Amitabh Bachchan voted Indian of the Year

Amitabh Bachchan voted Indian of the Year through the annual TOI-TNS poll. An overwhelming 15% of the 1,005 people who polled in the survey chose the Big B, while the next best, Sachin Tendulkar and Sonia Gandhi, got the thumbs up from only about a third that number. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Steel Baron Lakshmi Mittal, and Bollywood's current favourite couple Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachcahan all got a 4% of the votes. Chennai was one city in which the Big B was pipped to the post by several others, including Sonia and Sachin, polling just 3% of the votes in this southern metro. In Bangalore, he was tied for the top slot with Infosys founder NR Narayan Murthy. Apart from the South, in Kolkata too, Amitabh Bachchan faced tough competition, where the state Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was a close second to the Big B with 13% to his 14% and Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen a close third at 12%.

Ravi Chopra wants to cast Amitabh Bachchan as Bhisma & Rani Mukherjee as Draupadi

Ravi Chopra has been toying with the idea of making 'Mahabharat' epic into a film. Now he is busy wrapping up the post-production work of 'Baabul'. The buzz is he wants to cast Amitabh Bachchan as Bhisma and Rani Mukherjee as Draupadi. He says, "I will not disclose my cast yet. It's too early to talk about that. A film demands more glamour and our budget is Rs 150 crore, for part one and two. We are going to get a special effects team from Hollywood and it will have an international look, so that we can market it abroad." This 6-hour marathon is expected to be the longest in the history of Bollywood. It will release in 2 parts - part I on one Friday and the part II on the following Friday.

Amitabh Bachchan has tuned and sang the theme song of 'Babul'

Amitabh Bachchan has tuned and sang the theme song 'kehta hoon bitiya' in his next film 'Babul'. He reveals, "I played with the notes and came up with this song and recorded the song just a few days ago." Babul is very traditional film with a social issue. It addresses the sensitive issue of widow remarriage. Why does a young widow become a victim of ridiculous customs, almost an outcast?

Amitabh Bachchan being sought for Hindi remake of 'Cyanide'

A south Indian director wants to cast Amitabh Bachchan in the Hindi remake of his superhit Kannada film ‘Cyanide’.
‘Cyanide’ is a film that tells the tale of the assassins of former PM Rajiv Gandhi. The movie keeps controversies aside and brings forth the ordeal and trauma of the assassins who are on the run. The film captures last 20 days in the lives of two assassins, Sivarasan and Shubha, who ended their lives by taking cyanide.
The Kannada movie was directed by AMR Ramesh. Now, it is learnt that Ram Gopal Varma is thinking of remaking the film in Hindi. Ramesh himself will direct the Hindi version.
Ramesh says he wants to cast big Bollywood stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Tabu , Paresh Rawal and Nana Patekar for his movie.
Amitabh and Tabu have already shot for Varma’s movie Nishabd .
It remains to be seen whether the stars will give their nod to Ramesh.
Source :Apunkachoice

Amitabh Bachchan watches Shah Rukh Khan's Don?

According to sources, a quiet industry trial of 'Don' was held on Monday in Mumbai, attended by the Bachchan family, Shah Rukh Khan, Sachin Tendulkar and many other personalities. We are told that the initial reactions have been extremely heartening and that the twists will take the audience by storm. "Shah Rukh is looking sinfully good," remarked our source.
Meanwhile, the excitement around 'Don' in the UK is unimaginably enormous, so much so that several channels and radio stations have actually (and amusingly) received complaints from patrons on account of an overhype of the film by the UK distributor. Reactions to a recent trial in London have been positive. "It's a commercial entertaining thriller, which holds you till the end credits," said our source.
We are also informed that a leading multinational bank's high net-worth customers have actually flown in to London from various parts of Europe especially to watch 'Don' on Wednesday evening.
The film previews in the UK on Thursday 19th October.
Source :Nowrunning

