RNBDJ: Sukhwinder is Shah Rukh's voice again!

'Chaiyya Chaiyya', 'Kuch Kariye' and 'Dard-e-Disco'! So, why are we mentioning the hit numbers of King Khan, rendered by the matchless, Sukhwinder Singh? Well, there is a reason and a very good one too!

It is a well known fact that whenever Sukhwinder has lent his vocals for a song picturised on Shah Rukh Khan, it has turned out to be a blockbuster. Whether, it was the entertaining dance number atop a train, 'Chaiyya Chaiyya' (DIL SE) or the most recent 'Dard-e- Disco' (OM SHANTI OM), the Sukhwinder-SRK 'jodi' has always belted out chart-scorchers! And now the good news is that the same 'jodi' is back once again to enthrall us all and this time around the composers are the talented duo, Salim-Sulaiman. Yes, it is the same combination that gave us the (unofficial) National Sports anthem, 'Kuch Kariye' (CHAK DE! INDIA) which can be heard even now at almost every victory celebrations featuring Indian teams.

Well, Salim-Sulaiman has once again roped in Sukhwinder Singh to render two of their compositions, to be picturised on Shah Rukh Khan in Aditya Chopra's upcoming RAB NE BANA DI JODI. One hears that the songs were recorded recently and news is that they are both awesome tracks!

SRK vs Akki, this Diwali!

The 'Billo Barber'- 'Chandni Chowk to China' clash will make the loudest boom, this Diwali.

With Salman Khan's 'Yuvraaj' getting postponed beyond the festival season, trade pundits had expected a cakewalk for the Shah Rukh Khan starrer. But that was before Akshay KUmar decided to hop in! It is now going to be a showdown between the King of Bollywood and the Challenger!

The Akshay Kumar-starrer, 'Chandni Chowk To China', was supposed to arrive a week later, on October 29, but Akki has given in to his ambitions, and ordered a 'pre-ponement'. Warner Bros., Rohan Sippy and Nikhil Advani have, obviously, nodded in agreement.

SRK has a cluster headache, regarding his film, for Rajnikanth-starrer 'Kuselan, a flick of the same feather, would have already hit the screens before Billo cuts in.

Rajnikanth, who commands a sizeable fan following in Mumbai, is planning to carpet-bomb the city with the prints of 'Kuselan'.

Source: Bollywood Hungama

Imran Khan to star alongside SRK!!

Imran Khan's implausible performance in JAANE TU...has impressed one and all. All the biggie filmmakers of Bollywood are looking forward to work with the young lad.

And one such filmmaker is Karan Johar. If the buzz is to be believed than Karan has approached B-town's latest heartthrob Imran Khan to essay the character of a terrorist in his forthcoming Shah Rukh Khan starrer film MY NAME IS KHAN where SRK will be seen in the role of a NRI who later resorts to terrorism because of the difficult circumstances he faces. According to the hearsay, initially Ranbir was approached for the role, who for some reasons refused to be a part of it, which Imran will play now.

Apparently when Karan saw JTYJN he got enthralled by Imran's work and at once decided to approach Imran for his next outing MY NAME IS KHAN. However it is heard that Imran is rather cautious than excited to star alongside Baadshah of Bollywood and has been seeking advice from mamu (Uncle) Aamir for that matter.

Send In The Clones

Harman Baweja’s ‘showcase’ debut has been ruined by a natural likeness to Hrithik Roshan, and his fashioning himself after the star has made it worse, says RAJEEV MASAND

CAN HARMAN Baweja reinvent himself, or is he destined to be remembered as a Hrithik Roshan clone for the rest of his life? That, really, is the only question the 27-year-old actor should be asking himself right now. It has been just a few days since his debut film, the Rs 40-crore behemoth Love Story 2050 came crashing down like a house of cards, taking poor Harman with it. Sitting there in the darkened theatre, I had waited to see what all the fuss was about. After all, this new young actor, for weeks leading up to the day of the film’s release, was being positioned as the Next Big Thing. Media pundits estimate that more than Rs 10 crore was spent on making Harman a household name — splashing his mug over hoardings and through television promos, events and live appearances.

