Salman Khan has gone a step further. He has put his head on the chopping block by campaigning for candidates from two rival parties - the BJP and the Congress. And here's how he did it.
Salman Khan struck his name off Sanjay Dutt's list of friends by turning a blind eye to Sanjay's support of Samajwadi Party candidate Abu Asim Azmi. Instead, he went campaigning for Priya Dutt. Dressed in a white sweatshirt, white-rimmed shades and a ponytail, Salman rode in an open van with the Congress MP in Mumbai's North Central constituency.
Salman also took nearly three hours out of his schedule to give his thumbs up to Milind Deora, the Congress candidate from South Mumbai constituency. Clad in a green T-shirt this time, the actor brought traffic to a standstill in the bylanes of Bhendi Bazaar and Nagpada.
He made his support for the Congress crystal clear when, a little while earlier, he campaigned for Congress candidate Anu Tandon in Unnao, UP, and went so far as to declare that Rahul Gandhi was India's future leader.
But we think his brains were addled by too much time in the sun. Why? Well, because on April 11, Salman went all out to support Bollywood star and BJP nominee, Vinod Khanna, in Gurdaspur, Punjab!
Is he trying to bring about a hung Parliament single-handedly? Salman needs to hire a political consultant. Pronto.
As the Nach Baliye Season 4 came to an end; the finale was made grand with bong babe Lara Dutta and the King of all, Shah Rukh Khan. As the trophy was taken away by Shaleen and Daljeet, the night was made rocking with some special performances by great looking Arjun Rampal, pristine Karisma Kapoor, graceful Farah Khan, sizzling Lara Dutta and the Badshah of Tinsel Town Shah Rukh Khan. Even though SRK's shoulder was injured he was seemed to be in all high spirits.
Bollywood King ShahRukh Khan felt nostalgic today coming on the show as he was coming after a long time back to his KBC, Paanchvi Paas makeup room. On asking if we would see him and Gauri Khan in such a dance reality show he promptly said that he doesn't have the courage to take part in such a reality show but his wife is definitely a good dancer and can't comment on her. All the judges were more than happy to see the worthy winners of Nach Baliye Season 4 and just could not stop raving about the talent they shared on the stage. Daljit and Shaleen thanked every person who were responsible for their victory. Well we wish the Nach doesn't end here and we get to see more of it soon in the next season.
Refusing to call it a ‘war’, Salman Khan has nevertheless admitted that he and Shah Rukh Khan do have differences, and they can probably never be friends.
Priyanka and you didn’t get along well during the making of God Tussi Great Ho ...
I am cordial with her.
There is a scene in the film which has been shot in your house, Galaxy Apartments...
Yes, there is one scene in my house, which is shown as Priyanka’s house in the film.
You usually don’t work with debutante directors. How did you agree to do this film with Rumi?
Well, I do make exceptions. I also worked with Shrish Kunder in his first film. I’ve done several films in which Rumi was the writer. I was assured that he will make a good film.
People say you you are the most misunderstood guy in the industry...
I don’t give a damn. I am what I am. That’s the way I am, if you like it, then thank you very much, and well, if you don’t like it, sorry!
What about the war between you and Shah Rukh Khan?
It is totally unfair to label it as a war. We are different individuals and have different perspectives.
Will you tell us what exactly happened at Katrina’s birthday party?
When I have never spoken about Vivek Oberoi, why should I speak about Shah Rukh?
Will SRK and you patch up?
No. Shah Rukh and I will never patch up.
Please go on...
Yeh sab unka problem hai. Agar meri burai mein unko happiness milti hai, who log paisa kamate hai, toh accha hai. Aap meri dhana-dhan phaad rahe ho, aur apni family ko support kar rahe ho... well then, enjoy! (Laughs).
Vivek has publicly apologised to you. Will you forgive him?
Yeh sab drama-shama mere ko samajh mein aata hai. Yeh sab acting hai.
What about John Abraham?
John Abraham? What about him?
How is your experience of interacting with people on the sets of Dus Ka Dum ?
I love it! It’s nice if people are making money through the show. I am also making money. It’s like fulfilling a lot of dreams.
Some people say that the show is not doing well.
You always have these idiots here and there talking rubbish. When their film is about to be released, woh chada-chada ke apni tareef karte hai. Shaurat aur izzat upperwale ke haath mein hai, jisne mujhe shaurat aur izzat di hai, usne mujhe taqat bhi di hai, aur koi meri taqaat mujhse nahih cheen sakta. Fark nahin padta. These people forget that there is one thing above all – the Almighty.
How is the industry supporting your organisation Being Human?
In terms of financial support, well, I have not received a single cheque till date from anybody from the film industry.
