Aamir Khan's daughter organised celebrity charity football match
Mumbai, July 21: Superstar Aamir Khan’s daughter Ira organised a celebrity football match to raise funds for an animal welfare shelter.
The charity match was held Sunday here for PIGI foundation, which will build an animal welfare shelter with the money. Nuzhat Khan, actor Imran Khan’s mother and Ira's aunt, will look into the shelter, read a statement.
Aamir and actor Abhishek Bachchan were captains of the two respective teams and the latter's team won the match by 4:2. Celebrities like Sohail Khan, Kara
'Notting Hill' editor to work on 'Finding Fanny'
The Hindi and English versions of 'Finding Fanny' will open in theatres on September 12, across India and in 40 international territories, which form the diaspora markets. "The difference between the two versions is just three-four minutes and not a complete re-edit. This English version will be cut by Nick Moore to cater to that audience," Homi said.
The makers also plan to release a separate edited version of the film in non-diaspora markets three-four months after its September release.
"It's the same story but will be told in a way that the foreigners understand better," Homi said. Moore has also directed films like 'Wild Child' (2008) and 'Horrid Henry: The Movie' (2011). 'Finding Fanny', which also stars Naseeruddin Shah, Dimple Kapadia, Pankaj Kapur in prominent roles, is based on a road trip set in Goa and follows the journey of five characters.
Bollywood celebs come together for charity football match in Mumbai
New Delhi, July 21: Aamir Khan, Salman Khan,
Hrithik Roshan and Abhishek Bachchan among others recently came together
for a charity football match in Mumbai.
The match was organized by Aamir's daughter Ira, in order to support
stray animals. Speaking at the event, Salman Khan said, "It's a great
cause. Humans and animals should live together. They have taken a good
initiative."Although Aamir's team won the match, it was a feast for both teams' fans watching their favorite stars in action for a good cause.
Akshay Kumar calls 'It's Entertainment' directors 'Sethji'
Mumbai, July 21: Bollywood star Akshay Kumar, whose forthcoming entertainer "It's Entertainment" is directed by debutants Farhad-Sajid, refers to the duo as 'Sethji'.
Farhad-Sajid and Akshay go back a long way, courtesy their past projects - they duo had penned for "Housefull 2" and they wrote the story and dialogues for "Boss"."It's true Akshay sir addresses Farhad Bhai and Sajid Bhai as Sethji and in return for this sweet gesture, they also call Akshay sir Sethji only. It sounds very sweet and little different at the same time," a source close to Farhad-Sajid revealed.
When asked about it, Farhad-Sajid said in a statement: "Yes, it's true we address each other as Sethji.
Rajendra Kumar: Was he Salman Khan's inspiration?
He was the iconic Jubilee Star, that lucky mascot who gave a plethora of
Silver and Golden Jubilee hits in a row from 1957 for almost 15 years.
Rajendra Kumar, real name Rajinder Tuli, was born on July 20, 85 years
ago, to a wealthy family that lost all in Partition, when they went
first to Delhi as refugees.He passed away on July 12, 1999 in Mumbai as one of the wealthiest men in the Hindi film industry, a man who had never splurged his income but had invested wisely, just like he had invested in his relationships with the film fraternity.
For the record, his hits were legion, among them were Mother India, Dhool Ka Phool, Dil Ek Mandir, Sasural, Gharana, Pyar Ka Sagar, Mere Mehboob, Ayee Milan Ki Bela, Sangam, Arzoo, Suraj, Anjaana, Geet and many other films.
But we would like to highlight a side not talked about of this actor - how Rajendra Kumar encouraged, introduced, was responsible for the big breaks of, or otherwise mentored so many new talents. This is besides the fact that he was also lucky for some others.
The Lucky Mentor
It was in 1995 that current hotshot Himesh Reshammiya made his debut as composer, producer and story writer with the serial Andaz. He approached the actor for a major role, which marked Kumar's only foray with television. With this very successful show, the composer made his overall debut and later produced and composed for more serials before making a solid mark in films.
Another eminent name whose first film starred the actor was the late director Yash Chopra, and Dhool Ka Phool (1959) set him on the road to glory that ended only in 2012!
Saawan Kumar was associated mainly with flops till Rajendra Kumar, then past his starry peak, agreed to star in his emotional drama, Saajan Bina Suhagan (1978). With this jubilee hit, Saawan Kumar took off in a big way. Kumar was also lucky for Feroz Khan, who was stuck in the B-grade film circuit till he was cast in Arzoo, filmed by Kumar's favourite Ramanand Sagar, in a parallel role. Even earlier, Kumar had tried to help Khan, who was cast in Ek Sapera Ek Lutera (1965), with which Kumar's brother Naresh Kumar was launched by Rajendra Kumar as producer-director with a banner named after Kumar's daughter - Dimple Films.
R.D. Burman was another composer for whom the star proved very lucky. When Kumar helped nephew Ramesh Behl set up his own banner, Rose Movies, in 1970 by producing The Train, the film took the composer to the forefront, which had never happened even with earlier masterly scores like Teesri Manzil, Padosan or Baharon Ke Sapne!
Rose Movies' next film, Jawani Diwani, also presented (read ghost-produced) by Rajendra Kumar, starred Randhir Kapoor, eldest son of Kumar's bosom buddy and colleague Raj Kapoor. The film set the young Kapoor on a success trail, as till then both Raj Kapoor's Kal Aaj Aur Kal and the outside film Jeet had flopped.
