Anthony to strike before Munna: "The Sanjay Dutt-Arshad Warsi combo, which took the nation by storm with MUNNABHAI M.B.B.S., will feature in ANTHONY KAUN HAI?, exactly a month before LAGE RAHO MUNNABHAI hits the screens. Although ANTHONY KAUN HAI? started much after LAGE RAHO MUNNABHAI [ANTHONY went on floors in March in Thailand, was completed in April and will be released on July 28], there�re whispers that producer Nikhil Panchamiya is keen that his film arrives before MUNNABHAI so as to capitalize on the star-combo.

�Let�s not compare ANTHONY KAUN HAI? with LAGE RAHO MUNNABHAI. Munna and Circuit are brands already, while my film stars Sanju and Arshad. I am not trying to be one-up on Vidhu Vinod Chopra [the producer of LAGE RAHO MUNNABHAI]. I am not competing with him,� Panchamiya defends his move of overtaking LAGE RAHO MUNNABHAI.

But Panchamiya could�ve released ANTHONY KAUN HAI? after the MUNNABHAI sequel hit the screens. �I was ready with my film in April, so does it make sense to hold on to it unnecessarily? For someone like me who has just stepped into the production arena [he made his production debut with DIL MAANGE MORE], every penny counts and every day makes a difference. If I don�t release my film in July, the next date I can look at is November/December, after Ramzan and after DHOOM 2 and DON. I�d be killing my film if I delay ANTHONY KAUN HAI? any further,� he states.

Panchamiya feels both ANTHONY KAUN HAI? and MUNNABHAI can co-exist without harming each other�s prospects. �The two films are diametrically diverse in content, so there�s no cause for worry. The only similarity is its heroes, but beyond that there�s nothing remotely identical. And that�s what makes me all the more confident of the two films,� he adds.

What next? Panchamiya has deci"

Aamir in search of a naughty boy!: " Aamir Khan has been a busy man lately. Apart from two of his movies, Rang De Basanti and Fanaa, hitting theatres this year, he is also venturing into production. Although his new film is still untitled, it is based on the relationship between a father and his dyslexic son. It is to be directed by painter-turned-director, Amole Gupte. Aamir Khan wants to make sure that his casting is just perfect.

His production house has even put up a poster at a bookstore in Bandra which states, �Wanted Actor! A very naughty boy!� It goes on to say that if the boy is a bundle of mischief, he should drop his photos at Khan�s office. Let�s hope that Aamir�s search for a naughty boy yields some positive results. "

Mallika Sherawat in Welcome

Saif Ali Khan upset with girlfriend Rosa: "The Chote Nawab, Saif Ali Khan seems to be making his presence felt everywhere be it in his films, advertisements and even the recent IIFA event held at Dubai. Saif received due appreciation for his performance at the IIFA which paid a tribute to yesteryear actor Rishi Kapoor. Saif has also recently been seen alongside girlfriend Rosa in an advertisement. The beautiful Italian model Rosa has been offered quite a few ad films; unfortunately Saif does not seem too happy about his sweetheart getting involved in the glam industry."

Diana: The new face of Aviation: " Miss World and actress Diana Hayden has been signed by the newly launched Avalon Aviation Academy as the face of the Academy. Diana will also be their 'celeb guest lecturer' for training airlines personnel in various aspects, including poise and grace.

The actress will aid students get through professional diploma programmes for airlines cabin crew and the ground staff. Earlier, Diana was instrumental in grooming and training entrants to the Miss World pageants"

It�s �Lage Raho Munnabhai� after audience poll: " Following an opinion poll, the next chapter in Munnabhai�s life has been re-titled LAGE RAHO MUNNABHAI. The film, which went on the floors with a working title of MUNNABHAI 2, had earlier been named MUNNABHAI 2ND INNINGS.

Vidhu Vinod Chopra comments, �When we announced MUNNABHAI 2ND INNINGS, many people reacted and even sent emails with their suggestions. That�s when we felt that since Munna and Circuit have developed such a huge fan following, it would be nice if we could get people involved in selecting a title.�

So, Vinod Chopra Films went in for some market research. The first round was done in Mumbai, where randomly selected people were asked to choose between MUNNABHAI 2ND INNINGS and LAGE RAHO MUNNABHAI. The results were too one-sided to believe. So, associates in several cities were roped in and the exercise repeated there. The combined response was almost unanimous. Over 90% of the respondents chose LAGE RAHO MUNNABHAI. They all said they liked the zing in the name. This settled the matter once and for all.

LAGE RAHO MUNNABHAI stars Sanjay Dutt as Munnabhai supported by Arshad Warsi as Circuit. According to Chopra, LAGE RAHO MUNNABHAI is not a sequel, but another episode in the life of Munna and Circuit and their encounter with truth. The film also stars Boman Irani, Jimmy Shergill, Vidya Balan and Dia Mirza. Rajkumar Hirani directs the film, while Shantanu Moitra scores the music.

