Our kid's workin' out

Look closely. Is he building up his body? He sure does look buffed up. Hooray! Can anyone get a bigger pic please?

Indian Express Panel on Gandhi My Father

An exclusive screening of Gandhi My Father was recently organised for Express staffers, at which the four prime movers of the film — producer Anil Kapoor, director Feroz Abbas Khan, actor Akshaye Khanna, and Gandhi scholar Tridip Suhrud — were present. They took part in an engaging interaction on what it took to research the film and make it and on their dilemma about showing the extremely personal side of a great leader. Khanna plays the Mahatma’s eldest son, Harilal, with whom the Father of the Nation had a strained relationship. He brings to the role intensity and understated grace. Director Khan said his objective was to go through the facts without trying to draw conclusions. Suhrud, who has translated Chandulal Dalal’s biography of Harilal, helped the production with ideas. For Kapoor, this was the first venture as producer. Some excerpts from the interaction. Tridip Suhrud, Feroz Abbas Khan, Akshaye Khanna, and Anil Kapoor at the EXPRESS.

• SHEKHAR GUPTA: First of all, who is behind this film and its authenticity?

ANIL KAPOOR: Thank you for taking the time even after the film has been released. It feels so good to have such a large numbers of viewers. I first heard the story and I just loved it.

FEROZ ABBAS KHAN: I don’t know where the journey started. The first time I heard about it (this subject) was when I was making Tumhari Amrita. Gopal Gandhi (Governor of West Bengal and grandson of Mahatma Gandhi), who was then head of the Nehru Centre in London, told me about this part of his life, about Gandhi’s son who converted to Islam and then to the Arya Samaj.

I later forgot about it. I was asked to do many films, but I couldn’t do films purely for the pleasure and fantasy of audiences. I wrote the screenplay and read out the script to Anil (Kapoor). Anil was crying when he heard it. His wife and daughter also loved the script. I also have to say that Anil and I are not producer and director. We are friends and go back a long way.

Then came the tough part. The story is complex, to say the least, and has to be understood in various dimensions. Our main source was a little-known book called Harilal Gandhi — Ek Dukhad Atma, by Chandulal Dalal, who also wrote the dinwari, or day-to-day account, of Bapu’s life. He also edited the diaries of Mahadevbhai Desai. Dalal is a brilliant scholar and his book gave us factual details. We also relied on our sources in South Africa and members of the Gandhi family.

It has been a very difficult journey. There are many personal issues I had to face. I had to think through whether it was going to be like a sting operation or a story about someone who feels the angst of both sides. The story is not about holding back; it’s about respecting privacy while understanding that he’s a public figure whose story needs to be told. There was personal anguish and a deep sense of responsibility, and the question whether I had the moral credentials to even question a man like Gandhi. Another question that arose was whether Harilal, with whom he had a failed relationship, was a yardstick to understand a great man like Gandhi.

The physical aspect was about getting the research right. Then I thought, ‘Do I make value judgments?’ In a play or a film you need an antagonist and a protagonist. I was taking this film against the training one gets in film or theatre. It was about respecting the dignity of people, respecting the fact that it (the relationship between Gandhiji and his son) was a tragedy.

What I have to say about Anil (Kapoor) is that a good film is not just about a writer; a producer’s power to destroy is lethal. I had wanted to scale down the film to make it cheaper. But Anil said that the integrity (of the story) in all its glory must be there on the screen. I’m grateful to him and my team. We shot once in Hindi and then in English; the English version is yet to be released.

Tridip (Suhrud) is a great Gandhi scholar, one of the few solid authorities on Gandhi. He has also translated Dalal’s book into English. It’s called Harilal — A Life.

TRIDIP SUHRUD: My journey to Harilal was through Bapu. It’s not difficult to go to Bapu when you live in Gujarat and come from a certain type of family, but it’s difficult to stay with him. I could not understand Bapu without understanding Harilal Gandhi’s life. I had to tell the story as told by Dalal, who was the most balanced and was compassionate to both Harilal and Gandhi. The language was very sparse and unadorned.

