Mumbai, (IANS) Everybody is talking about Bipasha Basu! Her hot look, especially the eyes, in “Race” is a turn on. The smoky look of the extended eyeliner a la Sophia Loren has sparked off a trend not only in the film industry but also in the modelling circle.

Bipasha said, “Eyes speak volumes! You don’t have to say anything at that point of time! It is the eyes that talk! They say, ‘Samjhnewale ko ishara kafi hai!’ Anaita has done a great job of styling me in ‘Race’ and trying the new make-up trend by extending my eye liner.”

Yesteryear glamour icon Sharmila Tagore was the first actress to have started that trend.

Bipasha has also been open to experiments and is always willing to try out something new when it comes to her looks and character in films. “Race” gave her that chance.

Also starring Anil Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Katrina Kaif and Sameera Reddy, the high paced action thriller is set to hit the marquee March 21.

New Delhi, (IANS) Cinema mirrors life. As women in India redefine their status and role in society, so is it being reflected in Hindi cinema.

The latest example is Ashutosh Gowariker’s “Jodhaa Akbar” - the sheer strength of the character of Jodha goes to show the paradigm shift Bollywood has undergone with respect to projecting female leads.

Jodha, essayed by Aishwarya Rai, does not flinch from honouring her duties as a princess and in true spirit of a royal she accepts a marital alliance for the larger good of her people. But Jodha makes no compromises with her core beliefs and principles.

In a patriarchal society like India where social norms continue to stiffen growth of a woman as an individual and an equal partner, Jodha serves as an inspiration as the world celebrated womanhood on the International Women’s Day.

Women dominated films, like “Zindaggi Rocks” and “Aaja Nachle”, continue to be non-performers at the Indian box-office, but filmmakers can no longer ignore that our female actors themselves are women of much substance and their reel roles are likewise evolving.

Lara Dutta, former beauty queen-turned-female actor, feels that change in the attitude of filmmakers today.

“A perceptible change has happened in the approach about picking up the female actors. Roles are being built around them,” she says.

Last year two women centric films came out under the banner of Yash Raj Films, a production house known for hero-dominated mushy romances. Both “Laaga Chunri Mein Daag” and “Aaja Nachle” were pragmatically different from the formats perfected by the illustrious production house, but they couldn’t rock box office.

“Chak De! India” gave a whole new meaning to women’s hockey as the gaggle of girls gave an all-together new meaning to saving the country’s honour.

Barring Shah Rukh Khan, a cursory look around and we find it is Indian female actors who are creating a buzz internationally. They have carved out a niche for themselves at the international arena by their presence and personality. The frontrunners among female actors are Aishwarya Rai, Shilpa Shetty and Tabu.

Tabu’s “The Namesake” was released internationally and garnered rave reviews for her all over. Aishwarya’s several overseas projects have landed her with a substantial role in “The Pink Panther”. And Shilpa Shetty has charmed many non-Asians across the globe.

Back home when everyone was waiting for news of Preity Zinta tying the knot with her longstanding boyfriend, she surprised all by partnering with him to bag rights of a premier cricket league club. And sensational Sushmita Sen is seen revelling in the fruits of motherhood even as she produces a mega-budget period film based on Rani Laxmi Bhai.

Long last, women directors are finding commercial success and not just critical acclaim. Farah Khan was not just the most successful woman director last year, but she even outdid all male counterparts. Her second directorial venture - “Om Shanti Om” raised the bar from her last, “Main Hoon Na”.

Both her films featured Shah Rukh Khan in more stunts than what he has probably done for all his other films. In fact, she is now the Bollywood masala film director today and is being compared to Manmohan Desai.

Then there was a sparklingly refreshing debut by Reema Kagti who managed a small budget above-average hit in “Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd”. The film was based on six married couples and perhaps a rare occasion to see marriage from the gaze of a woman director.

Recognised women directors from India also hogged international limelight. Mira Nair nearly got an Oscar nomination for “The Namesake” and Deepa Mehta missed it for “Water”.

Clearly, these women have shown that cinema in the years ahead will provide more defined contours to the cause of women empowerment.

The changing economics of moviemaking has meant that small-budget films with unique content are also breaking even and in some cases registering profits. This has opened up a world of opportunity for women in Bollywood.