From Jai to Gabbar; Big B setting new benchmarks at 64

NEW DELHI: For many Bollywood actors, 64 may be an age to hang in their boots and lead a secluded existence far from the glare of the arclights. However, for superstar Amitabh Bachchan, who turned 64 on Wednesday, it seems life in films has just begun.For, at a time when many of his contemporaries like Vinod Khanna, Dharmendra, Shatrughan Sinha or Shashi Kapoor have either gone into semi-retirement or confined themselves to playing the stereotyped grandfathers in Hindi films, big B, as Amitabh is known to legion of his fans, only gets better with age.Having dazzled many cinegoers with his flamboyant portrayal of 'sexy Sam' in Karan Johar's Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, a 60 year-old who believes in living life to the fullest, Amitabh is set to appear in an array of characters in his forthcoming ventures, portrayals which reflect his amazing versatility as an actor.At 64, big B is all set to make what could easily be seen as one of the biggest makeovers by an actor in the history of Indian cinema- the 'charming' and 'witty' Jai of Ramesh Sippy's Sholay will now play the menacing Gabbar Singh in Ramgopal Verma's remake of the film, shooting for which began a few days ago.Further, the coming months will see the actor play an old man sexually attracted to an 18-year-old girl, played by newcomer Jiah Khan, in Ramgopal Verma's Nisshabd. Also, he will be seen in Ravi Chopra's Babul as a 60-year-old who gets his widowed daughter-in-law remarried amid opposition from society.The fact that at the age of 64, Amitabh continues to be offered central characters like that in Ravi Chopra's Baghban, Govind Nihalani's Dev, Mahesh Manjrekar's Viruddh, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Black, Ramgopal Verma's Nisshabd, Ravi Chopra's Babul and now, Verma's Sholay is undoubtedly a reflection of the actor's unfading charisma as his tremendous growth as an actor over the years.That roles are still being written keeping him in mind puts Amitabh in league with Hollywood greats like Anthony Hopkins, Sean Connery and Richard Gere.For example, for Ramgopal Verma who has been getting flak from several quarters for his remake of the blockbuster Sholay including Lata Mangeshkar and Saira Banu, casting Amitabh as Gabbar seemed to be the only trump card that would ensure a draw for the film at the turnstiles. In fact, talking to UNI in an interview recently, Verma said that for the role of Gabbar, he could think of nobody else but Amitabh given his amazing range as an actor. Ramgopal is among the filmmakers smitten by the magic of Amitabh, having cast him earlier in films like Sarkar and Darna zaroori hai. Incidentally, big B also features in his forthcoming Nisshabd. “It was a complex role of an old man caught between his feelings of sexual attraction for an 18-year-old and his feelings of responsibility. I could see no one else but Amitabh do the role. In fact, his performance in the film has been simply amazing,” said Verma.Besides his never flagging popularity in India, Amitabh has, in the last few years, become India's best known face abroad. A host of international honours has come his way over the years - from installation of his wax statue in London's Madame Tassauds, French company Lomani naming its perfume after him, mayor of French town Deaville handing him over the key of the town, Britain's channel 4 naming him one of the top 100 film stars of all times, awards at the Marrakkesh film festival for two successive years and so on.For big B it has been a long journey from his debut in khwaja Ahmed Abbas' Saat Hindustani to Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna. However, looking at the tremendous verve displayed by the actor in the role of 'sexy Sam' and his palpable feeling of excitement at playing Gabbar Singh it seems the actor still has a long innings to go.

Amitabh’s French connection

Yesterday as Amitabh was celebrating his birthday, a foreign nation had different plans for him. The French government announced it would honour Amitabh with the 'Officer of the Legion of Honour' – the country’s highest civilian award.
He is receiving this award for his contribution to Indian and international cultural cinema. The French are yet to decide on the date to officially honour him.
Incidentally, Bachchan had lent his voice in the French film March of the Penguins directed by Luc Jacquet.
Source :Indiafm

Big B's 64th Birthday plans!

