They won't confirm!

Even before production can start, there's quite a lot of buzz surrounding the Hollywood film When Kiran Met Karen (WKMK). First the lesbian love story came into the limelight when Perizaad Zorabian was slated to play the role of Kiran, a well-known Bollywood actress in New York who confronts her own sexuality when she is cast opposite Karen, an American actress. Then there was news that Perizaad opted out of the film because she didn't feel comfortable with the role. After that came the announcement that US-Indian actress Purva Bedi and Lisa Ray were in the project. Now the latest on WKMK is that Abhishek Bachchan and Akshaye Khanna are slated to play important parts in the film. Not denying this bit of information is WKMK producer-director Manan Singh Katohora. "It's too early to talk, but my agent in Mumbai is doing some wonders in terms of the casting. Wait and watch," said Manan. When contacted Akshaye Khanna's spokesperson Rohini Iyer had this to say. "Akshaye gets a lot of scripts to read and this may be one of them. But as of now, he has not signed on any Hollywood project." Abhishek Bachchan was unavailable for comment.

I think, the director got really excited by the bit of info his agent gave him. I don't think either Akshaye or Abhi will be foolish enough to act in such a movie. Counting chickens before they hatch, if you ask me. But, please Akshaye, if you are thinnking of such a thing because it is 'Hollywood', drop it! The movie's title itself is cringe-inducing.

Beautiful

The posters are amazing. I like the bottom one the best. The picture on the side with half-closed eyes, it's so beautiful. Wish it had been chosen as the main picture! This is turning out to be a epochal movie event.

Akshaye in celebrity rugby match

A clutch of well-known faces will gather today afternoon at the Bombay Gymkhana, not just to sit back and chill, but to actually play a rough and tumble game of rugby. The match, which is an annual event on the Indian Rugby Football Team (IFRU) calendar, will this year see the likes of Ness Wadia, Zayed Khan, Dino Morea, Kelly Dorjee, Akshaye Khanna, Cyrus Broacha taking on the Indian Rugby team (which also includes Bollywood actor Rahul Bose).
“Celebrities from the corporate world and the film industry come together for this match to create awareness about rugby as a sport. A lot of regular people have the tendency to be easily influenced by celebrities and if it is for a good purpose like this, we have nothing to lose,” says IFRU President Pramod Khanna.
But there’s more. Guess who’ll be coming along to cheer the boys? Lara Dutta, Preity Zinta, amongst others. “Rugby is a great sport and a very fun-filled one at that and so we thought it’ll be great if we have their friends to cheer them on,” adds Khanna. So pick your team and gear up to cheer them!

Sportstar!

Akshaye to lend voice to an animation film

Hold on to your horses! It is not what you think it is. We are talking about Nikhil Advani's animation film. According to sources, Nikhil has big plans for his ambitious, big-budget animation film. If things go according to plans, actor Akshaye Khanna is all set to become ( believe it or not) a parrot from South Mumbai! And if that is not enough, Tabu will be the voice of the character playing the pivotal role - a cheetah. The film will also have a host of other big stars, who have agreed to lend their voice to Nikhil's film.

Nice idea!

It's Delhi!

Anil Kapoor has finally decided to take the lid off his debut project as a director . His hush-hush film Gandhi My Father, which portrays the troubled relationship between Mahatma Gandhi and his eldest son Harilal , will have its firstever public event in the city on Tuesday. The film has been kept away from the public glare till now. As Anil says, "There is a right time to speak about every film. My idea while making the film was to focus only on making it." But why Delhi? "I'm flagging off my film's campaign in Delhi as I think being the national capital of our country; it's just the right place. My entire team including Bhumika Chawla, Akshaye Khanna, Feroze Khan and Shefali Shah is coming down to Delhi for this gala event coming Tuesday . The film is about the father of the nation and it seems right to begin the journey of Gandhi My Father from Delhi. Even acclaimed cinematographer David McDonald is coming for the function," he says. The city was chosen over Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat, Johannesburg in South Africa and Mumbai. ANIL ON DILLI "I'm flagging off the campaign for my film Gandhi My Father in Delhi because I feel that the capital of our country is just the right place to do that.”

For a movie that has no songs and has an unconventional story line, Anil is doing a real good job. Heis leading from the front in marketing department. Akshaye's movies have suffered from poor marketing, so it's great to finally have a prodcuer who's as agog as Anil is.

