Nawab turns count

Saif Ali Khan to star in a desi adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo.

Alexandre Dumas's 1844 literary classic, The Count of Monte Cristo, has anchored on Bollywood shores after numerous international adaptations.

The story of a wronged man, who unearths a treasure on his way to revenge and true love, will be directed by Abbas-Mustan and produced by Sunir Kheterpal of Azure Entertainment.

A source close to the developments told Mirror, "Saif Ali Khan will be playing a businessman in this film. There will be two heroines opposite him; one will be a younger actress and another six years older than him."

Kheterpal confirmed the news saying, "Yes, we are working on an adaptation of the novel with Saif in the lead. The revenge drama is right up Abbas-Mustan's alley. The film is still untitled and will release in 2015." 

Mustan added that film will not be an outand-out adaptation as the story and screenplay are their own and different from that of the novel's.

"We gave Saif a one-and-a-half hour narration before he left for Mauritius for the shoot of Humshakals. He liked it and after he returned we met him with a bound script," says the filmmaker who's waiting for the actor to return to Mumbai from Phantom's Chandigarh schedule, to work out the film's details.

The director duo has worked with the actor earlier in Main Khiladi Tu Anari and the Race franchise. But as Mustan points out, the first one was a two-hero film with Akshay Kumar and in Race and Race 2 too he shared the screen with two heroes- Akshaye Khanna and Anil Kapoor in the first and Anil and John Abraham in the second.

"This is a solo hero project. Tentatively, we should roll in October, after Phantom opens on October 2. But there could be a two-three months time lag," Mustan says.

Scott was 'embrassed and millions in debt'

 

The designer had committed suicide in her Manhattan apartment yesterday

L'Wren Scott's business was massively in debt and she owed nearly $6million to creditors, it has emerged.
The body of Muck Jagger's girlfriend was found hanging in her New York apartment yesterday.

Cops said they do not believe foul play was involved in her death. Now, it has emerged that the renowned fashion designer was 'embarrassed' over her business problems. Despite this, she always refused financial help from the Rolling Stones frontman.

Accounts for her business LS Fashion LTD show it had a deficit of $5,899,548 (4,237,164 Euros) and the designer owed creditors $7.641 million (euros 5,488,125).

Her company's debts had doubled year-on-year in recent years. The designer has been linked to the Rolling Stones frontman for more than a decade.

Scott was a famous stylist and fashion designer. High profile celebrities.

‘I was trained to handle break-ups’

 

Harman Baweja talks about Priyanka Chopra, Bipasha Basu, Shahid Kapoor and John Abraham.

Mirror caught up with the actor at Empire Studio where he was dubbing for a film. Excerpts:

After What's Your Rashee where did you disappear?

My father (filmmaker Harry Baweja) asked me if he should make a film for me. But I decided to take a break. I wanted some time and space for myself.

...to get over the break-up with Priyanka Chopra?

No, I was trained to handle break-ups since my college days. Priyanka and I still chat once in a while. She sent me a complimentary text after watching the promo of Dishkiyaaoon.

Will you sign a film with Priyanka today? 

If it is a great script, why not?

And Bipasha Basu's ex John Abraham?

Why not! But I'll have to hit the gym doubly hard to match John's fitness.

After Bipasha broke up with John, how much of a help were in getting over the heartbreak

As much of a help as she was to me.

How did Bipasha come into your life?

I knew her socially, but at Bachchan Sir's (Amitabh Bachchan) 70th birthday bash, something clicked and we wanted to meet each other again. She is a lively and caring person. Slowly our feelings changed to love.

Are you guys planning to get married this year?

(Long pause) We shall make an announcement when the time is right.

Would you like to change anything about Bipasha?

If someone is as emotional as her, the other person in the relationship needs to be equally sensitive with her. 


Shahid Kapoor and you were buddies, but stopped talking to each other after he got involved with Priyanka. Now suddenly, you are as thick as thieves...

We have a common friend circle and started interacting again. Everything is fine again.

Tired of the Hrithik Roshan lookalike comments?

People obviously saw some resembled him. (Shrugs) I can't change the way I look. Thank God, all that's behind me now. Right now I'm looking forward to Dishkiyaaoon in which I play a gangster with a heart. The director Sanamjit Singh Talwar has done a great job. Dad gave some inputs too.

What's your dad doing these days?

He is gearing up to direct an animation film based on Guru Gobindsinghji's four sons.

Sallu’s (F)ugly walkout!

The superstar stormed off the set of a special number, leaving producer Akshay Kumar high and dry.

Salman Khan's generosity with special appearances is well known. But the cameos apparently come with a condition; the star has to be the centre of attention. Unfortunately, Akshay Kumar was not aware of the rider.

