‘Ayaan is getting the best care in Canada’

‘Ayaan is getting the best care in Canada’

Emraan Hashmi will be back in Mumbai to shoot for his film Mr X, from February 16," informs uncle Mahesh Bhatt, also imparting the reassuring news that the actor's four-year old son Ayaan who was diagnosed with a malignant tumour in his kidney, is responding well to treatment in Canada. 

On the recommendation of the doctors who performed an emergency surgery on him in Mumbai, the actor flew out his son to Canada because according to reports, it has the best children's care in the world. "What not many of us are aware of is that when it comes to children, 90 per cent of cancer is curable. The treatment is regularised and Ayaan who is being given the mildest two-drug chemotherapy is doing well," says an ebullient Bhatt." 

His mother, Praveen who has family there, will stay back in Canada with Ayaan. Emraan will fly there after he finishes with his film commitments in Mumbai. "After the anguish we faced, we have reason to believe that the dark night is behind us and Ayaan will be back with us in four months if not before," says Bhatt. 

What's encouraging, he adds, is the way the film fraternity has come forward to stand by Emraan in his hour of need. "Akshay Kumar, who has a Canadian citizenship, called to offer his help. Our common friend, Ajay Virmani, who lives there, has also told us to call for anything we need. Strangers on the street stop me to say that they are offering prayers for Ayaan," says an emotional Bhatt. "At a time when we hear only about bad things happening to people, it's so heartening to see this ocean of goodness."

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Now, this is two much!

Now, this is two much!

Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone were inseparable at Ahaana Deol's wedding; with the actor going as far as following his ladylove to the loo!

Love makes the world go round and if you are Ranveer Singh, it lands you in some rather awkward places too. 

After the well-attended reception of Ahaana Deol and Vaibhav Vohra, the guests headed to the after-party, held at the same hotel. While the reception saw a host of Bollywood celebrities, including the Bachchans and Shah Rukh Khan, the afterparty had only one power-couple in attendance: Ranveer and Deepika Padukone. And they only had eyes for each other. 

According to a fellow guest, the duo walked in together post midnight and were inseparable. They almost stole the attention from the newly-weds, with guests queuing up for pictures. 

"Deepika was chilling with a couple of friends and Ranveer. While international pop music played, nobody really got in the groove," the guest told Mirror. 

And then something awkward happened. 

"The DJ decided to play Badtameez Dil and much to the guests' dissapointment the two did not bother to shake a leg. Was it because the song featured Deepika and her former flame Ranbir? 

But then the DJ spun some Ram Leela tracks, followed by numbers from Gunday and Deepika who was in a saree, stepped on the dance floor and busted out some energetic moves. Ranveer's jacket also flew off somewhere and soon his neatly done ponytail had untied itself too," said the source. 

The source added that Ranveer kept planting kisses on Dippy's cheeks and the two went on whispering sweet-nothings to each other. But the ultimate act of dedication was yet to come. 

The source tells us that when Deepika excused herself to go to the washroom, Ranveer insisted on tagging along too. 

He gallantly escorted her and patiently waiting outside, fidgeting with his phone, till she was done. Then the two headed back in and partied till as late as 3 in the morning." 

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‘Shuddhi will take time, there may be a change in cast

‘Shuddhi will take time, there may be a change in cast

Says Karan Johar, the reason for the delay being Hrithik's health problem.

Karan Johar's next film Hasee Toh Phasee is lining up for release this Friday and he's upbeat about the Siddharth Malhotra-Parineeti Chopra starrer, which according to him is not a quintessential rom-com. But the film that has been the talking point for the last few weeks is undoubtedly Shuddhi. When will the film roll? 

"Shuddhi may take six months, even a year, to go on the floors. We are still working on the schedule. Hrithik Roshan's health issues, which lead to Bang Bang being pushed forward, has had its share of repercussions. Shuddhi stands indefinitely delayed and right now I don't know where it is going," Karan admits. 

Buzz is, Deepika Padukone has replaced Kareena Kapoor. 

Karan insists that at the moment it is still Kareena, but the delay could lead to a change in the cast. "I can't expect an actress to wait indefinitely. I feel terrible for Bebo, who is a special friend the sibling I never had," he sighs. 

Reportedly one of the reasons for him looking to replace Kareena is the failure of Gori Tere Pyar Mein, which has also led to director Punit Malhotra's exit from Dharma. "Who said Punit is out?" retorts Karan. "His next film is with Dharma and he has already started working on it. The film may have failed but Punit didn't. He had worked harder on Gori Tere Pyar Mein than he did on I Hate Love Storys. If anyone has to take the blame, it's me." 

