Blogorama

Apparently, there's a blograma is going on and everybody and their moms are dumping on my poor Akshoo. I'll say in my best Chris Crocker imitation though: Leave Akshoo's hair alone!

Thanks Beth for the link.

Stag party

On Tuesday afternoon Anil Kapoor not known to throw open the doors for too many social occasions, hosted a very special small and intimate lunch for his co-stars of Anees Bazmi’s No Problem.

There was just one problem. The female co-stars Sushmita Sen, Kangna Ranaut and Neetu Chandra were not invited for the wrap-up lunch at Anil Kapoor’s office.

This was a bit odd considering wrap -up parties are meant for the entire crew.The ladies being a must since they add a glamour quotient.

Even the director was missing from what seems to be the most exclusive wrap-up party in the history of Indian cinema.

Says Anil stubbornly, “No no. Only Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna and I were there from the cast. There were a few other associates. But that’s it. We wanted it to be a stag party. Just so that Sanju, Akshaye and I could bond araam se, just have a boys’ afternoon.”

The “boys” spoke about things that are generally avoided when ladies are around.

So why was Anees left out?

Chuckles Anil, “How can Anees be left out? He has left for Canada to shoot with my daughter Sonam for Thank You. Anees is like family.

I’ve done three comedies No Entry, Welcome and now No Problem with him. And just when No Problem was complete he starts shooting with Sonam. So you see, there’s a family tie with Anees.”

Anil lets out that he was responsible for Anees turning director. “It happened during the shooting of Mr Azaad 16 years ago.

The director T Rama Rao was unavailable for a week. I suggested Anees who had scripted the film, take over for that one week. Even then I knew what Anees was capable of.”

Apparently Anees would also like to launch Anil’s son Harsh. Says Anil, “It’s too early to think of that. Harsh has not decided what he wants to do.”

The wrap-up party for No Problem was over-due. “We rushed back from South Africa after the shooting. We had no time for a party.

So I decided we boys should get together in Mumbai. I won’t call it a farewell party. Sanju, Akshaye and I are too close to disperse after a movie.”

So, No Problem shooting is complete. Great news.

Jaldi Five with Akshaye

Your best film till date? Why?

Dil Chahta Hai and Gandhi My Father. Dil Chahta Hai has established me in the industry in a new way. And Gandhi, My Father is something which I enjoyed doing.

What do you appreciate most in woman?

Kindness and silence. Beauty, of course, and cooking skills. The latter is very high on the list.

Do you have any OCDs?

I don’t like noise. I have no OCDs of the kind that will make you laugh.

What are the things that complete your days?

A good workout, especially in the outdoors. I am the one who doesn’t do a workout to lose weight, but because I love doing it, and that’s when I enjoy it.

What kind of a person were you in your childhood?

I used to be a stupid, little boy, not fully understanding the responsibility of being a professional. But now I am grown up. Films are something where you cant afford to be a pain in the ass.

Lola interviews Akshaye

Akshaye interviewed by Lola on Channel V. I don't have the video yet but go here for the transcript. It's a very amusing fun interview.

Nishaad is now Garam Hawa

Producer Kumar Mangat Pathak and Ajay Devgn had a title clash for their next, a Priyan film. On Friday night, after a heated discussion between the two, the film was finally christened Garam Hawa.
'Garam Hawa' was apparently Paresh Rawal's suggestion. Paresh says, "Amongst all the titles, Garam Hawa had the strongest impact."



Action time
Priyadarshan says, "Initially, I was a bit sceptical about calling it Garam Hawa. My film has lots of violence and action, and the title needed to carry a strong punch. None but GH suited it best!" Akshaye Khanna echoes the thought.

Kumar Mangat informs us that there were five titles in contention. "We had selected Ardh Satya, Nishaad, Man Maani, Garam Hawa and Isshaq. The film is an action-thriller with tongue-in-cheek humor. I felt people might connect to MS Sathyu's Garam Hawa and remember that film. I liked Man Maani and Isshaq as the film revolves around a love story upon which honour killing and other plots unfold."

