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Showing posts with label Amitabachan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Amitabachan. Show all posts
I'm honored to be pitted against Big B: Himesh
Big B to be a part of 'Bigg Boss 3'
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Stag Do
Insiders have it that, since the said channel are well aware of the gravitational pull of Big B; they did not mind shelling the big bucks to take him on board. What will be really interesting is to see Amitabh yielding the spotlight again, after the famous 'Kaun Banega Crorepati', which was on Star Plus. As Rajesh Kamat (CEO of Colors) rightly puts it that they chose Big B, because, they needed to take the 'Bigg Boss' show to another level. At the same time, Kamat was candid enough to confess that if Big B hadn't agreed to do this show, they would have surely scrapped the very thought of the 'Pop Philosopher' on the show.
French Producer Wants To Cast The Bachchans
Abhishek Bachchan and Amitabh Bachchan
As Abhishek Bachchan is at Cannes accompanying wife Aishwarya Rai, seems like have impressed the filmmakers out there and receiving film offers. Manuel de la Roche, the Paris based producer wants to cast father-son Bollywood duo Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan for his next film.
French director Jan Kounen will direct the film, which is named as The Secret History of the Dalai Lamas. The director will soon approach the Bachchans with the acting offers for the film in lead roles.
Roche said, “The film will trace the history of the Dalai Lamas all the way from 14th century. It will blend dramatized re-enactments involving the earlier incarnations with excerpts from an interviews with the current Dalai Lama.”
Other than these Bollywood actors, the film will also cast Hollywood biggies Sharon Stone and Richard Gere.
“We are very keen to cast the father and son duo in key roles in the film. Sharon Stone (who is a practicing Tibetan Buddhist) will step in as the narrator, while Hollywood star Richard Gere will also be involved with the project,” added the producer.
Shooting for the film start later this year and will be shot mainly in Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh and some other parts of Indian subcontinent. It will be ready to hit theaters in the second half of 2010.
The father son duo had earlier worked together for films Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna and Sarkar Raj. However will soon appear together in R. Balakrishnan’s Pa.
Big B does a volte face on Slumdog Millionaire
Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan, who had stoked a controversy by slamming "Slumdog Millionaire", Friday said the movie was "wonderful" and expressed happiness that composer A.R. Rahman won three Oscar nominations for his score and songs in the movie."The sound engineer of this wonderful movie 'Slumdog Millionaire', Rasool, an Indian, has also won a nomination along with Rahman. I am so happy. Bhanu Athaiya was the last Indian to win an Oscar for the designing the costumes of Richard Attenborough's 'Gandhi' in 1982," Bachchan said at an overflowing venue at the Jaipur Literature Festival.
Referring to his comment regarding "Slumdog Millionaire" that "the film projects India as Third World's dirty underbelly developing nation and causes pain and disgust among nationalists and patriots", he said: "I write a blog.
But the opinions expressed in my blog were not my own. So many people write on my blog site and I was just quoting one of them. I have spoken to Anil Kapoor and Danny Boyle and cleared the misgivings. But everyone must have freedom of expression."
The superstar was here for a day to release his biography, "Bachchanalia: The Films and Memorabilia of Amitabh Bachchan", spanning 40 years of his career in the Hindi film industry.
The book - co-authored by Mumbai-based author Bhawana Somaaya and the Mumbai-based auction house and archive OSIAN's Centre for Archiving, Research and Development (CARD) wing - is the maiden publication of Osian's publishing and design department.
Founder and chairman of OSIAN's Neville Tuli was in conversation with the superstar.
Bachchan, clad in a pink shirt and a black velvet blazer, cut an amenable figure as he fielded queries from his host and the audience alike.
"Indian cinema is gaining global acceptance. I was in Paris two weeks ago for Salon Du Cinema, a festival of world films, where India and my family were the focus this time.
"I realised that the Indian movie industry was being acknowledged and Hindi movies were being shown on television channels in countries like France, Germany and all over Europe - even in those European nations where there had been no awareness about Indian movies before.
"If you want a personal and an honest opinion, I think Indian movies are paramount. They don't fall short in any way globally - be it in terms of cinematography, content or the cast. I am very happy with the kind of movies we are making. The Oscar is in its place - the fact that they have decided to nominate one of our artistes is heartening," Bachchan said.
The superstar held forth on a variety of subjects - ranging from his relationship with his son, reading habits, concern for junior artistes in Mumbai, secular fabric of the country and his own life.
Striking a patriotic note, the Bollywood veteran said he was proud to be a movie star.
"I'm proud to be in the profession because once people walk into a movie theatre they forget the identity of those with whom they are sharing the hall. You do not ask if the person seated next to you is a Hindu, Sikh, Christian or a Muslim.
"We watch the same emotions, cry over the same grief and sing the same songs. I think the integrated India lies inside the movie halls of this country," Bachchan said.
The superstar was emphatic that his angry young man image, which had a created a new metaphor in Indian cinema after his hit action movie, "Zanjeer", was not setting a violent precedent among the youth.
"For every angry young man, I have played a benign Anthony bhai ("Amar Akbar Anthony"). The maximum violence as I read in the papers happens in Bihar," he said.
