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author: Aishwarya Fan category:
- Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra opts for Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag music - After Ashutosh Gowariker, another Rahman loyalist in Bollywood has had to reluctantly switch to another composer. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra who worked wonders out of Rahman in Rang De Basanti and Delhi 6 and had resolved never to work with another composer, was compelled to look towards Shankar- Ehsaan-Loy for the music of his new project Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (BMB).
"And with good reason," informs a source close to the project. "Mehra was adamant on pulling off a hat trick with Rahman. He waited for months for Rahman to accommodate BMB into his schedule. And Rahman, to his credit, tried his best. It was especially important that Rahman do BMB because of the composer's impressive record with bio-pics Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, The Legend Of Bhagat Singh, Mangal Pandey, Elizabeth. But his impossible schedules and constant travel into three continents left Rahman with little choice."
It was with a heavy heart that Rahman informed Mehra that he couldn't do BMB. That's when Mehra's 'Milkha' Farhan Akhtar stepped into the picture.
Farhan, a close friend of the Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy team, has employed the trio's considerable talent in all his home production from Dil Chahta Hai to Rock On to Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. It was Farhan who suggested Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy as a worthy replacement for Rahman.
Outwardly Mehra seems happy enough with the change. Says the charged director, "I've been very keen to work with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy for many years. We go back almost 20 years. Ehsaan had composed music for my first ad film. Loy and I know each other from my student days in Delhi. Shankar's first music score for an ad film was for me. They've already composed 4 songs for Milkha. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy are going to sweep all the awards and win a million hearts with this score."
As for Rahman, Mehra refuses to comment on his quiet exeunt from Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.
Earlier it was Ashutosh Gowariker who after getting resonant music in Lagaan, Swades and Jodhaa Akbar from Rahman had to switch to a new composer Sohail Sen in What's Your Raashee and Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se, both resounding flops.
Rakeysh Mehra is trying his best to re-focus on the altered musical state in his creative ambit.
The film begins shooting at the end of February and will be completed in July. - Munnabhai team back with Fools - The MUNNABHAI team is back! Sangeeth Sivan, who has directed various genres in the past, but is best known for the rib-tickling hits APNA SAPNA MONEY MONEY and KYAA KOOL HAI HUM, has teamed Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi for the principal roles in his next laughathon, titled FOOLS. "Sanju was the first to come on board. He loved the script," Sivan states. FOOLS will be produced by T.P. Aggarwal and will be filmed extensively in Europe.
Meanwhile, Sivan is all set to start APNA SAPNA MONEY MONEY-2 for Mukta Arts. "We are still in the process of writing the script," Sivan divulges, "The film will have a mix of original stars of the film along with new names, who will be finalized once the writing is complete." - Genelia to be brand ambassador of Rasna - After having created a 'bubblicious' sandstorm of sorts with her memorable performance in her debut film Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Naa, Genelia D'Souza has always charmed her way to the viewers' minds and hearts alike.
She recently made national news after exchanging the nuptial vows with her sweetheart Riteish Deshmukh. And now, the actress is being chosen as the brand ambassador of the soft drink concentrate Rasna, if the market buzz is to be believed.
The official announcement of the same is expected to happen anytime now. - Dhanush composes anthem for Sachin Tendulkar - Dhanush has become the talk of the town with his song 'Kolaveri Di'. With offers pouring in for all fronts, Dhanush is currently the most sought after performer. However, the south Indian actor is now busy with his next composition and this time it's an anthem for the cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar.
In association with an energy drink brand, Dhanush has created the anthem that will also feature Southern actress Anushka shaking a leg with him in it. Dhanush has also directed the music video. - Global talent hunt for Aashiqui-2 - Mukesh Bhatt and Mahesh Bhatt have emerged one of India's leading film production houses. Their company Vishesh Films enters into 25th year in 2012 and the Bhatts are gearing up for the release of not just one/two films, but four films this year. It begins with BLOOD MONEY [on 30 March], followed by JANNAT-2 [4 May], RAAZ-3 [31 August] and AASHIQUI-2 [7 December]. What's interesting is that three out of four releases this year are sequels of successful films.
Meanwhile, there's tremendous curiosity about AASHIQUI-2, which will be directed by the talented Mohit Suri. So here's some exclusive info on the film…
Cast: The Bhatts have decided to hold a global talent hunt to choose the lead cast of the film. Like the first part, the sequel will star new faces in principal roles. The talent hunt will be announced shortly.
Music: The first part had a lilting musical score and marked the arrival of music composers Nadeem-Shravan. The sequel will have fresh songs, except for one track from the original film. This time, however, the Bhatts will opt for multiple music composers.
Release date: The Bhatts are known for adhering to budgets and schedules and that's one of the prime reasons why they tend to lock the release date of their film/s even before they are launched. The release date of AASHIQUI-2 has also been decided upon, even before the cast is finalized. It's 7 December.
