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10 mega films to watch out for in 2008

Shilpa Jamkhandikar Now that it’s time to ring in the New year and look ahead, we might as well stop counting the sporadic hits in 2007, and look ahead to what we can expect in 2008. Since Shah Rukh Khan doesn’t have a single release lined-up (at least so far), perhaps our other stars will not face the threat of being outshined. Here are a few films that we think will be the bright spots of 2008. ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ This Ashutosh Gowariker magnum opus will give a royal start to 2008. After the success of ‘Dhoom 2’, the Aishwarya Rai-Hrithik Roshan starrer pairing will hit screens again. Though the release of the film has been delayed thrice, and has been the subject of many a controversy, it is one of the most anticipated films of the coming year. ‘Ghajini’ Aamir Khan will take a break from his newfound love for direction to star in A R Murugadas’s Hindi remake of his Tamil superhit ‘Gajini’. The film also stars actors Asin and ‘Nishabd’ hottie Jiah Khan. It is scheduled to release in Septe

Day in Memory | Hrithik Roshan

When I first set eyes on Bollywood Actor Hrithik Roshan he was assisting dad Rakesh Roshan on the sets of King Uncle and Karobar. Polite and soft- spoken he was moving around with a clapper, board in his hand, calling the stars on the sets, and not even hesitating to sweep the floor when it came to it. Lean and lanky, it was impossible to imagine him as the Greek God that he looks now. What did stand out in the boy was his sincerity, and unaffected manner. The star in Hrithik shone during the promotion of Kaho Na Pyar Hai. Though the physical transformation was mind-boggling, his humility when he happily accepted Salman Khan to be responsible for his bulging body was touching The only thing he was a bit finicky about was when it came to which photographs of his should be published. Hrithik was very firm even then that only the best photographs be published. And despite the world drooling over his looks today he still gets very anxious when it comes to his picture and the only reason fo

Chak De Yaara With SRK Video

Chak De Yaara With Shahrukh Khan' s Video There are lots of celebrity like Yuvraj Singh, MSDhoni, Harbhajan Singh, Shahid Afridi, Shoheb Akhter, Shishant, Sachin, Saurabh and lots of cricketer in india and pakistan. Bollywood: - Kareena Kapoor, Koina Mitra, Shahrukh Khan Watch this Video and Enjoy that show: -

Pay Rs 1 cr for SRK as Guest

Want your favourite celebrity to shake hands with guests, dance or sing at your wedding? All you need to do is to burn a hole in the pocket - that is, to shell out anything up to Rs.10 million (Rs.1 crore). Shahrukh Khan may not agree to do a jig, but he might happily be a guest for Rs.10 million. Bollywood actors and item girls like Celina Jaitley, Malaika Arora Khan, Dia Mirza, Isha Koppikar and Rakhi Sawant charge nearly Rs.1 million each to perform. Koena Mitra, Shefali Zariwala, Priti Jhangiyani, Payal Rohtagi, Neha Kakkar, Sanobar and Mandira Bedi charge between Rs.500,000-Rs.700,000 to perform at marriage ceremonies. The schedule includes two high-voltage dance performances of eight-and-a-half minutes each. "It was unheard of even a decade ago. But today it's different because people have more money. Weddings are no longer rituals for them," Rahul Nagpal, senior manager (entertainment) of event management firm Touch-wood Entertainment, told IANS. "It is a chan

Shahrukh Khan Popular than Tom Cruise

A year ago, Shahrukh Khan was asked how he felt about a report that 3.2 billion people knew him, while only 2.7 billion across the world knew Tom Cruise. Replying with his trademark humility, SR Khan pointed out that Tom Cruise still made more money thanks to Hollywood's marketing and pricing power. "So there, we do fall short," he had said. But, recent indications show that King Khan will have less room to complain in the years to come. Bollywood cash flow has just begun to build up in tandem with its effort to build global scale and reach. And last month, there was an opportunity to guage the current market appeal of both Khan and Cruise. Lions for Lambs, directed by Robert Redford and starring Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep released about the same time as Om Shanti Om (OSO), directed by Farah Khan and starring SR Khan and debutante Actress Deepika Padukone. Cruise's movie, which had consumed $35 million in production, garnered $10.3 million in 45 markets on its openin

