Sonakshi Sinha's No-Holds-Barred Bindaas Interview

SOTY Team On Treasure Hunt, 'Designer Porn', Bikini Bonanza...

Teaser: Ajay Devgn's Rocking Hungama

"Shahrukh Smells Really Good": Anushka Sharma

"Honestly I didn't think that I will get to work with Shahrukh again. But this experience was even better. I got more comfortable with him. When you are working with Shahrukh, it doesn't feel like work. He is so witty, joking, makes everyone feel light-hearted. One thing I love about Shahrukh is that he smells really good. You guys should just come and take a sniff. He smells super," said Anushka Sharma at a press conference at YRF Studios on October 29, 2012. 

"It Was Sad That We Couldn't Shoot The Song In Switzerland": Katrina Kaif

"I think it was sad that we couldn't shoot the song in Switzerland. Yash ji kept on coming back to me and telling me that it is not going to be a shoot, it's going to be a party. We had done the entire costume fitting. Manish had made around 12 saris, Yash ji had seen them and suggested some changes. He knew exactly he wanted to shoot the song. There was one sequence which was be done done in freezing cold water and we were laughing about it. It is unfortunate for me. I would have wanted to do that," said Katrina Kaif at a press conference at YRF Studios on Oct 29, 2012 on being asked if she missed out on being the quintessential Yash Chopra heroine draped in white sari since they couldn't shoot the title song in Switzerland. 

Shahrukh Khan On A Documentary On Yash Chopra's Life And Times

"Not at this point. I am sure Yashraj and most of the work he has done has been digitised and kept and they'll try and do something but not me personally. If I am called to be a part of it, I'll be most happy," said Shahrukh Khan at a press conference on October 29, 2012 when he was asked if he had any plans of making a documentary or a short film on the life of Mr Yash Chopra. 

"In SRK's Films, Women Are Not Merely Props": Katrina

"Jab Tak Hai Jaan pyaar mohabbat ki kahaani hai, has a soul of a classic love story with language of today," said Shahrukh Khan at a press conference on October 29, 2012. Katrina Kaif said that Shahrukh cares as much about his co star's performance as his own. "In Shahrukh's films, you always notice the women in his films. They are not merely props, they are never sidelined, their performances are always good and I think it has a got a lot do with Shahrukh," Katrina said.

"It's My Life's Dream To Be James Bond": Shahrukh Khan

"It is my life's dream to be Bond but I don't know if I am tall enough, cool enough, rugged enough," said Shahrukh Khan at the press conference at Yash Raj Studios on October 29, 2012. "I read in an interview of Daniel Craig that Shahrukh will have to wait to be James Bond, he is not leaving this job very soon. I am a big fan, it's a great franchise and hopefully something of this sort will happen in India also," Shahrukh added. 

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani Postponed To May 31, 2013

The release date of Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone starrer 'Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani' has been postponed to May 31, 2013. The official press release states that the film shall be releasing post the IPL season. Another reason could be Himmatwala releasing on March 29 as well. 

Ang Lee On How 'Life Of Pi' Shall Break The Stereotypical Portrayal Of Indians In The Eyes Of The West

 It was a huge honour and privilege to interview Academy Award winning director Ang Lee today. He is extremely affable, simple and calm. Lee's film 'Life Of Pi' is releasing on November 23, 2012. In the morning he showed around 20 minutes of exclusive footage of his film to the media and a few celebrities. The footage showcased some fantastic visuals that got further augmented in 3D. The tiger in the film has been created through Animation and it looks very Real.

Lee spoke about the spiritual subtext of the film with symbolism in the ocean as well as the sky and the quest for the God and the infinite. He won the best director Oscar for Brokeback Mountain but many felt that he was denied best film for the same film due to certain biases. In an article in Guardian, UK, I read about reasons why Life Of Pi deserve both the best director as well as the best film at the Osacrs this year. Lee said that his film is expensive and first of all he hopes  that it gets appreciated by people and does well at the ticket window. He emphasised the significance of the 3000 odd crew that toiled for four years on the film.

Suraj Sharma, the young Pi plays a ver important role but he is an unknown commodity. Isn't that a risk? Lee says the fact that Suraj is an unknown commodity makes it even more charming and appealing. The manner in which Indians are showcased in Hollywood so far is stereotypical but in Life Of Pi there's an Indian who triumphs as a Hero. Will it change the way Indians or Asians in general are looked in the eyes of the West? Lee agreed and he fees there is a paradigm shift in the West towards Asians and Indians.

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Irrfan Khan Slams National Film Federation For Oscars Faux Pas

In an interview with me today, noted actor Irrfan Khan slammed the National Film Federation of India for doing a half hearted job by ignoring a film like Paan Singh Tomar by not making it India's official entry to the Oscars. Irrfan has ironically never won a National Award for any of his stellar performances.

When I told Irrfan that he won Filmfare award for best negative role for Haasil, he smiled. He said that even for Paan Singh Tomar new categories will be created and true justice won't be done in the popular awards category. He is hopeful that his hard work and brilliance of Paan Singh Tomar will be recognised at the National Awards platform.

Irrfan says that he is not disappointed by the manner in which his role was chopped off in Spiderman. He says that the director had intimated him why his scenes were removed. He says that he has a well defined role and substantial screen space in Ang Lee's 'Life Of Pi'. But you are nowhere to be seen in the posters or the standees. "In subsequent posters, I'll be there," Irrfan said. Irrfan was told by Ang Lee that they had to reshoot almost the entire film but in hindsight he feels it was very good for the film. The tough part for Khan was getting the English, French and Canadian accent right.

Irrfan is doing two films with Tigmanshu Dhulia... Sahib Biwi Aur Gangster Part 2 and Bullet Raja. He owes a large part of his success to Tigmanshu.

Ang Lee To Show Thirty Minutes Of Life Of Pi To Indian Media

Thirty minute footage of 'Life Of Pi' will be showed to the media at a Bombay multiplex tomorrow Monday October 29, 2012. Director Ang Lee will be present along with Irrfan Khan and Tabu. Karan Johar, Sajid Khan, Anurag Kashyap, Ramesh Sippy, Rohan Sippy, David Dhawan etc will also be present. 

Ranbir To Attend Special Screening Of Luv Shuv Tey Chcken Khurana

A special screening of 'Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana' will be held at a Bombay multiplex on Monday October 29, 2012. Ranbir Kapoor, Ileana Dcruz, Esha Gupta, Imtiaz Ali, Zoya Akhtar, Kiran  Rao etc are expected to attend it. 

Jab Tak Hai Jaan Premiere On Nov 12, 2012

In accordance with Yash Chopra’s wishes, his wife Pam Chopra has decided that a grand film premiere be held to celebrate the release of Yashji’s JAB TAK HAI JAAN this Diwali.

