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A arts
Thursday, 14 February, 2013
DEEpikA to Don A nEw look in YEH jAwAni HAi DEEwAni
After playing the hot Veronica in Cocktail and steaming the screen with her hotness in Race 2 Deepika plays a complete new avatar. Now she will be seen in a girl next door avatar in her upcoming movie Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani. For the first time Deepika will be seen wearing spectacles onscreen. Although she has been seen in specs a lot of times in real life specially while travelling but this is the first she will be seen wearing them onscreen. Source from the movie say, She is carrying off the look very well. Deepika is playing the lead role opposite Ranbir Kapoor, in Yeh Jawani hai Deewani directed by Ayan Mukerji. The movie has just completed shooting in Kashmir. nEws DEsK
Robert Redford used to be such a handsome man and now look at him: everything has dropped, expanded and turned a funny colour. — George Best
Amitabh Bachchan all set to act in a daily soap
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HE 70-year-old actor will feature in a mega-budget television serial which will go live later this year at a time when his chips were down, television resuscitated amitabh Bachchan’s career. and now, 13 years after his game changing appearance as television’s most popular game show host, amitabh Bachchan is happily paying his dues. TOi has learnt that Bachchan, who recently wrapped up the sixth season of Kaun Banega Crorepati, is preparing to embrace the medium in a different way. Buzz is the 70-year-old star will top-line a daily soap that is set to go on air later this year. The project, which, say sources, is being co-produced by his banner aBCL, is a fiercely guarded secret after all this is going to be the first time Bachchan will act in a feature show. But we have learnt auditions for the rest of the cast is being carried out at several studios in andheri. Bachchan has apparently been toying with the idea of doing a television serial for a while now. “Last year, he held meetings with several channel producers, expressing his desire to act in a daily soap. Some of them even made a few presentations. But nothing worked out then,” says a source close to the developments. “But given that this is Bachchan’s first-ever daily soap appearance, utmost care is being taken to keep the project under wraps,” said the source, adding that an official announcement is likely next week. Early reports suggest the project is being mounted on a lavish scale. “The budgets are huge and the serial is going to be another game-changer for Mr Bachchan and the industry,” said an insider from the television industry on condition of anonymity. it is also being said that though Bachchan will be the face of the serial, but may not make an appearance in every episode. “But he will do all that he can to promote the production,” added the source. incidentally, Big B, who likes to keep himself busy, has not signed any major films this year. “While some attributed to his health concerns, truth is, he worked out his schedule for his television debut. after his stints with KBC, he is now in love and comfortable with the medium,” said the source. and from the looks of it, the medium too is loving him back. Tune in to this channel for more. nEws DEsK
SonAkSHi’S eyes lands her director Krish’s film NEWS DESK She might have missed making her Kollywood debut with Kamal Haasan, but actress Sonakshi Sinha seems to be thrilled to make her Telugu debut with Mahesh Babu’s film. Yes, the actress is all set to play the lead in Mahesh’s Shivam, which will be directed by Krish. Sonakshi wrote on her micro-blogging page, “Lots of support from the south for my Telegu debut. Really looking forward to it... Feels like Dabangg deja vu — debut with superstar, script i couldn’t refuse, capable and intelligent director! Shoot starts later this year. it’s going to be a great journey.” Quiz Krish why he chose to cast Sonkashi in the lead, and he says, “i wrote the script a while back, and to be honest, i had Sonakshi in my mind while i was sketching the female lead. The character, Meenakshi, will have big and beautiful eyes. and when i saw her in Dabangg, i was impressed. Her eyes are mighty expressive, and hold a lot of power.” incidentally, the film’s producer, ashwini Dutt had earlier told us that the film will be a Tamil-Telugu bilingual, making it Mahesh Babu’s first straight Tamil film. But, the vaanam director informs us that as of now, the film will be made only in Telugu. “We will go on floors with the film by later half of this year,” he says.