Ajay Devgn argues, "How many of this generation would know about MS Sathyu's Garam Hawa and relate to it? Also the film is not a love story but around the honor killing in a village and the two guys, an army and CBI officer who come to investigate it, so Isshaq would give it a different connotation. It's an action-thriller.

Make an impact
'Man Maani' sounds too frivolous and would give the impression of being another emotional comedy. I thought with the right kind of action and visuals, Akshaye and I with guns would make a tremendous impact with the title of Garam Hawa. In fact, we could even have a song in the film based around it."
Akshaye, Paresh and Priyan silently supported Ajay until Mangat reluctantly conceded defeat.

I think Akshaye will rock this movie. I'm liking his look.

Cool guy

Nishaad still

Akshaye refuses to cancel shoot

Akshaye Khanna may be known to be moody but when it comes to work, he's one of the most professional actors around.

When he hurt his ankle while playing tennis on Monday, in stead of cancelling his shoot he flew down to Karaikudi in Tamil Nadu en route to Pollachi (also in Tamil Nadu) for the shooting for Priyadarshan's tentatively titled film Nishaad, which also stars Ajay Devgn, Bipasha Basu and Paresh Rawal.



Akshaye tries to play down the incident and says, "It was nothing major -- just an ankle sprain. There was no way I could cancel the shoot. The whole unit was waiting for me. I am better now than when I came. The pain is much less."

Producer Kumar Mangat says, "Akshaye hurt his ankle badly while playing tennis and was taken to Breach Candy Hospital. The doctor advised him complete rest for a few days but Akshaye ignored his doctor's warning and decided to come to Pollachi for the shoot. Akshaye understood it was a big combination shoot and that we had got permission to shoot at the dam in Pollachi for only three days. If he had cancelled, I would suffer major losses."

Akshaye landed at Mumbai airport on Tuesday night, went aboard his plane in a wheelchair and was taken to the shoot in a wheelchair to avoid pressure on his ankle as much as possible. Mangat says, "Hats off to Akshaye. He was in great pain but he shot on Wednesday till 5 pm and then drove down from Pollachi back to Karaikudi in five hours. He had to keep taking painkillers. Akshaye is a big star and could've cancelled his shoot. Smaller actors throw tantrums and cancel shoots but he knows it's an expensive film. We will shoot several action scenes in the next 20 days."

Kumar Mangat adds that he has a doctor on call from the local dispensary in case of any injuries on the sets. "There's always an ambulance and doctor on the set and fire control units."

Akshaye with Tees Maar Khan team

Mix up of Akshay(e)s

Akshay Kumar has been on the receiving end of smses meant for Akshaye Khanna; he is fed up of the mix-up.

Having a namesake does have a share of disadvantages, and Bollywood has weathered its fair share of mixups . Feroz Abbas Khan, the director of Gandhi My Father , often spoke about how he received messages meant for actor Feroz Khan. Director Sanjay Gupta and his namesake , a cinematographer, also went through that problem. Ditto jewellery designer Farah Khan Ali and director Farah Khan.

The latest to be involved in an identity goof up are actors Akshay Kumar and Akshaye Khanna. Akshay, who is shooting at Mehboob Studios for Patiala House, has been receiving messages from an assistant called Nikki all through last week. One message reads, Sir it is a 2pm shift at Film City tomorrow. Another says, Sir, what would you like to eat for lunch Initially, Akshay was puzzled by the messages until he finally realised that they were meant for Akshaye Khanna, who is shooting at Film City. Incidentally, Akshaye and Akshay are co-stars in Anees Bazmees Thank You, as well as Farah Khans Tees Maar Khan.

