Eid, Ganpati, Anna bless Bodyguard

It is Bollywood's biggest release to date. Reliance Entertainment's action-romance Bodyguard, which releases worldwide today, will put out as many as 2,000 prints across 2,799 screens. 



"Bodyguard is no ordinary film. It's to be treated as an event," says producer-distributor N R Pachisia, adding, "Actually since Wanted, Salman Khan movies have become events in themselves. His releases usually coincide with Eid, so it becomes a family/community outing. This time, the mood in the country is jubilant. We have Eid/Ganpati for a dual celebration."

A trade source adds, "And not to forget that with Anna Hazare having broken his fast, there is a feeling of victory and triumph among the people."

Salman Khan feels 2,000 prints is just the beginning. "As we go into the next big release, the number of prints will increase," says the industry's bhai. "It is a natural phenomenon. The business has grown manifold with the number of theatres also increasing. With business being concentrated over the weekends, the box office dynamics have changed. Bodyguard is fortunate to release around Eid/ Ganpati, and both Hindus and Muslims are in a celebratory mood."

Salman adds that Dabangg and Ready may be on the list of the five highest grossers ever, "But for me my earlier films Maine Pyar Kiya and Hum Aapke Hain Kaun are equally significant, because if their business (inflation adjusted) is taken into account, they would also feature on the coveted list. In those days, we celebrated 50 and 75 weeks of business; these days we celebrate three weekends and end up making more money. That's because we put out such a huge number of prints."

Kareena Kapoor also believes that Bodyguard will break new ground. "It has the right mix of emotion, action, comedy and every other ingredient that goes into making a mainstream film the event it is. I promise you will laugh and cry in equal measures," she says.

With Reliance Entertainment having deployed one of the highest marketing budgets ever, Alvira and Atul Agnihotri's Bodyguard - a remake of director Siddique's Malayalam film - is all set to carpet bomb Bollywood.

The only dampner is that Salman will not be present in India when his film hits theatres today. The superstar is away in the US for his surgery.

My Agneepath is a tribute to the original: Karan

KJo says reprising his father's 1990 classic Agneepath is an emotional decision 

For Karan Johar, the 'business' of cinema is still an emotional one.

His decision to produce the young Karan Malhotra's Agneepath (2012) under his banner Dharma Productions is not based entirely on commerce. "I hope everyone feels as emotional about it as I do," says Karan, who will release a one-and-a-half-minute teaser of the film today. The film releases on January 13, 2012.

Minutes before the teaser was unveiled, KJo tells us, "There is so much curiosity about Agneepath, that's why I have released this teaser so much in advance. I want to put the curiosity to rest and let people know that this Agneepath is not a remake. It is a tribute to the original, with many new facets."

He reminds you that the 1990 version - produced by Yash Johar and directed by Mukul Anand - attained cult status. It's a film all of us at Dharma are emotional about. It may not have been a commercial success, but it is still one of Amit uncle's (Amitabh Bachchan) most popular films. When Karan (Malhotra) expressed a desire to make his version, all of us were more than happy. I know my father would have liked it this way."
Incidentally, the August 29 teaser precedes the theatrical trailer of Agneepath that will release with Ra.One this Diwali.

Agneepath has some old characters - like Vijay Dinanath Chauhan ( Hrithik Roshan) and Kancha (Sanjay Dutt) - and some new. The character being played by Rishi Kapoor was not a part of the original film. Even the Priyanka Chopra-Hrithik Roshan love story in the tribute has no resonance to the Madhavi-Amitabh track of the 1990 version. "In the teaser, you will see these four fantastic actors and superstars," he promises.

"`You will also notice that this version of Agneepath has a different texture, a different tonality. It is a readapted and re-energised version that will take people by surprise. The original had an ethos that was closer to the time (the 90s). This one will obviously be contemporary. Karan has paid a tribute to my father and Mukul, and I'm happy to stand by his side."

Aamir Khan, Gauri Khan ignore each other

They wanted to prove to everyone in the industry that the rumours of their split were false.

And so, music composers, Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa threw a party, on Wednesday, at a suburban nightspot, to celebrate their 15-year long partnership.

However, their guests, Gauri Khan (sans SRK) and Aamir Khan in particular, were reportedly in no mood to put up any pretenses. An eyewitness at the party told Mumbai Mirror that the two avoided each other like the plague.

"They were at the party at around the same time. It was very evident, especially since there were not many people at the bash, that they intentionally kept their distance and blatantly ignored each other," explained the eyewitness.

