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Loads of time before a wedding happens: Bipasha Basu (INTERVIEW)
By Subhash K. Jha,

Mumbai, Nov 30 Bipasha Basu, whose recently released "Dhoom 2" is making waves at the box office, is in no hurry to tie the knot with beau John Abraham and says she is too scared to think about having her own children right now.

"I love kids. But right now my nephew, whose parents are setting up house in Mumbai, is staying with me. And I'm scar-r-r-e-d to even think about having my own kids. Right now, parenthood seems like the most difficult job in the world. I've told my sister, my nephew is enough. I don't think I can have a child of my own for a long time," Bipasha told IANS in an interview.

Tell her that John hopes to make loads of money to pay for their wedding and honeymoon and the actress smirks.

"Oh please! I don't believe in lavish weddings. It's a criminal waste of money to call so many people who are genuinely not interested in my life. Better to invite only my genuine circle of friends. However, there's loads of time before the wedding happens. And trust me, everyone will know when it happens."

Bipasha had recently been to Toronto and returned as a richer person as she found a good woman friend.

"After ages I have made a really close friend. She's actually John's friend. But after a long time I have made truly good female friends with whom I can remain connected without a sense of rivalry. One can't do that in Bollywood."

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The actress misses her hometown Kolkata.

"I enjoy my vacations there. But I can't live there. Of course, puja in Mumbai isn't quite the same as Kolkata. So, I don't miss having my family around. But yes, I did enjoy puja in Kolkata earlier. Now it gets too crowded and my dad gets tired. The crowds are uncontrollable. So it's no longer fun.

"But now I've my entire family in Mumbai, including my elder sister whose husband has just got a job transfer from Bangalore. So, my entire family lives just a stone's throw away from where I stay."

Bipasha grows reflective.

"As you grow older you really look for your roots. At 17, I felt great travelling alone and making my way around the world. But then family begins to catch up. I've been away from them for too long. I need my family close to me, specially since I don't allow too many people to come into my inner circle."

A new development in Bipasha's life - she has been, in her words, rewarding herself with vacations.

"For years it was just New Year. But now I indulge myself on holidays when I feel like. Recently, I went to Toronto Film Festival with John. It was a lovely experience. Toronto is such a beautiful city. I had been there earlier for work only. Of course, I went because I got to spend quality time with John. But I got a chance to make some genuinely great friends in Toronto."

About her rather ugly run-in with the Independence Day parade in New Jersey, Bipasha says being harassed isn't peculiar to high-profile women.

"Because we're celebrities such incidents get played up. But funny things happen to women all the time, whether we admit it or not. And those who think such things happen only to me because of the image that I have, I question their intelligence level. These things could happen to anybody, yaar. It's life."

As far as her acting assignments are concerned, she has some good projects in her kitty.

"I've two films with Abbas-Mastan, one with Sanjay Dutt and Ajay, which is almost complete, the other with Saif, which will start soon. There're three other offers that I'm considering seriously.

"There're 20 other offers which I could've taken up at this time of my career. But I don't want to. It isn't necessary to work every single day of the year. I don't want to have 11-12 trashy releases per year.

"Whatever is offered is not what I'm always happy with. Now I'm looking forward to going beyond 'Dhoom 2', spending time with my family, my boyfriend and just relaxing."
 
Anurag Basu raves about Shiney and Kangana
By Swati R. Chaudhary,

Mumbai, Well-known filmmakers Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt recently celebrated the silver jubilee of "Gangster - A Love Story" and the home video launch of "Woh Lamhe", both starring Shiney Ahuja and Kangana Ranaut in lead roles.

Director Anurag Basu is more than happy for Shiney and Kangana who have successfully proved their mettle as actors, reports Bollywood Trade.

"They have performed amazingly well. They are growing as actors and the industry ought to benefit from them. They have improved a lot and I think their performance in 'Woh Lamhe' is better than 'Gangster'. They are improvising and only getting better," said Basu effusively.