Sallu and Akki were to shoot the title track of Fugly, sung by Honey Singh, a few days ago. While the young cast of the film being produced by Akshay, including Mohit Marwah, Vijender Singh, Arfi Lamba and Keira Advani, were excited to have Salman on set, their happiness was short-lived.

After the shoot started, Sallu realised that it is Akki who's hogging most of the limelight in the special song.

Revealed a source, "Sallu did not know about the details of the song and was briefed when he arrived on the set. Since Akshay had more screen time in the song, he coolly walked off after shooting the first stanza of the song, much to everyone's shock." 

Mirror has learnt that despite the efforts made by director Kabir Sadanand, Sallu refused to shoot the rest of the song, which was centred on a lyrical exchange between Akshay and Sallu. So what did the makers do with the song?

"There is no verbal exchange between the two now as Salman didn't shoot for the whole song in the first place. They have somehow managed to wrap it up with Akki and the rest of the actors," said the source.

We sent a text message to Kabir Sadanand, but he chose not to respond.

Recreating snow-capped mountains

For the Barjatyas' first murder mystery, Samrat and Co, a VFX specialist was recruited to recreate the snow-capped mountains of Manali in Mumbai's Film City. "The idea was to create locations which would prove logistically difficult to shoot in ," says Prasad Sutar, VFX supervisor of the film. He has previously worked on films like Barfi! and Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela.

He points out that with a classic whodunit plot it was easier to get into a space which could be treated as surreal. "With the help of production designer Jayant Deshmukh and cinematographer Sanjay Malwankar, we tried to stay as true to the brief as was technologically possible," says Sutar.

And the brief was to make this medium-budget film look sweeping in scale. "The story unfolds in a house in Manali. We created a part of the house in Film City and then went on to extend the set using VFX. We even digitally incorporated the snow-capped mountains in the backdrop," he informs. 

The action sequences involving Rajeev Khandelwal were mostly shot in Film City but on screen the locations will convincingly pass off as the mountainous terrain in Manali and Shimla, he promises.

"We travelled extensively around Manali, trekked up the Rohtang pass, and explored parts of Shimla to understand the topography of the area and the way the weather is at different points during the day. Accordingly, the background plates were created using a software," says Prasad, adding, "At last count, we have over 1200 VFX shots." This makes Samrat and Co. the first film of the Barjatya's to be so heavy on special effects.

Prasad is all praise for the hero. "It's difficult to act when you are shooting primarily on green screen but Rajeev was very patient," he gushes.

His next project is Sooraj Barjatya's Salman Khan-starrer, Prem Ratan Dhan Paayo that rolls in June in Mumbai's ND Studio.

"The Barjatyas have never used computer generated graphics extensively in their earlier films. But they are now ready to upgrade technologically. I had worked earlier with Sooraji on Vivah, and figured then that when they finally decide to use VFX they will take the plunge without any restrictions," he says. "And that's exactly what they've done for this film." 

I'm happily married to Manoj

Says Farheen as she readies for a comeback, 15 years after she pulled a vanishing act.

She exploded on to the scene in '92 with Jaan Tere Naam and Bollywood went gaga over the Madhuri Dixit lookalike. A spate of movies followed, including Amaanat, Sainik, Dil Ki Baazi, and a few down South.

Two years later, she met controversial cricketer Manoj Prabhakar and they started a relationship, even though the sportsman was already married and a father. Reports of a secret nikaah followed and then, Farheen disappeared.

Buzz was, after a four-year-long affair and a three-year-old son, Manoj had left Farheen to return to first wife Sandhya and their son. But then in November 2006, a Delhi court settled a dowry harrassment case filed by Sandhya. But Farheen's whereabouts remained a mystery. 

Mirror has now tracked her down to Delhi where she lives with Prabhakar and their two children--16-year-old Raahil and 11-year-old Manavansh. The cricketer's father and Rohan, his 25-year-old son with Sandhya, plus Rohan's wife (a match Farheen says she arranged) and baby, complete the family."So you see I'm already a grandmother," laughs the 41-year-old who is gearing up for a comeback in the Jaan Tere Naam sequel as the "young" mother of the heroine.

"I couldn't say no to Deepakji (director Deepak Balraj Vij). I'd do even a bit role for him," she tells Mirror in a telephonic chat. Quiz her about her sudden departure from the spotlight and she reminisces, "I turned down Baazigar opposite Shah Rukh as the dates clashed with a film I was doing with Kamal Haasan. After Kalignan, I was flooded with offers from the South and I accepted them because the money was good and they wrapped up fast. Then in '94, I met Manoj."  

 

Farheen insists that they started off as friends but somewhere along the way, they fell in love. "He was going through a rough patch and he needed me. So, I chose him over my career," explains the actress who made a hasty exit from showbiz and was soon firmly ensconced in domesticity."There were a couple of offers for serials but TV is time-consuming. My children were young and I had to be around. I have a home to run and a herbal skincare business too. Besides, I was happily married, there was no pressure to work two shifts a day," she says.

