www.lematinal.com LE MATINAL, PORT-LOUIS, SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 2013
Ben Affleck gets degree from Brown Uni B en Affleck keeps collecting kudos.
The actor was given a doctor of fine arts degree at Sunday’s commencement at Brown University in Providence. “This is a spectacular honor for me,” Affleck said, according to the Providence Journal. “Not only for
the education, but now I surpass Matt Damon.” In April, Affleck’s Good Will Hunting buddy Matt Damon received the 2013 Harvard Arts Medal. Others getting honorary doctorates from Brown on Sunday were author and MIT Professor Junot Diaz; retired Stanford University
bacteriologist Stanley Falkow; Tougaloo College President Beverly Wade Hogan; medical doctor and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation President Risa Lavizzo-Mourey; and Miami Dade College President Eduardo Padron. The university conferred more than 2,400 degrees, according to reports. - USA Today
FREIDA PINTO
Opted out of her
B-town debut
Freida Pinto walks out of her first Bollywood film after makers dilly-dally in handing her a bound script
I
t looks like Freida Pinto’s wait for her first Bollywood outing just got longer. The actress has decided not to be part of Navdeep Singh’s film in which Raj Kumar Yadav was slated to feature opposite her. The Slumdog Millionaire star apparently informed the makers about her decision after her recent Cannes outing. Freida, who is presently in Ethiopia shooting for a Hollywood film, has been left with a sour after-taste with what was supposed to be her Bollywood debut. What prompted her to take the decision sources claim is the dilly-dallying over giving her a bound script, especially when the makers were keen that she woo international financiers for the project because of her Hollywood outings.
Speculations galore Ever since the film was announced there had been buzz that it was not happening. It suffered an initial hiccup when Eros decided to pull out as co-producer. However the film’s producer Vikramaditya Motwane and director Navdeep Singh were still determined to make it happen. A source said, “Freida was
interested in the road thriller and had given her nod to her role, which was that of a detective. Even though Navdeep’s earlier film Manorama Six Feet Under was not exactly a success and his zombie film Rock The Shaadi with Abhay Deol and Genelia D’Souza was stuck, she was still game to be a part of his project.”
Style of working The source added, “When the story was narrated, she had asked for certain revisions which they had agreed to do. But whenever she asked for a hardbound script later, there was no proper reply. They then expressed a desire to rope in international financiers but there was no way it could happen without a bound script. Freida then got weary of the happenings and decided not to be part of the project.” What particularly irked her was that she is used to a certain style of working in the West, something that Bollywood is unfamiliar with. Freida and Vikramaditya remained unavailable for comment. - Agencies
Varun Dhawan bags yet another Karan Johar project
I
t was just last year when Karan Johar launched his three ‘students’ Alia Bhatt, Siddharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan in his film. While the filmmaker is already working with Alia and Sid in his next, KJo reveals that he has roped in the third actor too for another projects coming up later this eyar. Karan said, “Varun is doing a film with us that we are starting in October. It is a very exciting project. I will be launching a new girl. The director is new and we have already locked the script.” The director-producer adds that an official announcement will be made soon. A source close to the project tells us that Karan had offered Varun the new film immediately after SOTY released. “Soon after the film hit the screen, KJo narrated this particular script to Varun. Karan also said how this film was going to give Varun. He convinced the actor and the film is on,” adds the source. - Agencies
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