Is YRF unlucky for Saif

YRF has scored its first hit this year in the form of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi starring SRK. But things haven’t been that rosy for the other Khan and Yash Raj Films. Three films starring Saif Ali Khan have flopped. So is YRF unlucky for Saif who has otherwise had a great 2008?

Our source tells us, "Saif got his big break with Dil Chahta Hai and YRF's Hum Tum directed by Kunal Kohli starring Saif and Rani was Saif's first solo hero hit in 2004. But after that, none of his films with YRF have repeated the success of Hum Tum."

He further adds, "After Hum Tum, he did Salaam Namaste with Preity Zinta which was an average success. Then Ta Ra Rum Pum was supposed to repeat the success of Hum Tum because people had loved Saif and Rani in that film. It was the first film of Yash Raj in 2007 and it did not live up to the expectations of people."

"This year the first release of Yash Raj was Tashan in April with Saif and Kareena. The movie got a lot of publicity over Kareena's size zero figure and their romance but Saif got a raw deal in the film as his role had been chopped off. The movie was the first big budget flop of 2008. Then Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic released in June. Everyone expected the movie to do well because it was a children's film and had Saif and Rani. Moreover, Kunal Kohli had given two hits back to back with Hum Tum and Fanaa. But in spite of all the hype, Ameesha's lack of clothes and good reviews, the film flopped.”

“Roadside Romeo released in the Diwali vacations and was expected to draw in the crowds because of its animation and Saif-Kareena pairing but it didn't happen and Jugal Hansraj's directorial debut sank at the BO. Clearly, Saif's jodi with neither Kareena nor Rani is creating wonders at the BO. In fact, even YRF films which have Rani in the lead are flopping though she has got good reviews for her performances in the films. Barring the success of Hum Tum and Bunty aur Babli, Ta Ra Rum Pum, Laaga Chunari Mein Daag and Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic have flopped,” adds the source.

But outside of YRF, Saif has had a good year. Last year Omkara released and this year Race. Both have been huge hits for the actor. “Saif's only hit this year was Abbas Mastan's Race which was a multistarrer and more importantly not a YRF release,” says the source.

He further adds, "In fact, Saif is not doing another film with Yash Raj Films in the near future. He is busy with the films he is producing and with Dharma Productions' film! There is nothing with YRF on the cards in the near future!"

Saif disappointed and hurt over the way Tashan shaped up

Saif shot off a missive to Aditya Chopra expressing disappointment about the way his role in Tashan shaped out and about how it was edited

Letters appear to be the latest fad in B-Town. After Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s letter to Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan has now dashed off a missive to Aditya Chopra and Yash Raj Films expressing his disappointment and hurt over the way Tashan shaped up.

Says a source, “Saif believes in speaking his mind if he feels strongly against something and then, moving on.

When Tashan released, he was unhappy with the way the film had turned out.

He felt that not only had his role turned out to be quite different from the narration given but that it had also been chopped quite a bit at the editing table. Kareena and he were shocked at Tashan’s dismal turnout.”

Although the film was released in April, the timing of the letter makes you wonder whether this is Saif’s way of ensuring that he doesn’t get the short end of the stick again with his next YRF film which is ready for release.

The source adds, “Saif dashed off a letter to Adi telling him all he thought about Tashan and his role in it. Saif wrote about how he felt let down by the film. It was an emotional letter — revealing Saif’s hurt and disappointment.

Also, he felt that Yash Raj’s next, Thoda Pyar Thoda Magic, directed by Kunal Kohli, looked promising.

This time, he requested Kunal to show him the film before its release. Kunal did that. Saif loved the film.”

Saif doesn’t deny writing a letter to Adi but adds, “Aditya and I communicated. That’s it.

I did feel my role didn’t come across as well as it did on paper. Aditya and I spoke about it and we agreed that it was best for the overall narrative of the film.

I think we have all moved on to other things and we should let this matter rest. Right now, I am really looking forward to Thoda Pyar Thoda Magic.”

Ashish Singh, VP — Yash Raj says, “There’s no truth in this. Saif leads in our next, TPTM and came down specially for the launch in spite of being in Australia and being unwell. He is also an integral part of Roadside Romeo and YRF cherishes our relationship with him.”

Shahid messages his ex, saying how much he loved her… in Tashan

Shahid Kapur and Kareena Kapoor might have broken up last year but they have always maintained a cordial relationship in private and public.

Says a source close to Kareena, “Last week Ken Ghosh, UTV’s Ram Mirchandani and Shahid had gone to watch Tashan at Cinemax Andheri for the late-night show. Though Shahid didn’t think much of the film (he’s also doing a Yash Raj film with Rani Mukerji) he loved Bebo’s performance in the film. Shahid also thought Kareena has never looked hotter and fitter than she does in Tashan.” Kareena has drawn accolades for her lithe toned look in Tashan.

What happened next was a surprise. Says the source, “On an impulse, Shahid sent Bebo a message telling her how much he loved her in Tashan. Ken was present when Shahid texted her. Kareena, who is currently shooting in Melbourne, Australia, for Main Aur Mrs Khanna, was quite overwhelmed with his gesture and thanked him for it.”

