J P Dutta to make a new version of ‘Umrao Jaan’
After almost a year of exile, J.P.Dutta is going to be back . The movie mogul is ready to make two new films, both woman-centric.

The first project is a brand new interpretation of Muzaffar Ali's epic Umrao Jaan that will feature Priyanka Chopra in the role immortalized by Rekha in 1981.

"Among the current heroines I think Priyanka has the 'It' factor. She is sensuous, graceful and a very good Kathak dancer," says J.P. Dutta defending his choice.

The film will go on floors in October, and J.P. promises that his version of Umrao Jaan will be very different.

 

 

Shahid - Kareena to work together, again
After the highly acclaimed Aitraaz, Abbas - Mastan are back with yet another Mukta Arts project. The film will star Shahid Kapur, Kareena Kapoor and Akshaye Khanna.

The film is a murder mystery with lots of funny situations. The title of the film has been decided but is yet to be registered.

Considering that real life lovers Kareena and Shahid failed to transmit their chemistry on screen (in ‘Fidaa’) Abbas says "There is no logic that if a pair fails in one film, they cannot set cash registers ringing in their next film.”

The director duo is going abroad to scout locations as major part of the film is to be shot out of India. The film will go on floors in July.

Om Puri joins the cast of ‘Babul’
After the sudden demise of Amrish Puri, Ravi Chopra was busy looking for an ideal elder brother for Big B. After a long search the director finally zeroed in on Om Puri for the role.

Puri has agreed to do the role, and Chopra will start shooting next month.In Babul, Amitabh plays the role of a father-in-law who goes all out to rehabilitate his widowed daughter-in-law played by Rani Mukherji.

 

 

Hollywood to remake Munnabhai MBBS
Gangster MD: that is what Munnabhai MBBS will be called in Hollywood. Finally, the deal is here…Hollywood's Fox Movies will sign a deal this week with the producer of one of the biggest hits of 2004 Munnabhai MBBS to make its English version.

This is a happy moment for the Indian film industry, producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra said. For the first time, an Indian film will be re-made by Hollywood for an international audience.

US- based Indian director Mira Nair will direct the English version of the film. Chopra will co-produce the adaptation to be distributed through Fox Entertainment group 20th Century Fox.

 

 

Nandita Das inaugurates Indian Pavilion at Cannes
Actress Nandita Das on Thursday inaugurated the "India Pavilion", which showcases the works of major national filmmakers, at the Cannes International Film Festival.

"The Indian Pavilion is a great initiative, facilitating Indian producers and directors to showcase their work at this global platform and interact with the international film fraternity," said Das in a statement issued here.

The pavilion is organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) with support from the information and broadcasting ministry.

Censor board chairperson and yesteryear actress Sharmila Tagore released the first anniversary issue of "Film India Worldwide", the CII's quarterly magazine on Indian Cinema, on the occasion.

The Indian pavilion at Cannes is hosting many of the country's leading production studios and showcasing a wide range of films which demonstrate the growing appeal of Indian movies.

Being screened at Cannes for the first time are "The Rising" from Kaleidoscope Entertainment, the English version of "Kisna - Beyond Love" from Mukta Arts, Ascho Media's "Ho Sakta Hai" and "Chiken Tikka Masala" from Sunstone Entertainment, among others.

Also participating are production houses Mashreq Communications, Planman Life, Sunstone Entertainment and Sahara Motion Pictures.

"This year marks an extraordinary transition for Indian cinema. With Nandita Das' presence on the jury, the quality and range of our films on show and the selection of 'Pather Panchali' for a Cannes’ classics screening, the Indian movie industry has truly come of age," said Afzal Amanullah, joint secretary (films) in the ministry of information and broadcasting.

India's contribution to world cinema has been honoured this year with the selection of Satyajit Ray's "Pather Panchali" as the opening film in the festival's classic section.

Manoj & Neha wed, secretly !
National Award winning actor Manoj Bajpai and actress Neha (of Kareeb fame) secretly tied the knot on February 23.

Both have been together for the past 7 years but kept their liaison a very private affair. Hence the marriage being a complete hush hush affair doesn't come as a surprise. The couple had a court marriage in the presence of a few very close friends, of whom two were the witnesses.

The decision was taken very suddenly between February 20 and 21, so much so that even the actor's parents and siblings (who live in Bihar) could not make it to the wedding on time.

'Parineeta' Premiere At I.I.F.A.
At a point of time, Nitin Manmohan's DUS, directed by Anubhav Sinha, was supposed to be premiered at the forthcoming I.I.F.A. Awards, to be held from June 8 to 11 in Amsterdam.

But with DUS getting shifted to July 8, Vidhu Vinod Chopra's PARINEETA will now be premiered on June 9.

 

 

Mahadevan turns to Shakespeare for inspiration
Ananth Mahadevan's new movie could turn out to be the most hilarious comedy since Jyoti Swaroop's "Padosan".

Mahadevan, who has made two interesting romantic comedies "Dil Vil Pyar Vyar" and "Dil Maange More", is set to go all out with the laughs in "Do Dooni Char".

"My new film is a comedy of errors in the fullest sense. It's a film about mistaken identity on the lines of Shakespeare's 'Comedy of Errors'. The zany plot unfolds over two days. I don't think Shakespeare's comedy has ever been interpreted in this way. It's been scripted very cleverly by Samir Kohli."

Sammir Dattani, quite easily the most promising newcomer in the last two years, has been finalised to play the lead.

Says Mahadevan: "I chose Sammir because I see in him the same boyish charm and flexibility of expression as Shahid Kapur. I find Sammir very endearing, very clued in, very enterprising. He isn't afraid to experiment.

"I plan to make another film called 'Us Paar', a very different romantic triangle, with Sammir in the lead. Sammir is equally comfortable with the gravity of 'Us Paar' as he is with the whackiness of 'Do Dooni Char'.

"Like Shahid, he's very endearing on screen. Whereas Shahid's face conveys a wealth of mischief, Sammir's whole personality is more innocent and vulnerable.

"I needed that quality in 'Do Dooni Char' because the two protagonists have to be innocent and roguish at the same time.

Mali to make debut as director, with daughter Antara in the lead role
Veteran lens man and music video director, Jagdish Mali's directorial debut will feature his daughter, Antara Mali in the lead role. "The on-screen Antara has always fascinated me, the idea of directing my own daughter was always on my mind, now I can see it happening," said proud papa. The film will be produced by Deepti Bhatnagar. According to reports quoting Mali, the untitled film will be a musical suspense thriller, which is likely to feature either John Abraham or Abhishek Bachchan or Tusshar Kapoor, depending on their availability and their interest in the film. The script for the film has been written by famous television writer, Swapna Waghmare Joshi.

 

Karan Johar to do a cameo in ‘Home Delivery’
Producer Shabbir Boxwalla is quite excited about HOME DELIVERY, the film that he is producing for Sahara One Pictures. Boxwalla has been closely monitoring the progress of the film ever since director Sujoy Ghosh started shooting it. "It is a very interesting emotional comedy and Boman Irani has played the character of the pizza delivery guy to the hilt. Vishal Shekhar's music reminds you of the last time they had given a similarly outstanding score in JHANKAAR BEATS," says Boxwalla.

What does he have to say about Karan Johar and Juhi making a cameo in the film? "Karan will play Karan in the film and I am sure he'll be the lucky mascot for the film. As for Juhi, Ghosh has developed a great bonding with her in JHANKAAR BEATS, that's the reason he wants her to do a role in this film too," smiles Boxwalla.