So where did he err? Was it a case of miscasting? "Like you can't analyse success, you shouldn't analyse failure either," Karan philosophises. 

Rumour has it that Tarun Mansukhani who had to give up on Dostana 2 after five years is a disheartened man today. Karan says he's taken it upon himself to "re-energise" his team. "We don't operate as a studio, every film director in Dharma is part of the family," he asserts. 

But, is it true that after the blockbuster Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Ayan Mukerji is getting priority over other Dharma directors? "No. I don't divide and rule. I encourage group love! That's the only way to grow. If you don't delegate and trust, you will live in a bubble and I hate bubbles." 

With the next two weeks, Karan will shift to his new house in Bandra, opposite Excel head honcho's Ritesh Siddhwani's pad. 

He is also working on 2 States with Sajid Nadiadwala and collaborating with UTV on the Hindi remake of Vettai. His only unfulfilled ambition is that even at the age of 40, he is yet to make a film with Aamir Khan and Salman Khan. But that may happen too. For now it's being said that he's all set to return to direction with a film starring Ranbir Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra. 

"We're still working on the cast but I promise an exciting screenplay," he says cagily. Has Ranbir made way for Aamir or Salman? That time will tell, not Karan! 

On his rumoured fallout with SRK... 

SRK is a part of Dharma. So what if he hasn't come to my show this season? Koffee with Karan is just a show while SRK is a big part of my life and company. Ditto Aditya Chopra and my dad. They conceived, conceptualised and envisioned this company. Tomorrow if I am asked to wipe the floors of Red Chillies and Yash Raj, I will do so. And I know if I ever need SRK and Adi, they will be there for me."

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In focus: Flipping through Mr India’s Calendar

In focus: Flipping through Mr India’s Calendar

Satish Kaushik as Calendar

Twenty-seven years later, the clamorous refrain, "Calendar khana do", still rings in Satish Kaushik's ears. He vividly recalls filming Mr India with a bunch of mischievous kids, which included Aftab Shivdasani, Karan Nath and Ahmed Khan, whom he had to chase with a stick every day to round up for a shoot. 

"As Shekhar Kapur's associate director that was my job and the kids were always up to some prank," he laughs, remembering the bungalow they had erected at Versova Village. "There were rooms for the kids equipped with TV and a garden at the back where they could play inbetween shots. We even hired teachers for them so they wouldn't fall back on their studies." 

Kaushik recalls working on the script with Javed Akhtar. "There was a character of a cook and while fleshing him out, I recalled one of my father's distributors whose sentences inevitably began or ended with the word 'calendar' for no logical reason. And an amused Javed saab suggested we name our cook Calendar," he says. 

Later, while working on Calendar's look, Kaushik remembered a character in a popular Pakistani serial of the'80s, Aangan Teda. Akbar, played by Salim Nasir, was a classical dancer before he was hired as a domestic help by a retired civil servant which explained his effiminate ways. "We decided to incorporate Akbar's effeminate side but instead of a kurtapyjama, Javed saab decided to give Calendar a more westernised wardrobe complete with a cap and suspenders," says Kaushik, admitting that as the associate director he pushed himself as a actor for the role. 

His interaction with the kids brings back fond memories with one exception, the explosion that brings about Tina's premature end. Kaushik says that there were long deliberations on whether they should kill off the sweetest of the kids till Akhtar reasoned that it was necessary to make the audience really hate Mogambo. 

"Do you know that Mogambo was to be played by Anupam Kher?" asks Kaushik. "But when we got him into costume him and screen tested him, everyone felt he looked more funny than ferocious. Then I had the enviable task of telling my old buddy that he was out of the film. We eventually signed a more menacing Amrish Puri as the comic book villain of Mr India and the rest, as they say is history."

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'Not saffron suits but scarves'

'Not saffron suits but scarves'

Bappi Lahiri, the newest BJP recruit, has already planned his wardrobe for the campaign trail. He posed for Mirror in Kolkata just before rallying for Narendra Modi. The singer-composer also talked about political ambitions, Bappi wannabes and those pesky heart attack rumours.

Why did you decide to switch sides from Congress to the BJP? 

Ten years ago, I had campaigned for the Congress and Sonia Gandhi. But they did not give me power while the BJP has offered me a Lok Sabha ticket. Lata didi (Mangeshkar) has sung for Modiji (Narendra Modi), Salman flew kites with him recently and Amitji (Amitabh Bachchan) is shooting a Gujarat tourism campaign. Toh Bappida kyun nahin? 

