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'Krrish' bonds with Urmila's family
By IANS
Aug 16, 2006, 06:37

Mumbai, Aug 16 (IANS) Hrithik Roshan is unaware of it, but he has an intense bond with Urmila Matondkar and her family.

'It's all because of 'Krrish',' laughed Urmila.

'My five-year old nephew Anurag, with his two front teeth missing, thinks he's Krrish. He's completely taken up with the character, cap and all. I don't think any character has made such an impact on children's minds. I think Hrithik rocks in the film,' Urmila told us.

The entire Matondkar family has been made to watch 'Krrish' a number of times just so the little fan can get enough of his icon.

So why doesn't Urmila introduce her little moppet to his super-hero?

'Oh I am thinking about it. But I'm seriously worried that Anurag will refuse to recognise Hrithik as Krrish. So close is his identification with Krrish that he would probably refuse to accept that Hrithik played the character. I suppose that's the ultimate compliment to the brilliance of the actor.'

What's new? Hrithik's impact as a performer on impressionable minds has by now become legendary.

'This happened at the time when 'Kaho Naa...Pyaar Hai' had been released. Sridevi and Boney Kapoor's first-born Jhanvi was just a toddler and she fell completely in love with Hrithik!

'She had packed this little suitcase and she'd go and stand in her balcony and wave to every plane that would fly above her home. That little girl would tell everyone that Hrithik was going to come down from the plane and take her away,' said Shabana Azmi.

Hrithik has always been as pleased as punch about his connectivity with kids.

'It feels good to be liked by children. Believe me, I know how hard it is to be a child. I was very shy and introverted as a child. I couldn't speak properly to strangers. For a long time, I couldn't even take an appointment with a doctor.

'My mother or sister would do that for me. In school I kept to myself. I was always left out of all cultural activities. I had to work hard to break the barriers that I had built around me to be competent at my job as an actor.'

He says kids are his loyal fans.

'An actor has to reach out to millions of people. I can't tell you how happy I feel to have made contact with kids through 'Koi... Mil Gaya'. Children are my most loyal films fans. Both 'Koi... Mil Gaya' and 'Krrish' appealed to the child within me.

'So, I guess they connected with the child within audiences. I don't make conscious efforts to appeal to any particular section of viewers. My main aim as an actor is to take our cinema to the next level.

'And that's where 'Koi... Mil Gaya' took a small step, though we projected it as big Indian sci-fi flick. But 'Krrish' is a giant leap.'

He has been under the weather for two weeks now, ever since he returned to Mumbai from his long shooting schedule of 'Dhoom 2' in South Africa.

'It's some kind a viral attack. I can't feel the energy and vitality I normally feel. Can't eat properly and don't feel my normal enthusiasm for anything.

'It's not as though I'm totally ill either, so this in-between state of being is quite annoying.'

But Hrithik has to continue working.

'Unfortunately, my work ethics haven't permitted me the luxury of rest. I've been shooting right through.'

'Rocky' - another rebel without a cause
By IANS
Aug 16, 2006, 06:38

New Delhi, Aug 16 (IANS) An angry young man trying to change society... that not very new storyline forms the premise of the Zayed Khan starrer 'Rocky - The Rebel' that releases Friday.

It is a story of today's youth, fighting to make this world an ideal place to live in.

The film revolves around Rocky (Zayed Khan), a rebel who can't stand injustice, social discrimination and so on.

While fighting corruption, something as old as history books, Rocky has to face opposition from his father who tells him to stay clear of matters that don't concern him.

But Rocky turns a deaf ear to his father's advice, arguing that this kind of irresponsible attitude was destroying society.

Rocky's family manages to accept their son's ideology. But destiny has something else in store for him and he finds himself in murky waters waging a battle for survival.

What does the ultimate battle in Rocky's life hold for him?

Zayed has yet to establish himself as a bankable actor. So far, no film with him as a solo hero has worked.

The track record of Suresh Krissna, director of 'Rocky', is not impressive either. He made duds like 'Love' with Salman Khan and Revathi, 'Jagruti', which also had Salman with Karisma Kapoor, and the Kamal Hassan starrer 'Abhay'.

