*B-News* - Page 2

Karan Johar has plans to cast Kajol as his lead heroine. Though no script has been discussed formally, Johar has been working on some project, going to New York to fix locations and has also been meeting NGOs. All this indicates that he is running around to collect materials for his next film "Khan" which is a film on terrorism. And as all of us know that "Khan" is none other than King Khan himself, I guess Kajol will star opposite to SRK. Wow that means the silver screen jodi will be back soon. I so can't wait to see them on screen!

One chance to bring Big B and SRK to share screen space together was Ravi Chopra's Bhoothnath, but even that seems to be of no consequence now. Shahrukh Khan and Juhi Chawla play parents to the kid who, after the family shifts to Goa, finds out a friendly ghost which can be seen only him. Amitabh Bachchan plays the friendly ghost but the actor and SRK has to come together on screen for the climax scene. Disappointingly both won't be exchange any conversation as no one apart from the kid can see the ghost and so doesn't SRK. Hmm…so there is no room for media to cook up stories to fuel the inconvenient relation between the two. But I am sure even if they were asked to converse like in Mohabbattein, the actors would do it with ease. Their professionalism is quite famous after all! The film will be a visual treat for the audience, especially for the kids. And it will be good to see Shahrukh and Juhi together again after a long time. The movie will be ready by July 2007.

Remake Bandwagon has one more entry to it. It is none other than Onir and the movie he plans to remake is his mentor Sai Paranjpye's "Chashme Buddoor". Surprised? Why wouldn't you be surprised? The 1981 roller coaster flick is one of the immortalized comedies of Hindi Film Industry. And no. this time Onir is not thinking of casting his favorite Sajnjay Suri. Though the lead male cast is not thought of, the female lead has been decided. Kareena Kapoor is to step into Deepti Naval's shoes. But Kareena is still to sign on the dotted lines.

"I've already sounded off Kareena for another film. I feel she has a terrific sense of comedy. I'd like to tap that. My take on Chashme Buddoor would follow the original in principle. But the times have changed. My script would incorporate those changes,"says Onir. And as usual when asked about joining the remake bandwagon, the director says this film will be a homepage to his mentor. Oh well that's going for a safe side Onir! I wonder if I would like to see Chashme Buddoor with anyone except Farooque Shaik and Deepti Naval!

As it is a known fact that the 'remake and sequel' bug has bitten bollywood filmmaker a lot, it wasn't a surprise when Boney Kapoor announced the sequel to Mr India. But Shekhar Kapur, the director of the movie is not at all enthusiastic about the sequel and thinks that without Mogambo, the movie will be reduced to trifle. "No, no, I have done it, I am not a robot. Am an imaginative human being like all of you. Why would I do it. Why would I spent year and half doing something that I have already done? Who will play Mogambo? I can't see anybody else being Mogambo," he says. But surely Kapur logic doesn't apply to every film of his. Elizabeth will have its sequel named Golden Age with Cate Blanchett and Clive Owen. His Paani has also been waiting for quite some time now. "Do you have $25 million? I know people who have and the day they give it to me, I will make the movie. It's a very expensive film. It's going to be India's crouching tiger," says Kapur. "It will make $300-400 million worldwide. But I don't want to raise the money from the studio. They will give it to me; any studio in the world will give it to me. But I want the money from here, I want it from what they keep calling Indian corporate," he adds. Good Luck for that Shekhar!

Media and Entertainment in India has proved to be a profitable venture and that is the reason why FICCI conducts a three-day convention every year to discuss the fiscals involved with the entertainment industry and also to sign deals with the entertainment industries of other countries. This years FICCI frames 2007 highlighted a 20 percent growth rate and signed a deal with Italian Production houses. "We are now having co-production in five films but with the agreement I think that this number will grow much higher," said Paolo Gentiloni Silveri Minister of Communication Italy. That means Indian movie are not only doing well globally, but also pulling production houses abroad for collaboration. Great news for entertainment industry in India!

Everyone is waiting for the 27th of April 2007, when the hit jodi- Saif and Rani will appear on screen in Yash Raj Films' "Tara Rum Pum". Directed by Siddharth Anand (of Salaam Namaste fame), this movie also has a sports background to it.

"Saif Ali Khan plays a car racer, a formula one driver who is obsessed with speed. Testing the barriers of speed is what thrills him and sets his adrenalin rushing. Saif is married to Rani in the film and they have two children, a boy and a girl. Together they make a very happy family. But tragedy strikes when Saif meets with a fatal accident on the racetrack. Thereafter, the lives of his wife and kids are changed forever. 'Tara Rum Pum' is about finding hope in the times of crisis," is what the synopsis of the film says. Also catch Saif and Rani's cool get-up in the movie!

Shah Rukh Khan is all set to wind up this season of KBC and he doesn't want anyone to go without winning something. So the way out is to gift all the contestants with a Hundai Santro car. Yes, you have heard this strategy earlier and even Shah Rukh remembers it- The Oprah Winfrey Act! But whatever be the strategy, no contestant from the nine players will go empty-handed on the last day of the season which will be on the 28th of March. Also Shahrukh's cordial gesture with the participants behind the scenes has ended in his secretary settling business partnership offers with the contestants. And SRK is seriously pondering upon some of the offers. I tell you that he is a sweetheart!