Jayantabhai different from other ‘bhais’ I’ve played: Vivek NEWS DESK actor vivek Oberoi, who plays JayantaBhai, says, “This bhai is different from the other bhais i’ve played. He’s lovable, jovial and entertaining. His love story is interesting since he and the girl come from two different worlds.” The lead actress, neha Sharma, enthuses, “i’m very anxious, but also can’t control my excitement. i couldn’t have asked for a better team — an extremely supportive producer, a talented director and an amazing co-star.” MuMbAI PLAyS A ROLE tOO Mumbai plays an important part in the film, which has been shot across the city, from Colaba in the south to Madh island and even Dahisar in the north. Says director vinnil
Markan, who has grown up in Delhi, “i love the town side of Mumbai, especially its architecture. it has an old world charm, which i’m mixing with the newworld buzz. We’ve shot in places like Kotachi Wadi in girgaum, Worli Fort, Matunga King Circle and Five gardens in Dadar, locations not usually seen in films.” Monsoon also marks its presence in the characters’ lives. vinnil explains, “Most of the film was shot before and during the initial phase of the monsoon season, the remaining was completed by early July. Rain is used as leitmotif in the film. When it’s all bright between the characters, the backdrop is sunny. But during some significant romantic moments, there is rain. Even in the climax, it starts to rain at the right time” ShOOtINg At tERROR SPOt JBKLS is the first film to be shot outside the five-star hotel — near the gateway of india — which was one of the targets in the 26/11 terror attack over four years ago. Though it was a bit tough to film at the location, vinnil says, “We were supported by the Mumbai Traffic Police.” Didn’t they have trouble obtaining the permission to shoot? “The legal procedure takes some days. So, we fixed our schedules accordingly and shot with minimal hassles. a fixed amount was paid for the shoot and we were even given receipts,” he recalls.
DREAM SONg IN DubAI vinnil says, “The song aa Bhi Jaa Meherbaan shows vivek dreaming about neha. The producer, Kumar Taurani, suggested shooting it in Dubai. To convey the couple’s passion, we decided to shoot in the desert when the temperature was about 51 degrees, but it felt like 55. vivek was wearing chappals, but developed bruises and blisters on the soles of his feet. neha was in a worse state as she was barefoot. i also shot with aatif (singer). The video shows aatif in the city and vivek and neha in the desert. a royal family, which had an outhouse in the desert, lent it to vivek and neha during the shoot.” REAL ActION When the lead actor is playing a bhai, action is a must. There are a few fight sequences of which only one was shot with the help of cable and wirework. “The action is real, hard-core street-style. We did not want cars blowing up and things like that. One sequence was shot in Worli, with the Sea Link and fishing boats in the backdrop. another was filmed at an orchestra dance bar in Dahisar. The climax action sequence was shot at nana Haji ali,” sums up vinnil. DIREctOR’S tAKE “Having started in theatre, i wanted to
make a film on interpersonal relationships — a story of two strong characters discovering love together. So, i took a gangster — he is basically a nice guy, but is in the wrong place at the wrong time — and a girl, who is a telecom engineer. They both aspire to make it big in Mumbai. at the same time, i wanted to make a hard-core Mumbai film, because while i’m born here, i grew up in Delhi and see my birth city differently. Bhai’s character is the USP of the film and vivek suits the part perfectly. neha was Kumarji’s choice, but even i felt that she was right for the part of Simran.” PRODucER’S NOtE “When we approach a film as producers, we look for what will click with the audiences. With JBKLS, it’s a complete package. a lot of hard work has gone into making this movie, including scouting for the right locations. We wanted everything to look as authentic as possible. Tips shares a warm equation with vivek Oberoi and our last film together, Prince (2010), did extremely well at the box office. vivek is open to taking directions and moulding himself into the character. and when it comes to playing a gangster, no one can do it better than him. neha, though relatively new to the industry, is extremely talented and versatile.” JayantaBhai Ki Luv Story, produced by Kumar Taurani, releases February 15.