"The history of this country is more than 1,000 years old - I don't want to look down upon the younger generation. You have to give space to each generation to progress," he said.
As a model citizen of India, Bachchan said his dream was to ensure that every Indian should know, understand and follow the Constitution and work together for an integrated country - especially in these troubled times of terror.
I got 115 crore?Prove it: Big B
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan today pooh-poohed the reports in a section of the press that he had been paid Rs 115 crore by server ''bigadda.com'' to write his blog.''This in entirely incorrect. I use the services of the server bigadda.com and nothing else, there are no finances involved at all'', the Bollywood actor said.
Writing in his blog after attending the opening night of the Cannes film festival, Amitabh has challenged the Mumbai-based tabloid to show him receipts of the payment made or any contract signed by him and disclose the source that has confirmed the information to it.
Besides Amitabh, his wife Jaya, son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan also attended the opening night function at Cannes, where the film 'Blindness' was screened.
Big B slams Shatru in his blog
Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan in his blog has lashed out against Shatrughan Sinha's insinuations that the nominations list of the International Indian Film Academy awards were fixed.He says in the blog: 'A section of the print media carried comment from my colleague and friend and neighbour, Mr Shatrughan Sinha.
It reportedly quoted his reactions to the nomination list of the IIFA Awards, wherein he has purportedly stated that ' Sab kissika beta hai, ya kissiki bahu, ya kissiki biwi ', and the media adding there interpretation to it, stating that this was directed to a particular family of 'guru' fame.
I believe what is being insinuated is that there is partiality or some 'fixing' in the choice of the nominations carried by IIFA. And as the report concluded, the indication was towards one family, not difficult to guess which one.
I am surprised at this observation, especially since, during the time of the National Award selection for Best Actress in one of the past years, when the Award went to Raveena Tandon, it was alleged that Mr Shatrughan Sinha's wife, the lovely and graceful Poonam, a great friend of Raveena's mother had recommended the appointment of MacMohan, the brother of Raveena's mother, on the board of the Jury (structured by the Govt., in power - in this case the BJP, of which Mr Sinha was a Minister of State ) in order that he may cast his vote in favor of Raveena Tandon.
If this alleged story is true then i do value Mr Shatrughan Sinha's alleged statement of 'Sab kissika beta, kissiki beti, kissiki biwi' - you are so right Shatru !!
Of course this does not take anything away from Raveena's very deserving Award - she has been a wonderful and talented coartiste in many films of mine, or, MacMohan, the Sambha of Sholay, who has remained a dear friend and has worked with me in several films. As has Mr Shatrughan Sinha !!
And may i also state that IIFA nominations come from the film fraternity through computerised voting systems, audited and compiled by Price Waterhouse Coopers, an International Company of repute and standing.
And Shatru I have seen some very encouraging reports of the film, where your son is being introduced to this great Industry. May he prosper and succeed even more than his illustrious father and may he never have to face a slighted accusation of 'fixing', when his name comes up for an Award in the future
I post separately a speech that i made at the book release in Delhi recently.
The book is called 'Icons' and is written by the renowned senior journalist Anil Dharkar. It compiles 60 years of Independence and the Icons that made an impact on the country.
I thought it was a pertinent piece. It never received any attention by the media. Perhaps it was not of their standard. I would love for you to read it and send me your impressions of it.
Namaskar, Shubh Ratri, Shabba Khair, Satsriakal and Good night !!'
I will not leave Mumbai: Big B
Taking the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) headlong, Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan has asserted that he will not quit the metropolis and is not answerable to anyone except courts, his conscious and the constitution.In an interview published in a city tabloid today, the actor said ''I am not an outsider by any stretch of imagination.
This land is my land as much as it is for every other citizen of our beloved country. I came to Mumbai in 1968 to pursue a vocation and I did not need a visa to come here as the city had been my home for the last 40 years''.
''I bought my first car here and my own house. I met and married my wife in this city and both my children were born here. My father and my mother spent their last years in Mumbai and died here.
They were put to flames here and their ashes have mingled with the earth of this city. This city gave me name and fame beyond anything that I may have deserved or hoped for.''
Amitabh told the tabloid, ''I am not leaving this city and going anywhere. Let them (MNS) throw bottles and stones. Let them burn my effigies and bring morchas in front of my house -- but I won't budge''.
''I am a public figure, not a public official. I am not a democratically elected representative of the people, neither do I hold any public office. I am answerable only to the three C's: Courts, Constitution and conscience'', he said.
The superstar was recently attacked by Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamna', which in an editorial cited the example of Rajnikanth, who was supporting the Tamil cause in the Hogenekkal drinking water project controversy between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, despite the fact that he is a Maharashtrian from Karnataka and asked what had Amitabh done for Maharashtra.
However, Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray distanced himself from the editorial and wrote that Amitabh is a national star and should not be dragged into regional controversies.
Amitabh said ''Balasaheb has been a father figure to us and shall remain so. In my growing up years, my parents taught me that when elders speak, the young listen quietly. I quietly accept whatever my elder or his outfit has expressed.''
