Bollywood Buzz: What's happening today

Sayali's PR tamasha

Here's a classic case of what happens when relations sour between an actor and her ex- PR team. You get in deep, deep soup, ask Sayali Bhagat. The actor was recently in news for accusing her 'Ghost' co-star Shiney Ahuja for physically harassment on the sets. This news incidentally was circulated through an official press release send by the actor's former PR team. Of course, a few days came the actress complete denial of any such allegation. Incidentally, it was again a press release that was sent across. However that wasn't the end of the drama. Yet another press release, again send by the beauty queen's former PR agency, gave out some of the biggest name of B-Town who the actor claimed had harassed her, time and again. This accusing and denial game did rub quite a few (read important) people the wrong way.

The actor in fact has an interesting explanation to her late reaction to the complete incident. "When the Shiney news came, I took it lightly thinking it was nothing but a simple rumor, and would die soon. But when the bigger names emerged I was shocked. It really tarnished my image. I could have gone to the media and could have cleared the confusion, but I preferred to forward a press release instead," says Sayali who has lodged an official complain with the Cyber Crime Zone to flush out the real culprit.
Read blog: The curious case of Sayali Bhagat

Swami who? Ask Bigg Boss babes

When you put a Baba in a Bigg Boss house full of babes, there are bound to be fireworks. And Swami Agnivesh's entry into the reality show's premises on Wednesday, had all of that alongwith a bunch of hilarious gaffes, when some of the inmates failed to recognise the man, who until recently was ubiquitous on news media on account of his association with Anna Hazare's crusade. Take former Splitsvilla contestant Siddharth Bhardwaj for example. The MTV VJ actually mistook Agnivesh for a palmist. " I thought he was a palmist. I almost ran up to him saying ' Swami ji , take a look at my hand'," he was heard taking a jibe at himself. However, the funniest was when Pooja Bedi prodded the spiritual guru to give her the latest update on Anna Hazare's anti- corruption crusade. " The nation is seeing a new yug ( era). We have started a movement. We will be able to bring the Lokpal Bill. We are working on it as the Standing Committee has been formed," Agnivesh said. To which a perplexed Bedi replied, " Yudh ( war), Swami ji ? There is yudh going on?" Recites poetry & flatters a Bollywood wannabe, Agnivesh said he meant " yug ", she rolled her eyes and sighed: " Thank God!" On the other hand, transgender activist Laxmi Tripathi let on her ignorance by asking if the Parliamentary Standing Committee consisted of regular people. Agnivesh was then seen patiently correcting her. For his part, Agnivesh tried to gel with the housemates by reciting a line from Jaishankar Prasad's poetry in praise of Shraddha Sharma. " Naari tum Shraddha ho ," ( Woman, you are faith) Agnivesh said, in a bid to flatter the Bollywood wannabe. In fact, on his first day in the house, it was Shraddha who Agnivesh was seen chatting chatting with the most. The activist later conducted a prayer session before dinner time, where all the housemates held the next person's hand and chanted a mantra for peace. Before entering the house, Agnivesh had claimed the motive behind his participation in the show was to connect with the masses. So, he missed no time and immediately started talking about his life and objectives when Shraddha asked him about his background and family life. " At the age of 28, I decided that I would always remain single and devote my life to spreading peace in the world," he explained. Meanwhile, Agnivesh's entry in the reality show has also managed to pique the curiosity of Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah. " Swami Agnivesh going into the Big Boss house. I did not see this one coming and cannot wait to watch his entry. How long before Swami Agnivesh gets in to a scrap with Pooja Mishra( sic)?" he tweeted.

'Rockstar' is soul stirring: Anurag Kashyap 

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap says Ranbir Kapoor is 'awesome' in 'Rockstar' and describes the film as Imtiaz Ali's best work.

'Rockstar is easily Imtiaz Ali's best. This is how a love story should be told. Soul stirring. Still assimilating,' Kashyap wrote on microblogging site Twitter.

''Rockstar' is unlike most films...no cacophony of sounds...quiet...no unnecessary background to propel it forward...Ranbir is just awesome. It is not 'Jab We Met'...its come from somewhere with in Imtiaz. It's his labour of love,' he added.

Released Friday, 'Rockstar' chronicles the journey of an aspiring singer Janardhan Jakhar, who wants to make it big in the music world and what he endures to earn fame. It introduces two new faces - Pakistani-American model Nargi Fakhri and Brazilian model Moufid Aziz.

Kashyap, known for making unconventional films like 'Black Friday' and 'Dev D', also calls it a 'coming of age film'.

'Such an unexpected film.. does not take any easy route.. does not become a clap trap or a crowd pleaser.. It's just so heartfelt...,' Anurag wrote.