Seriously?
Yeah. That’s the reason why I am starting my own clothing line.
You are doing Andaz Apna Apna 2?
Aamir has been talking about it. Let’s see...
Source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Salman Khan gets the chance to take God’s place in reel life, in upcoming movie, God Tussi Great Ho, but in real life he does not want that job, ever.
If given the chance, “ No, I would not take that chance,” he says and adds,” Everyone’s got their job to do. I have got a job as an actor. God has a job to be God.”
If forced to take up that job, he says,” I would not know what to do with it. I will have the power and I would be sitting at home or would be giving a shot in the movie somewhere. It would be a waste.”
Regarding his own faith, Salman had the following words,” I think a lot about God, but in a different way. In my mind, God is the creator, he is everything. He has made us and he lives in our hearts. Love is God. Faith is God. Trust is God. All these nice positive things in life are God. “
He also hopes for a life after death and his wish is that he is reborn with the same family.
Source-newsline365.com
Vipul Shah's Singh Is Kinng has highest ever music sale in more than a decade. Sources close to the production house reveal that the sales for a limited period of time have been for whopping Rs 13.5 crore. Says Sandeep Bharghava of Indian Films, "This is a landmark valuation and we are very proud to be associated with the biggest films of 2008 - Singh is Kinng and Ghajini. We are very sure the music will do very well".
Indian Films, who own the worldwide rights of Singh is Kinng, have sold the music rights to Times Music. Says Adarsh Gupta of Times Music, "Having tasted humongous success with one of the biggest grosser of 2007 in the Hindi film category, Welcome, we are now signing on what is believed to be the biggest hit of 2008 with Singh is Kinng."Music industry has been going through a lot of turbulent times and had hit the slumber in revenues. Average music sales were less than Rs 3 cr and even a talked about project like Shahrukh Khan's Om Shanti Om had gone for Rs 7 cr.
If the music sale of Singh is Kinng is any indication then the music valuations are back and how.
Says Vipul Shah, the producer of Singh is Kinng, "Akshay Kumar has been commanding a huge draw, whether it would be the box office, satellite or music are concerned. I am not surprised at all."Randeep Hooda is on a career high these days. He has a long list of films to release this year. After SRK and Hrithik, now Randeep will be seen in a legendary character in Ketan Mehta’s Rang Rasiya where he portrays the character of painter Raja Ravi Verma. This is a film that the actor is banking heavily on.
“Rang Rasiya is a period film in which I am playing Raja Ravi Verma – the legendary Indian painter.” says Randeep. He believes it is one of the best characters he has portrayed in films. Randeep feels preparation for any character is important before you portray it onscreen. So what was his preparation to play this legendary character? “I did prepare for this role. But the tragedy is I can’t paint like Raja Ravi Verma, so I dropped the idea”, he quips.
Speaking about his director Ketan Mehta, Randeep says, “It was a great pleasure working with Ketan. He has extracted some really good aspects of me and especially as an actor I feel it’s very important for a film. At the same time I don’t think only one film can decide your standing in the industry. I have done nine films and I am yet to know my standing.”
Randeep’s forthcoming films include Ru Ba Ru, Love Khichdi , Ketan Mehta’s Rang Rasiya, Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye and the long delayed Karma Confessions and Holi . “They have all shaped up pretty well. I am very excited. I have done varied work. Hopefully all my movies capture different audience”, he concludes.
After an ordinary weekend, Monday had a clear enough tale to tell for Tashan. The film's word of mouth has reached an abysmal low and this Yash Raj film now is under threat of coming close to the first week's collections of the likes of Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (for which the end box office outcome read a flop in the final run).
Still, in spite of such unforeseen fate of the film, Akshay Kumar is smiling and continuing to keep 'happy'. How is that possible? Well, the name of the character that he plays in his forthcoming film is called - hold your breath - Happy Singh!
Yes, that's true! In Anees Bazmee's Singh is Kinng which has an out and out Punjabi flavor to it, Akshay Kumar is known as Happy Singh while Sonu Sood is named Lucky Singh. It is a known fact that names like Happy Singh and Lucky Singh are pretty much in vogue in the state of Punjab and for a film like Singh is Kinng it is only justified to have two of its principal protagonists carrying the same names.
With Singh is Kinng just about three months away, Akshay Kumar certainly would be looking forward to some 'happy' times ahead after the Tashan fiasco
The director has not done justice to the piece of reels used. The placements of the scene is not very logical and the locations change absurdly. The fight sequences are average, but very unrealistic. Every Bollywood movie is moving away from realistic fight sequences for the past few years and the audience is not liking it always.