The hostility between the two Khan families dates back to the past decade. Both, SRK and Aamir, have always competed to be the best in the industry. The tensions between the two then escalated when Aamir wrote on his blog that he christened his pet dog Shah Rukh Khan. Even though the two actors had joined hands in support of the Producers Guild against the multiplex owners in 2008, they have never been friends. And the latest incident has led many in the industry to believe that the war is no way close to ending. 

Aamir Khan, Gauri Khan ignore each other

They wanted to prove to everyone in the industry that the rumours of their split were false.

And so, music composers, Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa threw a party, on Wednesday, at a suburban nightspot, to celebrate their 15-year long partnership.

However, their guests, Gauri Khan (sans SRK) and Aamir Khan in particular, were reportedly in no mood to put up any pretenses. An eyewitness at the party told Mumbai Mirror that the two avoided each other like the plague.

"They were at the party at around the same time. It was very evident, especially since there were not many people at the bash, that they intentionally kept their distance and blatantly ignored each other," explained the eyewitness.

The hostility between the two Khan families dates back to the past decade. Both, SRK and Aamir, have always competed to be the best in the industry. The tensions between the two then escalated when Aamir wrote on his blog that he christened his pet dog Shah Rukh Khan. Even though the two actors had joined hands in support of the Producers Guild against the multiplex owners in 2008, they have never been friends. And the latest incident has led many in the industry to believe that the war is no way close to ending. 

Mom is the boss on the sets: Esha Deol

Esha Deol returns to films after a brief, self-imposed hiatus with Tell Me O Kkhuda, directed and produced by her mom, Hema Malini. The film is about a girl searching the world for her absentee father, releasing on 30 September. 

You are returning to films after a while... 
I wanted to take a break because I didn't like the roles coming my way. I was stuck in a rut. I wanted to have memorable experiences, so I travelled from London to USA. On returning, mama (Hema Malini) and I got into the scripting of Tell Me O Kkhuda, which took us eight months to finalise.

How was the experience working in your home production? 
It was exciting and challenging. I sat in on every aspect of the making of the film, everyday. Over the next 10 years, I plan to get into filmmaking in a big way. This experience will stand me in good stead. I have learnt and grown a lot with TMOK.

What's Tell Me O Kkhuda about? 
It's the journey of a girl Tanya, who travels in search of her father across Rajasthan, Goa andTurkey. It's about how my character meets different people from different cultures and touches their hearts. It's an emotional film that explores the special bond girls share with their fathers. Rishi Kapoor, Vinod Khanna and dad (Dharmendra) are the three men I meet, one of whom is supposed to be my father.

How was it shooting with your father for the first time? 
Mom was hesitant to approach papa for the role. I was scared but still asked him. He said, "Main sochta hoon." Three days later, he said he would do it. It was overwhelming! The night before the shoot, we both couldn't sleep a wink as we were too nervous and excited! We didn't use any glycerine while crying. We are cry babies. Mom was stoic as usual as she doesn't show what she feels.

How was it having your mom directing you? 
It's been wonderful! She is a strict director and knows exactly what she wants and how to get it. Though she and I were very professional on the sets, we would often forget we were not at home and break into Tamil - a language the unit didn't understand... that became funny sometimes.

Who is the boss on the sets? Mom or dad? 
Mom is the boss on the sets. She is very strict and papa and I both listen to her. 

Katrina not in Bodyguard item song: Bebo

Bollywood’s latest rivalry tale involves Kareena Kapoor. The actor is making news for being ‘miffed’ with Katrina Kaif, who apparently hogs the limelight with her item number in the upcoming film Bodyguard. It was reported that an upset Kareena, who is the leading lady of the film, even demanded a number for herself. But Kareena isn’t pleased one bit. “It’s really terrible. People who know me are aware that I am not insecure. I’m not that person. And besides, Katrina’s song is just a rumour. She hasn’t done any song. There’s a 20 second-long shot in which she makes an appearance. I think it’s just a publicity tactic,” she says.

Interestingly, all this comes soon after Kareena apparently bonded with Katrina at the grand finale of a fashion week a few days ago. “Why should there be a problem?” she asks. “Both of us do our own films. I’m busy doing mine while she has her share of work. Also, I am here to do my job. She is a lovely girl and we have always been friendly. Such talk is really strange.”

For now, Kareena is concentrating on the anticipated Eid release, Bodyguard, starring Salman Khan.