Amitabh Bachchan isn't thinking of a big splash on his 64th birthday next week, a news report said on Thursday.
Bachchan, Bollywood's biggest star, says at heart he's just a normal guy who wants to spend time with his family.
Stars often throw lavish parties on their birthdays and Bachchan's family celebrated his 50th and 60th birthdays at posh hotels.
"I've always been a very normal sort of a guy," Bachchan told.
"I will be with my family, there are no other plans," he added.
Bachchan has starred in more than 150 movies in a career spanning more than three decades. He said he enjoyed birthday parties when he was a child. "Those were very sweet and normal."
"Pals from school would be there, there would be games and chocolate cake. Nothing unusual," he added.
Source :Santabanta

Amitabh Bachchan looking forward to Don

Amitabh Bachchan, who is about to start work on Ram Gopal Varma's modern Sholay, is looking forward to Farhan Akhtar's Don. "It would be interesting to see how Don has shaped up. I am excited by the slickness of the promos," he remarked. Bachchan, who featured in the previous Don, said that he has no problem with remakes. "When our makers adapt Hollywood films they are condemned. Now when they are attempting remakes or modern interpretations, they are being criticised. What's wrong about remakes? They are a tribute to the old films," he added.
Source:Sify

Amitabh goes futuristic for Reid and Taylor

Superstar Amitabh Bachchan has occupied every possible real-world environment on the big screen. Now, watch him in a space that is out of this world - literally!! The latest Reid and Taylor commercial, produced by Classics Films, directed by Mr.Minto Singh features Amitabh Bachchan against the backdrop of a richly detailed and magnificent futuristic world. Mr. Bachchan, like a maestro, raises and waves his hands enigmatically to create his own designs mid-air, which then merge to form the suave and rich designs of the new line of Reid and Taylor Suits.
The technically superior ad film is one of a kind in the genre of futuristic advertisements. The film was shot completely against a green screen set, a trendsetting special effects technique being employed worldwide. Mr. Bachchan's movements had to be seamlessly combined with the complex graphical movements of the 3 Dimensional lines and patterns shown drawn by Mr. Bachchan.
Source : IndiaFm

Only Amitabh Bachchan is indispensable, says Ramu

Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma says his proposed remake of ‘Sholay’ can get sabotaged only in one condition.
Ramu seems to have taken a strong liking to the inimitable cine icon of the Hindi cinema, Amitabh Bachchan . After directing the superstar in Sarkar and Darna Zaroori Hai , Ramu is thinking of as many as three more films with the Big B. And this count does not include Nishabd which Ramu has already canned in a superfast 20-day schedule in Munnar, Kerala.
And now that Ramu is ready to start working on his next movie Ram Gopal Varma Ki Sholay with Mr. Bachchan, the filmmaker wants to silence his detractors who doubted whether the movie would ever be made. There have also been rumours that some actors are not really enthused about the project.
But Ramu is clear in his mind.
"I’m definitely going to make my ‘Sholay’. If someone doesn’t want to be a part of it, it’s their wish. Let me be clear on this. Only Mr. Amitabh Bachchan is indispensable. Without him the film cannot be made," says Ramu.
Ramu’s ‘Sholay’ has the Big B playing a modern-day Gabbar Singh.
The maverick filmmaker also rubbishes aside the concerns of some critics who believe that Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay cannot be improvised.
Ramu says his movie will stay loyal to the story of the original and yet change the movie’s setting in such a way that people would be surprised, if not shocked.
The movie’s cast has almost been finalized. Ajay Devgan will play the exuberant Veeru, Mohit Ahlawat will play the quiet Jai, Katrina Kaif will play the widow Radha, Mohanlal will play Thakur and Sushant Singh will be seen as Gabbar’s henchman, Sambha.
Besides ‘Sholay’, Ramu will also direct Big B in his 'Sarkar' sequel and another film titled ‘Ek’.
Source :Apunkachoice

Bollywood Online on IndiaFM : India's premier Bollywood portal
Its great news for Amitabh Bachchan's fan as their favorite actor will be honored by the Leicester University with an honorary degree of Doctorate of Arts for his contribution to the movie business in India. Being an ambassador for UNICEF Amitabh will receive the degree at the graduation ceremony of the De Montford University at Leicester. The ceremony will be on July 19. It is believed that Bachchan will address his fans at a special event at the Walkers Stadium at Filbert Way. Former South African President Nelson Mandela was the last person to achieve that recognition for his charitable work.

