Bollywood News - Priyanka Chopra flaunts her curves at TIFF

'New York' makes money across the world

Producers say movie top earner in UAE for 2009
Yash Raj Films' "New York" that sees director Kabir Khan tackling an unconventional and serious subject has brought much-needed respite to the box office by grossing Rs.350 million worldwide over the three-day weekend.
"New York", released worldwide on Friday (June 26), is about three friends whose lives change post the 9/11 terror attacks on the Twin Towers. It stars John Abraham, Katrina Kaif, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Irrfan Khan in pivotal roles.
The movie that hit over 900 screens across the world had promising advance bookings and continued to register more demand from the audience after the first day of its release.
According to Tushar Dhingra, COO, BIG Cinemas, the film "opened very soundly and is giving good results".
"It has proved to be a strong box office ledge for multiplexes. After a long, long time, this movie has been able to pull the crowds to the cinema halls again," Dhingra told IANS.
Apart from its success in India, "New York" has also garnered positive response from movie buffs in the US, Britain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where it was released across around 60, 40 and 30 cinema halls respectively.
The movie has opened at the number three slot on the Australian charts and 10 in Britain at the weekend. It was the top earner in UAE for 2009, said a press release by Yash Raj Films.

First Look - What’s Your Rashee?

Their last film together ‘Love Story 2050’ was a disaster at the box-office which eventually led to their breakup. Now, the duo Harman Baweja and Priyanka Chopra will again be seen together on-screen for Ashutosh Gowarikar directed ‘Whats Your Rashee?’ The movie is based on US based Gujarati writer Madhu Rye’s novel Kimball Ravenswood. The film is presented by UTV Motion Pictures and Ashutosh Gowariker Productions and will be jointly produced by Ronnie Screwvala and Sunita A.Gowariker.

The film revolves around a young Gujarati man (Harman) in pursuit of his dream girl (Priyanka). The dream girl should be found within 10 days to save his family from an unforeseen ordeal. This leads to an array of confusion, chaos and a hilarious joy ride.

All the Well-Wisher of Harman Showed Up At ‘Victory’ Premier

The premier of “Victory” had all the support of the well wishers of Harman who yet has to come up from the setback from the failure of Love Story 2050. Hopefully, the crowd of well wishers would have good impact over on the result of the movie who attended the premier of the movie at Cinemax in Mumbai. The premier was attended by Anu Malik, Ruslan, Gulshan Grover, Aman Verma, Arzu Govitrikar, Sameera Reddy, Madhur Bhandarkar, Jiah Khan, Arshad Warsi, Jitendra Tushar Kapoor, Shree Devi, Doni Kapoor, plus the cast, crew, and directors.
The real sight at the premier was presence of Harman Baweja’s ex-girlfriend Priyanka Chopra. According to sources “Harman Baweja” rang Priyanka Chopra while she was busy in a shooting for a movie in Jodhpur, though she accepted the invitation as she was scheduled for an ad shooting in Mumbai. It was really very nice to see that Priyanka and Harman patched up their differences and Priyanka attended the premiere. Lets hope that film may fare well on the screen.

Priyanka Went Through Weight Losing Exercise

Priyanka Chopra had to otherwise remain a bit competitive with her co actresses Kangana Ranaut and Mughda Godse due to their slimness in order to act in Madhur Bandarkar’s film ‘Fashion’. She was asked to lose 8 kgs however she managed to lose only 4 Kgs so far. And it equally was demand of the movie as Priyanka is playing the role of the model who is suffering from anorexia in which a person loses appetite and shed weight.

Harman Thankfull To Kareena To Give Him Priyanka

Harman Baweja, who has been in news more for his affair with Priyanka rather than his new flick to be relesed soon, says he will be thankful to Kareena for not taking up Love Story 2050. Priyanka’s role was previously offered to Kareena Kapoor, who could not commit herself to the project as she had dates problems.

“But I guess whatever happens, happens for the best. Bebo’s exit gave us more time to plan and we could get better technicians on board to make the film look even better. So in a way I thank her for exiting,” says the actor thankfully!!