For 42 years, through 500-odd films and innumerable shows, I've entertained people. I'm still composing for half-a-dozen films and have just pulled off a fourth successful concert in the US. I'm not a retired person looking for a career in politics. For me politics is an opportunity to serve the country. If I become an MP I'll work for both Bollywood and Tollywood, specially for the old and out of work technicians. This is not an idle promise, Bappi Lahiri will keep his word. 

You'll be contesting the elections from Kolkata, won't that antagonise Mamata Banerjee, who you are close to? 

I may stand from Bengal, Madhya Pradesh or Rajasthan. I have a huge fan following all over India and across the world, it won't make any difference. I respect Mamata didi and the TMC. My joining the BJP is not going to upset our equation. 

Have you composed a song for the BJP yet? 

Yes I have, and they loved it. It goes like this, Atalji ko pranam, Modiji ko pranam, Rajnathji ke sapne honge sakaar, Modiji karenge Bharat mein chamatkar. 

When you're campaigning will you sing Oo la la too? 

I'm not an actor like Shah Rukh Khan, Amitji or Salman Khan. My magic lies in my music. If the janta wants me to sing Bambai se aaya mera dost, Chalte chalte, Oo la la or Tune mari entriayan, I'll sing a line or two. Janta ke liye jaan haazir hai. But ideally I'd like to host cultural shows with the local and folk artistes from Bengal, Rajasthan, MP and Gujarat. 

Will you start wearing saffron suits now? 

The suits will probably be white but I will wear saffron scarves with my sunglasses and gold chains. Bappi Lahiri has an image that the public wants to see. 

It's an image that is often mocked on TV and radio shows and at award nights. Doesn't that rankle you? 

Wearing four chains and dark glasses doesn't make one a Bappi Lahiri. Main to asli sona pehta hoon,my glares are Louis Vuitton that cost Rs 1.50 lakh jabki unka sab kuch nakli hai. If the lotus blooms and I become an MP, I'll get myself a lotus medallion. 

I've no problem with anyone imitating me, but I don't like it when they ridicule my mother tongue. If I am elected I will pose this question in Parliament. By laughing at my accent they are insulting Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore and our President Pranab Mukherjee who're Bengalis too. If my Hindi was so bad would composers still want me to sing? Bappi clones have disappeared after a year or two, but the original is churning out superhits even after four decades. 

Will you give away a gold chain while campaigning? 

I did it once at Siliguri's Kanchanjunga stadium during a Tsunami charity mission with Baichung Bhutia, Sania Mirza and a few other celebs. The chain was auctioned for Rs 2.5 lakh. I don't mind giving away my jewellery unless it's a bhagwan wala chain. When Michael Jackson was in India he found my Ganpati pendant fantastic. I thought about giving it to him, then thought he had everything. Why should I give him my God who protects me from harm? 

So then how did the recent rumours about your death crop up? 

Pata nahin if it was motivated by professional rivalry or political jealousy. I can understand if I'd been ill or hospitalised. But I had just returned from a concert in the US and flooded with calls from fans. I assured them I was very much alive.

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Film review: Hasee Toh Phasee

Film review: Hasee Toh Phasee

By Rahul Desai

Film: Hasee Toh Phasee
Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Parineeti Chopra, Adah Sharma, Manoj Joshi
Direction: Vinil Mathew
Certification: (U/A) Rating: *** 
Directed by ad filmmaker Vinil Mathew, this can't have been an easy first film to make. There are a dozen omnipresent pre-wedding characters with their idiosyncrasies; even that rotund Gujarati relative that begins and ends monosyllabic conversations with the inimitably rhetoric 'Baaki?' Simultaneously, boxes of culture-clashing family melodrama have to be ticked, while being scrupulous enough to maintain narrative sequence; something last week's debutant Devika Bhagat failed to accomplish in 'One By Two'. 
At some level, the writers have been subconsciously inspired by the Anne Hathaway-starrer 'Rachel Getting Married': a bleak drama about a wayward rehab-returned woman attending her sister's wedding over a weekend. 

Parineeti Chopra plays this disdained central character, Meeta, who attempts to return after 7 mysterious years. The only difference is that she is carelessly being hidden from her kinsfolk by her bride-to-be sister Karishma (Adah) and, subsequently, by groom-to-be Nikhil (Malhotra, with eyes so expressive that dialogue is a hindrance). Karishma and Nikhil are in a terminal relationship- the sort where breakups are as common as chance meetings and plot contrivances decorating this genre. 

Inevitably, it comes down to how believable these characters are, in an Indian context, irrespective of the improbable situations they find themselves in. This is where the actors' director scores. 

