In Ram Sampat, I predict that a star is born – Aamir Khan

Bollywood star Aamir Khan seems to be in awe of composer Ram Sampath’s work in the soundtrack of his forthcoming production venture “Delhi Belly” (DB). He is promiting it on social networking platforms, saying each track is a gem, but in the same breath, he requests people not to hear them on pirated CDs.
Composer Ram Sampath has gone experimental with the songs in “Delhi Belly” and Aamir feels he will become a star after the adult comedy.
“The music of DB is out in stores now and I am so excited because I am really happy with the way the sound track has turned out. Ram Sampat has done some truly inspired work, and so have the various lyric writers. Each track is a gem. After really long I think its an album you would want to own,” Aamir said Saturday in a message on his blog www.aamirkhan.com
Aamir, who is in Pondicherry to shoot for Reema Kagti’s film, is asking his followers on his blog to give him feeback on the soundtrack.
“Please give me feedback, I’m very keen to know what you guys feel. But can I request you not to listen to it on pirated CDs or on websites who put up pirated versions,” asked the 46-year-old.
Releasing July 1, the film, directed by Abhinay Deo, is an adult comedy and stars Imran Khan, Vir Das, Poorna Jagannathan, Kunal Roy Kapoor and Shenaz Treasurywala.
On Facebook, Aamir wrote: ” ‘DK Bose’ and ‘….Uddhaarwaley Khisko’ are only two of eigth kick-ass songs in ‘Delhi Belly’. In Ram Sampat, I predict that a STAR is born!!! He has been a talent in hiding for sometime now, and post ‘Delhi Belly’ nothing can stop him. Mark my words….”
“Bhaag DK Bose” is said to be the brainchild of the film’s writer Akshat Verma and later Amitabh Bhattacharya penned the song and Sampath composed and sang it.
“The DKB music video has been shot by a young, and in my opinion very talented director-editor, Sajid. Sajid has shot some great music videos and was recommended to me by Ram and Sona. Believe it or not he shot it in one day flat!!! I think we should all watch out for him,” wrote Aamir on Facebook.
As a producer, “Delhi Belly” is Aamir’s sixth production venture and expectations are high because so far he has maintained an outstanding track record with all this productions ventures from various genres becoming a big success at the box office – “Dhobi Ghat”, “Peepli Live”, “Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Naa”, “Taare Zameen Par” and “Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India”

Amitabh Bachchan, never to make special appearances anymore…

Amitabh Bachchan has decided, never to do cameos or make special appearance in any film now onwards. The first flick to be Ram Gopal Varma’s Department.
Earlier, Big B who was set to play a small yet powerful role in the film. But now, he is the lead actor in the film. There are a few action sequences planned for him too.
Says a source, “Mr Bachchan’s role of a gangster-turned politician is now central to the plot in Department. It always was, actually.
But now more scenes have been written. There will be far more visibility for him now.”
Ram however says, “Mr Bachchan’s role is as substantial as what he deserves and what is required of him. I begin shooting at the end of June.
I’ve begun pre-production work on Department. My crew is now handling post-production of Not A Luv Story.”

Sonakshi Sinha signed as the new face of D'Damas

D'Damas, one of India's leading diamond jewellery brands announced Sonakshi Sinha as the new face of the brand. D'damas, which is the only brand in the country having distinct sub-brands, also unveiled its new campaign. It takes the brand's current positioning of 'Celebrate Always' forward with a fresh and more relevant execution and imagery, personified by Sonakshi Sinha.

D'damas sub-brands caters to the moments like marriage, special occasions and religious or for pure indulgence. It thus gives its consumers not only ample choice to select from the wide range but also possibilities to own more diamond jewellery to celebrate all moments and make each moment of one's life really special.

Excited about her association with D'Damas Sonakshi Sinha said, "It feels great to be the brand ambassador of D'Damas! I connect with D'Damas because I personally live each moment to the fullest and believe in celebrating life. D'Damas adds celebration to both ordinary and even the everyday special occasions. When I want to celebrate any happiness in life I turn to D'Damas."