Deepika out of Roshan's film

Rakesh Roshan has turned down OSO girl Deepika Padukone. The film, starring Hrithik Roshan could have been Deepika's ticket to the A-list in Bollywood. Some sources, say that Actress Deepika was not suitable for the role so she was shown the door. When contacted Rakesh Roshan confirms that they are not going ahead with Deepika Padukone. He says, "I am in the process of working on a film which will be directed by Anurag Basu. We may work with Deepika padukone for some other film. "Anurag Basu, who is directing the film endorses, "We are yet scouting for the female lead." As for Deepika, he says, "Deepika didn't fit the role. We'll definitely work with her in future for some other project. It's quite a complex character and we are looking out for a female lead." After they dumped Deepika, Roshans are now looking at casting a non-Indian for the role. Says a source, "Roshan's production house and Anurag have been auditioning girls. Th

Bollywood + Cricket = Advertising Accountability

Bollywood stars and cricketers are proving to be a winning combination for advertisers this year, resulting in an greater advertising accountability. While film stars have always been in demand for ads, with Team India bringing home glory after winning the T20 series and the India-Pakistan Test series, the marketability of Indian cricketers has skyrocketed. While Saif Ali Khan, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Dhoni and Robin Uthappa talk about making life larger in one ad, Shah Rukh Khan and Dhoni celebrate the spirit of success in another. Ad filmmaker Jay Mehta feels that the Bollywood-cricket combo works very well with the film audience here. "Bollywood always had a presence in ads; it's just that brands are now cashing in on the revival of the Indian cricket team. It's like having the best of both worlds," Mehta says. Ad man Bunty Peerbhoy points out that sports and movies are high focus groups and when brought together, add to the glamor quotient of an ad. "T

Deepika doing Bachelor of Arts

Bollywood Actress Deepika Padukone has grabbed eyeballs with her performance in Om Shanti Om and is the latest Bollywood heart-throb. But Deepika Padukone has not put academics on the back-burner and is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts course at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). The 21-year-old rising star evidently has interest in socio-economic issues, as shown by her choice of subjects. "Padukone is a student of BA course in IGNOU since 2005. She has opted for sociology as her major with economics as a subsidiary subject," Srikant Mohapatra, the varsity's Registrar told. Deepika Padukone, who did her schooling from Bangalore, moved to Mumbai to pursue her career in modelling. "She has appeared in five papers at the end of the first year in 2006. She has done well in the exams," Mohapatra said. As part of her course, Padukone will appear in 13 papers with total marks of 1200. The papers she would take in Sociology are: Study of Society,

Salman Khan - Lover Boy of Hindi Cinema

When he celebrated his 42nd birthday few days ago would Salman Khan have mused about the fact that he needs to undertake a change of image to shed away his image of a lover boy and graduate to being an actor of eminence. What started as a dream debut with MAINE PYAAR KIYA in the early 1990s (his first film as a solo hero, though he had made his debut in BIWI HO TO AISI) has indeed catapulted him to an orbit where it would indeed be difficult for any body to emulate the feet. But is it not the right time to move on? Salman Khan has written new theories about lover boy and the choice of the name Prem that is given to him in nearly all the movies is symptomatic about the fact that Salman and love are two sides of the same coin. It was owing to this fact that Salman could reign over the audiences for more than fifteen years and gave hits of the order of HUM AAPKE HAIN KAUN, HUM DILL DE CHUKE SANAM, TERE NAAM, SAAJAN etc. which would be the frontrunners for all the romantic films made in th

John and Bipasha sizzling item number

The much-in-the-news Bipasha basu-John pair is very much together. Though the duo refuses to comment on the relationship, Bipasha Basu confirmed they have come together for a sizzling item song in Anurag Kashyap’s No Smoking. “I don’t think I want to talk about my personal life any more. What’s happening there is for me to know. But, yes, John and I have come together professionally again after Dhan Dhana Dhan… Goal, this time with an item song in Anurag Kashyap’s No Smoking,” Bipasha told IANS. But, it wasn’t the presence of John Abraham that made her accept the song. “Certainly not! It was Vishal Bharadwaj, the man who gave me two of my best item numbers - Beedi and Namak in Omkara. He told me about the item song in No Smoking at an awards function in Yorkshire. After what the Omkara numbers did to my stage presence, I promptly said ‘yes’ to Vishal.” What about the danger of being branded an item girl? “When have I cared about my image?” Bipasha shrugged. “And, besides I’ve full fait