He again directs the duo in "Metro", which also has Shilpa Shetty, Kay Kay Menon, Irrfan Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma and Sharman Joshi.

Shiney's upcoming films include Sudhir Mishra's "Khoya Khoya Chand" and Priyadarshan's "Chandramukhi" while Kangana has Suneel Dashan's "Shakalaka Boom Boom" and a three-film deal with UTV.

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Isha Koppikar - Bollywood's new style icon

The very stylish "Don - The Chase Begins" had Isha Koppikar flaunting her glam quotient; nonetheless she has her own style statement.

Isha is not the one to follow trends blindly but believes in creating trends. She thinks style is not just restricted to clothing and fashion, reports Bollywood Trade.

"Style is more about comfort and clothes that suit you. What looks good on a mannequin may not necessarily look good on someone. Moreover, it's not only about the way one dresses up, the way you carry yourself, the way you talk, walk etc also matter a lot. It's in one's persona and is basically about exuding confidence and attitude," Isha waxes eloquent.

A self-confessed simple woman, Ishaa does get lethargic at times. "I am not overly bothered about what I wear but since we are under the scanner, one cannot afford to be completely lax either."

She works out and eats healthy to stay trim. "I exercise five times a week and follow a balanced diet, though I did indulge in sweets this Diwali. I was dying to please my taste buds."

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I'm not overly selective about films, insists Boman

Be it the disgruntled dean in "Munnabhai M.B.B.S.", the unyielding Jahangir Hayaat Khan in "Veer-Zaara" or the mysterious DCP D'Silva in "Don - The Chase Begins", the very versatile Boman Irani manages to pull off every role with élan.

"Munnabhai M.B.B.S." undoubtedly catapulted him into limelight and he has been inundated with an avalanche of offers since then. So, is he now meticulously weighing the pros and cons before signing films?

"I tried to be as selective as possible. You cannot do every film that comes your way. Moreover, it's physically not possible. Having said that, I also feel that one cannot afford to be too choosy either. So, I am not being overly selective about films," said Boman.

He recently returned from New York where "Lage Raho..." was screened and is truly overjoyed with the response, reports Bollywood Trade.

"It was one of the very proud moments in my career. The credit goes to Rajkumar Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra. It was heart warming to see the audience connect with the film. People were laughing and crying. It was quite an experience. How I wish it had gone to Oscars," he enthused.

Boman, who will be seen in "Eklavya" and "Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd", feels that the script is the real hero of a film. "I am not looking forward to 'specific' roles. The script has to move me completely."
 
Karisma denies comeback rumour
By Subhash K. Jha,

Mumbai, Rumours of actress Karisma Kapoor's return keep surfacing through one project or another. The latest was a press release, which claimed that Karisma had agreed to be in director Onir's next film "You & I".

But the actress, who quit acting after tying the knot with Delhi-based businessman Sanjay Kapoor, strongly denies the rumour.

"All these are just rumours. I haven't signed any film officially. Yes, I've been hearing a lot of scripts. But that's about it," Karisma told IANS.

Some time ago there was talk Karisma, who has showcased her versatility in films like "Raja Hindustani", "Zubeida" and "Dil To Pagal Hai", was returning to cinema with Ram Gopal Varma's "Sholay", a rumour that both the actress and the filmmaker strongly refuted.

Earlier, she was supposed to serve as a judge on the dance contest "Jhalak Dikhla Jaa". However, the price she asked for put the show's sponsors off and sent them scampering to Shilpa Shetty.

So, until her expectations from a renewed career are met by a vehicle she chooses, Karisma is happy being a wife and mother.
 
The KBC mantle passes on to Shah Rukh
By Subhash K. Jha,

Mumbai, STAR CEO Samir Nair is confident that superstar Shah Rukh Khan will step into Amitabh Bachchan's shoes with ease when he takes over as the new host of "Kaun Banega Crorepati" (KBC), which goes on air from mid-January next year.