Mr. RK Menon, COO, D'damas Jewellery India Pvt Ltd., "Said Sonakshi Sinha is the face of the new Indian woman who is confident, versatile and has got tremendous self-belief. She has the charisma, grace, beauty and the attitude that goes perfectly with the brand image. We wanted an ambassador who is not only popular but at the same time exemplifies the true Indian beauty thereby establishing a connect with the Indian audiences and Sonakshi completely fits the bill."

The campaign captures the essence and Sonakshi's expression of joy as she celebrates the small moments in life that bring her happiness. It amplifies her beauty and appeal, making her more real and relatable. It also captures the celebration of moments that enhance Sonakshi's beauty and the jewellery.

Shilpa Shetty's estate taken over by squatter gang

London, May 28 (IANS) A private estate in Britain that is home to a host of celebrities - including Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty - is reportedly being taken over by a gang of squatters.
The celebrity residents of the St. George's Hill community in Weybridge, Surrey, are now being asked to be "vigilant" following the arrival of the squatters, the Daily Mail reported.
Former residents of the estate include singer Elton John, former Beatle Ringo Starr and Hollywood actress Kate Winslet.
Six squatters reportedly moved into the abandoned three million pound, six-bedroom Woodlawn Cottage on the exclusive estate in April, and claim they were not acting illegally.
The property was reportedly abandoned six years ago and has since become derelict. The squatters say they plan to stay as long as possible.
"It is legal for me to be here. I found the place on Google maps so I came up to have a look and the place was open. The locks had been broken off, no one was living here, it was completely open - so why not?" a squatter named Stefan Cybulski said.
Homeowners now say they want the illegal movers out.
"It does seem pretty extraordinary that the police can't do anything to get these people off the estate," a resident said.
"They have no right to be here, yet the law appears to be on their side - it's completely wrong."
Properties on the estate are worth nearly 10 million pounds.
A security guard is now being employed to keep the property under surveillance. Police have set up extra patrol of the area.

This is the best phase of my life: Sonu Sood

Mumbai, May 29 : Thanks to the success of "Dbangg", Sonu Sood has got his share of sunshine in Bollywood. And after working with Aishwarya Rai and Salman Khan, he now shares screen space with megastar Amitabh Bachchan in "Bbuddah - Hoga Terra Baap" and says that this is the best phase of his career.

"Every actor wants to work with Mr. Bachchan at least once. and I got an opportunity to work in a film, which is basically about him and me. Everyday was a learning experience. He is a great man with a lot of experience. He is a great guy and we had lot of fun together," the 38-year-old told IANS in an interview.

"We used to rehearse our scenes again and again because that really fine tunes your performance. He is an actor who is always ready for rehearsals, which is great. He used to give me suggestions that helped me.

"It's one of the best phases of my life. All the hardwork that I have put in the last 10 years is finally paying off. But this is just the beginning, still miles to go, lots to do and lots to learn. My journey has just begun, but this is a very important phase of my life," added the actor who is also doing "Maximum" with Tabu.

Sonu is playing a cop in "Bbuddah - Hoga Terra Baap", helmed by director Poori Jagannath and produced by AB Corp. It is slated for a July 1 release and is about an angry old man, played by Amitabh, who often gets into trouble because he loses his cool easily.

"Two years back he (Jagannath) narrated me a script and said that he wants to make a film with me and Mr. Bachchan. I liked the idea and finally it happened," said Sonu.

"I know his (Jagannath) commercial sensibilities. He is one of the most commercial directors and that's why I knew he will do justice to the script and also it was with Mr. Bachchan so there was no reason to say no," he added.

Sonu, who has also been part of films like "Yuva", "Aaashiq Banaya Aapne", "Singh is Kinng", revealed that he had to prepare for his role as a cop in the film.

