A Winner For Sure!
If sources are to be believed, the rushes of ABCD: Any Body Can Dance 2 suggest that Disney has a bumper success on its hands. The producers and director Remo D'Souza are now working towards the trailer launch and the entire team is thrilled with the product.
The plan is to attach the trailer with one of the biggest Hollywood releases of the year, The Avengers: Age of Ultron. Looks like the 24th of this month will be a 3D bonanza. Going by what we've heard about the film, we can confidently say that ABCD 2 is a sequel with blockbuster' written all over it!
Here's congratulating the entire team of ABCD 2 on their huge success, well in advance!!!
Flying High
After receiving accolades for his films, Highway and Rang Rasiya last year, Randeep Hooda is on a winning streak. The actor is now keen on doing more content-driven films and has caught the fancy of not one but several filmmakers in India as well as abroad.
First up, his upcoming film, Main Aur Charles, a biopic of the infamous serial killer Charles Sobhraj, is garnering a huge buzz. Those who have seen the trailer are amazed, not just about Hooda's look in the film but also his impeccably mimicked histrionics of the real-life character.
Next, Hooda will be seen in a Hollywood film, reuniting with acclaimed director Mira Nair with whom he made his acting debut in Monsoon Wedding. He has been offered another hard-hitting role by Youngistan director Syed Ahmad Afzal, for which Hooda has given his nod.
Now we hear that well-known Bengali director Anjan Dutt, who was supremely impressed with Hooda's performance in Kick, also wants to work with him. Dutt says, "Yes, I plan to make a Hinglish film which will have Randeep Hooda in the lead."
It's Not Raaz 4
The trade was buzzing with talk that Mukesh Bhatt's son Vishesh Bhatt would direct his second feature film, which would be sequel to their hit franchise Raaz. But it seems he will not be directing that film and has started working on a love story instead. This film will feature newcomers in the lead. Of course, it will be a musical film!
Vishesh Films To Revamp?
Times are not exactly great in the film industry and many production houses are taking it slow. For instance, Yash Raj Films is looking at content-driven, small-budget films. Similarly, we hear that Vishesh Films, known for making bold films, is taking it slow on the production front. The last few films they made didn't do all that well at the box office and they have decided to take a break and work on a new format. They believe that the kind of films they were making and which were once becoming hits are no longer attracting the audience. So they did some market research. We are not sure what they found out but the only release they have in the near future is Mohit Suri's Hamari Adhuri Kahaani featuring Vidya Balan and Emraan Hashmi.
We also hear that Mahesh Bhatt, who had announced the Saransh remake, to be directed by Hansal Mehta, has put the film on hold. He will be re-working the script. Also, as we mentioned earlier, they will probably not make Raaz 4.
No More Sex Comedy
Sonam Nair, who directed Gippy under Dharma Productions, had announced her next, a sex comedy to be produced by Dharma Productions and Balaji Motion Pictures. Now the project is on the back burner due to the current tangles producers are having with the Censor Board. The makers feel that if their film cannot get to its target audience, there will be no buyers. As a result, Nair has started working on a fresh script (NOT a sex comedy!).
Anand Tiwari To Turn Director
Anand Tiwari, who was last seen as Ajit in Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!, has decided to wear the director's hat. Tiwari is just not an actor. He has directed a few ad films, and after garnering good reviews for his performances in films like Go Goa Gone and Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!, he's decided to take the plunge into direction. "Yes, I have my script almost ready and will soon make an announcement. It's a rom-com. That's all I can reveal now," says Tiwari.
Darshan Kumar Is In
Mary Kom actor Darshan Kumar, who was last seen in NH 10, has been signed by Vikram Phadnis for his directorial debut film Niaalso featuring Bipasha Basu and Rana Daggubati in the lead. A source close to the film reveals, "The makers liked Darshan's acting in Mary Kom and signed him instantly as he fits the bill perfectly. Kumar plays the second lead in the film and will be seen in a never-seen-before role. The actor, on the other hand, has been very choosy about the scripts he selects but he finally gave the go-ahead to the film as he doesn't want to take any chances with his fledgling career."
But there's a bit of trouble for director Phadnis, whose film was to start rolling overseas at the end of April. Shooting will now start at the end of this year. Reason: the producers didn't like the climax and the writers have been asked to re-work it.
Hunt Is On
Art director-turned-director Omung Kumar now wants to wear the producer's hat too. We hear that the director, who has two scripts ready to direct - one on World War II and the other based on sports - is looking for scripts. These scripts are not for him to direct but out-of-the-box scripts, which he wants to produce. Before he starts his directorial film, Kumar wants to produce at least one film.
1911 Postponed?
John Abraham starrer 1911, which is based on football and was to go on floors this year end, has been postponed. The film is produced by JA Entertainment and Rising Sun Films. Turns out, since it's a period film, it requires a huge budget. Second, the producers already have three films lined up for release - Banana, Satra Ko Shaadi and Running Shaadi.Com - and they want to clear their production slate before moving to another film under their banner.
Guess Who?
Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease! Take the example of this department at a studio which witnessed large-scale changes some time ago. A new team was brought in for a critical function, apparently with very handsome pay packets, and the expectation was that they would totally change the fortunes of the studio.
Alas! What the team has gone on to deliver is diametrically opposite to what they were hired to do, and not only has the expected success proven elusive, in fact the studio's track record has become worse than it was before these changes. Even more worrying, the team's unprofessional actions are souring some of the studio's key relationships.
According to the grapevine, the fate of a couple of upcoming films from the studio could well decide the team's continuance. Well, for the studio's sake, we hope it doesn't turn out to be a case of operation successful but patient dead'!
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
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