Everything that we often hear or read about Salman proves to be nothing but wrong!

Salman’s highhanded behaviour, snobbish attitude, brattish ways…everything is nothing but a farce! Through word of mouth one gets to hear Salman’s kind deeds and extreme generosity. One such noble side of Salman’s was seen during the shoot of the title track of Salman’s game show ‘Dus Ka Dum’.

Said a unit hand of the show, “The recently concluded video shoot of Dus Ka Dum had an enthusiastic Salman at his best. In an affable mood and raring to go attitude, Salman added his own inputs to the song Dum dum dum dum dum…dus ka dum, dus se bhari hum… …bandh muthi ki jholi, percent mein hogi boli…lagbag bhi joh bolega…bhar dunga uski joli… as he matched his footwork with a troop of glamorous dancers. Even though he is a superstar he doesn’t act like one.”

The hip-hop track can be seen on tv currently but we’ll have to wait for June to see how Salman is able to handle India ki janta as a host which also marks his tv debut!
Rajeev Surti is the choreographer of the music album of Dus Ka Dum and musical duo Sajid Wajid has composed the foot-tapping music. The lyrics are written by Jalees Sherwani and Wajid has his voice lent to it.

Said Sajid of the music director duo, “Salman has been excited about doing the show and was very keen that the music and video be very different from anything currently on air.”

He further added, “The theme of the game show is very good - about giving away lots of money to people. So we planned to do something that suited the game show and its host rather than concentrate on the ambience and technical aspects. The music video has a deliberate Bollywood theme to go with Salman’s star status and attitude while it exudes a next-gen feel with dialogues and marching beats. Salman has always inspired us to give our best,” said Sajid giving credit to his friend of 14 years!

Priyadarshan’s next venture Mere Baap Pehle Aap is a remake of the Malayalam film Ishtam . The film has Akshaye Khanna, Genelia D’souza and Paresh Rawal in lead roles.

The director of the film, Priyadarshan said, “We have taken the plot from a very old Malayalam film. Mere Baap Pehle Aap is a very good family entertainer. It is about the relationship between a father and a son. One can say that the film is a love story between a father and a son. Both want to get each other married off. The son wants to get his father married first as his mother died the day he was born. How and why he wants that, forms the suspense of the film. The full film is made in a comical way.”

Priyadarshan believes that Mere Baap Pehle Aap is not a comedy film. “The film is more of Hrishikesh Mukherjee kind of a film. He never made comedy films. His films also had some meaning and some stories in them. My film also had a good story and everything is in a lighter way.”

Riteish Deshmukh who made a very humble start in Bollywood is today amongst the actors in big demand. He might not be amongst the league of superstars who are constantly vying for the top positions of Bollywood, but Riteish surely is the best choice when it comes to the second man in films, today. The guy is never out of work and has now been approached by editor-turned-director Shirish Kunder for two films to be made under Kunder’s home banner – Shirish Kunder Film Company.

“The first film is titled Tees Maar Khan and will be directed by me”, confirms Shirish Kunder. And what about the second film? “The second film is titled Banjo Party and will only be produced by me. We are looking out for a good name who can direct the project”. There were rumours that some Vikram Gupta is to direct Banjo Party. “Not true”, clarifies Kunder. “We are still in the process of finalizing the cast and crew”.

Meanwhile we question Shirish on what’s happening to his ambitious project Joker for which he had approached the biggest stars of today from Shah Rukh Khan to Akshay Kumar. “ Joker is currently on the backburner”, says Shirish. “The magnitude of the subject is such that it needs huge amounts to be spent on the pre-production and special effects. Joker is a project which is extremely expensive by itself, even before the stars step in. And our industry is so star-driven that it’s not possible to make a film like this until the stars cut their pays for the sake of good films”.

Seems like Shirish is disillusioned by the star-system in Bollywood! The director explains, “When Hollywood makes a film like Spiderman , see the kind of money they spend in the making, over the stars. In India we can never make a Spiderman ”.

Further about his production house, Shirish Kunder also confirms that wife Farah Khan’s next film will be co-produced under his banner.

Tinsel town they say has never been kind to debutants. And those who manage to escape the brunt of critics are bogged down by the public image gurus. Several unsuspecting fresh faces that have just begun to enjoy their claim to fame (read Kangana Ranaut, Emraan Hashmi) find themselves under the spotlight either for their unprofessional attitude or their inability to cope up with the social requisites of Bollywood.