"I want to give my husband an unforgettable farewell. Accordingly, we have decided to have a grand premiere for his ultimate film, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, exactly the way he wanted it. This is a fitting tribute to a man who would have had it no other way. I have asked my sons Aditya and Uday to go ahead with all the preparations. This premiere is our way of celebrating his illustrious life, rather than mourning it," said Pam Chopra.

A premiere of Jab Tak Hai Jaan is being planned by YRF on 12^th Nov 2012. 

Vidya Balan Will Be The Brand Ambassador For Melbourne Film Festival, 2013

Vidya Balan will be the brand ambassador for Melbourne Film Festival for the year 2013. Australian Minister for Films/ Tourism and Innovation will make a formal announcement at a press conference in Mumbai today October 27. Vidya will be present at the press conference as well. 

SRK, Anushka, Katrina's Press Conference On Monday Oct 29

Shahrukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma will address the media at a press conference at YRF Studios in Mumbai on Monday October 29. 

Singham 2 To Start At The End Of 2013

In an interview with me today, Ajay Devgn said that he shall be starting work on Singham 2 at the end of next year that is 2013. The film will be directed by Rohit Shetty. Devgn is currently working on Himmatwala. After which he will begin work on Prakash Jha's Satyagraha. Post which he may be doing a film with Prabhudeva. 

Ajay Devgn Will Be Doing A Film With Prabhudeva

Ajay Devgn in an interview with me today said that he is considering a film with Prabhudeva. There were reports that Devgn may be working in the remake of Rajnikanth's Baasha to be directed by Prabhudeva. Devgn didn't elaborate but he confirmed that he shall be doing a film with Prabhudeva. 

Ajay Devgn Floored By The Hospitality Of Patiala

In an interview with me a short while back Ajay Devgn said that while shooting for 'Son Of Sardar' they had a unit of over 700 people, out of which almost 150-200 were the locals. The locals used to bring home made food for Ajay and his team of around 15-20 people on a daily basis. 

Ajay said that Salman is at a stage in his career where whatever he does becomes big. The duration of Son of Sardar is 2 hrs 15 minutes. Bichdan is Ajay's favourite song. The team has big promotional plans. Dubai has been locked and they may be going to London as well. 

Send Your Questions For Ajay Devgn

I shall be doing an interview with Ajay Devgn tomorrow October 26. Send in your questions at faridoonshahryar@gmail.com. You can also post your questions in the comments section below. 

SRK, Hrithik, Big B At Chautha Ceremony Of Mr Yash Chopra

The Chautha ceremony of Mr Yash Chopra was held today evening at the YRF Studios in Andheri West. It was attended by Shahrukh Khan, Anupam Kher, Kirron Kher, Celina Jaitley, Mr Amitabh Bachchan, Shatrughan Sinha, Shekhar Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha, Hrithik Roshan, Mahesh Bhatt, Satish Kaushik, Subhash Ghai, Javed Akhtar, Ranveer Singh, Ramesh Taurani, Pankaj Udhas, Ashutosh Gowarikar, Dolly Bindra, Jeetendra, Madhur Bhandarkar, Juhi Chawla, Gulzar, Zoya Akhtar, Anees Bazmi, Vinod Khanna, Ameesha Patel, Preity Zinta etc. Shahrukh was the first to arrive and is still inside the YRF Studios.

Teaser: Sonakshi Sinha's Dabanng Dhamaka

"Jaane Bhi Di Yaaro Will Rule...": Satish Kaushik

Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro is one of my all time favourite films. I spoke to director Kundan Shah and writer-actor Satish Kaushik as they gear up for the re release of the film on November 2, 2012 in PVR cinemas all over India. Akhtar Mirza, Chairman NFDC had told Shah when he had made some changes in the original script of the film that "Your film is like snow, that's why it is floating. If you add too much of logic then it will harden and sink". Satish Kaushik was a struggling actor when he started co writing this film with theatre guru Ranjit Kapur. I spoke to the duo and enjoyed myself thoroughly going down the memory lane. Hope you enjoy this video as well.

Musically Yours: "Rani Is An Amazing...": Adnan Sami

This special video is an interview with Adnan Sami where he performs three of his hit numbers. Sami also played his grand piano as he mesmerised with his vocals. I would love to listen to many more Adnan Sami melodies and sincerely hope that his personal life will take a backseat (from the public eye) and we could hear primarily about his musical prowess.

"Getting Praise From Salman is Very Encouraging": Emraan Hashmi

Emraan Hashmi is fun to talk to. He doesn't behave like a star, is on time, is open to unflattering questions and then he tends to be charmingly laidback making the people around him at ease. In this interview I asked him if his latest film 'Rush' has any similarity with Vishesh Films' 'Blood Money'. Hashmi also spoke about Salman's appreciation for his work.

Prakash Jha, Arjun Rampal, Abhay Deol, Anjali Patil And Manoj Bajpayi Have Fun In A Jungle

This interview with Prakash Jha, Arjun Rampal, Manoj Bajpayi, Abhay Deol and Anjali Patil was conducted in the forest area of Film City. It is both fun as well as thought-provoking. The film touches upon the Naxal issue with human drama of friends turned foes. I am looking forward to it, though by releasing the film on a wednesday (Dussehra) followed by two working days is a risk and it remains to be seen how the Box Office returns will pan out. Nevertheless, a special video for sure.

SRK, Salman, Big B Shocked At The Sad Demise Of Mr Yash Chopra

Shahrukh, Salman Pay Last Respects To Yash Chopra At YRF Studios.

Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Karan Johar, Parineeti Chopra, John Abraham, Sanjay Kapoor, Ramesh Sippy, Sonu Nigam and Jimmy Shergill visited YRF Studios through the night (Oct 21-22) to pay their last respects to Mr Yash Chopra. Notably Salman and Shahrukh were inside the YRF Studios for a long time (roughly four hours). Salman left with his sister a short while back. Shahrukh is still at YRF Studios. Is raat ki subah nahin hai.... Literally as well as figuratively. 

Mr Bachchan, Jaya B And Ash Pay Last Respects To Yash Chopra

Mr Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan ji, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Imtiaz Ali were amongst the first few to pay their last respects to Mr Yash Chopra at YRF Studios in Andheri West on October 21, 2012. Incidentally, when Mr Bachchan had met with a near fatal accident on the sets of Coolie in Bangalore, Mr Chopra had received him in Bombay when he had arrived through an emergency flight. Mr Chopra had made all the arrangements for a speedy passage from Airport to the Breach Candy Hospital in South Bombay.

