SILICONEER | BOLLYWOOD: Guftugu | NOVEMBER 2010

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BOLLYWOOD | Guftugu | NOVEMBER 2010

Mallika Prays at Snake Temple Ahead of Hisss Release
CROOK: Indian students in Australia Slam Inaccurate Film
SHAH RUKH: 300-feet Jump
VIVEK OBEROI: Karnataka-Ka-Damaad
SAKSHI PRADHAN: Id Love to be Back
HRITHIK ROSHAN: Real Superheroes
JOHN ABRAHAM: To Appeal
'An Evening in Paris'

Mallika Prays at Snake Temple Ahead of 'Hisss' Release

Mallika Sherawat in “Hisss.”

Bollywood siren Mallika Sherawat, who plays a naagin (snake woman) in her upcoming film Hisss, offered prayers at the Sree Nagaraja temple at Mannarasala in Alappuzha district, seeking divine blessings for the success of the project.

Sherawat, who reached Thiruvananthapuram from Mumbai, drove straight to the temple, which was one of the principal locations of the multi-lingual film which is to be released Oct. 22.

She was accompanied by producer Govind Menon.

Menon told PTI that Hisss, produced under the banner of Split Image Pictures at a cost of Rs. 300 million, would be released worldwide in 2,200 screens Oct. 22.

In India, the English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu versions of the film would be released on that day, while the Malayalam version would be released in Kerala Oct. 29.

Besides Sherawat, American actor Jeff Douchette, Irrfan Khan, Divya Dutta and Raman Trikka also play important roles in the film, directed by Hollywood director Jennifer Lynch.

Lakshmi Thampuratti of the Travancore royal family also has a notable role in the film.

Noted cinematographer Madhu Ambat is handling the camera and music is by Anu Malik.

"Hisss is a truly Indian story based on traditional beliefs about snake goddesses whom generations worshiped to keep the population safe and women fertile," he said.

The film is about the arduous journey of an American man into the heart of the Malabar coast, believed to be the dwelling place of snake goddesses.

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Indian students in Australia Slam Inaccurate Film

Emraan Hashmi and Neha Sharma in “Crook: It’s Good to be Bad.”

Bollywood movie Crook: It's Good to be Bad, which revolves around racist attacks on Indians in Melbourne, has been slammed by both Indian students and local officials for the "unfair and incorrect" portrayal of the Australian city.

Gautam Gupta, spokesman for the Federation of Indian Students Association, dubbed the Emraan Hashmi starrer "immature,” saying that the misrepresentation could inflame hostility towards the Indian community.

"It is the wrong representation of Melbourne, obviously the filmmakers have not done proper research. I think things here have been improving, and the government is taking action and the film could hurt all that," said Gupta.

"Melbourne is not the Bronx. Like any movie, whether it is Hollywood or Bollywood, they take an issue and show the extreme side of it," he added.

Officials also objected to suggestions that people in Melbourne, capital of Victoria state, were racist.

"We are not racist here in Victoria. In fact it is absolutely completely the contrary. We are one of the most diverse societies in the world," state Police Minister James Merlino told the Herald-Sun newspaper.

A slew of attacks on Indian students prompted protests in Melbourne and Sydney last year and the row strained diplomatic relations between the two countries.

A recent report claimed that enrollment of Indians in Australian universities may decline by 80 percent in 2011 because of the bad press generated after the attacks on Indians.

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SHAH RUKH KHAN: 300-feet Jump

Shah Rukh Khan in “Don.”

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who is currently shooting for Farhan Akhtar's Don 2 in Berlin, took a 300-foot plunge for a scene.

The actor reprises his role in the movie, which also stars Priyanka Chopra.

"Just did an over 300-feet base jump for Don... because you all make me believe I can fly. Time to tell kids about the birds and the bees...ha ha," he wrote on Twitter.

"My jump was last shot of day. Want to thank my duplicate and action team, to do it before me for wide shots and make me feel confident about it," he added.

Shah Rukh recently wrapped up the shooting of his first superhero film Ra.One, which will also see him doing dome death-defying stunts. Arjun Rampal plays the villain in the movie.

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VIVEK OBEROI: Karnataka-Ka-Damaad

Vivek Oberoi in “Prince.”

Karnatak-ka-Damad (son-in-law of Karnataka) was the sobriquet that greeted Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi, who is all set to tie the knot with 28-year Bangalorean Priyanka Alva later this month.

"Today I was referred to as Karnatak-ka-damad, instead of the usual terms like actor or hero when I arrived," said Vivek, who has already picked up some Kannada words like "Yellarigu Namaskara" (Namaste to all) and "Swalpa Swalpa"(little little).

Vivek, 34, was here to participate in an awards press meet and promote his film Rakth Charitra slated for an Oct. 22 release.

"I am excited about my marriage and nervous about my film," said the would-be-bridegroom, who is also keeping his fingers crossed over the Ram Gopal Verma directed film and his marriage, both of which are to take place later this month.

His fiancee, Priyanka Alva, daughter of danseuse Nandini Alva and JD(U) leader late Jeevaraj Alva, he says, "is also looking forward to the film."

Vivek says Priyanka loved his role in films like Company and Saathya and after watching the rushes of his new film, hoped he would not get that angry with her in real life.

Though the film has him playing a role inspired by slain Andhra leader Paritala Ravi, Vivek says personally he is a non-smoker and a non-violent person.

"It is my profession and I have to play roles as my profession demands,” he said.