Akshay Kumar’s most expensive dance

Akshay Kumar is going places… that’s why there’s a virtual AK film festival happening everywhere these days. Now, soon at your nearest multiplex will be one of Akshay Kumar’s most expensive dances. Bhushan Kumar’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa, directed by South’s ace film-maker Priyadarshan has a special lavish song picturised on Akshay amidst sultry belles, a sports car, desert setting, wet beaches and a gigantic Buddha statue. And for this extravagant special title track, dancers were specially flown in from the UK to groove with Khiladi Kumar. Choreographed by Ganesh Acharya it was shot at different locations including Mumbai’s Film City and Aksa Beach. The title has Akshay sporting a totally cool look while crooning Hare Ram. “We can’t disclose the amount, but let me assure you, it’s one of the most expensive dances ever to be shot. We wanted to create something different and grand and that’s when along with my producers I stumbled upon this idea. Akshay has been given a cool new look,” says Pr

How SRK became Fit

We’ve all witnessed Shah Rukh Khan’s awesome abs recently. Well, such things don’t happen overnight, and SRK too seems to have gone through the grind for it. And now the hard work seems to be worth every drop of sweat, and every morsel of cake that has been sacrificed. Shah Rukh, for more than three months went on a high protein diet and was disciplined with his workouts. Now the actor has the girls drooling over him in a different sort of way. From the chocolate boy to the sex symbol, our SR Khan seems to be enjoying his reign. And his fans seem to be enjoying it too.

Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan Played Gallery

Bollywood Mega Star Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek were in full form recently. Father and son were shooting on adjacent sets, and unit members had a great time watching the two fool around. Bollywood Mega Star Amitabh Bachchan was shooting for his film, Bhootnath, when son Abhishek Bachchan, who was shooting for an ad next door, dropped in on the sets. In fact, the two kept paying each other mini-visits, sharing jokes and generally having fun. During one such break, Big B went to Abhishek’s sets to see him perform when the director sent an assistant to call Big B for a shot. The poor assistant didn’t realise that Abhishek’s shot was on and he simply walked across to call Big B, coming in the way of Abhishek and the camera. Says a source , “Abhishek was at his jovial best, and declared in front of all that since the assistant had spoilt his shot, he too would go to the sets of Bhootnath to spoil their shot. And, he did actually go over to Big B’s sets during his break. What followed next

Kareena Kapoor act in Shankar’s ‘Robot’

Bollywood hot n sexy actress Kareena Kapoor is very eager to be part of Shankar’s Shahrukh Khan starrer, Robot. Known to prepare painstakingly for roles, Kareena kapoor doesn’t shy from doing what it takes to deliver her performances. Obviously, she’s going the whole hog to ensure that this plum role, too, falls in her lap. After Asoka, Kareena hasn’t had a chance to act opposite SRK. The buzz is that she really wants to act opposite SR khan. Our source reveals, “Ever since Kareena heard that SRK was the leading man of Robot, she immediately made up her mind to do that film too. The actor visited SRK’s Bandra home, Mannat, and in the presence of Gauri Khan, said that she should be considered for the female lead in Shankar’s Robot.” Kareena kapoor has always openly admitted that she is an ardent SRK fan. In fact, earlier, she went out of her way to accommodate Asoka in her schedule to be part of the SRK project. The source said, “She was last paired with SRK in Asoka. They were then see