The source further reveals, “This is not the first time that Kareena and Shahid have been in touch. They message each other frequently and are on friendly terms with each other. Kareena wished Shahid on his birthday on February 25 and she remains concerned about Shahid’s career. On that day, both the ex-lovers chatted for quite a long time.”

Ken Ghosh, who is directing Shahid’s Star, produced by UTV, admits to having watched Tashan with Shahid at Cinemax last week but when quizzed about Shahid complimenting Kareena on her performance in the film says, “No comments.”

Present imperfect

After the debacle of Tashan at the box-office, Aditya Chopra is very cautious about future projects that are being planned. Our source in the industry informs us, "Aditya Chopra does not want to commission any more projects for some time now. The failure of their projects has rattled the Yash Raj camp which has probably forced Adi to do some rethinking on the choice of scripts for their future projects. Yash Chopra, who had taken a back seat and had left all the commissioning to Adi, has begun taking interest in the new scripts that are coming to Yash Raj."

Reportedly, the directors who are already working with Yash Raj and have three-film contract may continue with their projects. While Shimit Amin, Kabir Khan, Siddharth Anand and Shaad Ali are already working on their next project, no new projects will be announced till Aditya Chopra completes his directorial venture which goes on the floor later this week.

It may be noted that Yash Raj has not renewed its contract with directors like Kunal Kohli who is now a co-producer, Sanjay Gadhvi moved out of the camp after Dhoom 2, and Bachna Aye Haseeno will be Siddharth Anand's last film with Yash Raj films.

When Aditya Chopra took over the reigns of the company as the creative head he had modelled the banner around Ram Gopal Varma's Factory and wanted the banner to have at least one release a month, but 2007 has not been really good for Yash Raj films which made them sit back and do some rethinking on the kind of films they want to make in the future. And, a film like Tashan is definitely not going to be part of their plan for the future. The only announcement that one might hear in the near future is the return of Yash Chopra as a director.

Kareena continues to rule

Though Tashan failed to make a splash at the box office, hottie Kareena Kapoor continues to rule the industry.

Even though the film hasn’t done well, Kareena has made waves with her fiery performance and her lime green bikini shot. Bebo’s never looked hotter. Looks like Kareena is ready to deal with any competition that comes her way. Way to go, girl!

Dr. Khiladi Kumar

Though superstar Akshay (Khiladi) Kumar's year's first release TASHAN couldn't show any 'Tashan' at Box office but he did walk away with all the praises for his fantastic performance as usual.

The 'Khiladi' already has his hands full with esteem projects like Vipul Shah's SINGH IS KINNG, Warner Bros.'s CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA, Nagesh Kukunoor's EIGHT BY TEN and Sajid Nadiadwala's KAMBAKKTH ISHQ as of now. And very soon he will be seen anchoring an action reality show 'Fear Factor-Khatron Ke Khiladi' on a new channel - Colors, with as many as 13 gorgeous ladies from Bollywood.

And if this was not enough there's one more feather in the crown waiting for Akshay Kumar in the form of a Doctorate. Akki will be bestowed an honorary doctorate by the University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is heard that the University will honour Akshay on May 9. Akshay now has joined the league of honorary doctorate personalities like Yash Chopra, Amitabh Bachchan, Shabana Azmi and Shilpa Shetty, who were conferred similar kind of honorary doctorates from foreign Universities in the past.

So, now Akshay Khiladi Kumar with a preceding 'Dr.' added to the name.

Supreme disaster!

TASHAN is one of the major disasters in Overseas. The film fell by 67% in U.K. and 81% in America in its second weekend, clearly proving that the paying public has rejected the film. TASHAN easily ranks amongst the lowest grossers of Yash Raj. Meanwhile, Tamil film KURUVI was the first choice of moviegoers in U.K., while MR. WHITE MR. BLACK is a box-office dud.

U.K. BOX-OFFICE
Weekend: May 2 - 4, 2008.

* KURUVI [Tamil film] has debuted at No. 15 position. In its opening weekend, the film has collected £ 69,001 [approx. Rs. 55.96 lacs] on 13 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 5,308.
The breakdown:- Friday: £ 19,673; Saturday: £ 22,622; Sunday: £ 26,706.

* TASHAN [last weekend: No. 13, this weekend: No. 17]: In its second weekend, the film has collected £ 54,660 on 43 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 1,271. Total: £ 2,96,135 [approx. Rs. 2.40 crores].
The breakdown:- Friday: £ 13,025; Saturday: £ 19,705; Sunday: £ 21,930.

* MR. WHITE MR. BLACK has debuted at No. 27 position. In its opening weekend, the film has collected £ 15,037 [approx. Rs. 12.03 lacs] on 11 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 1,367.
The breakdown:- Friday: £ 3,451; Saturday: £ 5,591; Sunday: £ 5,995.