Well, this is called destiny….isn’t it???

Stars set the ramp afire at IIFA in Bangkok

IIFA awards, 2008, was completed yesterday on June 9, amidst much glamour and glitz. June 7, Saturday night in Bangkok, saw leading cine stars Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Ayesha Takia, Zayed Khan and the likes walk the ramp for a charitable event to raise funds for families of workers adversely affected during production of films.

While Kareena did it for Manish Malhotra’s designs, ‘De Taali’ stars, Aftab Shivdasani, Ritesh Deshmukh and Ayesha Takia walked the ramp in the works of designer Vikram Phadnis. The lead pair of the much awaited ‘Love Story 2050’, Priyanka and Harman Baweja flared Rohit Bal’s designs and the cast of the forthcoming ‘Mission Istanbul’ including Zayed Khan and Vivek Oberoi , showcased the look of their soon-to-be-released film on ramp. Ms Thailand Universe Khun Farung Yuthithum was another attraction at the event.

The IIFA fashion extravaganza hosted by director Karan Johar and choreographed by Lubna Adams, also showcased designs by Alta Moda, Mufti and Sabyasachi among others.

Check out the pics of this glittering event…

Harman’s Performance Tonight

Tonight will see the bollywood’s newbie, Harman Baweja giving his first live performance on the prestigious stage of the IIFA awards. The actor is quite nervous as this will be his first performance with no retakes.
Well, retake or no retake, we know this dude will rock the show

Comparison to Hrithik unfair yet challenging: Harman Baweja

All set to make his Bollywood debut with the soon-to-be released film "Love Story 2050", actor Harman Baweja, who is said to bear a striking resemblance to superstar Hritik Roshan finds the comparisions "unfair", at the same time "challenging".

"I am taking baby steps into the industry and am being compared to somebody who is a well established superstar. It is like asking for too much. The expectations are taxing for a newcomer like me", Harman told PTI here on Sunday.

The actor who is debuting in his father's directorial venture releasing on July 4, said familiarity with the cast and crew of the film helped him feel at ease during the production.

"The film being my home production, the concern of the unit for me was not superficial. This helped me ease the pressure. Besides, I have known Priyanka since three years before we began shooting for the film," he added.

Disclosing that he had already been signed by several producers after they saw the rushes of his yet-to be released film, Harman said he was wary of a star-label being attached to him too early in his career.

"I don't want the star label on me before the audience watch my film and give their judgement," he said at the sidelines of the IIFA weekend here.

However, Priyanka Chopra, the female lead opposite the actor in the futuristic film did not agree with comparisons between Harman and Hrithik.

"I have worked with both of them and they have their distinctive styles. Audiences will come to know once they see the film," she added.

Both Harman and Priyanka will begin shooting for Ashutosh Gowarikar's next venture "What's your Rashee?" in November.

Harman tries to shake off Hrithik jinx

Harman has been taking the comparisons with Hrithik Roshan on his chin. At his music launch last week, when someone in audience shouted 'Hey Hrithik', Harman smiled and said, "can't help the way I look. It's what my parents gave me". The ongoing comparisons between Hrithik Roshan and debutant Harman Baweja are now being nipped in the bud.

The Bawejas have decided to avert any more comparisons with the Krissh star and also to curb the unnecessary digs at Harman's glamorous girlfriend. Since it was felt that Harman even sounded like Hrithik, the newcomer's dubbing for Love Story 2050 is being done under strict supervision of a female voice expert who sits with Harman. She listens to every word that Harman dubs and if anywhere he sounds like anyone else, she immediately corrects him. For this reason Harman's dubbing in Love Story 2050 has taken a painfully long while. A month away from the film's release and the actor is still dubbing!

Says a source close to the Bawejas: "Harman is not the least conscious or worried about all the comparisons with Hrithik. They started when Harry Baweja decided to launch his son in a futuristic film. Everyone jumped to the conclusion that it was another Krissh. Then to make matters worse there was the Kareena Kapoor factor. She had opted out of Hrithik Roshan's Kaho Na Pyaar Hai after few days of shooting. The same happened with Harman's Love Story 2050."

