Hrithik, Priyanka to star in AGNEEPATH remake

After months of dilly dallying over the choice of the lead pair of the remake of his father Yash Johar's 1990 Amitabh Bachchan-Mithun Chakraborty starrer AGNEEPATH, Karan Johar has zeroed in on Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra.

A source at Dharma Production says, "Priyanka and Hrithik will be coming together on-screen after KRISSH. While Hrithik will be playing Amitabh Bachchan's role of Vijay Dinanath Chauhan, Priyanka will play the role of a nurse, and girlfriend that was played by Madhavi in the original. Both complement each other on screen."

"Minor changes will be made in the script, making it modern while keeping the plot more or less the same. However, the dialogue penned by Kader Khan will remain unchanged. The character played by Mithun Chakraborty has been totally done away with in the remake," adds the source.

While AGNEEPATH was deeply influenced by SCARFACE, the new AGNEEPATH purports to pay homage to SCARFACE.

(Glamsham)

Karan Johar delays DOSTANA 2

The sequel to the hit film DOSTANA titled DOSTANA 2 has run into trouble. Apparently, creative differences between the director and the producer are delaying this project.

It's learnt that Karan Johar is unhappy with the way the story of DOSTANA 2 has shaped up. He wants changes in the script which the director is not ready to do.

Keeping this in mind, Karan Johar has postponed the shoot of the film till the changes are made and the script gets okayed by him.

DOSTANA 2 has been getting delayed for one or the other reason constantly. Now, the creative differences seem to have stalled the shoot. Hope the producer and the director sort their differences soon.


(Glamsham)

We Are Family To Come A Week Earlier On 3rd September

We Are Family featuring Kareena Kapoor, Kajol and Arjun Rampal will be released a week earlier than schedule. The film will now release on 3rd September and not on 10th September.

This will allow the film an open week which should be beneficial for the film as the first week is most important and no competition can lead to better business.

It will also mean domination at multiplexes as well as best screen timings while on 10th September it would have faced competition for screens from Dabangg.

(Boxofficeindia.Com Trade Network )

What's brewing? - Koffee With Karan

Karan Johar will soon begin work on the third season of his popular chat show Koffee With Karan. The shooting begins in September this year and there are quite a few surprises and changes in the show. KJo promises that this year, the koffee will definitely taste spicier. Read on for your koffee fix...



Three changes in KWK this time?
We have been putting our heads together trying to make a few changes in the format. The segments will change along with new and interesting combinations. There will be a bit of shuffle in the format to make it edgier. KWK will also get a new set decor. Director Ravina Kohli (Kunal Kohli's wife) who had been directing the earlier episodes of KWK won't be with us this time and will be sorely missed.

What else?
The coffee mug which had been blue and green in the last two seasons, might go red this time...

To symbolise juicier content on the show?
I would prefer not to call it juicy or scandalous but rather intimate one-on-one conversations with actors. The mantra is going to be coupled with interesting couples. Also, this year, I am planning to get some interesting personalities from different fields, though the bulk of the people on the show will be from Bollywood, as it rates the highest.

Will you go in for a makeover, lookwise?
(sarcastically) Darling, I'm consulting my plastic surgeon for my new look on what should be done and am waiting for him to reply. Seriously speaking, I will look the same.

And black is going to be your colour of choice?
Unfortunately, for you, yes! Apart from black being my favourite colour, why not go black when it hides your curves? God made black for a reason. It's the best camouflage ever!

Will the coffee hamper change?
Yes, it's going to be jam-packed and worth fighting for. We will go beyond the chocolates, cheese and cookies. This time, the hamper will be filled with designer brands and plenty of gizmos. It will be a whopper and a big thing to win so anybody who sits on the fence won't get the hamper. And this time there will be a love note from me in it -- so let the hamper war begin!

What remains the same?
The producers of the show -- Sol and the channel Star World remain the same. One thing that won't change is the intimacy of the show -- chatting about the private sides of the two or three people on the show. And of course, Shah Rukh Khan. I can't do anything without him. He's my lucky mascot for movies and TV shows.

(Mid Day)

Kareena to go size zero again!

The actress who made waves by going ultra thin in Tashan, is set to do it again! Kareena Kapoor would shed her weight to go size zero for Karan Johar's next opposite Imran Khan. Though beau Saif is unhappy with the actress signing the 'size zero' project, Kareena seems to be quite upbeat about it.

The film which is based on Cameron Diaz-Ashton Kutcher starrer What Happened in Vegas would be titled Short Term Shaadi.

The movie is likely to hit the floors in November this year.

