Dharma and Junglee Together
It's always an advantage when a reputed brand decides to make a film. And the charm for the movie only doubles when you hear that two big production houses are teaming up to make that movie.
After the success of Talvar, Junglee Pictures decided to rope in the same director, Meghna Gulzar, and make a film that revolved around a Kashmiri girl married to a Pakistani army officer against the backdrop of the 1971 war. This project was announced a few months ago. Now we hear that Dharma Productions will be teaming up with Junglee Pictures and it will be a joint venture. Indeed, great news! And, in all probability, the film will feature Alia Bhatt playing the Kashmiri girl.
The film is expected to go on the floors in June or July.
PS: The film is based on Harinder Sikka's book Calling Sehmat, an espionage-thriller revolving around a Kashmiri woman married to an army officer across the border who provides Indian intelligence agencies with invaluable information during the 1971 Indo-Pak war. This almost single-handedly torpedoes Pakistan's war plans, saving the lives of scores of Indian soldiers.
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PeeCee Opposite Jr AB
We've all heard the talk about Sanjay Leela Bhansali producing a film based on the life of lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi. It had everyone guessing who would play the title role and his love interest in the film.
Among the worthy contenders for the role were many A-List actors. But now we hear that the latest names being mentioned in the film trade are Abhishek Bachchan as Sahir Ludhianvi and Priyanka Chopra playing his love interest in the film.
Bachchan and Chopra have worked together on two earlier occasions, in Bluffmaster and Drona. It would be nice to see them working together once again. Hai, na?
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Nawaz Out, Iranian Enters
No one knows why he refused to be a part of this project. No one knows what happened between the production house and this actor. No one knows, even though he shares a good rapport with the leading man of this film. Still, he refused to be a part of this film.
We are talking about Nawazuddin Siddique. It seems he was approached by YRF for a pivotal role in Salman Khan's Tiger Zinda Hai but he refused it. The production house offered the actor a huge sum but he still said no'. Even though he shares a very good rapport with Salman Khan, Siddique refused the offer. Shocking but true.
Now we hear that YRF has roped in an Iranian actor who, according to a source in the production house, is not only a better actor than Siddique but will also bring in more eyeballs for the movie once his look is revealed. Hmm.
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Gold Postponed?
There was news of Reema Kagti shooting her next directorial Gold featuring Akshay Kumar in the lead from August. In fact, we had written in this column that all the actors had started training as they play hockey players.
Now there's a twist in the tale. News is that the film has been postponed by a couple of months and is expected to go on the floors in October.
Well, the reasons are known only to the production house, Excel.
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Guess Who?
The bond between a creative talent and his or her manager/representative is one of the most sacred and intimate of bonds in our line of work. This is especially true of stars who have to put in tons of work and preparation in multiple projects and also have to juggle the multiple demands on their time. Under these circumstances, the celebrity has little choice but to blindly trust their managers to work in their best interests when it comes to commercial negotiations, project selection etc.
But, alas, trust can often be abused, as this young star found out. This up-and-coming male lead has already notched up a few hits and, not surprisingly, keeps getting offers. When approached for a project that he quite liked, and after listening to the narration, he told the producers to get in touch with his management agency to work out the nitty-gritty of fees, dates etc.
Imagine this star's surprise (read shock) when he learnt that another actor had been signed on for the same role! And not just any other actor - an actor who was also represented by the same agency that the star himself had put the producers on to! The horrified star later found out that the agency itself had talked the producers into changing the male lead. Why? Because the replacement actor commands a bigger fee and therefore a higher commission for the agency!
Very understandably, a big showdown ensued where the young star gave the management a piece of his mind and he is now in the process of disentangling himself from the agency's contract.
Reminds you of the greedy farmer who foolishly killed the hen that lay golden eggs.
Anupamaa
Health and Fitness
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