* U ME AUR HUM [last weekend: No. 26, this weekend: No. 32]: In its fourth weekend, the film has collected £ 7,066 on 18 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 393. Total: £ 4,11,760 [approx. Rs. 3.30 crores].
The breakdown:- Friday: £ 948; Saturday: £ 2,199; Sunday: £ 3,919.

* KRAZZY 4 [last weekend: No. 44, this weekend: No. 67]: In its fourth weekend, the film has collected £ 1,081 on 4 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 270. Total: £ 1,37,660 [approx. Rs. 1.10 crores].
The breakdown:- Friday: £ 187; Saturday: £ 231; Sunday: £ 663.

U.S.A. BOX-OFFICE
Weekend: May 2 - 4, 2008.

* TASHAN [last weekend: No. 24, this weekend: No. 40]: In its second weekend, the film has collected $ 58,190 on 62 screens, with the per screen average working out to $ 939. Total: $ 4,28,923 [approx. Rs. 1.75 crores].

Taran Adarsh

Akki walks in, Akki walks out!

Akshay Kumar may have given a colourful performance in the recent release Tashan and even collected praise for it. But the actor isn’t too proud of the film.

According to sources in Bangkok, the actor walked out of a special trial of Tashan, just five minutes after his entry on screen.

Akki is in Bangkok for the past one month, shooting for Nikhil Advani’s Chandni Chowk to China.

As he’s been away from the city, he hadn’t watched either the rushes or the final print of the film.

Obviously, Akshay was quite excited to watch the finished product. A few days after the release of Tashan, on the behest of a few friends, Akshay arranged for a private screening at his hotel last week.

The actor sat through the first half of the film. Says a source, “Everyone cheered when he made his stylish entry on screen. However, Akshay didn’t seem to share the excitement of his friends. He walked out of the trial five minutes after his entry in the Ramleela sequence.”

The crowd present was shocked to see him walkout. Continues the source, “He was clearly unhappy with the film. It was written all over his face.

Even though he won’t speak about it in public, Akshay is extremely disappointed with Tashan. He feels a lot of his scenes with Kareena Kapoor were chopped and there’s nothing that he can say or do about it now.”

Tushar Joshi

Kareena: The Greek Goddess

Kareena's new look is the talk of the town. And the number one actress has achieved her greek goddess look by sticking to a diet plan specially for her Greek schedule in Tashan . Says her dietician, " Greece was tough but we had it all planned. Greece is a fully non veg place. But she would have Fava (peas vegetable), stuffed tomatoes & bell peppers, Revithia (chick peas in olive oil), Fakes (lentil dal),Fasolada (bean soup) ,spinach beans feta casserole. Here she was on a 7 meals per day plan

Kareena is a dream client. Once she has faith in you, she will do exactly as asked. She has no starry airs & takes her work very seriously. The results have been so great only because she would always plan in advance for all her meals. In Greece I had even told her about places she could get organic food from."

So for all of you wanting to become a size zero, discipline is the key.

B.O. Collections: 'Tashan' collects 1.95 crores in Mumbai

(Note: Figures are as per the reported centres)

Tashan - Week 1
# Mumbai - 1,95,97,189
# Ahmedabad - 67,23,774
# Valsad - 2,28,561
# Jamnagar - 5,28,887
# Bhavnagar - 5,48,567
# Delhi - 1,73,06,009
# Ghaziabad - 53,31,319
# Noida - 37,43,320
# Kaushambi - 12,98,298
# Gurgaon - 36,44,039
# Faridabad - 20,39,478
# Moradabad - 5,70,252
# Meerut - 8,76,430
# Aligarh - 6,37,500
# Bareilly - 2,82,605
# Agra - 7,00,000
# Raipur - 4,34,049
# Rampur - 1,25,000
# Ajmer - 6,93,777
# Ujjain - 1,64,000
# Sehore - 2,39,852
# Aurangabad - 3,93,314

(Average per print: 5,95,551)
Total collections for Week 1: 6,61,06,220
Total Collections (Till Date): 6,61,06,220

Taran Adarsh

Yash Raj - Multiplexes issue sorted out

An understanding has been reached between Yash Raj Films and the multiplexes for the entire YRF slate of films for the year 2008. This agreement commences with Vijay Krishna Acharya’s TASHAN, which will be released in multiplexes nationwide starting Saturday, May 3.

This will be followed by Kunal Kohli’s THODA PYAR THODA MAGIC on June 27, Siddharth Anand’s BACHNA AE HASEENO on August 15, Jugal Hansraj’s ROADSIDE ROMEO on October 24 and culminates with Aditya Chopra’s RAB NE BANA DI JODI on December 12.

The terms agreed upon are to the mutual satisfaction of all concerned parties.

Taran Adarsh

Rejected!

There’s a direct co-relation between the incoming calls that I receive on a Friday, with the status of a film. If it happens to be a low-budget fare with no curiosity attached to it, my phone remains silent most of the times, except for a few regulars who, anyways, will never stop calling.

