After much ado and discussion, Vishal Bharadwaj has decided the title of his next Ajay Devgan - Saif Ali Khan starrer movie.

Vishal himself in an interview revealed that his adaptation of Shakespere’s ‘Othello’ would be titled - Omkara.

The film stars Saif Ali Khan, Bipasha Basu, Konkona Sen Sharma, Vivek Oberoi, Ayesha Takia, Ajay Devgan, Kareena Kapoor and Naseeruddin Shah in lead roles.

The movie - Omkara - is scheduled to start shooting in March and is planned to be completed by the stretch of 2006.

Director Raj Kanwar whose Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif starrer ‘Humko Deewana Kar Gaye’ released recently is upset with actress Bipasha Basu’s indignant protests over promotional material of the film and her notion that she is being projected as a second leading lady.

The puzzled director said, “Why is she doing this? A film is like one complete body and soul. You are either part of it, or you are not. If the hand, which is part of the body, declared I’m not part of the body, it isn’t right. She has done my film. And before she did it she knew what she was getting into.”

He added, “We had never put it in an agreement that she will or won’t be part of our publicity. Bipasha isn’t a guest star in the film. We wanted to project ‘Humko Deewana Kar Gaye’ as a love story with two heroes and two heroines. Now she’s quoted in an interview as saying she has only one song in my film. That isn’t true. She has two major songs.”

Bipasha had fumed over the promotional material of the film, “We had mutually agreed that I wouldn’t feature anywhere in the publicity or promos because it’s not a triangular love story and I have a tiny role. They used my photos without my knowledge and consent. I never shot for a single publicity still with them. Obviously they have got it from another film of mine.” (more…)

Akshay Kumar-Katrina Kaif intense love story ‘Humko Deewana Kar Gaye’ has just hit theatres. So Akki talks about it and his upcoming films.

How is Humko Deewana Kar Gaye different from your previous work?
To start with, Humko…’ begins where most love stories end. By which I mean, when two people are living together and everything is going well, there’s a perfect match. Suddenly, one person falls in love with somebody else. It happens in everybody’s life. Even if the person you fall in love with is imperfect for you, it happens. You can’t predict love. The USP of the film is that people can relate to this subject. Sometimes, you have to go back on your commitment. Love is not like a business deal, where you have everything planned out. It happens that you sometimes can’t work it out; you realise your heart is somewhere else. ‘Humko…’ starts at a point like that.

You've mentioned that it's a very personal story. How?
We’ve treated it with a great amount of intensity, and it has a very real slice of life. It’s taken from a real story, about a couple from Toronto. (more…)

Talking about her latest release ‘Humko Deewana Kar Gaye’ model turned actress Katrina Kaif says she is a moody person. She also said that her co-star Akshay Kumar made her feel extremely comfortable.

Tell your fans something about your big release Humko Deewana Kar Gaye?
It’s about a girl who goes trousseau shopping, and unexpectedly meets a guy with whom she has an unexpected connection. Love is genuinely like that. It’s not something that you anticipate or expect. The twist in the film lies in the fact that they are both engaged to other people. The movie then progresses on to deal with different types of love - you have love out of duty, you have love out of respect, love out of passion, and the choice one finally makes between duty, respect and your heart. And there in lies the beauty of the film. It’s a romantic film, with slight elements of comedy. It’s neither a slapstick like Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya or too serious like Sarkar.

Music of 'Humko...' has become a big hit. What do you feel?
The film has lovely music and I’m glad it’s doing well. It’s at the top of the charts.

What was your experience working with Akshay Kumar and Bipasha Basu? (more…)

Bipasha Basu has long retured from Brazil where she shot for Dhoom 2 with Hrithik Roshan, Uday Chopra and Aishwarya Rai but the sexy beauty can’t stop raving about the her trip to the place always high on sun, sea and sights.

Bipasha said, “It was great fun! This was the first Hindi film (Dhoom 2) to be shot there and Brazil is a fun place. Uday has stayed back for a holiday. We all had a blast and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.”

The actress also told that since she looked like a local there, she blended in with the Brazilians. She said, “one day, I was sitting in a front of a shop in Rio, and someone, thinking I was a local, started asking me the price of stuff. It’s just that I couldn’t speak the local language, Portuguese.” (more…)

My passion for Films

My dad wanted me to be a doctor while my mom wanted me to be anything but an actress. My mom knows that nothing can change my mind. In 2001, when I was 17, I dropped out of college (St.Ann’s College, Mehdipatnam) and ran away to Mumbai with just Rs 5,000 with me. I started off with modelling. After giving about 50 auditions each day for more than six months, I got my first break as a heroine in a film called Timepass which unfortunately flopped.

My sexuality is my USP

I completely believe in my sexuality and I am not at all ashamed of it. Despite the fact that I was very shy as a kid, I had my first sexual experience when I was sixteen. It gives me a high. I would in fact want to do films like Basic Instinct. I want to be like Bipasha Basu who is so effortlessly seductive. In less than six months, I am going to replace Mallika Sherawat. (more…)

Kay Kay Menon who is known for his grey shades in ‘Sarkar’ will be seen in a lead role opposite Bipasha Basu in Madhur Bhandarkar’s ‘Corporate’.

You will be seen opposite Bipasha Basu and she has a power packed role in the film.
Even if Bipasha plays the protagonist, my role is equally important in the film. If I can judge for myself that a film can be made without me I do not sign it. When Madhur approached me with his script, I was thrilled because it was a trilogy which he is planning to make. I have seen Page 3, and I think Atul Kulkarni’s character was as strong as Konkona’s in the film. It would be wrong to tag him as a feminist film-maker. His male characters are equally interesting - he has both spineless and intelligent male characters in his films. (more…)