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Short Takes

All sorted out
Sunil Shetty and Aishwarya Rai hit it off really well, we have often sighted them chattering away happily in their mother tongue Tulu on the sets. But all the camaraderie isn’t proving to be of much use for either of them. What with two of their films viz. Radhesham Ghansham and Hum Panchchi Ek Daal Ke running into rough weather. It looked as if they don’t make a very lucky star pair. But the good news is that clouds are clearing and both the stalled ventures have been revived and makers are resolved to complete their films ASAP. Firstly Rahul Gupta, the producer of Hum Panchchi Ek Daal Ke has replaced director Shashilal Nair with Lateef Binny. Secondly Shabnam Kapoor has got and matched the dates of Sunil and Ash and she’s just completed a major schedule of the film,”Following the final schedule with Aishwarya, the film will be released in next March,” revealed the spokesperson for the film. So things are definitely looking up for the buddies.

Kiwiland Ho!
New Zealand is the industry’s latest hotspot. The traffic of Indian cast and crew has been on a rise over the past two months. Rakesh Roshan’s Kaho Na Pyar Hai, Salim Akhtar’s Baadal, Harry Baweja’s Deewane and Sunny’s Dillagi have shot in Kiwiland recently. Apart from the novelty of location what appeals to Indian makers? Well New Zealand is closer home and it is unexposed. Shivaji Satam, noted character actor has just returned from New Zealand and the very thought of his recent visit brings a smile to his face,”Oh! There are miles of rolling green hills, snow-capped mountains and white sheep dotting the landscape and those picturesque cottages all about. The weather’s bracing cold and the people are so warm and friendly.What’s more it’s a great place to shop too,” he elaborates. Plenty of reasons to shoot in New Zealand.

Bad boy?
Is Armaan Kohli shifting gears and turning to villainy? He’s just signed a negative role for Ketan Desai’s Yeh Hai Jalwa and we wondered if he were turning bad for good, so promptly gave Kohli Jr a call. “Hey it isn’t Gulshan Grover- Shakti Kapoor type of role. It’s a dynamic character role,” clarifies Armaan who’s revisiting filmdom after almost two years since his last release Qahar. So he isn’t exactly being bad. For further details watch the space.

Romance with colours
Raj Kapoor spotted her on the sets of Andaaz and cast the nubile nymphet in his forthcoming venture Barsaat. That was just indication of big things around the corner for young Nimmi. For she was to star in Mehboob Khan’s Aan, the first Indian colour feature film and go down in the annals of Indian cinematic history. Nimmi recalls her association with the movie moghul very fondly,” Mehboob sahab was a master technician and a passionate filmmaker. Aan was his dream project, he longed to make a colour film. And I must say he took a big risk by casting a relative newcomer like me opposite Dilip Kumar in it,” she laughs.

But Mehboob Khan knew his job too well, Aan turned out to be a magnum opus in every way.

It was a huge hit and also the first Indian movie to be premiered in London. Overseas rights of the film were bought by noted filmmaker Sir Alexander Korda. Nimmi reminisces the excitement of the glorious premiere,”Mehboob sahab took me to London and it was an overwhelming experience. What with shouts of “Nimmi Nimmi” ringing out at all press and public meets.

And to top it all I got to meet my idols Vivian Leigh and Joan Fountain. What more could a 19-year-old ask for?” she sighs nostalgically.

Big times
Manoj Bajpai has just finished shooting for the first schedule of Amitabh Bachchan’s home production being directed by Rakesh Mehra. The film stars Manoj, Raveena and Big B himself in the lead. Manoj tells us that the schedule was conducted quietly at Mehboob Studios without the usual pomp and fanfare as Bachchan wanted it that way. “Although we didn’t have to face the camera together and there were no scenes involving the two of us this time, we both stayed put on the sets throughout. I am honoured to be working beside him. He’s such a fine actor and a finer human being,” he gushes. Bachchan on the other hand hasn’t stopped raving about Bajpai since the schedule. Looks as if the two have formed a mutual admiration society.

Medley music
Vidhu Vinod Chopra has called upon a panel of music directors to set scores for his next opus Mission Kashmir. The film has Sanjay Dutt playing Hrithik Roshan’s brother and it is a love story based in the troubled valley. As to why he’s employed too many cooks - oops - melody makers like Sandeep Chowtha, Vishal Bhardwaj and Loy-Ehsaan-Shankar, Chopra reasons,”I wanted different tunes for different moods, for which I had to have multiple music director’s. I want to harness the best of each of them,” he adds further. More the merrier, eh?

Beach queen
Aamchi Urmi is an all out beach bum it seems. She just freaks out on the sight and sounds of the sea. “I am mesmerised by the vastness of it, I love to hit the beach whenever I can. But these days I rarely get the time to soak myself in the surf,” she moans pouting prettily. Is that the reason that the sea forms a vital backdrop in most of Ramu’s films and that gives his fave lady to mix pleasure with business. Perhaps?

Priyanka’s pet?
We bumped into Govinda recently as he was gyrating with Rambha for a song sequence at Mehboob Studios and seized the opportunity to ask him more about his latest fan Priyanka Gandhi who we heard had even invited him over for khaana. Flashing his pearly whites Chi Chi clarifies,”I was highly amused when I first heard the story. The fact of the matter, however, is that I have never met the lady and the whole episode is a figment of somebody’s imagination,” he stresses. Well that’s that then or we thought Govinda might have made a good crowd-puller and the Gandhi women could have done well with his support.

Wah Ustaad
Heard the music of Dillagi? There are nine tracks in all scored by a team of musicians - Jatin-Lalit, Loy-Ehsaan-Shankar and Anand-Milind. Although all the numbers are easy on the ear, it is Ustaad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s Tanhai that easily outscores the rest. What with best of Javed Akhtar’s poetic imagery and Anand-Milind’s haunting music. The number is a winner all the way. You just can’t help sighing wah ustaad, the maestro excels. He may not be amongst us but his music will linger on forever.

Deepa Karmalkar, Alok Mathur and Sandeep Belagajee