The domination of male stars or ‘heroes’ in the film industry is on the wane. Their clout is still needed to bring in finance for the regular commercial film but other sources of finance have meant that small budget films without heroes also stand a good chance.

The big budget commercial film will always be around, hanging its hopes on the magnetism of its leading man, but after the relative success of small budget films, female actors are emerging as the best hope for new and upcoming filmmakers.

New Delhi, (IANS) Actor Preity Zinta believes Indian cinema has

changed for the better with Bollywood dream merchants becoming

more experimental and films offering a higher quotient of reality to

ring in box office collections.

“The demographics of Indian cinema have changed. Youngsters in the

industry have loads of potential and they want to experiment. Even the

audience is ready to take a chance. Human beings are great and then

there is variety,” Preity told IANS.

“When there is Kiran Bedi in real life then why not in reel life? Apart

from just looking glamorous in the film, heroines are doing

unconventional roles. Even heroes are playing characters with grey

shades contrary to enacting the clichéd good-boy role,” she added.

The actor, who is brand ambassador of Godfrey Philips Bravery

Awards, was here Saturday, to launch the globally renowned Golden

Ovary Awards.

The award has been brought in the country by the corporate social

responsibility initiative of leading tobacco company Godfrey Philips

India in association with the Guild Of Women Achievers, an

international network of women committed to helping women

maximise their potential.

So what is bravery for Preity?

“Courage is contagious. It spreads from one person to the other and

engulfs society and humanity. When we salute one woman from a

remote village in India, an entire village of women stands up and holds

its head high.

“Bravery is not just physical… showing compassion, supporting others

and contributing towards bettering the world where we live in is also

an act of courage.

“And Indian women are extremely strong and resilient… even

physically. I have met a 17-year old girl who saved nine healthy men

from drowning, a mother who fought with a leopard to save her child,

to name a few.”

Preity herself won the Godfrey Philips Bravery Award in 2002 for

being the only witness in court who did not retract earlier statements in

a case against film producer Bharat Shah.

Mumbai, (IANS) Though many see him as rude and rambunctious, Bollywood star Salman Khan has once again revealed the compassionate side of his personality without making a song and dance about it.

On the sets of a music reality show, “Chhote Ustad” last week, the star donated Rs.500,000 to a little girl after he learnt that she was a cancer patient.

Four-year-old Sahara Shaha was among the four children the Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital, Mumbai, had sent to the sets to be a part of the show’s audience.

“He is my favourite actor. Meeting him is like a dream come true. I love you, Salman uncle,” said little Sahara as the actor picked her up in his hands for a few minutes.

Salman also danced with the other cancer-afflicted kids, the contestants, the audience and the crew driving the gathering hysterical.

Salman, who was the celebrity guest for the episode being shot, also regaled the participants and the audience when he danced with them, removing his shirt and baring his muscled body - his trademark act.

Sahara’s mother later said her husband abandoned her four years ago after the child was diagnosed with leukaemia. The family lives in a slum colony in Kanjurmarg in northeast Mumbai, barely making ends meet.

Now, with Salman’s help Sahara can get proper treatment, said the mother with tears in her eyes.

This episode of the show will be telecast on StarPlus Saturday at 10 p.m., a spokesperson for the channel said Thursday.

Mumbai, (IANS) Ranbir Kapoor’s post-”Saawariya” project, a romantic musical for Yash Raj Films, had been struggling to find an appropriate title. Finally, it has one - “Bachna Ae Haseenon”, which harks back to his father’s chartbuster.

“But I don’t think we decided to name the film ‘Bachna Ae Haseenon’ to suggest a link with my past. Sure, the song was a big R.D. Burman chartbuster in its time. My dad, mom and I are all huge fans of RDB,” Ranbir told IANS.

“My parents’ biggest hits were composed by him. But more than the instant connectivity, I think the title was selected because it’s very apt for my film. It’s about this guy’s journey in life and his different encounters with various women,” he added.

The film, which has the young superstar courting Bipasha Basu, Minissha Lamba and Deepika Padukone, is 60 percent complete and is expected to open Aug 15.

Apart from acting, Ranbir has another passion, but not too many people know about it. It came out in the open when Bollywood played a charity benefit match against a professional team of soccer players at the Abhijeet Kadam Memorial Football Cup tournament in Pune.