Confirming the news, Akshay Kumar says, I figured this particular assistant had fed my number against Akshaye Khannas name in his cell phone. The messages have been coming religiously, many times. However, Im now wondering that if Im getting all of Akshayes shooting alerts, how is he managing to reaching his shooting on time And I dont know how many of my messages are being delivered to him.

Anees Bazmee's Thank You? Is that a new film?

Tees Maar Khan to release on 24 December

Farah Khan and Shirish Kunder's maiden home production - Tees Maar Khan - is all set to go on floors from 1 March, 2010.

The film has been written by Kunder and will be directed by Khan. It stars Akshay Kumar, Akshay Khanna and Katrina Kaif in lead roles. According to a source close to the development, the three actors have already done a photo shoot for the film at Mehboob Studios on 20 January, 2010.

Speaking to Businessofcinema.com, Kunder says, "Tees Maar Khan will go on floor in March. The first schedule of the film will be shot on a set in Mumbai. Besides Mumbai, the film will also be shot in Malshej Ghat."

Kunder informs that the film is being readied for a Christmas 2010 release and will hit screens on 24 December.

Sardar song still in No Problem

Akshaye in another downmarket comedy?

After directing a host of films for his banner, Maruti Films, Indra Kumar is set to direct a film for an outside banner after a long gap. He is directing a film for Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision. Apparently, the working title of the film is 3 Losers.

Confirming the news, Indra says, “What is wrong with that? Sometimes you should make a film with others too. Anyway, I am making Double Dhamaal for my banner. I just thought that making two films for our banner will be very difficult. Moreover, Ashtavinayak was keen to make the film with me and the subject was very interesting. So I said, ‘why not?’ I will be making both the films simultaneously once the dates work out. We will go on the floors sometime in the middle of this year.”

Commenting about the title of the film, Indra says, “My film has four heroes and one more actor remains to be cast, so how can the title of the film be

3 Losers? We are yet to find a title. The film will star Sanjay Dutt, Anil Kapoor, Govinda and Akshaye Khanna. The heroines are yet to be finalised.”

When asked if his production partner Ashok Thackeria supported his decision to work outside their banner, he says, “Of course. I would not do anything without consulting him. My last film was Dhamaal (2007) which was made around two-and-a-half years ago.

After that, we have been trying to work on different subjects.”

Akshaye in The Italian Job remake?

The cast already has Abhishek Bachchan and Neil Nitin Mukesh, while Akshaye Khanna and Kunal Kapoor are being brought in to play the other male leads.

Rohit Jugraj, who’s writing the screenplay for the yet untitled film, says he has improvised on the original. “Though the producers, TV 18, and Abbas Mustan have bought the remake rights, we’ve changed the Hindi version of The Italian Job considerably. For one, the stakes for the heist are much higher. The situations, fights and adventures are all different - and so are the characters.”

A former Ram Gopal Varma associate who directed James and Superstar, Jugraj admitted that the desi version does have two major female characters. “The original only has Charlize Theron’s character. We’ve written in two female parts. As for Priyanka and Katrina playing the roles, right now I’m not authorised to confirm the cast.”

But reliable sources insist the two divas are indeed on board. When contacted, all Abbas (of Abbas Mustan) was willing to say was, “There are a lot of changes in the script. But in spirit our The Italian Job will remain the same. So far, we’ve not locked in the entire cast. But we’re definitely in serious talks with all the names (Katrina, Priyanka) you’ve mentioned. It’s a very big project and we need to get the biggest names in place before we start.”

The film, which will also be shot in Russia and England, goes on the floors in mid-2010.

Wow. This is a dream come true. I wanted Akshaye to star in a remake from the moment I saw the movie. I bet he'll be playing Edward Norton's villain character. But I'd prefer to be surprised and want to see him in the lead roles, not as a villain. Hope this also means there is a patch up between him and Abbas-Mastan.

Kal nau Baje

Akshaye's legacy

Nishaad

Priyadarshan is a disappointed man. No, his films are doing alright at the box office, but it's just that the filmmaker couldn't get the title of his choice for his upcoming film, as a film by that name has already been made.

