Bollywood Instyle

Asha Bhosle will be singing the R.D. Burman-immortalized Mehbooba O’ Mehbooba song for the Sholay remake. Finding a replacement for R.D. is next to impossible. But then, the second best option, of course, is his widow Asha. At 74, Asha still has a mellifluous voice that never fails to attract both her young and old fans alike. Earlier, Himmesh Reshamiya was chosen to sing the song. What a heavenly sigh of relief R.D. must have felt after it was known that Reshamiya would not be lending his excruciatingly painful nasal voice to this R.D. classic. Thank God! for the little mercies. Asha humbly admits that she would cause the least possible damage to the song, when she sings it.

Priyanka Chopra is no more the damsel in distress you would come running to save given the training she received from a Shaolin martial arts master for her role in Don. Playing the role that Zeenat Aman performed in the original, Priyanka was clear that she was not stepping into the ex-sex symbol’s shoes. The Chopra girl reverentially stated that Zeenat Aman was in a league of her own. Her character is said to be distinct from what Zeenie portrayed in the original. Priyanka says that she happens to be a killer in the movie, which necessitated the martial arts training. Well, the message is clear Priyanka; anyone who takes panga with you does so at his risk!

Do you know what Aamir Khan is reported to be charging for his role in Mani Ratnam’s Lajjo? Hold your breath – a cool Rs.13 crores!! (US$3 million). Producer Bobby Bedi is relying heavily on Aamir to deliver. Confidence levels are high after two back-to-back Aamir hits, Rang De Basanti, and Fanna, ruled the box office this year. The cool dude, quite savvy of his crowd pulling abilities, did not apply the brakes after negotiating the mind-boggling amount. He arm-twisted the producer to agree to pay him 25% of the box office returns as well. Aamir sure has raised the bar a tad too high. But, with the moolah flowing in from overseas rights as well, producers won’t mind paying the stars! King Khan, are ya listening?

No, we are not talking about Sachin Tendulkar who made a scintillating unbeaten century yesterday against the West Indies to announce his comeback to international cricket. The guy we mean is Boney Kapoor, who has decided to jump on the sequel bandwagon lending credence to the growing opinion that the sequel fever is acquiring endemic proportions in Bollywood. Sridevi has reportedly shed a few pounds for Mr. India-II, and is said to be looking as stunning as ever. Nikhil Advani, who did Kal Ho Na Ho and Salaam-E-Ishq, will be directing the movie. Anil Kapoor will of course remain ‘Mr. India’, though Amrish ‘Mogambo’ Puri will be missed.  Will Sridevi, who swept the entire nation off its feet with her performance in the original, be able to do an encore with many talented younger actresses around? We wonder!

She has not been in the news for quite a while. No, Katrina Kaif has not quit the Bollywood film industry like some people would make us believe. She is alive and kicking – with a handful of movies that she is doing. The demure lass has just landed in Mumbai after completing the shooting of Vipul Shah’s Namaste London opposite Khiladi Akshay Kumar. Katrina said that she had another two prestigious assignments in hand – Deol’s home production Apne, and Anees Bazmi’s Welcome. So busy has the big-star-in-the-making been with her shooting that there was hardly any time for family and friends. Including Salman Khan? one would ask tongue-in-cheek. You bet, she would not reply to that one.

Aaamir Khan is making a comeback to production after the whopping success of Lagaan some years back. Anything linked to the perfection artist is welcome. Scriptwriter Abbas Tyrewala makes his debut as director of the proposed Bollywood movie Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa. The movie will have Imraan, Aaamir’s cousin, playing the lead role. Aamir is said not to be linked in promoting his cousin. Tyrewala had already finalized Imraan before approaching Jhamu Sughand to produce the movie. On his refusal, Tyrewala approached Aamir with the script, who took an instant liking to it and stamped his approval on the campus love story project. With Aamir at the helm, movie buffs are waiting eagerly for the shooting to commence next month in October.

Bollywood star (?) Mallika Sherawat has her daggers drawn when it comes to the press. She is upset about the way reports of her linkages with a number of men are appearing in the press. What Mallika wants to know is why are there more reports about her affairs than her performance. “Performance?” asked a scribe, and that sums it all. Well, we are eagerly waiting to see Mallika’s “performance” in the coming Friday release Pyar Ke Side Effects. This romantic comedy has Rahul Bose, Perizaad Zorabian, Satish Shah, and Kirron Kher, besides Mallika. Now, the million-dollar question is, whether Mallika’s performance will have a major effect on the box office, or pale into an insignificant side effect.

Deepika Padukone, top rank ramp model and daughter of famous Indian badminton star Prakash Padukone, is all set to make her Bollywood debut with King Shah Rukh Khan. This gracious lady, the envy of most young wannabes, had a meteoric rise in the fashion world. And now, with a Farah Khan movie opposite SRK under her belt, she couldn’t have asked for more. Om Shanti Om is a prestigious project, which Deepika is looking forward to commence. The grapevine has it that Deepika has just been roped in by Rakeysh Mehra’s for his new movie Dilli 6 opposite Abhishek Bachchan. Some girl! and some luck! you might say. After all, starting your Bollywood career opposite two of the hottest stars, ain’t no joke!

Despite an official ban in Pakistan on anything and everything Bollywood, we know how everything and anything Bollywood clandestinely sells in that country. People there are simply enamored by what Bollywood dishes out in the form of movies and songs. Amitabh Bachchan is one huge name in Pakistan, and taking advantage of his immensely popular TV program Kaun Banega Crorepati, a call-in telephone quiz named, Kya Aap Banenge Crorepati is now doing big business using Big B’s voice and pictures without his consent. A Bachchan clone, who sounds like the original, conducts the show a la Big B, and people are loving it. The show organizers refuse to comment on the ethical angle to the whole show. Whatever! Nothing sells like Bollywood in Pakistan!

The effervescent, charming, and chirpy queen of hearts, Juhi Chawla, is all set to make hearts aflutter again with her silken voice. We all knew that she had such a soft and melodious voice, which she enchanted everyone with in her movies. Juhi surprised the guests when she sang at an awards function to capture many a heart, leaving everyone wondering if she had opened doors to a new profession. The queen of the marquee, who has been training under Padmini Kolahpure’s father, will soon perform again in a musical program. Well Juhi, the whole nation is waiting to be rocked, including your fans all over the world!