A heavy police arrangement is being witnessed in the area around YRF Studios in Andheri. 

Mr Chopra To Be Cremated On Oct 22 At 3 PM

Mr Yash Chopra passed away today October 21, 2012. He was down with Dengue which led to multi organ failure. It is now confirmed that Mr Chopra will be cremated on Monday October 22 at 3 pm at the Pawan Hans Crematorium in Juhu. People can pay their last respects from 9 am - 12 noon at YRF Studio in Andheri West tomorrow. 

SRK In Ambulance Carrying Mr Yash Chopra's Body

Shahrukh Khan accompanied the dead body of Mr Yash Chopra from Leelawati Hospital in Bandra to his residence in Juhu. SRK was present in the ambulance while his car followed the ambulance till Mr Chopra's residence. At the residence, Madhur Bhandarkar, Kunal Kohli and Sanjay Dutt were present. After a short while, the ambulance moved on to YRF Studio in Andheri. Reportedly, Shahrukh was inside the ambulance.

SRK, Dilip Kumar Pay Last Respects To Yash Chopra; Body Shifted To His Juhu Residence

Shahrukh Khan, Dilip Kumar sahab, Saira Banu, Anil Kapoor and Karan Johar paid their last homage to Yash Chopra sahab at Leelawati Hospital in Bandra in Mumbai. Yash ji passed away today evening. He was down with Dengue. Mr Chopra was last seen at Mr Bachchan's 70th birthday celebration on October 11.  A police inspector confirmed a short while back that Mr Chopra's body has been taken to his Juhu residence. According to unconfirmed reports, his last rites will happen tomorrow afternoon at 3 pm. The official press release from YRF has stated that they shall intimate the media about the details of the last rites later.

"I Feel Like 36 Or 37": Yash Chopra To SRK

Yash Chopra On JTHJ, Band Baaja Baraat, Aamir In Dhoom 3

This was the last interview that Yash Chopra sahab gave to me. I had interviewed him in 1999 in Delhi. It is hard to imagine he is no more. I had seen him several times in Yash Raj Studios. He was always simply dressed and one could never gauge that he is the same guy who has made some of the biggest films in Indian cinema.

"Shahrukh's Energy Was So Brilliant": Urmila Matondkar

"No Similarity Between SOTY And 3 Idiots, Jo Jeeta...": Varun Dhawan

Student Of The Year: A Fun Groovy Entertainer

Student Of The Year is a fun film with a great music score, awesome visuals, mint-fresh-n-funny dialogues and super debuts from the three youngsters Alia Bhatt, Siddharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan. Yes Make-Believe is the formula and as a viewer I didn't try and decode the 'unreal' setting . Thankfully, the melodrama and preachiness is on the lower side. The duration of the film is a bit generous and it could have been tighter for sure. 

The film has some reference points from earlier movies and no they are not straight lifts. The idea that one should follow one's heart while making career choices is an inspiration from 3 Idiots and Kayoze Irani (Boman Irani's son) gives a superb speech on the undue and unjust competition that youngsters are forced into. The economic gradations that were clearly set in Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar are also the benchmarks here too (Although, the poor in SOTY look cooler than the December chill in a London village). The structure of story telling reminds you of Dil Chahta Hai where the old friends reunite and how their differences get sorted. 

The wonderful catalyst of SOTY are its effervescent dialogues (Niranjajn Iyengar). The interactions between Abhimanyu (Siddharth Malhotra) and Rohan (Varun Dhawan) reek of a close bonding. They are consistently given fun lines and both react very well, making the viewer experience complete. As Abhi and Rohan get emotional about their respective family lives, Abhi tells Rohan, "Ab kiss to nahin karega na." Both crack up and so does the audience. Shanaya (Alia Bhatt) cuts short the smart-ass Tanya with her witty one liners too. Dean Vashisht (Rishi Kapoor) is a happy-n-'gay' sport who dotes on Coach (Ronit Roy). He too has some funny lines without turning corny. 

The basic story idea is simplistic and predictable. It is primarily meant for the young audience and the ones who would like to go back down their college and school memories. The musical introductions of the three principle actors sets up the entertaining precedent. After the initial friction, the football match brings the boys together. The rich guy doesn't pay much attention to his girlfriend and the tried-n-tested make-him-jealous routine, courtesy the best friend, results in all three singing 'Ishq Wala Love' amidst the Kashmir snow while the three-cornered-love-affair-fire is burning bright. The Student Of The Year trophy is up for grabs and the emphasis is as much on extra curricular activities as on academics. The Treasure Hunt looks childish to start with, but turns out to be a lot of fun. 

Now, what gives an extra push to Student Of The Year is the entire packaging. The classy camerawork by Ayananka Bose is spellbinding. Vishal Shekhar's music and background score is a big plus point. The Disco Song, Radha, Ishq Wala Love, Velle and Ratta Maar are a treat. Choreography by Farah Khan, Bosco-. Caeser and Remo is top notch. Karan Johar has choreographed Ratta Maar. Deepa Bhatia's editing relies on simple cuts and the film flows well. Yes, it could have been slightly tighter. Manish Malhotra and Shiraz Siddiqui's clothes are a big USP of the film. Alia has worn some dream outfits, which the college crowd will surely try and emulate. 

Siddharth Malhotra has a natural charm and is very good looking. His James Dean like looks are complimented by a solid grasp over the acting grammar. His expressions during funny, despondent, chivalrous or romantic moods are bang on. Varun Dhawan is a great looker too. He works very hard on his physique and dancing with favourable results. As an actor, he has a style of his own. Alia Bhatt looks pretty and holds her own in a boys film. She is a fine, confident actress and will surely grow by leaps and bounds. This Bhatt girl gracefully carries off seductive bikini moves along with a kiss in her very first film. 

Director Karan Johar is clearly enjoying himself amidst lavish song schedules, the trademark shaadi sequence and the traditional Radha number is as much a tribute to his own as well as the Sooraj Barjatya, Aditya Chopra brand of cinema. Student Of The Year may not be the best film of the year but it is surely one of the most entertaining. Have a good time guys. 

Star Rating: *** 1/2 stars

Kareena To Be Credited As Kareena Kapoor And Not Kareena Kapoor Khan In Talaash

At the Music Launch of 'Talaash' a short while back, Reema Kagti disclosed that Kareena had askedher to credit her in the film as Kareena Kapoor. So, the rumours doing the rounds that Kareena will be credited as Kareena Kapoor Khanin Talaash have been put to rest.
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"I Did Not Say That Chak De Was A Mistake": Sagarika Ghatge

Fun SOTY Trio: "Big SRK Fan..."

