Sanjay Dutt with Urmila again

December 18, 2007

UrmilaShe’s back on the sets… with one of her favourite co-stars. And Sanjay Dutt is singing again for Urmila Matondkar. This is the third time he’s doing so with her around. Urmila, who was totally consumed by the job of judging a reality show lately, is now ready to bounce back on the big screen. And that too with Dutt in his comeback vehicle EMI (Easy Monthly Instalments). His schedule had been put on hold because of the actor’s incarceration. “Until he was not out of jail we were doing my solo scenes. And we had shot a promotional video together before he became unavailable for shooting. But now that he’s out, we’re doing a major chunk of our scenes together. EMI is a light-hearted look at a very serious problem. I never knew a social problem could be dealt
with so delightfully.

I love the spirit of the character I’m playing. Although her back is against the wall she shows tremendous spunk,” revealed Urmila. She talks pleasurably about her association with Dutt. “It’s always a pleasure working with him. He’s wonderful company both on and off screen. I’ve always admired him as a human being and an actor. We go back a long way. We had great fun doing Daud together. And then in Khubsoorat he even sang for me.” Dutt has a song to sing in EMI as well. Strangely, Urmila was also a part of his second singing endeavour when both of them crooned with Asha Bhonsle in her non-filmi album earlier this year. “Yeah, you could say we’re bonded,” Urmila laughed. “There’s so much bonhomie on the sets, it’s good to have Sanjay Dutt back.”

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Shravan Reddy does not like Saas Bahu Drama

December 5, 2007

Shravan Reddy Shravan Reddy is grateful about one thing. That his debut serial Jersey No.10 on SAB TV is not a saas-bahu drama. “Actually,” says the actor, “That was one of the main reasons I decided to do this show. I was in a dilemma about acting in a TV serial but since this was not a regular rona-dhona serial, I decided to go for it,” he adds.

With cricket serving as the backdrop of the plot, the show sees Shravan playing the character of Nakul, a cricketer who has just one dream — to see himself wearing jersey No.10. “That number is given to the best player in the team and hence, the name of the show,” he says. Talking more about his character, Shravan says that Nakul is a guy who wants to make it to the Indian cricket team and joins an academy for that. “Once he manages to join the academy, he has to deal with bitter rivalries there and that’s what forms the crux of the story,” he says. So does he like playing cricket in real life too? “Oh yes,” he says with a smile, “I used to actively participate in sports as a student, especially cricket. In fact, that knowledge is adding to my character in the show. We sometimes play cricket during our break on the sets.”

Shravan reveals that he isn’t too keen on continuing with the small screen once this show is over. “But then, I had never planned to get into TV in the first place either. I want to keep on acting definitely, but not on TV. It will have to be films but I’m taking everything step by step. My personal interest doesn’t lie in television,” he says. Watch Jersey No.10 on SAB TV Monday to Thursday at 9 pm.

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Vikas Sethi to do main roles only

December 5, 2007

Vikas SethiThere’s buzz that like some of your colleagues you too are planning to take a break from TV for films…
Not really. Yes, I want to do something concrete like what I did in Kahiin To Hoga and Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. Unless I get some good roles like those, I don’t want to accept them. I want to now do lead roles in shows. I’m tired of supporting others by doing supporting roles. As far as films are concerned, there are offers coming in and I might be taking them up after January.

So you plan to do both, TV and films?
Yes. I will never leave TV.

You say you want to do lead roles. But on TV sometimes a strong character role may be more powerful than the lead…
Yes, I agree. When I entered Kahiin Toh Hoga it was a supporting role. At the end of the show, the kind of adulation I got, it was as good as the lead, if not better. When I say lead role I mean I want to take up a show that will be called my show.

Is your current serial Kasautii Zindagi Kay wrapping up soon?
We have not got any official confirmation. Unless we get an official intimation we would assume they are rumours. You get a notice well in advance before a show wraps up.

After you participated in Nach Baliye 3, have you continued with your dance?
Dancing has always been a passion. I have been performing at TV events over the past five years. It’s not like I practise everyday, but the rhythm is there. The rhythm never goes out of the body.

Your wife Amita who’s not from this field participated in the show with you…
She got to know the hard part of the job, how tough it is to face camera. Amita was very supportive. She put in a lot of hardwork. We are both positive people and put in our best and when we were eliminated, we left with a smile on our faces.

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Will Tabu win the oscars?

December 4, 2007

TabuThe Oscar fever for Mira Nair’s The Namesake has intensified. With the event just three months away, Mira and her team are going all out to ensure the muchlauded film’s optimum visibility in LA. And the one nomination that the team is working the hardest for, is Tabu’s.

Regrettably, the stunning actress has entered the Best Supporting Actress category. Explained Mira, “That’s because Tabu is part of a large ensemble film. But people are knocked out by the maturity of her performance, and they are stunned by her youth and beauty when they meet her. If there’s any justice in the award-getting world, she definitely stands a chance. Irrfan Khan’s nomination as the Best Supporting Actor in the Spirit Awards was a great boost. I also look forward to my writer Sooni Taraporewala being remembered at the Oscars.”

Describing her campaign to get high-visibility for The Namesake among the Oscar jury, Mira said from New York, “Our distributor has been doing a modest campaign — screening it for all the guilds, academy, etc. And the fact that our DVD released to smashing reviews, has maximised the film’s presence on the airwaves.”

But Mira knows it’s an uphill task. “I also know what a battle it is to convince the gora public to vote for a non-gora film and our actors when they’re being inundated with millions of dollars in Oscar campaigns for the known stars there. After all, don’t forget that the Oscars were invented to celebrate Hollywood cinema, and that’s the way it will always be. Sure, some of us get through the radar but it’s essentially a crapshoot.”

For the first time a film with a totally Indian theme is being considered in the mainstream categories for the Oscars. “ Apun to bilkul desi hai, regardless of whether committees choose my film or not. I believe our distributor is pushing The Namesake in categories beyond Best Foreign Film, which is as it should be,” added Mira.

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Bachchans in trouble again

December 4, 2007

BachchansAmitabh Bachchan and his son Abhishek, who walked through the green channel at Sahar airport in April with imported dutiable goods worth Rs 1 crore without paying duty, are likely to face a show-cause notice from the DRI for alleged violation of the Customs Act, customs officials said.

When contacted on Tuesday, Bachchan Sr said he and his son had recently paid the duty in full, and there were no outstandings.
The goods, reportedly purchased from Harrods in London on the eve of the Abhishek-Aishwarya Rai wedding on April 19, would have attracted duty of about Rs 36 lakh, customs sources told this paper. Father and son had travelled separately within days of each other just before the wedding. The goods they brought with them were collectively valued at Rs 1 crore.

According to these sources, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence in Mumbai got a tip-off about three months ago that the duo had walked through the green channel on their return from London without paying the duty. The DRI then got cracking and took the help of customs for the investigation.

The father-son duo was contacted by DRI and asked whether they had in fact brought in these goods, most of which comprised men’s accessories. Customs officials said Amitabh and Abhishek claimed that they did not know that the goods they had purchased were dutiable.

Sources in the customs added that the duty was then promptly paid. However, they noted, since the Customs Act had been violated, a detailed showcause notice was likely to be issued to them soon. A show-cause notice under the Customs Act is the equivalent of a chargesheet under the IPC.

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