Bodyguard rakes in $1.4 mn in North America

Salman Khan's latest Bollywood blockbuster Bodyguard has scored a gigantic opening in North America, raking in an astounding $1.4 million over its six-day debut period.

In less than one week, the Reliance Entertainment release has already surpassed the entire lifetime gross of his recent blockbuster hit Dabangg and has beaten the combined totals for his films Ready and Wanted.

Playing in 88 theatres across the US and Canada, the weekend collection for Bodyguard included $863,531 over the Friday-to-Sunday period and $1,051,132 across the Friday-to-Monday Labour Day holiday period.

Since opening on Aug 31, the action-romance has collected $1,361,790 and is expected to break the $2 million barrier in its second week.

The film's per-theatre average of $11,945 was by far the highest for any film in the North American Top 20 over the weekend.

Priyanka Chopra in Jaipur for a cause

Priyanka Chopra, who is the UNICEF brand ambassador for the promotion of child and adolescent rights, went to Jaipur on Thursday for the cause. 

Part of the special campaign called Sabla, initiated by the government in collaboration with UNICEF, PC met adolescent girls and interacted with them about their problems. The actress also shot for an ad at the aganbari centre of a small village, Nanakpura. "I am honoured to be a part of this wonderful campaign for adolescent girls, to generate a sense of self worth and confidence in them," she said.

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.