But if the movie happens to be a big-budget extravaganza starring the high and mighty or is helmed by a top notch story teller, the cell phone rings incessantly. Last Friday onwards, right till the time of writing this piece, the phone hasn’t stopped ringing. Expectedly, the discussions were limited to TASHAN, just TASHAN, only TASHAN.

Everyone I spoke to is in a state of shock. What went wrong? Let’s analyze…

• Akshay Kumar – in top form after a string of hits.


• Saif Ali Khan – riding high after RACE.


• Kareena Kapoor – stronger than ever after JAB WE MET.


• Anil Kapoor – back with a bang, post WELCOME and RACE.


• Add to it the name that once guaranteed house full boards from Day 1 itself – Yash Raj. Yet, TASHAN failed to drive into the viewer’s heart.

I wouldn’t like to get into the plusses and minuses of the film [already highlighted in the review], so let’s talk business. That’s what everyone’s keen to know.

A leading North India distributor/exhibitor and I got into a discussion over the financial implications of its no-show at multiplexes. “Do you think Yash Raj would be affected by a Rs. 8-10 crore loss? It won’t pinch them one bit,” he opined.

Agreed, Yash Raj has made a fortune with a string of hits, but in this business [or any business for that matter], every penny counts. TASHAN has cost ‘x’ amount to make and whether you accept it or not, the no-show at multiplexes means that they’ve lost out on a good chunk of revenue. Had the film opened at the plexes, the losses would’ve been controlled/minimal.

But more than anything else, TASHAN has hit the credibility of Yash Raj hard. Last year, RGV faced a major crisis when RGV KI AAG was mauled, ridiculed and written off. I saw and heard similar negative talk doing the rounds of the industry for TASHAN.

Yash Raj’s last three films [JHOOM BARABAR JHOOM, LAAGA CHUNARI MEIN DAAG and AAJA NACHLE] were forgettable ventures. But TASHAN will not be erased from our memory. Its non-performance will haunt us all through this year!

Taran Adarsh

'Tashan' has been rejected in major International Markets

TASHAN, starring four A-listers and produced by the Numero Uno production house [Yash Raj], has been rejected in major international markets. Akshay [after a string of hits], Saif [after RACE], Kareena [after JAB WE MET] and Anil Kapoor [after WELCOME, RACE]… it couldn't get bigger than this. But the film has failed to live up to the hype and expectations.

U.K. BOX-OFFICE
Weekend: April 25 - 27, 2008.

* TASHAN has debuted at No. 13 position. In its opening weekend, the film has collected £ 1,81,838 [approx. Rs. 1.45 crores] on 46 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 3,953.
The breakdown:- Thursday previews: £ 14,999; Friday: £ 54,677; Saturday: £ 64,666; Sunday: £ 47,496.

* U ME AUR HUM [last weekend: No. 17, this weekend: No. 26]: In its third weekend, the film has collected £ 20,282 on 26 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 780. Total: £ 3,95,493 [approx. Rs. 3.15 crores].
The breakdown:- Friday: £ 3,815; Saturday: £ 8,436; Sunday: £ 8,031.

* KRAZZY 4 [last weekend: No. 27, this weekend: No. 44]: In its third weekend, the film has collected £ 4,914 on 10 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 491. Total: £ 1,35,141 [approx. Rs. 1.08 crores].
The breakdown:- Friday: £ 939; Saturday: £ 2,405; Sunday: £ 1,570.

* RACE [last weekend: No. 43, this weekend: No. 69]: In its sixth weekend, the film has collected £ 1,130 on 1 screen. Total: £ 8,80,423 [approx. Rs. 7.01 crores].
The breakdown:- Friday: £ 249; Saturday: £ 446; Sunday: £ 435.

U.S.A. BOX-OFFICE
Weekend: April 25 - 27, 2008.

* TASHAN has debuted at No. 24 position. In its opening weekend, the film has collected $ 3,01,226 [approx. Rs. 1.20 crores] on 75 screens, with the per screen average working out to $ 4,016.

* U ME AUR HUM [last weekend: No. 29, this weekend: No. 41]: In its third weekend, the film has collected $ 80,011 on 89 screens, with the per screen average working out to $ 899. Total: $ 10,28,191 [approx. Rs. 4.12 crores].

* KRAZZY 4 [last weekend: No. 48, this weekend: No. 61]: In its third weekend, the film has collected $ 35,282 on 59 screens, with the per screen average working out to $ 598. Total: $ 4,87,215 [approx. Rs. 1.95 crores].

AUSTRALIA BOX-OFFICE
4-day weekend: April 24 - 27, 2008.

* TASHAN has debuted at No. 17 position. In its opening weekend, the film has collected $ 1,48,087 [approx. Rs. 59.44 lacs] on 13 screens, with the per screen average working out to $ 11,391.

NEW ZEALAND BOX-OFFICE
4-day weekend: April 24 - 27, 2008.

* TASHAN has debuted at No. 19 position. In its opening weekend, the film has collected $ 15,777 [approx. Rs. 6.37 lacs] on 3 screens, with the per screen average working out to $ 5,259.