Two films can't bring change, 20 can: Rahul Bose

By Dibyojyoti Baksi
Mumbai, April 29 (IANS) Actor Rahul Bose, known for his meaningful cinema as well as social activism, believes a handful of films cannot bring change in society. For that, there should a collective effort by filmmakers and government bodies to educate the masses.
"Change only happens with people who are ready to change, and the masses are not ready as yet. Changes happen at the outer boundaries, at the most at the wisest edge of the spectrum of people. You have to first look at them, then the next levels," the 43-year-old told IANS.
"Two films can't make the change. It has to be 20 films. Government has to step in and do lots of direct advertising. There should be public education; there should be education at the younger level. There should be other artistic ways like dance and theatre to spread the same message. The message has to come from seven-eight directions," said Rahul who features in "I AM" releasing Friday.
Director Onir's film "I AM" takes up the issue of discrimination against gays, women and other sections of society.
"The idea is to say any kind of discrimination is bad. If somebody walks away out of the film understanding that it's unfair to judge people by the colour of their skin, religion or sexual orientation, or their caste, then I would think the film has done its job," said Rahul who directed in 2001 "Everybody Says I'm Fine!", which won for him the John Schlesinger Honorable Mention Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.
In the same breath, Rahul, however, says government should do the bigger job of taking such message to the masses.
"Take that to the masses. And that's for another film, for government to do... It doesn't have to be a small art-house film like 'I AM' to take unfair responsibility," he said.
Since his impressive debut as Agastya Sen in "English, August" in 1994, Rahul has done many meaningful roles - "Mr. and Mrs. Iyer", "Jhankar Beats", "Chameili", "Tahaan" and "Anuranan".
Despite the long innings and impressive body of work, he maintains he doesn't take films as a career.
"I don't have a career, I have films. People think of their career. I never think of the next film or whether I want to do it in terms of role, director, story or in terms of what I can bring to it. A career just happens. How much can you calculate it as an actor? Someone has to call you and cast you," said Rahul who is also a rugby player.
Why does he stick to art house cinema?
"If I go back to commercial films, it would be only to take part in certain films which I haven't done before like 'Lethal Weapon' where I may be Danny Glover to somebody like Mel Gibson or an action film or can team up with a superstar and do something.
"I can't carry the budget of a mainstream film; so I will always be part of the supporting cast, which I am quite willing to do if the role is great," he said.

Ekta promised me an image makeover: Sakshi Tanwar

Agra, May 29 : It's not easy to get a second chance to play a lead in a TV show or to get an image makeover, but Sakshi Tanwar, the perfect 'bahu' of the small screen, has got both thanks to Ekta Kapoor.The actress thanks Ekta for giving her "Bade Achche Lagte Hain", in which her character is closer to her age.

"I play a modern day woman who believes in love and late marriage. The show brings two people together, who have very different ideologies and shows how they fall in love after getting married," Sakshi told IANS in an interview.

"One thing that I want to share is that when we did generation leap in 'Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii' in 2006, Ekta had promised me a show which would be closer to my age and will help me change my image. She kept her promise and offered me this show soon after we ended 'Kahaani....'," said the 38-year-old.

Produced by Balaji Arts, the show, going on air Monday, revolves around a business tycoon, played by Ram Kapoor, in his late 40s and a working woman in her late 30s.

Sakshi says just like her character in the show, she is believes in late marriages.

"I believe in late marriages - just like Priya, my character in the show who gets married in her 30's. I am very hopeful about such things, I have seen it. There is nothing in this show that has not happened in life."

So when is she planning to tie the knot

"I believe in destiny, whenever destiny throws me into it, I will," she said.

What kept you away from small screen for so long?

"I was offered the show two years back, but I was very sure that I wanted a break after working non-stop for eight years. So I took a conscious sabbatical. I didn't want to get into the same routine of daily soaps. I kept Ekta waiting for years, but she was determined that she would wait and would make the show with me and Ram only," she said.

During her growing up years, the actress wanted to be in the civil service and entered showbiz just to earn quick perks.

"I was born in Rajasthan and but because of my father's job, we would get posted in different cities. It is strange, but I always wanted to be in the civil service. And I also had a bent towards creative activities like drama, elocution but I never knew that one day I would become an actress," she said.

"It was during my graduation that I got few roles in Doordarshan shows, but that time I did it only for pocket money and that is when I realised that this is something more than that."

"At that time I did episodes of 'Bhanwar', then I did a show called 'Rajdhani' for Star Plus. By that time I had realised that people have started recognising me with my characters. I had never dreamt of this - my dreams are very small, but honestly the response has been overwhelming," she said.

During her TV sojourn Sakshi featured in string of shows such as "Dastoor" (1996), "Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii" (2000), "Kutumb" (2001), "Devi"(2003), "Crime Patrol"(2010) and a cameo in "Balika Vadhu".