Meanwhile, Mukesh Bhatt's son, Vishesh, is all set to make his debut as an actor in the 25th year of Vishesh Films. The Bhatts will formally announce Vishesh's directorial debut in style. - Dabangg-2 UTV denies acquisition reports - In an official statement to this writer, Siddharth Roy Kapur of UTV has denied the corporate entity has acquired the rights of DABANGG-2. Says he, "There have been irresponsible reports in certain sections of the media that UTV has bought the rights for DABANGG-2 for Rs. 140 crores, despite us clearly denying this. We would like to clarify that UTV has not purchased the rights of the movie in question. We have been very open about announcing our new projects and communicated them to the media and will continue to do so. We hope this puts all speculations to rest."
- DAR Motion Pictures Nikhil Advani join hands for Sudhir Mishras Mehrunissa - Putting to rest all the speculation behind the producers of Sudhir Mishra's dream project Mehrunissa, Nikhil Advani's Emmay Entertainment Private Limited (Emmay) and DAR Motion Pictures, today announced that they have joined hands, coming together to produce and present this project.
On producing Mehrunissa, Arun Rangachari, Chairman, DAR Capital Group, says, "Mehrunissa is today among one of the most anticipated movies within the industry being propelled and helmed by some of the best in the business. This apart, the movie perfectly matched our sensibilities of what we would define as good commercial cinema and we had absolutely no hesitation partnering in this project. It is an honour to be part of a project of this stature."
Set in the beautiful locales of Lucknow, Mehrunissa is a romantic drama with light hearted moments that track the enmity of two bitter rivals and their past bromance. Alternating between the present and the past the story deals with their actions when the love of their life returns to their world.
Commenting on his association with DAR, Nikhil Advani says, "Mehrunissa is a project that is very close to all our hearts. Being one of the most interesting and challenging films coming out of our banner this year meant that it was essential that our partner's sensibilities, vision, values, etc. were completely in sync with Sudhir and us. Our decision to partner with DAR was in this very spirit."
Director Sudhir Mishra sharing the same sentiment said, "Mehrunissa has lived with us for a very long time, and having a partner like DAR on board is an added strength. A project of this stature needs a strong foundation; DAR & Emmay provide exactly that & more". - Imran to dine with Mauritian Prime Minister - Things seem to be going great for Imran Khan. He had a good run at the box office last year and very recently he treated himself with the car of his dreams - a custom made Ferrari.
Now we hear that the young actor has received an invitation from the Prime Minister's office to dine with him at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi on February 7. The dinner is arranged for the Prime Minister of the Republic of Mauritius, Dr Navinchandra Ramgoolam and his wife Mrs Veena Ramgoolam, who will be visiting India. Dr Ramgoolam and his wife like Imran Khan's work and requested to meet him and that is how Imran got an invite to the dinner. - Jackky in remake of Ala Modalaindi - In spite of the sleeper-hit F.A.L.T.U, Vashu Bhagnani's son Jackky's career seems stuck, first for the want of a top notch leading lady and now for a director. First it was the FA.L.T.U director Remo D'Souza who begged off from doing a sequel. Apparently, relations between the two soured during the making of F.A.L.T.U to the extent that Remo had confided to a cast member that he would not return for the FA.L.T.U sequel.
Rajkumar Santoshi who had been signed by the Bhagnanis to direct the son is directing another film with Abhay Deol in the lead.
The latest we hear is that Vashu has bought the rights of a Telugu hit Ala Modalaindi which he wants Gautham Menon to remake in Hindi with Jackky in the lead.
The original Telugu hit released in January 2011 starred Nani and was a box-office sensation. Vashu apparently insists that Menon who directed Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein for Vashu 11 years ago, do the Hindi remake of Ala Modalaindi.
Says Menon, "Yes, I've been asked to do a Telugu remake. But I am not really interested in doing that remake at this point of time. My two Hindi films so far have been remake of my own Tamil films. Besides, I am also planning to remake my Kamal Haasan starrer Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu."
In fact the producer of the original Tamil film Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu have dubbed the film Hindi and are all set to release it. The only way Menon can stop the Tamil film being released in the dubbed Hindi avatar is by agreeing to do the Hindi remake for the same producers of the original Tamil film.
Says Menon, "If I have to stop the dubbed version of Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu from being released, I've to do the remake for the same producer. So, that's the third remake in Hindi in a row for me. I remade my Minnale for Vashuji and I've just completed Ek Dewaana Tha which is also a remake. I'd rather do an original film for Vashuji and Jackky." - Madhuris wax statue to be unveiled on March 7 - By now its common knowledge that Madhuri Dixit is the next Bollywood star who would be waxed at the famous Madame Tussauds wax museum in London.
The 'Dhak Dhak' girl's statue will be unveiled on March 7. Madhuri tweeted, "Madame Tussaud's unveiling on March 7th, 2012. C u then!"
Madhuri will be joining the likes of Amitabh Bachcham, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Hrithik Roshan at Madame Tussauds.
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