AkshayKumar is good in the movie and the confidence fro 4 major hits in 2007 is clearly visible. Saif and Kareena look sizzling, but no performances at all. Anil Kapoor has also managed to perform, but nothing to match the power packed performance of Akki. Akshay’s presence in the movie is sure to give it a huge opening on the first weekend. but nothing can be said beyond that. Lets wait and watch.
Al in all, no content, no quality. Tashan provides only the ishtyle.
Rating: 2 out of 5. Avoidable.
Characters and Storyline:
Akshay Kumar - Bachchan Pande is an electricity stealer. He can climb, jump and fly with the support of just about anything. He can break all bones of the body and the result will always be 100%.
Kareena Kapoor - Pooja Singh is a girl whom you just can’t trust. She doesn’t mind playing with anyone’s feeling to achieve her goal. She uses her beauty and jawani as her main tool to make others dance to her tunes.
Saif Ali Khan - Jimmy Cliff works at a call center but his main job is to flirt with girls. He is not a bad guy but doesn’t mind turning to one just to survive. He is more like a chameleon in his characters. He changes his side just to escape out safe and sound.
Anil Kapoor - Lakhan Singh urf Bhaiyyaji is a trigger-happy gangster who enjoys gunning down people and speaking English in his own inimitable style.
Bhaiyyaji is hoping to sign a big project with some foreign delegates. But just then Pooja with the help of Jimmy steals his money. Pooja abandons Jimmy and runs away with the money. Just then Bachchan Pande comes into the scene. He is appointed by Bhaiyaaji to catch hold of Pooja and get him his money back. In search of money they all go on an adventurous journey across spectacular India that changes the course of their life altogether.
THE IPL launch has been spectacular, with celebrities occupying prime seating and cricket's TV rating rocking. For everyone involved with this tournament there is something new to learn but it is interesting how different people have different takes on the IPL.
The players see the demanding format as a challenge that tests more than technique and temperament. They realise the, in this game, it is necessary to be multi-skilled to be able to do a bit of this and plenty more of that.
Dennis Lillee thinks too much fuss is being made of this all-round angle; a good player is a good player regardless of what he is playing. A coach says Twenty20 is about intuition, innovation and movement.
Cricket officials also face new challenges as they put together a tournament that has an altogether distinctive character. The franchisees have come into cricket with fresh ideas and aggressive strategies to monetise opportunities.
But not all cleverly manufactured plans succeed and Arun Jaitley, politician and administrator who has his finger firmly on the pulse, made an interesting observation on how things are rolling out.
Sitting in his box at the renovated Kotla, soaking in the electric atmosphere of an absorbing contest under floodlights, Jaitley said cricket has moved from ww (wicket and willow) to www, the world of internet/computers and spreadsheets.
But the cosmetic makeover has had only marginal impact and his verdict is the change will be slow and the old and new will coexist.
In such situations, match tickets for instance should be sold through the net, and also from banks and other conventional retail outlets.
Twenty20 is positioned as an alliance of cricket and entertainment, and while some like the result of this union others take a dim view. In their opinion, entertainment is a peripheral activity, only an add-on, and ultimately the product has to deliver quality. But whatever position one takes — for or against — there is no denying it has enormous popular appeal and people love it.
Even critics concede T20 is a mass entertainer, a huge box office hit.
More than anything else, this is a tribute to the power of Indian cricket. The Indian Premier League can succeed big time only in India because it enjoys the support of corporate financial muscle and an exploding media network.
It might take long for franchisees to create a connect with fans and build loyalties similar to the football model in Europe but that is not an immediate concern. What counts is the crowds should have a ball and for sponsors not to be disappointed — as long as India continues to cheer cricket there is nothing to worry.
Top Bollywood production house Yash Raj Films (YRF) is releasing an unprecedented five films in 2008 across genres (thriller, comedy, romance and animation), starring some of the top actors and directors. The number is still small compared to UTV Motion Pictures’ 18-20 films slated for release this year or The Indian Film Company’s 12-13 films. But the very fact that YRF is scaling up its production of movies is indicative of the changes sweeping across Bollywood. Between the three of them, they will produce some of the most awaited releases of the year like Aditya Chopra’s Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi starring Shah Rukh Khan, Rakesh Omprakash Mehra’s Dilli 6, Akshay Kumar in Singh is Kinng and the Aamir Khan-starrer Ghajini.
“YRF has scaled up its operations recently and the studio model that was embarked upon a couple of years ago is firmly in place. YRF takes prides in being part of every step of the value chain of a film from its conception to its delivery,” says Sanjeev Kohli, director and CEO, Yash Raj Films.