I was a bit apprehensive when I went for doing the interview with the Student Of The Year lead actors Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt and Siddharth Malhotra. Apprehensive, because they've have had a herculean marketing push and are all over the place right now. The music has worked, the visuals are sparkling and the vibes around the film are positive. I was expecting star kids with a snooty attitude. I was pleasantly surprised when I met the three youngsters. Simple, level headed and vibrant is how I would sum them up. There was a screening of the film a few days back but Varun feels it is not right to really take the overwhelming feedback too seriously as the audience comprised of people closely associated with the film. He stressed that they will wait for the audience feedback once the film releases (all this conversation was off camera). This attitude is so much more refreshingly different than a certain producer who's plundering all resources to ensure his 'star' son gets the audience' pound of flesh.

I enjoyed chatting up with the SOTY gang. I hope you enjoy this video.

'Pin Up' Huma, Two Left Feet Kunal Kapoor, Insatiable Foodie Anurag...A Whacky Exclusive!

The first part of the interview with Anurag Kashyap, Kunal Kapoor and Huma Qureshi is a lot of fun. The film Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana looks interesting and I am looking forward to doing an interview with its writer-director Sameer Sharma. And yes, one more guy I would love to interview is Rajesh Sharma, the Teetu Mama of Luv Shuv. He seems to be having a blast, if the promos are anything to go by. He was superb in No One Killed Jessica, The Dirty Picture etc. Anurag disclosed in the interview that Rajesh was a Taxi Driver. Quite a ride it has been for this super talent. Over to the interview.

"Indian Cinema Is The Greatest...": Amitabh Bachchan

"I Hope Me And Aamir Could Work Together..": Amitabh Bachchan

Diya lekar vahan hum ja rahe hain
Sooraj jahan dhalta nahin hai

Thakan mahsoos ho, ruk jaana chahein
Safar mein mod vo aaya nahin hai

This couplet by my father Prof Shahryar sums up Mr Bachchan perfectly. When Abba was alive, I used to call him up and seek some apt couplets depending on the celebrity that I was about to interview. He is no more, but I guess he would have surely approved of my selection of his couplets for Mr Bachchan's 70th birthday interview.

Mr Bachchan was a picture of grace. He had to go for the premiere of English Vinglish. I was told that we had limited time and we need to wrap up fast. I aimed at asking Mr Bachchan questions that I had not asked him earlier in all our interviews. There were several interviews with other media houses before me so I had to make sure that I don't repeat any of the earlier questions so that he doesn't get bored. We spoke on his tenacity, the sense of Karma, he reminisced about Pran sahab, remembered his first film Saat Hindustani and how his first director Khwaja Ahmad Abbas sahab had called up Mr Bachchan's parents to seek their permission for signing on the Son.

"Aamir Has Done A Brilliant Thing With...": Urmila Matondkar

Manoj Bajpayi On Chakravyuh, Special Chabbees, Shootout At Wadala And RGV

It is a pleasure talking to Manoj Bajpayi. Uncomplicated, simple and clear. He says, the birth of his daughter has made him far more responsible. He understands the superficial manner in which Bollywood functions. And maybe he has reluctantly agreed to conform to some extent since he has family responsibilities to fulfill.

Manoj is very excited about Chakravyuh. He plays a Naxal leader, whom he has based on two three real people (one being Kishan ji). He learnt Chattisgarhi dialect and lost weight. The misery of the downtrodden, according to him, is omnipresent all across the country and many people will relate with the film.

Talking about his relationship with Ram Gopal Varma, Bajpayi says that he owes a lot to RGV. "Whatever I am today, he has a big role to play in that," he said. The reason why we had differences was that both of us were like children and i guess he still is a child. "I am willing to work with him whenever he calls me."

Vivek Oberoi in an interview with me had stated that the reason why he refused to play Dawood in Shootout At Wadala was because his role wasn't that substantial or big enough. Bajpayi plays Sabir Ibrahim in the film. He said that Sonu Sood is playing Dawood in the film and he has done a terrific job.

Bajpayi also spoke about his other film 'Special Chabbees'. Directed by Neeraj Pandey, the film stars Akshay Kumar. Manoj rates Pandey very highly after watching his debut film 'A Wednesday'. The shooting for this film is complete.
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Midnight's Children To Release In India On Oct 26

PVR Pictures will be releasing Deepa Mehta's Midnight's Children based on Salman Rushdie's iconic novel by the same name on October 26, 2012 in India.

Kareena Kapoor Reaches Her Sangeet Ceremony

First Look Promo Of Matru Ki Bijli Ka Mann Dola To Be Launched On October16

The first look promo of Vishal Bhardwaj's 'Matru Ki Bijli Ka Mann Dola' starring Imran Khan and Anushka Sharma will be launched at an event in Bombay on October 16.
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Remix Of 'Jab Koi Baat Bigad Jaaye'

'Jab Koi Baat Bigad Jaaye' is part of the remix album 'Touch Of Romance' that I had worked on in 2001. The album was released by Vale Music. The music arrangements were done by Bhavesh Bhatt while Chandresh Kudwa played the guitar. I sang the male vocals while Ritika Sahni sang the female portion.

Akshay Kumar To Inaugurate IFFI, Goa

Akshay Kumar will be inaugurating the 43rd IFFI festival in Goa on November 20, 2012. The festival will continue for 11 days.
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Shashi Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Rajnikanth At Big B's 70th Birthday Bash

Mr Amitabh Bachchan's 70th birthday celebrations are on in full swing at the Film City. There are many guests who are pouring in right now but the name that caught my attention is that of Mr Shashi Kapoor. He has been ailing for sometime now and this is a rare public appearance made by him. Mr Bachchan and Mr Kapoor have worked together in many films like Deewar, Trishul, Suhaag, Do Aur Do Paanch, Shaan, Namak Halaal etc. Mostly they've been paired as brothers or friends.

A few of the other guests who've come so far are Asha Parekh, Waheeda Rahman, Nagarjun, Yash Chopra, Danny, Ramesh Sippy, Kay Kay Menon, Prem Chopra, Preity Zinta etc. Another notable guest is Rajnikanth. Mr Rajnikanth too makes rare public appearance.

Mr Dilip Kumar along with Saira Banu has also made a rare public appearance. Raju Hirani, Abhishek, Aishwarya, Anil Kapoor and Shilpa Shetty have also arrived for the Big day of Mr Bachchan. This is surely turning out to be one big party.
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Witty SRK, Good Humoured Katrina Charm At The Music Launch Of 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan'

It was an unusual event but absolutely engaging and very entertaining. Unusual because there was no regular taam jhaam or shoshe baazi. Shahrukh Khan came on stage all alone. He showed the latest song (Saans) from his forthcoming film Jab Tak Hai Jaan to the media twice. And then Katrina Kaif joined him on skype from Chicago where she is shooting for Dhoom 3.