Obviously, I was stunned into silence when Harman then made his first appearance in Love Story 2050, playing a poor little rich kid who smashes his dad’s fancy new car just to get attention. It was, possibly, the most embarrassing entry any actor could have been saddled with, and it was compounded by the lousy dialogue delivery — the lines sounded like they’d been written by a Class V student — and a blatant attempt to look exactly like Hrithik Roshan.

It was funny, because the Harman I’d met just a week or so before the release of the film had sounded desperate to shake off the lookalike reputation. “They used to say Shah Rukh looks like Dilip Kumar, and even Shahid Kapur was compared to Shah Rukh. So I know this won’t stick. Once they see me in my debut film, those comparisons will die a natural death,” he’d said at the time. Only, he was obviously wrong. Very wrong. The truth is that Harman seemed to have carefully studied Hrithik Roshan’s every move and twitch and duplicated it immaculately.

Perhaps what also works against Harman Baweja is that, unlike Shah Rukh Khan and Shahid Kapur, he also bears more than just a passing resemblance to Hrithik. The same angular face, hair styled right down to the razor-sharp sideburns, a lean physique with those bulging biceps.

BUT THAT wasn’t all. There was worse coming as Love Story 2050 unspooled. The debutant had schooled his voice to match Hrithik’s even timbre, thrown in two spectacle dances that showed off his fluidity, and had worn snug vests and shirts in a familiar, carelessly-unbuttoned fashion.

So, what’s the problem, you say? Well, all that dies a little death the moment Harman gets into the act. Just like the robotic lookalike with which he has a duel in the climax of the film, Harman himself is strangely devoid of emotion. Is this the guy that Ashutosh Gowariker has signed on for his film, What’s Your Rashi?, right after scoring a hit with Hrithik Roshan in Jodhaa- Akbar? Is this the fellow Sanjay Leela Bhansali believes will stand shoulder to shoulder with Amitabh Bachchan in his next production Chenab Gandhi?

If audience reaction is anything to go by, Harman has made no waves yet. “Yeh toh Hrithik ka duplicate hai (he is just Hrithik’s double),” said most people as they left the cinema at the end of those three gruelling hours. To add insult to injury, Harman’s on-screen chemistry with his real-life girlfriend Priyanka Chopra was as flat as a soda that had been sitting out too long. It might actually be a good thing if the couple insists that they’re just good friends. “Too much has been made about this girlfriendboyfriend thing. When either of us is ready to talk about it, we will,” Harman said cautiously, when I interviewed him.

Ironically, much of the blame for the film’s failure lies squarely on someone else’s shoulders. In the Hindi film industry, it is tradition for famous stars and filmmakers to launch their sons in showcase productions. Dharmendra had launched Sunny Deol in Betaab, and Bobby in Barsaat. Rajendra Kumar launched Kumar Gaurav in Love Story and Sunil Dutt made Rocky for Sanjay. Vinod Khanna gave Akshaye Himalayputra, and Feroz Khan gave Fardeen Prem Aggan. And who can forget Hrithik’s mega-launch in Rakesh Roshan’s Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai?

Unfortunately for Harman, Harry Baweja has neither the means of Dharmendra, nor the instinct of Rakesh Roshan. Harry Baweja’s finest hour was in the mid-nineties, when he delivered surprise hits with B-grade actionromances such as Dilwale and Diljale. Why did any of us think Love Story 2050 would be any better?

If Harry and Harman Baweja hadn’t followed filmi tradition, and instead, had picked a more qualified director to do the job, I think it’s fair to say that this love story would have turned out different. Aren’t we all glad Rishi Kapoor didn’t insist on directing Ranbir’s debut film? Bhansali may have made a mess of Saawariya but nobody can accuse him of shortchanging Ranbir. Surely a better director would have tapped into Harman’s abundant confidence — the same confidence we saw in one engaging scene where he dodges bullies and slips under staircase railings while chasing after his lady love.