The Benefactor
Says Rajendra Kumar's son Kumar Gaurav, who also became a sensational teenage heartthrob with Kumar's official debut as producer, Love Story in 1981, "I was officially billed as co-producer of The Train. Ramesh used to stay with us from the age of 14. My father also had seen a lot of potential in Rajesh Khanna and had signed him even before he became big after Aradhana. And in Love Story, dad introduced Rahul Rawail, his one-time boss and mentor H.S. Rawail's son as a director, besides my heroine Vijayeta Pandit. My father wanted a fresh voice for me and Pancham brought in Amit Kumar for all my songs, and he got a major break."
H.S. Rawail was one of Kumar's earliest benefactors, as the actor had assisted the filmmaker in five films, and it is said that Kumar did not really want to become an actor. However, destiny took the actor to stardom, and so when Rawail faced a lean phase in the early '60s, the ever-helpful now-top-star Kumar revived his fortunes by putting together the film and acting in Mere Mehboob, a golden jubilee blockbuster.
Kumar Gaurav remembers that the late actor-filmmaker-writer O.P. Ralhan and his father first met as co-strugglers who shared a rental place. "Ralhan - saab is my mama (maternal uncle), mom's brother. My father helped set him up as a producer with Gehra Daag and earlier as an actor in Pyar Ka Sagar." It is said that it was the late star who also recommended Dharmendra for the rugged career-defining role in Ralhan's Phool Aur Patthar, notwithstanding heroine Meena Kumari's fascination for the brawny young man. The younger actor has acknowledged this too.
On record, Manoj Kumar also stated Rajendra Kumar "was the quintessential good man who never played politics and was like an elder brother to many newcomers. He provided them food, help, advice as well as a lot of moral strength." Kumar even stood surety for the first cars of Manoj Kumar and Dharmendra! And it was in Rawail's Kanch Ki Gudiya that Manoj got his break as a hero, on Kumar's recommendation.
"I don't think my father looked on them as competitors," feels Gaurav. "He was very sympathetic to fellow victims of Partition, like Manoj - ji, and was always supportive of new talent. Wherever and whenever he could help anyone, he did."
Two major beneficiaries of Kumar's generosity were filmmakers J. Om Prakash (who had earlier made an anonymous flop named Farmaish and is now also known as Hrithik Roshan's maternal grandfather) and director Mohan Kumar, both of whom got their break in Aas Ka Panchhi starring Kumar.
Rakesh Roshan, Hrithik's father, too got his acting break in Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani at the recommendation of Kumar, who had worked earlier with the film's director T. Prakash Rao, in Sasural and Humrahi.
Another of Kumar's spectacular triumphs was the second and very successful run of Ajit, who had lost steam by the mid-'60s as a leading man. Suraj was being made and Kumar persuaded Ajit to do the villain's role in the film, setting him off on a zooming and long new career with highs like Zanjeer, Yaadon Ki Baraat and Kalicharan and his now cult lines like "Mona darling!"
David Dhawan, later to become the kingpin of comedy, and now also known as Varun Dhawan's dad, also started off under Kumar. "David - ji was the in-house editor at our Dimple Studios, and Saawan Kumar - ji got him to edit Saajan Bina Suhagan," says Gaurav. "Later, dad also got him to edit our own films like Love Story and Naam, and David - ji later directed Jurrat for us." In the mid-'80s, Gaurav recalls his father buying the Mumbai distribution rights of the silent Kamal Haasan film Pushpak. "That inspired him to give a Hindi break to its director, Singheetam Srinivasa Rao, who made Phool for us," he notes.
The Salman Khan Connection
Mahesh Bhatt, inundated with commercial flops and some average offbeat cinema like Arth and Saaransh, took off only after directing Kumar's Naam (1986), which incidentally also kick-started the slumbering film career of Pankaj Udhas with the milestone success of the song 'Chitthi aayi hai'.
This film, incidentally, launched Salim Khan as independent writer after his split with Javed Akhtar, and remains his only solo hit as writer.
During the making of this film, Salman Khan, then a model and a wannabe actor, got to interact with Kumar Gaurav, who even lent him clothes and sometimes his car, a fact often mentioned by the Dabangg super-star. This, he has admitted, is one of his inspirations to help others and encourage newcomers using his starry clout, and was a trait that had originated from the senior Kumar. "It's very sweet of him to have said that," says Gaurav.
And so we have the connection between the Jubilee Star of yesterday and today's Numero Uno hero. Rajendra Kumar was clearly the inspiration for Salman Khan in more ways than one.
History does repeat itself.
'Kaun Banega Crorepati 8' to focus on stories of bonding
Mumbai:
The eighth season of popular TV game show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati 8',
which will see megastar Amitabh Bachchan returning to the host's chair,
promises to touch people's hearts with the stories of community bonding.
The show, which emphasised on the 'common man' theme last year, will
revolve around the hopes of people with diverse regional, cultural and
religious backgrounds.
"'Kaun Banega
Crorepati' over the years has established itself as an institution on
television. The show and our legendary host Mr Amitabh Bachchan ignite
hope and positivity in the hearts of the nation. This year's campaign
further articulates the positioning, that KBC is not only about winning
money."
"This season, the show, with
its unique ability to appeal to a wider and universal audience, will
showcase social transformation, portraying stories of everyday heroes
and community bonding," Gaurav Seth, Senior VP and Marketing Head, Sony
Entertainment Television, said in a statement.
The
core message of this season's campaign strengthens this proposition
with the thought 'Yahan Sirf Paise Nahi, Dil Bhi Jeete Jate Hain' (We
don't win money only, we win hearts too). 'Kaun Banega Crorepati 8' will
be launched in the middle of August after Big B's current running show
'Yudh' gets ove
