Poll of the Day

Which couple according to you is more irritating and fake?

When Akshay shot with Superman

Akshay Kumar surely knows the funda of successful movies after belting hits one after the other in a row. The King of Bollywood will be seen sharing some screen space with heartthrob superman Brandon Routh.

Producer Sajid Nadiadwala has not only roped in Hollywood biggies like Slyvester Stallone and Denise Richards but has also added more oomph to his flick Kambakth Ishq by signing Brandon Routh.

A source reveals,”Akshay and Brandon had to perform a stunt scene together. It was the most crucial scene of the film. It was dangerous too. Brandon was very impressed with Akshay after watching him perform dangerous stunts for the film. He was surprised that Bollywood actors perform the stunt scenes themselves.”

Apparently over Akki bonded well with the superhero, “It was fun to see them bond. Brandon was very happy working with the team of ‘Kambakkth’. As it is, it was such a big coup to get Brandon,” adds the source.

Well apna Akki with Superman, this is surely a deadly combination.

Aamir Khan ignores his mobile

Aamir Khan has never been a fan of mobile phones, even though he endorses a big mobile company brand. While shooting for Rajkumar Hirani’s 3 Idiots in Ladakh he got a good chance to ignore his cell phone.

Aamir has always believed that cell phone disrupts his privacy and doesn’t let him concentrate on his work.

A source reveals,”Aamir is in Ladakh shooting for 3 Idiots and their the cell network is almost non-existent.

He therefore found a good a good excuse of shunning his mobile for a few weeks. His mobile phone is now with his secretary. He is enjoying his mobile free days yet again!”

Well I ask Aamir - Next is what?

Deepika Padukone graces Grazia

Imran Khan: A beginner’s journey

First it was the music then came the marketing and overnight a movie star was born. After the movie released it was clear that this star would endear. People had liked the cute, thoughtful and endearing awkward hero. Twenty-four year old, Imran Khan knows that he has had a dream debut but the real test in the Hindi film industry starts now.

Here is a verbatim transcript of an exclusive interview with Imran Khan on CNBC TV18. Also see the accompanying video.

Q: Between the two films Kidnap and Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, how are you feeling personally before the release of the two films because I am guessing there would be two different Imran’s waiting for the release?

A: I remember one of the most common question asked after ‘will you sing us a song?’ during Jaane Tu time was “How are you feeling. Are you nervous? Are you scared?” and I wasn’t as I had Aamir Khan overseeing absolutely everything and that gives a fair amount of confidence that Aamir Khan is standing back somewhere, he is watching over us. The second thing was that the character that I was playing was pretty close to me so I had a fair idea that I had done okay, I will get away with it.

During Kidnap, Aamir Khan was not there anymore; I am out on my own with all my faith in the Director and the Producers. We have made the film, even with the marketing and promotions of the film and we are handling it together. So for the first time, I am getting that feeling of that I do not know how it’s going besides which the character is tough this time.

Q: It’s not your milieu; it’s not someone you are familiar with so in that sense perhaps you had to act more?

A: Yes, I had to act more and at a time get a hold of this character. It’s a tough character; he is a complicated guy who has absolutely nothing common with me.

Q: What is it that you had to do to prepare for Kidnap?

A: Apart from the superficial look elements which involved fairly dramatic haircut. Sanjay Gadhvi was clear; he wanted me to look harder, meaner, and tougher, very different from Jaane Tu. Jai was a more laidback guy so he was generally at ease. This guy is always tensed, he is always on edge.

I brought in a couple of elements; one is constant tension, I tried to avoid blinking, its one of the small thing that actors like to do and the audience will never notice. The toughest part was finding that anger and violence. I do not have a lot of violence or anger pent-up so I have to gather that in.

Q: How do you do that?

A: Music. I listen to a lot of heavy metal, lot of thrash metal. Throughout the time, we were shooting every morning taking about 45 minutes to get to the set. So all the way, I was blasting metal on my iPod.

Q: You got into acting because you actually went to meet Abbas Tyrewala who Directed Jaane Tu, to assist him in the film or to do something else but not to act and he convinced you to be an actor? How is it that you trained to be a filmmaker and then switchover to be an actor?

A: I never thought of being an actor; its not that I didn’t want to or that I do not like it. Acting is great fun; it’s a very satisfying and fulfilling job. The fact is I had never thought that there was a place for someone like me in the industry.