Akshaye sees Gandhi--My Father with family

Civil aviation minister Praful Patel caught Anil Kapoor's GANDHI MY FATHER at a private screening recently. The amiable minister, who has several friends in the film industry, is close to Vinod Khanna, whose son plays the leading role in the Hindi-English bilingual. Actually, Akshaye had seen the English version but did not get a chance to watch the Hindi version of GANDHI MY FATHER. On a request from Akshaye Khanna for a trial show of the Hindi version, actor producer Anil Kapoor immediately arranged it. When Akshaye asked Anil if he could get family and some friends, Anil immediately agreed. And so, off went Akshaye's dad Vinod Khanna, Praful Patel and some others for the screening. While on GANDHI MY FATHER, the Hindi version has a running time of 2 hours and 8 minutes. The English version is 2 minutes shorter.

(Source : Glamsham)

Abbas-Mustan on their films, Akshaye

From Indiafm.com:

Abbas-Mustan are miffed with rumours that their latest thriller Naqaab is similar to their 2002 release Humraaz. Mustan defends, “Naqaab is a romantic thriller and does not have any similarity with Humraaz as is being speculated. It has it’s on own mystery which we have tried to solve through three prominent characters. Bobby Deol and Akshaye Khanna are in prominent roles and since WE are directing this movie people have this feeling that Humraaz and Naqaab are same. But once these three characters will be revealed onscreen, you will know what is happening, why is it happening and for what is it happening? Naqaab has shaped up totally different from Humraaz.”

The director-duo has already started working on their next film Race which happens to be their most star-studded film so far featuring Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Bipasha Basu, Katrina Kaif, Sameera Reddy and Anil Kapoor in lead roles. The other brother from the director duo reveals, “Race was supposed to start in January but before that Ramesh Taurani offered us Naqaab. Akshay had already committed for this project and since it was a romantic thriller Mr. Taurani wanted us to work on it. We liked the subject and decided to work on it. We had already worked with Bobby Deol and Akshaye Khanna during Humraaz and we get along well. Besides, they could manage the dates easily. We would have opted for Amisha in Naqaab but then it would have looked like Humraaz sequel. We wanted someone who didn’t have any particular image as such and whom people won’t anticipate in that role. I remember during Gupt, Kajol didn’t have any negative image but she did pull off that character so well.”

During Gupt Kajol didn’t have any negative image but she did pull off that character so well.
Speaking about their favorite actors Akshaye Khanna and Bobby Deol, Mustan says, “Our last film with Bobby was Humraaz, before that we worked in Soldier and Ajnabee and both the films were hits. I think Bobby has turned out to be good performer.” Mustan has all praise for Akshaye Khanna. He states “Akshaye is very good actor. He is playing an important role in our forthcoming film Race. This will be his fourth film with us. We have worked together and shared a good rapport with him therefore we know which role will suit him. He gives his best to every character that he plays. He is all rounder and we know he is very talented to pull off any kind of role.” Urvashi came into the picture when we were looking for a new girl and Mr. Taurani told us that he knew this girl. We met Urvashi and after talking to her we realized that she has the potential. She is a good artist.”

Abbas-Mustan’s last release 36 China Town failed on Box Office. So what went wrong with that film? “Many people blamed the climax of the film saying they didn’t like the humorous end. But we had come up with ten endings for 36 China Town before we came up with a humorous ending like this. Though audiences were disappointed by the humorous climax of 36 China Town, Naqaab will not disappoint them for sure” he quips.

Oh, that was a humurous ending. Guess we didn't know that!

Hindi preview

Here's a three minute preview of the movie. Was the movie shot in English and then dubbed in Hindi? Somehow it is not as powerful as it is in English. Akshaye's performance is still top class but somehow a notch lower than in English. I am concerned which version will be released in India.

But I am hugely excited for the English movie. It's come up really well. It is said that even Will Smith liked it. Eros thinks it's going to be a genuine crossover hit. It if it does and if the rules allow it, will Akshaye's performance reach the Academy Awards? One can dream .

First Look

Nice concept. I like the way how Akshaye's face looks haunted with that intense expression on him. I am not sure about the side locks though. Still, it captures the conflict at the centre of the drama very well.

Damn, this movie is growing exciting by the day. Who'd thought that? When it was first announced, I thought it would be a boring art movie. It so is not.

Naqaab going cold?

When the first promo hit the air, there was a huge buzz. There was a lot of talk about Ek Din trailer, chiefly because of Akshaye's salsa dance. Then, they released Ae Dil remix which I am not sure worked that well. Now, we don't have anything more for days. Music hasn't been released yet. What's happening? You can't afford to let down on marketing. Buzz about Naqaab has quieted down very well.