A very large and fine account of Gandhi’s life is Narayan Desai’s My Life is My Message. I thought that both stories had to unfold simultaneously. This was also my way of correcting my involvement with Gandhi and his ashram, because it was the ashram that perturbed Harilal the most.

AKSHAYE KHANNA: Mine will be the shallowest statement. Anil (Kapoor) called and I did it.

• SHAILAJA BAJPAI: What perturbed Harilal so much about the ashram?

TRIDIP SUHRUD: He never lived at the ashram, but at Phoenix and Tolstoy Farm, which were ashrams in the making. The ashram was a great experiment, an attempt to reduce gender inequalities, bring women to the political fore, and emphasise physical labour. What perturbed Harilal was the sense of righteousness, which he thought was hypocritical: people around Bapu were trying to be purer than was required.

What also perturbed him was that Gandhi would love all equally. Gandhi’s denying him the fellowship to England came as a breaking point. Also there was the denial of physical love. Harilal was passionately in love with Gulab. These were two young people deeply in love and wanting to express that love through their bodies. This is a great early twentieth century romance. The ashram was not kind to this. The body had to be imprisoned and had to be a satyagrahi body.

• LEHER KALA: Tridip, have you seen Lage Raho Munnabhai? What did you think of it?

TRIDIP SUHRUD: I’ll be honest: I have seen it in parts. Munnabhai is the model of how Gandhi gets reduced to 20 expected questions. He becomes palatable without his spirituality and deep politics, and without the sternness that comes with this. Perhaps it wasn’t meant to be more. He has a very minty flavour. He becomes a nice, cuddly grandfather.

• CHARMY HARIKRISHNAN: This is a fascinating story, sensitively portrayed. But I also have a criticism: where are Gandhiji’s other children in the film? There’s a chamber drama feel to the film. Did your (Feroz Abbas Khan’s) background in theatre contribute to that?

FEROZ ABBAS KHAN: In the medium, we have to tell in two hours the story of 42 years. We had to have a focus. Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi hardly has any other freedom fighters, but it does tell its own story. As for the second question, it seems that it’s my familiarity with theatre that invites these clichéd responses. People have told me that the film is very quiet and non-theatrical. I have tried to draw from the sense of simplicity that comes from Gandhi. If something was happening well, I just let it be. There’s nothing like how a film has to be made. Woody Allen follows his actors around. Some people ham, and hamming is a very watchable art. So it’s a question of what works on film.

• UTSAH KOHLI: Akshaye, you portayed Harilal so well. How difficult was it? Did it affect you?

AKSHAYE KHANNA: My roles don’t affect me. That’s why it was acting. For me, it has always been doing it and getting out. I don’t relate to ‘getting into’ a role and ‘coming out’ of it. My style is just ‘there’. It’s about what comes to me. If it doesn’t come to me, it’s what my director says. The script needs to inspire me. It’s about being in the moment.

• SHEKHAR GUPTA: Did it worry you that it was a negative, deglamourised role?

AKSHAYE KHANNA: I won’t call it negative. But it was deglamourised. I was ecstatic to be in a dhoti. It was liberating, the wigs and costumes. It was wonderful.

• RIJU DAVE MEHTA: How did you go into the movie? Was it just the idea? Or did you think it would sell?

AKSHAYE KHANNA: I don’t think Anil thought about it like that. It was approached from not a commercial but an artistic point of view. For Anil and Feroz, the idea of whether they made or lost money came much later.

ANIL KAPOOR: It’s not an idea. Too many things are involved when you want to do a film. There are too many layers. I felt that I’d been working for so many years and with so many directors, but I’d never experienced this kind of an impact when I heard a story. I had certain expectations, but Feroz has gone beyond what I imagined. I mean it from the bottom of my heart.

• AMBREEN KHAN: What’s the pitch of the film? Is it patriotic? How have people responded?

FEROZ ABBAS KHAN: There’s no attempt to be patriotic. The end shows Gandhiji saying that the greatest regret in his life was that he couldn’t convince two people — Jinnah and his own son. In the end, the man felt he had failed. Even in the end he tries to change society. Nobel laureate Nadine Gordimer wrote to me that there are difficult choices one had to make when one is a leader. Nelson Mandela says he sits back and questions the sacrifices one has to make. Making personal sacrifices is a very difficult choice.

