I don't want to talk about John - Bipasha Basu

Bipasha Basu had no mentor and no camps. Yet she has made it in the big league. This year, she has quite a few films lined up for release. In a chat with Deepak Bhatt, she talks about her career and future plans.

Q: Have you made mistakes and learnt from them?

A: Who doesn't make mistakes? Is anybody perfect? I made mistakes initially, since I do not come from a filmi background. Actually, I am a very headstrong girl. If I want to do something I will do it, no matter what it takes. I have the courage to admit my mistake. I am not embarrassed of anything that I have done in this industry and I have not hurt anyone by what I am doing. I am very clean on that.

Q: Ever repented that you did not have a godfather?

A: You must be kidding. I am very confident and never pessimistic. Half the battle is won if you are positive in life. I knew my work will do the talking. As an outsider, my path has been, perhaps, a little more difficult than those of star kids. But ultimately the audiences have to like you. Today I am proud of the fact that I am a familiar name. 

Q: Why did you start doing so many multi-starrers? 

A: I worked so hard on so many films - like 'Madhoshi', 'Rakht' and 'Chehra', which no one even saw. But I smartened up after all the flops. And decided to do some multi-starrers. 'No Entry' was part of this scheme of mine. 

It was while doing this film I realised that I was enjoying working in a multi-starrers. If you can make your presence felt among ten other actors, you know that you have done a truly good job. 

Q: But you are solo in 'Corporate'?

A: In 'Corporate', I will be seen with nearly 35 actors. So you can't call it a solo film per se. It was great working with Madhur Bhandarkar. At this point, I am doing films only with people I am comfortable with. I am even doing some special appearances because I want to work with certain filmmakers. But please note that I am not in the rat race. 

Q: You almost didn't do 'Phir Hera Pheri'?

A: This is one more question where you will yet again get an honest reply. True, I had apprehensions about doing the film initially, when the director changed (Satish Kaushik was supposed to direct it). But then I weighed that Neeraj Vora was a good choice. 

Q: What's your role in 'Phir Hera Pheri'?

A: I like doing comedy and I am pretty comfortable while doing it. It's not that I have become pucca expert at it, but I have fewer inhibitions about doing a comedy, now. With 'No Entry' and 'Phir Hera Pheri' I have taken a step forward and increased my repertoire of acting.

Q: That didn't answer my question?

A: Oh yeah! Like everyone else in the film, I am also running after money. For the better part of the film, the others are chasing me.

Q: Your tapes with an indecent conversation with a politican made national news?

A: It was the first time I felt vulnerable in this industry. Nothing has affected me- breakups, flops, fatness- but this is the only time things were too much out of hand. 

There is not an iota of truth in it. I felt cheated and violated. I cried and howled as child. I don't want an apology. I am still going ahead with my legal proceedings. I am trying to move it in my own way. 

Q: What are your future plans?

A: I want to start a restaurant but do not have time for it right now. I could hire people to do it, but frankly I want to do it myself. I also want to have a fashion label and a health spa. All these, apart from getting married, of course.

Q: Something about John?

A: Time and again, I have spoken extensively about John. He is not a national monument for me to keep talking about him.

Q: John is passionate about bikes. And you are passionate about?

A: My passion is to work out, eat good and be good to my family, friends and my boyfriend. I am a very basic and simple person. Frankly, I am too simple.

Note: This discussion had placed at Hotel Pride on 28.08.2012 between Deepak Bhatt & Bipasha Basu.

Leadership Lessons from Auto Driver's Son Faisal Khan who wins DID Li'l Masters 2

Faisal Khan, the handsome 13 year old teenager from Mumbai has grabbed the winner trophy of the DID (Dance India Dance) Li’l Masters Season 2. Faisal’s father is an autorickshaw driver.

Proving the fact that talent is not bound to any class or category, Khan, who belongs to a a poor family now walked away with the trophy and a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh in presence of a massive gathering of over five thousand live audience at the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune on Sunday. The winner’s hat was also perched on his head.