She also did films like "Saluun", "Coffee House" and "C Kkompany". Her next is with Sunny Deol in "Mohalla Assi".

"Ii is a very big opportunity for me. I play Savitri, who is Dharmnath Pandey's (Sunny) wife. Sunny plays a Sanskrit teacher. Backdrop is Benaras of 1980-1990, when the liberalisation phase was on. So the film brings forth the difficulties and how we deal with it," she said. 

'Dhamaal' turning to be 'injurious' for Jaaved Jaaferi

 Mumbai, May 28 : Jaaved Jaaferi had a hard time shooting for "Dhamaal". He injured himself once during the shoot. He had a tougher time while shooting for the sequel because he got injured again - twice during the course of the film.

"I got hurt on the last day of shooting. What a way to wind up, we had 15 fantastic looking girls from around the world, and we were shooting for a dream sequence song.

"There was a part where I was jumping with these women on a bed, I had to do a summersault but the bed was not meant for a summersault. I went up but when I came down, my knee hit something and I ruptured my ligament and also have a slight fracture," Jaaved told IANS.

Even in the first part of the film, Jaaved had suffered an injury.

"In the first film, I tore my hamstring muscles and in 'Double Dhamaal' I had two injuries. One I ruptured my blood vessel in my thumb, when Ashish (Choudhury) accidently hit me. and the second is the ligament tear," said the actor.

It seems working in the film is becoming a risky affair for the actor!

I had refused 'Kitchen Champion': Ronit Roy

Mumbai, May 28 : Television and film actor Ronit Roy, who is all geared up to host the fourth season of cookery show "Kitchen Champion" after being the anchor for the first three, revealed that he had initially refused the job.

"In the beginning when I was offered 'Kitchen Champion' and I got to know that it was a cookery show, I refused to do it but Ashwani Yardi, the head of programming at Colors said that I should at least hear out the concept of the show before making a decision.

"When I heard it, it seemed very interesting. Fun, games and also the show gives me a chance to be myself, so I thought I'll do it," Ronit told IANS in an interview.

The first season saw television actresses as participants while the second season witnessed onscreen television couples battle it out in the kitchen. The third season had a few Bollywood actresses as part of the show.

The fourth season, which went on air May 23, features common women.

When asked what changes he had brought in himself in this season, the 45-year-old said: "Nothing extra from my side, because my research of the show tells me that my audience likes me the way I am. So I don't really want to change too much."

But the actor-anchor didn't rule out changes in the show's format.

"There is a little bit more emphasis on cooking. In games, instead of two, we are doing only one game. So understanding the recipes is what is being termed as important now. The cooking segment has become more systematic," he said.

So how good a cook is he himself?

"I do know how to cook. I can cook a lot of dishes, but unfortunately I don't cook now because of unavailability of time. I can cook a varied array of dishes... Indian food, Indian kababs, Italian food," said the actor who has worked in serials like "Kasautii Zindagi Kay", "Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi", "Kayamath", "Kasamh Se" and "Sarkarr".

He is currently seen in the show "Adaalat".

When asked whether acting was easier or hosting, he replied: "Neither of them is easy and we can't compare the two things because they are very different from each other. I put as much effort in hosting as I put in playing a character on TV or films." 

Non-bailable warrant against Sanjay Dutt

Mau (Uttar Pradesh), May 28 : A local court on Saturday issued a non-bailable warrant against Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt for failing to turn up in hearings of a case lodged against him for allegedly making provocative statements during a poll campaign in 2009.

judicial Magistrate Krishna Kumar issued the warrant against Dutt after the movie star repeatedly missed summons by the court even after the issue of a bailable warrant, and ordered Mau district magistrate to arrest and present him in court on July 8.

During an election rally for the 2009 Lok Sabha Elections, Dutt, the then national general secretary of Samajwadi Party (SP), had allegedly made inflammatory statements while he canvassed votes for party candidate Arshad Jamal.

Saturday’s ruling came on a complaint filed the local station house officer Vijay Shankar Yadav, that accused Dutt of breaching the model code of conduct of the Election Commission in April 2009.