'Rocky' might go that same way.

I have nothing to impress or prove to people: Urmila
By UNI
Aug 16, 2006, 06:45

Mumbai, Aug 16. (UNI): Bollywood actress Urmila Matondkar says that she is going through a phase in her career, where she does not want to do every film that comes her way.

"Every actor goes through this phase. I am looking for different films, better roles. I feel this is part of the growing up process of any actor. A stage comes when you cannot say yes to every film that comes your way. I have nothing to impress or prove to people. I want to take my art and performance to newer heights," Urmila told us when asked why she is been seen less on screen in recent times.

She said her next release will be Onir's 'Bas Ek Pal' with Juhi Chawla, Sanjay Suri and others while Vikram Bhat's 'Speed' starring herself with Zayed Khan and Aftab Shivdasani is also ready for release.

"There are a couple of more projects, which are in the pipeline including Ramgopal Varma Ki Sholay, where I will perform Helen's dance number 'Mehbooba'. I am eagerly looking forward to it because I love dancing," she said.

Urmila, who will judge SaharaOne's reality show 'Superstars' along with choreographer Shiamak Davar beginning this month says both she and Shiamak are positive minded people and she does not feel the need to be harsh on participants.

'Ahista Ahista' is all about finding true love
By IANS
Aug 16, 2006, 06:37

New Delhi, Aug 16 (IANS) There is no dearth of love story manufacturers in Bollywood, and the latest to join this already crowded list is Shivam Nair with his directorial debut 'Ahista Ahista' starring Abhay Deol and Soha Ali Khan that releases Friday.

The film is about a small town girl standing at the crossroads of life, clueless about her future, spotted by a young man who unconsciously starts putting her life back on track.

The so-called atypical love story revolves around Ankush (Abhay Deol) and Megha (Soha Ali Khan), two complete strangers ignorant about each other's existence till destiny throws them together.

The only common thing in their lives is that all the changes take place ahista ahista (slowly).

Megha, who lives in Nainital, is head over heels in love with Dheeraj (Shayan Munshi). Ankush is a simple young man earning a few bucks by standing up as a witness for young couples getting married at a marriage registrar's office in Delhi. It is here that the two meet.

Dheeraj promises marriage and Megha runs away from home, but he ditches her because he was not serious about her in the first place.

It is too late for Megha to retrace her steps. Shattered and disillusioned, she is spotted by Ankush who tries to support her in every possible way.

He finds a job for her and also gives her moral and emotional support. Meanwhile, he, too, starts concentrating on his career and his hard work pays off. Ankush becomes a bank representative whose job is to help people open their accounts.

Life begins to change slowly. While Megha becomes more confident and is able to erase her past, Ankush realises his worth and joins a leading bank as an assistant manager.

Their togetherness brings them emotionally close and they start relying on each other for small things in their day-to-day life.

But there is a twist in the tale -- Dheeraj returns and wants Megha back.

What will Megha do? Will she choose her first love Dheeraj or Ankush?

Imtiaz Ali, who earlier directed Abhay's debut film 'Socha Na Tha', has scripted the film and Himesh Reshammiya has composed the music.

Both Soha and Abhay are good actors and 'Ahista Ahista' should strike the right chord.

After 'Omkara' and 'Yun...', Konkona dying to do theatre
By IANS
Aug 16, 2006, 06:37

Mumbai, Aug 16 (IANS) With two releases in two weeks, Konkona SenSharma is all over the place with critics and audiences raving about her performances in Naseeruddin Shah's directorial debut 'Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota' and Vishal Bharadwaj's 'Omkara'.

Next on the anvil is the thriller with Irrfan Khan titled 'Deadline'.

But right now this versatile actress is more keen to act in a play with Naseer.

'Did Naseer really like my performance?' she wondered. 'Throughout the film he kept teasing me, 'Why did I take this ugly untalented girl?' I love him. I wish I could act with him.'

'I've asked him to let me be in a play with him. I've been dying to do theatre for a while. In fact, I've asked my 'Mixed Doubles' director-co-star Rajat Kapoor also to let me do a play with him. But no one listens to me,' Konkona told us.