Remarkably-cast veterans like Manoj Joshi and Sharat Saxena seem to have been born to play the heads of these atypical families- remnant of the quirky supporting acts in 'Vicky Donor'- families that reinforce cultural stereotypes with deliciously unorthodox takes on retired life. 

But it is Chopra that walks away with possibly the most complicated rendition of an afflicted individual; the Black Sheep has seldom been blacker. She was part of a triangle in 'Shuddh Desi Romance', and has also played the banished daughter in 'Ishaqzaade'. Here, she churns out a versatile performance that is part tortured-genius, part endearing-Vodafone-pug and part misplaced-idealism of Raanjhana's Dhanush. When Nikhil reaches out to hug her for the first time during a heart wrenchingly vulnerable moment, it is easy to forget that her motivation to be reunited with her father is less than pure. It is easy to forget that her girl-next-door denim-shorts-look adds more layers to her unstable character than her exaggerated facial expressions early on. Even the chucklesome 'Punjabi Wedding Song' is an appropriate extension of her decidedly-Gujarati persona. 

Malhotra couldn't have been more sincere, and together, they pull the script out of a dreary gestation period and questionable surface-level offshoots (their superficial business projects, Adah's dwindled screentime, an ill-fitting CID spinoff.) 

According to the late Roger Ebert, no good movie is too long. With a running time of 141 minutes, 'Hasee Toh Phasee' is a bedheady romantic comedy that is a bit long and has two climaxes- both of which could have overlapped, in my opinion. Nevertheless, Parineeti as Meeta is one for the ages; she is the powering force behind a well-mounted film which, for most of its 141 minutes, is a timely shot in the arm for a traditionally mishandled genre. 

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Steaming Hot!

Steaming Hot!

Ranbir Kapoor selling vada pao? Yes, that's exactly what the star was doing at Pune's DY Patil College yesterday. Not surprisingly, his stall was the most crowded as everyone wanted a bite of the snack that he was serving.

The reason the scion of Bollywood's first family agreed to become an aam aadmi for a day was because he wanted to raise money for the treatment of Sunita Ingli, the 10-year-old daughter of a cement truck driver, through an episode of an upcoming reality show.

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Now, a cakewalk for Kangana

Now, a cakewalk for Kangana

Kangana Ranaut at the New York film school

After a script-writing course in New York, the actress wants to learn baking in Paris.

Kangana Ranaut is just back from a "liberating" break in the Big Apple where she could take a subway, crack jokes with an 80-year-old commuter, pick up a cappuccino and hop into a cab without anyone recognisng her. "In Mumbai pople gawk at me as if I were a madari ka bandar," she complains. 

Along with her delight in the annonymity the city offered, the actress also enjoyed an "exhaustive but creatively fulfilling" screenwriting course in a New York film school. And though she had to leave the eight-week course mid-way, Kangana learnt all about the significance of plot points and the need for strong characterisations, along with learning the three-act structure. Her fellow students included a Russian filmmaker, a French poet, a German RJ and an actor from Brazil. 

"They'd tell us to visually explain a character, a room or a dramatic sequence. We got a lot of homework and after the first week we started working on our scripts. Our drafts were read out aloud in class and the feedback was brutally frank. I got mixed reviews for my script," she admits candidly. 

The Matrix, Children of Men and Taxi Driver were some of the films the bunch deconstructed while also taking time out to party at NY's famous nightclubs. "There's something oddly comforting about hanging out with strangers who know nothing about your life. Although after a while we did google each other out of curiosity," she laughs. 

Now, assured about her creativity and encouraged by the fact that she could sponsor her own dream, Kangana is already planning her next break. "I'll enroll for a course in baking in a school in Paris," she signs off.

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Film review: Ya Rab

Film review: Ya Rab

By: Rahul Desai

Ya Rab is the second film this week trying to achieve an implausible balance between a glorified sermon and an outlandish entertainer. 

The result is a woeful product that attempts to speak for Islam while trying to dispel false notions about the religion, but ends up as a discourse against every department of filmmaking. 

The story revolves around a clash of two ideologies. The extremist is represented by a vein-popping Akhilendra Mishra whose bulging eyes are accompanied by the menacing sound of thousand dying cats, and the righteous side is represented by a progressive Muslim doctor played by the phenomenal Manzar Sehbai, who many will remember as the hateful father from the critically acclaimed Pakistani film Bol. He may have chosen this role based on the sincere message it tries to portray, and though he is armed with amateur lines, he remains the only man with the power to rise above a clueless cast and some very distracting dubbing errors. 