LAGE RAHO MUNNABHAI is scheduled for release on September 1. "

Sanjay Gadhvi to start his production house: " Few weeks back we reported the news of Kunal Kohli moving out of Yash Raj and planning to produce his own films. Now, Sanjay Gadhvi, the director of Dhoom, who is currently making Dhoom 2 for Yash Raj Films will be turning producer himself. After Dhoom 2, he will be launching his own production house. Sanjay, however, says that he�ll talk about it only after the release of Dhoom 2.

Sanjay Gadhvi also mentioned that he will always be a part of Yash Raj and will make films for them but only as a director"

Perizaad to play a lesbian onscreen: " It seems that films like Fire and Girlfriend, have opened doors for films based on alternate sexuality. Very soon, Perizaad Zorabian might just be playing the role of a lesbian in an English film titled When Kiran met Karen. The film is set in New York. It is about an Indian woman, living in New York who discovers another facet to her sexuality. She has an affair with a Chinese woman. The film will be directed by New-Jersey based Manan Katohora.

Perizaad still has to complete the paperwork regarding the role. From what we hear, the director of the film was greatly inspired by Brokeback Mountain. Perizaad is quite excited about the role, although she still has some apprehensions about the so called 'bold' scenes. She will only do them once she is completely comfortable.

Another film based on lesbianism is in the making. Titled �Can't Think Straight�, it will be directed by award winning author, Shamim Sarif. Lisa Ray is in talks to play the lead. "

Megha Chatterjee gets better remuneration than her leading man: "Megha Chatterjee, daughter of actress Moushmi Chatterjee is all set to make her debut in Raja Bundela�s forthcoming �Sirf Romance � Love By Chance�. Megha has been paired opposite Aamir Khan�s brother Hyder Ali. But this is not all that�s creating news about Megha. It is believed that the leading lady of the film will be paid 11 lakhs, while the actor Hyder Ali is getting only three lakhs.

This is quite rare in Hindi film industry where female actors are usually less paid than the male actors. Though mother Moushmi Chatterjee refused to comment on the same, director Bundela doesn�t deny about Megha�s remuneration.

Post your views on this topic on our forum "

Chandni Bar in Traffic Signal: "The Chandni Bar from Madhur Bhandarkar�s famous film with the same title will be seen in his upcoming film Traffic Signal. Traffic Signal, which is still in the making, has been in news for the real life sets of a typical Mumbai streets being built for the film by Nitin Desai. The film revolves around the life of the people living near a particular signal in the city.

Talking about the sets, Madhur said that they have built a �Chandni Bar� too on the set. However, since most of the action takes place on the streets in this film, no scenes have been shot inside the bar. Says Madhur, the suggestion to have Chandni Bar came from Nitin Desai. In fact, the writer of the film had also suggested titling the film Chandni Bar-2. Since lots of activity happens out the bar, Chandni Bar has a major role to play in Traffic Signal says Bhandarkar. "

Tusshar Kapoor to play his father�s role in the remake of Farz: "Rohit Shetty�s forthcoming comedy Golmal will be Tusshar Kapoor�s first release since Kyaa Kool Hai Hum. He plays a mute character in the film. Speaking about his sudden absence after Kya Kool Hain Hum he said �I am playing my cards very carefully. I am trying to be very choosy, careful and conscious. I don�t want to make the mistakes that I made in the past. That�s the only reason I was not in picture for some time. Now I have interesting roles to talk about.�

Apart from Golmal, Tusshar has signed in some interesting projects that include Subhash Ghai�s Good Boy Bad Boy, Sanjay Gupta�s Dus Kahaniyaan, Apoorva Lakhia�s Shoot out at Lokhandwala and Anant Mahadevan�s Agar. Now it is believed that Tusshar will play his father�s role in the remake of 1960�s super hit film Farz.

�If everything goes well then we will come out with the remake of Farz. I will be seen in my father�s role. But nothing has been confirmed yet, neither its director nor the starcast. All is in the planning stage� However he doesn�t rule out the possibility and claims, �If there ever is a remake of Farz then it will be surely only by our home production"

Deepa Mehta's Heaven On Earth: "Before she starts with her big venture titled Exclusion which will star Amitabh Bachchan, John Abraham and Terence Stamp, Deepa Mehta has decided to make a medium budget film that revolves around the life of a Punjabi Bride living in Toronto.

The film titled Heaven On Earth is about the life of a bride from Punjab which changes in the course of just seven days. The film is going to be dark like her last film Water. Mehta says that she will shoot the film in seven weeks starting from July 1. The film will be mainly in Punjabi with a bit of English."