But if there’s one actress who has managed to surpass all such critics and emerge as the polished diamond, is none other than the gorgeous Deepika Padukone. While her modeling career may have ensured no fashion faux pas, a classic style statement at the Filmfare Awards night followed by the recently held Zee Cine Awards in the form of ‘Gauri and Nainika’gowns, it is an uncompromising attitude towards her self-image that makes Deepika a natural B-town personality.

After all, how many 21-year olds can balance back-to-back double roles (Chandni Chowk to China also sees Deepika playing two characters), look stunning at award fests in between international shoot schedules and manage to keep the media at bay from reporting frivolous stories about her relationship with the equally hot poster boy Ranbir Kapoor.

But with her sheer sense of what qualifies as ‘star’ behaviour, Deepika has been doing Bollywood’s balancing act as effortlessly as those who have inherited filmi genes. And this may just be the tip of the iceberg for Ms Padukone whose sophisticated charms are unlikely to go unnoticed by potential mother-in-law Neetu Singh who came from an unequally non-filmi background but hit the right notes when it came to establishing a public image that was befit of a ‘Kapoor’ bahu.

At the outset, I want to make it clear that Sarkar Raj has nothing to do with Godfather-2. It also does not take off from where Sarkar ended. In the life of a man like Sarkar there are bound to be many instances which will give rise to new complex situations. So for want of a better word I would like to describe Sarkar Raj as the new adventures of the Nagre family. 

For me, the Sarkar films are about framing and showcasing the aura of power. 

I have employed each and every aspect of film making, be it music or screenplay or cinematography, for one and only one purpose; that is to capture the intensity in the actors’ eyes, through which we see a world of high drama be it politics, treachery, revenge, passion, courage, love and relationships. 

Sarkar Raj is much bigger than Sarkar in scale mainly because the issues and character conflicts it deals with are much more complex and intriguing than Sarkar. 

I, along with my crew, pushed the upper limits of technique to make each frame and sound vibrate with power. But no technique is of any value unless it is backed by powerful performances. 

I have always believed that there is no greater cinematic visual than an actor performing in a tight close-up. The faces of the Bachchans in Sarkar Raj are the ultimate testimony of that. 

The film belongs to me but the power belongs to the Bachchans

The recent cricket season proved that Shah Rukh Khan is a true sportsman.

His team may have let him down, but there was never a frown on his forehead. The actor was there cheering his team all the way through, like true sportsman. In fact, after every defeat, SRK made it a point to party with the players just as he would when they won a match. The players may not have got the trophy for the owner but Shah Rukh made sure they went home with a neat packet and loads of gifts.

In fact his message box is full of smses from the players not only of his team but even other teams praising him as a human being and a sportsman. Now who can blame him for his rising popularity? In fact, his colleagues should learn a lesson or two from King Khan on sportsmanship!

Actress Hrishitaa Bhatt begins the interview by telling us how “fortunate I am to have been launched into this industry by none other than SRK. I was paired opposite him in Asoka and it had been a great learning experience for me.”

Now, she will star with another legend of sorts: none other than the great Mithunda in Don Muthuswami . She is, predictably, all praise for him as well: “Mithunda is wonderful and has great comic timing. As a child, I would go into raptures whenever I would see him dancing to ‘I am a disco dancer’ and I couldn’t believe my luck when I got to work with him.”

Hrishitaa has done different kinds of roles and been a part of Bengali, Telegu and Bhojpuri films. “I am a Gujarati by birth but my Bengali aunt has brought me up so Bengali cinema is not a problem for me. In fact, in Don Muthuswami we were a Bengali gang at the sets: Mithunda, director Asheem Samanta and Rohit Roy. Telegu is difficult to master as a language but I believe Telegu cinema has grown leaps and bounds in the following years,” says Hrishitaa.

Bhatt has also recently featured with actor Shakti Kapoor in a music video called Dakku Daddy. What was that career move all about? “I started my career with modelling and TV commercials so when this music video came my way, I said why not?” Is she open to doing television as well then? “I don’t mind doing television, in fact I had got an offer but I could not take it up. I would like to host a reality TV show.”