Even more worrying to Harman is the manner in which Priyanka Chopra's presence in his life is being seen as a calculated move to gain mileage for the film. The giddy limit was when another debutante Mashoor Amrohi went on television to talk about colleagues who have glamorous girlfriends to flaunt.

Hrithik shares twin-ship & with whom

Priyanka Chopra’s beau boy Harman Baweja stunned everyone after making his first public appearance for the music launch of his film Love Story 2050 due to his resemblance with Hrithik Roshan.

Harman’s similarity with Hrithik was not just confined to looks but even his mannerism matched with the super hero.

Like Hrithik even Harman has being launched by his father in an expensive science-fiction flick made till date in the history of Bollywood.

This resemblance with Bollywood’s established superstar would surely put up extra burden on this amateur debutant as their comparison relating to different fields acting is bound to happen.

Looking at the dance steps displayed by Harman in promo songs, it seems that he, too, is well prepared in advance to stand up with the challenge and even his dancing style looks to be coming out straight of Hrithik’s book.

We wish this new stud a great comparison ahead!

"Even my film's website is futuristic" - Harman Baweja

It is not just Love Story 2050, season's biggest and most spectacular release, which is on the right path of being a 'futuristic' launch for Harman Baweja. Even film's website is, as per the newcomer. Harman Baweja talks to Joginder Tuteja about the 'futuristic' website.

Why the effort?
Why not, I would ask? For a movie which is set in future, has a sci-fi theme, talks about flying cars, 200 storey buildings, a revamped Mumbai, robots, a love story and of course red hair (chuckles), you can't have a mushy looking conventional website with red rose petals dominating the screen! You can't have a fluorescent/glossy look and feel to justify a love story which belongs to a different era. And of course, you can't have captions of 'When Two Hearts Meet etc. etc. etc.'!

So what was the idea?
Clichéd as may it sound but the fact was that while working on the promotional design for the film, I was set thinking around how to make the film's website turn out to be a cut above the rest! How could I actually have it set in a futuristic mode? How could I have it designed in a way that the love story theme could be amalgamated with a setting 40 years from now? Net net, how could it turn out to be different (in true sense) from anything that surfers would have seen in a Bollywood film website.

Cool idea, but how about execution?
I was in talks with Bollywood Hungama team for promotional tie ups. This is when the suggestion around designing a site like this came up. I had a vision, they had the skills and together we sat down on a plan. I was amazed with the way the team out there started putting the plan on paper and then from paper to actual visuals.

We deliberated upon the kind of stuff we wanted to have on a very frequent basis and in just a matter of 2 months, we were ready with the final version. Yes, 2 months sounds a little on the higher side here but then we have to also see that this wasn't a basic HTML/flash website for a regular film which could perhaps be readied in a jiffy. We were talking about something which hadn't been attempted before, just like the movie, and considering that, I am amazed that we could still get so much done so soon.

What makes the website special?
See it to believe it, that's all I would say for now (smiles)! The moment you enter it, you would realize it for yourself that you have marched into a different space altogether, pun intended. And by the way, it is not going to be like 'one single click and voila, I am in the site'. You would have to have a permutation and combinations of clicks to enable you to crack a code which would allow you success.

A friend of mine took 2 minutes to crack it though. He created a record - well, that of being the slowest cracker ever! And guess what, he is an IT professional! I am sure regular surfers would be able to do it much faster.

Movie v/s Website
Website took 2 months to make; the film took us 3 years. Doesn't that tell the tale? The point here is, don't try to judge the enormity of the movie through the website. The website is great but at the end of the day, it is mainly a promotional vehicle. What you would see on the big screen would certainly be far more grandeur than what you see on your 14-inch monitor. The clips you see on the website are mainly 2D while in movie there are ton leads of 3D graphics. To put it right, the website here mainly acts as a teaser to give you an idea around what bigger to expect!