Kajol in �K.A.N.K.�?: Karan clarifies
Is Kajol making a surprise appearance in Karan Johar’s forthcoming film KABHI ALVIDA NAA KEHNA? That’s the buzz in the media. Really, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if the actress makes an appearance because Kajol and Karan happen to be thick friends. In fact, the actress did make a fleeting appearance in Karan’s KAL HO NAA HO, directed by Nikhil Advani. “I’d love to cast her in all my films,” Karan Johar tells me, “But the fact is that she isn’t making an appearance in KABHI ALVIDA NAA KEHNA. Frankly, there’s no situation in the film where I could accommodate Kajol.”

A film on Mahajan family: "Bollywood off lately is seeking a lot on inspiration from real life stories. The basic idea is to cash in on the free publicity that follows. The latest in the league is filmmaker Ranjit Sharma who seeks inspiration from the recent Mahajan family feuds.

The Mahajan family has been in the limelight ever since younger brother Pravin Mahajan shot his elder brother and famous politician, Pramod Mahajan. The whole family has been under the media surveillance since then. Pramod Mahajan died after few days and Pravin landed up in jail.

Based on this incident Ranjit Sharma has decided to make a film. The heart of the story will be the strained relationship between the two brothers, Pravin and Pramod, and how it led to one brother killing the other.

The film titled Main Mahajan Bol Raha Hun will be launched in July. The makers of the film have planned to rope in Raj Babbar in Pramod Mahajan�s role, while Anupam Kher for Pravin�s role. Also Karan Khanna might play Rahul Mahajan. Amjad Khan who has written the script of the film will also direct it. After finalizing the whole cast, they will approach Babbar, Kher and Khanna says Sharma. "

Neha Dhupia plays Naseeruddin Shah�s love interest: "Unusual castings seem to be the order of the day in bollywood. After Amitabh Bachchan was paired opposite the young Jiah in a Ram gopal Varma�s film, it�s now the turn of actress Neha Dhupia to play the love interest opposite the much older Naseeruddin Shah. The two actors will be seen in Rajat Kapoor�s film Mithiya. This is the first time that the two actors have been paired together. Neha is pretty excited that she will work alongside such a talented actor as Naseer.

Neha who was recently seen in the film Chup Chup Ke said �I�ve always been a huge admirer of Naseeruddin Shah. When Rajat told me that my co-star would be Naseer, it was like a dream come true. I was looking forward to working with Naseer one day, but I didn�t know that it would happen so soon in my career.� Neha will play the role of a gangster�s moll while Naseer enacts the character of the gangster. Neha claims that Rajat Kapoor titled the film Mithiya as he wanted a mythological title that would make the audiences curious and create an enigma as to what the storyline of the film is about.

Neha also claims that she will not enact the routine moll who wears lycra and parades around. She will have a retro look that will give her a completely new look. Enacting this role will be a completely new experience for this actress as it is a role that is the complete opposite of her real life personality. Naseeruddin Shah who has earlier done a cameo appearance in Rajat�s earlier film, Mixed Doubles has also agreed to do the film due to his personal friendship with the director. Naseer had earlier starred opposite a younger actress, Tara Deshpande in the film Bombay Boys. The shooting for the film will begin on 15 July.

Well here�s hoping this unusual jodi of Neha and Naseer can create a unique chemi"

Rajpal Yadav in negative role again: "Rajpal Yadav is one of the finest actors in comedy roles, Bollywood has today. The man rocked in his last two releases Chup Chup Ke and Phir Hera Pheri with his comedy. The funny man however, will be seen in a negative role in the film Target. His is in fact, an action role and Yadav informs that he�ll be performing the stunts in the film himself. This is after a very long time that Rajpal Yadav will be seen in a negative role. He was earlier seen in some serious negative roles in films like Jungle and Shool.

Yadav who started off playing small character roles has traveled a long way. He now has films at hand in which he plays the central characters. Rajpal will also be seen in non-comic roles in his upcoming films which include Hello Hum Lallan Bol Rahen Hai and Undertrail. "

Now �Hera Pheri III�: " The success of PHIR HERA PHERI has infused faith in sequels. With the sequel to HERA PHERI fetching an extra-ordinary start at the box-office, producer Firoz A. Nadiadwala has decided to continue with the HERA PHERI series by making its third installment now. Yes, after PHIR HERA PHERI, there�s going to be HERA PHERI III.

�Oh yes, the third part of HERA PHERI is 100% on,� Nadiadwala sounds super excited as he discloses plans of the third installment, �The escapades of Raju, Shyam and Baburao will continue. There�s no stopping them now. In fact, Khadak Singh [Om Puri], who featured in the first part [HERA PHERI], will now return in the third part. Besides, we will introduce a number of new characters in the third installment.�

But will the principal star cast change or will Akshay and Suniel team up again? Reportedly, the two actors had a major showdown after a close-door screening of PHIR HERA PHERI, with Suniel accusing Akshay of editing his role in the final cut of the film. �Of course, both Akshay and Suniel will feature in HERA PHERI III. All misunderstandings have been sorted out and the two have decided to be a part of HERA PHERI III. In fact, we resolved the differences a few days before PHIR HERA PHERI hit the screens,� he clarifies.