Most clearly Ranbir was man of the match. He not only surprised the spectators and his colleagues with his expertise at the game but came home to Mumbai triumphant, having scored four out of the seven goals scored by the Bollywood team.

Suniel Shetty, who was present at the match, just can’t stop raving about Ranbir, who walked away with the best male debutant at Filmfare for his performance in “Saawariya”.

“I was so bloody surprised! I thought Ranbir was a damn good actor. But I didn’t know the boy played soccer like a dream. He’s just so good on the field; it’s scary,” said Suniel.

Suniel confesses he is a cricket fan, while his son is a big soccer fan.

“I was there for the charity football Tuesday for my son’s sake though because of school he couldn’t attend.”

And why does Suniel find the thought of Ranbir playing soccer so well scary?

“Because sports is finally giving Bollywood a run for its money,” observes Suniel. “Ranbir plays soccer like a professional. Now Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta have gone into cricket.

“Let the IPL (Indian Premier League) matches begin and the cinema theatres will be deserted. First the board exams in March and then the IPL matches in April, I think the movie business is in big trouble this year.”

Mumbai, (IANS) The Tamil and Telugu versions of Bollywood epic romance “Jodhaa Akbar” will be released Friday.

The UTV Motion Pictures is releasing the film with 65 prints in Telugu and 60 prints in Tamil.

“The Hindi version of the film did very well in Bangalore. But this is not the reason we are releasing the dubbed versions. Even before the release of the film, we had planned to do so,” Preeti Puri Shrama, corporate communication head at UTV Motion Pictures, told IANS.

“The people (in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh) might not come to see the Hindi version, but if the film is presented in their own language, they will come to see it. We are also planning to release the dubbed version of our forthcoming film ‘Race’,” she added.

The Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai starrer has created history at the box office and is on a record-breaking spree. The film’s length restricts it to three shows a day. Although it has not been screened in Rajasthan, the box office collections are among the highest ever, apart from phenomenal overseas collections.

“Jodhaa Akbar” got one of the biggest worldwide releases. UTV had released it in 26 countries and in 10 days the collections were around Rs.750 million worldwide.

“Jodhaa Akbar” has also been subtitled in English, Arabic and Dutch. It was viewed across 1,500 screens worldwide.

Mumbai, (IANS) Composer-singer Himesh Reshammiya is teaming up with model Niharika Singh in his third film and says he prefers to work with new faces.

They will be seen together in John Mathew Mathan’s “A Love Iiiisshtory’ (Reshammiya insists the title be spelt with triple ‘i’ and double ’s’).

“My chemistry with new faces on screen has always worked, whether it’s in my music videos or my films. So I’ve taken a policy decision that all the films I’m doing will have new faces opposite me,” Reshammiya told IANS.

He teamed up with Hansika Motwani in his debut film “Aap Ka Surroor” and then with Indra Kumar’s daughter Shweta Kumar for “Karzzz”, which he is co-producing with Satish Kaushik.

And now for his third film, to go on the floors later this year, Reshammiya will launch Niharika, who was Ponds Femina Miss India Earth in 2005. She comes from a very non-filmy background in Haridwar.

She has modelled extensively and is quite a known face in the modelling circle. Currently, she’s training rigorously in acting and dancing to be worthy of Reshammiya’s histrionics.

While Himesh plays a full-on tapori in “A Love Iiiisshtory’, Niharika will be cast as a la-di-dah high-society girl.

The romantic conflict arises when the tapori takes on the elitist girl.

Mumbai, (IANS) Contrary to talk about how much Abhishek Bachchan has mellowed down, he was still the prankster on the sets of “Dilli 6″ in Jaipur.

He has been up to his pranks in Jaipur and the schedule has turned out to be a family affair.

“Has Abhishek really changed?” Divya Dutta wonders. “If this is the mellow Abhishek, I’d like to know what the bratty Abhishek is like. In fact, prior to his marriage, when we worked together in ‘Umrao Jaan’, he was far quieter.”

He makes Divya stand next to him.

“He’s used to short women in his life (mom Jaya, favourite co-star Rani Mukerji). And now he has his tallest co-star Sonam Kapoor in the same film. So there’s no dearth of variety on the sets,” Divya told IANS.

In Jaipur, Abhishek apparently gets food for everyone on the sets.