Faisal belongs to ‘Prince Ki Paltan’. The final decision was made on the basis of public voting. He won the crown by immediately beating the runner up - seven-year-old Om Chetry from Assam who was on the No.2 position. While Rohan Parkale (12) from Indore came third and received a cash prize of Rs.3 lakh, Saumya Rai (11) from Ranchi won the fourth position and seven-year-old Jeet Das from Kolkata landed on fifth.

Bollywood star Akshay Kumar was present as a guest in the show and shared the first look of his upcoming film ‘Oh My God.’ The other biggies present there were choreographers Farah Khan and Terence Lewis. Mithun Chakraborty was the Grand Master of the show and Marzi Pestonji and Geeta Kapur were in the judge’s panel.

Photo Courtesy: Google Images

Poster of Ajay Devgan's 'Himmatwala' out

Ajay Devgan has released the first look, the poster of his upcoming and much-awaited film ‘Himmatwala’ on twitter. The poster presents him and debutant Tamannah in an typical eighties look.

"For all of you who didn't get to see it yet, here's the first look of my film with Sajid!," Ajay tweeted.

Ajay, the present ‘Himmatwala’ of bollywood, who has performed several stunts by himself, will be seen in Sajid Khan directed ‘Himmatwala’ next year on March 29^th. Nonetheless, the poster is out.

The posters have Ajay dressed in a denim jacket and romancing Tamannaah in the backdrop of a characteristic set of the eighties’ Hindi films, with back-up dancers and huge drums. Recall the same type set has been presented in ‘The Dirty Pictures’ to establish the sequence to be a scene from the then trend.

Along with the teaser poster there are some other stunning posters. One of them shows him in a rowdy avatar with bells chained to his hands. It seems the stunt-specialist actor will be performing some heavy duty stunts in the movie.

Besides Ajay, another two factors, Sajid Khan and Tamannah are also two luring aspect associated to ‘Himmatwala’ which makes it a ‘must-watch’ film.

Sajid Khan, brother of Farah Khan is also an able director who has so far proved himself through Heyy Babyy and Housefull 1, 2 and entertained the audience a lot. So, naturally we expect a good work from him.

Again, Tamannah, the south Indian diva, who will claim her debut through this movie, looks stunningly beautiful and sexy in the poster. If I am not wrong, her face resembles Madhuri and Shridevi, which is an extra advantage.

Prachi new Heroine of Sanjay Dutt in Tamil Remake

As per a recent Bollywood buzz, Prachi Desai will pair opposite Sanjay Dutt, in the Hindi remake of Tamil film Saamy. After Abhishek Bachchan in Bol Bachchan, it is now Sanjay Dutt for Prachi. The actress has given her nod to co-star with Dutt in the film. Prachi is 23 while Dutt is 53.

Prachi is hopeful that the film will be a big makeover for her and has also expressed that she is thrilled to work with Dutt. Buzz is that it has much to do with Prachi’s own wishes. It is heard that after Bol Bachchan, the actress wanted to work with big stars and banners.

Sanjaya Dutt is really working hard for the film as the plot revolves around the character of a tough cop that he is playing. It is learned that he is working out for four hours a day and has also quit drinking for a toned body.

On the other hand, producer of the film says that they were in search of a ‘girl next door’ type babe, where Prachi’s profile fits best.  They were not in need of a sexy siren or glamorous girl – he added.

The Tamil version of the film had Vikram and Trisha in the lead.

Bipasha Basu's 'Raaz 3' - A Preview

Vikram Bhatt directed ‘Raaz 3’ stars Bipasha Basu, Emraan Hashmi, Esha Gupta and Jacqueline Fernandez in the main leads.   This is the third chapter of Bhatt’s ‘Raaz’ series that began in 2002. Bipasha, who was a part of the first film of the series, has made a comeback after opting out of the second film.