• NANDAGOPAL RAJAN: As a director, you had the ability to choose what to depict, what to keep out. Are there aspects of Harilal’s life that you avoided?

FEROZ ABBAS KHAN: There was no deliberate attempt to conceal. It was more about the aesthetics. There’s the scene with the prostitute. We could have done it in a sleazy way, but the point was we were trying to show the loneliness of the man.

• SHUBRA GUPTA: Anil, you said the financial aspect of the film was not so important for you. If you were to make another movie, how would it be?

ANIL KAPOOR: For me, films are either good or bad. I don’t believe in the concept of art film. I’ve worked with directors who have done an entire spectrum. Here, I genuinely felt I wasn’t going to think much about the money. And I never expected this film to make as much money as it did. Working honestly pays off a hundred times more; for those who think only of money, it backfires. After this film, there’s not a single person or corporate in the country who doesn’t want to work with us.

FEROZ ABBAS KHAN: We often understand commerce in a myopic way. This film’s not a blockbuster but one with a long shelf life. TV channels across the world will want to pick it up. Also, it’s a companion to Attenborough’s Gandhi. That was about the Mahatma; this is about Bapu. For us, recovering the money was more than enough.

• TEENA THACKER: Anil, your daughter is making a debut, but in Saawariya, not this film. Is it because there’s no place in the real market for a deglamourised film? Why not your own daughter for a film that made you feel complete?

ANIL KAPOOR: At that time we didn’t know she wanted to be an actress! We used the people we thought would be best for the film. That’s why I’m not there in the film. Or else I could have used my charm on Feroz! This is a fantastic film for an actor. When you do this kind of film, it’s a win-win situation. I told Akshaye, ‘I envy you.’ My wife told him, ‘I wish my husband was there in this film!’ I made sure what I didn’t get as an actor I made sure I got as a producer.

• SHUBRA GUPTA: Was Akshaye your first choice for the film?

FEROZ ABBAS KHAN: No (smiles). That’s because I didn’t want a star. It’s a real film about real people. Stars distract. I didn’t want a hot person on stage. But then theatre actors were just not happening. They were looking insipid. The camera is temperamental. It likes some people, and it doesn’t like some. Akshaye’s style is very understated. When I saw him, I realised he was it, he was the character. There were no other film actors (from whom Akshaye was chosen). I told him the process would be the de-Akshayeisation of Akshaye Khanna. I said, ‘Don’t make a single recognisable gesture you’re known for.’

ANURADHA NAGARAJ: Anil, you said the film completed you. How difficult is choosing movies now?

ANIL KAPOOR: It’s not difficult, it’s an instinctive choice. I’m making a mainstream movie called Shortcut with Akshaye. Feroz has done more plays, which are very entertaining. You can’t take yourself so seriously. It’s always ‘work in progress.’

• NEERAJ CHAUHAN: How did the idea of casting Darshan Zariwala as Gandhi come to you? How did Harilal die in real life?

FEROZ ABBAS KHAN: We have done some plays together. He came with the culture and body language of a Gujarati. He did not need to make an effort or then he’d have become a caricature. He’s also one of the finest stage actors we have.

Harilal died of tuberculosis. I went to the hospital to see what happens to such patients. That’s why you see him gasping for breath in the end.

• SHEKHAR GUPTA: Tell us about you friendship with Nelson Mandela. Did the South Africa connection help you decide the script?

ANIL KAPOOR: The South Africa connection came later. I had already shot three films there, and was one of the first actors to shoot there. I have friends there who believed in me. Through them I met Nelson Mandela. Feroz and Akshaye were shooting the first time I met him. I told him about the film. He went into deep thought. It reminded him of his relationship with his son. As you know, his own son died of AIDS. He was very supportive, and while he couldn’t come for the screening, he sent us a special message.

Akshaye's growin' hobby

Besides acting and celebrating bachelorhood guess what Akshaye Khanna’s hobby is? He loves to cook in his spare time. And his favourite shows on TV these days are cookery shows from across the world.

