Why Aamir insisted on Asin...

Asin, a huge star down South has acted with almost all big names and has several blockbusters to her credit. But even then, she never thought in her wildest dreams that her debut in Hindi films will be with Aamir. And guess how did she land up the role? Aamir saw her in the original Ghajini and was impressed with her, he requested director Muradoss to repeat her in the Hindi version as well. Infact, we heard Aamir personally called her to tell her to do the film. Lucky girl, we must say! We only hope that her career doesn’t head the Gracy Singh (hope you guys still remember her?) way!

I'm ready to make India's Scariest movie ever

Move over Bhoot and Phoonk. Ram Gopal Varma's Agyaat is here.Ramu's next film entitled Agyaat would be something he has never a done before. A film about an invisible predator creating havoc among a group of people in an isolated spot.An old Hollywood formula. "But never done properly in Hindi cinema. Something like Poseidon Adventure or The Towering Inferno. These were about natural calamities striking a group of people. Mine would've a far less indentifiable enemy, attacking a film crew on an exotic island, "informs Ramu even as he divulges that his media film Rann has been shifted to January 2009.The film written by two Varma discoveries Punet Varma and Hari will be shot by a debutant photographers Surjo. It will be shot in Sri Lanka from next month. "The media film Rann I'm starting at the end of January 2009. Agyaat I'll shoot in the Sigria jungles of Sri Lanka. I recently went location hunting there. It was a stunning stretch of wilderness. I've never seen anything so frightening in my life. All the principal photography will be done in Sigria 35 days. Then the special effects will be done in Mumbai.My Phoonk had very hastily done special-effects. Agyaat will be a first of its kind in terms of effects. In fact Agyaat is being made primarily for the special effects."Says Ramu, "It's about a film crew that loses its way in the jungles. And something out there starts killing them one by one. Why a film crew? Because it's like a walking office.There's a narcissistic star, a subservient spotboy, cameraman, a frustrated action director, an assistant director who has a crush on the heroine, a selfobsessed actor, a producer who thinks the director is making a mess and a director who thinks he's the Steven Spielberg of India …All of them have their own mindscape in the given hierarchy. But the moment they's caught in terror situation their inherent humanism comes to the surface."Ramu wants to tailor the plot like a reality show. "When you see Bigg Boss you see a group of people in an isolated place coping as best as they can. We see their rapidly-changing inter-personal relationship. In my film the same happens. I'm shooting them in real time with characters whom we can identify with, like the hero who turns out a sissy.Can't cast an established actor there, can I?"Ramu is casting largely newcomers. "Because I don't want the audience to watch these characters with pre-conceived notions. A very basic Hollywood formula.."I know, but not done well in our cinema too often, I've always been fascinated by Hollywood's Aliens/ Blarewitch Project formula where a group of people are trapped in a situation and besieged by an enemy that they cannot see. Someone is killing them one by one. And they're trying to get away. I don't know what that genre is called. But it's not a Friday the 13th where a psychopath on the prowl. It's more like Blairwitch Project where the killer is not visible to the eye.In The Invasion Of The Bodysnatchers I remember one line. 'Why do we always expect alien creatures to invade a space ship. Why can't it be a biological invasion?' I want to explore this terror of the unknown."Ramu is supremely kicked by his new project. "The challenging part in Agyaat is to create an evil force that's not visible, definable or even comprehensible.Some strange phenomenon in the jungle.I read an interview with Ridley Scott where talking on Aliens he said, 'There's no need to understand what's happening during a time of terror. Because if you explain it you reduce the thrill of it.' Hence Agyaat, the unknown." Agyaat will have some of the best special effects seen in Indian cinema. "It will be a projection of a destructive force from which the victims cam't hide or run. They simply succumb to it."Ramu is as excited as ever. "I haven't done anything like Agyaat. I'm a great fan of this Hollywood genre.And I can't wait.The moment I call my film Agyaat (The Unknown) I can go into a hundred different dimensions of the unknown. "