The New Metro-Sexual guy in Town

To the commenter who wanted Naqaab news, here you go:

He’s urbane, cool and hip, alright. But Akshaye has seldom done an image make-over, sticking to his trademark style for movies, parties, et al . We’re gonna witness a refreshing change soon though. In the Abbas-Mastan thriller , Naqaab , his stylist, Falguni Thakore insisted on refurbishing his wardrobe and has given him a totally metro-sexual look. “I’ve used a lot of metro-sexual colours - from pink and orange to yellow. Also the light fabric gives him that breezy, cool look. He has an amazing personality, so I didn’t want to make him look boyish or over-the-top. He hasn’t worn too many cargo pants on-screen before, but in this film you’ll see him sporting that. He’s the metro-sexual man of today, after all,” says the designer. Well, behind that naqaab , there’s lots to unravel in Akshoo boy...

(Filmfare)

Seriously, they should stop using the term. It's become a cliche.

Message to Falguni Pathak: Your designs aren't metrosexual, they are dumb. Only Akshaye can look good in those atrocious clothes.

Gandhi--My Father storyline

Preview from DiscoverBollywood:

Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Darshan Jariwala, Bhumika Chawla, Shefali Shah
Director: Feroze Abbas Khan
Producer: Anil Kapoor
Music Director: Piyush Kanojia
Cinematography: David McDonald
Editor: Sreekar Prasad
Art Direction: Nitin Chandrakant Desai

Anil Kapoor is all set to come up with his first home production Gandhi – My Father. The film is set against the backdrop of Mahatma Gandhi and his family. Gandhiji’s presence in Hindi films has been influenced in a couple of other films which made the rounds at the box office recently. They were Lage Raho Munnabhai and Maine Gandhi Ko Nahi Maara.

Feroze Abbas Khan, a leading theatre director makes his Bollywood debut with Gandhi – My Father. The film stars Akshaye Khanna portraying the character of Harilal Gandhi, eldest son of Mohanlal Karamchand Gandhi. The plot revolves around Harilal Gandhi as he lives a life that of a compromiser. The shadows of being the son of a legend hound him and he leads his life like a beggar in the streets of India. The character of M K Gandhi is played by Darshan Jariwala. He sows the seeds of differences between his son Harilal and himself. Their father-son relationship turns sour when he denies Harilal the chance of studying law in Britain. Harilal comes back to his motherland from South Africa and decides to make it big on his own.

In an act of rebel, he gets converted to Muslim, and later reverts back to his own religion as an act of self punishment and realization. He finally breathes his last breathe in a hospital in Bombay, all alone.

The main objective of the story is to make people understand the tragedy of a great man like Gandhi who transformed the nation with his thoughts and principles but could not save his son from venturing into the darkness of miseries. The film also unfurls a personal tragedy against the racial abhorrence in South Africa and colonial humiliation in India. Gandhi remains as a person who counts his principles more than anything other object in the world.

Bhoomika Chawla plays the role of Harilal’s wife in the film, Gulab. Shefali Shah gets to portray Kasturba Gandhi. The film is expected to release in the first week of August

Initial stills from Gandhi--My Father

Here are some more stills from Gandhi--My Father (courtesy: Mid-day) I can't help but keep looking at them again and again.

The movie was made right after Hungama and Akshaye had nothing else to do for over a year. It says a lot about the state of Bollywood that a lead actor as talented and as charismatic as him should have no work for over an year. It's plain that this movie taught him a lot as an actor and he grew a lot during its making. After reaching such heights, he has been relegated to do mindless comedies like Shaadi Se Pehle and vapid romances like Aap ki Khatir.

Never mind. The movie finally gives him the stage that is commensurate to his immense talent. One can only hope that after it releases the myopic film industry will finally realise what a gem of an actor it has in its midst.

Akshaye to star in a lesbian movie?

According to IMDB.com, Akshaye and Abhishek are attached to star in a movie called When Kiran Met Karen, a crooseover movie based on lesbianism. Imdb is not always reliable and I doubt that Akshaye or Abhishek would star in a project with such a lacklustre prospects. Still, worth keeping an eye on!

Blog finds

Scouring through blogosphere, I found some interesting tidbits about our favorite hero.

Aksahye lives with his brother Rahul in a house called Sumangal. Click here to find a picture of the house. Honestly, I couldn't make out which one was Akshaye's house.

Click here to find a great description of Akshaye's smile. Some really nice caps of Akshaye on this site.

Beth loves Bollywood has made Akshaye her FPMBF.

Akshaye n Anil introduce Gandhi--My Father

Thanks to a great commenter here for this wonderful tip. Akshaye and Anil introducing their baby together at IIFA. Also, presenting an award to the best actor. The video is of low quality and Akshaye as usual looks very serious.