"I think Shah Rukh will do a fantastic job. He'll bring his own unique charm to the show. Like Mr. Bachchan, Shah Rukh is smart and bright.

"We all remember the celebrity episode on KBC which he did. It was one of our best episodes. He brought his own encyclopaedia, did his research and almost won the crore. He'll bring a new spin to the show," Nair told IANS.

Amitabh, who not only hosted the first two innings of KBC, but also spearheaded the channel's movement towards TRP-topping manoeuvres that have stood the channel in good stead for over five years, is no longer going to be seen in the host's seat.

Nair attributes this startling change of guard to the original host's busy schedules.

"We pursued Mr. Bachchan for months. But he didn't seem to be very enthusiastic. In the meantime we acquired KBC rights in the season-format for years whereby we had to have the show on air for 52 episodes every year, or our rights lapsed. We just had to take a call.

"In the light of Mr. Bachchan's response, we had no choice but to think of someone else who was capable of taking on the mantle."

Shah Rukh is apparently very kicked by the game show.

"We were in talks from early November. In 2003, when KBC broke and there was talk that Mr. Bachchan might not do it, we had approached Shah Rukh. But nothing came of it.

"This time when we spoke to him in October he gave us dates immediately in January. It was our good fortune, good planning. We start telecast in mid-Jan, four times a week."

There seems to be a hurry to go on air.

"It's very simple. We do it before or after the World Cup. We're doing it before. I've a window of opportunity available now, why not? So, the question, will anyone be able to live up to Mr. Bachchan's reputation on the host's seat? I don't think we need to compare the two. It's like James Bond. You can't compare Sean Connery with Daniel Craig, or the two Dons."

STAR hopes to cultivate a new breed of viewership.

"We're forever indebted to Mr. Bachchan for doing KBC and legitimising our channel per se. He made it all happen. Now the mantle passes on. And no one better to take it on than Shah Rukh Khan who interestingly enough comes from television (he did serials on Doordarshan before films). He has a soft corner for the medium.

"As satellite television in India moves forward, we need someone like Shah Rukh to take that movement forward. I'm very kicked. I've always been a super-fan of Mr. Bachchan. We at STAR spoke to him about renewing KBC. But after a point we had to respect his wishes. To be honest, Shah Rukh asked me if he doesn't do KBC, then what. I told him, then we would have a problem."

There will be no radical change in the show.

"Same lifelines, same Rs.2-crore prize money and the set remains the same," assures Samir.

Finally, what sort of fee has exchanged hands?

"It's adequate," laughs Nair.

As adequate as it was for Mr. Bachchan? "Yes, more than adequate," comes the reply.
 
Bollywood fare 'Omkara', 'Khosla Ka Ghosla' for Pakistan fest
Islamabad, Bollywood will make its presence felt at Pakistan's prestigious Kara Film Festival this year with "Omkara", "Khosla Ka Ghosla" and "Woh Lamhe".

Actors of "Omkara" - Ajay Devgun, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Konkana Sen Sharma - and Anupam Kher, director of "Khosla Ka Ghosla", will attend the festival that kicks off Dec 7 in Karachi. It is being held for the sixth year running in the city.

The festival has been aptly titled "Tamanna ka Chhatta Qadam" (The sixth step of desire), as a Ghalib-inspired metaphorical allusion to the sixth leg of the city's unique festival, which aims to promote cinematic creativity in Pakistan, The Daily Times said.

Both Kher and Mahesh Bhatt, who has written "Woh Lamhe", a self-confessed account of his relationship with the late actress Parveen Babi, are familiar figures on the Pakistan film fest circuit.

The festival will show "The Road to Guantanamo", winner of the Silver Bear award at the Berlin film festival, which looks into the lives of British-Pakistanis held at the infamous prison on charges of terrorism.