She sports a lithe body and is open to different kinds of roles, but what she loves doing the most is romance and comedy. “I love drama, where larger than life events take place. I love watching romance and comedy. The same applies to my career. I would like to do romantic and comedy projects. Although I don’t mind doing realistic cinema once in a while.”

She describes herself as “adamant but in a good sense of the term.” She says, “I was very choosy about roles and I still am, in a certain way. I was labelled as a serious and simple girl but time and again I have proved myself and that is what counts at the end of the day.” Her mantra of choosing roles is: “I believe one has to trust the director, because it is his vision that you are stepping into.” While she is busy with Jugaad that pairs her opposite Manoj Bajpai and Chehre directed by Rohit Kaushik, she manages to pursue her interests. “I am a trained Kathak dancer and I catch up with my riyaaz when I find some time. Since I get very tired at the end of the day, I just unwind by reading books or meeting friends.”

All that she wishes for in life is “that my professional dreams come true. I can’t bear the thought of not working.”

Part seems to be no barrier for some heroines to get tattooed. Now Vidya Balan is getting a tattoo on her body. Don’t ask where. It’s just above her heart like Trisha got in South. She got fixed up for a tattoo appointment at Bandra Parlor in Mumbai.

Tattoo is now synonym to style statement especially for Mumbai folks. It is said that world renowned tattoo designers are going to work on Vidya Balan to pierce a bright tattoo. Let us see how she comes out.

Many other actresses are also in the process of getting tattooed

All those who know Ram Gopal Varma know that he has a habit of saying ‘thanks’ after every sentence.

Now Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and hubby Abhishek have found a novel way of teasing their favourite director. They too end all their sentences with a ‘thanks’ while talking to him. Says a unit member, “While shooting for Sarkar Raj, Ash noticed that Ramu would say thanks for everything. Since Amitabh and Abhishek had worked with him before they were aware of this habit of his. But Ash took some time to get used to it. Soon she started teasing him. Whenever he spoke to her she would say thanks before he could. Everyone on the set found it very endearing. Eventually both Abhi and Ash started saying it together and everyone including RGV would just laugh.”

Abhishek Bachchan is famous for his antics on the sets. This time it was sex that vexed on the sets of Sarkar Raj, while he was shooting for a song, ‘Jini jini si ye subah…’

Says a source from the production unit of Sarkar Raj, “We were shooting in a village, Anjanpur near Hyderabad. The scene required Abhishek to lecture the villagers about a serious issue.

Ramu Sir (Ram Gopal Varma) told Abhishek to ad lib as the actual dialogues would be taken care of while dubbing the particular scene. The director had also clearly instructed the villagers to look serious while listening to Abhishek.”

What followed left everyone in splits. The source says, “After Ramu said ‘Action’, Abhishek suddenly started giving sex education to all the villagers. He not only went into the biological details of sex like, ‘When the X chromosome meets the Y chromosome…’, but also went on to explain the entire process to the audience. And he just didn’t stop there. He also went on to explain different sexual positions to the villagers.”

“All was well until the villagers, who were instructed to look serious, started laughing aloud when they finally understood what Abhishek was telling them. They all tried hard not to laugh.

Ramu, who was at a distance, didn’t know what was going on and why everybody was suddenly laughing when they were not supposed to. He immediately called ‘Cut’ and walked up to them.

That’s when he figured out what was happening,” adds the source.

Abhishek plays Shankar in the film. When Anita Rajan (Aishwarya) CEO of an international firm, brings a power plant proposal to set up in rural Maharashtra, Shankar realises its benefits and convinces Sarkar (Amitabh). Shankar along with Anita goes to the villages to get support from the villagers.

She has always dressed up for the occasion. And so when the occasion demanded that Preity wear a 30’s hair style to go with the theme of a sponsors event, the actress got herself a great wig. So much so that everyone thought it to be a smart haircut.

Dressed in her regular jeans and club t-shirt, Preity made a fetching picture as she screamed and shouted for her club, Punajb KingsXI as they took on Mumbai Indians last night. Her straight black hair framing her face looked suddenly out of place as we had just seen her sporting a lovely short haircut for her Chopard event at the Cannes Film Festival, four days back.

