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Hrithik: regaining his lost status
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Manisha Koirala: Holidaying in France!
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Shaadi Ke Baad-Sonali Bendre
Marriage certainly suits her. Even if she sighs, "I’ve barely been home for a week every month since I got married. I’ve been out of the house for three weeks every month, shuttling between Hampi, Hyderabad and Mumbai." The inter-city shuttle is partly because of her latest film, Amol Palekar’s Anahat (Eternity), which was shot on location in Hampi. The Hyderabad bit is thanks to a Telugu film which is nearly 40 per cent complete. Besides, says the actress, she’s looking at half-a-dozen scripts. "Some are interesting, some are not-so-interesting," she adds. "I plan to pick up just a couple of them. Now the idea is to do one film, or two at most, at a time. I want to take time off to travel, to do some thinking. No more back-to-back shooting for me. There’s no fire now." "Amol Palekar came to me with the idea a year-and-a-half ago. And I’d loved it," she recalls. "It took him a while to complete the script. When he came back for the full narration, I was completely bowled over. It was Amol’s idea to make it only in Marathi. And since that’s my mother tongue, I was equally charged about it. I’m ecstatic that Amol chose to look beyond my glamorous image and cast me as a simple girl." The film is made primarily for an international audience and is scheduled to be screened at a couple of leading international festivals later this year. Luckily for her, says Sonali, she’s been able to stay away from home for such long spells because she lives with her in-laws. "My mother-in-law is so wonderful," she gushes. "I’m more like a daughter in the house. I haven’t had to worry about how Goldie is coping because my ma-in-law is in charge." Post-shaadi, actresses like Madhuri Dixit, Juhi Chawla and Kajol didn’t get buried under the debris of domesticity, Sonali points out. "Honestly, if we call ourselves 21st century women, our actions must support our claims. Way back in the ’70s, Sharmila Tagore did some of her most remarkable work after marriage and motherhood." In fact, she says, perhaps she may not have married in a hurry if she hadn’t met someone as wonderful as Goldie. She has no plans to extend herself beyond acting, though. "People assume that just because Goldie has a production house, I’ll get into that mould. Frankly, the nitty-gritties of production don’t interest me. I’d like to just concentrate on my acting," she says. Try to get her talking any more about Goldie Behl and you come up against a blank. "I’m certainly not ashamed of my private life... but I’m not keen to let the world into it either. So please let’s stay out of it," she says in a tone that means business. Then relents a little for an explanation: "When I started seeing Goldie, I let the world know about it simply because it would be unfair to keep him in the background. But now that we’re married, I see no reason to flaunt him on every occasion. Besides, I think people are still keen on seeing my work; they’re not interested in pictures from my private album. Or knowing whether I’m making chappatis at home." |
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Santoshi’s Mahabharat—the biggest film ever
Titled MAHABHARAT, the film will be made in two parts. "Since I’d be shooting the film at a stretch, the film will be released in two separate versions of 2.30 hours each," says Santoshi. As far as the casting goes, Santoshi has already pencilled some names for the two films. "Amitabh Bachchan will enact the role of Bhishma, Sunny Deol will be seen as Karan, Sanjay Dutt will essay the role of Duryodhan, Ajay Devgan would be seen in the role of Krishna and Arjun Rampal will play Arjun," he discloses. And Draupadi? Who would enact that role? "Aishwarya Rai," he adds quickly. Purnachandra Rao-produced project he has just signed, starring Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan together for the first time. |
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Shah Rukh Khan Plays Safe We always said that there’s no actor as shrewd as Shah Rukh Khan. And his sharp business acumen is coming to the fore with the release of his new film ‘Chalte Chalte’, also starring Rani Mukherjee. The Khan is well aware of the present market scenario vis-à-vis Hindi films. There hasn’t been a single overall big hit in 2003. That’s why with ‘Chalte Chalte’, Shah Rukh has decided to play very safe. Since the film happens to be his home production, Shah Rukh has cut his profit margins enormously and has priced the film well below Rs. 2 crore per territory. His earlier production, ‘Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani’, was reportedly sold at a far higher price. This obviously means that the chances of ‘Chalte Chalte’ turning out to be a winner at the box-office are much higher. Shah Rukh may have compromised on his profit margins but at this stage in his career, what really matters is maintaining his success – and that’s what the Khan is aiming at. Smart boy. |
Hrithik
Roshan, the once superstar, drowned his popularity by having been a
part of the not-so-popular films. But the trailers of his next few
releases, ‘Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon’ (‘MPKDH’) and home
production ‘Koi Mil Gaya’ have encouraged trade circles once
again, of thinking of him as a good actor. Rajshri Productions’ love
saga ‘MPKDH’ will have him share the screen with Abhishek Bachchan
for the first time, while ‘Koi Mil Gaya’ sees him in a
different light altogether. Papa Roshan’s home production has
adopted a different and unique storyline, with special effects as
its USP. Will the dad-son magic work wonders once again? Will
Hrithik find his lost popularity with ‘Koi Mil Gaya’? Cast
your vote on today’s filmi ballot.
So
what’s our Manya baby up to these days? Well, with the summer
mercury shooting up in tinsel town, she decided to escape to the
cool locales of St Tropez (France). "It’s been my best holiday so
far, staying in old villages, sailing on a yacht and now I’m lying
on the garden of this lovely old villa, overlooking the deep blue
sea, sun bathing, reading the letters of Van Gogh," says Manisha,
from France. What a way to beat the Mumbai heat! 
Sonali
Bendre, five months married, sporting huge solitaires on her ears,
neck and left hand, clad in a pair of designer jeans and chiffon
blouse, looks stunning. 