Saturday, June 14, 2008
Friday, June 13, 2008
"AYESHA SAYIN NO TO STEAMY SCENES"
Why Ayesha always says No to intimate and steamy scenes
Young and chirpy actress Ayesha Takia considers Nagesh Kukunoor's 'Dor', a poignant tale of two women, as the path-breaking film of her career. She says after the movie, people started taking her seriously as an actor.
'After 'Dor', viewers showed the confidence that I could play serious roles too and so I was offered roles in films like 'Eight By Ten' and 'Wanted' and many other big movies,' Ayesha told.
Ayesha is on the verge of completing another Kukunoor film titled 'Eight By Ten'.
'Ten days of shooting is left. It also stars Akshay Kumar,' said Ayesha who plays Akshay's wife in the supernatural thriller.
Her next release is 'De Taali', which will be showcased at the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards, starting June 6 in Bangkok.
Talking about the film, the dimpled actress said: 'The character is totally in contrast to what I am in actual life. I play Ammu who is a complete tomboy. She is a complete brat and grows up with Aftab Shivdasani and Reitesh Deshmukh. She does what normally guys do.'
Apart from 'De Taali', she has Boney Kapoor's 'Wanted Dead And Alive', which marks southern dancing superstar Prabhu Deva's entry into Hindi films as director.
The film is a remake of Tamil film 'Pokkiri', which was also directed by Prabhu Deva. In the action movie, Ayesha is paired with Salman Khan. Mahesh Manjrekar and Om Puri too feature in key roles.
The actress is also doing Ahmed Khan's film on four children titled 'Pathshala' where she and Shahid Kapur play teachers.
Though 'Tarzan - The Wonder Car', for which she won the best debutant actress award in 2004, was released before 'Socha Na Tha,' Ayesha considers Imtiaz Ali's romantic comedy as her debut film.
She said: ''Socha Na Tha' will always be my first film and close to my heart. 'Tarzan' was an entertaining film but 'Socha Naa Tha' had a lot of space for acting.'
Was she approached for Imtiaz's second film 'Jab We Met'?
'Initially, Bobby and I were supposed to do the film, but the dates did not work out between us. But, I look forward to working with Imtiaz.'
The actress faced the camera for the first time when she was four years old for an ad and later she did quite a few commercials and music videos.
How difficult was it to gain entry into films? 'It was not at all difficult. I did not go looking for work. Imtiaz went through my audition tapes and called me to his office.'
Ayesha feels that making an entry is not at all difficult if one has the talent and is ready to work hard.
So far Ayesha has worked mainly with new directors - does she have a preference for them?
'I don't have any preferences and I cannot afford it. It is just that the offers came from them. And it is always an exciting experience as new directors are always enthusiastic and hard working and give everything for the project as they know that their life depends on the project.'
Did she plan to be an actress as a child?
'I was raised in a normal Gujarati style with all the restrictions and reservations. As far as plans are concerned, I did not have plans to become an actress in my childhood.'
About a favourite co-star, Ayesha said: 'I am not being diplomatic, I enjoyed working with all of them. Also, I am a very professional type of person. I finish my work and go home. I have no favourites, I enjoyed working with all of them.'
Apparently Ayesha makes producers sign a contract on her reservations about intimate and steamy scenes.
She said: 'Yes, I do sign a contract with every producer and mother has nothing to do with it. I have lived life according to my own principles and ideologies and I adhere to it.'
The 23-year-old has done various roles ranging from comedy to serious characters, but prefers romantic movies.
'I would like to do romantic films most and my second preference would be serious roles. Though I am not comfortable with stunts, I would definitely like to do an action film like 'Tomb Raider'.'
She is dating Farhan Azmi and has started a boutique hotel business with him, but has no immediate plans to marry him.
'I want to work and don't have any plans to marry now.'
Will Aishwarya play a sex worker?
According to a source plans are afoot to bring Ash and the ethereal Meryl Streep together in an American production of Chaos.
Says a source, "They ran the concept with Meryl and Ash and they were game .They need to Americanize the theme because Chaos was a very French movie. But yes, in principle Ash is on for this film."
Another international project that Aishwarya has given the nod to is Roland Joffe's Singularity with Brendan Fraser.
Speaking on Singularity Ash says, "I've asked them for the final draft of the script. Now the time factor has to be worked out. The time they want is devoted to Mani Sir (Ratnam)'s project.
New dates have to be worked out. There're so many projects that I want to do but because of the dates or a delay I can't. There're only that number of assignments I can take on. I've never done more work that I can do. I never can."
In the meanwhile Aishwarya gets ready to shoot for Shankar's Robot and Mani Ratnam's film with Abhishek.