Q: What do you mean by someone like you?

A: During the latter half of the ‘90s and early parts of 2000 the kind of films that were been made were very Bollywood; large opulent sets, foreign locations, everyone had to have immense muscles and everyone had to be an amazing dancer. I didn’t see myself fitting in. I didn’t have the muscles, I am not much of a dancer and I couldn’t do that.

So honestly I thought - I like acting, I have always liked it, I have done a fair amount in life but then I said I cannot be an actor in this industry, they are not going to accept me. I remember Dil Chahta Hai was a kind of a turning point. While watching that I thought I could do that, these guys are like me. And then I met Abbas and I saw the kind of film he was planning to make. What he wanted to do with it. I said I can identify with that, I can identify with these characters, I can identify with this Director.

Q: An actor’s personality and a Director’s personality are supposed to be different. Isn’t it? As an actor typically you are suppose to be self-absorbed, insecure looking for reassurance all the time that you are good, you did okay. As a Director I am imagining that you need to be in control, you need to be demanding perhaps need to be obsessive but basically you need to be in control and as an actor you are not because you are a cog in the wheel. Is it easy for you to connect with these stereotype actors?

A: It was weird for me to step into the actor mould because the star quality didn’t come to me easily. I remember Abbas while shooting would keep telling me “you have to have a slightly starry air about yourself, you have to have that” and it never came. I also had this self-deprecating, I was slight embarrassed and it took me a little while to get comfortable and step forward and say, “I am in charge here.” For me to step forward and grab that space, Abbas and after that Sanjay Gadhvi literally kicked me into it and said get in there take command of the frame.

I think at some point Abbas sat with me and said, “You are not getting that ease and that flamboyance that I want. I want a little more from you.” And he told me something that then I carried with me through the rest of the film. He said, “I am giving you this one piece of advice, play Jai as though he drinks down.” It’s not a great thing to say. He didn’t tell me actually drink but said, “Imagine that you yourself have had a couple of drinks and now play him with that relaxed ease.” That night the first scene that we shot was one where the scene immediately after the ‘pappu’ song where all of us are sitting out on the porch and we are having a conversation about what song would you sing for the person you fall in love and then I go into singing Jaane Tu and while we were shooting I could feel something is different and after the first couple of shots Abbas walked up to me and said, “you have got it now.”

Q: When I saw the film I think the fact that you had this slightly – “I am not so sure you should be looking at me.” That had a sort of rawness which lent itself to a whole lot of freshness and charm? I am here and I am a young guy and I am work in progress. I thought for me that is what worked about you did in the film?

A: It really served the character well because that is what Jai is. Jai is a work in progress. As you watch the film, you literally watch him grow from a boy into a man.

Q: Currently to be Imran Khan must be a great place to be right because you are launched into the Industry and everybody has noticed, you got a good reaction from the public, great backing, upcoming projects, is this good place to be today?

A: Yes it is, but it’s also a scary place to be because I am at a place where I don’t know what’s next. Jaane Tu was well received, Kidnap is looking good, people seem to be looking forward to the film and I have got a good feeling about it, but now suddenly the pressure goes up because once you have done something successful and now its really when you have to go and step out and say okay fine, I am actually going to do something here, I am going to choose films and try and make them successful, and try and be a successful person and its scary to really step out of your own. Now when I meet directors and producers, when I hear the script, I am taking a call on my own.

Q: How are you deciding the films that you choose to work in, because when you read a script, what is it that you are looking for, what is it that leaps out, what is it that was in Kidnap that leaped out and said hey I should be in that film?

A: I am making a very conscious effort right now not to change any thing at all. I want to continue to work exactly the same way that I was working on Janne Tu and on Kidnap long before my film was released I was successful because that is what works and after that, once you had a hit, a lot of people start looking for a hit, now I need to do a film with a big producer a big director, it needs to have lots of money, lots of song and action and when you go out looking for a hit, I don’t think you are going to be successful.

The way to go about it is to work the same way you did before which is really simple, you read a script or you read a narration, personally I prefer reading scripts, narrations are which I fall asleep in, I read it as an audience, you cant break it down in a technical thing until later, the first time you read it, it has to be as if you are reading a book and is it an interesting, good or a bad book and you get bored, its just that, you just sit and read it and say okay I am interested and I would like to see this film or no I am not.