She's excited to be working with Rituparno Ghosh for the third time.

'I'm always doing Hindi and Bengali films. But in 'Sunglass' I get to do both together. I'll get to work with such a wide variety of acting talent.'

She talks about her role in Naseer's film with enthusiasm.

'There were four stories in 'Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota'. And in each, one character wants to go away to the US. I'm a Bengali girl in an arranged marriage. She's unable to get along with her in-laws. There're characters in the film who try to escape from their past.'

Talking about 'Omkara', she said: 'I've never done anything like 'Omkara'. That's why when I heard the script I dropped everything else to accommodate it.'

She lights up at the mention of her Omkara co-star Saif Ali Khan.

'Saif didn't know the kind of actor I was. But once we got to know each other, we got along really well. He's so cute and talented. I hope he does lots more work like 'Omkara'.

'All my co-stars were from the Bollywood masala background. I was the odd one out. I was intimidated by the bigness of it, quite awestruck by the stars. And the Western UP dialect - that really got me. The others were at least proficient in Hindi. But me?

'I must say watching Ajay (Devgan), Kareena (Kapoor), Saif, Viveik (Oberoi) and Bipasha (Basu) was a humbling experience. They were always on time and they always said their lines correctly. My role is lovely in 'Omkara'.'

Konkona said she wasn't intimidated by Bharadwaj doing Shakespeare.

'Adaptations aren't uncommon. And, besides, I had seen Vishal's 'Maqbool' and loved it. I don't have that many scenes. And they aren't tough to do until the twist at the end that deviates from the original Shakespeare. I had done 'Othello' in college. When Vishal asked me to do Amelia, I couldn't remember that character. But when I heard the script I realised mine wasn't a role that would be easily forgotten.'

Konkona is agog about 'Omkara'.

'It's my first big Bollywood film. Not that my films haven't made money. They're made within a tight budget and are therefore workable.'

She keeps flitting from genre to genre.

'I'm very happy that I'm getting the kind of roles that I do. But I'm not too happy with the scripts that I'm getting. I've been asked to do films in the south. But unless it's super-tempting I don't want to go beyond Hindi and Bengali films. But, yes, the roles can get better.

'I love the smaller films that have done well like 'My Brother Nikhil' and 'Iqbal'. They have battled the big ones. Though not all the realistic films are great. But at least there're people who are courageous enough to take the leap. Some of the mainstream films are quite awful. But some of them are superb. I loved 'Main Hoon Na' and 'Bunty Aur Babli'.'

She has a guest appearance in Madhur Bhandarkar's 'Traffic Signal'.

'I play this foul-mouthed character. If I knew I'd have to use so much abusive language I'd have never done it. When Madhur approached me he said it was just the role of a confident street worker, smoking cigarettes. I wasn't sure. But he insisted.

'My mom will get a heart attack when she hears me in 'Traffic Signal', poor woman. It was very embarrassing to use some of these words in front of the whole unit. I didn't even know what some of them meant. For bhadwe (p***) I kept saying bhanwre. It was very embarrassing. But Madhur had so faith in me.'

No new films for Konkona except Anurag Basu's 'Metro'.

'I believe Anurag's 'Gangster' is a good film. I've to see it. That's why I want to do 'Metro'. I've agreed to do it. But let me hear the whole script. I've to come across a script that excites me. Not that I'm a very good judge of a script.

'Onir's brother-in-law Ashwini Mallick has narrated a good script to me. I was supposed to be in Onir's 'Bas Ek Pal'. But before I could make up my mind they went to another actress. I don't feel about such things. My mom is an actress. I know roles changing hands is quite common.'

Looking forward to the National Award this year for her performance in her mom's '15 Park Avenue'?

'No! Are you mad? The fact that the film is so close to my heart and so many people close to me have appreciated it is reward enough for me. I'm quite happy with my one National Award for 'Mr & Mrs Iyer'.'

Kukunoor's 'Dor' to release in September
By IANS
Aug 16, 2006, 06:37

Mumbai, Aug 16 (IANS) After his award-winning flick 'Iqbal', director Nagesh Kukunoor is ready with yet another starkly different and interesting drama, 'Dor', which is set for a September release.

