festival will be held in Macau.

Ekta Kapoor accused of insulting senior citizen

Celebrities

Dec 152012

In a fast moving city like Mumbai, gone are the days when people used to hurl abuses/ accusing each other face to face, as they have now found a trendy platform for doing this: twitter. And since the last 24 hours the news that’s’ trending’ is that of Ekta Kapoor and her alleged altercation with a 68-year-old man.

It so happened that Ekta Kapoor found herself in the middle of a controversy, post an alleged altercation at a bank in Mumbai, with a 68-year-old man. That’s when the man’s daughter (unnamed though, using the handle @ghaatidancer) accused Ekta of not just abusing her father, but also showing him the finger, apparently when he asked her to move out of his way. The girl tweeted, “A woman at the bank just called my father an ‘old fool’ and told him to ‘fuck off’, because he was in her way. This was Ekta Kapoor. She was blocking his way and he said, “excuse me”. She turned around and said he was an old idiot who couldn’t see, flipped him off and left. Ekta’s bodyguards tried to defuse the situation by leading her father away.” She also added that “Her bodyguards tried to escort my father away, saying ‘bahut gussewaali hai.'” She tweeted that her father was “completely shaken and on the verge of tears.”

The man’s daughter, tweeted, “at first an apology is all that my father is looking for. I don’t want newspaper coverage, or any publicity. My tweets may be public, but that’s not what I’m looking for. I just want her to apologize”. She also added that she was now contemplating legal action and that they would be trying to procure CCTV footage of the incident from the bank.

On behalf of Ekta Kapoor, a statement was issued which stated, “This is to confirm that all sorts of allegations made against our client Ms. Ekta Kapoor are utterly ridiculous. To bring clarity to the matter, Ekta Kapoor was on her phone on a street in 7 Bungalows when an elderly gentleman came and pushed her. Having questioned him on why he did such a thing, the gentleman immediately retorted in a rude and abusive manner. Post this his daughter has gone on an overdrive with her tweets regarding this episode, all of which hold no truth. Such behavior is uncalled for, Ekta has maintained her silence given that he is a senior citizen, but such uncouth behavior and desperate plea for publicity are unappreciated.”

Why Parineeti Chopra gave up on Akshays film

Celebrities

Dec 152012

While Ranveer Singh has happily signed films outside the parent Yash Raj banner, his costar from Ladies Versus Ricky Bahl, Parineeti Chopra, seems tied down by a binding contract that doesn’t allow her the same freedom.

One hears Parineeti was very keen to sign on for the Hindi remake of the Tamil blockbuster Thuppakki which she was offered by producer Vipul Shah on behalf of director A. Murugadoss. Apparently, Akshay Kumar was also interested in getting her on board for the project as he had seen and liked the new girl on the Bollywood block in Ishaqzaade. However, Yash Raj apparently wouldn’t release Parineeti to do the outside project.

Heavy trading of negotiations between the two parties finally culminated in a dead-end for Parineeti, with Aditya Chopra apparently vetoing the very idea of the girl working in an outside film at a time when she was shooting for Yash Raj’s new film with director Maneesh Sharma opposite Sushant Singh Rajput.

Says a source, “Parineeti was ready to shuttle between the two projects without letting either suffer. But she was told in no uncertain terms, that she would have to stay committed full-time to Maneesh Sharma’s film, just like the film’s leading man Sushant Singh Rajput who has not been permitted to do any other project while shooting for the Yash Raj film.”

Apparently, Akshay Kumar also intervened in the hope of some flexibility in Parineeti’s schedule. But to no avail.

It was only after it became crystal-clear that Parineeti wouldn’t be able to the Thuppakki remake that Sonakshi Sinha was sounded out, and signed. Confirming this director A Murugadoss said, “We tried really hard for Parineeti. But she was committed by contract to a project with Yash Raj Films.”

Curiously, Vipul Shah’s schedules for the Thuppakki remake don’t clash with the Maneesh Sharma film at all. So one wonders why Parineeti had to let go of such a plum project that was bound to take her career further.

Pandit Ravi Shankar composed music for Saare Jahan Se Achcha

Celebrities

Dec 142012

Not too many know this. But the music for India’s favourite patriotic song ‘Saare Jahan Se Achcha’ is composed by (late) Pandit Ravi Shankar!