Informs the actress, "There has been a little delay in Shankar's Robot because of his writer Sujata's death. That has delayed Robot a bit. All kinds of rumours have been floated about the project.
The dates situation does get tighter for me because I was supposed to shoot Robot now and Mani Sir's film a little later during the year. We just have to work under a tighter schedule now."
We are talking about Kareena Kapoor, who performed as the Goddess of Bollywood, at the IIFA awards in Bangkok. And of course also bagged the best actress award for her power house performance in Jab We Met.
The actress has bagged the maximum number of awards this year for Jab We Met and of course, she is obviously excited about the superb reactions to her live performance that showed her making a grand entrance on a huge lotus and her Best Actress Award..
Kareena performed on three main songs apart from Dil hara and Chaliya from Tashan. "My act ended with Mauja hi mauja from Jab We Met, " says Kareena smiling.
Kareena adds, "Manish designed some very colourful outfits. The entire act, I was told, came across as very sexy and glamorous."
Praising Manish, Kareena says, "He has worked very hard on my costumes. He sat with the organizers, Wizcraft, and meticulously worked a theme and costume for every song."
Kareena also credits Shiamak Davar for her creative act. "Shiamak, who has created the act has come up with a different colour and for every theme", exclaims Bebo.
Kareena has no regrets about Tashan bombing at the box-office. She says, "My performance has been appreciated.
In fact my look and style has started a trend of sorts and I am happy about that." And how does she feel about being the best actress of this year? "On top of the world, " beams Bebo.
Meanwhile doomsayers have been busy writing and rewriting the obituary her romance with Chhote nawab who has been breathing down her neck for quite some time.
Something similar happened at IIFA too, when Saif flew down from London to spend a few hours with Kareena and to see her perform on stage at the IIFA weekend. But alongside love there was jhagda as well. Tabloids are splashed with stories of how Saif had a fight with Kareena over her revealing dress at the event and how he cut short his visit and left back for London in a huff.
But another version of the story says the tiff was not over Kareena’s dress but over Kareena’s insistence on Saif to stay back longer. Kareena was apparently enjoying her stint at IIFA and wanted to share more time with Saif, who unfortunately had to return to London.
Whatever the reason for tiff, the jhagda was soon over and Bebo was spotted walking with Saif to the car and giving him a loving hug before he left for airport.
It looks like hot babe Katrina Kaif has lost her cool on the unwanted rumours created by some part of the media and has decided to rebuff.
Recently it was reported that Akshay Kumar, while seated at the IIFA awards with his wife Twinkle, ignored Katrina’s calls. It was also said that Twinkle and Katrina share cold vibes and looked through each other at Vipul Shah's party thrown for his wife Shefali last month.
Katrina, listening to all, fumes, “People need to stop imagining so much. This is pure imagination on someone's part. Akshay Kumar came in for the show in the night and left right after as he had a flight to catch.
I had dinner with Twinkle and some of her friends after that and even my mom was with me. So what's with these stories?”
It’s thus proved that media was throwing imaginative bricks at the otherwise cool Kat. But it’s said that everything, said or drawn, has to have some base.
Even imagination must have some stage to stand on. What should we think then? And if, throwing an if, the whole picture is baselessly imaginative then what’s the need of becoming so hot?
Especially when people know Kat is really hot. Maybe the temperature is required to make some Akki dish! Who can say if something is cooking at the backdoor? Hun, you naughty hot Kat?
The war of words between two Bollywood item girls continues as actress Kashmera Shah says she is far better than Rakhi Sawant who, she asserts, gets into controversies just for publicity.
Said Kashmera: 'I have nine hits from 'Jungle', 'Yes Boss', 'Aankhen' and many other films. What does she have? She knows that if she can get into a controversy with me, she will gain popularity.'
Kashmera first got noticed with the song 'Jawani Se Ab Jung' in Mahesh Manjrekar's blockbuster hit 'Vastav'.
'I'd like to be known as an actor who can dance, unlike Rakhi who is a trying to be an actor from a dancer, ' she said.
'I love to hate her and I hate to love her, ' Kashmera told.
Rakhi and Kashmera's rivalry goes back to Sony TV's reality show 'Big Boss', where the two were participants. They started off as good pals but their relations soured during the show. The duo accused each other of maligning their image to gain sympathy votes.
Their relations only worsened during reality dance show 'Nach Baliye 3', in which they even took personal potshots at each other.
Incidentally, Kashmera is playing an item girl named 'Rakhi' who aspires to become an actress in a big budget musical called 'City of Dreams'.
The play, directed by Mohamed Morani, gives an insight into the Hindi film industry and depicts the struggle of an aspiring actress.
So, does she play the real Rakhi Sawant?