Rajpal Yadav to take on Amitabh Bachchan - RS Bollywood Online...: "On July 7th comedy actor Rajpal Yadav will be taking on Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan at the Indian Box Office, and industry insiders predict that the Big B will get a right thumping.
Ladies Tailor, which is a situational comedy and stars Rajpal Yadav, will be released on the same day as Amitabh Bachchan�s much delayed Zamaanat.
It is believed that movie-goers will flock to see Rajpal Yadav and stay away from the Amitabh flick. Let�s see if this does indeed become a hit for Rajpal.
Zamaanat also stars Karisma Kapoor. "

Amitabh-John film shelved!: "Deepa Mehta shelved her forthcoming venture 'Exclusion' featuring John Abraham and Amitabh Bachchan in pivotal roles and started working on another film titled 'Heaven On Earth'.
As per latest Deepa will start shooting of 'Heaven On Earth' from July 1st and she wants to shoot the film on a start-to-finish schedule. As per source, Deepa has planned to finish the film in just seven months time.
'Heaven On Earth' will showcase a Punjabi bride whose life in Toronto changes in the course of just seven days. It will resemble Mehta's last film 'Water' in the sense that it will be a dark film."

Ash and Amitabh at the opening of the IIFA event in Dubai: "The seventh International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) event has officially begun in Dubai. The four day event started on 14 June and will continue till 17 June. The event will witness several bollywood stars on a single platform. The first day saw bollywood actor and brand ambassador of IIFA, Amitabh Bachchan address a press conference about the highlights of the event. He was also joined by South Indian superstar Prabhu who was at the event to promote the Telugu and Tamil film industry, which is also one of the largest film industries in the world. The IIFA film festival will open with the hit Tamil film �Chandramukhi�.

The bollywood celebrities who will be attending and performing at the IIFA event have been put up The Grand Hyatt Hotel in Dubai amidst extremely tight security. After the press conference one of the major events for the day included Sanjay Gupta launching his five films. Through his company White Feather Films, Gupta launched five new films. His first venture will be �Dus Kahaniyaan� which has ten short stories, although these stories will not be connected to one another in any way. The names of the ten short stories are Lovedale which features Soha Ali Khan, Gubbare which features Nana Patekar and Samir Dattani, Matrimony featuring Arbaaz Khan, Mandira Bedi and Sudhanshu Pande, Zenzi featuring Vivek Oberoi and Tanushree Dutta, Highway featuring Jimmy Shergill and Neha Dhupia, Zahir which stars Bipasha Basu and Aftab Shivdasani, Gupshup starring Esha Deol, Accident starring Anupam Kher, Sex on the Beach featuring Tusshar Kapoor and Rise & Fall featuring Sanjay Dutt and Arjun Rampal. These are the 10 short stories.

His second project will be �Woodstock Villa� which will launch two newcomers, Sikandar Kher, son of Anupam a"

Ramu�s 'Sholay' to roll in August : Bollywood News : ApunKaChoice.Com
Despite the media reports that Ram Gopal Varma ’s ‘Sholay’ has been postponed, the filmmaker has clearly stated that the movie will go on the floors soon.For almost a year, much has been written and spoken about Ramu’s remake of Ramesh Sippy’s cult hit movie Sholay . There has been shuffling in the movie’s star cast – Abhishek Bachchan was roped in and then dropped – and the project kept on getting delayed while Ramu kept busy with other films. And now, when an obituary of the project has nearly been written in some media reports, Ramu has said that he will indeed make the movie in the coming months.

Bollywood makes its own Lolita: "MUMBAI (Reuters) - Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan has finished shooting for a film about the obsessive love of an old man for a teenage girl, a story the director says was not inspired by the controversial 1955 novel 'Lolita.'
Director Ram Gopal Varma, known for unconventional films that break away from Bollywood's song-and-dance staple, says 'Nishabd' (Silence) is about an old man's emotional tumult juxtaposed with awareness of his age.

