Anushka Sharma loses chance to do Arundhati remake

By Subhash K. Jha

Bollywood Hungama News Network

April 16, 2009

It's touted as the biggest hit in the history of Telugu cinema. And now Arundhati is all set to be remade into Hindi.

Many producers including Ghajini's Madhu Mantena were vying for the Hindi remake rights. But the producer of the Telugu version M. Shyam Prasad Reddy has decided to remake the film in Hindi.Sonu Sood who played the main antagonist in the Telugu film and is all set to encore the same part in Hindi, confirms these developments.Confirming these developments Sood says, "I'm excited because we all worked very hard on making the Telugu original something special. Lots of producers wanted to remake it in Hindi. But now the original producer has decided to go for it. The Hindi Arundhati will be far more expensive and polished. We start shooting in June. "

Sood has already started preparing for the part. "The Hindi version will have to be severely revised."The remakes expert Priyadarshan was approached to direct Arundhati in Hindi. Apparently Priyan has no time at such short notice.

"And the original director Kodi Ramkrishna can't understand Hindi. So we're probably going with a guy named Rahul who did all the special effects in Tamil."

And now for the most crucial question. Who plays the central role of Arundhati in this woman-dominated film? Though no one is willing to commit to any name sources reveal that the makers of Arundhati were very keen to sign Anushka Sharma who starred with Shah Rukh Khan in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.

Says the source, "They needed someone strong robust young and determined and very North Indian as the lead in Hindi. They really wanted Anushka Sharma. She was perfect. But the producer was under the impression that she's under contract with Yashraj Films and unable to do any outside film. Now they might settle for the actress who played the lead in the Telugu Arundhati in Hindi. Coincidentally her name too is Anushka."

Surprisingly, Arjan (Fashion) Bajwa who played the romantic lead in Arundhati is not part of the Hindi remake.When questioned, Arjan says, "They haven't asked me. Even if they had I wouldn't do it. Have you seen what has been done to my role in the Telugu film?"

Source: http://www.bollywood.com

Dev Patel joins list of most eligible men

Agencies
Posted: Apr 16, 2009

'Slumdog Millionaire' star Dev Patel has joined the likes of Robert Pattinson and Academy winning actor Jammie Foxx in a list of the most eligible men, compiled by ‘OK’ magazine. 

The 19-year-old Patel, a British actor of Indian origin who shot to fame as the street urchin 'Jamal' in the multiple Oscar winning film has been described as "The Shy Guy" by the magazine. The young actor who was romantically linked to his co-star from the film, Freida Pinto, had once described himself as the guy who "never had a girlfriend. I'm the guy who stands in the club nowhere near the dance floor". 

While Pinto has been included in the list of the 'World's Most Beautiful Women' and signed on by Woody Allen, Patel will be seen in Manoj Night Shyamalan's next flick. 

The list was topped by 22-year-old 'Twilight' heartthrob Robert Patinson. Other prominent names on the list include Jamie Foxx, 'Gossip Girl' actor Chace Crawford, funnyman Jason Segel, 'Heroes' star Milo Ventimiglia and Josh Hartnett who is described as a "serial dater" by the magazine.

Source: http://www.screenindia.com

‘Slumdog’ Filmmakers Donate to Youth Charity

By Dave Itzkoff

April 16, 2009

The team behind the film “Slumdog Millionaire” said that it would make a donation to Plan, an international charity that focuses on children’s development in India and elsewhere. In a news release, the “Slumdog” filmmakers, including the director Danny Boyle and the producer Christian Colson, said that they had pledged about $745,000 to a five-year program intended to improve the lives of children in the slums of Mumbai, where the movie takes place. Following the release of “Slumdog Millionaire,” its creative team was criticized for exploiting the child actors they had recruited from Mumbai; the filmmakers said the actors had been tutored and paid three times the average Indian adult’s salary while working on the film.

Source: http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com

If Amitabh Bachchan were to launch a TV channel...

Agencies
Posted: Apr 16, 2009 

The 'Shahenshah' of Bollywood Amitabh Bachchan may have dismissed the news that he is planning to launch a TV channel but that hasn't prevented a Pakistani news magazine from speculating about the would-be venture. 