In January 2009, Dutt had announced that he would contest the 2009 Lok Sabha elections on the Samajwadi Party ticket. However, he withdrew his candidacy in March 2009 after the Supreme Court refused to suspend his conviction in a criminal case.

A close friend of former Samajwadi leader Amar Singh, Dutt instead opted to campaign for the party’s candidates, that went on to be single largest party in state, winning 23 of the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh

Reference: http://www.newkerala.com/news/world/fullnews-218824.html

Sneak peak into Ekta Kapoor’s ‘Ragini MMS’

Bollywood Gossip: Ragini MMS is an upcoming 2011 Bollywood horror/thriller film. The film revolves around a nude video taken of a girl named Ragini. It is produced by Ekta Kapoor, who produced critically acclaimed films Love Sex aur Dhokha and Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai. It is also produced by her mother, Shobha Kapoor. It is slated for release on Friday the thirteenth of May.
The story of Ragini MMS movie revolves around a young couple who enter a house to spend a romantic weekend vacation. However, the couple is not aware of the fact that the house is fitted with cameras at each and every corner and therefore will capture every private moment that they share inside the house. However, the twist in the tale comes when the recorded love-making scenes reveal something that normal human beings will fail to understand.
And it is in these hidden camera shots that the paranormal element of the film comes out.
To be directed by Pavan Kripalani with Alt Entertainment, the production house which came to limelight with Love Sex Aur Dhokha, is co-producing ‘Ragini MMS’ which said to have been based upon a real life story.

Reference: http://www.bollywoodgossips.net/bollywood-gossips/sneak-peak-into-ekta-kapoor-ragini-mms.html

Vidya Balan starrer ‘Dirty Picture’ gets dirtier

Vidya Balan

Bollywood Gossip: Vidya Balan will represent Indian sensuality at its best in ‘A Dirty Picture’ where she will revive the sex-appeal of Silk Smitha.
Vidya Balan’s role in director Milan Luthria’s film ‘Dirty Picture’ gets dirtier. This is going to be the boldest flick she has ever done and will get the boldest makeover she could ever imagine.
Vidya Balan will be seen in various sexy outfits like hot pants, low necklines, translucent tube tops and petticoats. This is just a trailer. Vidya also has to put on weight to look chubby and curvier for the latter part of her role. She will be required to bare her mid-riff, thighs and cleavage.
As per reports, Vidya Balan has told the director that all her outfits need to reach at least 30 days before she starts shooting, so that she can try and get comfortable in them.
Ekta Kapoor’s production Dirty Picture will recreate the the magic that was created by Silk Smitha, the voluptuous South siren in the 80s and 90s.
Director Milan Luthria was not surprised by Vidya’s demand. He states very clearly that Vidya needs to get a lot bolder in expressing her sexuality in the role.

Reference: http://www.bollywoodgossips.net/bollywood-gossips/vidya-balan-starrer-dirty-picture-gets-dirtier.html

Ayesha Takia to make her comeback with Nagesh Kukunoor’s ‘Mod’

Ayesha Takia has been long missing from limelight post her marriage. However, good news awaits her fans as she is all set to star opposite Ranvijay Singh (of Roadies fame) in Nagesh Kukunoor’s forthcoming flick ‘Mod’. The film is based on the Taiwanese film ‘Keeping Watch’ and Nagesh has purchased the rights for its remake.
The film is a suspense drama and was shot in Ooty on a start-to-finish schedule earlier this year.  The Indian version has been kept close to the original in terms of the plot and characters. Only a few changes have been made, particularly in Ayesha’s father’s character played by Raghubir Yadav, to suit the Indian audience.
The story of the film is based on the sudden arrival of Han (played by Rannvijay Singh) and its impact on the monotonous life of Ching (Ayesha Takia).  She falls in love with him only to be shattered when he disappears just as abruptly. Ching calls Han’s parents and it is revealed that he had died many years ago.