'Rockstar' is not so much about rock as it is an individual's story..it's another kind of coming of age film...just can't get it out of my head,' he added.

Salman prepares to play scientist

Rumour has it that Salman Khan will play an alleged ' rogue nuclear scientist' in the film Ek Tha Tiger . The Dabangg star is supposedly essaying the character of a nuclear scientist who is accused of leaking some sensitive information to a rival country. To make his act more convincing, Salman is reportedly trying to hone up his knowledge on the subject, with the help of director Kabir Khan. The crew is about to wrap up the second schedule of the film in Turkey this week. Before coming back to India, Salman will go to Dubai to announce his Mumbai Heroes team for the Celebrity Cricket League.

Model demands female directors for 'bikini scenes'

Bollywood bombshell Shweta Bhardwaj, who was seen opposite actor Vivek Oberoi in the film 'Mission Istanbul', has suggested to rope in more female directors in the industry. And there's a logic behind that. The actor says that more women directors will help the actresses shoot hot scenes, during their monthly biological cycle. Shweta says so after her experience while shooting for the upcoming flick, 'Players'. The actor, who will don a bikini in the film, says she shot the sultry sequence during her PMS days.

'I do not hack emails now' 

She is known by many titles: fashion icon, youth icon, tomorrow's big star, promising debutant… but a notorious hacker? That was the first.
Sonam Kapoor, who will soon be seen in a tom boyish avatar in Abbas-Mustan's ‘Players', is a techno geek, and a mischievous one at that. Reveals the star, "I'm extremely techno-savvy and am in love with all kinds of gadgetry. Before Bollywood, I used to play pranks with my friends. I used to hack their email accounts and would send mails to other friends. It was fun but I've stopped it completely."
Sonam, whose character in ‘Players' is also a geek, says "My character Naina is a spunky and colorful girl. She loves fast cars and on the top with technology."

Asked if she was comfortable doing this kind of role, Sonam says, "This is the kind of role I always wanted to do. If you do ‘Mausam' you should also do 'Players.' I want to do a variety of roles, and that's the reason I am her. My dad also loves to see me in such a variety of roles. It's a different role. I have also done some big stunts!"

Women don't have shelf life in showbiz: Freida Pinto

She plays a priestess with the power to see the future in Hollywood film 'Immortals' and actress Freida Pinto says if she actually gets such powers she would like to increase the longevity of her career as women don't have shelf life in filmdom.

'If I had Phaedra's powers and if I could look into the future, I think I would want longevity in my career. I say from the point of view that women as such do not have greater shelf life in this industry,' Freida said in an e-mail interaction.

However, there are a few exceptions, she says.

'Some of them defy all odds like Helen Mirren or Meryl Streep, who can do exactly what a 20-year-old can do. So I think I would wish for that,' she added.

Directed by Tarsem Singh, the film 'Immortals' starring Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke and Luke Evans is an epic tale of treachery, vengeance and destiny, and the actress is all praise for the director.

'What is unique about this film is it is completely Tarsem's take. He never puts you in a box tight room and wants you to repeat his vision word to word. He not only wants you to understand his vision but also bring in your own take to the film,' said Freida, who rose to fame with Danny Boyle's Oscar winning film 'Slumdog Millionaire'.

'I was to incorporate stillness in my character from the very beginning, which meant no twitching of the eyebrows or too many body movements. He felt that since Phaedra is so contained and internalised, everything had to come out through the eyes and her words rather than the body movement. Because he gave me the flexibility and chance to understand his vision and bring that into my character, I think we managed to pull it off.'

Ever since her rise to fame, the 27-year-old has been part of an interesting mix of films like 'You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger', 'Miral', 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes', among others and the actress says each film has been a learning experience.

'Every director that I have worked with has had a USP. Danny sees how he keeps you sucked into the character throughout the film. With Woody Allen, it's hands off but sometimes hands on, so you sometimes don't know which way you are going. Every time you deliver a line and look at him for approval, which is quite rare to receive. He was interesting to work with as he lets you improvise and play with the lines,' she said

'Julian Schnabel of 'Miral' was very fatherly and kind and compassionate about the story he was filming. With Tarsem it was a completely different world. Nothing like what I had already experienced.'

With Freida being an Indian actress, one would always think she would be a part of Bollywood but she has ruled out any such plan. However, Freida does admit that with the advent of modern technology, the Hindi film industry's style is changing.

'They (Bollywood films) are an amazing celebration, we have enjoyed them for years. At the moment it is changing and with directors like Anurag Kashyap and Dibakar Banarjee...it's a style that is slowly changing; something that we saw in the 1980s and it's happening again with modern technology. I have already done 'Trishna', so when people see it, they'll know I've already done a Hindi film,' she said.