“He gets us kachauris and all kinds of goodies, but refuses to tuck in himself. He’s scared of putting on weight. I don’t mind, since I’ve lost so much weight. The entire atmosphere on the sets is very friendly.

“We’re constantly laughing and joking, quite like the people from Chandni Chowk in Delhi, whom we’re playing. I even get to feed squirrels with my own hands in Jaipur. Something I’ve never done before.”

Divya got a chance to bond with two of her childhood idols.

“I play Waheedaji (Waheeda Rehman) all her old songs on my I-Pod. She’s so amazed to hear her songs that she had long forgotten. As for Rishi Kapoor, he’s so chilled out. I can’t believe I’m sitting and chatting with my first crush. And Om Puriji is so much fun.”

Divya gets sentimental.

“The ‘Dilli 6′ unit has become one big family for all of us. It will be really heartbreaking when we’ve to move on. I’ve been lucky. Working with Yash Raj Films in ‘Veer-Zaara’ and ‘Aaja Nachle’, Subhash Ghai in ‘Joggers’ Park’ and ‘Hello Darling’ and now Rakeysh Mehra in ‘Dilli 6, not for a second do I feel I’m not at home. Now, I need to get lucky in love.”

Mumbai, (IANS) Akshay Kumar is hell bent on covering the seven wonders of the world. Currently, he is preparing to shoot action scenes on the Great Wall of China and next month he plans a stint in Egypt amid the pyramids.

This time, it’s for a song with Katrina Kaif in “Singh Is King”.

“We’ll be shooting the introductory song of the lead pair. This will be where Akshay first meets Katrina. The film is complete after this,” Vipul Shah, who teamed up with Aneez Bazmi for the movie, told IANS.

The last time a romantic song was shot amid the blow-dried pyramids of Egypt, it featured Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol in Karan Johar’s “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham”.

“Not surprising that Akshay wants the song to be canned in Egypt. He wants to better Shah Rukh Khan’s success score with Kajol. Most trade pundits see Akshay and Katrina as the next most-successful couple after Shah Rukh-Kajol,” the director said.

After “Namastey London” and “Welcome”, Akshay really feels Katrina is his lucky mascot.

“But we aren’t shooting in all the normal places in Egypt. We want to capture parts of the country other than the predictable pyramids,” Bazmi said.

Mumbai, (IANS) UTV, which released “Taare Zameen Par” and “Race” in India, will release both the movies in Pakistan March 28.

Siddharth Roy Kapoor, UTV executive vice president marketing, distribution and syndication, told IANS Saturday that while the Pakistani censor board issued a universal certificate (U) for “Taare Zameen Par” without any cuts, it ordered a few minor cuts in “Race” before granting it a universal/adult (U/A) certificate.

Both the films, for which UTV has worldwide distribution rights, are being released in 15 cinemas each in five major Pakistani cities.

Geo TV and Egar Films are UTV’s distribution partners in Pakistan.

UTV had also released “Goal” in Pakistan earlier and the movie, according to Kapoor, earned more there than from the UAE market.

Now with “Taare Zameen Par” and “Race”, UTV is the only Indian company to have three releases in a row in Pakistan.

“I am confident that as in India, both the movies will do fair business in Pakistan as well though the exhibition sector of the film industry there is in the doldrums right now,” said Kapoor.

Mumbai, (IANS) Bipasha Basu may be the epitome of today’s woman but in her heart she wants to transport into another era and work in a costume drama.

And her newest project - Raj Kumar Santoshi’s “Ashok” - may be her chance to do so.

“I’m really excited about doing the costume drama. To go back in time and recreate an era and character are challenging. And the character of Tishayraksha is certainly not uni-dimensional. I’m in the entire film. The narrative is so captivating,” Bipasha told IANS.

And she is also ga-ga over her latest director. “I think Raj Santoshi is a great visionary. Look at the performances he gets out of his actors! And to cast someone like me who otherwise has such a contemporary image in the Mauryan era requires guts,” says the sultry actress.

Five years ago, Bipasha was actually supposed to start her career with a Mughal costume drama, J.P. Dutta’s “Aakhri Mughal”, opposite Abhishek Bachchan. The project never took off.

