By Fuad Omar
I'm right now in the heart of Bollywood and am really missing London.
I've
been having a blast here and am reporting to you all with the latest
happenings, but boy is it hot! It's quite an experience to come from
freezing London where I'm used to seeing Xmas shopping being hurried, Harry
Potter mania at its peak and parents dressing their children up in mittens
and scarves, and then to arrive here to a blistering heat that requires at
least a glass of water every hour or so. As Bollywood scorches with a
temperature that's simply too hot to handle, the cinemas have been running
empty though. Despite full houses on the opening day of all four films, none
of them has made such an impact to keep the punters coming back for more.
Tera Mera Saath Rahein, Abhay, Yeh Zindagi ka Safar and Deewanapan have all
had good starts but failed to sustain interest. Where does this leave the
stars of these films? Well, considering a star can only guarantee an initial
of a film, and the film itself can sustain the run, it leaves all stars
unaffected, except two. Kamal Hassan will always pull in the crowds for his
films because he has such a presence and following, as will Ravs and Ajay,
Sonali all who too have their loyal fans to keep their films running.
The two who are most affected by the response are Jimmy Shergill and Diya
Mirza. Both their films may have not done brilliantly at the box office, but
they have been wholeheartedly and warmly accepted by the paying public.
People loved Jimmy in the film's promos and cheer the return of the
Mohabbatein kid, and where Diya is concerned, well the gal has within the
space of a year: been crowned Miss Asia Pacific, bagged many prestigious
films and already had two films of her released, which is an achievement by
any standards. Her film's also done well in the UK, so if she comes for
shows this side of town (or that side of town now that I'm in Mumbai), she's
sure to get a great reception. She has also fast found fans worldwide making
her the most downloaded gal on the net and also ensured whatever the fate of
her first two films, she has been noticed and loved. Watch this one, she's
destined for big things.
Despite the fate of Deewanapan at the Indian box office, one thing is well
and truly confirmed: Arjun Rampal has a huge following in a legion of fans
who drool over the new hunk on the block and is fast-becoming someone as
popular as Salman in his Maine Pyar Kiya days. He has the potential to be
really big, but may have a couple of box office duds in that he hasn't got
the best of his films releasing soon. One to watch for is Rajiv Rai's next
which is rumoured to have a casting coup of Salman Khan, Arjun Rampal and
Aishwarya Rai. The cool Rampal looks good in Deewanapan and was pointed and
stared at in Pyar Ishq aur Mohabbat too, so if he plays his cards right, he
could be huge.
Sushmita Sen celebrated her birthday in style last week on the night of
November 18th at the swankiest hotel pub in town. Beau Sanjay Narang's hotel
Gordon House's floor dedicated to the Three Flights Up pub-disco was
exclusively Sush's for the evening. When I arrived the first thing I noticed
was how well the place is done up, in total white (even with a white Xmas
tree for the festive season). I still remember Sanjay showing me around when
it was being built and talking me through his vision of the extremely classy
hotel in Colaba, and seeing it as a completed reality was fantastic. Sush
was ecstatic throughout the evening and came in insisting everyone enter
downing tequila shots, and she glided in wearing a gorgeous red outfit and
cape designed exclusively by Reza Shariffi. She shone that night playing
perfect host and dancing to her heart's content with everyone including
yours truly. Also turning up to wish the beautiful lady and party were
Salman Khan, Sonali Bendre, Goldie and Shrishti Behl, Meghna Gulzar, Diya
Mirza, Arshad Warsi and Maria, soon-to-be hot Amrita Arora, Pooja Batra,
David Dhawan, Pankaj Parashar, Simi Garewal and Subi Samuel to name a few.
The party went on into the very early hours of the morning, and was a night
I'll never forget. The cake was cut at midnight when she also danced with
her enchanting daughter, who was the centre of Sush's attention on this
night and every night. Here's wishing her the best in everything and hoping
her every day is as rocking as this one was.
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham is complete and all set to be unleashed onto the
world. The film is amazing judging by the response of all who've seen it,
and there's one point that needs to be clarified about the publicity right
on. The book of the film is not the one you get free with the CD, nor is it
the soon-to-hit-theatres promotional large format booklet that has lots of
pictures from the film and all the technical details. The actual book is a
worthwhile addition to any film fan's collection. 'Kabhi Khusi Kabhie
Gham.The Making' by Niranjan Iyengar, is a superb large format book that is
thorough in its coverage of the filmmaking process as envisioned by Karan
Johar. Packed with lots of photos and behind-the-scenes ones too from every
location, the book is more than the perfect companion to the film, which is
all set to steal your hearts in less than four weeks time. It also has lots
 of trivia about what happened during the making of the film, such as when
the team went inside a shop in Bluewater shopping center only to be stared
at through the window by the enduring crowd, leading Kajol to feel like she
was in a zoo. Also mentioned is the time she wanted desperately to hear the
songs of Bas Itna Sa Khwaab Hai while in the same store, and so bemused
shoppers found themselves swaying to the tune of Yeh Hawaii not knowing what
language the music was in or what was going on. Kajol's craziness and sweet
bratt-ishness is mentioned throughout to make you chuckle, as are the off
screen antics of every cast member. Pick up the book days before the film is
released at a mainstream bookshop near you, you won't be disappointed.
The film will also get a proper promotion in the UK, with hoardings being
set up in and around Southall, along with posters galore, a K3G Xmas tree
and all at certain cinemas, with an accompanying brochure available at
cinemas too once the film is released. Christmas comes early this year on
December 14th and Karan is gearing up to give fans the best gift ever, film
history is about to be made, and trust me you won't be disappointed.
|