Nadiadwala is yet to finalize a title for HERA PHERI III. �We may add a word before HERA PHERI. There are two/three options, but we�ve yet to zero in on the final title,� he states. Neeraj Vora, who scripted-directed PHIR HERA PHERI, will direct HERA PHERI III as well. "

Neha Dhupia replaces Urmila Matondkar


Just yesterday we had reported that Urmila Matondkar and Esha Deol had opted out of Apoorva Lakhia�s Shootout At Lokhandwala. But Lakhia has lost no time in finding a replacement for Urmila. He along with the producer, Sanjay Gupta have cast Neha Dhupia to play Sanjay Dutt�s wife, originally to be played by Urmila. This will be the first time that Neha will be seen in a drama, based on real life. Gupta has also signed Neha for Dus Kahaniyan. It seems that Apoorva and Sanjay were impressed with Neha�s performance in Chup Chup Ke. And so she was on board for Shootout At Lokhandwala.

Putting films like Julie and Sheesha behind her, Neha now hopes to start afresh. "

Karan and Farah stretch my dancing skills: Shah Rukh : Interviews News : ApunKaChoice.Com
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan said in London that his good friends Karan Johar and Farah Khan always stretch his dancing skills in their movies.The Bollywood hearthrob, who was in London for the release of the soundtrack of his new film Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna , told newsmen that the film, scheduled to be premiered on August 11 will have a subtitles in French.

The Hindu : National : BJP too rushes to defend Amitabh: "NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party too has rushed � after the Samajwadi Party � to defend superstar Amitabh Bachchan against queries made by the Income Tax authorities through notices sent to him.
Senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday said that he could not figure out 'why only one family was being targeted.' First, it was the case of office of profit against Jaya Bachchan that led to her disqualification, and Mr. Bachchan had been issued notices by the tax authorities even when he was in hospital.
When Mr. Naidu was asked whether the Income-Tax Department could be expected to get the medical report before sending a person a notice for suspected tax evasion, his answer was 'yes, it should.'
At the same time, Mr. Naidu said that while 'the law should take its own course' he did emphasise that 'one family was being targeted.' "

It�s �Karachi Express� now: "Yash Raj is ready with KABUL EXPRESS. Now Junaid Memon, who made his directorial debut with a film called THE FILM, is working on his second film called KARACHI EXPRESS. �Let me clarify at the very outset. KARACHI EXPRESS has nothing to do with KABUL EXPRESS. Nor am I wanting to capitalize on similar sounding names,� Junaid tells me.

Please continue. �I�ve been working on the script of KARACHI EXPRESS since last two years. In fact, I had announced this title [KARACHI EXPRESS] on my website almost two years ago,� he states, adding in the same breath, �KARACHI EXPRESS is not about war.�

So what�s KARACHI EXPRESS all about? �The story is set after the 1971 Indo-Pak war and talks of friendship between the two nations. It tells the story of two different individuals -- one Indian, the other Pakistani. It looks at the Pakistani individual�s journey in India and vice-versa, the Indian individual�s journey in Pakistan,� he divulges.

Is Junaid planning to shoot in Pakistan? �Of course, yes! In fact, I am already talking to people in Pakistan. I am even planning to cast a number of Pakistani actors in the film,� he says. However, Junaid hasn�t finalized the two main protagonists of KARACHI EXPRESS. �I�d love to cast Saif Ali Khan and Abhishek Bachchan,� he reveals, �I have already met Saif, he has liked the concept, but nothing is on paper yet. As for Abhishek, I am planning to get in touch with him in a couple of days,� he discloses.

Junaid plans to begin filming KARACHI EXPRESS in October this year. A leading corporate house is backing the project, he adds. "

Take Krrish home with you
After Yashraj films doing it for Fanaa, it's time for Rakesh Roshan's Filmkraft to do the same. With Krrish's release just around the corner, the Roshans launched merchandise for the film. At a press conference on June 12, Hrithik launched merchandise from the film along with his father. The Krrish range of merchandise includes dolls, masks, key-chains, watches, T-shirts and school bags. The merchandise will be available at malls and stores that stock Pantaloon products. It may be recalled that the Roshans had released merchandise during Koi Mil Gaya also. Krrish merchandise will be manufactured and marketed by Pantaloon Retail India Limited and will hit the market on June 13. Pantaloons also had merchandise for Hrithik's earlier films like Na Tum Jaano Na Hum and Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon.

Atul Kulkarni goes corporate
After doing memorable roles in Madhur Bhandarkar's films like Satta, Chandni Bar and Page 3, Atul Kulkarni is back to working with the film maker. He will be seen in a unique role in Bhandarkar's forthcoming Corporate. The actor will play the sutradhar and will introduce all the characters in the film. Unlike other films with narrators, Kulkarni will not be seen, but will only be heard. He will guide the audience about the context of the characters. This is the fourth time that the actor-director duo has come together.