"In real life I do not smoke and on screen I avoid it unless the character demands it. In this film, too, the character demanded it so I had to smoke on-screen," he says.

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SAKSHI PRADHAN: ‘I’d Love to be Back’

Sakshi Pradhan

Bollywood starlet Sakshi Pradhan, who became the second contestant to get eliminated from Bigg Boss 4, is sad at her short stint and says she would love to re-enter the house.

Sakshi stayed in the house for only two weeks and has been replaced by former World Wrestling Entertainment champion Khali.

"I am a bit sad to leave the Bigg Boss house so early but I have accepted it. I loved my time there. It was like a paid holiday and given a chance I would love to be back on the show," Sakshi told PTI.

The MTV Splitsvilla contestant was nominated by Pakistani TV artist Begum Nawazish Ali. Others who were nominated for eviction with Sakshi were TV actor Sameer Soni and former dacoit Seema Parihar, but they received minimum votes.

When asked about her tiffs with male members on the show, Sakshi said, "Don't dub me as a cry baby. We had our little skirmishes but I don't hate anyone. It is a game at the end of the day and you have to play well."

Before leaving the reality show Sakshi nominated Begum Nawazish Ali, who is now up for elimination next week.

When asked about it, Sakshi said, "I have no enmity with anyone in the house. I can't blame anyone but I picked Begum because she had nominated me. Now it is her turn."

Sakshi, who has bagged two more TV projects, said she made friends with Manoj Tiwari, Shweta and Veena Malik and is happy that she did not resort to tricks to stay in the game.

"I am happy that people saw the real me. I had no mask to hide myself. The game is going to get dirty from here," said Sakshi.

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HRITHIK ROSHAN: Real Superheroes

Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai in “Guzaarish.”

Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan, who earned the superhero tag with his daredevil stunts in the film Krissh, says that playing a paraplegic in his upcoming movie Guzaarish is not an image change for him.

"I am a super character in the film. I have interacted with about 20 such patients who suffer from complete paralysis of the lower half of the body, including both legs which is mostly caused by damage of the spinal cord. They are real life superheroes and I am representing their emotions on screen," Hrithik told PTI.

Guzaarish, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, releases Nov. 19. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan plays the romantic lead opposite Hrithik in this period film.

"The patients with whom I interacted during the making of the film have become my friends for life. They taught me that you are more than just your body. There is a reason to all your problems and in solving them...Instead of crying over problems, focus on how to face them," he says.

Hrithik, whose last film Kites sank at the box office despite huge hype, says he never felt so responsible towards a character he has essayed on movies.

"I am representing the lives of these superheroes on screen. Apart from the fact that Bhansali's script moved me, I felt the responsibility of telling the world the story of such incredible people...my character portrays how to live life despite struggles and problems after meeting with a near-fatal accident during a performance as a magician," he said.

The actor says he spent several hours with the patients to understand what they go through, what they think and what their needs are.

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John to Appeal

John Abraham in "Jhooth Hi Sahi."

Indian actor John Abraham, who has been sentenced to 15 days simple imprisonment by a local court in a 2006 rash driving case, says he will appeal against the verdict.

"I am a law-abiding citizen. I will be appealing this verdict and will go to every length to have this verdict appealed. I am advised that I have a good chance of succeeding the appeal," John, 37, said in a statement.

The actor said he decided to make a statement because as a public figure he did not want to send a wrong message.

"Only because I am a public figure and in all modesty I do have a large youth interaction who look to me for guidance and leadership and inspiration and I don't want them to feel or take away that when wronged we do not fight for what is right," the actor said.

He said although he has the highest regards for the country's judicial system, he felt compelled to make a personal clarification. He maintained that he was not commenting in any way on any judicial view.

The Bandra Magistrate court held the actor guilty of an offence of rash and negligent driving and awarded him the sentence but immediately released him on bail of Rs. 1,500 and imposed a fine of the same amount on him.

Abraham's motorbike had skidded and knocked down two persons in one of Mumbai's suburbs April 7, 2006. He himself then took the injured persons -- Shyam Kasbe and Tanmay Majhi -- to the hospital. The duo was discharged later.

The actor, too, was injured in the accident.

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'An Evening in Paris'

Sharmila Tagore and Shammi Kapoor in "An Evening in Paris."

Shakti Samanta's 1967 film An Evening in Paris will be re-released in a theatre in Mumbai this week along with Aakrosh, Knockout and animation movie Ramayan.

Ramchand Talreja of Tirupati Enterprises told PTI that he paid royalty to the late Shakti Samanta's family to purchase the negatives.

"The re-released version in cinemascope will have brand new prints and posters," he said.

The film will be screened at Alankar theatre in Mumbai.

Talreja said present day Bollywood movies are taken off theatres after a week or even less than that.

"Compared to the present trend, old movies are still remembered. An Evening in Paris was shot abroad and the first Indian movie to showcase Niagara Falls. Besides, all its seven songs were chartbusters which are popular even today," he added.

A few years ago, Dilip Kumar-starring Naya Daur and Mughal-e-Azam were re-released in color.

Talreja said present-day Hindi movies are not doing well and do not have much shelf-life.

"Compared to this, living legends like Shammi Kapoor, Dilip Kumar are still popular and command a huge audience wherever they go," he added.

Talreja, who distributed films like old movies Pyasa, Bluffmaster and Boyfriend, said recently a private radio channel organized a film festival where Shammi Kapoor's Teesri Manzil and An Evening in Paris were screened.

"It got a huge response from youngsters. Hence, I am keeping my fingers crossed," he said.

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