At the moment, it can’t be easy being Harman Baweja. He is an entirely likeable kid who studied acting at Lee Strasberg, and who assisted his dad for years before he decided to act. He has none of the attitude you’d associate with second-generation filmis. And to think that all it required was for him to just be himself.

One can only hope that Gowariker and Bhansali will take care of that in his next few films. Because it never pays to model yourself after a superstar. Not if you’re working towards being one yourself. Just ask Sneha Ullal. She’ll tell you.

RAB NE BANA DI JODI: No profit sharing for SRK!

After his European sojourn, Shah Rukh Khan is back in Bombay. He has resumed the shooting of Aditya Chopra's RAB NE BANA DI JODI, the project that brings back Aditya to the director's chair after a gap of almost eight years. The film that also features newcomer Anushka Sharma and actor Vinay Pathak, in an important role, is progressing briskly and on schedule. While on RAB NE BANA DI JODI, unlike the popular perception, Shah Rukh Khan has not demanded a share in the profits from Yash and Aditya Chopra. In fact, as usual King Khan has not even discussed money matters with the Chopras. For those who are not aware, Bollywood's global superstar far too understands to talk about his price when it comes to film makers like Yash Chopra, Aditya Chopra and Karan Johar, whom he considers as family. The fictitious stories about Shah Rukh Khan making big demands from Yash/Aditya Chopra for RAB NE BANA DI JODI and also from Karan Johar for KHAN are all a figment of the media's imagination!