Taran Adarsh

Bebo's bikini moment

Considering that Tashan has not got the audience in droves, we provide a jhalak of why Kareena has lost so much weight for her role

Most of you may not have ventured out to watch Adi’s Aag...oops... Tashan as yet, here’s something you’ll be missing out on... a wet Kareena Kapoor in a bikini!

There has been a lot of buzz about Bebo’s two-piece swimsuit and whether she actually wore one.

The actress has, a lime green coloured bikini, in the Chaliya song which is in the first-half of the film.

This is the reason why she lost so much weight for Tashan.

Making her entry in a typically glamorous style, Kareena comes out of the water and makes some seductive glances at the camera.

Unlike Bipasha Basu’s fleeting shot in Dhoom 2, Kareena gets more screen time with her bikini in Tashan.

Now, Adi ki Aag!

Ramu is amused that his big flop is being compared to Tashan

Ram Gopal Varma may well be one of the few filmmakers who know how to laugh at themselves.

When Yash Raj Films’ Tashan released on Friday, RGV was shocked on being flooded with a barrage of responses from the industry saying Tashan was worse than/as bad as his Sholay remake — Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag!

An amused Ramu texted Amitabh Bachchan about it who was even more amused by Ramu’s casual manner and reproduced his SMS on his blog (http://blogs.bigadda.com).

Bachchan posted this on his blog yesterday, “Ram Gopal Varma amuses me with his self-deprecatory remark on the SMS.

This morning his text reads: ‘Sarkar (we address each other thus), people are saying Tashan is as bad as Aag!

If Sholay has set the benchmark for the ultimate hit then the least I achieved with Aag, is that I made it a benchmark for the ultimate flop. Ha...ha.”

Says Ramu, “You mean he has put it on his blog? Yes, I have heard people are comparing Aag to Tashan.

On Saturday, I got a lot of calls from people saying Tashan should be called Aditya Chopra Ki Aag.

They thought it was as bad as Aag.” Was Anurag Kashyap one of those who messaged him? “Anurag hasn’t messaged me for a year now.”

Does the comparision make him feel bad? “All these criticisms don’t make me feel bad but yes it keeps me motivated enough to make Sholay again,” says Ramu.

Upala KBR

TASHAN - Law of averages strikes for Akshay Kumar

BHAGAM BHAG, NAMASTEY LONDON, HEYY BABYY, BHOOL BHULAIYYA, WELCOME.

With five successful films in a row, it seemed like Akshay Kumar couldn't put a foot wrong. Especially so with releases like TASHAN, SINGH IS KINNG, CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA and KAMBAKKTH ISHQ as his upcoming releases and sure shot blockbusters in the making. It was meant to be a perfect 10 in the offering.

However, that wasn't meant to be as law of averages has finally struck. And struck hard.

TASHAN has proved to be a disaster. Whether box office too would tell the same story is something that the weekdays would convey (chances seem slim though if the film would be able to recover from bad word of mouth) but at least amongst the audience, the film has proved to be a massive disappointment. The film has failed to deliver, and how!

This translates into the fact that Akshay Kumar finds a speed breaker in his golden run and would now have his eyes set on SINGH IS KINNG, his next release. So is there any silver lining here? Well, quite a strong one actually! In this out and out mayhem which goes by the name of TASHAN, it is only Akshay Kumar who has come out unscathed and has been appreciated most for his performance and characterization (in no particular order) even though rest of the film (as well as the characters) is nothing more than caricature.

As Bachchan Pandey, Akshay has managed to get the graph of his rustic character perfectly right and has brought life to the narrative of TASHAN which often ranges from being 'OK' to 'Oh My God'. His introductory scene as Ravana and the 'Ramleela' that follows is worth the price of the ticket while his naughty little tiffs with Kareena Kapoor, especially in their initial portions together, are done with a charming awkwardness.

In fact one shudders to think what would TASHAN have been if not for Akshay Kumar. As a 'hanuman bhakt' who wants the lady of his house to be all dressed up and 'sanskaari', he is the sole entity which provides some fun quotient to this film by Vijay Krishna Acharya which makes RAM GOPAL VARMA KI AAG seem like a classic.

However, the fact remains that in spite of him having fun in this spectacle in futility, Akshay Kumar would eventually have a failure to his name!

Joginder Tuteja

"My cowboy boots is my Tashan" - Saif Ali Khan

A few important dates in history: 1st January-New Year, 15th August- India got independence, 26th January- India got its Republic Day, 2nd October- Mahatma Gandhi's birthday, and in that same breath….16th August - Bollywood got its 'Prince' Charming in the form of Saif Ali Khan! Having born in a royal family of 'Nawabs' and with Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and actress Sharmila Tagore as parents, he couldn't have asked for anything more!

Nature justified its justice by having got this dashing young man in Bollywood his debut film Parampara. What followed after that were hits and superhit films like Kal Ho Na Ho, Parineeta, etc…which only reaffirmed the fact that Mother Nature can never go wrong with her decisions and that Bollywood is the place where Saif Ali Khan rightly belongs! We gets you an exclusive interview with the Man-Fit-To-Be-King, Saif Ali Khan, as he gears himself for the release of his forthcoming blockbuster Tashan!