Although I don’t know much about cooking, I keep watching the cookery shows to know more about it, he smiles. We wonder why this sudden interest in cookery. Is the bachelor boy finally getting hooked and booked?

(TOI)

Jumpin'

Had nothing to do, so captured this odd shot.

Why doesn't he like to French Kiss?

Akshaye's new look

Akshaye with Jean Paul Gautier

Photo courtesy MidDay.

Akshaye plays chess with Jean Paul Gautier

Bollywood is definitely going places. After George Clooney told Sameera Reddy he wanted to do a item song in Hindi (at the sidelines of the Toronto Film Festival) French fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier has been talking of nothing but Bollywood when he was in India earlier this week.

He was so keen to meet a few B-Town stars that socialite Aarti Surendranath (of Kailash Picture Company) brought him to the sets of Abbas-Mustaan’s Race at Yash Raj Studios, where the cast (including Reddy, Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Bipasha Basu and Katrina Kaif) was shooting a video for the title song.

Fascinated

Says a unit member, “Jean-Paul was in Mumbai for a week and was fascinated by Bollywood. When he heard that a big film’s shooting was on, he insisted on meeting with the stars. Aarti Surendranath brought him to the sets and he spent a good two hours chatting with the cast.

Saif explained to him how Hindi films are shot. He asked Akshaye how it felt to work in the film industry and even played a game of chess with him. Later, Jean-Paul was so keen to watch the item number being shot, that he told the directors not to call for a break.”

The girls were not left out of the action. Adds the source, “Bipasha and Katrina took Gaultier on a guided tour of the studio. He seemed fascinated by their styling courtesy Vogue’s new fashion director, Anahita Shroff. He felt the three girls looked like models.”

Producer Ramesh Taurani says of the designer, “Jean-Paul was very excited. He stood for two hours seeing the song being shot and even danced like a little child when the music was on. It was a great privilege to show an esteemed person like him around my set. Jean-Paul was fascinated about everything happening around him.”

However, Reddy says she missed meeting the man himself as she getting her make-up done. “I was jetlagged after my Toronto trip and caught up between takes, but I heard he was very sweet and enquired about everything on the sets. I was resting and didn’t have the energy to go and meet him. It was my loss entirely,” she rues.

Hmm. Isn't chess becoming his latest trademark? It looks dorkish not cool to me. BTW, i couldn't copy the pic from the site, so please go and watch it here.

'Rumours are good fun'

Akshaye Khanna, who claims he's single, is quite amused with his link-up rumours and has actually started enjoying them. HTTabloid quizzes the actor on rumours, chicks and more.

Do you think it’s difficult being a bachelor in the film industry?
No, I don’t think so. I am enjoying my status as a bachelor.

But every now and then there are rumours of your affair. Don’t they irritate you?
Not at all. I fully enjoy rumours of my affairs. I am beyond that stage when I used to feel disturbed about rumours of my affairs with X, Y and Z. You know rumours are good fun. Sometimes I myself feel surprised when I hear gossips of my affair.


Akshaye Khanna: Enjoying his single status
Like the recent one where I was liked with a girl from New York. I don’t know from where it has come and who started it. But it’s very strange that people associate me with girls who don’t even exist on this earth.

But actors always hide their affairs. Don’t you think so?
It varies from person to person. Some like to keep it a secret and the others let it know to everybody. But media always blow such things out of proportion.

So you are not hiding anything about you affair.
First of all I would not like to have a girl from a foreign country as my partner. So any affair with a girl in some foreign country is out of question. I was born and brought up with Indian values and traditions. So I prefer someone with Indian look, style and tradition.

So is there any Indian girl who is close to your heart?
Not yet. I have met a couple of girls but nothing has worked out yet. I am not in a hurry also. I am really happy to be single. I am having good time.

From HTTabloid

Akshaye "signs" Bhaagte Raho?

More news from this blog:

For the first time in his career Akshaye Khanna will be seen in a double role. He has been signed for a comedy, Bhagte Raho to be jointly produced by Suneil Shetty’s Popkorn Entertainment and producer, Vedprakash. The film to be directed by ad man, Pradeep Chak will also have Akshaye’s cousin, Karan Khanna along with him.

