Akshaye's astrological forecast

Akshaye will remain in the limelight because of his performance in the films in 2009. This year will also see him work hard on honing his skills as an actor.

Akshaye heads to gym

For his role in Priyadarshan’s hard-hitting tale of honour killing in Bihar Ajay Devgan needs to have a specially toned-up physique.

Priyan tells us why. “I’ve turned the horrific tale of an actual incident in Bihar of an inter-caste romance into a full-on actioner. See, I wanted to keep it real. At the same time I wanted to make it riveting for the audience. So while shooting on an authentic location (Karaikudi is like a small town in Bihar) I’ve made my two heroes Ajay and Akshaye Khanna into full-on action heroes. This film has the kind of real stunts never seen in Hindi cinema.”
Priyan has roped in his old action director B Thyagarajan and a stunt director from South Africa , Frances to devise action scenes which would take the director’s Bihari drama into the region of riveting realism.

Says Priyan, “When I say real action I mean fight scenes that are the opposite of cable-wired flips somersaults, jumps and leaps. This time Ajay has gone as raw as it can get.”
The action sequences have both Devgan and Khanna locked in hand-to-hand combats, and other very basic forms of physical aggression that went out of vogue with the old Kung Fu films.

For this Devgan needed to get into a different shape. And so did Akshaye.
In fact, Akshaye is a new convert to the gym . Till this schedule in Karaikudi started. And Ajay persuaded Akshaye to head for the gym.

“Yes, we’ve a set up a terrific gym in this wilderness. It’s been set up in an under-construction building. It has all the equipment,” says Bipasha. “We all work out in it. Ajay and I, of course. Paresh Rawal also works out. Akshaye Khanna only used to play squash for exercise. Now he’s started going to the gym. They need to get into a specific shape for this film.”

Before producer Arbaaz Khan can shift Bihar to Vai near Mumbai for the shooting of Abhinav Kashyap’s Dabangg, Priyadrashan has relocated a village of Bihar in Karaikudi, a Tamilian small-town 80 kilometers away from Madurai to shoot for his very real headline-derived intercaste love story that shook rural Bihar some time ago.

Doesn’t the film take Priyan into a space completely different from his award-winning Kanchivaram?

“Not at all. That was a different kind of reality. This is different,” says Priyan.

A substantial movie for Akshaye after a long time. Can't wait.

Best Villain Award

Akshaye wins a best Villain award for Race

Akshaye out of Basra?

Akshaye not in Basra anymore.

Priyadarshan's movie's shooting on

Every director has a favorite heroine and most often, for inexplicable reasons, like David Dhawan's casting of Rambha or Priyadarshan of Rimi Sen. Well, now Priyadarshan has changed loyalties and his current favorite is Rituparna Sengupta, another Bong sensation.

Sengupta said, "I was first cast for Priyan sir's film with Percept Picture Company, Bum Bum Bole with Atul Kulkarni and Darsheel Saffary. After that film was complete, I got a call from his office offering me a role in his latest political thriller, which is yet to be titled."

Priyan is currently shooting his film on the Kerala Karnataka border with Ajay Devgan, Akshaye Khanna and Bipasha Basu. Rituparna added, "The film is based on the caste war of North India and I play an integral part of the film, whose character is helped by Akshaye Khanna."

Priyan had first cast Sen in Hungama. He was impressed with her commitment to work and therefore cast her in his other films like Garam Masala and Kyon Ki. But it now appears that his loyalties have shifted to Sengupta, who also has a National Award for Best Actress to her name. Additionally, Priyan has also cast another Bengali beauty - Bipasha Basu - in the main lead.