BOLLYWOOD TODAY - Dec 16th ’06

Actor John Abraham loved Dhoom 2 even though he was not a part of it. Currently, he is looking forward to Kabul Express that hits theatres on Friday. We asked John about his role and he said, "My role in Kabul Express is difficult. In fact, this is one of the toughest films I have done. Especially, towards the end of the shooting, I really had a hard time."

John talks about the illness that he was suffering from during the shoot. "I was running high temperature and despite that, I shot in severe weather conditions. The temperature fluctuated between minus 15 and plus four. Since I was suffering from bronchitis, I was allergic to the fine dust particles," he added. Discussing his shooting blues further, John says, "Believe me, that's the worst time when you feel the inside of your body tearing apart because of the sand all around you. By the time I got out of there and came to the hospital in India, I realised I had typhoid too. It was bad."

Besides the health problems, there were death threats too. "Well, there were several radio signals that were intercepted by the Raw (Research and Analysis Wing), which is equivalent to the FBI in the US, and I was advised by them not to announce that my life was in danger. So I spoke to my producer Aditya Chopra and they stalled the shooting for three days," reveals John.

Dwelling further on the extraordinary experience, John says, "But I realised that our producer had made amazing arrangements for the entire unit's security. The credit for that also goes to Kabir Khan, the Indian Embassy in Afghanistan and the Afghan government. Except for an occasional suicide-bombing, the bullets flying over our heads, and a few missiles here and there, we were safe. After all this, coming back to India was such a blessing," says the Garam Masala actor with a sigh of relief.

Kabul Express is based on Kabir Khan's real-life experi ence as a journalist, and John portrays Kabir Khan on screen. When asked about his experience playing Kabir, John says, "Kabir and I are very similar when it comes to certain things. Kabir loves to take risks. He loves dangerous places and I think I am the same when it comes to bike rides. The only thing where Kabir and I differ is our belief in God. Kabir is an atheist, while I wholly believe in the presence of the supreme."

The Dhoom actor observed that Indians have done a lot for Afghanistan. "Even the roads there have been built by Indians. Not only that, the educational institutions, hospitals, art and museums have been made by them," he elaborates. He continues on the Hindustani aspect of Afghanistan, "People there are passionate about Hindi films and don't let anything stand in the way of this passion. Hindi films are a religion for them. They know every song, dance, action and dialogue of every film. What took me by surprise was when I saw a John Abraham haircutting salon, style of haircut and a photo studio in Mazar-E-Sharif." The actor smiles about his popularity in Afghanistan and says, "However, my name was conveniently changed to Ibrahim. They believe that I have roots over there because my mother is Iranian."

Remember actor Abhishek Kapoor who made his debut with Uff! Yeh Mohabbat opposite Twinkle Khanna? Well, the actor is all set to make his debut as a director with Aryan, starring Sohail Khan and Sneha Ullal in the lead. The first thing the director does is that he makes a clarification about the delay of the film. The film was to hit theatres five months ago. Surprisingly, it never saw the light of the day. We ask him what went wrong, and he says, "Reliance was to distribute the film. It was a time when they were planning to get into film distribution. Besides Aryan, there were some four or five other films they are also considering."

He adds, "I don't know what happened, but Reliance suddenly decided not to go ahead with their film distribution plans. And our plans got stuck." He continues his point by saying, "Instead of releasing the film in a haphazard manner through another distributor, I thought why not wait patiently for a few more months and work out deals with other distributors and release it through the one who offers the best deal." He says that since he has got a good deal with K. Sera Sera, he thinks that it is the right time to release the film.

Abhishek says that right from its inception to its release, he had a difficult time making Aryan. "Yes, it was difficult. But then which creative work is not difficult? The situation was tight for me because Aryan is a film with a sports theme and no producer or distributor is willing to touch such a film. I had a tough time convincing people, and with great difficulty, things fell into place," admits Abhishek. Thankfully, the producer that he found was cooperative and he fully supported him. "It was he who got a boxing specialist from Australia for the boxing sequences that we have shot for the film," reveals Abhishek.

Before we question further, Abhishek adds, "No, Aryan is not based on the Hollywood hit Rocky, although it bears resemblance to it. The script that i have written is absolutely original." Hadn't he approached Urmila Matondkar first for the female lead? "Yes. In fact, I had approached many actresses. But then, I was a struggling director, so I never got a good response. I saw Sneha shooting for Lucky and I told Sohail that this is the kind of girl I need for my film. And I must say that she has done full justice to the character that she plays in the film," he added.

Speaking about Sneha's character in the film, Abhishek says that she plays a young girl who gets pregnant out of wedlock. He discusses the emotional aspect of the character and says, "Your heart will reach out to her. Sneha fits the bill perfectly."

After Mallika Sherawat signed a Rs 50 lakh deal for a New Year performance at a plush hotel in Mumbai, it is actress Neha Dhupia who has cracked a deal for a huge sum for her performance at the Country Club. An insider revealed, "Neha is going to perform a medley. The actress has charged an astronomical sum for that one stage appearance." Guess actresses want to make hay while the sun shines. What say.

Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt has resumed shooting with Indra Kumar's Dhamaal. Dutt chose not to shoot for any film till the Tada court gave its verdict in the 1993 blasts case. But he made an exception for Apoorva Lakhia's shootout at Lokhandwala. The Munnabhai M.B.B.S. actor was found guilty under the Arms Act, but was acquitted under Tada. The court has postponed Dutt's hearing till December 19.

Meanwhile, Dutt will be shooting for Kumar's film which has no heroine in it. Besides Dutt, Dhamaal also stars actors Riteish Deshmukh, Viviek Oberoi, Arshad Warsi, Sohail
Khan, Aashish Chaudhary, and Aftab Shivdasani.

Elizabeth Hurley and her fiance Arun Nayar are going on a joint diet to get in shape for their wedding. The couple, who are set to tie the knot in Arun's native India next March, are embarking on a special eating plan and demanding fitness regime to get in shape for the big day.

Liz told Britain's Daily Express newspaper, "I've decided to go on a health regime because I'm getting married. Arun and I decided that, when we marry, we want to be really fit and healthy." She further added, "I am going to do three sessions of exercise a week and ensure that I'm eating a low-fat diet with plenty of natural vitamins. Over the next four months, we will transform into a glowing god and goddess."

The Austin Powers actress, who previously dated actor Hugh Grant, decided to change her lifestyle after starting to feel run down by her busy professional life. She said, "I've travelled so much, I get no sleep and I do no exercise and feel dreadful."