~~~~~~~SNAPSHOTS~~~~~~~ NO0VEMBER'16th'06

Although her films like Bas Ek Pal and Waris Shah haven't done well at the box office, Juhi Chawla feels that it has made no difference to her career. "I don't know what went wrong with these films. I just did my job because I enjoyed these films. But from now on I won't be doing any Punjabi films. After director Manoj Punj expired, the entire team was shattered. I don't think I could work with any other director now.

I did two films with him — Des Ho Ya Pardes which was based on the troubled times of Punjab in the '80s, and now Waris Shah. Their films were so good that I cannot settle for anything else now," says Juhi.
Currently working for Ganesh Acharya's debut venture, the actress reveals that working with the choreographer has always been a pleasure.

"I have worked with Ganesh in Mr and Mrs Khiladi and Ishq. He is so passionate about his film and it is this passion which intrigues me. His film reminds me of Hrishikesh Mukherjee's films with sweet, touching moments. When Ganesh narrated the script to me, I got very emotional when I heard the last bit, that touched me enough to me sign the film," says Juhi.

Juhi plays a south Indian housewife who is married to Manoj Bajpai, and has a five-year-old child. It is the journey of a man that spans across 20 years and the film is based on true incidents of Ganesh's life.
So what are her plans for the future? "I am doing Ravi Chopra's Bhootnath, an endearing film for children with an emotional ending. I am also doing Nikhil Advani's Salaam-e-Ishq," replies the chirpy actress.

Actress Sameera Reddy is upset. There have been rumours that the Musafir actress is dating an NRI by the name of Harsh Toprani. However, a source close to Sameera revealed, "The rumours are absolutely baseless. Sameera does not even know who this Harsh Toprani is. You just happen to talk to someone and tongues begin to wag." The source also added that because of the kind of profession Sameera is in, there are always relatives and friends who like to gossip and this is how rumours spread like wildfire. "I think the media should just leave her alone," the source said.

In his version of Sholay, Ram Gopal Varma has reportedly revamped almost all the immortal characters from Ramesh Sippy's 1975 hit film. In fact, the relationships that bound the memorable characters in the film have also been completely moved around to suit the dark contemporary underworld milieu where Varma has set his film. The widow-in-white Radha, played by Jaya Bachchan in the earlier classic, is now named Devi, who no longer wears white, but sparkling black.

In Ram Gopal Varma Ke Sholay, Radha is not Thakur's silently grieving daughter-in-law, but will be seen as the widow of inspector Ranveer's (Mohanlal) brother. Varma's Devi, a trained nurse, is far more aggressive in her desire for revenge than Radha could've ever been. Her relationship with one of the two mercenaries, who are hired by Ranveer to exterminate the gangster and his goons, also takes a course quite different from Sippy's Sholay.

Hema Malini's extroverted loud tangewali Basanti in Sholay transforms in Varma's Sholay into Ghungroo, to be played by Nisha Kothari. Ghungroo is the only female auto-rickshaw driver in Mumbai who throws attitude like a man, but is feminine at heart. Deviating completely from Basanti's tonga and horse Dhanno, Ghungroo's auto, which is named Laila, is going to be a state-of-the-art creation.

While the widow Radha and the outspoken and flamboyant Basanti never came together in Sippy's film, Devi and Ghungroo will be seen as very close friends. "So far, I haven't decided on the personality and look of the girls. I feel Devi and Ghungroo are the women of today," Varma said. Apart from these characters, the two male protagonists Jai and Veeru are also being seriously revamped and modified to suit the requirements of Varma's new-age Sholay.

Varma's Sholay is about an encounter cop, who's on a massive hunt for a gangster. In retaliation, the gangster kills the cop's brother, leaving his wife a widow. This cop and his widowed sister-in-law live in a part of Mumbai where the gangster terrorises the residents to evacuate the space so that a builder can build a shopping mall. The cop takes the help of these two jobless out-of-towners.

Director David Dhawan seemed to have practically disappeared from the Hindi film scenario after Shaadi No. 1. He informs that he is currently busy with his next venture Partners. The film stars Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif and Lara Dutta in the lead and it will also see Govinda and David coming together after nearly half a decade.

The director, known for his comedies, is all set to make a trendy and stylish film aimed at the youth. Ask him about the story and the artistes who would play the lead in it and Dhawan says, "The only thing I can say now is that the film will hit the floors next year with a phenomenal starcast. I want my fans to wait for the suspense."

Tips Music has signed on ace music director Annu Mallik for its forthcoming home production, that will go on the floors in early 2007. Mallik has worked wonders with Tips Music previously too with films like Soldier, Ishq Vishq, Fida, Najayaz and Phir Teri Kahaani Yaad Ayee. The music director has had quite a successful year, with hits like Jaan-e-Mann and Umrao Jaan still topping the charts.