Sighs Bipasha, “Madhur Bhandarkar, Rituparno Ghosh, Raj Santoshi… these are women’s directors I’ve always wanted to work with. I’ve worked with two of them. Now hopefully I’ll be working with the third.”

Incidentally Rituparno Ghosh’s “Sab Charitra Kalpunik” needn’t have been Bipasha’s first Bengali film. A few years ago she was offered Buddhdeb Dasgupta’s “Kaal Purush”.

“Yes,” Bipasha recalls the project. “But you’ve to be in sync with the person you work with. And I don’t know much about the Bengali film industry. With Ritu the comfort level has grown over time. Speaking Bengali wasn’t a problem, though I think in English and not in Bengali.”

Another costume drama on the anvil is Ben Kingsley’s “Taj Mahal” project.

“Again that will take some time. It’s again an exciting film. I’ll be transported into another era. My entire body language has to change.”

Asked how she feels about working with the Oscar-winning actor-director popularly known in India for his on-screen portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi and she says: “I’m looking forward to working with Ben. He has been around for decades, doing so many kinds of amazing films.

“In person, he’s so wonderful. I met him for the first time when we happened to be on the same flight once. He’s so full of life, so much fun. He made me roll with laughter. There’s never a serious moment when he’s around. It’s so uncanny that we both were hosting a Taj Mahal project (The Seven Wonders) in Lisbon when he talked about doing a Taj Mahal film with me.”

Says Bipasha: “I’m dying to go back in time. For now I’m doing only one film. And that’s very modern: the new Yashraj production directed by Siddharth Anand with Ranbir Kapoor. Though there are other leading ladies in the film, believe me I’m confident I’ll be very strongly noticed. Every segment with different girls is very interesting.”

Mumbai, (IANS) Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has roped in Rani Mukherjee and Bipasha Basu to participate in his music video for his Kolkata Knight Riders.

Shah Rukh had bought the Kolkata franchise of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for $85 million last month. The Twenty20 competition of the IPL begins April 18.

Preity Zinta who owns the Mohali franchise of the IPL has apparently no intention of competing with Shah Rukh as far as star line up in the IPL music video is concerned.

A source close to Preity Zinta, who’s currently in London, set aside the rumours that she intends to get Sunny and Bobby Deol and their dad Dharmendra to do a music video for the Mohali team.

“The playing field when the matches start in April will be filled with star-cricketers. That takes care of the glam-element,” said the source.

“As for the music video we feel it should represent the earthy feel of Punjab and Chandigarh. Hence the robust song that Preity and Ness have recorded for their team, as opposed to the poetic lyrical mood of Kolkata and Shah Rukh’s team.

“We feel we can’t capture the flamboyant and vigorous flavour if we bring film stars into the video. Preity wants the video to be very Punjabi. That’s why she got Daler Mehndi to sing their theme song,” the source said.

Shah Rukh Khan and Vijay Mallya on the other hand seem to believe star-line up to be the best way to attract big crowds to their cricket matches.

Mumbai, (IANS) Doting father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan feels ‘bahurani’ Aishwarya Rai, a celebrity in her own right, fits perfectly in Bollywood’s most glamorous household.

“In Uttar Pradesh, the daughter-in-law is addressed as ‘bahurani’. In our house, that is how we address Aishwarya Rai. It is a most endearing expression and completely fulfilling in describing her presence in our home,” the Big B told IANS in an interview.

The aging superstar cannot stop raving about his daughter-in-law’s performance in Ashutosh Gowariker’s period romance “Jodhaa-Akbar”. “I have often used the word ‘ethereal’ in some of my interviews earlier to describe a special moment or a person. For Aishwarya in J-A, I’d want to use that again for I lack the knowledge of finding an adequate substitute.”

The star of the Seventies, Eighties and Nineties derived his strength from his family, especially his parents. “Yes, our parents have been our life and strength. They shall remain with us… I think of them and remember them every step of my day,” the actor said.

Q: What did you think of Aishwarya in “Jodhaa-Akbar”, and of the film?

A:I have often used the word “ethereal” in some of my interviews earlier, not in this context, but to describe a special moment or a person. For Aishwarya in “Jodhaa-Akbar”, I’d want to use that again for I lack the knowledge of finding an adequate substitute.