Says Gulzar Saab, “Of course ‘Saare Jahan Se Achcha’, which every Indian in every part of the world hums, is composed by (late) Pandit Ravi Shankar. It was composed by him when he was associated with the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA). And incidentally, the signature tune for IPTA was also composed by Panditji. He was all around us, literally. He also composed the legendary signature tunes for All India Radio and Doordarshan. And if you listen carefully to the signature tune of Doordarshan (lampooned by Hrithik Roshan in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara) you’ll see it ‘s actually the same tune as ‘Saare Jahan Se Achcha’.”

Exults Gulzar, “Panditji’s talent was as deep and wide as the sky. The Sitar meant Ravi Shankar and Ravi Shankar meant the Sitar. He became a metaphor for the Sitar. When someone learnt to play Sitar, we said, ‘He’s becoming a Ravi Shankar’. I am lucky to have worked with him when he composed music for my film Meera. When I offered it to him, he said he will listen to the script when he was in India next and then decide. But I offered to fly down to New York for a day. I went to New York and he agreed. I actually got to travel with Panditji while we did the songs of Meera because there was limited time to do the entire music score. He was doing concert tours. I volunteered to travel with him, so we could get the music for Meera ready. Panditji was young at heart and had boundless energy. He was honest and very sincere. These qualities remained with him till the end. Years later, there was a programme in Agra where he asked me to come and introduce him on stage. I was honoured by his faith in me. I flew down to Agra to do the needful. To remain at that sky-touching peak for decades was not a small thing. Panditji was part of my growing up years. He will remain a part of my life forever. We remained connected till the end.”

Sonakshi Sinha to endorse Rajhans Group

Celebrities

Dec 142012

Sonakshi Sinha is one PYT who is definitely on a roll. After making a smashing debut and also becoming one of the most sought after brand ambassadors by many FMCG companies, she is in the news yet again.

The latest conquest in her land of brand ambassadorship is that of the Surat based conglomerate ‘Rajhans Group’, who are one of the front runners when it comes to textiles, realty, entertainment, hospitality and confectionery. Speaking about Sonakshi, Jayesh Desai (Group Chairman) said, “Sonakshi Sinha connects to all segments of the society throughout the nation. Her personality matches to the company’s positioning statement, ‘Wings of Happiness’ that takes the pledge to fill people’s lives with happiness by bringing them not only small joys but also helping them realize their big dreams”.

On her part, Sonakshi said, “Rajhans (Desai-Jain) Group is a very aspirational brand. I think not everyone gets this opportunity so early in their career to represent such a big group. I have been very fortunate. The Group has many ambitious ventures in the future and is poised to grow further. This is a good prospect for both of us since we both are growing as of now in our respective careers. I look forward to a long association with this Group.”

Tanya Kumar launches Teso in Goa

Celebrities

Dec 142012

While the men in Bollywood are showing their mettle by trying their hand in entrepreneurship, the ladies are now proving that they too are not far behind. Names like Shilpa Shetty, Shreya Saran, Preity Zinta and likes are testimonials to the fact that the tinsel town ladies are indeed names to watch out for in the arena of business.

Adding to this list is none other than Tanya Kumar (better half of Kishan Kumar), who has now launched Teso, touted as the country’s ultimate party destination in Goa. It is tagged as the perfect way to unwind on the Waterfront at Siolim. Open from breakfast to midnight, Teso is fast becoming a hotspot for Bollywood celebrities and was in the spotlight during the Sunburn Festival and AfterBurn parties last year which boasted of guests like Vikram Chatwal & Jake Jagger (Mick Jagger’s daughter), Zayed and Malaika Khan, Aftab Shivdasani, Wardha and Sajid Nadiadwala, Anil & Sabina Chopra, Queenie Singh, Rocky S, Mugdha Godse and many more.

Talking about Teso, Tanya Kumar said, “When I was a little girl, I remember telling my mom that,’ one day I want to own a hotel of my own and luckily my passion for traveling and discovering new destinations kept my dream alive. I’ve always had a thing for Italy…Italian places, people, clothing, music, food and also the language itself. The cuisine decided was Mediterranean, primarily Italian …and since this is a treasure in the true sense of the word, I was sure about naming it Teso’, which is derived from an Italian word ‘Tesoro”, meaning Treasure.”

Meanwhile, her ever-supportive husband Kishan Kumar said, “The Indian customer is evolving fast. They are travelling a lot and are discovering new concepts, which they would like to see back home in India. This new concept that has been created for India will cater to Indian tastes on par with international standards so that there is something for everyone”.

The good news is that Teso will soon have its official launch this month!

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