Shilpa Shetty denies of getting pregnant

Bollywood News:  According to the latest tweet by Bollywood Actress Shilpa Shetty, the actress claimed that she isnt pregnant and the news about her getting pregnant is rumor. In her tweet, Shilpa Shetty says “Sick and tired of all the congratulatory msgs and calls,so for the last time “I AM NOT PREGNANT”.all this is so annoying..grrrrrrrrr”

Salman enters a studio in his vanity van

May 27, 2011 - 01:00 PM

Okay when it’s Salman Khan, you don’t lock horns with him. It so happened that Salman Khan was at the Yash Raj studio gates getting in for a shoot.  And there came his huge vanity van also asking for permission to get in. Now, the actor was obviously granted entry but his van wasn’t so lucky. Salman spoke to the security guards asking them to allow his vanity van entry but they refused him. When the actor pleaded the case, he was told that only private cars are allowed entry. Salman being Salman of course wasn’t willing to back off. So he promptly got out of his SUV and sat in the vanity van. And very gleefully told the guards that it was his car for the day. The guards were obviously flummoxed. And they were forced to open the doors to Salman Khan’s vanity van.

Reference: http://www.filmfare.com/articles/salman-enters-a-studio-in-his-vanity-van-2432.html

Imran performed with Strings

Imran Khan

Imran Khan is one of the biggest fans of the Pakistani rock band Strings for many years now. He was completely shocked when his wife, Avantika got them to perform for his birthday (January 13).

A source revealed, “The newlyweds were staying at an exclusive resort, which is an hour’s drive from Phuket, Thailand, on an island called Kaho Lak. On his birthday, Avantika told Imran that there would be barbeque at the seaside with a live band performing for him. He had no idea that the band would be strings.” Imran joined the band on the stage.

The actor confirmed the news saying, “It was one of the best birthdays I have had. Everyone seemed to know about it. What surprised me was that not a single murmur had reached my ears till the morning when I saw them on stage. We enjoyed listening to them and jammed with them as well. What is really nice that I got to know them really well and am happy to say we really jammed well.”

The band stayed with the newly weds, family and friends and they left after a few hours.

I want Gulzarji to write poems for me: Katrina

Katrina Kaif

She is definitely one of the most beautiful women in the Hindi Film industry. However, no one has ever written a love poem for Katrina, she believes that love is the only beautiful thing in the world. The actress wishes that Gulzar saab would write one for her.

Recently at the launch of Pritish Nandy’s book ‘Love Poems’ she says, “Nobody has ever written a poem for me. But if actually someone writes a poem for me, I think that will be very romantic.”

She was looking her best in an off-white knee length dress, Katrina, 26, surprised everyone present there saying, “I want Gulzar saab to write poems for me.”

Gulzar, 74, has written many poetry books and innumerable songs, was also present at the event. He said, “Inshallah, I would write a poem for Katrina for sure.”

The entire event was about love poems, and it was obvious that everyone wanted to know Katrina’s views on love and romance. The actress obliged everybody by sharing her views.

“Even though love is known to entail pain, disillusionment, disappointment, still I don’t want to be pessimistic about love. I would rather want to have a positive approach to love. I believe that there can be a happy ending, because love is the most beautiful thing in the world,” said Katrina.

When media asked her about her Valentine’s Day plan she said, “No plans, I will be working on that day.”

Lara Mahesh tiff over Lara’s ex

Sources said that the couple has had a big argument over Lara’s ex-boyfriend Kelly Dorjee.
Actress Lara Dutta is apparently still in touch with Kelly Dorjee, with whom she had a long relationship. And this bonding seems to have not gone down too well with her hubby Mahesh. They reportedly got into a heated argument after Mahesh questioned her about her rapport with Kelly.