What do you think about the music of Tashan?
I think it's a great album, it's got varied amount of music because I think our director is also like that. It's a classic Hindi film in the sense that after a long time there is a film that covers a wide range of commercial kind of emotions. Its also very modern and contemporary in terms of there is a song like 'Dil Dance Maare' which I think is a great song ,almost funny but at the same time quite hip. There is this really romantic number 'Falak' which I think is a wonderful song there is also 'Dil Haara' which is my song which I think is also very romantic, quite Sufi and intense. Kareena's solo song 'Challiya' I think is also very cool, I love the lyrics so over all it's a great album really nice and different

What was it about this film that made you decide to do it?
Actually it's quite funny, the first time Victor narrated it to me over one an a half hour in Adi Chopra's study and I said no because I didn't understand some parts. I am not very good with narrations; I would rather read a script. So I was told to take the script home and read. I loved it and I started laughing my head off at 2 am in the morning at some of the dialogues because I just thought it was very unpredictable. It's a classic Hindi film story in a way but at the same time the treatment is so different with a lot of new technique. But the basic plot is a classic revenge story but it doesn't look like it because it starts of as a love story and moves into a road movie and then goes into a full on revenge drama so that was exciting and also very funny. It was the script that made me want to be a part of it. It's definitely going to be the hottest film of the year.

The look in the film is really appreciated can you tell me something about it?
I think it was the title Tashan, which required everybody to have a little bit of Tashan. Like the red belt which my character wears through out the film, the kind of moustache that he has and the haircut everyone is a little off in the movie but at the same time like I said that's the film everyone has a Tashan. Everyone is a little bit off so this was the look Aki Narula came up with some really nice clothes like Cargo's and T-shirts and decided that I would never wear jeans, slightly an off kind of guy but without being weird so there is this fine line which I think was very nicely handled.

Can you tell us something about the character you play in Tashan?
I am playing this guy called Jimmy who is a bit of an odd character. He has had a strange sort of childhood where his father used to dress him up in white clothes like Jeetendra and make him dance publicly. Because of which he is a little bit off. He works in a call center, very romantic, lives alone and he keeps picking up chicks from the call center. But eventually he falls desperately in love with the Kareena Kapoor's character and his life ends up turning into utter hell, which in the end actually turns out to be the best adventure he has ever been on. And that's what makes a film like Tashan extremely special because unlike a lot of Hindi films, its about what we lack the most in our lives, which is adventure. That's why probably we go to the movies to feel and go to another world and be carried away into that kind of a rollercoaster ride by getting shot at and being in lots of trouble, finding love and loosing it, money, gunfights. Basically an unpredictable life. It was good fun.

How was your experience working with Vijay Krishna Acharya?
Victor is a great man, he is a loyal friend, and he is an old school kind of a staunch gentleman in many ways. But when you look at him in his moustache he may seem a little odd. Although is not mundane and his film is unpredictable even his brief to us different. As actors personally we got along very well, he makes me laugh to no extent, it's like therapeutic to sit with him because he really does have a big laugh. Neither of us take ourselves too seriously we share quite a unique bond I think, he understands me, expects the best from me and brings out the best and I like to give it to him. I think of him as a mentor and I somehow confess all my sins to him. The second I saw him I knew I could trust him that way and as a director he would just usually ask me to surprise him and to not let the performance be expected. What the character is going to do next, the lines also should sound like they just happened and weren't prepared. He's a cool guy and he's made a very cool film.

What according to you is your Tashan Factor?
I think as an actor I would like to think that I try and play things naturally and not really try and play hero but to try and play a character and let the situation decide whether he is heroic or not. And the Tashan of anything would be no matter how many times you are doing it, to make it look like its been done for the first time ever. That moment should be real I suppose that's what Tashan is. My cowboy boots is my Tashan.

Can you tell us something about your experience shooting for the song 'Dil Haara'?
I have this tendency to go on a holiday during Christmas and New Year and since I work with Adi Chopra so often that he knows this. Christmas and New Year is a good time to eat and drink so one tends to put on a little bit of weight. And Adi said he wants this song to be the item of the movie and he wants to shoot it in Greece. In his exact words, "If you are going to party over New year's and Christmas and going to come back looking like a Papa I will shoot the song in Bombay on some set and I will be very disappointed." So unfortunately, I had to starve for the greater part of my trip to Hong Kong while I don't think it is a six pack which is a bit much to expect but I will get there soon. I did try and did manage to lose a fair amount of weight, luckily I ended up looking good and they were happy because they are used to seeing me fat. The song was it at this beautiful Greek island called 'Milos', it's a beautiful island which has underwater caves and of course being a movie we ended up going there in the middle of winter and worked in freezing cold weather in the water so it was hellishly torturing in that sense. We had some great dancers, Aki Narula styled it really well, shot fantastically well by Bose one of the most talented cameraman I have worked with and Vaibhavi in fine form. I think everyone was quite happy at the end of it.