‘Raaz 3’ is an upcoming Bollywood erotic horror thriller film that is scheduled to be released on coming 7^th September this year. The film was earlier planned to be released on 31 August, but delayed to avoid clashing with any other big films.

The movie is the immediate sequel to ‘Raaz – The Mystery Continues’ of 2009 featuring Emran Hashmi and Kangna Ranaut. In this third chapter of the film Emraan Hashmi is reprising his role from the second film. It also adds a new cast, Esha Gupta.

Bipasha Basu is the main point of discussion when talks go about ‘Raaz 3’. The story revolves around her. Name of Bip’s character is Maithli, an actress at the height of her success. She gets offered the best roles and wins all the awards she's nominated for.

On the other hand, Maithili loves Aditya (Emraan Hashmi) like crazy. The twist comes when a younger actress, Sanjana (Esha Gupta) makes her film debut and enters to the plot.

Suddenly, Maithli seems forgotten and Sanjana fills in the gap. Aditya also leaves Maithli for Sanjana. Frustrated Maithli sees her career fading away and slowly becomes crazy. She begins to turn to black magic and makes it her goal in life to destroy Sanjana and get back her love.

The theatrical trailer of Raaz 3 was officially launched on July 31, 2012 and it got a good reception.

Raaz 3 will be released in 3D format. The film is produced by Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt and it is the next assignment of the Bhatt’s camp after ‘Jism 2’.

Negotiating with Katrina for Noor!

Filmmaker Ketan Mehta admits he is in talks with actress Katrina Kaif to play legendary World War II spy Noor Inayat Khan in his ambitious project Noor. Asked if Katrina is on board for the biopic, Mehta told IANS: "It's too early to comment. I am in the initial stages of negotiation. I will make a formal announcement soon."

Meanwhile, the director also plans to make another biopic titled Mountain Man, about a Bihar-based labourer named Dashrath Manjhi, who spent over two decades of his life carving a road by cutting a mountain.

The lack of a road had prevented him from taking his wife to hospital, and she lost her life.

Mehta is keeping his options open for the film's lead actor.

"Mountain Man is a great biopic. I am yet to cast someone for the lead role. I am keeping all my options open (to cast a newcomer or an established actor). I am planning to finalise things in the next 10 days," he said.

Mehta's Rang Rasiya has been ready for the last three years, but is yet to hit the screens. The director plans to get started on the proposed two biopics only once the Randeep Hooda and Nandana Sen-starrer releases.

Sunny Leone's “Jism 2” - A Complete Review

Pooja Bhatt’s ‘Jism 2’ that has been specially designed for Porn model Sunny Leone to let her do all seductive acts is a complete mess up. There is nothing new in the script, rather some jerks add more to the downfall of the plot.

Besides ample skin show and scenes that usually were expected from an adult film actor, Sunny herself has proved up to some extent that she can act well in the coming days. But rest of the three leading male actors has been proved disastrous, though we were expecting a bit from Randeep Hooda.

The film begins with the porn star doing her usual practice with an Intelligence Officer. Izna (Sunny Leone) the real and character porn star spends a night with an intelligence officer Ayaan Thakur (Arunoday Singh) at a five-star hotel. But, she doesn't have any idea of the fact that it was part of a mission to nab a hard-core criminal Kabir (Randeep Hooda).

Izna was then hired for the mission.  She was assigned to trap the criminal. But, while doing so like many other Bollywood films, she has to confront her bitter-sweet past and the plot take a twist where she is forced to make an impossible choice.

However, following several sequences of ups and downs that includes lot of erotic, skin show and ‘bakwas’ emotional scenes, finally she hands over the criminal at the end.

‘Jism 2’ shares few similarities with Emraan Hashmi, Kangna Ranaut starrer film Gangster. Many sequences in the movie are quiet illogical. The movie starts with a mission, but reaches nowhere at the end. The film is about how a seductress entraps a criminal with yearn, but despite sensing hints of danger, Randeep goes on protecting Sunny and chants his same irritating dialogue, "Tumhari galti nahi hai Izna". Even there are some questions remains unanswered till the end.

