Sunday, October 22, 2006

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

Thursday, October 19, 2006

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

Sunday, October 15, 2006

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.

Friday, October 13, 2006

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

Sunday, October 08, 2006

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

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

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

Sunday, October 01, 2006

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