The comfort level between Kaif and Khan was apparent. Shahrukh has a natural respect and regard for women unlike a few of the other big stars in the industry. Even though it was very early morning in Chicago and she had been working all night, still Katrina kept coming up with witty one liners and there were times when she sensibly gave diplomatic answers to double edged questions from the media.

The duo didn't give away anything about the film. The conversation was primarily Katrina and Shahrukh centric. Anushka was hardly mentioned. Yash Chopra ji was bestowed upon with glowing compliments. Katrina said that when she had seen Veer Zaara, the scene where Shahrukh lifts Preity and takes her over a bridge was the most romantic scene that she had ever seen.

The event lasted for around seventy minutes. We shall be featuring a video tomorrow morning. But we also plan to feature lots of capsules from the event as it is solid content and I am sure there is a wide audience that will love to watch it.
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Mohit Chauhan Sings For The First Time For Shahrukh Khan

Singer with a melting chocolate voice, Mohit Chauhan has sung his first song for Shahrukh Khan. The song is called 'Saans' for the movie 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan' and Chauhan has a duet with Shreya Ghoshal. Mohit's voice has readymade romantic appeal and suits Shahrukh very well. The video of the song has been shot beautifully and the passionate physical chemistry between Shahrukh and Katrina is sparkling.
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When Nothing Went Right For Amitabh Bachchan

RGV On His 'Love' For Sridevi, Sunny Leone And Why He Wants To 'Edit' Women

"Salman, SRK, Aamir Did Their Best Work With Me": Manisha Koirala

"Rani Will Surely Be A Part Of My Directorial Venture": Vaibhavi Merchant

Mr Bachchan Touches Great Heights Of Success And Then There's A Dead End

When Amitabh Bachchan Struggled And Persisted

"Always An Honour To Share Screen Space With Amit Ji": Sridevi

Saans From JTHJ To Be Launched On Oct 9 Between 4-6 pm

The second song of 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan' is 'Saans' and it will be launched on October 9 between 4-6 pm (India time) by Shahrukh Khan at an event in Bombay. Katrina Kaif will be part of the event from Chicago via Skype.
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Music Of Talaash To Be Launched On October 18

The music of Talaash will be launched on October 18 in Bombay. Aamir Khan is flying down especially for this event from Chicago. Music of the film has been given by Ram Sampath and there are five songs in the film.
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Sonakshi On Son Of Sardar, Dabanng 2, Namak, Bullet Raja, Lootera, OUATIM 2

"Main zero nahin hero banne aai hoon," said Sonakshi Sinha in a no holds barred candid interview with me yesterday. Obviously she was hitting back at the size zero brigade that has criticised her for her fullsome frame. The fact is that, she may have been slightly chubby in the recent past but when I met her yesterday, Sinha looked in great shape and has surely lost the extra helpings of indulgence.

There has been talk about her Indian look in most of her movies, to which, she said that she is far busier than the actresses who've been wearing skirts and dancing around. Sonakshi spoke about her next film Son Of Sardar and she feels that too much is being made about SOS coming along with Jab Tak Hai Jaan on Diwali. She is a good looking 25 year old but doesn't she feel that good men will be wary of approaching her as they must be having the Shotgun (of his dad) hanging in their minds?

Sonakshi is working with Shahid in Prabhudeva's Namak.  She spoke fondly about Prabhudeva and said that it's too early to talk about Bullet Raja. She seems very excited about Vikramaditya Motwani's Lootera. "Lootera is my best performance as an actress," she said. I enquired about the rumours that the first look promo of Dabanng 2 may be coming with Student Of The Year. She said that she is not aware of it and is meeting Arbaaz soon and will tweet to her fans as and when the date for the first look promo is announced. "Most of the shooting for Dabanng 2 is complete," she said. Sinha is also excited about the music of Dabanng 2. The buzz within the industry is that the music score is simply rocking, especially the track that will be featured on Kareena.  Sonakshi also spoke about the shooting experience of Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Part 2 in Oman. She has shot a few scenes with Akshay.

Sonakshi also talked about the rumours that Farah Khan is upset with her for not promoting Joker. There were reports that she was being considered for Happy New Year but she is out of reckoning now. "I was never approached for Happy New Year so where is the question of being dropped," Sonakshi said.

"Hope Prabhu Dheva, SLB Come Up With Rowdy Rathore Prequel...": Akshay Kumar

"Aditya Chopra Had To Sacrifice Filmmaking...": Anurag Kashyap

Faridoon Shahryar (FS): We have with us the director who for the first time was a part of a music video. His beautiful wife, Kalki Koechlin, made a video for him on his birthday. In the company of his beautiful wife, even he was looking handsome and smart. So, Anurag Kashyap, huge pleasure to have you back on Bollywood Hungama and belated Happy Birthday to you!

Anurag Kashyap (AK): Thank You!

FS: You were looking very charming in that music video…

AK: Meri biwi ki energies mere upar aa jaati hai (laughs)!

FS: Yes, and it shows! You were blushing and it was going entirely with the mood.

AK: I am always blushing when I am with her!

FS: Ha ha! But she says that you don’t find time for her and she has to contact you on Twitter kyonki aap phone nahi uthaate!

AK: Kya kar sakta hoon? Kaam itna badh gaya hai. Do-do, teen-teen film release ho rahi hai

FS: And you’ve been travelling a lot as well…

AK: Yes. I love travelling!

FS: Tell us about ‘Aiyyaa’ because many people say that it’s not a regular Anurag Kashyap production in the first place. It looks like a full-on entertainer.

AK: It is and I think that even ‘Gangs Of Wasseypur’ was an entertainer. Also, regular is too limiting a term. When you say that something is ‘regular’, you are defining somebody’s body of work in very close brackets. It means that something needs to be done. Agar log mereko bolne lagenge ki ye regular Anurag Kashyap film nahi hai, to main bahut khush ho jaaungaa kyonki ‘regular’ word se bahut darr lagta hai. Agar koi ‘regular’ bolne lag gaya to uska matlab ki log mujhse ek hi cheez expect karne lage hai.