But why the vanishing act, given that a lot of former actresses continue to be public figures? The question draws a laugh: "I did not disappear. It's just that I'm in Delhi and chose to keep in touch with just a few of my industry friends like Deepakji, Aditya (Pancholi) and Shakti Kapoor. And though both Manoj and I lead very private lives, we do socialise and people here are avid Bollywood fans and have seen my movies. I just didn't give any interviews before this."

Sound her out on the rumours about her relationship with Manoj and she clarifies, "Manoj is a part of my life, as are the kids and his family. But I don't want to comment on his ex-wife or the charges of match fixing levelled against him. He's still connected with cricket as a commentator."

Farheen credits her atheletic husband for her youthful looks. "Thanks to him, I've never missed out on a gym routine which has kept me in shape after two babies. Since I'm blessed with great skin, I'm told I still look like I am 30," she says. 

And how have the kids reacted to her decision to return to acting? "They show my films to their friends and tell them their mother is the most beautiful woman in the world. They know I gave up my career for them and they're happy that I'm going back,"she says.

So Madhuri Dixit, who too has made a much talked about comeback, will have competition again? "Madhuri is beautiful, but I think I'm more beautiful, even my sons say so," she laughs. "Had I not got married I would have given her good takkar. She is an actress par excellence but I had age on my side as I entered the industry seven years after she did. But today, I don't think I resemble her. My hair is longer now and when I met Shatrughan Sinha recently, he told me that I look like Suchitra Sen. That's a real compliment."   

Scarlett Johansson calls Dylan Farrow’s essay irresponsible

Dylan Farrow's open letter accusing Woody Allen of molesting her when she was a child, has been labelled "irresponsible" by Scarlett Johannson. In the letter, Dylan had called out a number of Allen collaborators, including the actress, for working with the filmmaker despite the charges levelled against him.

Johansson, who collaborated with Allen on films like Match Point and Vicky Christina Barcelona, broke her silence on the feud that had Hollywood taking sides in an interview to The Guardian.

Dylan, 28, criticised Johansson, Cate Blanchett, Emma Stone, Diane Keaton and Alec Baldwin for working with Allen in her New York Times essay this year.

"I think it's irresponsible to take a bunch of actors that will have a Google alert on and to suddenly throw their name into a situation that none of us could possibly knowingly comment on. That just feels irresponsible to me."

Anurag miffed with Raju-Aamir

The director got a rude shock when he learnt that P.K. too is set for a Christmas release.

Anurag Kashyap has been vocal about the fact that Bombay Velvet is his most ambitious film till date.

The maverick filmmaker has erected an ornate replica of '50s Mumbai in Sri Lanka and is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that all goes well for his magnum opus targetting a Christmas release.

So, the news that another long-awaited film, Rajkumar Hirani's Aamir Khan-starrer P.K. would also arrive on the same day, a slot booked by him months in advance, has left Anurag fuming.

"All it would have taken is a phone call," says Anurag."I heard the rumours and called Raju to tell him that if they were indeed planning a Christmas release to please let me know in advance. At that point, they said there were no such plans," says a distraught Anurag. 



The call never came but three days later, he learnt from Aamir Khan's Twitter handle that P.K, that was to open on June 6, had been pushed to December 25 -- a slot which has proved lucky for him (3 Idiots, Ghajini, Dhoom 3). "It hurts because I respect Raju as a filmmaker and as a person.

Apart from being a colleague, he is also a friend," Anurag says.

So is he worried about P.K. denting the commercial prospects of his film? "Right now, I am focused on making a spectacular film. I'm not concerned about the marketing blitzkrieg at this point. It's obvious that both films will be affected if they release on the same day. We may sort that out at a later stage," says Anurag. Rajkumar Hirani remained unavailable for comment.

Brit Journo kicked about Bolly Role

Bureau chief of an international financial daily plays a diplomat in Sallu's next.

It's not every day that you hear of the bureau chief of an internationally renowned financial paper playing a bit role in a Bollywood movie, that too a commercial potboiler. But when you have Salman Khan on board, anything is possible.

Mirror has learnt that Sajid Nadiadwala, who is making his directorial debut with the Salman Khan-Jacqueline Fernandez starrer Kick, was running from pillar to post to find an "extra" to play the role of a British diplomat.

"They wanted a guy who didn't only look the part, but also could convincingly pull off the lines. They couldn't find anyone who fit the part until Chetan Bhagat, who's written the script, came up with an idea," said a source close to the film's production.

It is learnt that the bestselling novelist, an IIM graduate who was an investment banker before becoming a full-time writer, suggested the name of his friend James Crabtree, the Mumbai bureau chief of the London-based newspaper Financial Times. "And James who is a Bollywood fan, instantly agreed to come on board," the source informed. 