Coming to acting, Sunny is perfect (even in acting) with the scenes that involves her real profession. But at other scenes she is funny, but still can be accepted up to some extent. Randeep Hooda is a good actor, who could have contributed something to the acting treasure, but he missed. Also, though he is a hard-core criminal and the plot revolves around the concept to trap him, from his acting he seems an innocent duck in the hand of Izna. Aayan (Arunoday Singh) should try for some other profession, acting is not his cup of tea. Arif Zakaria as a senior officer was a complete waste.

Direction of the film is the most disastrous part. After delivering four major flops at the Box Office, it was expected that, Pooja Bhatt will surely do something new. But, after watching Jism 2, we are certain that Pooja’s direction can hardly be trusted.Music of the film is excellent which is a usual feature of the Bhatt’s is normally and they have proved.

Many of us thought that a porn star can't do anything worth out of her bedroom. But, Leone proves us wrong. The star of the show is, no doubt, Sunny Leone. She looks extremely hot and delivers as an actor. Unfortunately, the script doesn't.

Our rating ** star out of 5

Shahrukh pays Rs 100 Fine for smoking in Public

Bollywood actor Sharukh Khan paid Rs 100 as fine for smoking at the stadium during an IPL match in May, as per the Rajasthan court order. Ironically, he paid the fine amount, which is less than the cost of a cigarette packet.

During a match between Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Night Riders in last May at the Swami Man Singh Stadium, the ‘Don’ was seen smoking a cigarette publicly. Under the Rajasthan Prevention of smoking Act, 2000, smoking in public places is banned in the state.

Hence, when the anti smoking activists complained, Anand Singh, chairman of JCA (Jaipur Cricket Association) filed a petition in the court against SRK and the star was asked to appear before the court on May 26^th. After hearing the court found Shahrukh to be guilty and issued order accordingly.

SRK is a chain smoker, which has often landed him in trouble for smoking in public. In some earlier occasions also he has faced embarrassing situations for smoking.

In 2009, when the IPL was shifted to South Africa, he was seen smoking there at one of the matches and earned problem.

Deepika Padukone to receive Smita Patil Memorial Award

The biennial Smita Patil Memorial Award goes to Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone this year. The award is instituted by Priyadarshni Academy. She would be presented with the honor at the 28th anniversary global awards function of the Priyadarshni Academy on September 18 in Mumbai.

The awards shall be presented by Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Dilip WalseinPatil and state Food and Civil Supplies Minister Anil Deshmukh in a glittering function.

Earlier the biennial Smita Patil Memorial Award had been awarded to Vidya Balan in 2010, Priety Zinta in 2008, Kareena Kapoor in 2006, Urmila Matondkar in 2004, Karisma Kapoor in 2002, Aishwarya Rai in 2000, Tabu in 1998, Madhuri Dixit in 1996, Manisha Koirala in 1994 and Meenakshi Sheshadri in 1993.

Chairman Nanik Rupani has intimated that the other recipients of the award are - Dr Samir Brahmachari, Director General, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research for outstanding contribution to science-led comprehensive innovation, Nirj Deva, Member of European Parliament for outstanding contribution to international development, HDFC Managing Director Aditya Puri for outstanding contribution as a "visionary leader in banking industry", Dr Jacques Rogozinski of InterinAmerican Investment Corporation, USA for outstanding contribution to economic development leveraging on small and medium enterprises, Milind Deora for his induction in the Union Cabinet as a Minister of State for Communication and IT and Piyush Goyal for his appointment as a member of Rajya Sabha.

Renowned Industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla would also be honored with Harish Mahindra Memorial Global Award on the same occasion for his outstanding contribution to "globalization of Indian industry".


Source: Press Trust of India
Photo: Google