The potential breaking news on Big B's channel? "Aishwarya pregnant!" Resident political analyst? "Amar Singh of the Samajwadi Party, given his close friendship with Amitabh". Topping the banned topics on the channel? "Slumdog Millionaire" reads a write-up in Instep magazine. The make-believe account of how the channel will work with the "original Don at the helm" is hilarious. Shahrukh Khan, who has been in a row or two with Big B, and Hrithik Roshan, because of his screen chemistry with Aishwarya, would be banned by the channel. 

There would also be "a complete blanket ban on all former flames of the Bachchans: Rekha, Karisma Kapoor, Salman Khan, Vivek Oberoi," says the write-up titled "If Amitabh launches a news channel". Apart from the ban on celebrities, certain controversial topics too will be banished. "Slumdog Millionaire, the Academy Awards" and any Ram Gopal Verma films starring any Bachchan that may have flopped at the box office will never be discussed. Jaya Entertainment Programming will show constant replay of footage from the Unforgettable Tour featuring all the Bachchans; the IIFA awards featuring Bachchans in all their glory; any and all award ceremonies where the Bachchans have been awarded prizes "whether they deserved them or not". 

The channel will also replay all films that originally starred Amitabh and have been remade, to point out how much better Amitabh's films were. Constant replays and re-runs of the "Great Bachchan Temple Hopping Sprees" will be allotted special slots. The news content will be driven from what Amitabh writes on his blog bigb.bigadda.com. The newscasters would, of course, be Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and the potential breaking news would be "Aishwarya pregnant!" or "Abhishek is Bollywood's no 1 hero". Celebrities who would "constantly be praised to the skies" would include the Bachchan clan, Ram Gopal Varma, Yash Chopra, Karan Johar, Preity Zinta, John Abraham, Akshay Kumar "and again, the Bachchan clan". 

The channel which would be run with the tagline 'Rishte mai to hum tumhare baap lagte hain, naam hai Shehenshah!', would have Amar Singh of the Samajwadi Party as the resident political analyst. The speculation about the channel came in the wake of news items last week that Amitabh Bachchan is planning to launch a news channel named India 24x7. Discussions on "Kaun Banega Crorepati", the period during which Amitabh was not working in Indian films would not be encouraged. 

So would personal information such as why "Amitabh dyes his hair but not his goatee; Jaya Bachchan's unfortunate run-in with the MNS over the Marathi speaking row (and) the Bachchan's fall-out with the Gandhis..."

Source: www.screenindia.com

Britney denies engagement with millionaire land developer

ANI
Posted: Apr 16, 2009

Britney Spears’ representative has rubbished reports that the singer is engaged to a millionaire land developer. 

John Sundahl, 40, claims he has been dating Spears on and off since they met in rehab in 2007, and the pair is planning a spring (09) wedding in Germany, reports ‘Contactmusic’. The reports surfaced following an interview by Sundahl''s personal pilot Lance Chase to the ‘National Enquirer’. 

"Britney and John used to date, but they reconnected after her show in New Jersey, and now they're engaged,” he said. 

When approached by the ‘New York Daily’ News to verify the story, Sundahl backed it up, saying, "Britney doesn't want to do anything until the tour is over. 

“She wants press for her tour and not for an engagement," he added. 

However, the ‘Toxic’ singer’s rep has dismissed the reports. 

"Britney is not engaged. She did not get proposed to at Subway - she is currently on tour - she is not getting married on a farm in Germany. Oh, and she has not been abducted by aliens," said the rep.

Source: http://www.screenindia.com

Angelina Jolie named modern Helen of Troy

Agencies
Posted: Apr 16, 2009

In a new poll, Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie has been named the modern day Helen of Troy— the mythical Greek princess who had a “face that launched a thousand ships” for war. 

The poll by ‘Vanity Fair’ magazine has claimed that the ‘Tomb Raider’ actress is the woman most likely to start a war. The 33-year-old actress won the poll with a massive 58 percent of the vote. Following Jolie was model Gisele Bundchen, 28, at the second place, while actress Halle Berry, 42, got the third highest votes. 

“Of the billions of women on this planet, only 19, we believe, could start wars,” the ‘Daily Star’ quoted a spokesman for ‘Vanity Fair’ as saying of its poll.