The film, produced by Sahara One Motion Pictures, canvases the journey of two women whose lives are destined to be intertwined. It stars Ayesha Takia, Gul Panag, Shreyas Talpade, Girish Karnad and Pratiksha Lonkar.

It can be summed up as a story about love, loss, friendship, hope and redemption.

''Dor' is my most challenging and dramatic film to date. Pristine locales, spectacular cinematography and soaring music add up to make it a larger than life film.

'However, at its core, as in all of my films, is the human element - the simplicity of the basic emotions that bind us all,' said Kukunoor.

The director is confident that critics as well as audiences will appreciate his film.

'We all look forward to Nagesh Kukunoor's films because the subject and content are so out of the ordinary and captivating. One may not have anything to do with it but we all instantly connect to it. And after 'Iqbal', we definitely wanted to work with this talented director, said Shantonu Aditya, chief executive officer, Sahara One Media and Entertainment Ltd.

The film is written and directed by Kukunoor and the music is composed by Salim-Suleiman.

Kim puts up a professional front
By MIO Team
Aug 17, 2006, 08:08

Kim Sharma has been tagged 'unprofessional' by filmmakers Akbar Khan and Udaykanth. But she comes with a strong front to prove her detractors wrong. Even though she is recuperating from jaundice she shot for 17 hours at a stretch for Amar Butala's 'Kudiyon Ka Hai Zamaana' for her dates with other actors of the film. Kim is just recovering from jaundice and had been advised 15 days of rest but she had to be on the sets to shoot the song with the combination dates with Rekha. She tells that it was an awesome experience working with Rekha as she had grown up watching her films.

This surely proves that she is not that 'unprofessional' after all. "There are people who indulge in mud-slinging for cheap publicity. After this entire 'unprofessional' episode, the director of Ladies Tailor came to me last week to sign me for another film. I asked him why he wanted to work with me now after calling me unprofessional? He confessed that he did that for publicity. I lost my cool and blasted him. I have always given 100 per cent to my work but in spite of this I am dragged into controversies," says Kim.

Will nice and slow Dia win the race?
By MIO Team
Aug 17, 2006, 08:08

Dia Mirza has shown a steady phase in her career that has helped her to stay around. She prefers to be nice and slow, but the question is that will it help her in the long run? She has been signed for three films with Sanjay Gupta, Vidhu Vinod Chopra's 'Lage Raho Munnabhai' and Apoorva Lakhia's 'Shoot Out At Lokhandwala'. "You get repeated by a producer or director because they like your work and like you as a person. That's how they signed me up. I'm in no hurry to get anywhere. I need to discover myself at my own pace."

Recently she has teamed up with her ex flame Apoorva Lakhia for 'Shoot Out At Lokhandwala' and she is not feeling at all uncomfortable working with him. "There is no degree of awkwardness between us. We were seeing each other a long time back and have both grown since then. In fact I'm very happy I got the opportunity to do this film. I've been single for a long time now and I've reached a point where I don't care what people say," she says.

But Dia is surely heading in good direction with quite a good number of films in her kitty. She is doing 'Alibaug' opposite Sanjay Dutt, Manmohan Mahapatra's film opposite Rahul Bose, Puneet Sira's 'Jai Veeru' and Reema Kagti's 'Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.'

Emraan pays for his prank with Geeta
By MIO Team
Aug 17, 2006, 08:08

Emraan Hashmi is known for his kissing quotient on screen as much as playing pranks with his co-stars on the sets. This time he tried to make Geeta Basra the scapegoat on the sets of Aaditya Dutt's 'Dil Diya Hai'. But he was mistaken, as she was not the lady to take it lightly and it came as a blow to him when she emptied a bottle of water on his head. Thus a harmless prank took an aggressive turn and this time Emraan was at the receiving end.

So what created the spark? Says Geeta, "While waiting for the shot to roll, a fan came up to me and asked me to sign an autograph for him. He handed over a pen to me and said that the pen was a gift from Emraan. When I started to use the pen; I got an electric shock and it fell from my hands. I was so annoyed and baffled by the incident. I got to know later that Emraan was the one responsible for the incident. I was fuming and wanted to get back at him. So as soon as I got the opportunity, I emptied a bottle of water over his head." But Emraan says that it was he who sprayed water on her, which made her lose her cool and make her fume.

