3 IDIOTS NOT A DIRECT LIFT OF BOOK

Aamir Khan starrer 3 Idiots isn’t a direct version of the Chetan Bhagat Novel Five Point Someone, but has the trademark Hirani twist to it.

Chetan Bhagat’s novel Five Point Someone was about three IIT hostel mates with below average GPAs ongoing in a B-school. Their marks not only affect their professional life, but family and love life as well. However, director Rajkumar Hirani who’s known best for creating the Munnabhai fact has provided his own rendition to the tale of the three IITians. Hirani, when quizzed about the film being an adaptation, confirmed, “While the basic premise of the B-school and IITian culture is similar to that of the book, the film is very loosely based on the novel. The story and characters are very different, along with the humor and message that is delivered through the life of the three friends.”

A source on the sets of the film reveals, “The film is a nick above the book. Hirani has thrown light on the professional and parental pressure IITians go through in a B-school. The pressure of always being on top, strict competition and the necessity of doing everything forms the book and has been highlighted in the movie. The plight of the students and their parents will help audiences relate with the story. It’s a complete entertainer, considering Hirani’s humour can leave anybody rolling off their seat and also the message given at the end of each of his films. Aamir is the star of the film indeed, but Sharman Joshi, Madhavan and, most importantly, Boman Irani shine throughout the film. Kareena Kapoor is a breath of fresh air in the film. All characters are essaying the role of 20-25 year olds and are completely believable. 3 Idiots is a must-watch for the youth and their parents.”

Boman Irani too tagged the film as a must-watch in a recent interview and Kareena labeled 3 Idiots as the film of the year. With Aamir Khan going around town promoting the film through the youth, it is quite evident that the actors and the filmmakers feel very strongly about their approaching offering. Sounds like this film will be worth all those prospect, indeed!

TOGETHER: PRIYANKA AND HRITHIK

After the super victory of Krrish, Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra will come together for a video for their dear friend and choreographer, Ganesh Hegde.

Ganesh Hegde’s debut album, G, released in 2005 and did pretty well. That time he had Shah Rukh Khan by his side and that helped endorse the album. Thereafter, he has gone been part of SRK’s tours and circle of friends and even choreographs his songs.

‘For his second album, he thought of getting Priyanka and Hrithik. He spoke to them and they right away agreed as they both are in town. Hrithik is only shooting Guzaarish at present and Priyanka will start Anjana-Anjani next month. Priyanka has shot her segment of the video and Hrithik will 2-3 days to complete his segment, with the perfectionist that he is. He will sport a beard in the video while Priyanka will have a funky look, particularly with her blue streaks.’

Our source continues, ‘Hrithik and Priyanka are very sweet people who always support their friends, no matter what. This is their first Indi-pop video and the superstars haven’t charged a penny for it because Ganesh is their friend and they have worked with him several times. Unlike Krrish, this time nobody will complain about Priyanka’s look as she has evolved and been styled very well. Needless to say, both Hrithik and Priyanka are natural dancers. ’

Priyanka Chopra confirmed she was part of the video and that she was thrilled about it. Ganesh’s spokesperson said that an official announcement for the video would be made later on when everything was finalized. Some of the popular songs that Ganesh has choreographed include It’s Magic from Koi Mil Gaya and Main Hoon Don from Don.

HRITHIK IS THE NEW KAMINA!

Buzz is Vishal Bhardwaj has lastly signed on Hrithik Roshan for his next film.

News is making the rounds that Hrithik Roshan has finally signed on the dotted line for Vishal Bhardwaj’s next determined project. Right after Kaminey, Vishal began work on his next project and zeroed down on Hrithik for the lead. But Hrithik who had signed Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Guzarish was too busy preparing himself for the part and had put Vishal’s film on the backburner. Sanjay’s film is said to be based on Hollywood film The Prestige starring Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale and Hrithik plays a paraplegic in the film. Hrithik has by now begun preparing himself for the role and was accurately moving around in a wheelchair for a month to get into character.

While Sanjay’s film is based on The Prestige, a source close to Vishal discloses details about his next, “Vishal has been waiting for Hrithik to give the go ahead for the film for quite a while now. Hrithik was anxious whether he’d be able to work for Vishal and Sanjay’s film at the same time as both the films would be physically and mentally draining for him. Vishal’s film is loosely based on The Departed which was directed by Martin Scorsese and starred Leonardo Dicaprio and Matt Damon. Departed was in itself a remake of the Hollywood flick Infernal Affairs about how the mob and the cops face a similar situation, unable to comprehend the terrible consequences that await them. Vishal known for his gritty, dark cinema instantly connected with the storyline and is only going to get down and dirty with the script. He is still to finalise on the mob boss and the third lead and a few of the other pre-production details.”