Kareena Imran Khan who is not ready to spill the beans as yet tells Mumbai Mirror, "I’m not at liberty to discuss anything about the film right now.”.

Well we hope this time Kareena's size zero magic works!

(Mumbai mirror / HT)

Stills of Kareena Kapoor and Kajol from Karan Johar's 'We Are Family'

Producer Karan Johar's movie We Are Family - a remake of the 1998 Hollywood flick Stepmom - brings together the blockbuster 'sister' pair from Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham; Kareena Kapoor and Kajol.

The Hindi remake of Stepmom also features Arjun Rampal as John Abraham turned down the role. Kajol, one of KJo's favorite actresses, will play the role of the terminally ill mother, which was originally portrayed by Hollywood actress Susan Sarandon. Kareena will be taking on the role of Julia Roberts, who played the stepmother in the original critically-acclaimed film.

Kajol portrays Maya, a loving mother who makes sure her family stays intact despite being divorced from her children's father, Aman, played by Arjun. But one day Aman brings home his new girlfriend, Shreya, played by Bebo, a woman who focuses on her career and doesn't know much about kids. But an unexpected event will bring these two women together.

Although actors are typically seen in their glamorous best, this film will portray them in a completely different light. And after filming in San Francisco for My Name is Khan, Karan Johar has set this film at the other end of the globe in Sydney, Australia. We Are Family is set to hit theaters on September 10. Are you looking forward to seeing the flick? Check out these new stills from the set and share your thoughts.

 (Desi hits)

What's cooking Aamir, KJo?

Something’s surely cooking between Karan Johar and Aamir Khan. Following the report on the growing friendship between the two, Aamir will now make a special appearance at the success party of Karan’s film I Hate Luv Storys, tonight.

And guess what? At this private party, Aamir will be the only guest who is not part of the film’s unit.

Our source said, “Karan and Aamir were hardly acquaintances till very recently. And they have now become close friends. After Karan made his appearances at Aamir’s party for Gustavo and attended the music release of Peepli Live, things are clearer by the minute. Now Karan has invited Aamir to this party.”

Apparently, Karan telephoned Aamir personally to invite him to the party. Aamir, who is known to be inaccessible to the rest of the world as he rarely carries his mobile phone himself, accepted Karan’s invitation graciously and promised him that he would attend his party.

But Karan’s is a get-together for the cast and crew of I Hate Luv Storys, hence Aamir as a guest is obviously misplaced. But Aamir’s not one who goes back on his word. He will attend the party which will be held at a suburban five star hotel.”

The buzz is that Aamir and Karan may be working on a project together. Is that the case? Or is it Karan’s undying wish of bringing Aamir as a guest on the next season of his show, Koffee With Karan, that keeps resurfacing from time to time

(TOI)


-- Karan to make a fim with SRK-Aamir

There is a bright chance to see the two rivals Khans, Aamir Khan and Shahrukh Khan in one screen. Filmmaker Karan Johar is desperate to work with both of them and expressed his desire during the music launch of ‘Peepli Live’. Karan said, "Aamir Khan is a very good actor. I would love to do a film with Shahrukh Khan and him."

Aamir Khan responded positively, "Why not? I think Karan is a very talented director. I would love to work with him. If there is a good story for me and if Karan also feels that I fit the role, I will do it," said the perfectionist.

Few might know that Shahrukh and Aamir shared screen space in Ashutosh Gowariker’s ‘Pehla Nasha’ in cameos.

(Bollywood Mantra)

David Dhawan’s son in KJo’s film

It is set to be a dream launch. Varun Dhawan, younger son of former Bollywood box office pasha David Dhawan, has been signed by Karan Johar for a project that will take off in 2011.

Trade sources say that David was always clear that his older son Rohit will be a director and younger son Varun an actor. Rohit is meant to be directing Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Chitrangadha Singh and Deepika Padukone in Desi Boyz. And Varun was waiting in the wings till KJo discovered him.

Karan says, “The banner will launch two new boys in the same film. The details of the boys and the director are still in the process of finalisation there are no confirmations as yet.”

(TOI)

"Imran and Sonam's comfort with romcom genre showed" - Karan Johar

Karan Johar is mighty excited with the way I Hate Luv Storys has opened at the box office. A romcom that was never touted to be the kind of cinema that was out of the ordinary, this Punit Malhotra directed film has found good acceptance amongst the audience.