Hrithik in Anurag Basu's next

Hrithik Roshan's next starrer would not be directed by his father Rakesh Roshan. In fact, papa Rakesh Roshan has decided to take a long sabbatical from direction. Rakesh Roshan is producing a film to start in July 2008 that will feature Hrithik in a never-before avatar. "It's an action thriller with a strong love story at its heart. Anurag Basu, whom both I and Hrithik think very highly of, is directing the film for us," reveals Rakesh Roshan a week before year-end, thereby putting an end to all wild speculation about the seriousness of Hrithik's knee injury. It's been a time of turmoil for Hrithik Roshan. A troublesome knew injury finally decided to act up seriously. "The doctors told him he needed to rest the knee completely, and I mean completely, otherwise it would give way. The injury got aggravated from all the stunts in his recent films including Krissh. It got to a point where his knee gave way completely. The doctors said he had to take complete

TZP Benefit due to Jodha Akbar's Delay

Welcome being a super-success and Taare Zameen Par showing steady escalation isn't news any more. What is news though is an extended great run at the box office for both the films, which is pretty much on the cards now due to Jodha Akbar being postponed to February. Though the official date being cited is February 15, there are still doubts if this would stick on to be the final date. Coming Friday sees Return of Hanuman and Showbiz. While Anurag Kashyap has been quoted as saying that "Return of Hanuman could be as big a blockbuster as Om Shanti Om,” Mukesh Bhatt has maintained that "Showbiz would work with word of mouth going in it's favor". The fact still remains that none of the two films are expected to embark on an earth-shattering opening, hence allowing Akshay and Aamir to stay strong even in the second week. A film like Manthan Ek Kashmakash that may release on January 4 (deadly first weekend of a year), spells Z grade from miles away and the only thing i

Sony Pictures doesn't regret 'Saawariya'

A top official of Columbia-Tristar has said that sibling company Sony Pictures, which forayed into India as a producer with "Saawariya", is extremely proud of the film and will continue making films in Bollywood. In a candid conversation from the US, Columbia-Tristar vice-chairman Gareth Wigan said: "We're very proud of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Saawariya'. It's earned a lot of money. We're delighted to have made this film. "The profits haven't been outstanding. The film was made at around $8 million. We sold nearly $20 million worth of tickets. Plus the television, DVD rights and merchandise," Wigan, who supervises non-American films on behalf of Sony Pictures, told IANS in an interview. Wigan seemed unsure of how much "Saawariya" was affected by adverse reviews. "I'm not sure how much Indian audiences pay attention to critics. I think it's very easy when a film performs less well than we hoped to look for a cu

Hrithik turns Item Boy

Bollywood Dancing Star Hrithik Roshan, who is recuperating from a knee surgery, is all set to appear in the comedy "Krazzy 4", his father's first production without him as a hero. Hrithik, who has just returned from two weeks in Singapore, now leaves for Australia for further recuperation. He will return to perform an intricate item number for "Krazzy 4". To be directed by Raja Sen, the film is a comedy and stars Arshad Warsi, Irrfan Khan, Suresh Menon and Rajpal Yadav. "Well, people always wondered how I could make a film without Hrithik. So here he is, all set to do his career's first item song," Rakesh Roshan told IANS. "My brother Rajesh Roshan has already recorded the song and I'm putting up an elaborate set for the song to be shot in March 2008. However, let me warn Hrithik's fans, if I feel his knee is not up to it, I won't shoot the song," added the concerned father. In fact, senior Roshan too has decided to take a lon

Sonam, Abhishek in Jaipur

It's been a trying time for the lead pair of "Dilli 6". First Abhishek Bachchan lost his grandmother and had to rush back from Jaipur to Mumbai. Then actress Sonam Kapoor, with whom director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra was doing solo shots in Abhishek's absence, lost her maternal grandfather and had to return to Mumbai too. However both Abhishek and Sonam flew back to Jaipur Friday to resume shooting. The director has a huge cast assembled in Jaipur, including Rishi Kapoor, Tanvi Azmi, Divya Dutta and Waheeda Rehman, whom Mehra coaxed out of retirement.

What are Bollywood stars planning for New Year?

