Bebo is Saif’s second choice

After Deepika, for an unhappy Khan’s maiden production, Kareena will be part of Production No 2

Saif Ali Khan isn’t happy at all about Kareena’s absence from his maiden home production. “In fact, I’m miserable about it!” he says from London. Kareena missed out on being in her boyfriend’s first home production because director Imtiaz Ali wanted Deepika Padukone.

As Saif left for London to shoot for his first production, he made an unspoken vow to himself; that Kareena would be part of his second production Sriram Raghavan’s espionage flick Agent Vinod.

This flick will certainly star Kareena Kapoor in the lead. Says Saif, “I don’t see any reason on earth why Bebo can’t be part of Agent Vinod. The role is hers, unless this time, she decides she doesn’t want to do it, just to get even for missing out on the first film,” jokes Saif.

The film will start soon since Ali’s John-Aishwarya starrer, which was slated for this year, has been delayed.

There’s undoubtedly a deep growing resentment in Saif about Kareena not being part of his first (yet untitled) home production. “In all my career, I’ve believed it’s the director’s prerogative whom he wants to cast opposite me. Imtiaz wanted to work with Deepika. As an actor and producer, I had to go with that.

Saif now confesses it would’ve been very different were he to decide on his first home production now.

“When we finalised this project, I was only half-way through Tashan. A lot has changed between Kareena and me since then. Things would’ve been obviously different today. I’d have insisted on Kareena.”

It’s obvious that Saif isn’t hapy about Bebo’s absence from his banner-produced film. In fact, at this point of time, Saif would rather have Kareena than Imtiaz Ali in his first production. “Maybe I’d have decided not to make the film with Imtiaz rather than not have Kareena in it,” he says candidly.

Deepika-Ranbir to be directed by Imtiaz Ali

Now that their relationship is out in the open, Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone seem to have overnight become the most talked-about couple in filmdom. Sadly, just after cementing their relationship during the long outdoor spell of Yash Raj Films' Bachna Ae Haseenon in Australia, Deepika had to leave for a long shooting schedule of Nikhil Advani's Chandni Chowk To China.

She returned to India this week and is all set to start filming a very secret project with Ranbir. Grins Ranbir, "There's nothing so intriguing about it. It's an ad to be directed by Imtiaz Ali (of Jab We Met) for Pepsi. Earlier, Deepika and I did an ad with Shah Rukh Khan for the same brand. Now it's just the two of us, and that should be fun. But what I really want to do is a full feature film with Imtiaz."

Interestingly, Deepika goes into a feature film with Imtiaz Ali later this year with Saif Ali Khan which Saif is producing, while Ranbir's first-cousin Kareena who's currently Saif's love interest in real life is nowhere in the cast of Saif Ali Khan's first production. Imtiaz Ali insisted on having Deepika in the film.

Subhash K. Jha, Bollywood Hungama

"I am thankful to Imtiaz, but am disappointed." - Kareena

'Mauja hi Mauja' that is what Kapoor clan's current leading lady Bebo aka Kareena Kapoor must be feeling these days post the enormous fame coming from all corners, after the commercial success of JAB WE MET, novelle beau Saif Ali Khan in her life, loaded with enough offers, winning the black lady (Filmfare) for Best Actress.

She has enough reasons to be on cloud nine, but she is more so excited about her recent success JAB WE MET and she appears to be so highly impressed with Imtiaz Ali's (director) work that she expressed her desire to work with him in his next project also and that is a reason good enough to recommend his name to Saif. But what must have really pinched her must be that Imtiaz went ahead and cast OM SHANTI OM fame Deepika in his next project opposite Saif instead of her.

Recently when Bebo won the best actress award at Filmfare she candidly said, "I am thankful to Imtiaz for casting me in JAB WE MET, but am also li'l disappointed that he didn't cast me in his next project, but that's ok."

Well Kareena, we do understand your desire to work with the talented director and especially if Saif is in the 'picture'. Anyways, there ain't any reason to be upset as there may be more projects, which will definitely cast you opposite Saif.

Bollywood Trade News Network

Box office 2007: Comedies steal the show

Khallas ! It's closing time and the booking window at Bollywood is still grinning, despite the series of flops in the last two weeks.

If Yash Chopra's much-awaited Madhuri magic failed to work its jaadu with Aaja Nachle clicking a mere Rs 11 crore in its first week, then Sudhir Mishra's film noir, Khoya Khoya Chand managed a mere 15% opening this Friday, along with an equally dismal show for Sanjay Gupta's star-heavy Dus Kahaniyan , which opened to just 30% occupancy. Last week, John Abraham's histrinoics in the football field too offered no cause for celebration. Dhan Dhan Dhana Goal has garnered a two-weeks gross of only Rs 15 crore.

So why's Bollywood grinning? Year 2006 has gone down in Bollywood history as the turnaround year, when the top 25 films grossed a total of Rs 620 crore, which was a 26% increase over the grosses of 2005. This was the year that witnessed a renewed Dhoom ( Dhoom 2 ) in film-making and set the tone for a braver, bouncier 2007.

Officially, 2007 too has just ten certified hits, which almost measures up to last year's list that boasts of biggies like Rang De Basanti, Fanaa, Omkara ... But it's the money that makes the real difference. Year 2007 boasts of one the biggest hits of the decade.

