Bollywood producers fights for '100% Love'

It's either remakes or sequels cooking in B-town these days. With remakes being the 'most liked' delicacies on Bollywood's menu, more and more filmmakers are turning to South Indian super-hits. Ghajini (Ghajini), Wanted (Pokiri) and Ready (Ready) have been real money churners at the Bollywood box-office in the last couple of years.

Following the trend and relying on the set formula, not one but four producers Ronnie Screwvala, Vashu Bhagnani, Shatrughan Sinha and David Dhawan-are now vying to get the rights of the recent Telugu super hit 100% Love.

Since the super hit was directed by Sukumar, all the producers want to keep the flavour intact and are willing to sign the man for their version.

While Vashu Bhagnani and Shatrughan Sinha want their kids, Jackky and Luv respectively, to star in the film, Ronnie and David Dhawan, currently, are only focusing on getting the rights in their hands. Jackky's recent F.A.L.T.U was well received by the audience, but for Luv his only, fiasco Sadiyaan: Boundaries Divide... Love Unites didn't even provide him with a platform to display his potential. So the parents are keeping their fingers crossed, not only to get the rights of the film in place, but also to ensure Sukumar's touch to the remake.

A source says, "Poonam Sinha, who is ready to re-launch Luv, has already met the director for the rights of 100% Love. Vashu Bhagnani is willing to get both the rights and the director for his version.

Ronnie Screwvala has seen the film and wants to speak to Sukumar and David Dhawan too is in talks with the director. What needs to be seen is who emerges as the winner."

Saathiya (Alai Payuthey), Judwa (Hello Brother), Shakti (Anthahpuram), Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein (Minnale), Tere Naam (Sethu) show that the trend of remaking South films into Hindi has existed for a very long time now. All these films went on to become even bigger hits in Bollywood.

It's tough to predict whether the remake of this film will work or not. What we are looking for is who among the four gives their 100 % to impress the director Sukumar and get away with the rights of 100% Love.

TOI

Queen of Bollywood: Priyanka, Kareena or Katrina?

The two actresses may have put their animosity to rest at an awards function, but professionally, it’s still war between Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor for the top slot. Often the top contenders for big-budget films, they both currently have close to Rs 150 crore riding on them. However, the two aren’t the only ones competing for the top slot — Katrina Kaif completes the troika. “If the three Khans — Aamir, Salman and Shah Rukh — comprise the Holy Trinity among actors, these three ladies enjoy a similar standing among actresses,” asserts industry analyst Taran Adarsh.

Statistics back up Adarsh’s statement. Kapoor is already boasting about her line-up with five Khans this year, which includes Imran and her boyfriend Saif. Kaif enjoys the reputation of a lucky mascot for filmmakers such as David Dhawan and Vipul Shah, who work with her repeatedly. Chopra, on the other hand, has honed her skills over the years to emerge as the favourite for character-driven roles, such as Vishal Bhardwaj’s Kaminey and 7 Khoon Maaf or Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion.

Having worked with Kapoor in Golmaal Returns and Golmaal 3, both of which were hits, director Rohit Shetty feels that her biggest draw is her screen presence. “Kareena is a looker and you are bound to notice her on the screen because she brings it to life — her vibrancy and attitude light up her scenes,” says the director. Though the 30-year-old carved her niche through versatility in films like Chameli, Yuva and Omkara, her current line-up — Ra.One, Agent Vinod, Malayalam film Bodyguard’s remake, Short Term Shaadi and Reema Kagti’s next with Aamir — indicates her preference for commercial projects over experimental roles.

This is where Chopra scores. “Without compromising on the commercial factor, Priyanka has consistently chosen roles that will challenge her as an actor,” says Bhandarkar. With Bhardwaj’s 7 Khoon Maaf, being touted as her best performance to date, all eyes are trained on Chopra. She eagerly lapped up Chamki Chameli, the Hindi adaptation of the classic opera Carmen by Shyam Benegal, after Kapoor reportedly turned it down. As Adarsh says, “She is willing to take risks.”

That’s true for Kaif too, who has improved her performance over the years. One of the most-searched Indian celebrities online in 2010, according to Google India Zeitgeist, the 26-year-old appeals to youngsters with her “sexy yet innocent” image. Working around the drawbacks of her accent and weak Hindi, filmmakers are choosing her over other actresses to essay NRI characters (Namastey London, Singh Is Kinng, New York). “Her sincerity towards work is admirable. Katrina goes the extra mile to understand her characters and rehearses ardently to deliver her best performance,” says Prakash Jha, who had the actress play a politician in Raajneeti.

However, if industry connections are factor to go by, Kaif has a drawback. Preferring to keep a low profile, her circle of friends is limited to Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan. Though she has cordial relationships inside the industry, the actress avoids alignment to camps and chooses dressing in plain T-shirts and casual dresses over glamourous outfits. In comparison, Chopra is a favourite with the Karan Johar-Shah Rukh camp, is close to both Ranbir Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor and networks with filmmakers across genres.

Kapoor enjoys more goodwill than either of the two actresses with her family connections, but then, the self-proclaimed diva is also known for her publicity drive. “She has great talent for commercial cinema, but her frequent out-of-context references to her boyfriend ‘Saifu’ are considered irksome as is her constant hunger to be in the limelight. She is also known to throw tantrums,” rues a filmmaker she has worked with. That said, Kapoor continues to top the brand equity list with a slew of endorsements under her belt, including Airtel, Sony Vaio and Sony Ericsson. But Chopra’s big ticket is the international watch brand TagHeuer. And though Kaif may seem the least visible, she currently endorses close to 10 brands, including Nakshatra jewellery and Etihad Airways. “The three are at par in the ad world, but Kareena is the costliest and hence unofficially the top choice,” says Cyrus Pagdiwallah of ad production house Corcoise Films.