So what do you say about Vaibhavi Merchant's choreography?
Vaibhavi is great; I have been watching her for a long time. I have been working with her on and off for a while. I think one of her first film was with me; she used to assist Chinni Prakash at one point. We have all been around. She is great and lots of fun to work with, and thoroughly professional and expects you to give your best and so does she and I think she is quite happy also with this song. I think after a long time we have got something quite special together.

Tashan has a lot of action sequences. How was it learning action with Peter Hinne?
I have a Tashan war wound which happened to me while kicking a can in the middle of an action sequence with Peter. On the set he just gets everyone into the mood to do great stuff. I would love to work with him again and I simply love him. The action in the film is much larger than life, it's like a comic book action, its bigger, its not just a few gunshots; its thousand bullets going off and cars skidding on fire using cables, its great fun, very exhausting but great. Everyone got banged and hurt everyday, which is what it was all about. I love action films, love watching them and love working in them. Haven't worked with Akshay Kumar in a while but there is bound to be a bit of action unless we do one of those slightly romantic films together which I am happy we didn't do.

Any one memorable incident during the shoot of the film.
I had rented an Enfield in Ladakh, I used to ride it to work everyday .It was one of the most exhilarating and liberating experiences of my life. It's a very beautiful countryside up there, so some good music on the headphones and riding the bike was fantastic. It was a great one-month schedule.

You are sporting a moustache for the first time. What was it like and would you like to have one?
I think I would, i enjoyed the moustache, I was a little uncomfortable with it initially because I thought it looked funny. Then I grew into it quite well and I have seen many people now with a similar kind of a moustache so it is cool now. I would like to keep a heavy stubble and longer hair once.

What is it like working in a multi starrer film as opposed to a solo film?
You get to get a little bit worked up about what the other person is doing which is always exciting. I always enjoyed a multi starrer when I was a kid. I think, if you are confident about your role, it doesn't really matter. In fact, sometimes it's a bit more fun to work off other peoples energies. I think Akshay and I have a tremendous complimentary sort of quality with each other on films because we come from different worlds. So it's interesting when you put us together, it always has been with different body types and different screen presences. We work very well off each other, its like Terrance Hill and Bud Spencer - one short and one tall guy, so its an interesting pad. I like to work in films that I would like to watch so it really does not make a difference.

This is probably your sixth film with Akshay. How does it feel pairing up with him?
Akshay Kumar has become one of the best actors, when I worked with him first he use to say that you do the acting and I will do the action but now I think he is doing both almost better then anyone else. A remarkable sense of comedy and acting, I haven't worked with him in a while, I really enjoyed it this time, and I am dying to see what it looks like. It's always great and we compete quite seriously with each other, which is really good. He makes up things sometimes that are not in the script so it drives me mad and then I would make up things that is not in the script and then eventually we get a good scene or we just start doing shit and the director says what's going on but its always fun.

Anil Kapoor is a super class-apart actor. Any comments on his performance.
Anil Kapoor is not only one of the most talented actors I have ever worked with, he is also one of the least selfish and most giving person I know. I think he is at a point in his career where he can share so much of wisdom to juniors and he is so positive about everything. He is one of the most positive people I know and he considers working in films a privilege, which it is. He feels that if you are working in 80 degrees heat and you have to wear a suit he say's don't think about it as you are unlucky and it's a job in fact consider it a privilege and think it's great. He is super to work with and you learn a lot from him. He is very professional.

Kareena Kapoor as an actor has grown a lot your comments.
True, I am working with Kareena after LOC for the first time. It was great, she is really good, very easy to work with, and very spontaneous she kind of moulds herself to whichever actor she is working with that I think I have noticed. If you want to rehearse she rehearses if you don't then that's fine too.

I have not worked with Yash Raj Films since a long time, says Akshay Kumar

He started out as an action hero in a series of Khiladi films. Before you thought he could do only maar-dhaad kind of roles, he shifted gears and ticked your funny bone in some hilarious films like Hera Pheri, Garam Masala and Bhagam Bhag. He even showed his versatility by doing some heavy-duty dramas like Dhadkan, Waqt-A Race against Time and Bewafaa. Yes, we are talking about the one and only Akshay Kumar. After giving four back to back hits last year Akshay is now considered as the most bankable star in the business. We brings you an exclusive interview with the man himself who is ready to kick-start year 2008 with his very own Tashan.

What do you think about the music of Tashan?
I love the track ‘Dil Dance Maare’ it has a Bhojpuri flavor. I have never heard something like that it’s a great dance number. There is another romantic number ‘Falak Tak’, it’s a great travel song shot in Ladakh, Rajasthan, Kerala and a little bit of it in Mumbai so these are the two songs, which are my favourite.

What was it like working with Aki Narula?
Aki Narula did my clothing and styling, he has worked on the smallest details. Aki Narula’s styling is very cool and stylish, yet he was very real and in the character. I loved my look in the film; it works for Mr. Bachchan Pandey- yes…that’s my character name.