Metro cast finalized: "Almost a month ago, GANGSTER director Anurag Bose had confirmed that hes working on the star cast of his new film, titled METRO. Well, the latest on METRO is that Anurag has decided to repeat two of the three principal stars of GANGSTER in the film: Shiny Ahuja and Kangana. Besides Shiny and Kangana, Anurag has also roped in Shilpa Shetty for a pivotal role.

METRO peeps into the day-to-day life of a person living in a metropolis and how his personal life takes a complete backseat. �That�s when relationships begin to stagnate,� Anurag had stated then, �Every working individual has so many things to look into, right from raising money, to paying the monthly expenses, to meeting professional deadlines. It�s a slice of life film.�

Meanwhile, a leading production house [name withheld by the writer since the final details are being worked upon] is expected to produce the film. Shooting begins from July onwards. "

Akshay, Urmila, Dino, Manisha storm West Indies: "Contrary to Bollywood shows not doing well on foreign shores, the Caribbean �Bollywood Nite� held this week in the Port of Spain, Trinidad, West Indies, not only witnessed a full house, but even had to turn away more than a thousand people due to lack of space and seats.

The Center of Excellence Auditorium in the Port of Spain could not take more than its capacity of 8,000 people, who screamed and cheered Akshay Kumar, Urmila Matondkar, Dino Morea and Manisha Koirala throughout their performances. They went crazier when Alisha Chinoy sang her popular �Made in India� number.

Such was the frolic and frenzy that its organizers, AIM India [partnered by Chunky Panday and Abhijit Chowdhary], plan to hold a similar show again in the West Indies beginning of next year. "

Music Review : Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna
In last few years, Bollywood lovers have seen Karan Johar in various 'avatars'. There has been Karan Johar - the producer [Kal Ho Na Ho, Kaal], Karan Johar the story/screenplay writer [Kal Ho Na Ho], Karan Johar – the costume designer [Main Hoon Naa, Veer Zaara] and guess what, even Karan Johar – an actor [Home Delivery]. He has sipped coffee with the biggest of celebrities [Koffee With Karan] and even hosted numerous award functions. But the place where he was missed most was at the director's seat!

Rs. 11 crores?

Guess what’s the topic of discussion within the industry? The hard-to-please actor’s hiked fee. According to industry gossip, a leading corporate house recently approached this supremely talented actor for one of its forthcoming projects, but the remuneration this actor quoted was Rs. 11 crores. Was the producer taken aback? Not at all. In fact, the head honcho of the corporate house has already offered Rs. 10 crores. Let’s see what price the deal is finally closed at!

Salman-Akshay Replace Shah RuKh Khan at IIFA
Mid-Day
Mumbai, Jun 10: There has been trouble brewing between Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh since last year. The primary reason is Abhishek's increasing popularity.
Though the two superstars are cordial to each other when they meet, everyone knows that the battle lines have been drawn. Now the Bachchan-Khan war has developed a new twist.
According to an insider, "IIFA, which is scheduled to be held from June 14-17 in Dubai, is suffering because of the animosity between two of the industry's biggest stars."
It is rumoured that Shah Rukh decided at the last moment that he didn't want to grace the event because Amitabh Bachchan is the brand ambassador for the event. Shah Rukh pulling out at the last minute, robs the event of its sparkle, to a large extent.
Reasoning time
But Shah Rukh made sure he had a valid reason to back out of the awards show. He reasoned that the producers of Don, Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar, planned a shooting schedule at the same time, thereby making his sudden exit seem professional and not petty.
Even the other artistes of Don - Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor - would be needed to shoot from June 15 onwards, which increased the list of absentees at the event.
Desperate measures
With Shah Rukh pulling out at the last moment, the IIFA organisers in desperation approached Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Preity Zinta to perform.
But their dates were lying with Sajid Nadiadwala's Janeman, whose shooting begins from June 10 to the month-end. But the ever-helpful Sajid was obliging enough to work the shooting around, allowing the trio to perform at the show.
Sajid Nadiadwala was unavailable for comment but an insider from Janeman confirmed the news. "It's true that Sajid was approached for dates of Salman, Akshay and Preity so that they could perform there. He has given them those dates."
Date problems
Sabbas Joseph from Wizcraft, however, takes the safe route, "People are reading too much into everything. Like every year, we invite the stars to the event and according to their availability of dates, we ask them to perform. While some stars have rescheduled their dates, others haven't.
We did invite Shah Rukh, Kareena and Priyanka to the event and ask them to perform but their dates for Don had been fixed a long time ago - before the IIFA dates were announced. Now Akshay, Salman and Preity will be performing. They were shooting for Sajid's film on those dates, but Sajid has been accommodating enough to release them for a day to come for the event."
There is also a rumour that SRK's friends are boycotting the function as well?
"That's utter rubbish!" says Joseph. Karan Johar will be releasing the music of KANK at IIFA this year and hosting some of our events."
No rescheduling
Riteish Sidhwani, co-producer of Don, currently in Malaysia, refutes the rumours, "Shah Rukh hasn't insisted on the dates being rescheduled. We have the dates of the artistes till June 28, which is when the shooting gets complete.
Shah Rukh is not shooting for Don next week in Kuala Lumpur; only Priyanka and Kareena are. I think he is busy with something else in London. We tried our best to accommodate some dates for IIFA, but it didn't happen."

Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna: Karan Johar teams up with Bollywood biggies
Almost after 5 years of Kabhi Khusi Kabhi Gham’s release Karan Johar is returning to the dirctor’s chair with his multi starrer ‘K-film’ Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna. The latest film, the director says, is far from the melodramatic romances and instead focusses on infidelity and troubled relationships. The film is set for a July release.
The film starrs Bollywood heavyweights Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Rani Mukherjee and Preity Zinta. It also stars Kiron Kher, Arjun Rampal and Saira Mohan in supporting roles. The film’s music has been composed by the musical trio, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy with lyrics penned by Javed Akhtar.
KANK is the story of two couples Dev ( Shahrukh Khan ) - Rhea ( Preity Zinta ) and Maya ( Rani Mukherjee ) - Rishi ( Abhishek Bachchan ), whose life change when Dev and Maya meet and get involved into an extra marital affair. The film explores how the strong feelings that Dev and Maya have for each other affect not only their lives but also of those around them.
“This is Karan’s film. There’s Abhishek, Preity, Rani and Mr. Bachchan. I am sure it’ll be a great film,” said Shahrukh Khan.
Meanwhile Radio Mirchi, the exclusive radio partner to Karan Johar’s film Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, will premiere the film’s music on June 19 on its air waves. Radio Mirchi is celebrating a two-week Karan Johar Festival from June 5.

Another chartbuster from the Bhatt camp?
Whenever it’s a movie from the Bhatt camp, you can be sure that if nothing else, at least the music will be a sure shot hit! And that’s why, even for their forthcoming film, Woh Lamhe, they are leaving no stone unturned.The lead actors of the film, Shiney Ahuja and Kangana Ranaut were flown to Dubai to shoot one of the songs. Vishesh Films is confident that the music of Woh Lamhe too, will burn up the charts. The film is more or less complete. It is based on Mahesh Bhatt’s relationship with Parveen Babi. It is expected to release in another two months. Meanwhile, Vishesh Films is gearing for their next release, The Killer, starring Emraan Hashmi, Irrfan Khan and Nisha Kothari.

Rakhi Sawant claims that pop singer Mika smooched her forcibly
Item Girl Rakhi Sawant knows how to remain in news. Just yesterday she claimed that she was forcibly smooched by singer Mika at his birthday bash on Saturday night. Rather than the customary form of greeting like hug or a peck, Mika kissed her forcibly, said Abhishek Awasthi, Rakhi’s friend. Mika is singer Daler Mehendi’s younger brother and has been friends with Rakhi for past three years. Following the incident, Rakhi lodged a complaint against Mika and two others on charges of molestation and physical abuse. Mika's bodyguards also roughed up a friend of Rakhi, DJ Shezwood who was bleeding and was rushed to hospital. Oshiwara police said a case has been registered against Mika under sections 323 (assault) and 354 (molestation) of IPC. Mika is said to have left for Delhi immediately after the incidence. Rakhi known for her skin show in the sleazy music videos says that she doesn’t invite controversies. It just happens to her. Few weeks back, she was in news for obscenity while performing onstage at Kolhapur in Maharashtra.

Priyanka Chopra is ready to sing
Don’t jump to conclusions with the headline. Priyanka Chopra is not rendering a song for her next film but will be essaying the role of a singer in Raj Kumar Santoshi’s London Dreams. According to her she will also be learning how to play a musical instrument for the movie as well. Another actor playing a singer is Sushmita Sen who will mimic her vocal chords in Tanuja Chandra’s Rockin. Apart from Priyanka, London Dreams stars Ajay Devgan and Salman Khan in the lead and is slated to roll in August. The music will be composed by A.R. Rehman.

Aamir Khan plans his next home production
Aamir Khan has reportedly planned to remake a Tamil thriller Ghajini. Aamir seems to have liked the Tamil film so much that he even plans to produce the film. However the film will go on floors a year from now. The director of the original Tamil film, A R Murugadoss, has been finalized to remake the film in Hindi. The cast of the film is yet to be finalized. Says Murugadoss, Aamir was quite impressed with Ghajini and therefore, expressed his desire to remake the film in Hindi. Murugadoss met Aamir twice and says that he is a very intelligent man. The two also had a discussion on making appropriate changes in the script to make it acceptable for universal Indian audiences. Aamir has in fact, even bought the rights of the Tamil film. The director though, remains tight lipped about other details. It is too early to reveal anything more at this stage he says. Before going ahead with the Tamil remake, Aamir will be starring in Mani Ratnam’s next which is supposed to be a comedy and is tentatively titled High Jump. This film will go on floors in October after Mani Ratnam is through with the shooting of Guru.