Priyan wanted to title the film about caste wars and forbidden inter-caste marriages in Bihar "Ganga Jal", not knowing that this has already been taken for another fable.

Says Priyan: "I thought something like 'Ganga Jal' was the best title for this film because it allowed audiences to know exactly where the plot and characters were going."

In his mind he had settled for the title as the best one for his film, until he shared it with his leading man Ajay Devgn. To his horror Priyan was told by Ajay that Prakash Jha had already used the title. Ajay knew about Jha's "Ganga Jal" because he had played the lead in it. Bipasha Basu who was also part of "Ganga Jal" also laughed when she heard of Priyan's title.

Then began the search for another title. Now, Priyan's drama is called "Nishaad".

Priyadarshan's Ajay Devgn, Bipasha Basu, Akshaye Khanna starrer had been shot without a title mainly because Priyan wanted the film to have a hard-hitting title.

Priyan's script and dialogue writer came up with "Nishaad" because the director barely knows any Hindi.

Alibaug home

Akshaye Khanna has bought a four acre plot in Alibaug and is in the process of constructing a huge bungalow there. The plot is situated near one of the costliest places in Alibaug, Mandwa. The actor will now be neighbours with industrialists Vijay Mallya and Ratan Tata, who already own homes there.

A source says, “Akshaye bought the plot around six months ago and has already begun the process of building his dream house. It’s been seven years since the actor has been looking for a property. The plot is very close to Mandwa and measures about four acres. A major portion of the bungalow is ready. He has built a huge swimming pool and a squash court as he is very fond of playing the game. He stays there regularly and he travels by speed boat to Alibaug. In fact, Akshaye celebrated this New Year at his house in Alibaug with a couple of friends. It will take six more months to get the place completely ready. Meanwhile, Akshaye has been buying speedboats as he prefers to travel by sea than by roads.”

Anil helps Farah to get Akshaye to star in his film

Farah Khan believes three is her lucky charm. She has triplets, her production house is called 3's Company and now she has three namesakes in her project Tees Maar Khan.

After casting Akshay Kumar for TMK, she has just pencilled in Akshaye Khanna for a parallel role in her film. To avoid confusion in names, she will refer to them as Akki and Akshu. The unit hands will have to refer to them as Mr Kumar and Mr Khanna. But then, stylist Aki Narula is also on board her project!

"There is bound to be some gadbad at some time when the film goes on floors in March," laughs Farah. "I can well imagine if I am calling Akki and Aki lands up or when I say Akshaye and Akshay arrives."

When her hubby Shirish Kunder and she were looking at options for another hero for Tees Maar Khan, Akshaye was on the top of the list. "I am glad he was convinced and said yes. Akshaye is half-Parsi like me and he calls me dikri! We get along superbly."

Anil Kapoor played a major role in the casting too. He is close to both Farah and Akshaye and put in a word on Farah's behalf.

Adds Farah, "Shirish went to meet Akshaye on the sets of No Problem at Mehboob Studios last week. Now everything is signed and sealed."

Akshaye will have to shed weight for the film and has already started preparing for the role..
Says Farah, "It's the first time that the two Akshays are working together in the same film. Though both have worked in many Priyadarshan films they haven't done a project together with him either. I am glad they are doing it with me first!"

Tees Maar Khan will have one actress, who will be announced by the second week of January.

Boys will be boys

The reason is because Sanju who has a fleet of cars brings a new car to work each day. Just yesterday, he was in the studios with his red sports model fancy car. And, in between shots all the others ‘boys’ — Anil Kapoor, Akshaye Khanna and Paresh Rawal were apparently just hanging around Sanju’s car, touching it, feeling it... and wanting to take it out for a ride. What’s it with men and machines yaar? “I find them more irresistible than even women,” said one of the actors.