'Even 'Slumdog' for me is an Indian film, it was directed by an English director but one cannot discredit the fact that there was Anil Kapoor or Irrfan Khan in the film,' she added.

Akshay Kumar, the most desi man

He may be living up to the image of his new movie, 'Desi Boyz', but ask Khiladi Akshay Kumar who does he find the real desi girl and pat comes the reply - Sonakshi Sinha. "I have worked with many actresses, but she is the most desi of all," says Akshay about her 'Joker' co-star. But talk about real desi boyz and the star says, "I am the most desi man in the industry and I am serious about it. I am married to a desi girl; I take ayurvedic medicine and I always speak in Hindi." The Khiladi of Bollywood also desires to work with John in an action movie. "John and I have worked together in comedy and melodramas, but I would love to do an action flick with him provided we get a good script. His 'Force' and my action force will (mind) blast the audience." On the film however, Akshay feels that the comparison between 'Desi Boyz' and 'Garam Masala' is a little unfair. "Many times people have asked me whether 'Desi Boyz' is a sequel to 'Garam Masala'. I want to clarify that it has nothing to do with 'Garam Masala'. This movie is completely different. It is youth appealing and also has a very important message. It's about living your life but in doing so never to forget your mom, dad and friends. You can see the bro-mance in the movie."

Vidya goes for Kill Bill after sexy Silk Smitha

Vidya Balan

— after kick starting the promotion for The Dirty Picture , — is now getting ready for the film Kahaani in which she will portray the role of a six- month pregnant woman. Directed by Sujoy Ghosh, the film will see Vidya play the character of a pregnant woman in search of her missing husband. This film is partially inspired by the Hollywood blockbuster Kill Bill . Talking about her new role, Vidya said: "It's one of the few characters that I could perform with utmost ease and effortlessly because I'd joke with my friends as to how differently women walk when they are pregnant. I also tried to copy the way they take deep breaths in between. Having endured all such jokes in college has also been of use while performing the character." The film has been extensively shot in Kolkata, which incidentally is Vidya's favourite city.

Deepika finally wins the second 'Race'

There were speculations as to whether Deepika Padukone would do Abbas Mustan's Race 2 or not. Dips almost decided to opt out of the film as she had already allotted dates to Ayan Mukherjee's Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani opposite ex- flame Ranbir Kapoor. The dates for the two movies were clashing. However, finally the problem was solved and the shooting for the movie has begun. Dips was not in a mood to let go an opportunity to work with Ayan, who has earlier directed Wake Up Sid , neither did she want to let go of the chance to work with Ranbir. So she discussed her problem with the directors of Race 2 . Initially, it was said the Race 2 directors tried looking for another actress to play the lead but since Sonakshi Sinha too had quit the movie earlier following date issues, they thought of convincing Dips. Dips also readily agreed and allotted dates in a recent meeting. She will also be joining the entire cast of the movie which includes John Abraham, Saif Ali Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez and Anil Kapoor for the final narration of the script. On Tuesday, Deepika posted the news of her joining the Race 2 cast on Twitter: "And the RACE begins ".

Is Aamir the Mr 80 Per Cent of Bollywood?

It was being speculated that Aamir Khan would make a 70 per cent profit from the proceeds of the collections of the Reema Kagti- directed Dhuan . The movie is being co- produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani's Excel Entertainment and Aamir Khan Productions. But now this percentage seems to have changed. A source from the Excel camp said the deal was close to 50 per cent earlier which not many believed, especially after his prolonged hiatus. Now the grapevine has it that the perfectionist Khan has asked for an 80 per cent share in the profit. We hope its just a rumour and will be clarified soon. After all, there are many people in the industry who dream of working with the three Khans who are now behaving like '3 idiots' demanding more than a lion's share of the profits for lending just their name to a movie project. Salman Khan apparently is demanding close to Rs 50 crore while SRK charges an obscene amount in advance from the buyers for his movies even before they have seen the first frame of the film. We hope the Khans take a lesson from actor- turned- producer Akshay Kumar's story that went downhill thanks to his unreasonable demands.

The silence of Barfee

There are plenty of reasons for 'Barfee' to be in news these days. First, it's ace director Anurag Basu's new project. Next, is the plot.The film sees Priyanka Chopra essay the role of a mentally challenged girl. But did you know that the film has no dialogues, for a good hour and forty minutes, and is a musical? Says a source, "The movie is completely musical. There is a phase in the film that has no dialogues except for some voiceovers in between." This, adds the source, is also the reason why Anurag is spending more time with Pritam these days."The director wants to ensure a gripping background score to fill in for the no dialogue sequence." In fact news is that Pritam has turned down three new movies so he can give more time to 'Barfee'. The shooting of 'Barfee' is going in Mumbai.