How about some website promotion?
Yes, for the first time in the history of Indian cinema, especially after the advent of websites being made for Hindi movies, we have great plans to promote the website itself. We have designed 15 second teasers around the website itself and these would be out on all prominent websites. These teasers would indicate what to expect from the Love Story 2050 website which we are making LIVE soon. We are arriving with a bang and once the website would be up, we won't be leaving it just till that. We would be continuing to upload newer stuff on a frequent basis to make it the most happening site of the season!

Harman versus Imraan- The battle of the debutants

Aamir Khan is determined to make a success out of his nephew Imraan's career, come what may. And even if that means taking on the competition headlong, so be it. Anything for family, seems to be the marketing motto, as Harry Baweja puts in 80-crore plus Priyanka in the hi-fi sci-fi Love Story 2050 to ensure his son's super success on July 4.

Enter Aamir Khan with nephew Imraan's Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na and on same Friday as Harman's debut. "The Bawejas were shocked," says a source close to the film. "They had planned and strategized their film's release almost six months in advance. They had spoken to all their potential competitors from Salman and God Tussi Great Ho to Ram Gopal Varma and Sarkar Raj to Apoorva Lakhia 's Mission Istanbul and Aziz Mirza's Kismat Konnection to Yashraj and Tips. Harman called them up personally to make sure his film comes on a freed Friday. Then suddenly Aamir showed up to create an almost Saawariya-Om Shanti Om crisis. Jaane Tu's release was nowhere in sight when Love Story 2050 was announced. Suddenly they came out of the blue! "

Harry Baweja made a panic call to Aamir. Says the source, "Harry Baweja knows Aamir from the time he did B. Subhash's Love Love Love where Harry was an assistant director. Ever since then they've been in touch. When they spoke, Aamir told Harry he was indeed thinking of coming on 4 July. The reason given was that Sanjay Gadhvi's Kidnap in which Imraan has a key role was coming on July 25. Aamir reasoned that Imraan couldn't have two releases too close to one another. Later, the Bawejas were horrified to know that Kidnap was scheduled for August 22. Harry urged Aamir to move his film to July 11. But Aamir is adamant. "

Incidentally, Genelia Dsouza who plays Imraan's leading lady is also Harman's girl in his second release Victory. "The Bawejas first trailer started on a Sunday. That same day a blog went up saying 'Imraan Versus Harman'. That's when the Bawejas first came to know that the Khans were planning to release on the same day. Since then there has been a systematic campaign to bring down Harman on the blogs with comments like 'Harman looks gay'. He looks like a lot of things. But not gay. One of the blogs comments cattily on actors like Hrithik Roshan and Harman Baweja relying on their physique. Someone even broke into a website (wikipedia.com) sponsoring Harman's film and defaced it. They even changed Harman's picture to an unidentifiable man, and said the film was budgeted at 60,000 rupees and was to be released for 30 seconds in July 1950. The Bawejas traced the defacers to Delhi. The identity of the hackers was used just once, to deface Harman's face."

Harman smiles off all the competition. "Healthy competition is always welcome. I'd rather focus on my work. We've just started the promotion of our first song. It's one of the costliest songs ever filmed."

Harman to Perform At IIFA

The Bollywood’s new Hrithik’s look alike, Harman Baweja is all set to give his first live performance at the prestigious IIFA awards. The performance will be a solo, and the lad surely seems to be very excited about it.

“So far I’ve danced only in front of the camera and my bathroom mirror. So I’m petrified. I’m performing my love ballad ‘Milo Na Milo’ from Love Story 2050,” says the new hunk on the block. Although his love in real life, Priyanka Chopra will not share the stage with him, she has a separate item to perform at IIFA.

What do Hrithik and Abhishek have in common?

Not all stars takes the glamour and glory of Bollywood for granted.

Some are passionate enough to learn about the finer aspects of filmmaking before facing the camera.

There is a hefty list of actors who previously worked as assistants or production-in-charge till stardom beckoned.

We start with Bollywood's new kid Harman, son of filmmaker Harry Baweja.

The handsome aspirant, often linked to co-star Priyanka Chopra and likened to Hrithik Roshan for his appearance, makes his big screen debut with the sci-fi caper, Love Story 2050.

Even before, however, he worked in the production team on his dad's productions like Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai and Karam.