Working with Aamir Khan, Shahrukh Khan is like winning trophies

Working with Bollywood stars is like winning a trophy, says newcomer Ali Fazal and adds that a role with the likes of Aamir Khan or Shah Rukh Khan is what newcomers crave for.
And he was lucky to get the opportunity – after playing a small role of Joy Lobo in Aamir Khan starrer “3 Idiots”, he is doing a pivotal role in SRK’s home production “Always Kabhi Kabhi”.
“To me, Aamir, Shar Rukh, Salman Khan are like trophies at the end of the race. We all are running to reach to them,” Ali, who doesn’t like comparing the two superstars, told IANS.
“It’s wrong to compare. I worked with them in different scenarios. Aamir Khan was in the film I was doing and Shah Rukh Khan is the producer of my film. As a producer, he played a brilliant role. He’s a thorough gentleman,” said the actor who shakes a leg with SRK in a song in “Always Kabhi Kabhi”.
“The little time we shot with him, we found him very professional. He made us feel like buddies. It takes three days to finish one song, he just took one day. He learnt the dance steps in one hour and he was ready,” he added.
“Always Kabhi Kabhi” happened before “3 Idiots” released, says Ali.
“I signed this movie before ‘3 Idiots’ was released. When I started working in this movie ‘3 Idiots’ was in it post-production,” said the actor, who is an engineering student and says playing a school boy was tough.
“For me, playing an older character is easier than playing a younger one. It’s very hard because there is a very thin line between the age group of 18, 20 or 23-year-old.
“You have seen Joy Lobo and if you see Sam, the character I play here, he is a very fun loving boy. But again he is a schoolboy and in tense moments it’s a very different how an 18-year-old would react or cry. You will see the difference from what I did in ‘3 Idiots’. It was definitely tough.”
Apart from Ali, “Always Kabhi Kabhi” will launch two new faces – Zoa Morani and Satyajeet Dubey. This is television host and radio jockey Roshan Abbas’s directorial debut. “Love Aaj Kal” fame Giselle Monteiro also stars in it.
Set in a school, “Always Kabhi Kabhi” is about four youngsters trying to compete with pressure of growing up and many firsts that everyone experiences in high school.
Playing a lead role was much of a responsibility for Ali who discovered his acting talent during school days. He was a basketball player but after an accident, he shifted to theatre.
“When I started doing plays, I found a new side of me. Then I started exploring more about it. Every time I would do it, something new would come out. I did this role,” said the Doon School alumnus.
Ali feels that for any film, script is important. “Half of the job is done when you have a good story. Follow your punctuation marks and half of your acting is done.”

Marketing has taken over content in Bollywood – Kay Kay Menon

“Marketing has taken over content today and I have serious objections to that. It is the job of marketing people to think of creative ways to publicise a film. Just adding an item number in the film is not marketing,” Kay Kay told IANS on phone from Mumbai. “I don’t subscribe to such nonsense. If the content of the film is good, it wouldn’t require an item number to make it work,” he added.
The 48-year-old feels filmmakers’ focus has shifted to other not-so-relevant aspects of movies; as a result the content of the film is being compromised with.
“Cinema is being misused today. Filmmakers today focus more on which dance step should be better for an actor, how the music should be packaged; as a result content becomes secondary,” he said.
The management graduate sailed into films on Saeed Akhtar Mirza’s 1995 release “Naseem”, but it was his role in Sudhir Mishra’s “Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi” that brought him into the limelight. Later his role as DCP Rakesh Maria in “Black Friday” won him critical acclaim.
Like many others, in his early years Kay Kay too worked in TV shows such as “Pradhan Mantri” and TV movies like “Zebra 2″ and “Last Train To Mahakali”.
The actor, who has been a part of some of the meaningful cinematic offerings like “Corporate”, “Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd”, “Sarkar” and “Life in a…Metro”, blames the audience for promoting what he calls “trash”.
“The filmmakers are succeeding in promoting trash because people are lapping it up. It is sad to see that nobody is standing up and raising voice against it. Filmmakers should be confident of the product they are offering to people,” said Kay Kay, who will now be seen in a “glorified” cameo in forthcoming film “Bhindi Baazaar.Inc” about pickpocketing.
The film releases June 10.
Bollywood is ruled by stars, but Kay Kay doesn’t believe in the “star” tag and says he is happy being an actor rather than a star.
“Being a star has nothing to do with acting. The other actors are stars because of the lifestyle they lead and their surrounding per se. I can’t lead that life. I am comfortable with the life I lead and I am happy being an actor. I want to inspire with my work at all point,” he said.
Many actors are stepping behind the camera, by turning producer or director. Asked if Kay Kay ever plans to step behind the camera and venture into direction, he said: “I believe in specializing. And I am a specialised actor. I can’t be a jack of all trades. If some day I get bored of it, I would think of doing something else.”
After “Bhindi Baazaar Inc”, Kay Kay will show off his comic skills in Sagar Ballary’s “Bheja Fry 2″ with Vinay Pathak and Suresh Menon.