When grilled by a tv commentator, the last thing on Preity’s mind was her hair cut. She was torn in two minds supporting her team and looking forward to seeing her favourite cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar bat. She said, “I am torn in two. I am a Mumbaite at heart and if I had not been a club owner, I would have donned the blue t-shirt of the Mumbai Indians, sat in the stadium supporting Mumbai.”

The spirited actress cum businesswoman is enjoying her stint as a club owner. She confessed, “I never thought that the club culture would catch on so fast. We all thought that it would be tough going for the people to support a club, but the response has been brilliant.”

Any role that life has thrown the perky actress, Preity has grabbed it with both hands. So from walking the red carpet in a startling blue gown to wearing t-shirts and jeans for a club cricket game, Preity has had fun going about her business.

We at Indiatimes Movies cheer the spirit of Preity Zinta.

Vishal Bhardwaj is certainly one for original titles. His latest film, which is not inspired by any Shakespearean play, is titled Kaminay.

Priyanka Chopra and Shahid Kapur are supposed to star in the film.

When quizzed about the title, Bhardwaj refused to comment but agreed talk at length once he’s finalised all the details. But Priyanka is a little more forthcoming. “Vishal’s film certainly has an interesting title.

However, I cannot reveal anything about it. But just like the title, the film bends all the rules,” she days, adding, “We will start shooting from August, right after I complete the promotion of Love Story 2050.”

Enough of being introduced as Sushmita Sen’s ex! Such an identity can never be an ego boost for an actor who has six films in the pipeline, one of which (Ketan Mehta’s Rang Rasiya) has now taken him to the Cannes Film Festival.

There exists a Randeep Hooda beyond the clichés that perpetually keep him time-warped by all things Sushmita. A man who plays the saxophone and the flute when he is high on life, who has had Naseeruddin Shah as a mentor, owns six horses at the Mumbai’s Mahalaxmi Race Course and has never been on a vacation in his whole life since holidays have been visiting home away from his hostel life, is expected to have a worldview that’s conventionally unconventional.

And this unconventional streak is manifested in his desire to portray Raja Ravi Verma in RR as a visionary and a Casanova. “History usually sugarcoats icons. But I believe an artiste who appreciated the female form must also have been a very interesting man. Creativity comes with a flamboyance and if that doesn’t get reflected on screen, the character becomes very uninteresting,” says Randeep adding, “Casanova isn’t a negative term. He is someone who appreciates women and is able to cater to a larger variety without making them feel unwanted or taking them for a ride. He doesn’t promise eternity. Rather he finds eternity in the moment. Somewhere, I too have been a Casanova. There are different people within me and if I’ve been a Casanova, I have done it without hurting anyone.”

Ask him whether he, like Verma, also has a thing for voluptuous women and Randeep nods in affirmation. “I’m not for size zero women. Bollywood might be devastatingly heading towards size zero, but I certainly don’t like a woman without curves in my arms,” he chuckles.

Conversation soon meanders towards his role in Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye where Randeep is playing the ‘ultimate ladies man’. So, does Randeep know what it takes to be one in real life? “A woman wants a man who is encouraging, makes her laugh, understands and supports her dreams, is not overtly possessive and adores them all the time.

A man doesn’t need to look like Adonis to floor a woman if he has these qualities,” he insists. And which of these attributes has Randeep found most difficult to cultivate? “I think we often start counting and fall prey to our day-to-day ego trips. Sometimes, very rarely though, I’ve been able to have all the traits. On other occasions, I’ve just expressed one or two of them. But the most difficult part is to strike a balance between all the traits,” he confesses.

As he continues, he talks about playing a ‘testosterone driven young man’ in Love Khichdi who is out to experiment with (or rather discover) a variety of ladies! Quite a shocker for the prude Indians, to say the least. But Randeep isn’t keen on judging such men. “I’ve a more understanding point of view. Young males suffer from a turmoil of hormones which sometimes manifest in aggressive behaviour or a sense of alienation,” his voice trails off.

Having played such diverse characters, does acting seem a cakewalk to Randeep now? “Acting isn’t a difficult job. It’s part of human behaviour. It’s either about projecting a dormant side of your own self or trying to emulate someone else’s behaviour. Acting is just about changing my point of view,” he insists.