The seeds of corporatisation that were sown a couple of years ago are finally bearing fruit and most of the top players (read Reliance Entertainment, UTV, Eros International and TIFC) now want to be on all sides of the spectrum: Production, distribution and exhibition. Having said that, there are no set rules of corporatisation in the film industry and most of the players admit that “Bollywood is not all there yet”.
Some corporates, including the Singhanias and the Birlas have learnt it the hard way. For instance, according to analysts after producing Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Black, Aditya Birla Group’s Applause Entertainment lost its way somewhat and is now reorganising its strategy to move forward.
But still, there’s ample reason for big corporates to knock on Bollywood’s doors and walk in.
Consider this: The Indian film industry, with over 3 billion admissions per annum, is the largest in the world. The industry, which is currently worth $2.9 billion as per estimates, is slated to grow at a CAGR of 16 per cent.
Says Rajesh Sawhney, president, Reliance Entertainment,“Investors are looking for vision, strategy and execution capabilities and typically a big corporate can provide all three.” Ask Sawhney whether Bollywood is corporatised and he quips, “There has been corporatisation on the exhibition front with the explosion of multiplexes. There has been corporatisation on the production front with financing now coming from corporates but we need to concentrate more on content, invest more in marketing and distribution. As I keep saying, if content is king, distribution is God.”
One of the biggest changes that has happened is the way movies are being made, according to Siddharth Roy Kapur, director, UTV Motion Pictures. “Now, filmmakers and producers are making movies much more efficiently and in a much shorter span.” Sandeep Bhargava, chief adviser of the AIM-listed The Indian Film Company, says, “Three to four corporates are ruling the industry. There’s no balance between revenues and cost of production, which includes cost of talent. I see a correction coming.”
Key drivers
Bollywood is getting to be a more professional industry, but is it on course to touch $5 billion by 2011 as some estimates suggest? “Yes, very much,” says Shailendra Singh, joint MD, Percept Holdings, “The opening of the film industry to foreign investment coupled with the granting of industry status to this segment has had a favourable impact, leading to many global production units entering the country, including Walt Disney, Warner Group, Viacom and Sony Pictures Entertainment.” Other factors driving the industry, according to experts, are the rise of consumer spend on entertainment, the boom of multiplexes, now beginning to impact tier-II and III cities as well, digitisation, increase in Hollywood film releases in India and improved models of financing. Production houses are being forced to embrace corporatisation, says Singh, thanks to systematic and continuous growth.
Challenges remain
While the method of working has changed, certain factors key to corporatisation haven’t in many cases. Experts point at the lack of discipline and accountability. “You can’t be a family-run company masquerading as a corporate,” says an insider. “It’s a totally relationship-driven industry,” admits Kishore Lulla, chairman & CEO, Eros International. “The mindset hasn’t changed. If we have been successful, it’s because we have a 30-year experience in the business. We are a corporate but we have a relationship with everyone in India.”
There are other challenges to conquer, points out Singh of Percept. “Original concepts, an ever increasing talent fee, transparency in box-office revenues, IP regulation and piracy are all issues that still need to be addressed on a consistent basis.”
Stars charging the moon
But the biggest concern is the shortage of skilled, experienced manpower. “There is a severe crunch in creative talent, leading to escalation in prices,” says Sawhney. “The imbalance in the supply-demand equation is driving prices up for the few bankable stars,” points out Kapur. “It is a known fact that the industry is currently in a state of exaggerated pricing. This makes our task—the marketing and distribution guys—even more daunting and painstaking. Recoveries need to match pricing, taking the bar higher and driving us to chase the top dollar in every conceivable revenue stream,” remarks Tanuj Garg, an expert in international markets, and currently head of UK and Europe at Studio 18.
The right mix
Most players also admit that small budget commercial films like Bheja Fry and Page 3 are here to stay. So, if UTV is producing four big-ticket films, it’s also producing six small-to-medium budget films. Ditto with Indian Film Company. “It makes sense to experiment across genres and budgets. It derisks the business,” says an analyst. Because despite the winds of change blowing and flow of corporate finance, a number of investors, including private equity and venture capitalists, are still wary of Bollywood.
As Mishra of UFO Moviez puts it, “Corporatisation is not a destination, it’s an evolving journey and Bollywood is on its way. With professionals foraying into the business, corporatisation is not an option but need of the hour.”
WWE CHAMPION, the great Khali will debut in Bollywood film ‘Ramma-The Saviour’. It’s a children’s adventure film. The film will be produced by film actor Shahil Khan, who himself is a great fan of the wrestler. The movie will be shot in Vietnam and Burma. Tanushree Dutta will also be acting in the movie.