While Priyanka Chopra, Suniel Shetty and Sonam Kapoor plan to make it a family affair, Bipasha Basu, Malaika Arora will entertain their fans with performances and others like Tusshar Kapoor are going to welcome the New Year with work. Priyanka Chopra: I'm shooting till the Dec 30. Then I have one day to spend with my family. After the New Year, I am off to Bangkok to shoot a commercial for a beauty soap. My wish? That my father remains well and my films do well! Suniel Shetty: I'm off to spend the year-end with my family in our Khandala home, and that includes my parents, of course. I'd want my family to be happy and complete in 2008. On the professional front, I want my production company Popcorn Entertainment to march ahead. Bipasha Basu: I'm working on New Year's Eve. I'll be performing at the Marriott. Then I'm heading to Kenya for a week's holiday. I hope in 2008 I've loads of fun and I do great work. I'd like more travel for myself and less

Bollywood filmmaker GP Sippy dead

Bollywood film producer GP Sippy has died in the western Indian city of Mumbai at the age of 93. Mr Sippy was best known as the producer of Bollywood's biggest ever commercial success, Sholay (Flames). Sholay broke all previous records in India, earning the equivalent of $60m (£30m) at the box-office. The film, starring Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan and a number of other stars, ran continuously for more than five years at one cinema in Mumbai. Sholay, loosely styled on Akira Kurosawa's The Seventh Samurai and Hollywood's The Magnificent Seven, is commonly described as India's first "curry western". GP Sippy's film career spanned four decades, beginning with his first film, Marine Drive, in 1955. He produced some 20 films and directed many of them. But Sholay made him a household name.

Bollywood, Beehives & Burlesque

A history of Bollywood spills out as Benjamin Gilmour speaks. Marriages are tucked next to stylistic changes and discussion of the influence jazz had on the genre's Western awakening. The co-producer of the entertainment company Sugartime is like an amateur historian. "As a DJ, I have an extensive Bollywood collection and have travelled to Bombay many times to look for the elusive perfect record," says Gilmour, who performs as Mr Mai Tai. "It is difficult over there, with the way they lay them out in the sun." But Bollywood, until now, has been a side interest burlesque is the bread and butter of Sugartime, which bills itself as a vintage entertainment company. "We've been tossing up how to do [Bollywood burlesque] in the best way, that is culturally sensitive," Gilmour says. "Bollywood screen stars don't even share a kiss but we're combining that with something that is a little risque and that's something we weren't brave

Benazir's Bollywood connection

Benazir visited India for the first time, she was bowled over by an unusual proposal. Well-known Bollywood comedian, the late I S Johar, offered her the lead role in a Hindi movie. "The incident happened in 1972 when Benazir had accompanied her father Z A Bhutto for the historic Shimla talks in the wake of the India-Pakistan war the previous year," recalled Bollywood historian Amar Solanki on Friday. A veteran Gujarati film director himself, Solanki said that Johar always courted controversy. "By making the offer to Benazir, he shot to prominence in India, Pakistan and even Bangladesh which had been created in the aftermath of the war," he said. However, Benazir politely declined Johar's proposal, saying she was destined for a different role in life.

Nepal moves to counter Bollywood piracy

When Shah Rukh Khan's new blockbuster Om Shanti Om was released in India and Nepal, it took less than a week for pirated audio and video cassettes to hit the streets. The same thing happened with another much-anticipated Bollywood release, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Saawariya . It was not a new phenomenon, nor limited to these two films. A flourishing racket in pirated Bollywood films has been spanning India, Nepal, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates and Malaysia, causing both the Hindi film industry and Nepalese cinemas to lose billions of rupees each year. After mounting complaints by Nepalese cinema owners, who screen Hindi films, Nepal's film authorities have now woken up to the perils of the underground business. Nepal Film Development Board recently formed a five-member committee headed by debutant film director and board member Shivaji Lamichhane to study the issue and other problems hindering the growth of Kollywood - Nepal's film industry - and come up with solut

Shriya Saran in Hollywood Flick

Shriya Saran recently signed up a Hollywood flick named The Other Side of the Line. Latest buzz is that the ravishing actress has offers pouring in from Bollywood too. Of late, her trials have yielded results. She has already been signed up for Mission Istanbul. If sources are to be believed, she is also in discussion with biggies like Yash Chopra and Rakesh Roshan for their upcoming ventures. It sure looks like it will be sometime before we see her in a Tollywood venture.