MASALA MIX: Lord Mountbatten on screen

BRITAIN-BASED Indian filmmaker Gurinder Chadha is planning a film about India and Pakistan in 1947.

Saif Ali Khan has been approached to play Jawarhalal Nehru in the film while Naseeruddin Shah has accepted the role of Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

“It is a huge canvas requiring a lot of research and scores of characters. I’ve spoken to some people including Naseer and Saif. Nehru’s role is a cameo, so I wonder if Saif will be willing to do it,” said Gurinder.

The film will be shot in Delhi and Jodhpur. “I already have the permission to shoot everywhere including Rashtrapati Bhavan. I am all set. I don’t have to shoot in Pakistan at all. This will be my ultimate dream project and I can’t wait for it to take off,” he added.

“This is my biggest challenge to date. I’ve been working on my partition film for some time now. The central character is Lord Mountbatten. The movie is set in January 1947 when Mountbatten was asked to oversee India and the movie ends in August 1947, so it’s a brief time span.”

Shooting is expected to start in October.

Dil Garden Garden a hit
JUST two days after its online launch, the track Dil Garden Garden from the upcoming film Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum, saw more than 300,000 views on YouTube, reports BollywoodMantra.com.

The video, inspired by the film Austin Powers, sees the actors and dancers decked out in colourful outfits.  

More people viewed it after reading director-producer Karan Johar’s tweet: “Crazy... whacky and superkool song from Kyaa superkool hain hum!!!! KSKHH.... watch it!!! It’s loads of fun!!!!”

Lyricist Mayur Puri attributed the success of the track to composers Sachin and Jigar who stumbled on the popular phrase Dil Garden Garden Ho Gaya.

Meanwhile the singer, Vishal, has been getting lots of congratulatory messages from fans, DJs and show organisers after the song went online. “People seem to have gone nuts about it, and some, because of it. Always good to be a part of a big hit!” he said.

Music company magnate Bhushan Kumar said: “We are thrilled to have received such a fabulous response to the song. It has been picking up at phenomenal speed and we look forward to release the rest of the album soon.

Kochadaiyaan making waves
KOLLYWOOD superstar Rajnikanth’s film, Kochadaiyaan, is already making headlines while still in production. Its art department, consisting of 150 members, is probably the biggest team ever for a movie, reports KollyInsider.com.
The team is led by art director Velu.

A Press release issued by the filmmakers stated that director Soundarya Ashwin had handpicked 42 students from the Fine Arts College in Chennai for the task. They are joined by 50 experienced artists from Kumbakonam Fine Arts College and 60 concept artists.

The 3-D film, produced by Eros International in association with Media One Global Entertainment using performance capture technology, has Rajini playing a dual role.

Deepika Padukone plays the female lead. Others in the cast include Sarath Kumar, Jackie Shroff, Aadhi, Nasser, Shobana and Rukmini. A.R. Rahman scores the music and Rajni is said to have one track.

A.R. Rahman score for Olympics
A.R. RAHMAN is writing a score for the opening ceremony of the Olympics  at the request of Danny Boyle, the artistic director of the games, reports IndiaToday.com.

“It’s a track in Punjabi celebrating Indian influence in the UK. It’s part of a medley for the opening ceremony,” Rahman wrote on his Facebook page.

He and Danny had earlier worked together on Slumdog Millionaire that won

Rahman two Oscars — Best Original Score and Best Song — in 2008. The duo later got together for 127 Hours that received acclaim from across the globe.

Chennai-based cultural group Staccato has  been invited to perform at the Olympic Park during the games.

Dhanush’s Bollywood debut
KOLLYWOOD star Dhanush will debut in Bollywood in the film Raanjhnaa, directed by Aanand L Rai, reports IndiaTimes.com. Rai was the director behind Kollywood star Madhavan’s Bollywood film Tanu Weds Manu. Playing opposite Dhanush is Sonam Kapoor.   

Dhanush took Hindi lessons to master his accent and pronunciation to play a boy from Varanasi in this romantic flick. Sonam Kapoor learnt about Jawaharlal Nehru University’s social landscape as she plays a middle-class girl studying there. Dhanush plays a Brahmin boy from Varanasi in this romantic film. The first look of the film has been released.

One film, four roles
KOLLYWOOD actress Meera Jasmine, who has been absent from the industry over the years, is making a comeback in a Malayalam movie Lisammayude Veedu, reports IndiaGlitz.com. She plays four roles in the film.

“I play a schoolgirl and women aged 23, 35 and 55. I took up the offer because of the challenges. I will wait till the movie is released before signing any new project,” she said.

On her hiatus from the industry, she said she was doing the things she wanted to do. “I travelled a lot and I watched movies that I missed. I also tried my hand at cooking.”

Esha weds
ESHA Deol, daughter of film icons Hema Malini and Dharmendra, was married at an Iskcon temple in Mumbai on June 29, reports India Today.

Dharamendra and Hema  welcomed guests, many of them Bollywood celebrities, with a garland. Esha and her groom, businessman Bharat Thaktani, were dressed in designer Neeta Lulla’s outfits.

Among the guests included Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan, socialite Nita Ambani, Vinod Khanna, Fardeen Khan, Poonam Sinha, Ramesh Sippy, Manoj Kumar and veteran actress Vyjayantimala.

Although Esha’s half-brothers, Sunny and Bobby Deol, were not present at her sangeet and mehendi ceremonies, they managed to attend her wedding.

Saif Ali Khan

 

 

A.R. Rahman

Dhanush

Meera Jasmine

Hema Malini and Dharmendra

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