The Departed received innumerable number of Awards and is held as one of Scorsese's best. Whether Hrithik would play the part of mob iformant Matt Damon or the cop informant Leonardo Dicaprio is yet to be known. Still Hrithik has already proved that no one can play the smooth criminal as better as him and we can only wait and watch whether the genius Bhardwaj plans on making Hrithik the next most wanted kamina or not!

AAMIR KHAN IN AIDS FILM

In Priyadarshan’s new film, Aamir will be tackling the serious issue without being preachy.

Always one to put his best foot forward when it comes to educating the country, Aamir Khan will soon star in a Priyadarshan film on AIDS. ‘My next film is a meaningful and realistic take on AIDS. I have narrated the story to Aamir and he really liked it, though I have not presented him a bound script yet, Priyadarshan spoke to the press yesterday.

South Indian actor Mohan Lal, who is a Priyadarshan favourite, will also feature in the film. Priyadarshan added that when he came up with the idea of the film in 2008, he was considering Akshay, but things have changed now. With Kanchivaram being launched all over the globe, Priyadarshan thinks its time he combined the element of entertainment with a serious message. He wants to strike a balance between the two and prove it to himself that he is capable of making a success of it.

His comedy, De Dana Dhan, starring Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty, Katrina Kaif, Paresh Rawal, Neha Dhupia, Sameera Reddy, Asrani and Johny Lever, is in post production. Aamir is not the only one on Priyadarshan’s wish list; he wants to work with Big B too. ‘I have worked with Mr. Bachchan on advertisements but I want to shoot a feature film with him. It would be a great experience,’ he concludes.

That shouldn’t be tough we think; after Aamir, even Amitabh would grant.

WHEN WILL HRITHIK’S KITES FLY?

Perhaps the most highly expected flick of the year, the release of Hrithik Roshan starrer Kitesis still quite uncertain this year.

The kind of hoopla created around Kites was one of the reasons for it being tagged as the most awaited film of the year. The rumours generated reportedly by the Roshan camp themselves about the Hrithik, Barbara link - up got only more steamy after having a look at the film’s sizzling promos. While some tagged the release date to be on December 11, others pushed it to December 18. News is that it could also be pushed up till December 25 to compete against big daddy Aamir’s next release Three Idiots.

However Papa Roshan had earlier explained to us, “The release date of Kites is still not zeroed upon as we want the film to have a global opening. I want to involve the international market with the film’s release and the technicality of the entire situation is taking its time. As the film is being made in both the Hindi and English language, the dubbing process is still ongoing.” For the time being, Rakesh Roshan is still in Los Angeles, negotiating with Hollywood studios, and his representative here said that the date will be finalised once he reached Indian shores, which could probably be by the end of this month or early next month.

There is a lot of effort being put to bring a happy end to this year with the three big releases, Raju Hirani’s Three Idiots, Kites and Karan Johar’s My Name is Khanrespectively. The year 2009 has been a bad one for Bollywood in view of the producer-multiplex strike played a major dampener leaving these films uncertainty on a tight rope. These eagerly awaited films are facing stiff competition with the dozens of other films that are already fighting for the Diwali-Chritsmas holidays to cash in on.

Here’s hoping these films get to see the light of day, this year in itself!

AAMIR IN ANOTHER SOUTH REMAKE

After the super success of Ghajini, Aamir Khan will yet again be seen in another south film blockbuster and that too with Hrithik Roshan.

The producers of the blockbuster Allu Arvind and Madhu Mantena have planned the remake of the recent Telugu blockbuster Magadheera starring Ram Charan Teja. Magadheera grossed over Rs.65 crore and is termed as the biggest hit ever in the Telugu industry after Ghajini. After the response the Hindi version of Ghajini received in Bollywood, the producers felt it was only right to do the same with Magadheera and that too with their lucky charm Aamir Khan.

Madhu Mantena established to the press saying, ‘Yes Allu Arvind and I are remaking Magadheera in Hindi. As for the cast, it's too early to talk about it. But Magadheera is definitely being planned to be bigger than Ghajini. The remake of the film is only going to be much costlier, budgeted at Rs.70 crore. Magadheera set in the17th century had Ram Charan playing a double role, but the Hindi remake will have Hrithik Roshan and Aamir Khan playing the warrior in two different parts, one in the Middle ages and the other in a present day avatar respectively.

Source close to Aamir revealed, “Being a period film, the remake of Magadheera needs a lot of research and hard work, and being the perfectionist that Aamir is, he’ll be getting into the nitty- gritties of his character and the movie in itself. While Aamir has loved the idea of the entire film, he’s busy with the post-production work of wife Kiran Rao’s Dhobi Ghaat as of now. Still if Aamir does go ahead with the film you can only imagine what the outcome will be, it will be his first as a warrior in a period film and knowing him he always loves to do something different all the time.”

Let’s hope Aamir and Hrithik come together for this highly anticipated remake, for we can only imagine how explosive their performances combined can be to take Magadheera to an all new level!