FS: You recently said on Twitter that ‘I love good indies. Good does not mean all indies. I am a filmmaker and not NGO for indies. There I said it’. In context to the tweet, there are certain groups of people who would want you to make certain kind of cinema…

AK: I have been fighting for my cinema. I was initially fighting to get them released. I was fighting to get them made. Then some people joined along. Unki film dekh ke achchi lagi to maine produce kar di. Abhi aisa ho gaya ki har aadmi ko lagta hai ki uski film main hi produce karunga! Aur har aadmi jo film bana leta hai, usse lagta hai ki main release karwa lunga! To mere office mein roz 7-8 log phone karte hai aur kehte hai ki ‘yeh meri film dekh lo’, ‘isko help kar do’, etc. Aur meri itni capacity nahi hai. Pichle 7 mahino se main promotions kar raha hoon ya release karwa raha hoon. To inn 7 mahino mein maine creative kaam nahi kiya hai. Hence, I feel suffocated sometimes. Mein picture banana chahta hoon. Mera koi ambition nahi hai ki main studio khada karna hai, bada aadmi banna hai ya paise banane hai. Mera ambition tha ki kuch picturein along the way I was able to help them, get them released, usme company bhi ban gayi, bahut kuch ho gaya. Par abhi suddenly market pressure aane laga ki company ko expand karo, aur filmein produce karo, investors bhi aa gaye. Mera filmmaker ka brain hai, producer ka brain nahi hai. Ek YRF khade karne ke liye Adi (Aditya Chopra) had to sacrifice filmmaking. Usne 3 filmein banayi hai ab tak, pichle 15-16 saalon mein. Main mar jaungaa agar mujhe aisa karna pada to. So I have to make that choice now. I have got Phantom Films, which is handled by people, who are enabled producers. But my love is making films and I want to start doing it.

FS: You retweeted ‘Ashim Ahluwalia is arrogant because he’s against Bollywood; Anurag is not because he’s a sellout’. So it’s like damned if you don’t do and doomed if you do!

AK: Absolutely. A lot of people have called me sellout and that’s okay because unko lagta hai ki Anurag Kashyap commercial hote jaa rahe hai. But the thing is, meri filmon mein hamesha se gaane the. Meri filmon mein hamesha kuch ek alag tarah ki cheez thi. ‘Aiyaaa’ to kisi ne dekhi nahi hai. To unko kya pata uske baare mein? ‘Aiyyaa’ apne aap mein ek unique film hai jo easily mainstream mein translate karti hai. Mere hisaab se film acchi hota hai ya buri hoti hai. Aur commercial film mere liye woh hai jo chalti hai. Aur non-commercial woh hoti hai jo nahi chalti hai. To mera definition hamesha se yehi rahi hai. I cannot have people who are fans. Fans often become fans upon seeing one or two aspects of you. I find that very limiting because baahar rehke maine jo dekha hai ki saare actors ka ek fan base hota hai. Aur woh constantly uss fan base ko khush karne ki koshish karte rehte hai. Their arguments begin with ‘my fans would reject me if I do so-and-so’ or ‘I am not going to disappoint my fans’. All this lasts for sometime. And then the same fans start getting bored with them and they complain that ‘why don’t you go out and do something else’? But by then, it becomes too late. So, I don’t want fans who’ll limit me.

FS: In fact, in a magazine interview, you were asked that you have fans who are absolutely zealous about you and it is these fans that you have to be wary of.

AK: I am fighting my fans, I am telling you. My battle with the industry is over. The industry has accepted me. My battle with fans has begun.

FS: Aap bahut imaandari rakhte hai in the sense whoever is associated with you, you don’t want them to lose money. And you have been relentlessly pursuing this concept post-No Smoking and it’s working as well. To usme burai kya hai? Bahut se log hai jo picture nahi, items banate hai. At times, it becomes vulgar after a point. They are selling items, concepts, stars and stuff like that. Aapka concept yeh hai ki aap imaandari se kuch cheez rakhna chahte hai. Agar woh entertaining hai, to usme burai kya hai? Agar ‘Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana’ entertaining hai, to usme burai kya hai? Why does it have to dark all the time?

AK: Absolutely, koi burai nahi hai. Jo bhi hai, woh natural aur organic hona chahiye. Main jo karna chahta hoon, woh main karoonga. Usko karte samay meri zimmedaari hoti hai towards somebody who has given me the money. Main nahi chahta ki uska nuksaan ho. That same philosophy applies to everything. That doesn’t mean ki ‘main ek tarah ki filmein banaunga’. Mujhe apne aap ko expand karne ki zaroorat hai.

FS: Rani Mukerji doesn’t want to make a dark film made by you…

AK: Rani will work in a dark film but not with me. Rani says that I’ll work in a dark film if a filmmaker who has never made a dark film before is making it. ‘Tere saath woh kaam kyon karu, jo tu dusron ke saath kar chuka hai?’ is what Rani said. She added that ‘Tu aur main kuch light karenge. Tu duniya bhar ke saath dark film karungi, par tere saath nahi’. I respect that point of view. But I also need to open my windows. Mujhe bhi apne safety zone se nikalna padega. Also, I can’t force it because if I do that, I’ll make a terrible film.

FS: You’ve written a ‘Shakalaka Boom Boom’ so…

AK: Woh to dialogues likhta tha. Dialogue likhna is not writing. Waise to maine badi-badi classics likhi hai. Aur aisi-aisi classics likhi hai ki achche-achche na likh paaye!

FS: You are also fighting racist remarks. People have alleged that aapne South Indians ka mazaak udaa rahe hai…

AK: I feel that people who are reacting to it are reacting from their own deep-rooted complex because I don’t understand that how can they accuse somebody based on one dialogue. It’s a matter of choice. It is based on how we are conditioned. Hum log gore aur kaale ko kaise dekhte hai. And this character is coming from there and speaking that line. So in a way, you are making fun of ourselves. Aur agar isko koi aadmi galat tarike se dekhta hai to uss aadmi ke long, suppressed issues hai. Agar koi aadmi intentionally keh raha hai ki mujhe gora log nahi, kaale log pasand hai, to baat alag hai. Iss character ka intention hi woh nahi hai. Aur India mein aaj kal aadmi jaldi react karta hai, bahut jaldi comment karta hai aur bahut jaldi opinion form karta hai. 3 minute ke trailer mein ek line ko dekhke agar koi object karne lag jaaye, to woh aadmi ka opinion matter nahi karta mere liye.

FS: But many a times, the filmmaker love these controversies and such controversies are in fact created…

AK: But my problem is, my career started with controversies revolving around me and my perception is that I am a guy who is controversial, who tries to create controversy, etc. If I have to provoke people, I would actually bring them into the theatre, provoke them and provoke their morality and not create a frivolous controversy of what they are accusing me of.

FS: Is it fair to say that Rani wanted to do somewhat different for Dreamum Wakeupam in context to Ooh La La…

AK: I don’t think so because Dreamum Wakeupam is a miniscule part of the film. It’s about a woman who doesn’t speak a word in Tamil. She watches Midnight Masala on TV and she started fantasizing about the song. The whole instruction of the song is that it should be in Tamil and the Tamil that a person makes up who doesn’t know the language. The film plays on the clichés that we have about everything. So I wanted a song like that. But the song should reach out and should not be gibberish.