But is there a side to Randeep that he rarely gets to explore through his screen personas? “Though I’m not a cry baby, I am much softer in real life than what I come across.” Perhaps, that softness comes across when he just hints at not wanting to retaliate to reports that claim that he has said that his relationship with Sushmita has been a waste of time. “I’ve moved on and don’t want to pay heed to what gets printed when I haven’t said anything of it.”

Emraan Hashmi and Navjot Singh Sidhu are in the middle of a war of words.

And it all started when the commentator tried to defend cheerleaders, at the cost of Emraan, Bipasha, Salman etc. On the cheerleaders issue, Sidhu gave vent to his anger and said if Emraan’s onscreen kisses were permissible, the cheerleaders shouldn’t be banned either.

We asked Emraan what happened actually, and he said, “I believe Sidhu has a problem with me kissing in films. I have no idea what he has got to do with any of it, I’m not kissing him anyway.

And he had a problem with other actors too and scenes that are suggestive of intimacy on screen. But I guess these issues are best left to the censor board. They are the best judges of such matters.”

What’s it like to play Dhoni’s girlfriend in a leading battery commercial?
Oh great! After working with him, I realised that he is a better actor than a cricketer (laughs)! I even told him that ‘It doesn’t seem like you are India skipper, Dhoni.’ I was bowled over when he responded by saying, ‘I am not Dhoni; I’m his dummy!’ In fact, Ishant Sharma was also part of the commercial and he, too, is extremely sweet.

Will it be a sixer if the ODI skipper proposes to you?
No way. It’s good to watch him play on the field. Off it, he is so caught up with endorsing that there won’t be any time left for me (laughs).

Will you be a taker for Dhoni the model or Dhoni the cricketer?
Dhoni, the model, of course.

And do you know which team he’s part of in the IPL?
Is it Chennai? I am not too sure! Can’t see beyond Sourav in cricket.

You were playing the lead in Meghbalika. But you seem to have disappeared from the small screen after that…
I enjoyed playing Shalmoli’s role in Meghbalika. I had even cut down on print ads and commercials during that period. But after three years, I thought I would shift to Mumbai, where my family was. Besides, there was nothing much to do in Tollywood. Frankly speaking, Bengali movies are not my cup of tea. Offers did come from Ravi Ojha, for his megaserial Mohona, and from Agnidev Chatterjee, but those weren’t meaty enough.

Do you feel then that Bengali movies are not up to the mark?
It’s not that. Bengali films are not for me. I want to work with Riingo though. I feel he is a promising director.

People say it’s tough in Mumbai…
It’s tough everywhere. But there are plenty of opportunities in Mumbai. Even an extra in a
commercial, draws nearly Rs 25,000 there. I’ve had to turn down many offers because I believe in quality not quantity.

Why have you declined offers in Mumbai so early in your career?
I said no to an ad with SRK for a leading computer company because it was a blink-and-miss role. I regret having done a hair oil ad with Deepika Padukone, because all I had was one dialogue and a good frame. I also opted out of a hair removing cream ad which had Kareena Kapoor. Insignificant work hinders careergraph. You know, I got an offer to feature in Sonu Niggaam’s music video but I preferred not to take it because I’d have to sport a costume similar to Zeenat Aman’s in Satyam Shivam Sundaram. I’m not so insecure that I’ll say yes to anything that comes my way. I’ve even said no to big screen offers.

What kind of roles were you offered?
Ram Gopal Varma’s assistant is making a film, for which he approached me. But I had to wear a bikini for one of the scenes and I declined. Samar Khan requested me to do an item number for his film Shaurya, but I don’t want to start my career being an item girl. Rozza did the number. I want to be like Rani Mukerji or Kajol not Mallika Sherawat. I declined a lead role in a megaserial called Meri Devrani as it was a three-year contract. I don’t want to bind myself in a bahu’s role for that long!

Are you flaunting a full kitty now?
By God’s grace, yes. I will be playing a lead role in a Tamil film. Other than that, I have been shortlisted by directors like Shivam Nayar and Rajat Kapoor for untitled big screen projects. I’m keeping my fingers crossed! And thanks to Mumbai models who are not very comfortable wearing saris, I’m doing a lot of sari ads! I am also the brand ambassador of a leading jewellery brand. So, all’s well on the workfront as of now.