Kareena and Neha's ghoomar phenomenon
First it was Dil Vich Lagiya Ve and now it's the Ghoomar song from Himesh Reshammiya's soundtrack of UTV's Chup Chup Ke that's catching people's fancies. Kareena Kapoor and Neha Dhupia are actually involved in doing the traditional ghoomar, which is one of the most colorful and lively North-Indian dances from the state of Rajasthan. The ghoomar was integral to the culture of Jaipur royalty and the name has been derived from the Hindi word, ghoomna (pirouette), where resplendently dressed women move smoothly and gracefully in circles. In Chup Chup Ke, interestingly, it was a south-Indian choreographer from Priyadarshan's camp, Prasanna, who got Kareena and Neha to do the North-Indian dance, the end of which is reportedly a turning point in the film. Kareena's outfit (see picture) for the song has been designed by the ace designer Manish Malhotra and costs a bomb. It seems Manish took great care in the detailing of Kareena's sari and is even said to have bought authentic antique silver accessories from the state of Rajasthan to embellish Kareena's outfit!

Sudhir Mishras acting debut in Traffic Signal
Madhur Bhandarkar known for his realistic cinema can have a very unusual cast for his films as he wants the actor to suit the character well. The latest example of this is the casting of film director Sudhir Mishra in his upcoming film Traffic Signal. Sudhir will be doing a cameo in the film. Madhur wanted someone to play the role of a mafia don and that is when filmmaker Ashok Pandit suggested Sudhir Mishra’s name to him.Sudhir Mishra known for making some brilliant films like Chameli and Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi has never acted before. In fact, he confessed this to Madhur saying that, it would be completely Madhur’s responsibility to make him act in the film. Traffic Signal stars Kunal Khemu and Neetu Chandra in the lead roles. The film is very realistic and includes real street children and eunuchs as supporting characters in the film.

Sameera Reddy features in a video game
Sameera Reddy has become the first Indian actress to feature in a video game. The game designed with mobile phones will show Sameera as a warrior princess who fights savage warriors. The action takes place in an ancient Indian city where she fights the tribes trying to attack her father’s kingdom. Looks like the Reddy girl is all set to become the Indian version of Lara Croft! The game is named Sam’s Mission and includes special effects and fights. The actress, who claims to be a gaming freak herself, says that she even carries a portable Playstation when going on sets. In fact it was her fascination for video games that made her accept this project.Sameera says that she has been working on this since one year and the demo version of the game has turned out great.

Fanaa finally cleared in Gujarat
After making headlines since over a month, Fanaa will finally release in Gujarat. The Supreme Court passed the ruling, today, allowing the film to be released there. A press conference was held on Monday afternoon to declare the same. Addressing the media director Kunal Kohli said, “All theatre owners or exhibitors who wish to release this film can request for protection and the government should extend support. We as filmmakers request all theatre owners of Gujarat to come forward and release the film. We have earned 47 Crores (both domestic and overseas) in the first week and have lost approximately 6 to 7 crores of business in Gujarat. However it's not about money... it is about a principle. As a democratic country where Aamir has a right to say what he feels, even the people of Gujarat, who are protesting have the right to say what they feel ... but in a democratic fashion, and not by burning posters and threatening people." The film maker even spoke about the menace of piracy that was threatening his film and the industry. "We agree that there have been a lot of pirated CDS and DVDs of Fanaa available in the market. We request the people to not buy such CDS and DVDs. They should watch it in the theatre. This will help in stopping piracy."

Shahid's original fiance in Chup Chup Ke
Priyadarshan's forthcoming film Chup Chup Ke is slated to release next week. And here's a scoop very few people might know. Isha Sharvani of Kisna fame was initially signed up for the role enacted by Sushma. It is believed that Isha backed out from the movie when she came to know that her role wasn't as meatier as Kareena Kapoor or Neha Dhupia the other actors of the film. Speaking about same Sushma said "I was aware of this from the beginning. There was some date problem between Isha Sharvani and the filmmaker but that is between them and I did not bother about it. Chup Chup Ke is my second film and to work with Priyanji, was a big thing. I don't think there is any reason for me to refuse the project as the director is very experienced and has a huge starcast." She adds on, "I am a newcomer and there is a long way to go for me. One can say so many things about this issue but in the end I'm happy with my role."