There will also be a Pakistani short documentary, "Mukhtar Mai: Struggle for Justice", directed and produced by Beena Sarwar. It tells the story of Mai, a woman in rural Punjab who was gang-raped on the orders of tribal village heads for a crime her younger brother allegedly committed in 2002. Rather than keep quiet, as is the norm in Pakistan, she knocked at the doors of justice. An internationally known name among human rights organisations, Mai was named a "World Hero" by Time Magazine this year.

The prominent international current affairs documentaries will include former American vice president Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth", a troubling look into the future possibilities of a global environmental catastrophe.

The festival will also include a retrospective on French filmmaker Francois Truffaut, of "Les Quatre Cent Coups" (400 Blows) fame, a tribute to critically acclaimed Iranian director Jafar Panahi and a spotlight on Jamil Dehlavi, a filmmaker of Pakistani origin.
 
There is no Basanti in this 'Sholay': Nisha Kothari (INTERVIEW)
By Shweta Thakur,

New Delhi, Ram Gopal Varma's latest muse Nisha Kothari, who plays a motor-mouthed village belle in his "Sholay" remake, says "there is no Basanti" in this film.

"Ghungroo is a totally different character from Basanti. There is nothing that I can take from the yesteryears' 'Sholay'. In fact, I will say there is no Basanti in this film," Nisha told IANS.

In Ramesh Sippy's "Sholay", Hema Malini played the role of a tonga driver called Basanti but Varma's version has an auto rickshaw driver in Nisha.

"Ghungroo is an auto rickshaw wali (auto rickshaw driver) and the name of her auto is Laila. She is very arrogant and carries loads of attitude. She smokes a beedi and constantly tries to prove herself as a man. She is the one who is taking care of her parents," adds Nisha.

For Nisha the experience of driving a three-wheeler was very exciting. "I learnt driving the auto from an auto-driver. It was scary but at the same time a very funny experience."

"I go for dance classes in the morning and prefer commuting by auto. That interaction with the auto rickshaw drivers helped me a lot," she adds.

While a number of controversies lurk around Varma's "Sholay", the young actress who is trying to make her presence felt in the Hindi film industry, says there is nothing wrong with making remakes.

"When we talk about a classic, it is impossible to make it again. Even today, if you see "Sholay", you will find the movie and the characters so young. But it is the love that you have for the movie that encourages you to retell the same story again. And there is nothing wrong in paying tribute to a movie by remaking it."

Nisha, who completed some part of her education in Kolkata, is not averse to acting in Bengali films.

"Not now, but if the script is good I will definitely do Bengali films," said Nisha, who has signed a Telugu film as well.

Her next release is director Manish Srivastav's "Go", in which Nisha will be seen with debutant actor Gautam. Varma's production firm - Factory - has produced the film.

"In 'Go' I am playing the role of a teenage girl Vasundhara. She is a very innocent and funny girl who has a boyfriend (Gautam) but she is so immature that she doesn't remember saying I love you even once to him in the entire movie.

"Even if she is in some trouble, she doesn't understand the gravity of situation and laughs it off. I will say she is a little cracked," adds Nisha.
 
Shah Rukh to be honoured at Dubai film fest
Indo-Asian News Service

New Delhi,  Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, whose recent release "Don - The Chase Begins" did good business in the Gulf region, will be honoured for his outstanding contribution to cinema at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) starting Dec 10.

Shah Rukh will be honoured at the Salutes programme of DIFF, which is a retrospective tribute celebrating the work of distinguished filmmakers from Asia, the Arab world and Hollywood.

Along with the Indian actor, Oscar winning director Oliver Stone and Syrian filmmaker Nabil el-Maleh would also be honoured at the week-long festival, reports bahraintribune.com

"Within three years, DIFF has come a long way in capturing the attention, participation and awareness of the regional and international film industry. The presence of these legends will confirm the festival as a forum that celebrates milestone cinema," said Abdulhamid Juma, chairman of DIFF.

Last year in the Spotlight segment, Oscar-winning American actor Morgan Freeman, Egyptian "king of comedy" Adel Imam and Indian producer-director Yash Chopra were honoured.
 

IANS