'People say it is similar because it is about the love of an elderly man for a younger girl. My film is not an adaptation of Lolita,' Varma said.
Indeed, Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita is a pubescent 12 while Varma's heroine -- played by newcomer Jiah Khan -- is 18, an age perhaps chosen to skirt trouble from censors and avoid hurting conservative Indian sensibilities.
'Wait for the surprise,' Varma said, when asked if his heroine meets the same fate as Lolita, who dies in childbirth.
Nabokov's 'Lolita' dealt with the love of a middle-aged man for a 12-year-old girl, for whom he coined the word 'nymphet' to describe the intense attraction.
The story, considered scandalous in the 1950s, was rejected by several prominent American publishers before being finally published. The book generated controversy in Italy and was banned in France, Belgium, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Elsewhere in the world, parts o"

Is it war between Amitabh and Shah Rukh? - RS Bollywood Online...
The media is going all out with guns blazing and nuclear bombs at the ready, it is war between the two biggest Bollywood stars, Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan.
If reports are to be believed then these two mighty actors have taken a dislike to each other. One wants his son to become the new King, and the other is worried that the son might be close to dethroning him. It’s a classic Shakespeare novel brought to life and in true Bollywood style. Who needs Othello or Omkaara, when you have Bachchan Muqabla Khan.
But Radio Sargam can report that there is no such war and both parties are quite amazed to why the media is reporting it in such a way. Amitabh has said that all parents want there children to become successful and he does also, but he also thinks of Shah Rukh as a son too. And he wishes him as much success as he does for Abhishek.

Free Articles for Reprint - 18-year old Jiah Khan plays Amitabh Bachchan�s love interest in Nishabd
Recently director Ram Gopal Varma has been caught in a controversy regarding his scrapped film with superstar Shahrukh Khan. However Varma has not been too bothered about this and has proceeded to complete the shooting of his film Nishabd, in the quiet solace of South India. Varma has been shooting with one of his favourite actors Amitabh Bachchan. Nishabd is the love story of an older man played by Amitabh and a younger woman played by newcomer Jiah. Jiah is the daughter of actress Rabiya. She was to debut from the Bhatt camp in an Anurag Basu directed film titled Tumsa Nahi Dekha. Unfortunately the actress never got to do the film as she was soon replaced by Dia Mirza. According to sources “Jiah and her mom would make unreasonable demands and throw a lot of tantrums on the sets of Basu’s film and hence she was replaced.” According to Varma he was introduced by a builder to Jiah and he knew immediately, that she had some thing about her which was different. However recently three months ago, Jiah came to meet Varma as she was interested in working with him.Varma elaborates “While discussing various scripts and stories with Mr. Bachchan, I narrated the script of an older man falling in love with a younger woman; he was excited with the different storyline and was curious to know who would play the female lead. I immediately thought of Jiah as her character fit the role perfectly.” Varma claims that he wanted a fresh face with no existing image so that she would be able to create the required image and also so that Amitabh would be able to relate to her completely.Even though the storyline seems to be a taboo topic, especially among Indian audiences, Varma says “Older men often do get attracted to and fall in love with younger girls, but because of their position and maturity cannot do anything. In Nishabd the thought is erotic and there is a strong undercurrent of sexuality, but there are definitely no sexually explicit scenes in the film.”The film also stars Aftab Shivdasani, Revathy and Rukhsar. It is slated to release in September.