"Tag Of Superstar Are...": Rani Mukerji

Ram Gopal Varma On Barfi! 'Inspirations': "I Copied Scenes, Lines From Godfather"

English Vinglish: Simple Idea...Big Impact!

A simple idea executed astutely can make for a far more enriching cinematic experience than a Big idea that weighs on nerves and is too self impressed with its own holier-than-thou greatness. English Vinglish is a simple idea about the importance of English as a communication tool and yes one can't take anything away from the snob value associated with crisp-n-brisk Spoken English. Even though, it's a heartwarming film, but the manner in which the protagonist's daughter and husband deride or belittle her lack of English speaking skills is somewhat over the top and unreal.

Intelligent humour, laced with solid writing is the back bone of English Vinglish but at the same time, the slow pace of the film requires patience. Director Gauri Shinde doesn't worry about the so called market demands and sticks to the context of the film. So, her characters liberally speak in English and yes, sometimes in French too. She is thankfully not apologetic about it and as a compensation doesn't shove an ill placed item song to ensure all the demographics are 'happy'.

I've always maintained that writing makes or breaks a film. The shelf life of any movie depends on its writing. The dialogues, the way the scenes are written and then how the filmmaker edits his/ her film (to ensure there are no lose ends) decides the longevity or ephemeral appreciation. The films that tend to stay back in my mind for all the right reasons are the ones that apart from being entertaining, also have layered meaning in mere actions. It is left to the viewer to deduce the impressions as per their understanding.

After making a point, and lucidly conveying that she is not a pushover, Shashi (Sridevi) asks for a Hindi newspaper. Her husband Satish (Adil Hussain) is sitting next to her in the airplane and had asked for an English newspaper a short while back. Somehow she doesn't want to compete with her husband. Even though she believes in equality of men and women, maybe she is sensible enough not to puncture the false sense of superiority that men possess. It doesn't make her any less. The highly engaging portions in the film are the scenes between Sridevi and French actor Mehdi Nebbou. The chemistry between the two is radiant. Romance doesn't have to be heaving bosoms and pristine poetry. Romance is...when English classes are made available on a mobile phone or a French delicacy is prepared with love.

Sridevi applies the Simplicity aspect to her acting as well. She makes you laugh, she makes you respect her dignity and she leaves you distressed with her predicaments but she never tries hard to 'Act'. She breaks the myth of the Sridevi of Mr India, Himmatwala, Sadma etc. She had been away from the arc lights for the last fifteen years and when she makes a comeback, it is with a performance which is ahead of its time. A character that takes pride in being an entrepreneur, is free thinking, isn't 'judgmental' (An important word in the film) about people and their preferences, is under confident and yet assimilates in the scheme of things with her stoic resolve.

English Vinglish is a technically sound film. Laxman Utekar's cinematography is rich in texture and yet simple. You will really like looking at the beautiful leaves each time the camera zooms in. Hemanti Sarkar's editing is characterised by seamless editing chops but as I said in the beginning, the film has its own pace and it may not be suitable for almost everyone. Amit Trivedi's music is wonderful. English Vinglish, Badla Nazara, Manhattan and Gustakh Dil are great tracks. Navrai Majhi is a marriage song that finds Sridevi breaking into a jig. Even the background score is impactful.     

Gauri Shinde makes a superb debut with English Vinglish. It is not a Feministic breast beating exercise. She carefully paints her characters and leaves a scope for multiple shades in one person. Satish is not portrayed as 'all black'. Like most of the husbands, he takes his wife for granted and chides her now and then (at times grievously hurting, even though unintentionally). But he selects a great Saari for her too and takes care of the kids when she is away. And yes, he gets jealous when he watches Shashi giving laddoos of affection to some other man. Like most men, Mehdi Nebbou considers physical intimacy a natural extension of man-woman relationship. On being spurned, he turns a new leaf and takes refuge in friendship. Shinde has told a good-n-simple story in an entertaining manner. You don't want to miss this one.

Star Rating: **** Laddoos

An Encounter With The Incredible Auro From Paa

As the Amitabh Bachchan 70th birthday fever is approaching, here's an interview that I did with Auro immediately after the release and craze of Paa. It was as if he actually transformed into that character and I genuinely felt that I am talking to a 13 year old.

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag Will Break All Records And Win Awards, Says Dalip Tahil

Had a delightful chance encounter with actor Dalip Tahil at Pali Cafe in Bandra a short while back. I was there to while away time as I had an interview some time later while Tahil sahab had a meeting in the vicinity. I had interviewed him in Jaipur for Harman Baweja's 'Victory'. He remembered and invited me over to his table.

He excitedly spoke about Rakeysh Mehra's 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' where he is playing the role of Jawaharlal Nehru. I asked him how commercially viable is the film. He replied that it will not only break records commercially, it will do India proud in the international arena. He said it should deservedly be India's entry to the Oscars next year. Tahil praised Farhan Akhtar profusely. He had wonderful things to say about Prasoon Joshi's script. He emphasised on the 'original' aspect of the script and blasted a filmmaker who has liberally copied scenes from a Hollywood film in the recent times.

Tahil is also doing six more films but he termed them 'inconsequential'. "I am doing them for putting meals on my table," he said and refused to talk about them. He went down the memory lane and nostalgically spoke about Ramesh Sippy's TV serial 'Buniyad'. "It was based on my mother," he said and praised Shyam Manohar Joshi for his writing. Tahil takes pride in his singing skills. He regularly performs on stage and it was obvious that he really enjoys it, maybe more than acting.
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1st Look Promo Of Khiladi 786 To Be Launched On Oct 4

First look promo of 'Khiladi Number 786' will be launched tomorrow evening October 4 at a multiplex in Bombay. Akshay Kumar and Himesh Reshammiya are expected to be present.
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Remix Of 'Mujhe Choo Rahi Hai' (Swayamwar)

Check out a remixed version of 'Mujhe Choo Rahi Hai' (Swayamwar). It was part of my music album 'Touch Of Romance' that released in the year 2001 on Vale Music. I've sung it. Bhavesh Bhatt has done the music arrangements.

Remix Of 'Tujhse Naraaz Nahin Zindagi' (Masoom)

Check out a remixed version of 'Tujhse Naraaz Nahin Zindagi' (Masoom). It was part of my remix album 'Touch Of Romance' that released in 2001 on Vale Music. I've sung and written the English poem in the beginning. The short poem has been recited by my mother Professor Najma Mahmood. Bhavesh Bhatt has done the music arrangements while Chandresh Kudwa has played the guitar.