“Belonging to the heavens” or “from the celestial sphere” would sound too mushy and too much like a doting father-in-law. But it would be pretty close to it. The movie was grand, large, symbolic and pertinent. It was full of moments of immense uplifting aesthetic beauty. But the one moment that almost made me stand up and scream my appreciation in the theatre was that brilliant sequence in the qawwali ‘Khwaja, mere Khwaja’, when Akbar, hit by an almost other-world connection, gets up and joins the Sufi singers trancelike, moving in servile submission.

This great emperor, this ruler of the land, one with the common man, is succumbing to that unknown force, which no human has ever been able to decipher. Ahh…! I get goose bumps. I have not felt like that since that historic moment in the movie “2001- Space Odessey” when the ape-man in prehistoric times discovers a bone and accidentally finds its use as a weapon to destroy another and in the excitement of his discovery flings it in the air. The bone is caught in slow motion as it moves in the atmosphere and… cut to … a futuristic space station, moving equally, in high speed, to the strains of Johann Strauss’s “Blue Danube”. Brilliant !!

Q: Aishwarya has blended beautifully into the Bachchan portrait. What are your thoughts about your “bahu” a year after the wedding?

A: In Uttar Pradesh, the daughter-in-law in the house is addressed as “bahurani”. In our house, that is how we address Aishwarya. It is a most endearing expression and completely fulfilling in describing her presence in our home. What other thoughts do you expect me to have after what I have told you. All other niceties remain in the private and personal domain. I do not see any necessity for it to be announced publicly.

Q: A school named after Aishwarya is going to be built in Uttar Pradesh? How would you contribute to this noble endeavour?

A: A promise to the people of the region was made a year ago. We kept our promise and have laid the foundation stone for the school. It will now be built and become operational. I will be involved in funding the construction and will be part of the administration through a trust.

Q: Amitji, you’ve always been very family-oriented. May I ask in what ways would you like to honour your mother’s memory?

A: These are too personal to be discussed publicly. Our parents are our life, our existence and our strength. They shall remain with us. No matter what we do to honour them, we shall never be able to even go near or match the love and guidance they give us so selflessly and so unstintingly throughout their lives. I think of them and remember them at every step. This is all that they would probably have expected from their progeny, nothing more.

Q: You’ve decided to sponsor two adandoned girls in Patna. How did you come to know about them? Among all the causes that besiege our society, does the plight of the girl child trouble you in special way?

A: I came to know their plight through the electronic media and volunteered to help. I had helped girls earlier too like treating a young girl, who needed surgical intervention and her parents were too poor to afford the cost. For the two cute little girls from Patna, it was the lost and frightened look on their faces that moved me. We managed to find their mother, who we discovered was a hapless victim of a sad and ugly incident and gave her money to care for the education of the little girls till as long as they wanted to study.

There is a proposal that when the school in Barabanki comes up, we will give the mother a job there. The plight of the girl child is a universal issue and quite predominant in our part of the world. As an ambassador for the United Nations and having worked for the eradication of polio and other diseases in our country, this activity will be an extension of what the UN and the UNICEF are charting out for me.

Q: Finally, the family prepares for the world concert this year. What are your thoughts on the impending world tour and the prospect of dancing with your son and “bahu”?

A: Yes, the tour preparations are on… We go in July-August to Europe and then to US. I have often danced with my son and “bahu”. It’s being together on a common platform that is more important.

Q: Lately, you’ve been pretty much doing your own thing, unfazed by the swirling circle of speculation and controversies. Was that a conscious decision?

A: “Deep end”? That sounds disparaging! “Swirling circle of speculation and controversies” are built by the media. I do not see any reason to react to them or allow them to influence my decisions.

Q; How affected were you and your family by the charge that you have done more for Uttar Pradesh than for Mumbai?

A: This is a free country and every man enjoys the liberty of free speech. The law of the land and its Constitution is supreme. Every Indian should be affected by it. Random charges are random. They do not deserve the kind of attention you want me to give to them.

Q: How were your schedules affected by the personal tragedy, the loss of your mom? Did you have to make up for lost time?

A: My schedules were not affected. My producers have all been extremely understanding and accommodating. There has been no loss of time.

Mumbai, (IANS) Contrary to rumours, Bollywood star Akshaye Khanna isn’t unhappy with his role in Abbas-Mustan’s just-released slick thriller “Race”.