Om Shanti Om has already outgrossed the 21st century's biggest hit, Gadar (with a net adjusted gross of Rs 94 crore) with a staggering BO bounty of Rs 76 crore and is still going strong. Blame it on Shah Rukh Khan's charisma or Deepika Padukone's dusky sensuality, but the film has managed to make its millions despite being nothing more than a comedy circus that has no after-hours impact, whatsoever.

Seeing the staggering response, the industry has anointed Farah Khan as 'The Entertainer', replacing Karan Johar and his brand of Mumbai-meets-Manhattan masala .

But that's just the tip of the cherry shake. Yesterday's Badshah of Blah, David Dhawan too made a comeback in a blockbuster way with his desi Hitch, Partner , grossing Rs 62 crore. Again, the film hardly matched the rib tickling humour of Dhawan's earlier teasers like Coolie No. 1 and Hero No. 1 , but the Salman and Govinda chemistry clicked in a big way. The year definitely belonged to comedies and comedies alone, with Partner leading the laugh riot which includes Dhamaal, Heyy Babyy, Dhol and Bhool Bhulaiyya . Add OSO to this, and you’ll find the top 10 list already has six comedies in it.

At the number two position, there is more serious stuff: Chak De India with Rs 65 crore in its coffers. Surely, this can easily be crowned the film of the year with its gentle, subtle and straight-from-the-heart message of desh-prem which must necessarily sift out regional chauvinism and minority bashing from its ambit. More importantly, Chak De India can easily go down in SRK’s filmography as his best performance, till date.

The rest of the winners include Mani Ratnam's Guru, Imtiaz Ali's Jab We Met and Vipul Shah's Namastey London . All these films have grossed more than Rs 30 crore. And if the top 10 haven't created a storm at the box office, there are a number of semi-hits which have kept the industry afloat. Films like Apne, Aap Ka suroor, Shootout at Lokhandwala , Bheja Fry, Khosla ka Ghosla, Metro, Black Friday, Parzania , The Namesake and Honeymoon Travels have shown that the industry is eager to tread the untrodden path and definitely wants to break new ground.

Surely, it will take more than a Salaam-e-Ishq, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom , or a Ram Gopal Ki Aag to script its doom story. Perhaps nobody reflects the current mood better than the house of Yash Chopra Inc, which shows a dismal record of four flops ( Tara Rum Pum, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, Laga Chunari Mein Daag, Aaj Nachle ) on one side of the coin and Chak De India glittering on the other side of it. Hits or flops, the show just keeps going on and on.

Nikhat Kazmi,TNN

Exhibitors opt for JWM, dropping SAAWARIYA

Strange as it may sound, but from today (Friday), many of the exhibitors are going to opt for the three week old Shahid-Kareena starrer, JAB WE MET, removing SAAWARIYA. The trend is very pronounced in small centers and single screens. Even many of the leading multiplexes / cineplexes have reduced the number of shows of the one week old SAAWARIYA and have reverted to JAB WE MET, which did exceedingly well during its two week run.

When we talked to the concerned people, the view is unanimous- After Monday, the collections of SAAWARIYA are going down alarmingly with each passing day, and there is little or no hope of a pick-up. As per inputs available with us and going by the paying audiences reaction, it was inevitable, and we are not surprised.

While on JAB WE MET, the movie was rock steady, even in the second week (check out our latest box-office report), and had to be prematurely removed, to make way for the heavyweight 'Diwali' biggies like OM SHANTI OM and SAAWARIYA.

Abid, Bollywood Trade News Network

Jab We Met : Remake of Hollywood flick ?

Imtiaz Ali's Jab We Met is creating a lot of buzz mainly because the main actors of the film - Shahid and Kareena Kapoor have broken up. However, that aside, it's being speculated that the film is inspired by a Hollywood hit film A Walk In The Clouds . Earlier the same film proved to be an inspiration for filmmakers like David Dhawan and Raj Kanwar.

In the original motion picture, Paul and a young girl meet on a bus. The girl is heading homewards to help with the grape harvest and to face his dominative dad. The girl is pregnant and she thinks if her dad knows of her pregnancy he will kill her. Paul poses to be her husband. Love blooms and that's that.

David Dhawan's Kunwara had a similar storyline with a different twist to it, while Raj Kanwar's Dhai Akshar Prem Ke had lots of similarities, too. Jab We Met , however, is a little different from the original. In the film Shahid and Kareena meet on a train, and no Kareena, in the film, is not pregnant.

When we asked filmmaker Imtiaz Ali, if his film was indeed a remake, he denied so, saying, " Jab We Met is not inspired or copied from any Hollywood film. Though it has boy meet girl on a journey theme it is totally different from other films that are made on similar themes. Mahesh Bhatt's Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahi had a similar theme but it doesn't mean that my film is copy of his film. There are so many movies on the same theme. My film is original and not a copy or remake of any Hollywood film."

He further continues "The idea of JWM came to me from my train journeys. I developed this idea into a romantic film. I haven't seen A Walk In The Clouds , so cant comment on it."

Reshma Kelkar, Indiatimes