farha turn as actress

Farah Khan only did a blink-and-miss appearance for her hit entertainer Om Shanti Om, but now B-town's most successful female director will be seen in a special appearance in Milap Zaveri's Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai with Riteish Deshmukh.
Farah plays herself in the film. Milap Zaveri, who is currently shooting a sequence, with Riteish, Jacqueline Fernandes and Sonal Sehgal in Karjat, says, "It's a cameo. Ruslan plays a young superstar in the film while Riteish is an assistant director so we wanted a certain credibility to the whole scene. We wanted the scene in the film to be directed by a big director, so we approached Farah. She's a great sport and immediately said yes.
We were to shot for a day but now, it has become a five-day friendly appearance. In fact, Farah jokes that if we use her in our publicity posters we will have to pay her."
Milap adds that they have made Farah do mad things in the film. "She keeps abusing or hitting Riteish but all in good fun. There's a sequence where Riteish gives her tea and she spits it out on his face but he's so lost in love with Jacqueline that he doesn't notice."
Milap says he wasn't nervous about directing Farah as much as his choreographer Bosco was. "He has directed her in a scene where she's choreographing and was very nervous. He kept checking if she was okay."
Farah Khan adds, "It was my idea to spit the tea in Riteish's face. It wasn't nerve-wracking facing the camera, as I know Milap. He's Sajid's friend and it was a set full of young people. Though I had to play myself, I am not such a tyrant in real life," she laughs and adds, "They wanted a particular image where I had to do mad things.
I let them do whatever they wanted. I didn't interfere but only made suggestions."

kat n sallu romantic drama in Yuvvraaj

Katrina Kaif is concerned about the fate of Subhash Ghai's Yuvvraaj. The actress says, "I really want this film to do well. This is my first romantic drama opposite Salman without the support of comedy like Partner and Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya. Yuvvraaj is special to me and I want it to remain as a special memory." Kat plays a cellist in the film and is part of an orchestra in Austria. "Subhashji (Ghai) spared no cost for my costumes. They must have cost lakhs but not once did Subhashji say anything. My styling was done by Rocky S and I wore outfits designed by Jenny Packham, Rocky and Tarun Tahiliani."

john turns producer in 1-800-love

John Abraham will not only be acting in filmmaker Abbas Tyrewala's second venture 1-800-Love after the hit Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, he will also be co-producing it.

1-800-Love is a quirky, witty and savagely funny look at the man-woman relationship and writer-director Abbas roped in John for the project, after having worked with chocolate boy Imran Khan in his debut film.

The filmmaker, who's still polishing up the movie's script, says John decided to jump in as a producer the minute he heard the narration.

"After hearing the narration, John not only loved the script, he wanted to come on as a partner. So, effectively, the project will have three producers - Madhu K., John and myself," Abbas said.

Incidentally, 1-800-Love gets its title from the toll-free phone numbers in the US. John, who's currently shooting in New York for Kabeer Khan's film on terrorism entitled New York, is now looking out for roles that would challenge him as an actor. After Anurag Kashyap's No Smoking and Nagesh Kukunoor's to-be-released Aashayein, Abbas seems to be the director John needed to get his creative juices flowing.

Abbas' movie is set to be shot in Boston in April in a start-to-finish schedule and the filmmaker has now headed for the hills to write the final draft of the script, a source close to him said.

kat thought is BIG pay is better than pals

Mumbai, Oct 29: While Salman and SRK are busy winning pals and confidantes to their respective sides, Sallu’s babe Katrina Kaif has decided to have the best of both the worlds. The sultry diva seems to have cut out a perfect balance between life and work, ensuring that her emotion does not fiddle with work ethics.

A clear example of this professional-personal life equation was recently witnessed in Dubai, where the sexy seductress bought the house down, grooving with none other than Sallu’s ‘jani-dushmaan’(cut-throat enemy) Shah Rukh Khan.

Even though Sallu rules her heart, Katrina seems to thinking straight from her head when it concerns bagging some big bucks. The actress made sure that she proved her money’s worth as she performed hand in hand with King Khan on his much sought world tour 'Temptations Reloaded' in Dubai.

The gorgeous-twosome gave a rocking performance that left the crowd thirsting for more.

According to sources, the show kick started with the sassy babe grooving on her hit film numbers from ‘Race’ and ‘Singh Is Kinng’. Even though her solo act was much applauded by the audience, it was the SRK and Katrina act that emerged as a clear shows-topper.

The jam-packed show that went on till the wee hours of morning, surely had the crowds going mad as King Khan romanced Sallu’s gal.