What made you decide to do this film?
To begin with, the fact that it was a Yash Raj film excited me. I have not worked with them since a long time it’s been a gap of 12 to 13 years so that excitement was there to work with this production house. The second thing was the script, it really excited me to do the film and then my character Bachchan Pandey was something, which I hadn’t played before. It is a great masala film and is complete in every way. It is very character driven and the story had a great graph. It is unconventional and that is what excited me.

How was the experience working with Vijay Krishna Acharya?
I think he has a great sense of scripting. Earlier also he has scripted many good films like Guru and Dhoom, I am sure with this kind of scripting he has made his own film in a great way. It was fun working with him, he has a great sense of humor, we really got long very well because he is a north Indian and so am I. So, we have the same kind of humor going and the good thing about him is that he gives his actors and his characters space. He tells them to perform and places his camera according to that, its not like we have to look at the camera and act. Instead in his case its like the actor has to perform and the camera is supposed to catch him. We were really free when we were working with him. We were not feeling claustrophobic because he allows us to just move freely. It was great working with him and I hope I get a chance to work with him again.

What was it like working with Peter Hinnes and doing an action film after a long time?
Peter Hinnes is from Vietnam, he has settled in South India and works in South Indian films; he is the most well-known action director there. I got a chance to work with him for the first time. He has not worked in many Hindi films but whenever he has worked here, he has done a great job and I can vouch for it because I myself am an action hero. I come to know when I work with an action director how good he is. He is really good at his job. The action of this film is very realistic; Peter is a great action director. He made me do a little bit of Parkour in this film. I had to learn it because I am not that trained into it; I am still learning Parkour. He got this idea when I showed him a little bit of stunts so when you watch this film you can see a bit of Parkour, that’s also one of the highlights of the film. It will be fun watching the action of this film, While performing we were having so much fun. If you see the fight, its more of a choreography, because of the environment we created. It was great working with Peter.

What according to you is your Tashan Factor?
My Tashan is my own attitude - an attitude towards life. I think Tashan stands for style and I think it’s ‘Me’ that’s what Tashan means to me.

Any one memorable incident during the shoot of the film.
The entire film has been memorable. Shooting in difficult terrain like Ladakh was quite challenging. Due to the high altitude, lot of people had fallen sick but despite that, the shoot continued. Then we shot in Rajasthan in extreme heat and over that we had to wear a jacket. Anil Kapoor had to wear long coats so I am sure it was a memorable moment for him too. Then when we went to Kerala it just did not stop raining; we had to take many breaks in between the shots considering the rains. The director Victor and the entire crew worked very hard to shoot the film so the entire film has been memorable. After a long time I was working with Saif Ali Khan my kid brother and Kareena with whom I have worked very often and of course Mr. Kapoor. It’s my second movie with him so it was a lot of fun working with all of them.

Can you tell us something about the character you play in the film?
I play the character of Bachchan Pandey who is from Kanpur who accidentally happens to watch two/three films like Godfather. He gets very inspired by the film, on the other hand he also works for a recovery agency as a recovery agent and how this character falls in love is what it is all about.

B.O. update: 'Tashan' not as expected

Yash Raj's new release TASHAN hasn't opened to the desired response. Since the movie hasn't released at multiplexes, the distributors are bound to lose a substantial chunk of revenue. At single screens, however, the response wasn't as expected. The film had a 70% start, but there were reports of business sliding downwards as day progressed. The reports are negative and the biggie is not likely to sustain in days to come.

The second release, SIRF - LIFE LOOKS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE, has opened to a dull response.

Taran Adarsh

What ban? It's pure bakwas!

Even though Akshay 'Jubilee' Kumar is shooting at breakneck speed at far-flung locations of China and Thailand [CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA is almost complete; just 10 days shooting is pending], rumours of all kinds [obviously, spread by Akki haters] show their ugly head intermittently.

The latest rumour [or should I say, joke?] is, Yash Raj has 'banned' Akshay because [a] The actor has had the guts to refuse a new script offered by the Chopras and [b] He isn't promoting a particular IPL team that has had a tie-up with TASHAN.

Expectedly, Akshay is flummoxed when I question him about the reported 'ban'. "YRF bans me? Impossible. Mr. Chopra and his son are thorough gentlemen. They would never ban their actors. Besides, they love me. By next week, watch out, I'll be their new 'Tashan'," is all that the modest Akki is ready to say.

Having known Akshay since the time he started out in SAUGANDH and also knowing how gracious and professional the Chopras are, I refuse to buy the story that they have decided against working with each other. Talking of the actor, he's humility personified even today -- a rarity when you hit big time.

Well, TASHAN releases today and all eyes are on this movie. Will Akki have yet another trophy to decorate on his over-crowded shelf? Will he walk away with ceetees and taalis once again? Watch out for the review on Bollywood Buzz, in a few hours from now. Watch this space!

Taran Adarsh