An elated James, who will be making his acting debut with Kick, said: "Of course I want to be in a Bollywood film but I was hoping there would be no song and dance because I can't do either!"

He admitted that many foreigners come to India to fulfil their Bollywood dreams. "I'm fortunate to be in a film without actually trying," James said, adding that he plays a British diplomat working in the Indian embassy of London. "The ambassador happens to be the father of Salman's love interest, and while we and another Brit diplomat are having a discussion, all hell breaks loose as the former's mother walks in."

The other Brit diplomat is a Swiss named Bernard with a thick German accent. "Clearly, Bollywood is not concerned about cinematic realism," he guffawed.

James is disappointed that he didn't get a chance to share screen space with Salman Khan. "He was there on the set, but I didn't get a chance to interact with him. My wife and I have been a fan of his films. We watched his Ek Tha Tiger with subtitles. It was a lot of fun," he said.

Is he eager to pick up more Bollywood assignments? "Well, yes. Friends have been calling up to say that I should quit journalism and become the next Tom Alter," he joked.

Yami’s royal act with Rahman

Yami Gautam plays an oldworld princess from a Raja Ravi Varma painting in the music video, Aabhi Jaa, featured in AR Rahman's just-released album Raunaq. The cherry on the musical pie: the song has been penned by Minister of IT & Telecommunications, Kapil Sibal.

"I've always wanted to do a costume drama," admits the actress, who enjoyed the four-day shoot in Chennai even though the make-up took a little longer than usual. "For a wedding sequence I was transformed into a South Indian bride and when I saw the original painting, I was exhilarated by the thought of being a part of history."

Rahman is yet to see her debut film, Vickey Donor, but Yami's face, reminiscent of the women Varma liked to paint, convinced him that she was the right choice.

And working with the Oscarwinning composer was always on the actress' to-do list.

"I've loved his music all my life and was amazed at how simple, composed and humble he is."

And did he offer to make a singer of her? "No," she retorts. "But I'm not a bad singer and some day, I'd like to sing for a character I'm playing on screen."

Dying another day

Eighty-three years ago, on March 23, Bhagat Singh was in his cell when jail officials arrived with his death warrant. The 23-year-old revolutionary, who had been tried and convicted for the murder of British police officer John Saunders, is believed to have quietly requested them to give him a few minutes so he could finish the last chapter of Karl Marx's book. Once done, he let himself be marched to the gallows with a smile playing on his lips.

Manoj Kumar who relived the martyr's short but eventful life in the 1965 patriotic drama Shaheed, insists that Bhagat Singh could have saved his life with an apology. In fact, Chandrashekhar Azaad had planned the perfect escape plan for him. But he chose to be publicly executed because he believed his death would inspire the country's youth to rise up against British imperialism.

While reliving his idol's life, the actor and his unit stayed in Ludhiana jail for two months and interacted with the real qaidis. One of them, a Sardar sentenced to life for several murders, confided that he'd been a jail warden in Bhagat Singh's time and nothing being filmed was exaggerated or out of sync. 

"Even the gallows that Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru walk towards were real gallows," asserts Kumar, who at the age of 10, had been chosen to play the fiery nationalist in a street play but ran away before the curtains went up, overcome by an acute attack of nerves.

Soon after, he accompanied his uncle for his first film, Jugnu. The film's hero, Dilip Kumar whom he knew as Suraj, died at the end and the young boy cried all the way back home.

But a few months later, he spotted Suraj again on the posters of Shaheed (1948) and coaxed his uncle to take him for the film. On screen, he was amazed to see Suraj resurrected as Ram, fighting his father and the British, before dying a second time.

This time he returned home bemused and asked his mother how many times a man could die. In response to her "once" he prodded, "What if he dies twice?" To that beeji had replied, "Then he is a farishta, an angel." That day Hari Krishna Goswami who was later rechristened Manoj Kumar for the silver screen, decided he was going to be a farishta too.... He went on to die a martyr's death on screen.

Kamini Kaushal, who had played Dilip Kumar's heroine in the 1948 film, played Manoj Kumar's mother in the Shaheed that came 17 years later. The actress had retired and settled down to quiet domesticity since and was surprised when she discovered what Kumar had to offer. "You want me to play a mother?" she asked.

"Not just any mother but Bhagat Singh's mother," he retorted. Kamini Kaushal agreed and shot for the film while being seven months pregnant.  

The revolutionary's real chaiji confided to the actor that he reminded her in many ways of the son she had lost to the freedom struggle and even started calling him Bhagat.

She was at Rashtrapati Bhavan when Manoj Kumar walked up to receive his first National Award.

He invited her up on stage and as the old lady dressed in white stepped in the dais, the auditorium erupted with thunderous applause. Reminisces the actor, "The standing ovation continued for a good 10 minutes."

Indeed, some memories live on, forever.