“My role is very strong. The girl is the soul of the film. If you take Divya (her character) out of the equation, there’s no movie,” she says, adding that the film is also special to her because of Baby’s (Alvira; Salman’s sister) involvement as co-producer. “As a nine or 10-year-old kid, I was Baby’s helper because she was director Suresh Krissna’s assistant on a film called Jaagruti (1993) starring Salman and Karisma. I would pick up her stuff on the sets; so we are very close.”

Meanwhile, Kareena has also achieved a rare feat — the actor is working with all five Khans in Bollywood (Shah Rukh Khan in RA.One, Aamir Khan in The Act Of Murder, Saif Ali Khan in Agent Vinod, Imran Khan in Stand By Me and Salman in Bodyguard).

“I feel it’s quite historic. I’ll be the first to do it. Others can follow in my footsteps whenever it happens for them. It has happened because I am very friendly with all of them. And I am not part of any camp in the industry,” she smiles.

Bipasha Basu in Raaz 3

Bipasha Basu has been confirmed to be starring in the horror flick " Raaz 3". 

Reports had earlier indicated a cold war between Bipasha and the Bhatt camp, with speculation that the actress had been dropped - reason being her tantrums for an item number in "Murder 2", which she didn't end up doing. Mahesh Bhatt had said at the time, "Bipasha tried to impose her starry airs on my company which has been a springboard to her stardom. We decided not to succumb to her tantrums." But now, he confirmed to us that she was starring in "Raaz 3", as he added philosophically, "Bipasha Basu comes full circle." 

Katrina won't entertain Ranbir

The actress seems in no mood to entertain questions pertaining to her alleged ex. 

From being a pretty prop to a promising actor...Katrina Kaif has certainly come a long way. The blue eyed girl of various popular filmmakers in Bollywood today, prefers to call a spade a spade. The outspokenness however starts to fade the moment 'Ranbir Kapoor' comes into the picture.

As per various reports, Katrina had allegedly turned down Wake Up Sid director Ayaan Mukerjee's forthcoming film, to be produced by Karan Johar only because Ranbir Kapoor was cast opposite her in the lead.

A press release was however sent by Katrina's publicist soon after which cited date issues to be the real cause (and not Ranbir).

"Katrina Kaif had to opt out of the film due to prior commitments. Katrina was very keen on working with Karan Johar but couldn't rework the dates to allot for the film, thanks to schedules already set in place", stated the press release.

We met Katrina recently and just to clarify asked if she was open to working with Ranbir in near future. In a chat with TOI, Kat reiterated, "I didn't have dates and thus couldn't do Ayaan's film. I prefer doing not more than two films in a year so that I can focus on those films completely."

The actress answered part of our question but conveniently remained tight lipped on Ranbir Kapoor as she chose to avoid the topic altogether. The silence definitely implied a lot more than what was stated.

Guess unlike Deepika and Sonam, Katrina seems to have taken the high road and has chosen to maintain silence about her equation with the Kapoor heartthrob.

It was easier to smooch Randeep over Deepak: Mahie Gill

Mahie Gills says that she was more comfortable locking lips with Randeep Hooda in 'Saheb Biwi aur Gangster' over Deepak Dobriyal in 'Not A Love Story'.

Mahie Gill's kissing acts suddenly seem to have become the talk of tinsel-town. The actress has shot for intimate scenes in both her upcoming films Not A Love Story and Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster which has given Dev.D's girl-next-door the bold actress tag. 

"I was always aware about the kissing scenes in advance because they were clearly mentioned in the script", says Mahie. "But the directors never emphasized on it because the kiss is not the selling point of the film. Both the films are strong on content". 

And was she comfortable smooching in front of the camera, considering she did it for the first time? "Of course I was initially nervous and it felt really awkward. But when you trust your directors to shoot the scenes aesthetically, things become kind of easier". 

However Mahie does assert that she was more comfortable locking lips with Randeep Hooda in Saheb Biwi aur Gangster over Deepak Dobriyal in Not A Love Story . And before you get any ideas, it has nothing to do with the hotness quotient of the costar. Mahie explains, "The smooch scene in Sahib Biwi aur Gangster was filmed towards the end of the shooting schedule. I knew Randeep pretty well by then and we hit it off, so it was kind of easier to film that kissing sequence". 

But while she had already worked with Deepak Dobriyal earlier in Gulaal , it was a different story for Ram Gopal Varma's Not A Love Story . "I had to shoot for the kissing scene with Deepak on the very first day of the shoot, so I was very nervous", admits Mahie Gill. "But then I realized at the end of the day, kissing is just like any other emotion".