Masand: Gossip of the Week | September 15th

Life without Children

Abhishek Bachchan, who is currently shooting Happy New Year in Dubai, has found a kindred spirit in his director Farah Khan. Both are reportedly missing their respective children and can't stop talking about them.

While Abhishek's little girl, Aradhya, has been jet-setting with mum Aishwarya across the country as the actress fulfils her commitments to the various brands she endorses, Farah's five-year-old triumvirate"Czar, Anya and Diva"have been at home in Mumbai with their daddy Shirish Kunder, who is responsible for making sure that they don't miss a day of school while mum's busy working.

Farah is likely to be reunited with her children this week when they visit her in Dubai, but she tweeted earlier: This is the longest iv been without my babies...missing them sooo much that am ogling random kids in the lobby and sighing.' When Abhishek responded to her on Twitter saying he was missing his own daughter just as much, Farah suggested a plan: 2nite U n me dinner at nobu's n only talking about our babies..'

Ah, it's a shame there was no paparazzi around to capture the sight of two misty-eyed adults staring at pictures of their kids in between helpings of the best sushi at the Atlantis' busiest restaurant that evening.

Deepika Padukone's agents insist that the producers of The Fast & The Furious 7 offered the actress a plum role in their fast cars franchise, but she simply didn't have the dates to accommodate the film in her schedule.

It's true that principal photography on the newest installment of the F&F series began earlier this week in Atlanta, and that Deepika is shooting Happy New Year in Dubai. It's also true that once done with this schedule of HNY, she'll return to Mumbai to promote Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Ram Leela (which releases in November), and dive straight into her Cocktail director Homi Adajania's Finding Fanny Fernandes in Goa, following which she'll get into Imtiaz Ali's next with Ranbir Kapoor.

Her representatives say Deepika's date diary, currently choc-a-bloc with A-list projects, hardly allows room to squeeze in a Hollywood film, especially one that requires bulk dates all the way from now until mid-2014. Alas, none of our other desi leading ladies was offered the role after DP said no (and many auditioned for the job, as we told you last week). Rumour has it that a British actress has been signed on for the part.

Nevertheless, there still may be a desi connection in the film. Watch this space, I'll spill the beans only after the cameras have rolled on this cameo.

She's always had a reputation for bullying her employees. Ask anyone who has worked with this producer and the first thing they'll likely bring up is her combative temperament. There are stories of directors being fired, actors being yelled at, writers being sacked impulsively. This aggressive behaviour notwithstanding, her instincts have proved correct most times.

Lately, though, more than a few bad decisions have been made. A string of box-office flops suggests that her Midas touch may be fading. Earlier this year, reports surfaced that she'd clashed with a respected filmmaker over the climax of a horror film they'd jointly produced. She reportedly demanded that the ending be reshot as per her instructions. The veteran suggested sticking to the original script, but Ms Moneybags had her way eventually. The film bombed.

Two big budget star vehicles also tanked and now, as her studio readies to release their latest"the sequel to another small-budget horror flick"no chances are being taken. Apparently, the producer has been present on the set frequently, something she didn't do too often in the past, and has even directed scenes herself, insisting on specific camera angles and shots.

Money will come and go, she's fond of saying; it's her reputation as a savvy producer she's hoping to salvage.