Bollywood Drama : Amitabh Bachchan romances 18 yr old Jiah Khan!: "Bollywood Drama : Amitabh Bachchan romances 18 yr old Jiah Khan!"
The superstar of the millenium Amitabh Bachchan is romancing a 18 year old girl! Ofcourse in the screen. Amitabh will be seen in Ram Gopal Varma’s Nishabd, where his love interest will be played by the teenage Jiah Khan.
Ramu reveals the theme of his film: “It’s an intense love story between an older man and a younger girl. Bodies age, but feelings don’t.”
“Older men get attracted to and fall in love with younger girls but because of their position and maturity, cannot do anything. It’s the story of a man caught between his rationality and the strength of his feelings towards her.”
About casting Jiah the director says: “I had Mr Bachchan’s dates and we were discussing various scripts and story ideas. One day, I told him a storyline about an older man falling in love with a younger girl. He was excited, but he asked me ‘what about the girl’? The first name that popped up in my mind was Jiah.”
“Mr Bachchan is a megastar and I wanted somebody totally new to create that trauma and make her grow in his eyes. Jiah is exactly in real-life like the character she plays in Nishabd — sensuous and of today’s generation.”
He however clarifies: “There is a popular perception that Nishabd has lot of steamy scenes between Bachchan and Jiah. That’s not true. The thought is erotic and there is a strong undercurrent of sexuality, but it has not been done at the expense of putting Mr Bachchan in a demeaning light. There are no sexually explicit scenes.”
Jiah was born and brought up in London. She was supposed to be making her debut in Anurag Basu’s Tumsa Nahin Dekha, but was replaced at the last minute by Dia Mirza. Jiah however now has more than she could have ever imagined. Her first film is directed by Ram Gopal Varma and she is acting opposite a legend, Amitabh Bachchan.
She squeals, “I was very nervous when I first started working with him. But he is such an incredibly sexy man. He helped me learn acting and also made me extremely comfortable. Not once did I feel I was working with a super-duper star.”
The film’s shooting has been completed and will be released in September. The film also starrs Revathy, Rukhsar and Aftab Shivdasani.

Amitabh, Saif, Rani Mukherji lead in IFFA nomination list
Mumbai, June 3. (UNI): Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukherji are leading the list of nominations in best actor and actress categories for the 7th International Indian Film Academy (IFFA) awards to be held in Dubai on June 16.
Amitabh has been nominated for 'Black' and 'Sarkar', while Saif Ali Khan for 'Parineeta' and 'Salaam Namaste' in the best actor award category. Shah Rukh Khan has been nominated for 'Paheli', which was the country's representation at the Oscars awards last year in the best foreign film category.
Rani Mukherji has been nominated for 'Bunty Aur Babli' and 'Black' in the best actress category. Konkana Sen Sharma (Page 3), Preity Zinta (Salaam Namaste) and Vidya Balan (Parineeta) are the other contenders.
'Black', 'Parineeta', 'Bunty Aur Babli', 'Iqbal', 'No Entry', 'Page 3' will vie for the best film award.
Madhur Bhandarkar (Page 3) and Nagesh Kuknoor (Iqbal), Pradeep Sarkar (Parineeta), Prakash Jha (Aparahan), Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Black) are in the race for the best director award.
Abhishek Bachchan (Sarkar), Amitabh Bachchan (Bunty Aur Babli), John Abraham (Garam Masala), Naseeruddin Shah (Iqbal) and Sanjay Dutt (Parineeta) are the nominees for the best actor in supporting role category.
Ayesha Kapoor (Black), Juhi Chawla (My Brother Nikhil), Lara Dutta (No Entry), Shernaz Patel (Black) and Shweta Prasad (Iqbal) are in the race for Best actress in supporting role.
Akshay Kumar (Garam Masala), Boman Irani (Waqt), Isha Koppikar (Kya Kool Hai Hum), Javed Jaffery (Salaam Namaste) and Riteish Deshmukh (Bluff Master) have been nominated for best actor in comic role.
Ajay Devgan (Kaal), Amrita Singh (Kalyug), Nana Patekar (Apaharan) and Pankaj Kapur (Dus) are the nominees for best actor in negative role.

The marriage anniversary of Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan : Bollywood News : ApunKaChoice.Com
Fans in Jaipur have zeroed in on a unique way to celebrate 34 years of togetherness of mega superstar Amitabh Bachchan with wife Jaya Bachchan .The Amitabh Bachchan Fan club members are organising a one-day photo exhibition at city's major exhibition centre Jawahar Kala Kendra.