Karan too must be heaving a sigh of relief since both his leading actors, Imran and Sonam, were coming with a baggage of a couple of disappointments each. While Imran's last two films Kidnap and Luck were action affairs and didn't find patronage amongst the audience, it wasn't quite a conventional start for Sonam either after Saawariya and Delhi 6 not quite hitting the bull's eye.

"Well, I truly believe that hits and flops don't have anything to do with talent of an actor", says Karan who trusted in both Imran and Sonam even as the chips were down for them, "So many factors contribute to hits and successes. Imran was sweet and endearing in Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na while Sonam was confidence personified in Delhi 6."

No wonder, he didn't have any questions around the casting when director Punit Malhotra recommended the two names.

"It was entirely Punit's decision to go with Imran and Sonam. In any case, I don't inflict my opinion on my directors when it comes to casting", continues Karan, "A film has to be as per the vision of the filmmaker. Once Punit mentioned Imran and Sonam, I was all for it. I had complete faith in the two actors. Now that the film has released, their comfort level with the romcom genre shows on screen."

Every love story is bound to be aided by some great music and this is something that has come for all around appreciation in case of I Hate Luv Storys. It is being unanimously accepted that music by Vishal & Shekhar is one of the major cores strengths of the film.

"That's right, music is indeed the highlight of IHLS; it is indeed great", Karan gives out a nod of appreciation here, "What is really terrific about Vishal-Shekhar is that they work really work with first time directors. I have noticed that earlier in case of Dostana too where they gave full hearted support to Tarun Mansukhani. They give you a lot of time and that is their biggest strength that I have always appreciated. It's an amazing quality as they don't just give you a lot of respect; they are also willing to go all out for you. If you reject 10 tunes for a situation, they would come up with the 11th. They don't loose patience."

(Bollywood Hungama - By Joginder Tuteja)

Hrithik to star in Agneepath remake

Anyone would think that Abhishek Bachchan would be the natural choice to play Amitabh Bachchan's role in a Agneepath remake. However, Hrithik Roshan has been roped in to play the part in the new-age Agneepath, while Mithun Chakraborty's award winning character has been completely done away with.

"When the idea of re-making Agneepath came to producer Karan Johar, he right away locked in on Hrithik Roshan. It was a commitment to the actor, who is very keen to give his own interpretation to the character," a source revealed.

In fact, it was presumed by a very large section of the entertainment industry that Abhishek would play the eponymous part of Vijay Dinanath Chauvan. And Jaya Bachchan would play Vijay's mother, played with brilliant poignancy by Rohini Hattangadi in the cult orignal directed by the late Mukul Anand.

However, contrary to popular opinion, Abhishek was never offered the role in the remake.

"Hrithik will play it closer to Al Pacino in Scarface than Mr. Bachchan in Agneepath," says a source.

Agneepath, it would be recalled, was deeply influenced by Scarface. The remake, written and directed by debutant Karan Malhotra purports to pay homage to Scarface.

While refusing to discuss the cast, producer Karan Johar says: "All I can say is that my 'Agneepath' is radically different from the Agneepath that my (late) father (Yash Johar) produced. We've completely done away with the south Indian character played by Mithun Chakraborty in the original."

With that information, Mithun's dreams of seeing his son Mimoh cast on the role he originally played also goes up in flames.

Karan Johar's Agneepath would be a solo act featuring Roshan Jr, who will experiment with the rasping dialogue-delivery that Big B had attempted in the original 1990's gangster film.

Many thought that it was his gravelly way of speaking in Agneepath that made the movie a hit. But, Hrithik is determined to prove all the self-appointed soothsayers wrong.

"My father was very proud of Agneepath. I hope I don't let him down with my version of the film. Amit-ji had won the National award for it, it's a tough act to follow for any actor," Karan says.

(HT - Indo-Asian News Service)

I Hate Luv Storys Super Strong At Multiplexes

I Hate Luv Storys had a super strong at multiplexes in fact the opening at metro multiplexes can be called bumper. The opening at single screens was lower at around 30-50% depending on location but the release is heavily concentrated at multiplexes. The reports are good from its target audience and the film should at least do hit business.

I Hate Luv Storys Also Scores Overseas

I Hate Luv Storys has also scored in the overseas market in a big way. The film has taken by far the biggest opening ever for an Imran Khan starrer. The first day in UK was around the £65,000 mark while UAE was about $140,000. The film released on Wednesday in North America and is reportedly doing fantastic business there as well.



The fact that the film was in a Overseas friendly genre and that too from Dharma Productions who are hugely popular for romantic genre movies in Overseas probably did the trick and the film looks to do around $1.75 million over its first weekend from all International markets.

( Boxofficeindia.Com Trade Network )