Remix Of 'Tadap Tadap Ke Is Dil' (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam)

Check out a remixed version of 'Tadap Tadap Ke' (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam). It was part of my album 'Touch Of Romance' released in the year 2001 on Vale Music. I've sung and written the English portion. Music Arrangements have been done by Bhavesh Bhatt, Sabir Khan played Sarangi while Nikhil Chitnis played Tabla.

'Sambhala Hai Maine' Remixed

Check out 'Sambhala Hai Maine', a song remixed by me. It was part of my music album 'Touch Of Romance' that was released by Vale Music in 2001. I've sung the song, written and composed the English sections, Bhavesh Bhatt did the wonderful music arrangements and Chandresh Kudwa has played the guitar.

Rockstar Wins Six GIMA Awards

The 3^rd Global Indian Music Awards (GiMA) took place yesterday October 3rd at the Yash Raj Studios, Mumbai. It was raining heavily and there was no proper arrangement for the media that had been invited to cover the Red Carpet of the event. 

The ceremony, hosted by Saif Ali Khan and Parineeti Chopra featured performances by Shankar Mahadevan and his sons – Shivam and Siddarth, Sonu Niigaam, Sonkashi Sinha with Mika, Sukhwinder among others. There was a special act dedicated to the musical maestro AR Rahman for completing 20 years in the industry. He was felicitated by Mr Yash Chopra. Alka Yagnik, Hariharan, Udit Narayan, Naresh Iyer, Mohit Chauhan, Chitra, Sonu Niigaam came together to honor the young legend by performing some of his chartbusters hits like ‘Dil Hai Chota Sa’, ‘Tu Hi Re’, ‘Chanda Re Chande Re’, ‘Mitwa’, ‘ Mehndi Hai Rachne Wali’, ‘Ru Ba Ru’, ‘Saathiya’, ‘Sadda Haq’ and ‘Jai Ho’.

Sonakshi Sinha danced to her latest hit songs like ‘Go Go Govinda’, ‘Chinta Ta’ (along with Mika) and her upcoming movie ‘Son of Sardar’. Ajay Devgn joined her on-stage on the title track of ‘Son of Sardar’.

Rockstar won 6 GiMA Awards. There was a tie between Alka Yagnik & Babul Supriyo (Mone-Rob) and Sarvani Sen & Kaushiki Desikan (Yatra 2) for the Best Folk Album in the Non-film Category. 

AR Rahman said, “I was hinted out about the tribute but I did not realize that this will create such a big nostalgia. I have learnt a lot from all these singers who have touched my heart today.  I still remember the day of my first concert in 1996 when most of the singers who sang today, came to watch me. I really thank GiMA for this. I am truly touched.”

SRK Gives Away GIMA Award To Rahman For Completing 20 Yrs In Serving Music

Ajay-Sonakshi-Mika Perform At 3rd GIMA Awards

Shahrukh Receives GIMA Award From Sonakshi

Parineeti Performs At GIMA Awards/ Saif-Parineeti Hosting The Awards Show

"I Worship Michael Jackson...": Sridevi

"Kaal In Krrish 3 Is The Gabbar Singh Of Modern Times": Vivek Oberoi

"In Talaash, I Can't Break Into A Dance": Rani Mukerji

First Look Promo Of RGV's 26/11 To Be Launched On 26th November 2012?

I've always mantained that doing an interview with Ram Gopal Varma is a wonderful creative experience. Madhur Bhandarkar told me recently that my interviews with Mr Varma are his favourite. I told him its great fun interviewing him as he doesn't have any preconditions and never tells you not to ask any particular question (Bhandarkar had requested me to refrain from asking about Aishwarya in my interview with him and Kareena recently. On an earlier instance his publicist had asked for a questionaire. I never went ahead with that interview).

Ram Gopal Varma off camera is very entertaining. I can't really disclose what all we talk about but he is great fun. On camera, he was passionate about Bhoot Returns and refused to fall for the bait of the camera-movements-gone-wrong in Department bit. He accepted that people may not have liked it but he maintained there's nothing wrong in shooting with the small cameras. He has shot with digital cameras in Bhoot Returns and he is very happy with the results.

He says the 3D version will be shown in approximately 350 screens and 2D version in other cinemas. He didn't divulge the exact details of the number of screens and prefers that the distributor should make the announcement. He also doesn't think that the promotions are lacking the zing as he feels the people make up their mind after watching the first promo and if they find it interesting, they would come to watch a film.

RGV says that he can never work with Anurag Kashyap again as he is making his own kind of cinema. Kashyap wrote Satya when he was starting off and was willing to adapt to Varma's vision but today he has a mind of his own and it won't allow the two to come together on a common ground. He says that he likes working with people who are not stars, be it Aamir Khan in Rangeela, Ajay Devgn in Company, (their previous few films before Rangeela and Company respectively were not big hits and that's why they were able to pull of the characters convincingly.)

Talking about Satya 2, RGV clarified that John Abraham is not producing it and he is having a new starcast. The basic premise of the film is 2012 when the underworld has come to a standstill. There is no case against Dawood Ibrahim for the last 20 years, Chota Rajan is not active, Abu Salem is in jail, Arun Gawli has many cases against him....in such a situation a guy comes from some other city to Bombay and how he changes the face of mafia in the city. I asked him how different will Satya 2 be from numerous other films made on Mumbai mafia (including Department in the recent times and forthcoming Shootout at Wadala).
Nana Patekar is playing the role of Rakesh Maria in 26/11. The film is 50 percent complete and RGV is planning to launch the first look promo of the film on 26th November this year. Is he afraid of a Tsunami of opinions, judgements on the film even before its release? Will he show the film to any politicians or police before its release? Does he fear for his life considering how things are blown out of proportion in India in such matters?

Mr Varma plans to stand in a line to buy a ticket of English Vinglish since he is a huge Sridevi fan. Why is he jealous of Bonny Kapoor? What's with his fixation for a woman's body?
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Music Launch Of Son Of Sardar At GIMA Awards Today

Music launch of Ajay Devgn's Son of Sardar is happening at the GIMA Awards today October 1, 2012. Parineeti Chopra is hosting the event.
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Ajay-Kajol-Deepika At GQ Men Of The Year Awards

First Song From Jab Tak Hai Jaan Breaking Online Today 12 Noon

The first song from 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan' is breaking online today at 12 noon. The song is called 'Challa', sung by Rabbi Shergill, composed by A R Rahman and written by Gulzar. In fact Shahrukh and Yash ji sang a line from this song at the 80th birthday celebration of Yash Chopra on September 27. The song will be available on Bollywood Hungama as well.