Bollywood: Friends forever

The Guide's Bollywood columnist DEVANSH PATEL exclusively reviews the latest Indian cinema offering, Jaane Tu, a sweet film about the lives and loves of six inseparable friends
Friendship is a very fragile subject for a movie. Yet, some renowned directors and actors in the past have portrayed this beautiful relation in the most enigmatic way that one could imagine.
The portrayal of friendship on screen just brings the magic of friendship alive. Whether it is about lost friendship or friendship that has lasted through ages or friendship that has cultivated into love, movies of such genre have always enthralled audiences, young and old alike, and Jaane Tu is the best example of it.
It is a movie that sneaks up on you and grabs your heart before you know it. So, you might be thinking that I've already started praising the film just because I got a chance to meet and catch up with Imran Khan in London, along with the director Abbas Tyrewala last week and have to write good things about the film? Well, that's not the case here.
Written and directed by the well-known name in Bollywood, Abbas Tyrewala, the film centres around a group of college friends, Ranjhore ka Rathod Jai aka Rats (Imran Khan), Aditi the Kaali Billi aka Meow (Genelia D'Souza), Rotlu who never cries (Karan Makhija), Jiggy the Gujju Patel (Nirav Mehta), Shaleen (Sugandha Garg) and Bombs the tubelight (Alishka Varde).
The six of them may be inseparable but, more than anything, Jaane Tu is all about Jai and Aditi.
The story of their happy, difficult, passionate, inconvenient courtship and relationship is told by their friends - Rotlu, Jiggy, Bombs and Shaleen - to Jiggy's girlfriend Mala, who is an air hostess, hates airports and cannot understand what is she doing at the airport on a date with Jiggy.
The film cleverly kicks off with all four friends singing the old classic 'Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na...Maane Tu...Ya Maane Na' in the car while going to the airport to collect Rats and Meow - and the flashback begins: the college, the drama, the first crush, the insecurity, etc.
Jai and Aditi are such close buddies that everyone at the college, including their friends, and their parents think that they are seeing each other and will get married one day.
But that's not what the inseparable two think because their relationship is like chalk and cheese. While Jai is taught by his mother Savitri (Ratna Pathak Shah) to be a quiet, non-violent Gandhian and the complete opposite of what his father (Naseeruddin Shah) was, Aditi is more of a believer and a follower of 'Laaton ke bhoot, baaton se nahin maante' (One who doesn't get convinced by words needs to be convinced by kicks).
Yet they accentuate and complement one another and so both decide to find a suitable match for the other.
Enter Meghna (Manjari Phadnis). Jai falls head-over-heels for this leggy lady and wins her heart by saving her from the two Marlborough Men - the two Khans, and it's not Salman or Shahrukh!
While their relationship blossoms, Meow starts getting a bit insecure.
Now how many times have we seen this in Hindi films? To keep her promise, Aditi too finds for herself a fiancé (Ayaz Khan) who is well-built and would protect her from anything.
In a predictable and a clichéd narrative, both Meghna and Meow's fiancé find out that they are in the wrong relationship and split up with their respective partners.
Perhaps after reading this you might decide to carry a pack of tissues, but don't worry - you won't need it.
Jaane Tu isn't a film that makes you sob or makes you laugh out loud, but it is a film which makes you smile because of its sweet and uncanny characters, thoughtful and engaging narrative and its soulful music which takes you back to your college days.
What happens next is fairly obvious. To the airport? Sshhh, it a surprising finale.
Take a bow for the two leads Imran Khan and Genelia D'Souza who provide a rare melancholic entertainment about loneliness and friendship in an effortlessly appealing melange.
And casting both of them in such roles is a stroke of genius by debutant director Abbas Tyrewala, as he deftly utilizes Rats and Meow's appealing onscreen personas to make the audience connect with their roles.
And credit is due to the casting director Pakhi for picking up such a bunch of lunatics with whom you'll fall in love: Jiggy, Bombs, Shaleen and Rotlu fit their roles perfectly.
The script is an excellent farce with witty dialogue and astute observations about the importance of friendship in today's fast-paced society.
Writer and director Abbas Tyrewala keeps a firm hand on the material, maintaining a breezy comic tone and never allowing the film to nose dive into sickly sentimentality - something which other Bollywood films in the future will no doubt attempt to correct.
The music of the film makes the proceedings more enjoyable. How many times have you seen music directors giving interviews and conveying the message that the music carries the film forward and then fails to deliver?
For a change, Rahman proves it right. He not only carries the film forward but also reinvents himself by reminding the audience that he has aged but his music hasn't. 'Kabhi Kabhi Aditi' and 'Pappu Can't Dance Saala' are the best examples of the maestro's youthfulness.
Add crisp cinematography, deft dialogues and excellent editing to make a perfect icing on the cake.
Overall, Jaane Tu is a really wonderful, rare film because it portrays, in a way that is both persistently funny and unflinchingly earnest, one of the most underrepresented but universal human emotions: the desire for friendship or platonic love.
Jaane Tu becomes not just a delight, but a thoughtful delight. Few films I can remember (except maybe Dil Chahta Hai, Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi) so directly address the nature of friendship and the illusion that our acquaintances and our friends are the same thing. That perhaps is something all of us might be well advised to examine.

SRK Konnection

Shah Rukh Khan may not be starring in Aziz Mirza’s Kismat Konnection, but he’s invisibly there in the project alright. This Shahid Kapur-Vidya Balan starrer has inputs galore from Mirza’s dear friend SRK. Said a source close to the film, “Shah Rukh and Juhi Chawla share a special bond with Aziz Mirza. They are like family to the Mirzas. Aziz considers them lucky for him”. Added our source, “Going by the comfort level and the rapport that the two share, Mizra had several meetings with Shah Rukh at his place, Mannat to discuss the script of Kismat Konnection .” Mizra’s directorial debut Circus starred Shah Rukh when he was a newcomer and since then, Mizra has worked with Shah Rukh films like Raju Ban Gaya Gentlema n (1992), Yes Boss (1997), Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (2000) and Chalte Chalte (2003). When contacted, Mizra said, “Shah Rukh and I go back a long way. We always discuss ideas with each other. And so he gave me feedback on this film too. It is not a big deal.”