Akshaye at celebrity cricket match

Choksi donated a 6,000 diamond-encrusted cricket ball set in 82.2 gm gold towards charity amidst thundering applause.
Mehul Choksi, Chairman, Gitanjali Jewels, can very well change the adage 'heart of gold' to 'heart of diamonds' with his large heartedness and penchant for throwing glittering bashes, be it in India or Leeds, Yorkshire. The non-stop partying began with him visiting a museum having Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's photographs with none other than Ash herself. Then the party moved onto the cricket field with a celebrity match played by Bollywood stars, Saif Ali Khan being a clear favourite. Amongst the spectators were Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan and Ash and Shilpa Shetty. Choksi donated a 6,000 diamond-encrusted cricket ball set in 82.2 gm gold towards charity amidst thundering applause. What else can be expected from the diamond czar but a diamond ball? Salman Khan, Arjun Rampal, Akshaye Khanna enjoyed the match. There was a lot of excitement later on for the evening bash to celebrate Shilpa Shetty's birthday at Victoria Quarters. "I decided to throw a birthday party for Shilpa here in Leeds as she is now almost a citizen of the UK given her popularity and fame," said Choksi. The party was smash hit with him gifting a necklace to Shilpa as a birthday present. Shilpa was very moved by his gesture and thanked him and the people of Yorkshire for making her birthday an extra special one. Shilpa's parents were there too to celebrate their daughter's birthday. The party had most of Bollywood's stars present.

He usually doesn't like cricket but must be having fun with new friend Salman.

Kangana finds Akshaye hot

“It was like one of those delayed reactions. Only now I realise how close I was to death,” Kangana trembles at the memory. On Monday morning Kangana and a host of Bollywood’s dignitaries including Shiamak Davar and his dance troupe were aboard a flight bringing them back from an Bollywood award event held in Yorkshire. Shudders Kangana, “The flight back to Mumbai was via Delhi. We landed in Delhi in the morning. Immediately after take-off from Mumbai the aircraft started to act funny, and it was brought back to Delhi. We were told to disembark. But nobody was in the mood. Look, we had all been out of the country at a hectic event, performing, giving and receiving awards, sightseeing, dancing. Everyone just wanted to get home. I had my sister Rangoli waiting for me. I badly wanted to see her.” After all the passengers were forced to disembark some of the Bollywood passengers objected strongly. Says Kangana, “After four hours of delay we were finally put back on the same aircraft and brought to Mumbai. The funniest thing was even when I was on my way to Yorkshire our flight got delayed because of a snag. I wonder if I carry snags with me when I fly,” she jokes. Kangana had a ball in Yorkshire. She’s back to a truck load of rumours. “I’m supposed to have badmouthed Aamir Khan and I’m supposed to be seeing an Akshay from the industry. Will someone tell me if it’s Akshaye Khanna or Akshay Kumar? I find both very hot.”

Add one more in AK's chick register. Attagirl!

Akshaye on CNN-IBN

He is reticent in person but always plays flamboyant characters in his films. Akshaye Khanna is back with the thriller Naqaab. But this is also the year when his hush hush mega project Gandhi, My Father will release. He spoke to CNN-IBN correspondent Archita Kashyap about all this and a future career plan.

CNN-IBN: Your character sketch in Naqaab says that it’s about a normal boy but the film is about abnormal circumstances. And it’s a thriller again. You have a fondness for playing these kind of roles in thrillers?

Akshaye Khanna: I particularly enjoy watching thrillers. I love thrillers as an audience. But I have tried and to a certain extent I have succeeded in such films. I mean I have to choose from whatever I am offered.

CNN-IBN: Does it mean that there a dearth of good roles in Bollywood today?

Akshaye Khanna: No, not at all. When I say from what I am offered, what I mean is that I am not a writer or a director, so I don’t get to do my own scripts. I have to depend on other people to write them for me.

CNN-IBN: Does it inspire you to someday direct or write a movie yourself?

Akshaye Khanna: No, at least now I don’t think I am ready to take on that kind of responsibility. It’s a huge responsibility to be a director and I am not a naturally gifted writer. So, that is out of the question. It’s unlikely but I am not ruling direction out.

CNN-IBN: There is a much talked about film called Gandhi, My Father and you are associated with that film. Now, there is a non-disclosure agreement regarding the film but do tell us something about it.

Akshaye Khanna: Gandhi, My Father is releasing in August. It’s a film that is extremely close to all those who have worked on it. It’s the story of the relationship that Mahatma Gandhi shared with his eldest son, Hari Lal Gandhi. It’s an emotional film that deals with a sensitive topic.
CNN-IBN: Thank you so much for talking to us and all the best with your films.

Akshaye Khanna: Thank you.

He looks quite fit and raring to go. Attaboy!

Here's the video.

Akshaye at IIFA

These two are becoming a couple now but Akshaye is looking like a million bucks!