Q: You are not looking at the production company because lets say how Aamir Khan production makes it, so the production company, the cast and crew, the co-star, aren’t those some considerations, you are a young actor on the verge of being a big star, I want to know how you are negotiating your career right at the very beginning.

A: You need to have a good script that’s step one, and with that, you need a good director who will do justice to that script and make it properly and backing him you need a good producer, some one who will not compromise, will back the project all the way and make it the way it is meant to be made.

Q: So the credentials of the producer would come in at number three for you?

A: You can’t rank it as one-two-three, it’s a triangle and you need all these three parts of it.

'Heroes' is not about jingoism: Salman Khan

Salman Khan on religion, patriotism and his upcoming film, 'Heroes'.

Q. Hello Hero!

(Laughs) Nice way to start huh! But the ultimate hero is not me but Sohail Khan. Watch out for him in 'Heroes'.

Q. Sohail has done really well for himself, hasn't he?

Yes. When Sohail did 'Maine Dil Tujhko Diya', he was appreciated in the film but the film didn't do really well. He got a bit demoralized. He was doing well as a director and with his production company. At that point of time he wanted to do action but the fact was that he was good at comedy. He is one of the few people who can do justice to action and comedy. But as a family we thought that he should concentrate on comic roles. That's when 'Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya', 'God Tussi Great Ho', 'Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na', 'Hello' and now 'Heroes' happened.

Q. 'Is Heroes' a tribute to the Indian jawans in a way?

'Heroes' isn't about the Indian jawans or the Indian soldiers or against Pakistan. It's about two guys who just want to have fun in life and then they get an exercise to find out whether joining the army is important or not. The jawans in 'Heroes' played by Sunny, Bobby, Dino and myself can be Pakistani, American, Chinese or Japanese but you will find such guys anywhere. Infact, there is one of my dialogues in the film saying, "Yeh jung kab khatam hogi?" and my co-star replies, "Yeh jung thodi hain. Jung to tab hoti thi jab raja maharaja khud aage aate the ladne ke liye. Jis din woh neta jo yeh treaty sign karte hain, woh ladenge, tab yeh jung khatam hogi". It's a very meaningful film.

Q. Vatsal Seth brought to our attention that you did not smoke a cigarette just because you were wearing a turban. Very touching I should say?

Yeah, that's true. That's the reason I am trying to quit smoking. I normally don't talk about smoking and I try not to smoke whenever possible.

Q. Well, it means that you not only respect your country here in Heroes but also other cultures.

If you're going to respect somebody's religion and somebody's culture, I think they're going to respect your culture and your religion. I believe that all the religions are basically the same. They preach and teach the same things. It's just that they have different ways of doing it. But I don't understand this Hindu - Muslim rifts sometimes. Tell me one Hindu man or a girl who does not have a Muslim friend or the vice versa. This is just a card that the politicians play and some people do this for money too.

Q. Do you think Vatsal Seth has a long and a bright future ahead of him?

He is the cute 'Tarzan' Boy. He is an adorable kid. Even though he is around 26 or 27, he looks 15 to 16 year old. He is training hard and trying to put on a bit of weight. And once he gets that, he will be an even better looking boy. You know, those lover boy roles which Kumar Gaurav, Aamir Khan and I've done in the past don't work now. It's time for a change, a drastic change. Vatsal will have to change his image if he wants to survive in the industry. With this film, he will do justice to his role just as Riteish, Aftab and Arshad have done in their films. Two hero projects are good for him right now. I think he has already signed three to four films.

Q. From a serious conversation to something not that serious - Preity Zinta. Let's talk about her.

(Laughs) She is a serious actress but sometimes she is a complete brat. She went to some acting classes to learn the Punjabi accent. Can you believe it? When she came and started talking in Punjabi, I was shocked. It was too good. I've worked with Preity in more than five films now. So we jell along well and have a good rapport.

Aamir doesn't care about Shahrukh's ad

Aamir Khan and Shahrukh Khan have always had a competition between themselves. Shahrukh has always had box office successes where as Aamir has been labeled as the perfectionist actor in the industry. It is not surprising that corporate giants are have brought in Aamir to counter Shahrukh's aura. Samsung signed Aamir after Shahrukh became the brand ambassador of Nokia.