“Where do these things start from?” Akshaye laughed heartily. “I’ve been in Bangkok for almost a month shooting for my friend Anil Kapoor’s ‘Shortcut’. We’re going to be in Bangkok until April 20. This is the last schedule. We’ll finish the film and return. So where was the time to come home for ‘Race’?”

Akshaye, who shares screen space with Saif Ali Khan in the film, says they gel well together. “I really enjoy working with Saif. He is 24-hour entertainment. He is a joke-a-minute pal. And after ‘Dil Chahta Hai’, he’s really blossoming as an actor.”

But isn’t Saif moody like Akshaye?

“I’ve never seen Saif’s moody side. Am I moody? Honestly, it was a reputation well earned at the beginning of my career, but now no longer applicable. Everyone is entitled to highs and lows. I’m not temperamental. I get annoyed easily, but I don’t get angry easily.”

And right now sitting in Bangkok, the 33-year-old is far from angry.

“‘Race’ has had a smash-hit opening. It’s got a bigger opening than Anil Kapoor’s other release, ‘Welcome’. Mine is a very effective role. My character is the mover-shaker of the script.”

Son of veteran actor and politician Vinod Khanna, Akshaye is very choosy about his roles and enjoys playing negative characters.

“Abbas-Mustan had earlier cast me as negative character in ‘Humraaz’. I enjoy being wicked. Such roles are fun to play and fun to watch.

“When I had heard the script of ‘Humraaz’, I told Abbas-Mustan, ‘Boss I’m the hero, though conventionally I’m the villain but my character is the most entertaining.’ Sure enough people came out of ‘Humraaz’ wishing me not to die.”

Akshaye goes into a wicked rewind.

“If you look at the history of great screen villains, for example Anthony Hopkins in ‘The Silence Of The Lambs’ audiences don’t want them to die in the film. So many people have told me they didn’t want me to die in ‘Race’. That’s a very positive sign about my negative roles.”

Akshaye can’t stop glowing over the way “Race” has been received.

“Abbas-Mustan really knows how to use me well. So, for that matter, does Anil Kapoor. I enjoy shooting ‘Shortcut’ and ‘Gandhi My Father’ for Anil as much as the films of Abbas-Mustan. I wouldn’t give up either.

“There’s a greater likelihood of people watching ‘Race’ than ‘Gandhi My Father’. But no one can tell what would work, what wouldn’t. I’m really proud of that film. No other film has given me what ‘Gandhi My Father’ has. And it will continue to make me proud.”

Mumbai, (IANS) If Emraan Hashmi, known as a serial kisser in filmdom, had his way in his forthcoming release “Jannat”, it would have been free of lip locks.

“But then my director Kunal Singh got greedy. He first persuaded me to do one kiss, then another,” Emraan, whose kissing scenes in movies like “Murder” and “Gangster - A Love Story” made headlines, told IANS.

The actor, who turned 29 March 24, was quite tired of kissing and cutting cakes.

“I had already cut four cakes post-midnight, the first one of course with my wife,” he rattled off dutifully. “Then my friends had dropped in and we had a private get-together. The next morning, I was on the sets and doing it all over again.”

“I can’t say I did not enjoy all the attention on my birthday. But if I really had one wish granted on my birthday, it would have to be no shooting! Sadly, that is what I did,” Emran good-humouredly complained.

The shooting of “Jannat” is over. “It just required some patchwork. I enjoyed working, but not at a time when I am wanted by family and friends.” The movie is about match fixing in which Emran plays a bookie.

“Though the film is inspired by real life incidents in the cricketing world, we’ve covered our bases well. We don’t want real life figures from cricket to identify themselves in the movie and create trouble for ‘Jannat’. So, ironically in a film based on true life incidents, we have consciously steered away from getting too close to reality for comfort.”

Though real life cricketers play in the field in “Jannat”, they do not represent any individual cricketer. Does Emraan get on the field at all?

“Actually, I don’t like cricket at all. I don’t play it and hardly ever watch it. Fortunately, I play a bookie. So, I don’t have to play in ‘Jannat’,” he mumbled sheepishly like a brat, who has not done his homework.

Emraan is all praise for his co-star Sonal Chauhan. “She’s totally new. She is the 14th girl to be launched with me. I don’t know how many women Rishi Kapoor launched in his heydays, but I’m getting there.”