A Bollywood source informs, “Akshaye Khanna, who has mostly featured in intense roles despite being a part of comic hits like Hungama and Hulchul, is now once again gearing up to do a comedy that features him in a dual role. He will be acting with cousin brother Karan Khanna (Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd) for the first time too.”

The out and out comedy that’s basically character driven revolves around misunderstandings between couples and how one thing leading to another ends up creating chaos and confusion amongst its principle characters.

“Akshaye’s Salaam-E-Ishq and Shaadi Se Pehle co-star Ayesha Takia is being considered to be paired opposite him and the makers are deciding between choosing either Urvashi Sharma (Naqaab) or Soha Ali Khan for Karan. Suneil too shall be seen enacting a hilarious character in the film,” adds the source.

While Suneil Shetty refused to comment and told us to wait for the official announcement, Karan Khanna - who had debuted with Mallika Sherawat in Bach Ke Rehna Re Baba - states, “Yes the offer has come for Bhagte Raho but I am yet to sign the film. The talks are on.”

Shabbir Boxwala, from Popkorn Entertainment says, “Akshaye has heard the script. That is all I can reveal.”

Akshaye is presently lying low at the box office with five flops (Shaadi Se Pehle, Aap Ki Khatir, Salaam-E-Ishq, Naqaab and Gandhi, My Father) in a row in the last few months. His close associates have advised him to concentrate more on his comic roles which have always fetched him a good response. Just a week back, he began shooting for another comedy, Shortkut - The Con Is On for actor turned producer Anil Kapoor with whom he did Gandhi, My Father.


OK. It now uses the word "signed", which probably means Akshaye is doing it. I don't like the tone of the article which is rather dismissive of him but it puts the spotlight on Akshaye and not on the sidekick like the Filmfare's article below.


I don't know, of course, how much role Karan ends up having in the movie. Still, I wonder: Every time a sidekick stars with AK, he goes to the press saying it's his movie.Think Dino Morea and Aap Ki Khatir. Is it because of Akshaye's cool guy reputation that these people take so much advantage ? I did not see Sharman Joshi or Kunal Kapoor trying to make Rang De basanti their movie

More on the new Priyadarshan's movie

From Priyadarshan's interview:

What are these projects like?

One is a political satire produced by UTV starring Akshaye Khanna and the other is a Shemaroo film in which I may cast Kunal or Sharman.

My thoughts.

If this is a solo film starring Akshaye, I am more than happy.

I am also glad that he is doing a movie with a new production house.

Akshaye was supposed to Chup Chup Ke for UTV and Priyadarshan and it didn't work out. It's good they have come back to him.

UTV is a good production house and they dodn't do favorites like YashRaj does. Hope Akshaye strikes a chord with UTV and they will rope him to star in other good projects.

Bhaagte Raho

From Filmfare:

When the three Deols came together for Apne there was lot of buzz that even the Khannas (father Vinod Khanna along with sons Akshaye Khanna and Rahul Khanna) will be coming together for a film. Well, that buzz turned into speculation but the Khannas do seem to be coming together though in a different way.

Akshay Khanna and cousin brother Karan Khanna ( Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd, Bachke Rehna Re Baba ) might just come together in a film. The film titled Bhagte Raho is to be produced by Suniel Shetty’s Popcorn Entertainment in association with Ved Prakash. It will be directed by Pradeep Chak, who comes from an advertising background and will debut in Bollywood through this film.

While Pradeep Chak refused to confirm any details on the film, Karan Khanna validates the news saying, “I have been offered Bhagte Raho and there are talks going with the makers. But I haven’t signed the film as yet.”

Our source however confirms, “Akshaye Khanna and Karan Khanna will be seen in main leads in Bhagte Raho . Ayesha Takia is being considered as the female lead opposite Akshaye Khanna. Soha Ali Khan and Urvashi Sharma are being considered as the girl opposite Karan Khanna. Producer Sunil Shetty is also a part of the project and will be seen in an interesting role”.