The competition is close, but the actresses seem nonchalant. Kaif asserts that she is happy at being accepted by the film industry. “I just want to work hard,” she smiles. Chopra sees no competition: “I compete with myself.” Often publicly claiming to be the number one in the industry, Kapoor, says she is beyond the rat race. “We are not in competition.”

Indian Express

I believe in happy endings, says Katrina

Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif says she likes romantic books and believes in happy endings.

"Though I am not an avid reader but I like romantic books. Love is a good thing. At times in love, there are disappointments...one must not keep expectations. I like to be positive in love. I believe in happy endings," Katrina said on the sidelines of a book release by author-filmmaker Pritish Nandy last evening.

After the I-T raids at her residence early this week, this was Katrina's first public appearance at a bookstore in suburban Bandra, where the book on love poems 'Tonight, This Savage Rite' by Nandy and Kamala Das was released in presence of Gulzar, Anupam Kher, Kiran Kher, Meghna Gulzar and Chetan Bhagat.

"After meeting him (Nandy) I got very much interested in his subject of love. Poems are a way of expressing your love. They are so beautiful," Katrina said.

When asked whom she would love to gift the love poems in Bollywood, the actress said, "I would like to give a book of love poems to all the unmarried men."

The actress said she wants Gulzar sahab to pen a love poem on her.

Katrina's new look for YRF film

Katrina Kaif, who left for Delhi last Monday to shoot for Yash Raj Films' latest film to be directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, will be sporting a new hairstyle in it.

Katrina, who will be playing a friendly and simple Delhi girl in the romantic comedy, will be seen in poker-straight waist-length hair with a short fringe.

Said Asif of Asif:The Saloon and her hairstylist for the film, "Katrina was not well when she came to my saloon on Monday evening, but she made the effort as was keen to style her hair before she left for Delhi." The film has Imran Khan in the main lead and also stars Pakistani actor Ali Zafar, who was in Tere Bin Laden.

Soruce:http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Katrina-s-new-look-for-YRF-film/690043/

Watch Bollywood films to know Indians – Rani Mukerji

Sydney, Cinema can go a long way in promoting positive bilateral relations between Australia and India, especially Bollywood films as they are “all about heart”, said Rani Mukerji, who was here as chief guest at the 2010 Indian Film Festival – Bollywood and Beyond.

“Cinema showcases different cultures and Indian films are all about our culture, our traditions, human relations and all about heart. So when Australians watch Indian films, they will get to know Indians better and that will help in knowing each other better,” Rani told IANS in an exclusive interview.

So will she act in a film on racism? “As an actor, I would be part of any film that inspires me as an artist. If there is a great character for me to play, if I feel there is something interesting in the film about racism and if there is a positive outlook towards changing the mindset, I would hundred percent do it.”

She would like to do diverse, challenging roles. So does she feel socially responsible while doing a movie?

Giving the example of her role as a deaf, dumb and blind girl in “Black”, she said, “I do expect that people who do not know about the deaf and blind get more aware of people like them. You should never pity them because they are such spirited, lively, fun people and there is so much to learn from them.

“Michelle McNally did graduate despite her handicap. The sheer fact that if you have the passion, nothing is impossible in life. That is what my character in ‘Black’ and the film taught me and that is what I would like to portray to the hundreds and millions of my fans who watch the movie”.

The festival, which opened with “Black” and “Dil Bole Hadippa” in Sydney, is screening a retrospective of Rani’s distinctive films alongside recent Bollywood hits, some regional cinema gems and documentaries.

For Rani, every role is a dream role, but the role that debutant director Anurag Singh gave her in “Dil Bole Hadippa” was “wonderful”.

“It is wonderful being a man and to feel like a man and get attracted to beautiful women. It was a dream role because I could never imagine in my life that I would cross dress as a man. I also got to experiment with cricket, a sport I had never played in my life. I trained for eight months and fell in love with the game. And, of course, being a man and tying your hair up in a turban was the most relaxing part!”

Being a Bengali, was it difficult for her to play the role of a Sardar?

“Punjabis and Bengalis make a great combination; even marriages between them are lovely,” said Rani, relating an interesting episode about how she was exchanged with a Punjabi baby at the hospital and her mother had to fight to get her back.

“I still have to crack the code whether I am a Sardar or Bengali,” she said.

Rani also revealed that if she weren’t an actress, she would have been “a housewife with my sari tucked in my waist, making chapattis for my husband, raising two kids probably in Allahabad or Kolkata or somewhere where my parents would have married me off!”

So is she ready to direct films after a career spanning 17 years as an actress?

Rani was forthcoming: “I would like to do a lot of things in life, but you never get to do everything that you want to do. When an actor probably completes 10 years, you are often asked would you like to direct or write?

“I didn’t want to become an actress, but I became one and so I have this thing in my head that ‘Never say never’. It is not something I have planned, but if I do get an opportunity and have this energy rush in my body to take up the responsibility of a director some day, I would definitely love to direct.”

Asked if she dreams about winning an Oscar, the multi-award winning actress said: “I would dream about everything and as an actor our greed never stops for awards, recognition, fame, and love and warmth from people; so it is a never ending process for an actor.”

The actress, who chooses her roles with care and takes what inspires and excites her, is looking forward to “No one killed Jessica”, a film based on the murder of Delhi model Jessica Lall in which she plays the journalist.

“It is a very different film that I am doing after a long time. It is a very different and powerful role; so I don’t know how my fans are going to react to it, but I am looking forward to it because it is an interesting movie based on a true life story.

(BollywoodWorld.com)