Source: http://www.screenindia.com

Is Angelina pregnant again?

Agencies
Posted: Apr 16, 2009

Amid recent rumours that the romance between Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt is over, new claims have emerged that the actress is two-and-a-half months pregnant with her fourth biological child. 

‘Star magazine’ has reported that Angelina and Brad are on their way to welcome their seventh baby. A source told the publication: "Yes, Angie is pregnant. They'd been trying for another baby for months, but it was still a total shock when she found out. Brad and Angie have been fighting so much lately, it just didn't seem possible." The source claims Angelina is two and a half months along. 

"She's thrilled. She said she knew she was pregnant before the test confirmed it!" The ‘CourierMail’ quoted the source, as adding.

Source: http://www.screenindia.com

Beyonce gets cosy with Halle Berry's ex in new steamy video

Agencies
Posted: Apr 16, 2009 

R&B superstar Beyonce Knowles might be a married woman but that does not stop her from getting cosy with other men for her videos. 

The latest video arm candy is none other than actor Michael Ealy who is better known for his brief affair with Hollywood beauty Halle Berry. Beyonce's latest video 'Halo' features her and the 'Seven Pounds' actor snuggling up on a sofa, reported ‘Sun’ online. The 'Crazy in Love' singer who is married to rap mogul Jay-Z also shows off her famous curvy figure in a skin tight leotard. 

The single which was released this week, is the third video to be released from her new album 'I am Sasha Fierce'. 

The first single from the album, 'Single Ladies' was the most down loaded song in it's first week of release.

Source: http://www.screenindia.com

Press conference for Documenting Bangladesh-3

By Mridul Mamun

April 15, 2009

Bangladesh Documentary Councile Organized a Press conference for deaclaring their national documentary film festival named Documenting Bangladesh-3. Today at 11:30 am on Lebaration War Musium thay had arrenged a press conference. in this conferance they told about the festival and about tha screening of selected film and many more. Yesterday 16 April, 2009 they will open the festival at 5 pm and this festival will end at 19 april, 2009.

Source: BD Documentary Councile.

Dawood linked to Bollywood piracy in big way: US Lawmaker

Agencies
Posted: Apr 15, 2009

Identifying Dawood Ibrahim as the "godfather" of India's organised crime, an influential US lawmaker has said the underworld don's D-company, which also supports al-Qaeda, is heavily involved in Bollywood and linked to piracy in a big way. 

"If you think about it, the godfather of godfathers, as he's called, of Indian organised crime, Dawood Ibrahim, is linked to piracy in a big way," Congressman Ed Royce said during a field hearing on piracy orgnaised by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs in Los Angles. 

"Frankly he is a big supporter of al-Qaeda, and in the past, also the LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba)," Royce said and held him responsible for the series of Mumbai blasts in 1993. 

The Republican lawmaker said at the hearing last week that "D-Company is the operation" run by Dawood now. 

"It's (D-Company) now integrated into every part of the Indian filmmaking industry, from distribution to loan-sharking, and I guess a special irony here, for those of you who saw 'Slumdog Millionaire' is the fact that a lot was made of organised crime there and the way in which corruption has that insidious effect," he said. 

"Think, for a minute: the very people portrayed, the very organised crime syndicate, are involved today in pirating and undermining Bollywood, and undermining Hollywood," he said during the hearing, according to a transcript made available to reporters. 

"If they weren't tied to terrorists that were engaged in this kind of activity we'd have enough to worry about; but this should really focus our attention, I'm afraid. The high profit margins in this kind of crime make it little wonder why gangsters and terrorists have turned to piracy," Royce said. 

In his opening remarks, Congressman Howard Berman, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said India needs to seriously address the issue of Intellectual Property Rights protection and prevent piracy of movies, which is resulting in huge loss to the entertainment industry both in Hollywood and Bollywood. 

"Its own homegrown entertainment industry, Bollywood, is subject to many of the same concerns that plague Hollywood. We need to do better at protecting Bollywood films when pirated copies are sold in mom and pop shops here in the US," the Democrat said. 

"As evident with the crossover success and number of pirated copies of 'Slumdog Millionaire' viewed in India, India needs to enforce adequate protections for multinational innovation as well," he said.

Source: http://www.screenindia.com