'I am not playing Rakhi Sawant? It's not difficult to play Rakhi because she is just one-dimensional. But I think it would be difficult to play me, ' Kashmera retorted.
The actress revealed that she has been offered many projects in various television reality shows. Kashmera is also playing an important role in Sunny Deol's directorial debut 'The Man'.
Suggest me a new marriage date: Rani
By Subhash K Jha
The question for the abundantly -talented Rani is, what next? After playing angel in Kunal Kohli's Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic she is all set to do one more thoroughly unconventional role.
Rani plays a cricketer in Yashraj Films' next to be directed by debutant Anurag Singh. She's paired for the first time with Shahid Kapoor in what promises to be a first of its kind not just for the actress but for cinema anywhere.
Laughing her hearty Mukherjee laughter from her swanky new home Rani says, "I don't know if any actress has played a cricketer before.
But I am playing one for sure. In fact I've been learning cricket regularly on the field for the past two months. I can most certainly play the game convincingly now, though not as good as the professionals yet. How convincing I look, we'll soon know. It's a very big challenge for me."
Rani is hungry for new roles. " At this stage of my career I feel I need new challenges. When Kunal Kohli offered me angel's role I was kicked. I don't now of any actress who has played an angel before, do you?"
I remind her of Brad Pitt in Meet Joe Black.
"Also, " says Rani. "For the first time I was playing a character who couldn't cry. Now they can stop saying Rani cries so much in all her films. It was pretty cool to play a character who actually doesn't know how to cry and who had to fly around like Hrithik in Krissh."
Being suspended on a harness was not easy. "It required a lot of physical strength to assume the correct 'flying' posture on the harness. I guess it'd be equally difficult for me to look convincing as a cricketer. But I'm glad to be doing work which challenges."
So is she equipped to join the ILP now? I quip. "I don't know about that. But I'm definitely enjoying it. My practical sessions are on full swing."
So who on earth is Anurag Singh and what gives him the privilege to work with an actress of Rani's stature?
"That you will have to ask Aditya Chopra. It isn't as if I haven't worked with new directors before. I was in Shaad Ali's first film Saathiya, remember? And Kunal Kohli who has made a beautiful magical film with me now started his career with me in Mujhse Dosti Karoge."
So after an angel and a cricketer what would Rani like to play? "Maybe an astronaut like Kalpana Chawla. And I'd also love to play a doctor. I've never done that before. Come to think of it I've never worked with Shahid Kapoor before either. I'm doing so now."
Isn't there a danger of her being branded a resident Yashraj heroine since all her recent films have been with that banner alone?
"Why?" Rani shoots back. "Wasn't Saawariya with Sanjay Leela Bhansali? And if Yashraj is making some of the best films in our country why should I keep out of them just because people are talking?
Incidentally my marriage date February 10, 2008 has come and gone. Would mediapersons like to set another date for me so I can start getting my trousseau ready?"
Deepika: ‘Hitched’ in the news
Deepika Padukone has had no releases post Om Shanti Om. Despite that, this one film wonder has managed to rake in publicity like it’s going out of fashion. Having achieved star status with her debut film, Deepika has many big banner films to her credit. This Shah Rukh Khan find will also do an item number for her mentor’s home production, Billoo Barber. Already in the race for the Number One title, she was recently nominated in the Best Actress category at the Asian Film Awards.
What usually keeps Deepika in the news are her off-screen relationships. Having begun her career as a model, her first relationship to come under the scanner was with Nihar Pandya. She went on to win the Model Of The Year title and, around that time, Ranbir Kapoor walked into her life. They didn’t last, as Om Shanti Om and Saawariya catapulted both to fame. Then, Deepika got busy learning more about cricket. According to the grapevine, she was dating M S Dhoni, then Yuvraj Singh. Before long, she was back in the arms of Ranbir.
Now, the two are having a blast together, starring in Yash Chopra’s Bachna Aye Haseeno. Considering Deepika’s had a different beau at every stage of her life though, we wonder how long before she finds another Saawariya.
What usually keeps Deepika in the news are her off-screen relationships. Having begun her career as a model, her first relationship to come under the scanner was with Nihar Pandya. She went on to win the Model Of The Year title and, around that time, Ranbir Kapoor walked into her life. They didn’t last, as Om Shanti Om and Saawariya catapulted both to fame. Then, Deepika got busy learning more about cricket. According to the grapevine, she was dating M S Dhoni, then Yuvraj Singh. Before long, she was back in the arms of Ranbir.
Now, the two are having a blast together, starring in Yash Chopra’s Bachna Aye Haseeno. Considering Deepika’s had a different beau at every stage of her life though, we wonder how long before she finds another Saawariya.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
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