But the most interesting part about the film is that Akshaye Khanna will be seen in a double role in Bhagte Raho. This is the first time that Akshaye will be doing a double role in his career.

Adds our source, “ Bhagte Raho is an out an out comedy film. It talks about misunderstandings between couples and also how one thing leads to another and creates chaos and confusion for characters. It’s a character driven comedy”.

My thoughts?

Never seen Karan Khanna, so don't know much about him.

Akshaye in another comedy? Please...

It's not one of those Priyarshan's comedies either which generally work at the box office.

Actually, it's more than likely that his next Priyadarshan's venture will be a comedy. How many comedies will he do?

Still, it has two Akshayes in it. That alone makes it worth your while.

And, I am irritated that he isn't doing more movies. A movie, even a comedy movie produced by Suniel Shetty, is something to look forward to.

Shortkut news

From Indiafm.com:

Nineteen years after working in Tezaab [1988], Anil Kapoor and Chunky Pandey have come together again. Though N. Chandra directed Tezaab had the two actors playing friends, this new venture would see them in a different combination. While Anil Kapoor dons the hat of a producer for the second time after Gandhi My Father, Chunky Pandey is one of the key protagonists in the film.
"It is called Shortkut - The Con Is On; note the 'K' factor", quips Chunky, "I play the role of an 'acting guru' in the film". Chunky Pandey and an 'acting guru'? Now that's some combination! "That's not all. In fact, you could say that I play an 'overacting guru'. Now does that sound convincing?" he continues to joke.

What's the film about? "It is designed as a laugh-a-minute comedy", informs Chunky who has been noticed recently for his comic acts in Apna Sapna Money Money and Fool N Final, "The film is directed by Neeraj Vora who gave us a hilarious Phir Hera Pheri (Akshay Kumar, Suneil Shetty, Paresh Rawal) last year."

How does Chunky Pandey's role as an 'acting guru' come into picture? "Shortkut - The Con Is On has a flavor of Bollywood and touches upon various layers which are prevalent here. Learning how to act is one of them. But no, Shortkut - The Con Is On is not a spoof on Bollywood. We are just trying to tell a tale in a lighter vein."

And who are his partners in crime? "I am in the film along with Akshaye Khanna and Arshad Warsi. Both are simply terrific when it comes to comic timing. We have shot for around a week now and it has been absolutely fun. Along with Neeraj, it is a riot on the sets."

Talking fondly about his director, Chunky says, "What's special about Neeraj is that he has just the right expressions for all the shots. You have to just emulate the way he enacts a scene. So far I have worked in films (Apna Sapna Money Money, Fool N Final, Darwaza Bandha Rakho) which were written by his assistants. Finally I get a chance to work with the Boss!"

As a producer, Anil Kapoor started off with an offbeat Gandhi My Father. Is Shortkut - The Con Is On just an antithesis of the film? "Exactly", says Chunky, "This is going to be a full on commercial entertainer for an entire family. We finish shooting by January and plan to bring it to theaters post March once the school/college exams are over."

Coming together with Anil Kapoor must have brought a sense of nostalgia too? "It has been a long time. I too took a break and made a comeback. So many changes have happened in the industry but he remains the same. Though he is not acting in the movie, we all would make sure that he plays a part in the film. From the point of No Entry, we will now take him through a Shortkut", he smiles.



Two bits of news. Shoooting has begun and it's Shortkut now!

Dil Chahta Hai Part 2

What a great idea!

Sorry, you're wrong mate!

OK. There was a time when Akshaye got such malicious press, it's a miracle how he managed to turn it around without even trying. This exmple is from The Tribune which still maintains one of the narkiest columns on Akshoo:

Akshaye Khanna is already history; I mean, as in gone gone long ago! And the next guy joining this (retired) category club is very likely to be Saif Ali Khan. Actually, there’s a whole pile of fading out going on in Bollywood right now... and, who knows, by next Sunday, a (large) number of stars — heroes and heroines alike — may have reserved their seats on this wagon (sans band) for a long, lonely journey to nowhere.