This film also raises the important question again: What is the lesser evil - A dishonest film made with technical fluency, or a socially relevant film with schoolboy technique? 

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Film review: Babloo Happy Hai

Film review: Babloo Happy Hai

By: Rahul Desai

The utter randomness of the title- considering the crux revolves around a bunch of randy youngsters being educated about HIV in the holy hills of Manali- is the least of its problems. What starts out as the 531st Delhi tri-buddy flick in the last three years quickly assumes the seriocomedic resonance of a Moral Science Class taught by Silvio Berlusconi. To be clear, this is from the director of I Am Kalam and the writer of Paan Singh Tomar (Sanjay Chauhan).

The only partially redeeming factor of this subversive effort is the presence of a gay friend who is not a caricature and Sumit Suri as the frisky hyperactive virgin. Do yourself a favour and log onto Wikipedia instead. Or better stillstare at the poster of Dallas Buyers Club, where Matthew McConaughey spreads more awareness about the disease by devastatingly looking the part.

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Film review: Heartless

Film review: Heartless

By: Rahul Desai

Shekhar Suman's directorial debut Heartless, starring his son Adhyayan Suman, would have been the butt of his own jokes in the immensely popular 'Movers and Shakers' back in the day. 

Suman himself, as Dr. Sameer in this film, plays his own son's friend - a meta tribute to the agelessness of medical jargon ('pass the new heart please') used in Hindi films over the years. The pals even have their own friendship song, sung by themselves, called 'Thanks brother for being there'. 

This film revolves around an unbearable medical phenomenon called 'Anesthesia awareness'- where the patient, like the audience, is paralyzed but can hear and sense everything around. If this compelling concept wasn't already an official remake of the Hollywood drama 'Awake' (starring Jessica Alba), I'd have been fair enough to admit that I did not expect the double jeopardy twist in the tale. Sadly, the treatment is about as original as gossiping surgeons, a conveniently empty hospital and an IPL-obsessed anesthesiologist who insists on being called 'Gupts' instead of 'Gupta' during a crucial heart-transplant operation. 

What makes matters worse is the alarming absence of a basic audio mix that balances the dubbed voices with ambience tracks, a detail many smaller films refuse to get right. Never mind the unnecessary voiceovers, a lead pair with zero chemistry, or the fake heart that is being passed around in the ICU like a ticking bomb. 

The presence of Om Puri and Deepti Naval distracts from an almost-sincere mother-son bond, the highlight of which is a discussion of a controversial ethical conundrum at the Pearly White Gates for a good 10 minutes. 

Eventually, 'Heartless' lacks any sort of pulse and does much harm to Suman's television legacy, something that he must conserve wholeheartedly. For our sake.

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Hrithik walks out of Shuddhi

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In an interview to Mirror (February 5, 2014), Karan Johar admitted that his ambitious production, Shuddhi, could be indefinitely delayed owning to Hrithik Roshan's health problems and Kareena Kapoor may eventually not be a part of the cast. This was after both KJo and Kareena reacted to an article in this newspaper (December 17, 2013) that the latter may be replaced by Deepika Padukone. Through tweets and interviews the duo asserted that Shuddhi was on course with Bebo on board. 

And now we learn that Hrithik Roshan has opted out. In an official statement, the actor confirmed that he is no longer a part of Shuddhi. "Karan Malhotra and I have decided to unite in the most ambitious way post Shuddhi. For now, I cannot allow a vision like Shuddhi to stagnate any further. I had the finest experience as an actor working with Karan Malhotra in Agneepath and I'm sure that my dear Karans, Karan Johar and Karan Malhotra, are going to go beyond with this one. Shuddhi remains a part of me in spirit and I am sure it will be a landmark film in our cinema. I wish them all the best," he reiterated. 

KJo and Karan Malhotra chose not to respond to the sudden development but according to a source close to the film, his accident on the sets of Bang Bang and the surgery that followed might have made Hrithik wary of taking up a film like Shuddhi which would be a gruelling shoot and demands an optimum level of fitness. 

While there has been a persistent buzz about Deepika Padukone replacing Kareena, something that has been denied by both the actress and the filmmaker, now tongues are wagging that KJo plans to approach Ranveer Singh to step into Hrithik's shoes. 

If both Ranveer and Deepika agree, Shuddhi could be their third film together after Goliyon Ki Rasleela: Ram Leela and the upcoming Finding Fanny Fernandes in which Ranveer plays Deepika's husband. 

Meanwhile, Hrithik-Kareena fans will have to wait for a while for them to complete a hat-trick, after Yaadein (2001) and Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon (2003). As of now, Shuddhi is officially without a hero.

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