Tata Sky made Aamir do the jingalala act after Shahrukh starred in the Dish TV commercial. Now Aamir took a dig at Shahrukh in his witty style. When quizzed about competition from Dish TV Aamir replied "Dish TV? Whats that?" To another question whether he was following SRK's media friendly ways Aamir stated that he did not follow others but did what he wanted to do. Hope this does not start a war of word between the two stars.

Michelle want to work with SRK

The ultimate desire of Michelle Yeoh is to pair with India’s romantic idol King Khan. Actress Michelle Yeoh is best known for acting in multiple-Oscar winning film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Bond film DieAnother Day.

“I know Shah Rukh Khan is quite famous in India and I would love to star opposite him. But unfortunately no calls yet. But, yes I wish I could get to work with him as a lead actress, be it a Hollywood or Indian film,” says Yeoh. This Asian actress is a Bollywood fan too. “I am an Asian and I like Indian films a lot. Have seen a couple of them in subtitles,” said Yeoh.

Michelle Yeoh stars opposite Vin Diesel in Babylon A D, which is set against the backdrop of not-too- distant future where much of the planet is in a war zone left by nuclear meltdowns. In the film, Diesel is playing the character of a mercenary, who is assigned to smuggle a young woman Aurora (Melanie Thierry) from a convent in Kazakhstan to New York City with Sister Rebeka (Michell Yeoh) as Aurora’s guardian.

The actress is not ready to reveal much about her future plans though. “There are 4-5 untitled projects in queue. Well 2009 might see a couple of biggies. I am keeping my fingers crossed. But I am very much concerned about Babylon A D’s success in India,” she says.

Shah Rukh Khan to take family break

T completion of his forthcoming venture Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi Shah Rukh Khan plans to take a long break. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is Aditya Chopra's third directorial venture and is slated for a December 12 release. The actor has already postponed the release of his Billoo Barber to next year now. Meanwhile, Shah Rukh will be busy with the curtain raiser of his Temptations tour on October 25 in Dubai. After the event, he plans to take a long break and go on a holiday with his family.

Sources reveal, "Shah Rukh often takes his family on a holiday. Last year he did the same before the release of his Om Shanti Om." Shah Rukh plans to come back and reshoot scenes of Billoo Barber after this major break. Sources reveal that the actor is not happy with his special appearance in the film. Since Ranjnikants Kuselan a Tamil remake of the same version did not do well at the box office, the actor wants to take no chances with his film.

Major portions of the film will be reshot. Billoo Barber is a story based on the relationship between Lord Krishna and his childhood friend Sudama. Priyadarshan is adapting this story of friendship between two friends one rich and the other a poor villager in a completely new avatar. Here SRK represents Krishna. He plays an actor. On the other hand Irfan Khan represents Sudama and plays a village barber. The two are friends from school who grow up and drift apart until they meet again."

Himesh goes the SRK way

Karzzz and OSO are remakes of the Rishi Kapoor starrer Karzzz. And we find that more than just the inspiration for the film, the two main leads share quite a few similarities between them.

Himesh Reshammiya is going all out to promote his film Karzzz. He is seen on reality shows like Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, he is also doing concerts for TV; he is giving live interviews to news and radio channels and giving print and TV interviews alongside. All this extra enthusiasm prior to a film's release is reminiscent of a super charged SRK who was all over the place during the promotion of Om Shanti Om.

Another thing SRK and Himesh have in common is losing weight for their respective movies. Both Himesh and SRK have followed a strict workout regime and a high protein diet of tandoori chicken and boiled food to attain a lean physique.

The songs of both OSO and Karzzz have become chartbusters. While Dard-e-disco, Ajab Si and Deewangi ruled the charts then, songs like Tandoori Nights, Lut Jaoon Karzzz pe and Hari Om are being played simultaneously on different radio and TV channels now.

There is one difference however.

While SRK went all out to promote his film, he held his premiere in London and stayed away from the press on the day of the release. But Karzzz will have three preview shows for the media. And the biggest surprise is that Himesh will attend all three. An official source close to Himesh says, "The preview for Karzzz will be held one day before the film releases. The film has turned out well and the preview is being postponed because Himesh is busy with his TV appearances right now. Three preview shows will be held in the suburbs in Mumbai and Himesh will personally attend all of them and greet the media present there."

OSO has become one of the biggest hits in Hindi cinema. We will discover the similarities in the fate of the two movies only after Friday, October 17th.