What on earth is happening, you’d definitely want to know, right? Well, it’s quite simple, really. With the Hindi film industry (and film makers) having gone into totally impractical and uncontrolled overdrive in making megabuck movies for quite awhile now, the time of reckoning is finally here. The biggest of film makers — be it Yash Chopra, Yash Johar, Karan Johar, Aditya Chopra, Harry Bawaja, Gulzar, Manjrekar... or just about anyone/everyone have come to realise (with dismay) that names (Neither theirs, not their stars) don’t sell no more. film hindia has turned into a free-for-all. May the luckiest win!

Ya think? Saif is now a big star and Akshaye has been in Dil Chahta Hai and Gandhi--My Father, two cult hits that no other Bollywood actor can boast of in his resume, besides giving half a dozen hits.

Hey loser, Akshoo just proved you wrong!

Akshaye looks wonderful

It's criminal that he's not doing more movies when he is lookin as good as this !

Akshaye praises Anil

“Anil has maturity and depth as a person,” says Akshaye.


Akshaye Khanna who’s not known to speak much about his friends has only praise for co-actor and friend Anil Kapoor.

He says “Anyone can produce a film. But a film like Gandhi My Father film wouldn’t be what it is if it was in some other person’s hand. Anil doesn’t have only 30 years of experience, but he also has the maturity and depth as a person. And he brings that into all parts of his life not just filmmaking. He’s very passionate about life,” says Akshaye.


(Times of India)

Kareena wins hands down!

See the poll! She has the best chemistry with Akshaye. Well, that was my idea too but Akshaye saab thinks it's Priyanka.

Shriya Saran to be paired opposite Akshaye?

Shriya is going gaga after Sivaji. She has been swamped with offers from all quarters.

Currently shooting with Vijay for Azhagiya Tamil Magan, Shriya will join Vikram in Kandasamy soon. The movie features Vikram in the lead role and is directed by Susi Ganesan. She has been roped in to play Ajit's heroine for a movie that would kick off later this year.

What more, the svelte and curvaceous actress has been signed in to act in director Priyadharshan's next Hindi venture.

The movie will star Akshaye Khanna in the lead role and will kick off once Priyan completes his Tamil movie Kancheepuram, which has Prakash Raj heading the cast.

Shriya sure is emerging to be a major competition for Trisha and Asin. And that is good news.

(indiaglitz.com)

Looks like the movie is gathering steam after all, if they have casted the heroine. Shriya works OK in South Indian movies but I don't think she has the screen presence for a national movie and opposite Akshaye? She stands no chance!

Akshaye's girl's getting married

And Akshaye will be attending. Well, as a fan I should respect my idol's choices, but I was never too big on Tara Sharma. Akshaye deserves much better.

I wonder why doesn't flirt more. Rumour is he doesn't sleep around the town either. Probably, the only male star of his generation who doesn't do that. He's really a Mr.Clean Guy. Again, I appreciate as he is but wish he'd provide some grist to the rumour mills now and then. Love nothing better than gossiping about him.

Akshaye is not in Antwerp

Guess it's Antwerp's loss

Lehren

Lehren was a film show from some eight years ago and some body had the brilliant idea of putting a Lehren show with Akshaye on web! looks like it's his from his Taal days!

Thanks to the Good Samaritan who posted it! Now if they only posted all the past interviews of Akshaye!

Shortcut shooting has begun

From express-india.com :

Shah Rukh Khan was seen dancing to Tujhko phir se jalwa dikhana hi hoga before Ganpati procession here in Don. Squabbling John Abraham and Nana Patekar of Taxi No. 9211 decided to resolve their differences here. And Arshad Warsi and Akshaye Khanna are currently making regular trips to Dattatraya Building, one of the oldest chawls of Mumbai tucked away in a quaint corner of Tardeo, behind Bhatia hospital, for their forthcoming Shortcut.
The trek of celebrities and film stars, like Virendra Sehwag, Deepti Naval, Pankaj Kapur, Milan Luthria and Sudhir Mishra, to the building to shoot for ads and films, is a common sight. This chawl boasts of being one of the sought-after locations and charges the highest amount for shootings. The rate for shooting advertisement is about Rs 65,000 per shift while in case of movies it’s hiked to Rs 1 lakh.