Bipasha in pangs of harassment
By MIO Team
Aug 17, 2006, 08:08

Bipasha Basu recently came across an unfortunate incident. She was currently in the U.S. to lead the India Day Parade at Edison Township, New Jersey organized by the Indian Business Association, on August 13th. The parade was to go through New Jersey's Oak Tree Road area populated by Indians and there were many who had gathered in the area to watch the event. But even after two hours of waiting Bipasha was nowhere in sight. After some time she appeared on stage and addressing the crowd publicly accused two of the organizers, who escorted her to the parade, of harassing her physically and mentally, while the organizers tried to evade her from speaking. She said that this in turn has made her to appear late for the event. She spoke to the crowd and left after that ending on the note that her profession demanded respect and she was upset with the behavior meted out to her. The organizers said that they would investigate the allegations and added that Bipasha had violated the contract by arriving late.

'Rocky' not releasing this Friday
By MIO Team
Aug 17, 2006, 08:08

Zayed Khan starrer 'Rocky' was due to release on August 18. But now it has been postponed by a few more weeks. Producer Shyam Bajaj states that it's not wise to release the film in the midst of heavy rains in Maharashtra and Gujarat. "It makes no sense to release your film amidst heavy downpour. Who would venture into a movieplex to catch a film in such a situation? And where are the theatres? Most of them wouldn't function normally under such circumstances," he says. He plans to release the film either on September 1 or 8. The final release date is not confirmed yet.

Arshad wants to break free
By MIO Team
Aug 17, 2006, 08:08

Arshad Warsi is enjoying the second phase of his career but now he is feeling a bit stressed out doing the monotonous kinds of role. So he has decided to break free from the repetitive kinds of role and do something different. He got a new lease of life with 'Munnabhai M.B.B.S' and ever since then has continued with the series of his funny man roles. But he feels that things are going overboard for him now. "There's more to me than playing a funny man in film after film. I don't want to limit myself to one kind of roles. I want serious and different roles to come my way. But the problem is that the roles I usually get belong to the same variety and that leads to repetitiveness. I have had my fill of comic roles. I am not refusing them, but I have definitely cut down on roles that have the same texture. I want to try out various shades," he states.

Bobby missing Ghar & Ghar Ka Khana
By MIO Team
Aug 17, 2006, 08:08

Bobby Deol loves his family and home made food very much. And that's the reason he gets very home sick when he goes abroad for shooting. Recently he had been in Johannesburg for three weeks shooting for Sunil Darshan's 'Shakalaka Boom Boom'. He was surely feeling blue missing his family there. "During my Apne shoot in Bangkok, I took my kids Aryaman and Dharam and Tania with me. This time, I missed my family like crazy. I was alone for three weeks." The worst part is that he survived on salad whole through this phase. Why? Because there is no food like ghar ka khana and he didn't wanted to compromise with anything else. Well good days are not to be seen for this Punjab da puttur as he heads to shoot for Yash Raj's Jhoom Barabar immediately after this.

Pop star Shakira in Bollywood style
By MIO Team
Aug 17, 2006, 08:08

Choreographer turned director Farah Khan has another meaty assignment in her sleeves. She is supposed to choreograph Latino American popstar Shakira in a Bollywood style number and this is an achievement of sorts for her career. She has designed the number for Shakira that will not only have Bollywood-desi steps but she'll also dress up in Indian clothes. "The chorus dancers are definitely going to be wearing low cut ghagra-cholis and Indian jewellery. The steps will be a mix of Bollywood and Western. That's the way I choreograph in India as well. I'd say it's time for Bollywood to make an impact in the US, and the sooner the better. The show will be watched live in 32 countries through MTV America. It's a three minute number with great rhythm," says Farah.

But this may be the last assignment of Farah as she is more inclined to concentrate towards film direction now. "I want to be known as a director now. I just have to give up my dancing dreams. Now I'll only do a bit of choreography for my brother Sajid Khan's film, nothing else," says Farah.

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