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Journalism of Courage
Although he was both impressed and relieved after watching a preview of his forthcoming film Kaante, Amitabh Bachchan came down hard on some of the lines in the film that he felt needed toning down. The actor insisted on at least a few cuts in dialogue, fearing audiences would not appreciate profanities either delivered by him, or addressed to him. He also requested the film’s director to chop off another line spoofing Sholay, insisting that fans might not like the idea of a classic being messed with. The makers grudgingly obliged, it is learned. The Censor Board is yet to watch the film.
Sneak Peek
While on Kaante, audiences who visit the cinemas to catch Sanjay Gupta’s all-male thriller will be in for a treat when the first promo of Jhankaar Beats is unveiled before the main show begins. Starring Sanjay Suri, Juhi Chawla, Rahul Bose, Rinke Khanna, Shayan Munshi and Riya Sen, Jhankaar Beats is likely to hit cinema screens in January next year, and is carrying encouraging reports in trade circles. The soundtrack, predict music experts, will be a colossal hit when it hits music stores. An urban romantic comedy, the movie showcases what is easily Juhi Chawla’s career-best performance as a pregnant wife trying to maintain peace between her irritating mother and her impatient husband.
Payback Time
After washing all their dirty linen in public, and swearing they won’t work with each other again, Akshay Kumar and Raveena Tandon will be seen together in Madhur Bhandarkar’s Aan (previously titled Police Force). However, insiders say the two aren’t cast opposite each other. Lara Dutta (who Akshay is recommending left, right and centre these days) will appear opposite the Khiladi Kumar, while Sunil Shetty is believed to be Raveena’s love interest in the film. Perhaps this is producer Feroz Nadiadwala’s way of getting back at Twinkle Khanna, who walked out of his Awara Paagal Deewana at the eleventh hour — casting her bete noire Raveena opposite her husband is one sure way of causing her anxiety pangs as she sits at home while hubby’s on the sets with his ex-girlfriend.
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Nagging doubt
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With a reported loss of Rs 300 crore this year, 2002 is being described as the worst year for Bollywood in recent times. Would you take a pay cut to bail out Bollywood? • Raveena Tandon: ‘‘I have always almost slashed my salary for a film that needs to be made on a small scale. I did both Daman and Satta for close to nothing. But I think the problem lies less in exorbitant star fees, and more in bad scripts.’’ • Akshay Kumar: ‘‘My price has never been a big issue. Of course I would bring down my salary to bail out Bollywood. But I don’t know if the solution lies there. The idea is for filmmakers to work on water-tight scripts and to stick to strict shooting schedules.’’ • Govinda: ‘‘Everybody blames the stars. Producers should try to avoid wastage on the sets. In any case, stars only get the price they deserve.’’ • Kader Khan: ‘‘It’s the top stars who are overpaid. Yet, when it comes to these situations, producers will underpay character artistes and technicians, never the stars. Such unfairness, I tell you…’’ |
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Getting Arty
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Of all the surprises you could possibly expect, beat this — Kareena Kapoor is all set to work with Govind Nihalani. The offbeat filmmaker, whose last film Deham opened to mixed reviews, has already signed up Amitabh Bachchan and Om Puri for his next, and Bollywood insiders say the Jeena Sirf Merre Liye star is likely to star in a leading female role. Story continues below this ad Keen to prove she’s not just a bubblegum-movie actress, Bebo will follow in the footsteps of her sister Karisma who earned accolades when she took a break from those David Dhawan movies to star in serious cinema (Fiza, Zubeidaa). Kareena is also scheduled to travel to Chandigarh, where she will shoot for J P Dutta’s LOC, in which she will play a small role opposite Saif Ali Khan. Desperate to shake off the pricey, hard-as-nails, no-compromise image she has acquired lately (Karan Johar has gone on record to say she refused to come down on her price, prompting him to sign Preity Zinta instead for his Shah Rukh Khan-Saif Khan production), Kareena reveals she’s doing Dutta’s film for free! |
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