Himeshs Jhalak Dikhlaja track inviting ghosts literally
If RGV’s Darna Zaroori Hai didn’t scare you enough, here’s a freaky little ghostly tale for you. It’s a known fact that Himesh Reshammiya is ruling the music charts these days and pulling increasing number of fans with his nasal voice. That’s normal, quite natural, even Elvis Presley did that. But here’s a freaky turn to the story, what if one of his song is attracting the dead!! This is not any fiction that we are creating. It’s a real life situation in a small village of Bhalej in the Anand district of Gujarat where Himesh’s chartbuster song ‘Jhalak Dikhlaja’ from the film Aksar is working as a mantra to pull the ghosts in the village. The villagers claim that the line in the lyrics which goes ‘ek baar aaja aaja’ is actually acting as a call for the ghosts. A rational person who doesn’t believe in superstitions might dismiss this idea as stupid, but the villagers in the Bhalej believe in this myth completely. The villagers have a number of stories to tell regarding the song. Nearly 10 days back, a 25-year-old Firoz Thakor, who was humming the song, got caught under the evil influence. He ate a lot and started talking to himself only. He finally seemed to become normal when taken to a priest. This is one story. There have been many such instances in the past 15 days wherein more than a dozen people have fallen prey to the spirit and some have even lost their lives. The song keeps playing on the local radio station twice or thrice a day but people here turn off the radio to avoid any trouble. Some sources say that people mainly from the Muslim community are becoming victims of the song. However, it seems that everyone in the village irrespective of their religion is equally scared. People are running to their religious priests for help to cure their demon possessed relatives. In fact, there is also a particular spot like the graveyard next to the lake in the village where people get attacked by the evil spirits on humming the song.

Mahesh goes to SC for Fanaa
Concerned over the issue of ban over the release of Fanaa in Gujarat, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt along with Ahmedabad-based NGO Jansangharsh Manch filed a petition against the ban in the Supreme Court on Thursday. The petition, says Mahesh Bhatt, was to raise his voice against the trend of intolerance in the country. He was concerned about the manner in which ones free speech was coming under attack. Fanaa has been facing problems over its release in Gujarat since Aamir Khan raised his voice and supported the people who will be displaced by the Narmada Dam. The petition filed by Mr. Bhatt seeks for police protection to those multiplexes in Gujarat that want to screen Fanaa. This is not the first time that the director turned writer has gone the court. He had also raised his voice few years back when Deepa Mehta’s Fire had faced opposition from certain groups.

Aamir Khan to launch his official website
Aamir Khan who generally keeps himself at safe distance from the media seems to have worked out a way to reach his fans. To connect one on one with his fans, Aamir is in the process of launching his official website www.aamirkhan.com. The site however, is still under construction and on logging on to the page; there is a letter from the star that says ‘Right now I am in the process of putting my official page together. Leave your email address and I shall let you know when it is up.’ There is space provided on the page to submit your email address and also write in few comments if you wish to.Looks like after the current Fanaa-Gujarat episode, the actor has realized the need to have a direct dialogue with his fans.

Bollywood City - News - Shahrukh Khan to play lead in forthcoming venture by Yashraj Films

New Delhi: Shahrukh Khan has been signed by Yashraj films for their next venture to be launched shortly.Shahrukh will play the lead in the venture, yet untitled, to be directed by Shimit Amin, trade sources said.Rest of the cast is being finalized. Shooting will commence in mid-2006, the sources said.UNI AR X X X Bollywood's penchant for Hinglish titles New Delhi, Oct 28 (UNI) Giving Hindi films ‘Hinglish’ titles seems to have become a fashion with filmmakers in Bollywood these days! This is specially so if one casts a look at titles of various films released over the last month. Be it ‘Chocolate’, ‘Kal-Yesterday and Tomorrow’, Mumbai Godfather’,’Sauda-The Deal’, ‘Rain’, ‘Vishwas-The Power of Truth’, every other film seems to have either English, or a mix of Hindi and English titles.The reason, as Chahat Khanna, an actor of the forthcoming film ‘The Film’, pointed out is that ‘’a majority of these filmmakers feel that giving English titles to their films or adding English appendages to them, would enhance the acceptability of their films before the multiplex audience, which is the target audience of a majority of filmmakers these days in view of the burgeoning of multiplexes in the country’’.That the penchant for English titles is not limited to small filmmakers alone is evident from the fact that a number of big budget ventures in the past as well as those in the coming months also have English titles.The big budget films with English titles released in the past include Ketan Mehta’s ‘Mangal Pandey-The Rising’, Boney Kapoor’s ‘No Entry’, Vivek Agnihotri’s ‘Chocolate’, Ramgopal Verma’s ‘D Company’, ‘James’ and ‘My Wife’s Murder’.Among the forthcoming ventures with English titles are Vashu Bhagnani’s ‘Shaadi No 1’, being released on Diwali, Ramesh Sippy’s ‘Bluffmaster’, Yash Chopra’s ‘Nikki ‘N’ Neal’, Sojoy Ghosh’s ‘Home Delivery’ or, for that matter, Deepak Tijori’s ‘Tom Dick and Harry’, all of which are slated for release over the next two months.